No. 1 sci-fi woman of all time? Ripley, believe it or not
I'm a big fan of lists, so is Jevon Phillips, a star contributor here at Hero Complex. Here's his take on a recent tally of the women of sci-fi....or is that sigh-fi? -- G.B.
As usual, there's a lot to dispute about anyone having a top so-and-so list, but Totalscifionline.com's 25 women who shook up sci-fi isn't too startling. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Battlestar Galactica" and "Star Trek" are the only franchises with multiple entries on the list (and rightfully so). Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley of "Alien" fame was named First Lady of Sci-Fi.
Of course, there were parameters, which the site laid out like so:
We've limited ourselves to TV and film - SF and fantasy literature probably warrants a further list all of its own - and in those instances where multiple actresses have portrayed a character, we’ve written who we believe gave the most definitive performance in brackets. No doubt there are many characters you feel we’ve left off.
Yeah, yeah -- and the site does include a more in-depth examination of each choice. There will be debate over ones who didn't make it. I really like River Tam on "Firefly" -- but it was short-lived -- and the women of "Cleopatra 2525" and Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity in "The Matrix" and ... well, let's stop there. And there may be some on the list who deserve to be higher. Wonder Woman and Xena, 22 and 23? Hey, I like Leeloo and Claire bear, but not over those two icons.
Again, it can be debated (Lois Lane! "Bionic Woman!") until we're all breathless, but give the site credit for taking on the task. Here's their final list. Let the comments flow.
The 25 Women Who Shook Sci-Fi:
1) Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver, "Alien" series)
2) Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
3) Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff, "Battlestar Galactica")
4) Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson, "The X-Files")
5) Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton, "Terminator," "T2")
6) Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher, "Star Wars" series)
7) Rose Tyler (Billie Piper, "Doctor Who")
8) Sam Carter (Amanda Tapping, "Stargate SG-1")
9) Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols, "Star Trek")
10) Leeloo (Milla Jovovich, "The Fifth Element")
11) Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere, "Heroes")
12) Storm (Halle Berry, "X-Men")
13) Pris (Daryl Hannah, "Blade Runner")
14) Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer, "Batman Returns")
15) Barbarella (Jane Fonda, "Barbarella")
16) Sarah-Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen, "The Sarah-Jane Adventures" / "Doctor Who")
17) Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox, "Transformers")
18) Susan Ivanova (Claudia Christian, "Babylon 5")
19) Number Six (Tricia Helfer, "Battlestar Galactica")
20) Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew, "Star Trek: Voyager")
21) Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
22) Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter, "Wonder Woman")
23) Xena (Lucy Lawless, Xena: "Warrior Princess")
24) Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner, "Alias")
25) Marina (Stingray)
-- Jevon Phillips
Photo credits: "Aliens" - 20th Century Fox. "Star Wars" - Lucasfilm Ltd. "X-Men" - 20th Century Fox. "Xena Warrior Princess" - Reuters.
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'Fringe' review: New show is 'uneven but promising'
"Fringe," the new show from J.J. Abrams, premieres Tuesday night (8 p.m., Fox) and Abrams has been pledging for weeks that it will be easier to follow than some of his other shows, which he believes left some viewers feeling, well, "Lost."
How does "Fringe" compare to his past work?
Is it too derivative of shows such as "The X-Files" or his own baby, "Alias"?
Here's the lowdown from Los Angeles Times television critic Mary McNamara, who has a mixed-bag review of the show:
The poor airline industry. As if rising gas prices, increased security measures and constant cost-cutting were not enough, now there’s another J.J. Abrams pilot. Travelers who have finally shaken the anxiety-provoking images of cult-inducing “Lost” can look forward to a whole new set of phobias thanks to the opening moments of Abrams’ new show “Fringe.”
As lightning crackles around an international flight to Boston, a wild-eyed passenger injects himself with something one can only hope is a tranquilizer and then next thing you know ... well, I don’t want to spoil anything for the 19 people who haven’t seen the pilot online, but it results in the assemblage of every law enforcement agency in the country donning hazmat suits.
Because comparisons are unavoidable, it must be noted up front that this is not the same sort of jaw-droppingly, what-the-heck-kind-of-show-is-this pilot that “Lost” had. Frankly, we know what kind of show this is going to be. “Fringe” stands for Fringe Science, which includes everything from mental telepathy to reanimation, so much of your enjoyment will depend on how much you still miss the “The X-Files.”
While “The X-Files” told us the truth is out there, “Fringe” posits the equally vague notion that “Everything is Part of a Pattern.” So, if you’re the type of person who needs every little thing, or indeed any little thing, to make sense in a pilot, then you should probably watch “Fringe” in solitude, preferably with the door closed, so the rest of us can enjoy it for what it is — an uneven, but promising jumble of horror, thriller and comedy that is not afraid to reference SpongeBob and “Altered States” in practically the same scene.
Let the games begin.
