Category: Sci-Fi

From The Beatles to Star Trek

Back at this link I showed the comedy duo Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall on the Ed Sullivan show, stuck with the unenviable task of being the lead-in act to The Beatles. I’ll plop it here again, for your viewing convenience.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2009/JAN/McCallBrill.flv 480 360]

Earlier I said there are two connections to Star Trek in the video. One of them is Sally Kellerman, who did the voiceover for the Pillsbury cake commercial. Kellerman was in the second Trek pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, which I think is, for a sci-fi/comics fan, one of the best hours of TV ever made.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2009/FEB/NoMan.flv 480 350]

The second Trek connection is Charlie Brill himself, who appeared as a Klingon agent in one of the most popular of all episodes, “The Trouble With Tribbles”.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2009/FEB/Tribbles.flv 480 350]

Hey, ya know what? Brill resembles John Lennon in this picture.

Netflix on Xbox 360

The Senate has delayed the end of analog TV transmission, which I think is a mistake, but in our house we’re using the absolute latest in TV technology. Because we’re finally set up to play Netflix’s Watch Instantly feature on Eric’s Xbox 360.

Whether SD, or Netflix’s limited selection of HD material, the video quality isn’t up to FiOS TV, but it’s certainly watchable, there are no glitches, and the operation of the user interface is fast and smooth. Here’s an example — one minute of the series “Heroes” in a somewhat grainy HD rendering, as seen on the Panasonic 720p front projector.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2009/JAN/NetflixHD.flv 480 360]

Chapel, Star Trek’s Number One Nurse

I loved watching Star Trek when I was a kid. Being the age I am, I saw the original series when it first aired, from 1966-69. I’d hold the mic of my portable Aiwa reel-to-reel tape recorder to the TV speakers, record the shows, and play them over and over again in bed late at night.

It’s already been a month since Majel Barrett passed away. About thirty years ago (!), Bismo and I attended a lecture and presentation by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry that was held at the Springfield (MA) Civic Center. Roddenberry showed the original Trek pilot, called “The Cage,” copied from what was then the only known print, in black and white. In the 80’s a video was assembled using color footage from “The Menagerie.” Later, a full color print of the pilot was found, but I enjoy the mixed version, because it highlights the parts that had been cut. Here’s my Nurse Chapel tribute.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2009/JAN/StarTrek.flv 480 350]

Embedding down with Hulu

Some people — those younger than I — really, really keep up with what’s going on. I sort of keep up. For example, I don’t know how big an audience Hulu has, but every time I see it I’m impressed by how much video is there, although some of it — hot, current stuff like Battlestar Galactica — has an expiration date.

The first thing I watched on Hulu was Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, after it jumped over there from iTunes. It was created by the slightly horrible and very fannish Joss Whedon, who previously had done the short-lived sci-fi series Firefly. You’ll find Firefly on Hulu, including this episode that features actress Christina Hendricks, now famous as Joan in the AMC series Mad Men. Rated TV-14