“The Waters of Mars” creates a flood of viewers for BBC America

The science-fiction entertainment news site Airlock Alpha reports that the BBC’s acclaimed Doctor Who television special, “The Waters of Mars,” attracted a record 1.1 million viewers to its American cable channel last Saturday evening. If you missed the adventure and horror at Bowie Base One on the Red Planet and don't want to wait for the DVD or Blu-Ray to be released, you can watch the entire 60-minute program on YouTube!


And, if you’re not opposed to some fantasy with your science fiction, take the Best Bum on Bowie Base One poll.

Poll: Best bum on Bowie Base One

Watched by millions of SF fans in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia, the BBC’s highly anticipated Doctor Who television special “The Waters of Mars” is scheduled to air in the United States on the BBC America channel this Saturday night, December 19th, at 7:00 p.m. To mark the occasion, I’m conducting a global poll as to which of these four female characters on Bowie Base One in “The Waters of Mars” has the best bum:

• Captain Adelaide Brooke

• Geologist Mia Bennett

• Chemist & Engineer Maggie Cain

• Physicist Steffi Ehrlich

The poll, which closes on December 31, 2009, is located near the top right-hand column of this blog, below the cover art of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles.

A review of Stephen Baxter’s 1996 alternate history novel Voyage

The blog Republibot recently posted a lengthy review of Voyage (1996), an award-winning alternate history novel written by British hard science fiction author Stephen Baxter in which President John F. Kennedy survives his assassination attempt and the first manned mission to Mars blasts off in 1985. Trumpeting Voyage as the best alternate history novel ever, Republibot concludes, in part: “This is a great, great, great, book and very strongly recommended. It avoids all of the flaws of the Alternate History subgenre, and most of the flaws
of the “First mission to Mars” stories as well.”

Speaking of voyages to the Red planet, a majority of Americans surveyed believe the United States should send astronauts on a mission to Mars, a newly-releasesd CBS News poll finds.

Results of poll: Will Women's history land in a Martian crater in the near future?

Here are the results of the recent poll I conducted to determine which future landmark event in Women’s history readers think will happen last:

• 30% of the readers who answered the question believe the last event will be the United States electing a woman president

• 23% believe the last event will be a woman walking on the surface of Mars

• 7% believe the last event will be a woman named as CEO of "Mother" Merrill Lynch

• 38% believe the last event will be the International Astronomical Union (IAU) naming a crater on Mars in honor of a woman science fiction writer

Thanks to the 13 readers who participated in the poll. Considering the results, here is a suggested summer reading list for the androgynous members of IAU’s Task Group for Mars Nomenclature:

• Women of Wonder: The Classic Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1940s to the 1970s (1995), by Pamela Sargent

• Women of Wonder: The Contemporary Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1970s to the 1990s (1995), by Pamela Sargent

• Frankenstein's Daughters: Women Writing Science Fiction (1997),
by Jane Donawerth

• Martian Quest: The Early Brackett (2002), by Leigh Brackett

• The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction (2002), by Justine Larbalestier

• Better to Have Loved: The Life of Judith Merril (2002), by Judith Merril and Emily Pohl-Weary

• “Spaceballs,” by Carol Cooper, The Village Voice, July 16, 2002

• Partners in Wonder: Women and the Birth of Science Fiction, 1926-1965 (2005), by Eric Leif Davin

• Northwest of Earth: The Complete Northwest Smith (2008), by Catherine L. Moore

• Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy (2008, two volumes), by Robin Reid

Pictured: SF author Judith Merril, the real “Mother" Merril.

Casting poll for John Carter of Mars film reveals fans don’t know much about Hollywood

Now that we know Canadian actor Taylor Kitsch will play the role of John Carter and American actress Lynn Collins will play the role of Dejah Thoris in the long-awaited Disney/Pixar film John Carter of Mars (2012), we can take a closer look at a cool casting poll conducted by the Unofficial Fansite of the John Carter of Mars Movie over the past several months.

Although the poll covered several major characters from the science fictional Mars of pulp author Edgar Rice Burroughs and generated 2,137 votes, I’m only interested in the results for John Carter and Dejah Thoris. Fans made a few spelling errors when they cast their votes and my math is probably not perfect, but it is clear that most of us (including myself) don't know much about Hollywood casting.

As to which actor should play the role of John Carter, here’s how some of 1,954 fans voted:

1. Hugh Jackman (received 476 votes or 24% of the total)
2. Tom Welling (338)
3. Matthew McConaughey (169)
4. Viggo Mortensen (128)
5. Eric Bana (98)
6. Christian Bale (78)
7. Brandon Routh (66)
8. Bruce Campbell (41)
9. Brad Johnson (ii) (39)
10. Paul Telfer (37)
25. Taylor Kitsch (received 8 votes or less than 1% of the total)

As to which actress should play the role of Dejah Thoris, here’s how some of 1,809 fans voted:

1. Monica Bellucci (received 222 votes or 12% of the total)
2. Salma Hayek (159)
3. Morena Baccarin (149)
4. Josie Maran (144)
5. Jessica Alba (124)
6. Dina Meyer (104)
7. Kate Beckinsale (96)
8. Aishwarya Rai (95)
9. Malaika Arora (69)
10. Angelina Jolie (55)
81. Lynn Collins (received 1 vote or less than 1% of the total)

Thanks to the Unofficial Fansite of the John Carter of Mars Movie!

Poll: Will Women's history land in a Martian crater in the near future?

Now that the impact of the naming of Asimov Crater on Mars by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has been recorded, I’m conducting a poll to determine which future landmark event in Women’s history you think will happen last. Here are four monumental events I'm thinking about:

• The United States will elect a woman president

• A woman will walk on the surface of Mars

• A woman will be named CEO of Merrill Lynch

• The IAU will name a crater on Mars in honor of a woman science fiction writer

According to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, large craters (approximately 60 km and larger) on Mars are named for “deceased scientists who have contributed to the study of Mars; writers and others who have contributed to the lore of Mars,” while planetary features on Deimos, a moon of Mars, are named for “authors who wrote about martian satellites [Phobos and Deimos].”

If I understand the list of Martian craters published in the gazeteer, we now have seven craters named in honor of male SF writers: Burroughs Crater (1973), Weinbaum Crater (1973), Wells Crater (1973), Lasswitz Crater (1976), Alexey Tolstoy Crater (1982), Heinlein Crater (1994), and Asimov Crater (2009). And zero craters named in honor of female SF writers!

If the IAU is considering diversifying this astronomical anomaly in the near future, here is my shortlist of important women SF writers who have made a significant contribution to the lore of Mars:

• Leigh Brackett (1915-1978)

• Catherine L. Moore (1911-1987)

• Judith Merril (1923-1997)

The poll, which closes on July 10, 2009, is located near the top right-hand column of this blog, below the cover art of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles.

Pictured above: Leigh Brackett, the Queen of Martian science fiction.

Results of poll: Which tribute to author Edgar Rice Burroughs would you most like to see established?

Here are the results of the recent poll I conducted about which tribute to author Edgar Rice Burroughs fans would most like to see established:

• 37% of those who answered the question would most like to see an Edgar Rice Burroughs Award established, to be given annually to a SF novel.

• 25% would most like to see an Edgar Rice Burroughs Scholarship established, to be given annually to an aspiring SF writer to attend the Clarion Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers' Workshop.

• 25% would most like to see an Edgar Rice Burroughs Foundation established, to provide annual grants to high school science teachers to create summer programs to help students understand the merits of sending a human mission to Mars.

• 12% would most like to see an Edgar Rice Burroughs Prize established, to provide a one-time prize to the first team of scientists that successfully creates a propulsion system capable of sending a spacecraft to Mars in less than 60 days.

Thanks to the 8 fans who participated in the poll. Perhaps the folks at Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. will show us the money!

Poll: Which tribute to author Edgar Rice Burroughs would you most like to see established?

I’m conducting a poll to determine which tribute to author Edgar Rice Burroughs you would most like to see established by the company Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. of Tarzana, California. Here are four possibilities I'm thinking about:

• Edgar Rice Burroughs Award, to be given annually to a SF novel. This would complement other awards, such as the Philip K. Dick Award.

• Edgar Rice Burroughs Scholarship, to be given annually to an aspiring SF writer to attend the Clarion Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers' Workshop. This would complement other scholarships, such as the Donald A. and Elsie B. Wollheim Memorial Scholarship.

• Edgar Rice Burroughs Foundation, to provide annual grants to high school science teachers to create summer programs to help students understand the merits of sending a human mission to Mars. This would complement other foundations, such as the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation.

• Edgar Rice Burroughs Prize, to provide a one-time prize to the first team of scientists that successfully creates a propulsion system capable of sending a spacecraft to Mars in less than 60 days. This would complement other prizes, such as the Heinlein Prize.

The poll, which closes on May 15, 2009, is located near the top right-hand column of this blog, just below the cover art of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles. If you have time, please consider voting, or feel free to leave a comment.

Results of poll: Should Oprah’s Book Club read the classic Burroughs novel A Princess of Mars?

Here are the results of the recent poll I conducted as to whether Oprah’s Book Club should read A Princess of Mars (1912/1917), the classic novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs:

• 55% of those who answered the question chose the answer "Absolutely, it would be a great opportunity for SF to attract new readers"

• 25% chose the answer "No, that would be sacrilegious and disrespectful to the memory of author Edgar Rice Burroughs"

• 20% chose the answer "Yes, but only if Oprah invites Burroughs fan, SF author, and fellow Chicagoan Mike Resnick on the show"

• 0% chose the answer "Maybe, if Oprah doesn't treat the novel as marketing fodder for the film John Carter of Mars"

Thanks to the 20 people (including me) who participated!

Poll: Should Oprah’s Book Club read the classic Burroughs novel A Princess of Mars?

I’m taking a poll as to whether Oprah’s Book Club should read A Princess of Mars (1912/1917), the classic novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

The poll is near the top of the right-hand column of this blog, just below the cover art of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles.

If you have time, please consider voting, or feel free to leave a comment.

Also, thanks to a post by the blog SF Signal, I just viewed a beautiful gallery of John Carter of Mars artwork put together by The Crotchety Old Fan.