And, for the chronologically-challenged, Happy New Year!

This begins our fifth year of operation.  Five years?!?  How time flies.  We’ve been thrilled how the blog continues to grow.  But we are not going to rest on our laurels.  We hope to make 2012 the most exciting year yet on  GR.  In addition to continuing to bring you our unique brand of news and commentary, we will also be launching a lot of original content on the blog this year.  This will be rolled out slowly over the next few months.  We think you’re really going to like what we have planned.

But the success of a blog isn’t just about what we do.  It’s also about you.  And though we’ve been overwhelmed by the success of GR.  We have had one major disappointment.  We don’t get as much commenting as we’d like.

So, in addition to all the traditional content, and the new content, we are going to offer regular posts seeking your opinions.  Posts designed to elicit your thoughts and views.  Because as much as we love our own ideas and attitudes.  We find yours much more exciting.

Here’s to an thrilling New Year!  And, as to you time travelers, well, you already know what a thrilling year it’s gonna be.  That’s why you’re here.

When it comes to awards, genre material rarely makes much of an impact.  But this year the Golden Globes has let a tiny bat squeak of recognition sound in the television nominations.

Our favorite show of the year, “Game of Thrones” landed two nominations one for Best Television Series Drama and one for Peter Dinklage in tBest Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television category.  While the wonderful “American Horror Story” had similar results, also landing a nod int the Best Television Series Drama category and scoring a nomination for Jessica Lange in Best Performance by an Actress  in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television category.

Genre material scored less well in the movie categories.   Hugo got a nod in the best drama and best director categories.  And Midnight in Paris landed nods in the best comedy or musical, director and screenwriting categories.   The nominations for animated features included, The Adventures of Tintin, Arthur Christmas, Cars 2, Puss in Boots, and Rango.

“American Horror Story” dropped to a 1.4 rating with the 18-49 demo.  But still managed to score the top spot among Wednesday cable shows.

“Terra Nova” drew a rating of 2.1 with the 18-49 demo.  This tied the series low.  Let’s hope things pick up for next week’s finale.  And check out that nifty piece of pre-production art, above.

Asa Butterfield, who will soon be seen by audiences in Martin Scorcese’s “Hugo”, has just been cast as Ender Wiggin in big screen adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s novel “Ender’s Game”.  The film will be directed by Gavin Hood (“X-Men Origins:  Wolverine”) with a scheduled release date of March 15, 2013.

A film adaptation of this novel, published in 1985 and winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Award, has been long anticipated.   But there is some skepticism about this production as early discussions have suggested major changes in the original story.  Additionally, the selection of Gavin Hood as director has left many disappointed.

Excellent adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s “Mars is Heaven” from the series “X Minus One”.    It originally aired May 8, 1955.

Harlan Ellison is coming back into vogue.  Thanks to the documentary Harlan Ellison:  Dreams with Sharp Teeth and POD re-releases of most of his books.  That’s a good thing.  Harlan is essential.

But for those of us who began reading Science Fiction in the seventies, the thought that he would fall out of vogue … ever … is anathema.  He seemed to be everywhere.  Every magazine.  Every bookstore.  And even on TV.  (Writers on TV … imagine that?)  And if you loved thoughts and ideas and science fiction, you wanted to know what he had to say.

He was a cross between Voltaire, Bruce Lee and Mickey Mouse.  And just as entertaining as all three combined.  Here’s a video from the height of fame which gives you a sense of why we dug him so much.

This is a much more serious Ellison than we’ve come to expect in recent years evangelism for power and necessity of Science Fiction.

Here he focuses more heavily on the different way the “new wave” of Science Fiction writers are handing issues of importance.

Here he speaks about his anthology “Again Dangerous Visions”.

There are actors.  There are stars.  There are icons.  And then there’s William Shatner.   For Shatner cannot be contained by simple labels.  And his status in pop culture grows in height and breadth every day.  Had he only played “Captain Kirk” on “Star Trek”  his impact would be massive.  Had he only done the work before that.  He’d be remembered.  Had he only done beloved “bad” talk-sung recordings of popular songs, he’d be good for a laugh or three.  But Shatner is all those things and more.  And he just doesn’t stop working.

One of the first portrayals of this side of Shatner, comes in a 1968 TV Guide profile (below)  entitled “Intergalactic Golden Boy”.  This article shows us the always busy Shatner.  Fielding calls from talk shows and his agent.  Talk about recording songs.  (Yup, THOSE songs!) And, only then, turning to the TV Guide interviewer to answer some questions.   Also very much like the Shatner of today, he goes on to be very revealing about his personal life.  Taking with real emotion about the break up of his marriage and the death fo his father.

Shatner may have been very unsure of himself and his career at this time.  But, in hindsight, this article tells one and all exactly where he’d go.  And what he’d become … a legend!

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Here’s a trio of new motivational posters for you do use as you like.  Let us know in the comments sections where you’ve used them and the reactions you got.

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Brand new trailer for the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ novel “Hunger Games”.   Set in a dystopian future, the story follows the adventures of a teen couple forced to participate in bizarre television program where individuals must kill each other off till there is only one left standing.   It’s sort of Twilight meets Battle Royale.