Hey, thanks Dan. Let Bradbury live on!

Ray Bradbury is number ONE in my book. He's the hippest and the coolest in science fiction!

Yeah, totally awesome!

I posted this elsewhere but thought I'd share it here too. Martian Chronicles was the first main stage play I produced when I took over the theatre program at the high school where I currently teach. For me it was a way of paying homage to a writer I admired all my life and way to thank him for all those nightmares!!!!!

The Martian Chronicles has been one of my favorite collections of all time. I did get introduced to it by the miniseries first in '79. I was only 6 years old at the time and, let me tell you, it scared the *hell* outta me!

A few years ago I found a video store that rented the full miniseries and watched it again. To my surprise, it was still creepy! Sure, they took liberties with the original stories, yeah the production value was squat, but the way it was shot ... For the third expedition (2nd expedition for the miniseries) when they're standing around in the fantasy world of a small town the camera pans around while the astronauts remember their small town. Then there's this figure of one of the astronaut's brother standing in the background.

YIKES! They do the same thing with the couple who build a diner on the new highway ... camera pans around ... Martian with freaky "V" shaped silver mask standing there the whole time. I wonder if M. Night Symalan was a fan of the miniseries and it inspired "Signs" at all?

As far as the book itself, I'd have to say my favorite story was one of the Martian Chronicles *not* in the official collection: "Dark they Were and Golden Eyed." It tells of a human colony that, over the course of a year, becomes martian. Very creepy and very interesting. Their crops start changing color, their eyes start turning gold, they start spending more and more time in this abandoned Martian city on the hill. They stop calling things by the human names they've applied and start calling them by their Martian names ...

Also, having grown up on an Indian reservation, the story of Spender fighting the humans and being pissed about the Martians dying off because of Chicken Pox really hit home!

I also like "Dark They Were..." and my students liked it as well. They loved the part about the cow growing the third horn, the lavendar grass, and especially when they started spontaneously speaking Martian. My students went around saying "Iorrt" for several days. My favorite part is when the ancient Martian cities are described: "They strolled on old mosaic paths, beside still pumping fountains. The paths were covered with a thin film of cool water all summer long. You kept your bare feet cool all day, splashing as in a creek, wading." and "They came to a small deserted Martian villa with a good view of the valley. It was on top of a hill. Blue marble halls, large murals, a swimming pool. It was refreshing in this hot summertime. The Martians hadn't believed in large cities." Isn't that so simple, but so beautiful? My question is, how can I get there?

[This message has been edited by lmskipper (edited 05-02-2003).]

I was all but of seven years when NBC broadcasted the mini-series. Truth be told it did not scare me at all. Quite honestly, I was fascinated by the entire production. Granted the special effects could have used some work in terms of the spaceflight scenes, however, everything else was pure science fiction and fantasy at its finest. You've got to hand it to Michael Anderson and Richard Matheson for producing something as beautiful and wonderous as Ray's classic novel. Especially the actors, actresses, and the rest of the production crew. They all did a wonderous and wonderful job with the material they had been given.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/eg...chaeologytutankhamun

The truth will finally be known...
fficial%26sa%3DN%26start%3D18%26um%3D1" target="_blank">http://images.google.com/imgre...6start%3D18%26um%3D1

Not quite "Rocket Summer" but very interesting nonetheless! (Plattsburgh, NY, just a short drive/flight up the road from us):
http://www.csmonitor.com/From-...-FAA-clearance-VIDEO

(These engineers exhibit a sense of the Pioneer Spirit too oft lacking in our media-gorged culture these days.)

He must have just finished reading Martian Chronicles:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sci...ding-red-planet.html

Rocket Summer! We may see it after all.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/nas...-just-052524595.html

Interesting video that makes one wonder what if something decides to cross your path at such an amazing rate of speed!?