tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56908251652776048412026-07-22T19:35:32.896-07:00SF Fandom BlogNews and information about the SF-Fandom science fiction and fantasy fan forums. SF-Fandom is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our <a href="http://www.sf-fandom.com/vb/posting.html">Posting Guidelines</a>.Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.comBlogger340125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-6079478609021223272026-07-22T19:35:32.895-07:002026-07-22T19:35:32.896-07:00Andy Serkis Ignores Tolkien's Diversity For 'All Whites' MovieAndy SerkisBy the time you read this post you'll probably have seen or heard that people around the world asked Andy Serkis why he's not casting any actors of color for The Hunt for Gollum. Serkis dismissed these points of view as "political correctness", completely ignoring the fact that J.R.R. Tolkien described Middle-earth's peoples as very diverse in ethnicity and skin color. And that Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-65040711286255046542025-05-20T08:21:00.000-07:002025-05-20T08:21:33.110-07:00Xenite.Org Gets A YouTube ChannelAfter years of people asking me if I'll ever create a YouTube channel (for Tolkien and Middle-earth fans), I've decided to experiment with an AI-generated podcast.This is a risky step but the reason why I don't just create videos completely by myself is that I'm too busy to spend much time on such projects.On the other hand, I've noticed more than a few YouTube videos that appear to mirror many Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-50643229063615306302024-08-26T10:43:00.000-07:002024-08-26T10:43:56.477-07:00They Want J.R.R. Tolkien To Be A FascistJ.R.R. Tolkien opposed fascismIt's bad enough that white supremacists have hijacked J.R.R. Tolkien's legacy and perverted it into an emblem of their sick ideology. But now social media influencers have taken up the cause of labeling J.R.R. Tolkien as a fascist. He was neither a white supremacist nor a fascist.The argument that Tolkien had fascist beliefs arose after he died, when he couldn't Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-89041227733125157002023-10-08T06:51:00.000-07:002023-10-08T06:51:42.356-07:00SF-Fandom Forums Are Now Mobile-friendlyIf it has been a while since you last visited the SF-Fandom forums, you may want to know we're now mobile-friendly. While I still prefer to browse the forums from a desktop computer, it's now much easier to login and post from a mobile phone. No more pinching and zooming required. There is one caveat I have for mobile visitors: You won't be able to see image attachments in posts. You will Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-18959781232415807282023-07-04T07:00:00.002-07:002023-07-04T07:00:35.756-07:00Chinese Dramas Have Been On Our MindsIf you're not familiar with #cdramas, be prepared to discover a whole new dimension to fantasy entertainment. If, on the other hand, like millions of fans around the world, Chinese Dramas are old news to you, that's okay. SF-Fandom is no stranger to the #cdrama phenomenon. So let me share some of the passion with you.I've explored foreign films and TV shows on occasion for many years. Over 20 Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-55792229667395272932022-06-06T10:52:00.000-07:002022-06-06T10:52:37.865-07:00Stargate Has Been On Our MindsStargate article on SF-Fandom.ComOne of the greatest shows of science fiction television in the past few decades was Stargate SG-1. The show took audiences to new worlds but kept them grounded in the present day, on Earth as we know it, and it explored themes that are still relevant 25 years later. The loyal fanbase has been begging for a revival, reboot, continuation, or spinoff for many Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-4219003541779098742021-07-05T16:50:00.003-07:002021-07-05T16:50:16.949-07:00Innovating New Ideas for Science Fiction WritersDr. Tony McCaffreyAfter you've watched enough scifi movies and TV shows, or read enough books, you reach a point where you can name the plot point in 3 guesses or fewer. There's something to be said for a good, old-fashioned time travel story but - come on - how many good, old-fashioned stories do we need? Dr. Tony McCaffrey has set out to spur innovation among science fiction writers, and Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-42009518924693607242021-03-09T08:44:00.003-08:002021-06-01T00:15:14.550-07:00SF-Fandom Turns 20 Years Old This MonthSF-Fandom is 20 years old.Let the joyous news be spread! SF-Fandom at last is ... alive and well. After 20 years of fan discussions and debates about everything under the sun, the SF-Fandom Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum Communities are going strong. But you knew that already because we recently updated the site.It's not easy to run a Web forum. There are so many technical details you must Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-79743004131037315832021-01-15T20:12:00.002-08:002021-01-15T20:12:35.549-08:00New Look and Content for SF-Worlds
SF-Worlds.Com as it looks in 2021.Before there was SF-Fandom.Com there was SF-Worlds.Com. The first "sister site" to Xenite.Org, SF-Worlds began as a resource for entertainment news. In the 1990s the original Netscape company created the RSS format. RSS was short for "Rich Site Summary", although in the years since people have redefined it to mean "really simple syndication". The RSS format was Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-53968431868052224502021-01-08T13:32:00.006-08:002021-01-08T13:32:58.755-08:00SF-Fandom Has a New LookSF-Fandom's Home Page, 20212021 marks the 20th year that SF-Fandom has been online. We launched the domain in 2001 to create a home for the old Xenite.Org science fiction and fantasy forums. We expanded the number of forums, changed software, and recruited a team of moderators to help us keep things moving smoothly.Of course, there have been ups and downs. Many forum sections have come and gone, Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-42102666857084600812019-05-27T08:36:00.000-07:002019-05-27T08:36:41.486-07:00SF Fandom Web Forums Have MovedWe have upgraded our Web forums and moved them to their own subdomain.
You can now visit the SF-Fandom Forums at this location:
https://forums.sf-fandom.com/
You can use these lists of links to get to any of the new forum locations:
SF-Fandom Science Fiction and Fantasy Community Web Forums, Group 1
Science Fiction & Fantasy Forums
Andre Norton Forum
John Carter of Mars Forum
HarryMichael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-76839295098959692682017-11-15T18:21:00.003-08:002017-11-15T18:21:36.417-08:00Middle-earth News: Christopher Tolkien Resigned from Tolkien Estate, and More
Christopher Tolkien submitted his resignation as a director for the Tolkien Estate (established 2012) effective August 29. The news only came to light for the vast majority of us in the past 1-2 days. Tolkien Brasil was the first Website to publish the story, although the Middle-earth Blog at Xenite.Org is being credited by many sites with being the first. Well, we were the first English Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-49481112646561536072017-03-25T09:40:00.001-07:002017-03-25T09:41:02.142-07:00You Can Help Finance an Independent SciFi Film - And You Should
Benjamin Capps is an actor and independent film producer who is looking for help in financing his next project. He needs to raise about $10,000 by the end of April. The film is called "Civet" and it's a "sci-fi horror movie", according to Capps. He has already produced a 9-minute film called "It Grows Dark" (see below) that has earned him some attention, so it's not like I'm Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-1564984537198646322017-03-25T09:25:00.000-07:002017-03-25T09:26:43.045-07:00Happy Birthday to Xenite.org
It has been just a little over 20 years since I launched the Xenite.Org Network. I'd like to say "how time flies when you're having fun" but, damn, it feels like it's been twenty years since it all began. Technically, it has been longer. I can trace my "Web"-like experience back to the first days I uploaded files for sharing on CompuServe. And, in fact, it was CompuServe where I published Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-20445107718665674412016-06-26T22:29:00.001-07:002016-06-26T22:29:02.160-07:00Gaming and Fantasy Movies on the Xenite.Org Network
I love going to the movies when the movies are good to go to. Of course, until you see the movie you have no idea of whether you'll enjoy it. This weekend the critics seem to have come out in force against "Independence Day: Resurgence" and I have to ask what those people have been smoking (to borrow a line from "Avatar"). Having now seen this movie I can say unequivocably Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-21752813641032740242016-05-07T07:24:00.003-07:002016-05-07T07:24:51.899-07:00Captain America and Elrond Too
You can never go wrong with a superhero movie, except when you go wrong with a superhero movie. Until Jon Favreau convinced me a man could fly in an iron suit I had little hope that anyone in the film-making industry would take the superhero genre seriously. I enjoyed the first "Fantastic Four" movie but not everyone else did. "Iron Man" was the first universally hailed film Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-48991642459766817632016-01-04T20:48:00.001-08:002016-01-04T20:50:00.137-08:00Star Wars: The Adjusted Numbers
Yes, yes, yes. We can all agree that "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has broken all box office records and stands firmly atop the franchise in terms of first-run (raw) box office dollars. Yay for Force Awakens!
But let's get serious here. People who trash "The Phantom Menace" continue to live in some sort of weird fantasy dream state because they not only say "Phantom Menace" was bad, Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-48766539248044385032015-12-17T09:08:00.000-08:002015-12-17T09:08:13.015-08:00More Star Wars Bloggery as Force Awakens Fever Takes Hold of the Web
It's really hard to NOT get swept up in "Star Wars Fever". I've already purchased tickets for Friday and we're looking forward to having a great time at the cinema. But as a blogger and as a science fiction fan I could not resist the temptation to write as much about Star Wars this week as I could squeeze in time for (and that wasn't much). In between client projects and other workMichael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-22451057434410788442015-12-15T07:11:00.001-08:002016-01-04T20:54:09.396-08:00Star Wars from Flash Gordon to Fan Films
Star Wars is upon us and we are all excited to be seeing the new Disney movie. But after dragging my feet for many years I have decided to set the record straight on a few Star Warsian things. I am sick and tired of seeing every media Website drag "The Phantom Menace" through the mud as if it is a bad movie. The truth is that "The Phantom Menace" is the most popular of all theMichael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-59529559923407494942015-11-08T21:07:00.000-08:002015-11-08T21:07:01.766-08:00November 2015 Science Fiction and Fantasy Stuff
If you have not dropped by the SF Fandom forums in the last week or two, you might want to check out this discussion on Tolkien's views on Nazism, Socialism, and Communism. I thought it was an interesting question from user badlands and I took a stab at explaining what I think Tolkien might have thought of these political ideologies. In fact, I could not rule out any possible connection to Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-12214625369503225522015-10-04T16:27:00.001-07:002015-10-04T16:27:31.432-07:00SciFi Happenings in OctoberAlthough I haven't yet confirmed it with my friend Dutch Stacy, I am hoping to get up to HallowCon 2015 in Dalton, GA this Halloween. I really need to call him. If you're looking for something to do at the end of the month and you're close to the Chattanooga/north Georgia area, check out HallowCon. The convention will be held at the EconoLodge and Convention Center right off I-75. That's Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-80580515503615380452015-09-01T22:51:00.003-07:002015-09-01T22:51:50.412-07:00September 2015 Doings and ThingsDragon*Con 2015 will be this weekend and I have been scheduled to participate in five sessions so far. I am keeping the details updated on the Middle-earth and Tolkien Blog. I have 1 panel on Saturday (Game of Thrones fans will want to see that one), "Middle-earth vs. Westeros". It falls to me to speak of death in two literary worlds.
The rest of my sessions are on Sunday. There will be Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-11850655466553504362015-07-15T10:24:00.001-07:002015-07-15T10:26:31.188-07:00Of Tolkien and Halloween and Conventions and Things
It has been a while since I was last able to participate in any conventions. It seems like this year I will be participating in three. First up is Tolkien Moot 2015, which will be held in Spokane, WA this weekend. Tolkien Moot is for gamers who want to get together to play games inspired by Middle-earth. My friend Hawke Robinson, who runs and funds the event out of his Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-91673906793455704142015-04-21T08:07:00.002-07:002015-04-21T08:07:57.578-07:00Where do Fandom and Cults Differentiate Themselves from Each Other?
The almost insane curiosity that science fiction and fantasy fandom direct at their favorite books, movies, television shows, and radio dramas (or comic books, art, etc.) has been compared more than once with cult-like devotion to religious leaders and icons. In fact, the word "cult" itself has many meanings, and is related to words like "agriculture", "culture", and "cultivate".
We do Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5690825165277604841.post-91698824590052484942015-03-17T09:19:00.003-07:002015-04-21T07:17:44.907-07:00Remembering Andre Norton Ten Years Later
There have been few days in my life where sadness overwhelmed me. March 17, 2005 was one of those rare days. I had long been expecting it but when the moment came and a close friend told me that Andre Norton was gone, I just wanted to rip everything off the Web and put up Andre Norton memorials. She was the first science fiction and fantasy author to stir real passion in my Michael Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02349970969945452139noreply@blogger.com0