…And here is the DataBase entry for Tempus Fugit / Max. Incredible what XF did on a TV budget!

This is it. Today, shooting starts in Vancouver on “XF2”! And already a fake synopsis has surfaced in the internet, expectations and attention are somewhat high… In 2002, fans had funded a “thank you” ad in the Hollywood Reporter; they had used Scully’s speech from 4X18: Max on the extraordinary teamwork that made the Apollo project possible. The same words can apply here to wish the “XF2” crew a good luck!

Cheers to XF Ultimate, by the way!

Alumni watch: What, the beginning of production of “XF2” not enough for you?

Related trivia: If Apollo 11 was the first mission where men landed on the moon and later prompted Mulder to buy Scully a keychain commemorating it, Apollo 17 was the last Apollo mission — December 7 to 19, 1972. Apollo 17 was also the first mission which included a real scientist in its crew, as opposed to the usual over-trained pilots. It’s been 35 years that Man hasn’t returned to the moon. The Cold War sure did help Man boldly go where he hadn’t gone before!

I’ve uploaded the DataBase entry for Talitha Cumi / Herrenvolk; check it out, I’m setting some misconceptions straight here…

This update marks the beginning of a series of more frequent updates that will have the DataBase filled up much faster than what’s been the norm! Usually, I’m writing material for 2 seasons ahead of what’s online so that in case I forget something I can complete it beforehand. With big threads drawing to a close with Two Fathers / One Son, things are accelerating.

Alumni watch: The ongoing Writers Guild of America strike starts making casualties in the world of TV series, but “The Shield” isn’t one of them! CCH Pounder, Agent Lucy Kazdin in 2X04: Duane Barry, has a role worthy of her talents in this series, which is finishing production on its last episode of its seventh and ultimate season. “The Shield” has managed to keep a constant character quality and a bold rendition of the issues that urbanization, not only in Los Angeles but worldwide, rise today.

The word is out, the X-Files “sequel” feature film is well on its way towards production, with shooting to begin in December in Vancouver (which in itself is good news)! Code name: “Done One”. Remember the days when Fight the Future was “Operation Blackwood”?… Carter & Spotnitz made the right choice to write a stand-alone story and not a mythology (how to write post-series finale mythology after the improbable wanderings of Seasons 8 & 9? Does Carter still really think he can shoot a whole series of films on William leading to 2012?). What I hope to see is a good moody foggy dark atmosphere, a good “guest star” and witty dialogue in a “reasonably paranormal” plot. And a complete disregard of the current situation of Mulder & Scully, ie I don’t want to know if it takes place during this or that season or after the series: we keep the concept of two investigators into the paranormal and do a film on them — the same way I would approach a MillenniuM film. That’s it. Let’s hope for the best!

Some updating with a page on The Truth & The Light. Will I be done with the DataBase before the sequel is released?!

Alumni watch: Lucy Lawless (Shannon McMahon in 9X01/9X02: Nothing Important Happened Today) and Mark Sheppard (Cecil L’Ively in 1X11: Fire), who did a fine job in “Battlestar Galactica” as guest stars, will be returning for the show’s fourth and final season. “Battlestar Galactica“, perhaps THE best show around nowadays, may suffer from the upcoming Writers Guild of America strike. Thankfully the X-Files film seems to have escaped that!

As the X-Files reaches 14 years of age, things seem to seriously stir in development hell for the second X-Files feature. Meanwhile, FOX’s other mega-hit show, “The Simpsons“, gets a magnificent theatrical film, and already a promise for a sequel!

I’ve added the DataBase entry for Piper Maru / Apocrypha. Also, some rewriting on the entries for Colony and Anasazi. It’s impossible to write the definitive entry: with every rewatch of the episodes, there are new things that pop into mind!

Alumni watch: Howard Gordon, producer and scriptwriter on the X-Files up to season 4, has been working on another successful show of FOX, “24“, since its first season. Note that Gordon co-wrote the suspenseful tightly paced episode 2X22: F. Emasculata! After an instant success with its very good first season, “24” now has ended its sixth season with another
creative dead-end, suffering heavily from situations now repeated a thousand times and a tagline “Events occur in real time” that sounds more unrealistic than ever. As it faces its seventh season, Gordon and his coworkers promise that they will finally “reboot” the format of the show — but due to budgeting, and I suspect creative, reasons, the 7th season storyline has already been scrapped twice. Will this reboot prove to be another disappointment?

X-Files has now ended its air run for five years, and once again rumors are around that the second theatrical movie is really, really going to happen soon. Don’t know what to think about that. Apart from two more hours with two heroes of the ’90s, what could a new movie really offer? X-Files-like films and series are being released all the time now. Last one out: David Fincher’s “Zodiac”. Fincher had done “Se7en”, which had served as an inspiration for MillenniuM (which, by the way, had done an episode on the Zodiac killer: 213: The Mikado!).

A little updating with the DataBase entries for Avatar and Wetwired.

Alumni watch: David Nutter, veteran producer and director who worked on X-Files and MillenniuM and other shows, is helping the launch of “The Sarah Connor Chronicles“, a TV series derived from “The Terminator” franchise. If picked up, the show should air for the 2007-2008 season. Let’s hope it’s worth it.