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Ain’t It Cool’s TV Critic Chats Up STAR TREK / STAR WARS Author/Screenwriter Alan Dean Foster!! Plus Learn What Herc Thinks Of Tomorrow’s WALKING DEAD And The Latest STAR WARS News!! Listen & Call In LIVE Saturday 10pm PT!!
Alan Dean Foster is not only credited with the story for 1979’s “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” he’s also the author of novelizations for “Star Wars,” “Dark Star,” “Alien,” “The Black Hole,” “Clash of the Titans,” “Outland,” “The Thing,” “Krull,” “The Last Starfighter,” “Starman,” “Chronicles of Riddick,” 2009’s “Star Trek,” 2013’s “Star Trek: Into Darkness” and “Star Trek: The Animated Series.”
Foster also wrote the first “expanded universe” Star Wars novel, 1978’s “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye,” 
Foster’s latest novel, “The Sum Of Her Parts,”
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Readers Talkback
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I'll put the coffee on...
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...Lucas was making stuff up as he went along. He had a fair amount of control over the expanded universe stuff (ex: plots he kiboshed at Marvel due to upcoming movie plots) but allowed a Luke/Leia romance in SotME.
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...and the 'vigorous chest massage' general from Superman.
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I've always found the Luke/Leia romantic subplot to be both the most egregious yet most honest thing to come from Lucas as a storyteller. Clearly, they weren't meant to be siblings from the onset; when he felt like wrapping up the series with Jedi he retailored his VII, VIII and IX ideas to come up with something resembling full closure the easiest way possible, i.e. Leia being the sibling instead of Luke searching for one in the sequel trilogy. I also find it refreshing that neither Kennedy or Lucas (as opposed to the SKYWALKING biographer) are citing Lucas's original 'outlines' for the sequel trilogy. I've always disliked the notion that Lucas had a master plan for a nine movie saga when he clearly had only the broadest of strokes for anything beyond the original trilogy.
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Larry Hagman was such a major TV presence in my youth. I watched I Dream of Jeannie re-runs as a child and would sneak behind the couch and watch Dallas. It was my mom's favorite show.
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...that I had the privilege to meet the guy a few times at private events, and he was a true gentleman.
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Have they shot any episodes? Need to have Mary Crosby's character show up at the funeral (is that character is still around - can't remember). Hagman has said that they were prepared for his death, going into it. He didn't hesitate to discuss it.
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Don't bitch about a RIP thread and then contribute to said thread you're bitching about.
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watch his performances...totally over the top which is why jr was the most loved villain ever on tv im amazed that he survived his drinking problem... 5 bottles of champagne a day? christ and in the end, surrounded by family and friends...which is the mark of a true man he also had a big hand in getting tv actors paid what they were worth, so many in the biz owe him a huge debt
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... his work on I DREAM OF JEANNIE was genius. Such a great physical comic. And a hell of a story teller. I heard that cat weave a few tales over the years that had me split a gut.
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Nov. 24, 2012, 4:18 p.m. CST
Herc - Will that The Twelve ad start playing every time I hit Reload or Refresh tonight?
by L.H.Puttgrass
Just wondering out loud... I know its a source of revenue, but it can also be a source of aggravation. :)
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Nov. 24, 2012, 4:46 p.m. CST
Can't Quite Believe there's no Tribute page to Larry Hagman
by rakesh patel
no mods/ contributors. Oh well. Thoughts about Larry Hagman That man lived life to the full, drinking 5 ( or was it 4) bottles of champagne a day, he eventually got Cirrhosis of the liver and had to quit. He quit smoking as well, my understanding was that he managed to help quite a few people to quit including the guy who played his father jock Ewing to quit. Still 81 not bad considering he partied to the extreme. Growing up i never saw bewitched nor i dream of Jeanne until reruns happened in the late 80's and 90's on uk tv. So I'll always know Hagman as Jr. Back In those days TV and Dallas in particular was must see tv. you gotta understand, this was back when we had 3 ( and then 4 later) TV channels, and no remote control. Sitting watching tv with my grandparents and parents and siblings. we'd all watch it and we'd all enjoy it. MY grandparents didnt speak a word of English, but my grandmother in particular would love watching the show and loved Bobby Ewing. she'd keep on saying "bobby!". I loved the show for entirely different reasons. i awkwardly kept on getting a hard on every time sue Ellen and jr kissed. For that Larry Hagman i literally and figuratively salute you. The who shot JR storyline, well that was amazing, there was no internet, we didn't know anyone in america, there was no spoilers we had to wait with that cliff hanger a whole fricking summer. I remember reading the sun paper and they had a two page spread with screenshots and their best guess. but they had no fricking clue either. I didn't think the Dallas remake would do well considering the economic climate, but i watched the episode because talkbackers kept raving and there i was watching it and loving it. soon as the first punch up happened and john ross threw back in Christopher faced he was adopted and not a real Ewing i knew it would be a good old time. It was good to see JR in there, yep he was a lot older but he was still JR abet with a pair of magnificent eyebrows. RIP Larry Hagman, You were one of the first anti heroes i really liked.
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http://goo.gl/V9OH2
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J.R. Ewing was the uneasiest fellow on TV. The most beloved villain of all times. Thanks to Larry Hagman. That was hard to swallow. I loved the continuation of DALLAS this year - a great deal due to the involvement of Mr. Hagman. He brought so much energy and humour and beastiness to that role... Yes, he was the great charming astronaut Tony Nelson, but I grew up with him as J.R.! An I loved him for this role. Another great actor has gone... My best wishes for his family from Platjenwerbe, Germany!
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Nov. 24, 2012, 6:34 p.m. CST
In other news Psy's Gangnam Style has become most viewed video on Youtube with over 809 million hits. Soory Beib's.
by Deceased Fan
Kudos to L.h.Puttgrass for being ahead of the trends. http://www.aintitcool.com/node/57435
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Secondly, I was not criticizing a Talkback honoring a dead actor.....just the tiresome current usage of "RIP," once delegated to 1800s tombstones, and trailer parks. It's lazy, and sounds ridiculous. You're damn right I'll contribute to this thread.
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Nov. 24, 2012, 6:48 p.m. CST
Hmm. 14 out of 18 posts would disagree about the subject of this thread.
by Deceased Fan
No you were just criticizing the 4 talkbackers who used RIP. Go fuck yourself.
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Is there a full moon out tonight or something?
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I got company tonight, so not sure if I'll be around later.
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It won't make you crazy or looney, just a little irritable. ...So be GOOD!!! For goodness sake! Oh! You better watch out! You better not cry! You better not pout! I'm telling you whyyyy!!! The Mooooon's coming out tonight! The Waxing Gibbous Mooooon's coming out tonight! The Waxing Gibbous Moon is coming, to-niiiiiiiiiiight! :( Drat!
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Deceased - go enjoy your company - I hope you're not raving at them, as well.
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He always attended the party sponsored by the TX film commissions every year, and it was a blast to hear him in action.
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I have no recollection of the story, however. Wasn't it only in paperback?
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First, Hagman definitely deserves a tribute post here on AICN, and the fact that there isn't one is tragic. I'm a lifelong fan of the man and remain inspired by him to this day. I deeply regret I never had the honor of meeting him, but I am glad that the old lion got to roar one last time as J.R. I've also never met Foster--odd, considering he lives in my state and many of my friends have met/interviewed/worked with him--but I've heard nothing but great things about him. Even Harlan Ellison of all people calls him the nicest guy in the world. I like his writing. His novelization of SW is still the gold standard. Splinter was a fun story, and I'll forever point out that it's not so much that Lucas was making it up as he went along as it was deciding how to connect the dots of this great cauldron of material he'd created. Read the early drafts of SW, they are more than available, and you will see things that have ended up in ALL of the films.
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... would call into the show with your venom and spit it there. It's one thing to read it, but I'd like you to shoot it all over me like a porn star. I'm a fan of Fosters from way back too, tensticks. I'm a little butterfly in the tummy about speaking to him. I never heard anyone ever speak ill of Hagman. The only things I've ever read is what a kickass person he was on and off the set. I was never into DALLAS, but he made me belly laugh as a kid on JEANNIE. And that's how I'm measuring the loss... a nice guy that made me laugh. Thank you, Larry. You will be missed.
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Nov. 24, 2012, 10:34 p.m. CST
I had the chance to meet Larry hagman 2 yrs ago...and I didnt....Im kicking myself...I loved Larry Hagman!
by Jonathan
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Nov. 24, 2012, 11:26 p.m. CST
Well I just told my company to go fuck themselves, so I'll be here.
by Deceased Fan
Not sure if the firepit was good for the bronchial tubes, but it was a great night for it. Clear skies and cold as hell.
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exciting!
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Nov. 24, 2012, 11:46 p.m. CST
When I read Splinter of the Mind's Eye, everyone had just seen Stars Wars and wanted more.
by L.H.Puttgrass
But all you could do was go to the theater and see it again and again. You couldn't bring the movie home. The popularity of VHS tape was still years away. All there was were these books. I think this was the first Star Wars book released after the movie novelization. There were some Han Solo books also released around that time. I think one of them was called Han Solo at Star's End. After seeing Stars Wars many times, I read Splinter. It struck me as a What If book. What if Luke & Leia faced Darth Vader by themselves. Kind of like the later Else World comics that DC put out. Put popular characters in very diferent situations from what we've seen before. After seeing Empire, Splinter just doesn't fit in movie canon. They both can't be the first time Luke faces Vader. If Empire is the first time, then Luke should have a bionic hand in Splinter. If Splinter is the first time, then the dialog in Empire between Vader and Luke doesn't make sense. My guess is that it is simply a story that was done to satisfy the growing throngs of rapid SW fans. And we ate it up with great relish...
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The Han Solo books and the Lando Calrissian books. Not great, but as a kid I loved 'em.
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... A NEW HOPE on the STAR WARS marathon. I feel all warm and fuzzy...
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Nov. 24, 2012, 11:58 p.m. CST
deceased... - Being a guest at your house must be an amazing experience.
by L.H.Puttgrass
*Well, look at the time I guess we'll need to be going now.* Yes, get the fuck out. *Okay then, thank's for the dinner. The firepit was cool.* Yes it was. The fucking front door is right over there. Get the fuck out. *Um, okay. Good night, and if we don't see you before, have a Merry Christmas.* Yeah, yeah, yeah! And a Happy Fucking New Year! Let's GO! While we're young please! ;)
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Nailed it.
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Nov. 25, 2012, 12:05 a.m. CST
My favorite EU moment was when Drizzt drew his magic scimitars and killed Chewbacca.
by Stereotypical Evil Archer
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I'm out in the backyard. Can I relight the firepit?
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Be right back!! Good Lord! Is that Mr.K.E.R.N.???!!!
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I might even spring the T-bone.
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Nov. 25, 2012, 12:29 a.m. CST
If that show was on today it would be soooo different.
by L.H.Puttgrass
A man. With Barbara Eden in a bottle. And she will grant whatever he wishes... Oh, yeah! Much different today!
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Nov. 25, 2012, 12:31 a.m. CST
Like "Bewitched", it started remaking old episodes, after a while.
by MovieManStill
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But then, I never go, so it doesn't matter.
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Nov. 25, 2012, 12:35 a.m. CST
Interesting, I thought Foster wrote the novelization of...
by MovieManStill
"Star Trek: The Motion Picture" - Wikipedia comments that it's a common misconception........
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I thought the same thing before doing deeper research this week. I think I got this and the Star Wars novelizations mixed up as I grew up. I really dug the structure of the Trek TMP novel.
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Yes there is.
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We've rectified the issue!
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Better?
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Hell, I even read "Earthquake".
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Nov. 25, 2012, 1:17 a.m. CST
I read the Aliens novelization while I was in Bootcamp for the Navy.
by L.H.Puttgrass
Used my ninja like skills to read it at night in my bunk. Of course, that is frowned upon by the military. Bedtime is for sleep and nothing else. I didn't care and somehow read the whole thing. Good book. It took my mind off of how sore I was.
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Film school kinda derailed that......
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Where have they gone?
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...I'm listening to Foster on a computer.....I remember buying "Splinter" - very specifically. I still have that paperback somewhere.....
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Somebody email me the manuscript for Alan Dean Foster's "Star Trek: Renegades."
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King fan here.
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Headphones in, but brain checking out.
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Howdy, fellas!
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And I don't eat at chain restaurants.
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Just a bit, but GOOD!
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Should I sleep now?
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I'll have to check the archive because I crashed at some point.
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I live for this. See you next week.
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I traded my usual Heneken for some cheap wine this week.
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I have some night shoots this week - so this prepares me.
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Is Alan Dean Foster writing an original Star Trek novel? Consider it an automatic BUY! wow...
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This site is atrocious. Where is the Hagman obit? You'd swear there was a tiger in the lifeboat. I'm cancelling my subscription. Let me spell it out for you. L A R R Y H A G M A N
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Simon & Shuster hired Foster to write a sequel to 2009's "Star Trek," a novel called "Renegades." It was written but never published because somebody was concerned it would contradict future movie continuity.
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(face palms myself)
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Nov. 25, 2012, 2:03 p.m. CST
That didn't stop them from releasing Splinter of the Mind's Eye.
by L.H.Puttgrass
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Nov. 26, 2012, 1:05 p.m. CST
Quick, joyful reminder to all - LAST RESORT is -CANCELLED-.
by Nintendarth
Thank goodness.
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Nov. 26, 2012, 4:28 p.m. CST
I thought everybody knew "The real story of Star Wars"?
by Darth Macchio
Where it specifically calls bollocks on all the "I had this great epic plan for 9 films back before I was even conceived, much less a zygote!" that we get from Lucas. Or how he *always* knew Vader was Luke's father, Luke & Leia were siblings, etc.
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http://behindthewall.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/27/15481674-chinese-paper-falls-for-onion-sexiest-man-alive-spoof?lite I'm to sexy for my shirt! To sexy for my shirt! So sexy... it hurrrrrrts! http://english.people.com.cn/90777/8035568.html http://www.theonion.com/articles/kim-jongun-named-the-onions-sexiest-man-alive-for,30379/ ;) :) :p
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WHEN THE HELL IS YOUR FOSTER THING GOING ON THE ARCHIVES! WEDNESDAY MAYBE???
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outstanding! touched on everything indepth and even got the news that his spellsinger and pip/flinx books are in development. hope everything rains down Foster cinema in the years ahead. He definately deserves it after all his hard work. One of his books Bloodhype fueled my interest in both reading and the imagination when i was but a wee lad. I just wish the phone problems hadn't been problems during the interview but at least it stabilized after a bit. Still, bravo!!!
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Nov. 30, 2012, 3:21 p.m. CST
Tomorrow, tomorrow. I love you tomorrow. You're only a day away.
by Deceased Fan
Tomorrow, tomorrow. No f-bombs tomorrow. I hope to supress my rage.
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