#FarscapeNow: The Hit Sci-Fi Series Farscape Available On Amazon Prime Video On Tuesday, March 19th

Farscape (Image via YouTube Farscape Official)

Beginning Tuesday, March 19, The Jim Henson Company's groundbreaking sci-fi series Farscape will be available in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Nordics, and several other countries around the world on Amazon Prime Video. 

All four seasons in HD (88 x 60'), plus the Emmy-nominated mini-series finale – also newly remastered in HD - will be available. 

Die-hard fans and sci-fi aficionados can binge, watch, and re-watch the entire award-winning cult favorite that has earned its place in science fiction canon.

Throughout the coming year, fans will have multiple ways to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Farscape, which first premiered on March 19, 1999. In addition to the launch on Prime Video, enthusiasts can expect fan events and various licensing initiatives including a special edition vinyl soundtrack release from Music.Film Recordings and Varèse Saraband this summer.

Collectors can look for products from Chronicle Collectibles, Toy Vault, and Trevco in the coming months. 'Scapers' (Farscape fans) are encouraged to follow the official Farscape social channels using the fan-created hashtag #FarscapeNow for specific Prime Video territory details and any upcoming announcements.

"Farscape is one of my most favorite productions, and I am so honored by the 'Scapers' who continue to love it and share it with other sci-fi fans. Premiering the series and the beautiful HD remastered mini-series on Prime Video is a great way to celebrate the 20th anniversary with the Farscape community," said Brian Henson, chairman of The Jim Henson Company and executive producer of Farscape.

Fusing live-action, digital effects, and state-of-the-art puppetry and prosthetics from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, Farscape has been hailed by TV Guide as one of the 25 Best Cult TV Shows. 

Emmy-nominated and winner of two Saturn Awards, Farscape, created by Rockne S. O'Bannon, was the first original series to air on SYFY. It went on to gain a loyal international fan following that has propelled multiple ancillary products including comics, collectibles, games, and publishing. 

Farscape (Courtesy of the The Jim Henson Company)

About Farscape:

Farscape follows astronaut John Crichton who, during an experimental space mission, is hurled across a thousand galaxies to an alien world. In his quest to return to Earth, he finds himself aboard a starship populated by escaping political prisoners from a variety of alien cultures. 

Crichton must rise to the challenge of surviving in a world he barely understands, keeping one step ahead of the pursuing Peacekeepers, a race of deadly mercenaries who will stop at nothing to capture him.

About The Jim Henson Company:

The award-winning Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 60 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics, and digital animation. 

Best known as creators of the world-famous Muppets, Henson's most recent television credits include Dot., Word Party, and Doozers, and the Emmy-nominated Splash and Bubbles, Sid the Science Kid, and Dinosaur Train. 

Television productions include Fraggle Rock, The Storyteller, and the sci-fi series Farscape. 

• The Company is currently in production on the upcoming Netflix original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio.

SOURCE: The Jim Henson Company

Sir Richard Branson Proposes Strategy to Tackle Climate Change

Richard Branson (Image via virgin.com)

Sir Richard Branson has shared his vision for a Clean Energy Dividend which he hopes will tackle climate change.

Writing in his blog today, amid scenes of climate change marches around the world, he states his belief that there will be an opportunity to create millions of jobs whilst also driving down the price of fuels in the long term.

Sir Richard Branson wrote: "I believe there is an extremely simple way to whip climate change and I plan to set it out below. It's wonderful to see children all over the world marching today for such an important cause and they are absolutely right that if we don't implement ideas immediately then their lives and their children's lives are going to be imperilled.

Many people working on this subject believe the world needs a carbon tax on dirty fuels - coal and oil - to solve the problem. However, the problem with a carbon tax is that it has so far been impossible to impose without governments falling. The Australian government tried to bring one in and they were kicked out - the new government cancelled it. In November 2018, the state of Washington voted against a carbon tax for the second time in two years.

Carbon taxes are of course well-intentioned. But others are sceptical that they will raise enough resources to tackle the problem, or if the money will actually even be spent on the issue. So aside from being unpopular with the companies, carbon taxes are also often unpopular with the public and unpopular with governments. There are really no winners - except ultimately the globe and the environment

So I would like to propose the following: a Clean Energy Dividend."

The Virgin Group founder went on to add important points around why companies around the world should support this dividend adding:

"Every company in the world should accept a Clean Energy Dividend to be imposed on the fossil fuel they use and the carbon emissions they cause. The dividend could be the equivalent percentage that a carbon tax would have been, and based on cutting pollution at the rate the climate science shows is necessary. However, unlike a carbon tax, that money wouldn't disappear into government coffers, but would be used specifically to be invested in generating clean energy through wind farms and solar panels, as well as the development of more low carbon fuels and other breakthrough technologies. The companies, through those investments, can get that money back, plus dividends (it would be wise to have some independent governance to make absolutely certain that all companies comply with this remit.)

The good news about this approach is that:

• Clean energy will have literally billions poured into it over the next few years - enough money to switch the world from dirty to clean energy. This is important because what climate change initiatives are still lacking at the moment is major investment.

• Companies investing this money should be happy because the investments they make should be secure ones.

• Millions of new jobs will be created through a climate change revolution.

• The public should be happy because although some fuel prices might increase in the short-term, the competition from clean fuel will rapidly drive prices of both dirty and clean fuel down very quickly and they will stay down forever.

• Governments should be happy because the lower fuel prices will result in a great boost to the economy. Lower fuel prices are politically attractive and politicians will also be able to say that by implementing this, they have made a major move towards getting on top of climate change.

This is a win-win all-round. It's a win for companies, a win for the people who work in them, a win for the public, a win for creating new jobs, win for governments, and most importantly of all a win for our beautiful globe."

Richard Branson (Image via virgin.com)

SOURCE: Richard Branson/ Virgin Managment

"From the King's Court to Kickstarter: Patronage in the Modern Era" The History of Artist Sponsorship

"From the King's Court to Kickstarter: Patronage in the Modern Era" dispels the myth of the starving artist and provides a roadmap for entrepreneurial artists of all kinds who want to create the kind of art they are passionate about and make a great living doing it.

They say that history repeats itself, and art patronage is no different. From emperors, kings, and noblemen to small businesses, large corporations, and the public, art patrons have helped shape our culture and society as a whole. 

The symbiotic relationship between artist and patron has fluctuated from the hired hand commissioned to entertain royalty, to the entrepreneurial artist making fortunes creating their own art and charting their own destinies.

Prior to the Renaissance, most artists were unknown craftsmen working on commission. But thanks to the infusion of capital under the powerful Medici banking family, the number of working artists and celebrity artists increased. 

The period of the Renaissance changed art as we know it. Suddenly art was accessible to everyone, not just royalty and the elite.

The millennium brings with it another big change in art patronage. 

"We're entering a new Renaissance," says Austin, "a digital Renaissance, that not only makes art accessible to everyone, but patronage as well. There's never been a better time in history to be an artist. With crowd-funding, corporate sponsorship, grants, venture capital, and angel investors, there's no reason for an artist not to make a living."

"From the King's Court to Kickstarter" (available on Amazon) traces the history of entrepreneurial artists and their relationship to patrons. 

Many times patronage can mean the difference between being a starving artist and a wealthy one. And today there is enough patronage to go around.

Julie Austin

Julie Austin comes from an entertainment background as a TV and film actor and film distributor, but also has a business background as an inventor and innovator with a NASDAQ-winning product that's sold in 24 countries. She is an international in-demand motivational innovation speaker.

SOURCE: Julie Austin

Get Ugly With STXfilms' 'UglyDolls Factory' Custom Character Creator

UglyDolls - Movie Poster

To celebrate the upcoming release of STXfilms' star-studded animated feature film UglyDolls on May 3, 2019, the studio has launched the UglyDolls Factory, a custom tool for fans to design their very own UglyDoll characters. With dozens of unique features and accessories to choose from, the UglyDolls Factory has everything needed to create a special and perfectly imperfect addition to Uglyville.

Earlier this week, the film's star Kelly Clarkson kicked off the fun on Twitter with a one-day #WelcomeToUglyville activation. Thousands of fans were able to engage with @UglyDolls to share what made them unique, while a team of digital artists transformed them into a personalized UglyDoll character in a matter of minutes.

Now, with the launch of the UglyDolls Factory, anyone can log in and design a custom UglyDoll with just a few simple clicks. 

To reward the community for their creativity, a select number of fan-created characters from the UglyDolls Factory will be given the unprecedented opportunity to be featured on the big screen during the end credits of the UglyDolls film.

The UglyDolls film is directed by animation veteran Kelly Asbury and features an A-list cast of music superstars and global talent including Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Blake Shelton, Janelle Monáe, Wanda Sykes, Emma Roberts, Gabriel Iglesias, Bebe Rexha , Charli XCX, Lizzo, and Pitbull. 

⏩ Also headlining the cast is Wang Leehom, who is hailed as the king of pop in China.

More About The Movie:

(via STX Entertainment)

"Unconventionality rules in UglyDolls, STXfilms’ new animated musical adventure starring the acting and singing voices of Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton and Pitbull.   

The film is inspired by the unique and beloved global plush toy phenomenon launched in 2001.

In the adorably different town of Uglyville, weird is celebrated, strange is special and beauty is embraced as more than simply meets the eye. Here, the free-spirited Moxy and her UglyDoll friends live every day in a whirlwind of bliss, letting their freak flags fly in a celebration of life and its endless possibilities.  

The endearingly unique residents of Uglyville  occasionally look to the sky above the town, where a new UglyDoll will appear and be embraced by the community.

Moxy (Kelly Clarkson) loves her square-peg life in this round-hole town, but her curiosity about all things leads her to wonder if there’s something – anything – on the other side of the mountain which nestles Uglyville.  Moxy gathers a group of her closest friends and sets off to find what’s on the other side.  

They discover another world – Perfection – a town where more conventional dolls are trained in protocols before they graduate and are sent to the “real” world to find the love of a child.

In Perfection, Moxy and her crew are subject to the manipulations of Lou (Nick Jonas), the perfect doll in charge of training recruits.  

Here, the UglyDolls will confront what it means to be different, struggle with their desire to be loved, and ultimately discover that you don’t have to be perfect to be amazing because who you truly are is what matters most."

Created in 2001 as a plush toy line by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim, the UglyDoll brand quickly gained a cult following around the world and in 2006, was named Toy of the Year by the Toy Industry Association. Beloved by children, teenagers and adults alike, UglyDoll characters are distinct for their endearingly "ugliness," in a wonderful "uglyverse" where differences are special and unique. 

SOURCE: STXfilms

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Toto Tells It Like It Is… "Let the Truth Be Known" - An Epic "Wizard of Oz" Adventure for the 21st Century Reader

The Wizard Was Odd Trilogy

A couple of days in Oz equals a year in Kansas where Uncle Henry is dying; If the Wizard will provide the cure, will Dorothy return home…and in time?

Alongside Toto, you will ride in the front seat of a thrilling and emotional roller coaster throughout the magical Land of Oz…and beyond. This Wizard of Oz takeoff is a multidimensional plot-twister that includes an updated original cast and a host of other wondrous quirky social misfits. This complex and intriguing parody has as much tongue-in-cheek humor as it does original content, adventure, mystery, fantasy, and romance. 

Yesteryear

First published in the year 1900, electrical lighting, indoor plumbing, and automobile ownership were not widespread. There were less than 8000 cars on the road and no more than ten miles of paved roads. "Technology" was a train that could travel in six days that a covered wagon would take six months.

Today

"Technology" means medical miracles, lasers, drones, stealth bombers, satellite surveillance, space station, cyber warfare, and quantum computers. Incredible graphics in games, like Minecraft and Fortnight, and in films, like Harry Potter and Star Wars, have raised the bar. Today's fantasy lovers expect "fantastic" and it takes "awesome" in books and films to meet those expectations.

The Wizard Was Odd trilogy has that kind of universal appeal. The glorious Lands of Western Oz, with elements of fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction coupled with its bizarre inhabitants, and their extreme subcultures will draw today's fantasy readers and game-minded fans into an Oziian world unlike any other.

Kiss of the Good Good Witch

• The Library of Congress has declared The Wonderful Wizard of Oz "America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale" and "the most watched film ever." It has also been said that one fifth of the world's population has in one way or another enjoyed one version or another of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

More About The Wizard Was Odd Trilogy:

Book One, "Toto's Tale" and Book Two, "Trail of Tears" form a complete series. In Book Three, the title, settings, themes, plots, and new characters will be chosen from the ideas of contributing readers of "Toto's Tale" and "Trail of Tears".

The overall theme: A couple of days in Oz equals a year in Kansas where Uncle Henry is dying; If the Wizard will provide the cure, will Dorothy find her way home…and in time, to make a difference?

Toto's Tale, the first of The Wizard Was Odd trilogy brings the 21st century reader a cast of new and updated characters. Often bizarre and always unique, their personalities have depth and a complexity in tune with our times.

The story line, situations, and characters’ relationships, though off-world, are real-world with complicated plots, unexpected twists, subtle romance..., mystery, lots of wonder, and some serious magic. Toto's Tale, loosely follows Baum’s yellow brick road to the Emerald City. However, not all yellow brick roads are the same. With larcenous literary and artistic license, copious wit, and tongue-in-cheek humor, Toto’s Tale will appeal to readers of all ages.

In Trail of Tears, the second book of the trilogy, much of the setting takes place with new characters and in the lands of Western Oz where the comrades agree to accept a mission from an eccentric Wizard to secure an all-seeing spyglass held by the Black Queen of the Western Commonwealth.

Circumstance require the comrades return East, to Oz, by Devil’s Walk through the Underworld. Deadly, dark, and dismal, this treacherous expanse is inhabited by unimaginable evil. The pocks, pockets, and caves that belch sulfur and volcanic heat harbor hungry Firewalkers, the spawn of Hell’s Hearth, Godless spider-like half-human miscreation’s.

Elsewhere, in the Valley of the Vegans, the sweet scent of nightshade and cool forest mist brings peace and contentment to the weary traveler while intelligent soul-seeking plants, spiritual vampires subtly work to seduce their victims.

Bedraggled and beaten, those who return come to realize that the Wizard they staked their future on is devious, treacherous, and probably lacking the sanity, magical skills, and desire to grant their wishes. Unpredictable twists of fate lead the reader to an ending unlike any other adaptation, spin-off, rendition, sequel, or Oziian reinterpretation.

A commemorative series from a unique perspective, Toto's! A multidimensional plot-twister w updated cast of wondrous, quirky misfits. Alongside Toto, you will ride in the front seat of a thrilling and emotional roller coaster throughout the magical Land of Oz…and beyond. This Wizard of Oz takeoff is a multidimensional plot-twister as told from Toto's perspective that includes an updated original cast and a host of other wondrous quirky social misfits. With many surprises along the way, this complex and intriguing parody has as much tongue-in-cheek humor as it does original content, adventure, mystery, fantasy, and romance. If blockbuster series with witches, wands, warlocks and magic kept you coming back, then "The Wizard Was Odd Trilogy" will grab you and won't let you go!

Valley of the Vegans: Manticore Saves Dorothy from the Seekers of Souls; Devourers of Life Force, Essence, and Spirit

About The Author:

Bob Moyer (pseudonym - Peeky) has been writing fiction for children, young adults, and adults young at heart for nearly ten years. The following childrens stories/writings will be posted to his website at Oziian.com or WizardWasOdd.com in the near future. 

"The Calamitous Attitude of Kat Katitude" is about teenage and young adult cats living together as roommates. Another is a bedtime ditty - "No Such Thing", "Fast Food" is a picture book without words about a slow spider trying to catch fast insects, and the list goes on. 

Bob began writing for children in 2010 and belonged to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) for many years. In 2012, he and his wife Janet concluded a busy week with a night on the town. His opening question to her was, "So Dorothy, how is Toto?" From that nugget, he created a version of the Wizard of Oz featuring Toto as the main character. 

With the input of the readers first two books, he intends to create the third book of the trilogy by 2020. This series will be a celebration of the 120th year of the first printing in 1900 of the original "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum.

SOURCE: Peeky (AKA Bob Moyer)

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