The Saturn Awards are given away annually and I've always thought of them as (for the most part) picking out "the best of the best" when it comes to sci-fi/horror/the supernatural.
I saw a few tweets last night about the awards but I didn't bother checking out any of the winners until a few minutes ago and BHAM! Awesomeness!
Remember "Moonlight"? That little TV show I talked about a few months back? The very same one hubby and I have been watching over dinner? Yeah, THAT one. It won an award. It took home the "Best Series on DVD" prize and for good reason too - it a bloody good show.
Word of waning if you do decide to shell out the $26 (I paid WAY more than that) I won't stop you (actually, let me help: get it here!) but I'm warning you now, they went cheap on the release - no extras whatsoever but still worth every penny.
I don't watch a whole lot of TV but having just seen Episode 9 of "True Blood" (TB love!) and realizing there are only another 4 episodes left before the end of the season, I was reminded of a list I stumbled on a few weeks ago.
Sci-Fi Wire posted their list of Top 10 brilliant but cancelled with "Firefly" (duh!) topping the list. Rather unsurprisingly considering my lack of consistent TV watching, I haven't seen any of the other shows on the list though I'll admit to having picked up the complete "Alien Nation" series thanks to hubby's recommendation (though we've only seen a couple of episodes) but pocking around I note that "American Gothic" is also on the list. I remember skipping through the show a few times while it was on but never settling for long enough to get pulled in. I'm thinking this is going to be my next project once "True Blood" goes on hiatus.
Also worth noting that one of the other shows I discovered and came to love that was also cancelled, "Moonlight" is no where on the list. Shameful! ;)
I blame it all on UK blogger buddy Ramchandra, who accidentally watched "Moonlight" thinking it had something to do with Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight". There were an amusing group of Tweets surrounding the confusion but it all ended with a hearty recommendation. Since CBS/Warner have yet to release the show on DVD, I had to find other ways of tracking it down but after a little searching, into my possession came the first 12 (which means there are still 3 episodes kicking around out there that I haven't seen - MUST find).
The show stars Australian looker Alex O'Loughlin as PI Mick St. John (who also happens to be a Vampire), Sophia Myles (the human love interest), Shannyn Sossamon (the vampire ex-wife - if vampires can have ex-wives) and Jason Dohring (as Mick's best friend).
The pilot for the show is not particularly good. The acting is a bit off, there's little chemistry between the characters, the dialogue is stilted and generally uninspired. It's not surprising that critics ripped it to pieces and even more surprising that CBS kept the show on the air after the critical reception but numbers speak stronger than critics and the show was viewed by a load of people which likely saved it from an early demise. For me, it was a matter of the DVD player skipping to the second episode right at the end of the first.
The second episode was a little better but it was the third that really sucked me in. I spent Saturday and Sunday watching nothing other than the show, even going back and catching up with an episode my DVD player didn't like. The big seller: O'Loughlin and Myles have great chemistry and the banter between the two when the show finds its footing is excellent. I'll admit, it also helps that O'Loughlin is very, very handsome.
Now that I'm done, I'm a bit disappointed. CBS has canceled the show and Warner hasn't found anyone else to take up the reins. Too bad, I was just getting into it too. Lucky for me, I still have a few more to watch. Guess what I'll be doing over the next day or so?
In the meantime, it's worth noting that O'Loughlin isn't new to me. I saw him in Feed a few years back, a film that really rubbed me the wrong way, and he's starring in the upcoming Whiteout with Kate Beckinsale.
And I leave you with this, it opens the pilot and makes for a great introduction to the character:
