Knight Rider

This post was guest blogged by Nick Smith of The Scratching Post.

I was looking forward to seeing the revamp of Knight Rider on NBC last night. I love driving my Ford Mustang, so I was quite happy with the make and model being used for the Knight Industries Three Thousand car (“KITT”). I was even willing to give Val Kilmer a go as the voice of KITT, and I thought a cameo by David Hasselhoff (from the original series) would be fun. The director had worked on Rome and Deadwood – he had to be a smart cookie.

I must confess, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled when the old Knight Rider theme began to play. But it was replaced within seconds by generic rock and from then on, the TV movie resembled a 2 hour car commercial: lots of shots of the tires, the windshield, the grille etc. No amount of fast cutting allowed for the fact that the director Steve Shill had forgotten to make the car chases exciting.

Worse, the storyline was dull, formulaic American TV stuff; the leads were bland, with no interesting lines to test their acting chops; and the dialogue was often drowned out by the rock music.

It’s a shame that executive producer Glen A. Larson couldn’t have taken a cue from a revamp of another of his shows, Battlestar Galactica, and added some more engaging, believable characters. The new Knight Rider was so vacuous that I didn’t stick around long enough for the Hasselhoff cameo, and Steve Shill should stay away from car porn in future...

NICK SMITH BIO
www.nicksmithbooks.com
Nick Smith is a filmmaker, writer and actor. He has written screenplays (The Terror Game, Cold Soldiers); dramas and documentaries for the BBC, Sky and all other major UK networks. He wrote a year's full content for "The Property Channel" on cable and contributed to "The Medical Channel" on satellite.

Other work includes novels (the bestselling Milk Treading, The Kitty Killer Cult and Undead on Arrival), stage plays (Crime School, Foodfellas), comedy sketches, articles (The Scotsman, Charleston Magazine), radio plays and comic books. He founded and ran a production company and The Film School Scotland before moving to Charleston, South Carolina where he’s currently directing feature film and teaching writing, acting and filmmaking. He charts it all in his blog, The Scratching Post.

Rapture

News just in from Diamond Select Toys.

The first series of Battlestar Galactica action figures will feature seven different characters – five males and two females. So far this includes Apollo, Number Six and even Hot Dog!

Caprica 6 Mattel 0

Further to my post regarding Diamond Select Toys' new action figures line based on Battlestar Galactica. From today Forbidden Planet International has started taking pre-orders.

Caprica 6, Lee Adama (Apollo), and Flight Deck Chief Tyrell are the first wave of what will surely be a hit with fans and merchandise collectors alike. DST should avoid the mistakes Mattel made with their license.

Galactica Goodies

DST Launches Battlestar Galactica Action Figures!

Diamond Select Toys are proud to announce a partnership with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group to manufacture action figures and ships based on the SCI FI hit original series, Battlestar Galactica! Reimagined by Ron Moore, Battlestar Galactica tells the story of the last survivors of mankind and their quest to escape the murderous Cylons in their search for the mythical 13th Colony, Earth.

Battlestar Galactica premiered as a mini-series in 2003 to rave reviews from both critics and fans of the classic property, setting viewership records for the SciFi Channel. Leaving much of traditional science fiction behind, the new Battlestar Galactica instead focused on character-driven conflicts and the series’ epic storytelling style as viewers followed the triumphs and hardships of the Colonial Fleet. Having received the prestigious American Film Institute’s honorific “TV Program of the Year” for the second consecutive year, the stellar drama returns to the SciFi Channel on January 21st in a new timeslot; Sunday evenings at 10:00 pm EST.

In addition to the riveting plots and special effects, Battlestar Galactica features an incredibly diverse cast of characters portrayed by a mix of seasoned veterans and Hollywood newcomers. Accomplished actors Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell provide the necessary leadership as Admiral Adama and President Roslin, with a sizable supporting cast featuring the talents of Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhof, Grace Park, Jamie Bamber and James Callis. With guest stars like Lucy Lawless, Dean Stockwell and Battlestar Galactica veteran Richard Hatch, this impressive cast steals the show and delivers rock-solid performances week after week.

DST plans to release the first action figure assortment this summer. The debut series will feature several key characters from the smash-hit series, including the seductive Six herself! Specific product announcements, as well as timetables for their release dates, will be featured in future Diamond Select Toys communications and at next month’s American International Toy Fair.

Planet of the Spiders

**Contains Doctor Who Christmas Special 2006 spoilers**

A confession! I wasn't particularly impressed with the use of the Empress of Racnoss in The Runaway Bride, the 2006 Doctor Who Christmas special starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate! The performance was too static and the Empress' excessive ranting expunged any sense of palpable threat - quiet and measured is always more effective (see Davros in Revelation of the Daleks or Number Six in Battlestar Galactica 200x).

The narrative situations in The Runaway Bride were too derivative of last year's Christmas Special and owed much to the Lost in Space (1998) movie. In fact I speculated as to whether or not the Empress would be consumed by her own children during the predictable "fire" finale (the Doctor Who writers aren't the only culprits to commit this popular sin so-to-speak). The insidious spiders of Metebelis III need not lose any sleep!

Right, now that's out of the way lets get down to business.



Character Options, the award-winning UK based toy company, continues to raise the bar on mass-produced collectibles with the advent of their Doctor Who 2007 - 12" Empress of Racnoss. The Empress is a giant arachnid from deep within space. She has over 24 points of articulation, creating a spectacular action figure from the Doctor Who 2006 Christmas Special. To say she looks cool would be an understatement.

Stay tuned for further Character Options announcements over the coming weeks!

Heavy Metal

In 1979, you could go buy your favourite Star Wars vehicles in die-cast from Kenner. Then, there weren't a whole lot of options, but today Hasbro brings back all the detail and collectibility of die-cast metal with its Titanium Series of toys!

Starting with Star Wars, Hasbro brings all of the best-loved characters, vehicles, and more to the world of die-cast metal collectibles. With Battlestar Galactica and Transformers new and old, there's fun for every sci-fi fan with Hasbro's Titanium Series.

Each collectible item has moving parts, display stands, and so much more. The AT-AT has moving legs and a snowy base, the Imperial Shuttle has wings that descend, and the Titanium Ultra Millennium Falcon has an entire crew of figures sculpted inside! Collect them all!

Did anyone call for a metal webslinger? Hasbro's highly successful Titanium brand now includes an assortment of die-cast metal action figures licensed from The House of Ideas.



Bringing heavy metal detailing to the world of Marvel's most famous characters, including: Spider-Man, Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus.

Oh! Mustn't forget to wish readers a happy and safe Hallowe'en!

Action Masters

If you're wondering whether or not you should start collecting Hasbro's Titanium brand, which encompasses Star Wars, The Transformers and Battlestar Galactica? My advice would be an emphatic yes! Forget Kenner's Action Masters from the early 1990's, Titanium is the real deal.

Last weekend Boba Fett arrived, shipped by FPI, in an authentic Hasbro box! This is a gorgeous articulated 6" die-cast statue, and the packaging is too lovely to meddle with (includes Micromachines and Galoob logos on the base)!

Deluxe Megatron, a Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover, is on order.

Why pay over the odds for cool collectibles whilst there's a summer sale on at Play.com? I've already filled up my shopping basket with Star Wars Transformers, R/C Talking Davros and Mattel's DC Superheroes Bizaroo and Doomsday (it's worth noting that in the US Doomsday is short-packed one per case).

Judgment Day

Cumbersome companion Mickey Smith bid an emotional farewell (a thread is developing here) to Rose Tyler and the Doctor in The Age of Steel. Full marks to Noel Clarke for imbuing the character with genuine affectation.

The teary-eyed Cybermen (based on the chilling motif first used in Invasion and again in Revenge of the Cybermen) are to return in the cataclysmic two-part season finale sans Cybus branding?

Shed a tear for the Colonial survivors! After founding New Caprica (Lay Down Your Burdens: Part 2) a Cylon fleet, discovering trace elements from a nuclear blast that had destroyed Cloud 9 a year before, arrived en masse.

Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus had to jump away from New Caprica - they were outgunned a 1000 to 1 (to quote Captain Apollo from the classic series). Cylon Raiders blackened the heavens and transformed it into a satanic sky. Battlestar Galactica season two finale equalled the events of Buffy season two! With genre stalwarts Dean Stockwell and Lucy Lawless set to reprise their Cylon roles. Season three suggests the best is, literally, yet to come.

I was disheartened to read that ABC's Invasion has been cancelled. Invasion garnered a loyal and vocal audience and there may be hope, after all UK viewers ostensibly saved 24...