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Enjoy the Newest Teaser Trailer for the New Season of Doctor Who

Recently this year Perfect World and Cryptic re-launched the massive multiplayer game Star Trek Online as a Free-To-Play game (in English). And now they have followed that up with a European launch of French and German versions of Free-To-Play STO. More details below.

French and German versions of F2P STO now online

press release

STAR TREK™ ONLINE SETS COURSE FOR EUROPE

Popular Sci-fi MMO Releases French and German Versions

(Amsterdam, Netherlands) March 29, 2012 — Perfect World (Europe) B.V., the European subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD), and Cryptic Studios, Inc., an acclaimed developer of MMO games, along with CBS Consumer Products, have announced today the European launch of the free-to-play, massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), Star Trek Online.

With this European free-to-play launch, German and French players can now lead their crew on missions in their own language and also participate in events, in-game chats, competitions and episodic missions that will immerse them even more in the always expanding Star Trek universe.

As the first AAA quality MMO to feature space and ground combat, Star Trek Online has continued to grow in popularity. Over the past two years, the game has expanded with five seasons of content updates, delivered story-driven Feature Episode Series, and introduced new systems that allow for enhanced gameplay, such as spacewalk missions in zero-gravity and the new Duty Officer system. In addition, the recent conversion of Star Trek Online to a free-to-play model has opened its doors to anyone who wants to experience the game at no cost.

“The launch of Star Trek Online in Europe is the culmination of our efforts over the past several years to bring gamers the Star Trek universe on a truly massive scale,” said Dan Stahl, Executive Producer for Star Trek Online. “We’d like to share this accomplishment with our community of players that have given their ongoing support to help us create an innovative game that captures Star Trek’s essence and we are happy to offer a localized experience for our French and German-speaking players. Our team is looking forward to sharing this experience with players in Europe and across the world.”

For more information and to begin playing Star Trek Online for free, please visit the official websites:
English: http://www.startrekonline.com/
French: http://fr.startrekonline.com/
German: http://de.startrekonline.com/

Warren Stevens, known to Trek fans as Rojan from the original Star Trek episode “By Any Other Name,” passed away last week. The actor, also famous for his role in Forbidden Planet, died of lung disease at his Sherman Oaks home. He was 92.

After success on Broadway Warren Stevens began his career in Hollywood in the 50s. Stevens found regular work as a character actor on film and television with over 100 roles to his names over the decades. Among his more than 40 films, the actor appeared in The Barefoot Contessa, Gunpoint, Madigan, Red Skies of Montana and Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell. He is probably best known for his role as Doc Ostrow from the classic 1956 sci-fi Forbidden Planet, which had a big influence on Star Trek.

And a decade later Stevens found himself on Star Trek, playing Kelvan, the leader of an expedition from the Andromeda Galaxy in the episode “By Any Other Name.” He also appeared in episodes of The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, The Man From UNCLE, and many more series. His most recent appearances were with Lou Diamond Phillips, Ernest Borgnine and Lee Majors in the 2004 TV western The Trail to Hope Rose and a 2006 episode of ER.

It’s been nothing but prosperity for Paramount Pictures since Brad Grey took over. And so there’s no surprise that the studio is going to keep him right where he is.

Grey, who among other things pushed for the successful revival of the Star Trek franchise under J.J. Abrams, extended his deal with Paramount to lead at least through 2017. Grey took over right as Viacom was splitting up its film and television units to create Paramount and CBS Television as separate companies. He also decided to undo efforts to have Emmy-winning writer Erik Jendresen write a Star Trek film prequel, and instead lured Abrams in to create a reboot featuring Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

Grey started producing television in 1986 with talent manager Bernie Brillstein to create Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, launching with the early Fox hit “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.” He would gain prominence in later years for his company’s work on HBO hits like “The Larry Sanders Show” and “The Sopranos,” and would survive a later legal batter with Garry Shandling who claimed Grey took writers off his programs to use elsewhere without compensating the comedian. The two would settle out of court.

Since 1995, Paramount has made $22.5 billion at the box office, according to The Numbers. However, that finishes fourth behind Warner Bros. ($28.6 billion), Walt Disney Pictures ($26.8 billion) and Sony Pictures ($24.3 billion). Yet, Paramount has surged in recent years.

In 2009, Paramount finished third in box office with $1.46 billion behind Warner Bros. ($2.13 billion) and Twentieth Century Fox ($1.461 billion). Yet, it achieved that through far fewer movies, averaging $91.3 million. Warner Bros. averaged $59.2 million while Fox averaged $63.5 million.

Paramount moved up to second in 2010 with $1.72 billion, behind the $1.88 billion from Warner Bros. Yet again, Paramount averaged more success with its films, averaging $96 million each while Warner Bros. averaged $58.6 million.

This year, through last weekend, Paramount is clinging to the box office lead with just a few weeks left. It has grossed $1.74 billion, ahead of the $1.66 billion from Warner Bros. Although Warner earned a box office-leading $381 million from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2,” Paramount continues to dominate on average box office for each picture. Paramount is grabbing $82.8 million per release while Warner Bros. is managing with $44.8 million.

Grey’s goal in the next five years is to remove its dependency on partnerships with other studios to create hits, and instead developing or continuing its own ideas. That will come into clear view as the Marvel deal slowly fades, as well as jobs with Dreamworks.

Paramount countered the departure of Dreamworks animation by creating its own animated film, “Rango.” While domestic box office fell short of the $135 million budget for the film, the $123 million take showed that Paramount could create CGI products without Dreamworks.

( Via Airlock Alpha )

After breaking our hearts into a million tiny pieces yesterday with his announcement that Amy and Rory are leaving Doctor Who next year, Steven Moffat may have just made up for it (but only a little) by confirming again that that David Yates’ Who movie reboot is not gonna happen on his watch, calling the whole project “a heathen thing to do” and a “heresy.”

Those were the exact words Steven Moffat used while he and Who star Matt Smith were guests on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Richard Bacon Show earlier today.

The question of that controversial Doctor Who movie “reboot” being planned by Harry Potter director David Yates came up again, and this is what Moffat said:

David (Yates) was talking a little out of turn, there; a very, very brilliant director but no the film as described by him, of course we’re not going to do that—a film that contradicts the television series, it would be a heathen thing to do … I would be ‘beheaded’ to do such a thing!

It would be wonderful to do a Doctor Who film, but when and if we did—and hopefully we will be doing it—it will be very much an offshoot of the television series and we’ll be part of it, and it will star the television Doctor, of course—anything else would be heresy!

Heresy indeed! We’re definitely on the side of Steven Moffat on that subject: A Doctor Who movie should be an offshoot of the beloved sci-fi TV series. You just can’t brush aside almost 50 years of intricate and rich, colorful storytelling just like that.

Don’t you agree?

(via Doctor Who News)

In 2003, LucasArts released a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMO) called Star Wars Galaxies … and last night, the controversial MMO ended. Cleverly, Sony Online Entertainment let the players decide who would win the game. And the rulers of the galaxy are …

The Rebellion. Take that, Imperial tyranny!

Eight years ago, the MMO started out with good reviews and a fan base eager to craft characters from more than 32 professions. But SWG’s numbers dwindled when players balked at how difficult and time-consuming it would be to become a Jedi. And then, in 2005, Sony simplified gameplay by cutting the number of character professions to nine. In addition, in what seemed to be a move toward competing with World of Warcraft, the game shifted toward more intensive combat, which meant players lost the ability to interact and fight at the same time. SWG lost players and never recaptured them.

Still, some players held on to SWG because they loved its “sandbox” nature, that is, the ability to go anywhere in the world, not bound by the limits of storytelling. Fans also enjoyed its crafting customization, player-made cities and its economy.

But the lack of players was only one of the reasons SWG folded. December 15 also happens to be the end date of a licensing agreement between LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment.

But more importantly, SGW shut its virtual doors to prevent competition from LucasArts’ upcoming MMO from Electronic Arts and BioWare, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Based on the extremely successful (and absolutely fabulous) videogames, The Knights of the Old Republic and The Knights of the Old Republic 2, SW:TOR opens on Dec. 20. Early reviews say the videogame takes the best of Star Wars and mixes it with the best of World of Warcraft.

Best of all, anyone in SW:TOR who wants to be a Force user can be. SW:TOR is set in the days of the Old Republic, when Jedi and Sith were legion.

There’s a lesson in SWG’s ending here: if you’re an MMO based on a property as awesome as Star Wars, just be yourself and don’t try to compete with Warcraft.

Oh, wait …

For an emotional description of the end of SWG, please read Chris Thursten’s piece at PC Gamer.

(via Kotaku)

We love Doctor Who. He’s a time-traveling, happy-go-lucky man-about-town. And it seems that U.S. iTunes users love him too. According to Apple’s famed digital distribution service, Doctor Who was the most popular television show in 2011.

That’s not all. In what is yet more proof that geeks rule the Internet, iTunes’ most downloaded single episode is from the critically acclaimed horror show The Walking Dead, for its season-two opener, “What Lies Ahead.”

Other winners include the show True Blood, Smallville‘s two-part finale and an episode of Terra Nova.

The U.S. iTunes list of 2011′s most popular TV shows is:

1. Doctor Who
2. Modern Family
3. Dexter
4. Breaking Bad
5. True Blood
6. Top Gear
7. Glee
8. Entourage
9. Archer
10. The Walking Dead

Top-Selling TV Episodes:

1. The Walking Dead – “What Lies Ahead”

2. Glee – “Original Song”
3. Breaking Bad – “Box Cutter”
4. Sons of Anarchy – “Out”
5. Gossip Girl – “The Kids Are Not Alright”
6. Instinct – “Terra Nova”

7. Modern Family – “Our Children, Ourselves”
8. Two and a Half Men – “Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt”
9. Victorious – “Ice Cream for Ke$ha”
10. Smallville – “Finale, Pts. 1&2″

According to Digital Spy:

“This is incredibly exciting news,” said Doctor Wholead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat. “It’s an honor to be on the same list as all those shows, let alone at the very top.”And for a British show to have achieved this in the US is absolutely remarkable. Next, the universe!”

Thanks, iTunes, for giving us easy access to our favorite shows. And while you’re at it, would you please give us Game of Thrones and Torchwood: Miracle Day?

(via DigitalSpy and ABCNews)

From blastr

Bad news is: Benicio Del Toro (The Wolfman) is out of the running as Star Trek’s next villain. Good news is: Khan Noonien Singh will be the Big Baddie Capt. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise will face in J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Trek sequel.

The stunning news came in the wake of a cryptic statement Abrams recently made to HitFix, saying that Latino Review’s claims that Del Toro had already been cast in the role made famous by the late, great Ricardo Montalban’s manly pecs in the 1967 Star Trek classic episode ”Space Seed,” and later again with great panache in 1982′s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, were “not true.”

Vulture reports that negotiations with Del Toro actually fell through last Wednesday over a question of money. (Um, when is it not about that?)

They also heard “from a highly placed source” that it is indeed Khan who will be the Trek sequel’s Big Baddie.

(Which makes us wonder if Chris Pine will have to practice The Shat’s iconic ”Khhhannn” scream … But then again, since Abrams’ films are now taking place in a new parallel-universe, alternate-reality thingy, the Khan Noonien Singh our brave new bold Capt. Kirk would meet would be the ”Space Seed” Khan, not the Wrath of Khan Khan. But we digress.)

But what do you guys think? Are you disappointed or relieved that Benicio Del Toro is not going be in the Star Trek sequel? Are you excited that Khan now seems the likely villain chosen to face off against Kirk, Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of the Enterprise crew? Who do you think Abrams should choose next (shooting’s starting in January, so the man’s gonna have to hurry)? And lastly—and we’re just throwing it out there—do you think Peter Weller’s recent addition to the cast of Trek 2 could have anything to do with this?

(via Variety)

Though he wasn’t exactly the most likely of choices, Kenneth Branagh managed to turn Marvel’s Thor into a fun, blockbuster addition to the Marvel movie canon. His name won’t be on Thor 2 when it hits theaters in 2013, but Branagh says that if the timing were right, he’d love to go back to the Marvel universe.

In a new interview promoting a number of projects, including the acclaimed new release My Week With Marilyn, which sees him return to the big screen as an actor, Branagh confirms that it was really only timing that kept him from returning to the world of Marvel’s God of Thunder.

For Branagh, directing Thor was a chance to do something he’s never done before in all his years of Shakespeare adaptations and indie films: helm a massive production.

“Across 20 years of making films, I hadn’t spent a significant amount of time in that community, and I wanted to do that,” he says.

“Of all the American comics, Thor was the only one I was really familiar with from my childhood, and it intrigued me, maybe because it was a bit more European, with those Viking helmets and its basis in Norse myth. The scale was exciting, and I did love the character and the story. It had depth and gravity in addition to being an entertaining ride.”

Though Patty Jenkins will be taking on Thor 2, Branagh calls his time working with Marvel a “joy” and says he’d love to go back.

“I certainly wouldn’t rule out a return to Marvel; we had an excellent collaboration.”

So he liked Thor because of its European vibes, but Thor is taken for a while. If Branagh made it back to comic book movies, what would he do? Maybe the bigwigs at Marvel could go ahead and put him in charge of that rumored Doctor Strange movie and get that thing rolling.