              DVDIALOG
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Most Commented On
Archives
Blog
Link This | Email this | Blog This | Comments (4)
Science Fiction Master Harlan EllisonJuly 9, 2008Last week, I spoke with the legendarily curmudgeonly speculative fiction writer Harlan Ellison, who had a lot of nice things to say about Anchor Bay’s upcoming Masters of Science Fiction anthology (Street: Aug. 5), for which he was the co-writer of the teleplay for the episode “The Discarded.” Ellison also heaped praise on Masters producer Keith Addis (“A wonderful and intelligent man,” he said.), co-scripter Josh Olson and fellow Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award-winning sci-fi writers Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Frank Herbert. It’s ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson and his treatment of the Masters series that Ellison isn’t all that wild about.
“The main reason the series failed is because of that human piece of phlegm—a human abscess, really—Steve McPherson,” Ellison railed about network executive, who was responsible for scheduling the series in its Friday
Ellison shifts back to a more enthusiastically positive tone when it comes to “The Discarded,” which was adapted from Ellison’s 1959 short story No Room in Space.
“I am not fool enough to tell you the many things I don’t like about it—I would rather help them sell the thing,” Ellison laughed about the futuristic tale, which concerns a group of mutants who are forced to live in spaceship after they’ve been forced to leave the planet. “We used everything in the short story, while Josh added a really wonderful love scene. And I was able to add a little anti-right wing nut-freak stuff.”
“It was all done with a good heart and high intelligence,” said Ellision of the series, which also featured adaptations of stories by such noted sci-fi scribes as Robert Heinlein, Robert Sheckley and John Kessel. “It’s gonna be a rare icon, this show. Somewhere down the line, these [six installments] will be like the lost episodes of The Honeymooners or I Love Lucy.” Posted by Laurence Lerman on July 9, 2008 | Comments (4) 
July 11, 2008
In response to: Science Fiction Master Harlan Ellison shecky commented: Way to go Harlan! guess you won;t be working for ABC soon--good for you. and nice work Mr. Lerman for getting Harlan at his nastiest!
July 12, 2008
In response to: Science Fiction Master Harlan Ellison kevy commented: Good to know that in these changing times and all the PC and Corporate-speak bull**** that we can still count on one man to tell it like it is. Thank you Harlan, for never giving up the "good fight" and calling a human piece of phlegm a human piece of phlegm.
July 12, 2008
In response to: Science Fiction Master Harlan Ellison Dan Petitpas commented: This is all very nice, Harlan, but the episodes were not very good. None of them even approached the level of writing of a Babylon 5 or a Battlestar Galactica. Not even as good as most old Outer Limiits episodes.
July 12, 2008
In response to: Science Fiction Master Harlan Ellison Paul Harper commented: Does that man do anything other than complain these days? I realise it's difficult to reconcile that your best years were four decades ago, but please, let's have a little more positivity!
Advertisement
|
Advertisements
|
|
|
|
||
|
||
