John-Nathan Turner, Doctor Who producer, dies

JNTThe man who could arguably be considered the most high-profile (and controversial) producer of 20th century Doctor Who dies at the age of 54. John Nathan-Turner took over the reins of the Doctor’s adventures in 1980, drastically revamping the show’s look, sound, and feel, and forever altering its course by replacing Tom Baker as the lead actor in 1981; Nathan-Turner personally selected each of the following Doctors – Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy – for the remainder of the show’s tenure on BBC-TV. Always a staunch champion for the series at a point when its support among the BBC brass was at an all-time low, John Nathan-Turner attracted both attention and criticism for getting well-known performers to do guest stints on the show. It was under JN-T’s reign that Doctor Who was put on an 18-month “hiatus” (originally a full-scale cancellation), and eventually was dropped altogether.

Spirit’s sticky situation

SpiritNASA’s Spirit Mars rover becomes stuck in an area of soft, dusty soil in which its wheels can no longer gain traction. Efforts to simulate the problem on Earth begin, as well as studies to see if Spirit can free itself, but attempts to wiggle or rotate the rover’s wheels on Mars produce no results (and eventually wear out the independent motor of another of its wheels). The attempts to free Spirit from its Martian sandtrap continue through early 2010.

Warnings: The True Story Of How Science Tamed The Weather

Warnings: The True Story Of How Science Tamed The WeatherGreenleaf publishes Mike Smith’s book Warnings: The True Story Of How Science Tamed The Weather, serving both as a history of severe weather forecasting in the U.S. and the evolution of the modern-day watch/warning system, and Smith’s memoir about his weather-related business ventures. Read more

Starship Exeter: The Tressaurian Intersection

The Tressaurian IntersectionThe fan-produced Star Trek production Starship Exeter releases its second episode after a delay of several years; though filmed in 2004 (and partially released at the time), the complete episode has not been released until now. The episode is co-written by Dennis Russell Bailey, who also had a hand in writing the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Tin Man. Read more

Grace Lee Whitney, Star Trek actress, dies

Grace Lee Whitney as Yeoman Janice RandActress Grace Lee Whitney, a familiar face of ’60s TV who had a recurring role in the first season of Star Trek as Yeoman Janice Rand, dies at the age of 85. Compared to most of her castmates, her brief tenure aboard the Enterprise was tumultuous, ending just eight episodes into her stint as an intended semi-regular character. Her dismissal from the show led to a career downturn and battles with alcohol addiction, from which she recovered, reprising the role of Rand in cameo scenes in several of the Star Trek films, an episode of Voyager, and the Hugo-nominated fan-made episode World Enough And Time in 2007.

The Man Who Fell To Earth: Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed

The Man Who Fell To EarthShowtime broadcasts the second episode of The Man Who Fell To Earth, a series continuation of the 1976 David Bowie film, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris, Bill Nighy, Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Prodigy), and Jimmi Simpson (Westworld).

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