Последние новости

Fringe Observiews 5.13 An Enemy Of Fate
2014-11-23 19:19 cortexifan

Welcome to the Observiews for Season 5 of Fringe. I call them Observiews because they are more visual observations than deep thinking reviews, if that makes sense.
Screen caps from this episode are taken from fringefiles.com. Dialog is from fringepedia.net.

All observations are mine and therefore could be totally off the wall and/or wrong. I have not read or looked at any recaps or reviews. I could also have missed a few things, oh well…
2.17 White Tulip
WALTER: "I, too, attempted the unimaginable, and I succeeded. I crossed into another universe, and took a son that wasn't mine. And since then, not a day has passed without me feeling the burden of that act. You don't know how things will be changed by your actions, but they will. It's not our place to adjust the universe.  And you will never be able to look at her again without knowing that, just like every time I look at my son. I have traveled through madness to figure this out."
3.22 The Day We Died
WALTER: "Truly, if I could go back in time and change things, I would. I would give anything to be able to go back and make different choices."


Glyphs spelled: CLOSE
September is continuing his conversation with December who was one of the original 12 Observers.
I have to say I wasn't fond of December in the beginning. He always seemed to work against September who showed his "affection" for the humans more openly. But compared to Windmark I was actually glad to see him. And I'm glad he had those feelings as well, just hiding them. We first met him in 2.08 August
And then again in 2.15 Peter
In both cases he was very much against September's and August's actions about getting involved.
In 3.10 The Firefly December and September argued whether Walter would be ready to let go of Peter.
And in 3.22 The Day We Died, the 12 original Observers gathered around the Statue of Liberty to "witness" Peter disappearing.
In 4.01 Neither Here Nor There December urged September to set things right because Peter seems to bleed through into this timeline. 
In 4.11 Making Angels December was given the device that September lost in 1985.
And in 4.14 The End Of All Things December meets with other Observers to inform them about September's actions having consequences. 
We have personally met only 6 of the 12 original Observers. 
January - 4.01 Neither Here Nor There
March - 4.11 Making Angels and 4.14 The End Of All Things
July - 2.08 August and 4.14 The End Of All Things
August - 2.08 August and 2.15 Peter 
And of course September and December.

December is worried that if September's plan works they will all be erased. But... I'll get back to that. 
SEPTEMBER: "When we first came here we did not know the true nature of our expedition. We were not told." Neither were we! Was it to eradicate human life to get the planet?
SEPTEMBER: "Destiny can be changed.  But you have to have the will to change it... even if it requires sacrifice. I took a risk even coming to see you because I believe that the people of this era are worth saving."
Walter and Peter were just talking about making sacrifices in 5.12 Liberty and when September said to December that he owed him, was it because December also had the same feelings for the humans but September didn't reveal it to the others?


Behold - the Dunhamnator!
Olivia is able to concentrate and turning out lights.
In all of New York City, mind you!!!
Windmark is looking quite surprised as he's trying to disappear.
But to no avail. We know that Olivia on Cortexiphan can move as fast or faster than the Observers as demonstrated in 4.22 Brave New World Part 2 when she caught the bullets and threw them back at Jessica Holt.
And this time we have proof that Windmark finally met his demise. Muahaha!
Olivia is looking at Michael as in: everything is ok or - for direction again?
And Michael gives her the same answer as before.
With Windmark out of the way it is time for September and Michael to go.
But unfortunately September gets shot.
That - totally took me by surprise. 

Michael sits by him and brings out the music box from 5.11 The Boy Must Live.
I see this as communication with September - his father. 
So let me ask the question again. Can fate be changed? Walter saw it as his destiny to lead the boy but September wanted to do it. And now it looks like it still is Walter's destiny. 
On a side note: It ends with blue flares just like it started in 1.01 Pilot
Walter is taking Michael.
PETER; "I love you, Dad."
Walter says it without words.
I think there was a last look from Walter to Astrid and Olivia as well before he headed towards the light. 
Astrid has been is faithful companion in the lab.
1.01 Pilot
2.09 Snakehead
2.12 What Lies Below
4.21 Brave New World Part 1
Astrid had a final moment with Walter further up. And so did Peter, so I'm not repeating those. 

Olivia is like a daughter to Walter.
1.01 Pilot
2.01 A New Day In The Old Town
3.22 The Day We Died

Fringe at the 39th Annual Saturn Awards
2014-11-06 07:40 cortexifan

On June 26th, 2013 The Academy of Science Fiction Fantasy & Horror Films held the 39th Annual Saturn Awards.
I was reading through the history of the Saturn Awards and at one point they were actually broadcast. It's too bad they have not done that in a while. It was so worth it being in the ballroom and watching the whole ceremony. 


The award ceremony was held at the Castaway in Burbank, California.
This was my first time in L.A. so I did a re-con mission on Tuesday to figure out how to drive there and what it would look like. You can tell that Fringe is present everywhere. Notice the name of the golf course, lol. 
The area is beautiful and the view is spectacular even on a hazy day.
And this is where the ceremony was held (still in the set-up stage)

In its last year for eligibility Fringe was nominated in 6 categories:
-Best Network Television
-Best Actor: Josh Jackson
-Best Actress: Anna Torv
-Best Supporting Actor: John Noble
-Best Guest Starring Role in a Series: Blair Brown and Lance Reddick

Here is the complete list of nominees. 

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Film has been good to Fringe in the past 5 years with numerous nominations and respectable wins. You can see them here. (John Noble also won in 2011 for Best Supporting Actor)

Anxiously waiting in the Red Carpet area to see who would come down.
I was to the right of this at the very end and once everyone showed up, it got crowded. I was able to take only a few photos. 
Although J.J. Abrams wasn't there, Star Wars was still present.
Lexa Doig
Noah Wyle
John Savage
John guest starred on Fringe in 2.02 Night Of Desirable Objects. He played Andre Hughes.
Q: How was it working on the show?

John: "It was so cool. It was very good and very sort of mysterious. I liked the idea of probing into the mysteries of the people, things that might be going on and giving them a little bit more of a respect rather than fear. I thought that was interesting the way they did that."

Next up was Lance Reddick
Q:What was one of the scariest episodes that you did and did it have any impact on your personal life?

Lance: "That's a tough one. I can't think of a scariest episode. I can only think of a poignant moment for me. It  was after the last season. And it was when Broyles reunited with team and the first time he sees Olivia."
5.04 The Bullet That Saved The World
Q: Are you going to pursue more of your music career as well?

Lance: "It's been on my mind lately. I slowly started writing again. We'll see. I'm a little hesitant to perform because I really don't want this kind of life at this point in my life and career because I'm focusing so much on doing other things and my acting is starting to produce intelligent film. But it informs my work as an actor and it's been such an integral part of almost my entire life."

Q: When you started filming for Fringe did you have any idea that 5 months after the show is over the fans are still talking about. It will always be "Fringe Friday" or "Naked Tuesday" or a white tulip will never just be a white tulip, things like that. Do you guys as actors working on the show experience some of the same things, like you see something and then it reminds of something in Fringe?

Lance: "I can't speak for the other actors. This is a tough one for me. I feel like this is two questions. When we started the series I didn't quite know what to expect because so often you know there is a lot of hype... It was J.J.'s big series coming out after LOST. And the pilot was a huge hit, and then in terms of numbers, it was up and down, it ebbed and flowed.
Now that it's over I'm a little - I don't want to say taken aback because I had a similar experience with The Wire, where it seemed like no one was watching while it was on and it's turned into this huge phenomenon. But I feel like Fringe is going to have this same kind of life. The fan base is going to keep growing and growing and growing as people watch it."

That concluded the Red Carpet.

Most of the press went to the Media Room where award recipients go for a winning photo and maybe some more questions. 
For the past years whenever Fringe cast members received any Saturn Awards hardly anyone ever reported back the acceptance speeches. This year there was a table set aside for media to watch the ceremony. So I did. I don't have pictures but it was amazing. 

Lance actually hosted the ceremony. He was wonderful and he walked out on stage with the same authority he displayed when he was Agent Broyles.

The movie awards were handed out first. Here is the list of all winners (including TV).

Then came the magical moment for the Television Awards.
The winner for Best Actress on Television was announced.

And it was Anna Torv, for the 4th year in a row. Congratulations, well deserved!!!!
Anna: "You guys have been so good to me... It's so strange to be accepting this for a show and for a character that I said good bye to a little while ago. What's been said tonight and I'll repeat is, that's one of the beautiful things about working in Film and Television is that you get to make something that lives on in people's dreams and imaginations long after it's been written and shot and edited and aired."
"Thank you so much to the Bad Robot family and our writers but mainly thank yo so much to you guys for supporting the show and me year after year after year. I'm truly honored and really, really grateful. Thank you."

This was the only award for Fringe.

It was an exciting evening. I was able to witness an award ceremony where I had actually voted in. I had become a member of the Academy so I could give Fringe my votes. Membership is open to the public. 
So for next year, if you want your favorite movie, TV show or actor/actress to win, you can participate. 

By the way, this was parked outside my hotel at the half way point (yeah I drove). Not quite the right colors but a Bishop Mobile nonetheless. 
And to end with a (modified) Bishop quote: 1.18 Midnight

Seth Gabel at Denver Starfest - From my perspective
2014-05-12 08:16 cortexifan

Here I am again reporting from my 2nd convention, this time Starfest in Denver, Colorado, April 19-21, 2013.
One of the guests - a cast member from Fringe - Seth Gabel

Last year I got to meet Jasika Nicole at Denver Comic Con. You can read it here.


It was lots of fun walking through the event and watching everyone geeking out. Guests decorated their balconies.
And then there's the costumes. They were amazing.
Friday was dedicated to scoping out the place again. And after standing in line for an hour, getting my tickets I wandered around for a bit before I headed back home.

Then on Saturday morning I drove back up to meet Seth.
First item on the agenda: Photo session.
I walked up to the spot where they took the photos and with an outstretched hand I introduced myself. He looked at me and said: "Have we met before?" All I could reply back was: "No." Lol, later I thought I should have said: "Sure, in a third universe." but the introvert that I am...

Anyway, after the photo was processed I got in line for my autograph.
I bought a print/photo of Seth that was created by this artist. He signed that and I had also brought my September's Notebook. He said he hadn't seen this yet.
He was very nice. As I was getting ready to leave the booth I asked him if I could share things from the panel on Fringetelevision.com and he gave permission.  Now I just had to wait for the panel.

As the panel opened Seth shared a few things before the floor was open for questions.

John Noble told him about Starfest who was a guest at last year's event.
Seth said that working with John Noble was great. John was a great mentor, taking him under his wings.
He said Fringe was a surprise for him. "You watch TV and become a fan of a show and all of a sudden you find yourself in it". He first appeared in Season 2 as Alt-Lincoln (2.21 Over There Part 1 and 2.22 Over There Part 2)
and for the first few episodes of Season 3. In order to make him look like this in 3.01 Olivia he would spend 4-5 hours in the make-up chair and then it took an hour to get it all off again.
Later Seth was asked to come back as our Lincoln in 3.17 Stowaway.
He was very excited when he was invited back for Season 4 and then for 5.12 Liberty.

Seth shared that he got into acting at an acting camp because of the snack machine (half joking). He wanted to go back so he can keep eating candy. But then he liked it a lot.

Then the floor was open for questions.
Q: How did he approach playing the two Lincolns?
He said he had no idea how to run a Fringe Unit. His first scene shooting was walking down the stairs. So he was practicing different ways coming down the stairs.When he asked who Alt-Lincoln was he was told that they had no idea.
In order to get into the character it helped him try on the character's clothes. When he had to play Lincoln over here from 3.17 Stowaway he tried on different styles of glasses. It also helped that there was chemistry with the other actors. Kirk Acevedo always gave him a hard time but they bonded well. Seth and Josh Jackson hit it off right away.
The only regret for him on Fringe: He had to get different glasses because someone said they couldn't see his eyes very well. He was bummed because he felt that the glasses represented "this" Lincoln. So that's why Peter brought him different glasses in Season 4. (4.07 Wallflower)
Q: Which Olivia?
He liked Fauxlivia better. Olivia always carried that heavy weight around but Fauxlivia didn't have that. He expanded this into the first question as well.
When he first appeared with Anna Torv and Kirk Acevedo in 2.21 Over There Part 1
he watched the chemistry between Kirk and Anna and the energy Anna displayed. Fauxlivia was always moving, never standing still. Watching how Anna conveyed that energy helped him play the dual characters.

Q: A moment he is very proud of?
Playing the two Lincoln's at the same time. That was a confidence builder for him being able to do that because he essentially had to learn two scripts, watch for the technical aspect, sometimes acting against a stand-in or air. When he saw the episode he was proud and pretty much knew he could take on challenges.

This next question I would have asked as well.
Q: What was the point in Lincoln's life that made him different from Alt-Lincoln?
4.17 Everything In Its Right Place
"It wasn't an event. It was making a different choice. Because of that we, at any moment, can become a different person." Seth also saw this as a metaphor for Alt-Lincoln's death. Once our Lincoln realized that he could be just as confident as Alt-Lincoln, the latter wasn't needed anymore. Once Alt-Lincoln died our Lincoln essentially became the other, more confident even getting rid of the glasses in the future (5.12 Liberty) and ending up with Fauxlivia.
Remember in 3.18 Bloodline Alt-Lincoln professed his love to her as she was giving birth to Henry. 
let's just leave different timelines out of the picture :)

Other questions asked.

Q: Will there be more of his character on Arrow?
He thinks so but he is also signed up to do Gothica.

Q: What is Gothica about?
Gothica would be airing on ABC if gets picked up
It was inspired by "Falling House of Usher" by "Edgar Allen Poe"
It's Frankenstein, the house of Usher, Dracula, Dorian Gray all together combined in a contemporary setting, in a fictional city called Gothica. You can read more about Gothica and Seth's character here.

Q: He's played different characters. What has he learned?
What he has learned is to enjoy to be challenged by a part, stepping out of his comfort zone and be willing to fail and then to get back up on his feet. That's the art of acting.
He was also talking about auditioning and how it shouldn't turn into a competition between different actors for one part.

Q: His favorite place for vacation?
Home with his family. In order to find work you have to live in L.A. but then when you shoot you have to go where the show is being filmed so he likes to be at home. One of his favorite is The Walking Dead so he had a geek moment at Starfest on Saturday when he saw Melissa McBride.

Q: How did he get his role on The Da Vinci Code?
The Da Vinci Code was directed by Ron Howard who is Seth's father in law. Many think it was nepotism but it wasn't. Seth had proposed to his wife and then got the role. Seth saw it as a "test".

Q: Other roles he would like to play? 
He was talking about how the Brit's always get to wield swords and he would like to do that.

Q: If asked to be on the new Star Wars, what side would he be on?
"Who cares". It's J.J. Abrams.

A few questions were asked by children and he was very gentle, patient and totally sincere with them.
One girl asked what his favorite food was.
He said before he met his wife he would have to say steak but since his wife is a sweet tooth he would have to go with chocolate chip cookies.

This was probably the best panel I've sat in or watched. The questions asked were constructive (for lack of a better word) and Seth's answers were awesome.
The only thing I didn't like about it is that he only got 45 minutes.

If you ever get the chance it is well worth listening to him.

Fringe Stars Will Appear on "Almost Human"
2013-06-29 01:06 Dennis

IGN has a interview with Fringe executive producer Joel Wyman about his new show "Almost Human". Wyman promises that Fringe actors will appear on the new J.J. Abrams show:

I can guarantee you that we’re going to see Fringe actors. I miss all of them so much, and we’ve been keeping in touch. Anything I can do -- it’s just got to be worthy of them, because they’re all in my heart. I want to write them great stuff and make sure they come out with a big bang.

For the rest of the interview, visit IGN.com

Are you planning on watching "Almost Human"?

Fringe: What Would You Ask JJ Abrams or Lance Reddick?
2013-06-17 03:31 Dennis

The 39th Annual Saturn Awards are on June 26, and Fringe is nominated for 6 awards:

• Best Network Television Series
• Best Actor (Joshua Jackson)
• Best Actress (Anna Torv)
• Best Supporting Actor (John Noble)
• Best Guest Starring Role In A Series (Blair Brown)
• Best Guest Starring Role In A Series (Lance Reddick)

Our own Cortexifan will be there LIVE on the Red Carpet, interviewing whoever comes down the line.

We know for sure that JJ Abrams and Lance Reddick will be attending, but there could be more Fringies as well.

Is there anything you still want to know about Fringe? Post your questions in the comments and we'll try to get as many answered as possible!

Fringe Season 5 Soundtrack Available On iTunes
2013-06-14 00:26 Dennis

While the release of the Fringe Season 5 Soundtrack CD (do people still buy CDs?) is still over a week away (June 25), the entire album is available for download on iTunes for $9.99. The 24 tracks can also be purchased individually for 99¢ each.

Official Description:

FRINGE — the supernatural sci-fi crime drama from J.J. Abrams — is back for its fifth and final spellbinding season. The year is 2036. The Observers have become ruthless rulers, limiting free will and speech, and are slowly poisoning Earth’s atmosphere so that only their own kind can survive. All is not lost, however. A series of videotapes, preserved in amber, hold detailed plans for overthrowing the Observers and restoring the planet and its people. The Fringe team will undertake the most important mission of all time: retrieve the tapes, follow their clues, decipher the code, and prepare for the battle to save humanity. Join Fringe scientist Walter Bishop, FBI agent Olivia Dunham, Peter Bishop, and Olivia and Peter’s now-grown daughter, Henrietta, for 13 episodes filled with struggles, surprises and sacrifices in this explosive and emotional final season.

Composer Chris Tilton hangs on to the FRINGE musical reins for the series’ epic finale and delivers some of his finest and most dramatic scoring yet.

Holy Naked Tuesday! The Fringemunks release first Season 3 song in almost 2 years
2013-05-29 12:16 David Wu

Twenty months have passed since David Wu's Fringemunks last released a song recap of a Fringe Season 3 episode.  Twenty.  The wait is over, and a new song (a parody of Mumford & Sons' "The Cave") is available for you to hear.

That's not to say that these twenty months were unproductive.  The Fringemunks, after all, did release seventeen Season 4 songs, three Season 5 songs, a contest entry song, and a Christmas album all in that time span.

So why the delay with Season 3 songs, of which only three remain?

"It might be part psychological, part difficulty, part indifference" says Wu, who now only needs to complete song recaps for episodes "Reciprocity," "LSD," and the season finale "The Day We Died" to finish the Season 3 album.

Of the 100 total Fringe episodes, this new release - "Epis. 3.20: 6:02 AM EST" - is the 82nd song recap.  Although it recaps a 2011 episode, Wu uses the musical and lyrical sensibility that he has been employing in more recent material.  "It has to reflect how I feel about the episode now, because we are in the 'now', and we're no longer in the past," says Wu.  "And it works for this song.  It is from Walter's point of view, and he has changed.  He is crying.  Instruments in his head are different and more profound and direct."

With lyrics such as Last year, I received a sign from Thee / a white tulip You sent to me / I believed you had forgiven me, the Fringemunks are at their most spiritual - complete with fanfare horns, subtle organs, and banjo-like steel guitar meshing together in the song's instrumental backdrop.  And yet amidst the spiritual content, there is the comedy.  I bumped into Olivia, who screwed Peter the previous night, goes one of the earlier lyric lines.  It is a nod to the other Season 3 songs, while also showing that the project isn't afraid to go where most lyricists don't care to venture.  "Whatever the case, there's no way I would have written these same lyrics two years ago," says Wu.

The Fringemunks started off with a buzz in Fall 2008, just a few weeks into Fringe's five-season run, but now each new song is lucky to get a few "likes" and "shares" on Facebook, or even retweets on Twitter.

"These are lean times for Fringe fan projects, now that the show is over," Wu admits.  "But with this new song release, and the 18 remaining, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and still a lot of great music to make and lyrics to write for this project.  And being that fan projects are now a bit thin, this means that the Fringemunks likely obtain more of a percentage of the audience, albeit a smaller cumulative amount."

The project almost came to an end after Season 3 broadcasts ended.  "At the time," says Wu, "the series' end was not defined, so I knew that committing further to The Fringemunks would mean that it would put a damper on the rest of my side music career as long as there were unreleased songs.  It reached a boiling point, when I said 'forget it.'"

In early Fall 2011, Wu in fact announced the project's retirement, to the dismay of many.  But this retirement was short-lived, as Wu devised a plan for the Season 4 songs.  "Basically I was going to parody the entire White Album (the nickname for the Beatles' eponymous 1968 album), in order.  The season premiere would be - and was - a parody of 'Back in the U.S.S.R.,' while the finale would have parodied 'Revolution 9' and 'Goodnight.'  It was a crazy idea, abandoned after four songs - but it saved the project.  And the 4 songs are among the best, even if the subject matter wasn't the greatest."

Yet all the while, the Season 3 episodes remained on the shelf.  "I always knew I wanted to finish them," says Wu, "but I just wasn't in the mood at the time."  But now, with only three songs remaining from that middle season, the album's stock is up.

Click here to listen to the new song, "Epis. 3.20: 6:02 AM EST."

Fringe: The Zodiac Paradox (Novel #1) by Christa Faust
2013-05-14 22:30 Dennis

The new novel Fringe: The Zodiac Paradox has just been released today as a paperback or for Kindle:

Critically acclaimed Fringe explores new cases with endless impossibilities. Set in Boston, the FBI's Fringe Division started when Special Agent Olivia Dunham enlisted institutionalized "fringe" scientist Walter Bishop and his globe-trotting, jack-of-all-trades son, Peter, to help in investigations that defy all human logic - and the laws of nature. The first in an all-new series of tie-in novels!

The author, Christa Faust, has written tie-ins to Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Twilight Zone amongst others. Her most recent novel Money Shot for Hard Case Crime won the Crimespree Award and was nominated for several others — a sequel is forthcoming. She lives in Los Angeles, California, and loves vintage shoes and noir cinema.

Amazon has a preview of the first 3 chapters available free.

Faust will be writing at least two more Fringe novels: Fringe - The Burning Man (Novel #2) and Fringe - Sins of the Father (novel #3), both of which are available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

Bloopers From Fringe Season 5
2013-05-08 18:51 Dennis

Here is the "Unusual Side Effects: Gag Reel" video from the Fringe Season 5 extras.

Win Fringe Season 5 on Blu-ray!
2013-05-07 23:35 Dennis


To celebrate the release of Fringe: The Complete Fifth And Final Season on DVD and Blu-ray, Warner Bros. is having a sweepstakes, giving away a Lenovo Yoga 11 tablet/computer and 15 copies of Fringe Season 5 on Blu-ray.

The enter click the image above, or visit FringeSweeps.com.

Fringe Season 5 Now Available on Blu-ray and DVD
2013-05-07 23:34 Dennis

"The Complete Fifth And Final Season of Fringe" is now avaiable!

The DVD version is currently priced at $22.99 (list price $39.98) and the Blu-ray version is $27.99 (list price $49.99)!

Also, if you join Amazon Prime, you can watch Fringe Season 1, 2, 3, and 4 for FREE using Amazon Instant Video, plus you get:

• FREE Two-Day Shipping on millions of items
• No minimum order size
• Unlimited instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime Instant Videos
• A Kindle book to borrow for free each month from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library

Best Buy is also matching Amazon's prices today for both the Blu-ray and DVD.

The extras on the Blu-ray version include:

• Audio Commentary: Executive producer J.H. Wyman and editor Jon Dudkowski deliver a serviceable overview of "Black Blotter" and the series' run, touching on bits and pieces of the rest of the season as well. Unfortunately, The Complete Fifth and Final Season is somewhere in the neighborhood of twelve commentaries too short. It would have been far more exciting to have at least one commentary per episode and to hear from more of the cast and crew.
• A Farewell to Fringe (HD, 21 minutes): Series creator/executive producer J.J. Abrams, executive producer J.H. Wyman, co-executive producer David Fury, and actors John Noble, Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, Jasika Nicole and Lance Reddick reminisce about the series' early days, five season run, and dramatic conclusion, intercut with behind-the-scenes footage, archive interviews, clips from the show and a look at the filming of the finale.
• Season 5 Comic-Con Panel (HD, 29 minutes): TV Guide's Damian Holbrook hosts a Q&A session with Wyman, Noble, Torv, Jackson, Nicole and Reddick at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. Stories, laughs and even a few tears ensue.
• Dissected Files (HD, 2 minutes): Two trivial deleted scenes: "Walter's Brain" and "Observer in the Closet."
• Gag Reel (HD, 2 minutes): Standard outtake fare.
• Finale Script (HD)

Jess Noble's 'Friend,' Starring John Noble, is a Complex Lesson in Loss, Caring, and Moving On
2013-05-04 22:52 Anonymous

The wait is now over.

The film was released today, as announced by TVGuide Magazine's Fringe-faithful senior writer, Damian Holbrook.

John Noble Will Pick the Winner!

Bad Robot Art Show at Gallery 1988
2013-04-28 08:09 Dennis

Gallery 1988 - the gallery that brought you the Fringe Benefits Project - had a new show on Friday to celebrate Bad Robot.

The "art experience" featured works inspired by J.J. Abrams' creations, including Lost, Star Trek, Cloverfield, Super 8, Revolution, Alias, Felicity, and of course FRINGE.

There was a lot of great Fringe art work, many of which is still available for sale at Gallery1988.com

Fringe Mentioned on Parks & Recreation
2013-04-20 02:13 Dennis
Fringe got a nice little shout-out on NBC's "Parks and Recreation" by Ben Wyatt:

After you fell asleep making Jerry's scrapbook, I went back to season 1 of Fringe to check for plot holes. As I suspected - air-tight.

EW: Peter and Olivia - Greatest TV Couple of All Time
2013-04-12 22:05 Dennis

Entertainment Week's PopWatch is running a Greatest TV Couple of All Time poll bracket, but they have already announced who they think should be the winner: Peter and Olivia from Fringe:

The question EW has been asking in polls throughout this tournament is “Whose love is stronger?” In Round 2, voters favored Gossip Girl‘s Chuck and Blair over Peter and Olivia by a 10.6 percent margin. But I have to argue that only the strongest love – like that shared between Olivia and Peter – can weather storms of cosmic proportions this Fringe couple faced for five seasons.

Visit EW's PopWatch to read the full article.

The Fringemunks: Epis. 4.16 Nothing As It Seems (parody medley of Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" & "Rocket Man")
2013-04-12 20:20 David Wu

The Fringemunks recap Fringe Episode 4.16 "Nothing As it Seems" with a parody medley of Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)". This is the sister song to Season 1's "The Transformation," being that a scene from that episode is revisited before diverging into a different storyline from the new timeline. We find out who is behind the Porcu-man project.

PLAY NOW:

Download MP3 / View Lyrics

Song Credits:
- Music composed by Elton John & Bernie Taupin
- Parody lyrics, all instruments & production by David Wu

Listen to and download all Fringemunks episode recap songs:
http://DavidWuMusic.com/fringemunks

Follow us on Twitter: @DavidWuMusic / @Fringemunks
Join our Facebook fan community: http://tinyurl.com/fmunks-fb 

NOTE: This parody qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law.

The Fringemunks: Epis. 4.15 A Short Story About Love (parody of "Happy Together" by The Turtles)
2013-04-10 10:50 David Wu

The Fringemunks recap Fringe Episode 4.15 "A Short Story About Love" with a parody of "Happy Together" by The Turtles. This is a short story... about a woman forgetting memories from a particular timeline... about the universe being unhidden from an Observer... about a scarred man who extracted pheromones from males to seduce their women... about love.

PLAY NOW:

Download MP3 / View Lyrics

Song Credits:
- Music composed by Garry Bonner & Alan Gordon
- Parody lyrics, all instruments & production by David Wu

Listen to and download all Fringemunks episode recap songs:
http://DavidWuMusic.com/fringemunks

Follow us on Twitter: @DavidWuMusic / @Fringemunks
Join our Facebook fan community: http://tinyurl.com/fmunks-fb 

NOTE: This parody qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law.

SFX: The Unanswered Questions Answered
2013-04-05 22:15 Dennis
Sci-Fi magazine SFX has an exclusive interview with Fringe executive producer David Fury, in which he tries to explain what happened to all the timelines in the Fringe series finale "An Enemy Of Fate":

“Here is my take on it: we are still in the revised timeline where Peter died as a child. The dystopian future was the future of the timeline of season four, therefore Peter did die as a child in this timeline. However, we know he reappeared in this timeline in season four and became part of this family. Then Olivia regained the memory of the erased timeline, so she remembers seasons one through three even though she didn't really experience it in the timeline. The same with Walter after Michael touches him in season five, so now Walter remembers it. So they have a shared memory of seasons one through three but the life they are continuing is the life presented in season four. As far as what happens when Walter and Michael step into the corridor to the future, our premise is that the change happens – and it’s the part that is inexplicable but go with it – once they step through Walter and September stop existing in the timeline. It’s not that they never existed. They still experience the events of season four and still have all the memories of the earlier seasons when the timeline hadn't been erased, however they stop existing at the moment of the Invasion. It’s not like Walter died. Peter is just going to find Walter missing. He’s not going to be looking for September because he didn't continue their relationship, just Walter did. When he looks for Walter, he just won’t be there because this corrects the paradox. It’s somewhat nebulous but that is the premise of what we did.”

How does that explanation match up with your understanding of what happened?

For the rest of the interview, check out Fringe: The Unanswered Questions Answered, in SFX: Issue 234 on sale now.

Already With The 47's!
2013-03-30 20:56 Count Screwloose

From the pilot shoot of Joel Wyman's Human.

September’s Notebook: Reviewing Fringe’s Moments in Time
2013-03-19 02:12 Anonymous

With wrap removed, the book is made to have a slightly distressed look.

Fringe: September's Notebook - The Bishop Paradox

 

Authors: Tara Bennett and Paul Terry  

Publisher: Insight Editions  

List Price: $50.00  

Available: Now

After a bit of disappointment with a certain colossal Internet retailer regarding my highly anticipated pre-order of eight months, this gem reached my hands straight from the UPS man. (Thanks Barnes and Noble for not letting me down, unlike A-to-Z...) I made sure that I had the afternoon free to peruse the book - that is how much I looked forward to reading it.

After combing through it many times, I was ready to offer this review. Although it comes from a fan, don't expect too much bias: This assessment also comes from a critical eye, and fans can be the toughest critics. So how does September's Notebook stack up for this obsessed Fringe fan? First, a little background.

September "The Observer"

During the fourth episode of the series -- The Arrival -- we were introduced to Michael Cerveris' character, who was referred to simply as, "The Observer." This occasional character was credited with the name "September," and he would play a pivotal role in important episodes such as Peter, The Firefly, and The End of All Things. He would also become a fan favorite. Little did we know early on just how much of an impact he would have over the course of the series. As he observed the Fringe team, he took meticulous notes, and fans long wondered about the content and purpose of these writings. When it was revealed that he was Walter's friend Donald (Anomaly XB-6783746), he became like a part of the Bishop family to fans. As a father himself - to a special boy named Michael - he understood just how far people would go to save someone they love.

I'd like to think that hidden deep within Walter's heavy coat was the notebook kept by his friend, taken into a future which would be altered; a change that would ensure his friend would have essentially not existed.

These guys have the answers

 

This hefty tome is accessible to both casual fans and to those who are obsessed with every little detail of the production, story, and characters. As a highly-invested fan, the forward by producers Jeff Pinkner and Joel Wyman started me off on an emotional note, and also underscored just how seriously the creative team took this project. They brought us an unforgettable story and beloved characters, so the "Fringe faithful" fought tooth-and-nail to make sure that the intended conclusion would happen. It worked.

Great thought was put into the organization and layout of the book. The first section of the book deals with the backgrounds for Walter, Peter, Olivia and other agents such as Astrid, Broyles, Charlie Francis, John Scott, and Sanford Harris. Massive Dynamic's origin, and the stories for William Bell and Nina Sharp, provide some insight into these two enigmatic characters. September presents the facts of events he had observed in the blue universe, red universe, and amber timeline; and he also makes his own personal comments and interpretations on what appear to be blue Post It notes.

We get a glimpse of life for Walter when he first met Bell and when he married Elizabeth. The events from the episode Peter are given thorough observation, as are Walter's interactions with Olivia during the Cortexiphan trials. Walter's secret regarding Peter's origin is of particular concern to September, especially when it led to Peter returning to his universe of origin, to Olivia's entrapment and replacement by Fauxlivia, and to the use of the machine. The alternate universe receives similar treatment for Walternate, Fauxliva, Lincoln Lee, Charlie Francis, Colonel Broyles, Astrid Farnsworth, Frank Stanton, and Henry Higgins (the cab driver). Dossiers are also included for characters in the amber timeline.

For each section, color-coded file folders contain case details for various Fringe Events. As a key component of the show's mythology, the Machine, and its effects, received visually stunning extra focus.

My favorite pieces from the book deal with September's observations of the relationship between Walter and Peter, and that of Peter and Olivia. His words mirror my interpretations of the love that these extraordinary people shared for one another.

Sadly, this book is not pure perfection, even coming from the viewpoint of an Observer. Some of the events must have come from another timeline, because they did not happen on screen as described in the book. Or maybe the Observer had the same issue that normal humans have when it comes to reporting events... For instance, the notes for Olivia's return from the alternate universe state that Olivia was pulled out of the tank by Peter when she made it back home (Entrada), and that they embraced.

In the on air episode, Olivia came back to the blue universe while Peter and Walter were still dealing with the arrest of Fauxlivia. Olivia stepped out of the tank in Walter's lab and saw Astrid -- who was confused and then happy to see her -- before she fainted. Only then was she taken to the hospital. She later woke up to a relieved-but-terrified Peter, who was sitting by her bedside. He told her he was sorry (due to not knowing she was left behind), but she explained to him that he had no reason for being sorry,  that if it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have made it. (Because she kept seeing projections of him and they acted a guide to remind her of who she really was, and why she was there.) Only then did Peter kiss her forehead, all too aware that her happiness would be dashed when she found out just how far she had been replaced...

There are several more examples, but I'm not going to nitpick, because I am awed by everything this book got right. However, my suggestion is that some material could have been distributed piecemeal to die-hard fans to fact check. ;)

Soon, all you will have left is pictures

 

The importance of drawings and pictures has long been an interesting detail in Fringe. Examples include Roy McComb's drawings in The Ghost Network, Olivia's sketchbook in Subject 13, the drawing of Peter in the machine, the picture of Olivia, Peter and a child in The Day We Died, and the many times various characters have stopped to look at pictures of loved ones or at drawings. The creators of this book took this idea to heart, and the number of never-before-seen pictures and diagrams alone makes this book worth the wait and every penny. Some of my favorites are posted at the end of this review. My only issue is that a couple of the "snapshots" are poorly photoshopped.

Author Tara Bennett pointed out something that I should have taken into consideration: These pictures were not altered by the book's creative team, as they were provided by the production studio and the actors. For instance, John Noble gave permission to use actual family pictures.  Also, one of the crew explained that pictures used in the background of a set do not receive the same attention to detail as main character photo closeups.  Great to know!

The whipped cream on the strawberry milkshake

 

This book is overflowing with little goodies and extras from the series. Be prepared to be delighted by various pieces of cool reproduced "ephemera" from the show. These little pieces are mementos, much like the pictures and ticket stubs that Peter observed in the home of Alice Merchant in episode, 6B. They are proof that Fringe was real. The only thing that could have topped this would have been the inclusion of a mini Violet Sedan Chair Seven Suns album. Fans still wonder about that promotion, and what happened to all of those supposed copies...

My Perception

 

I own two other books from this publisher: The Complete X-Files and Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender. Neither are even half of what this book is. In fact, the X-Files book was a great disappointment as far as written content goes, because it was riddled with way too many annoying and just plain wrong errors about episodes, characters and mythology.  As a fan, I expect an author who knows the subject... The few errors I pointed out here about September's Notebook were nothing in comparison, and the authors are highly knowledgeable of their topic and audience.

Truly, I feel that the authors were powered by Cortexiphan, as they seemed to know exactly what Fringe fans wanted in an endearing keepsake of this beautiful and heartfelt family saga, as told through the lens of a man who saw it all. Great genuine love and affection were obviously poured into this effort, and it made a tremendous difference.

I am often wary of entertainment-based books because if I bother to buy such a book, it normally means I am a huge fan, and as such, I have high expectations. This book is what I expected and more.

On a sentimental note: Even though September/Donald made the sacrifice of his own existence, as long as we have the paradox of his faithfully documented and illustrated notebook, he will be recognized, which means he existed. Plus, the last entry in the notebook is the very essence of Fringe, and our fandom learned that lesson well.  


Rating: 4.5 out of 5: Tara and Paul have earned an esteemed place as Fringe recordists.

If you haven't had a chance to see the book yet, I strongly suggest that you

quit reading at this point. There are many surprises in this book, and part of

the fun in reading it is discovering them on your own.

My favorite Easter egg actually made me quite emotional. On the back cover, there is a small hashtag like those used on Twitter. It should be familiar to most Fringe fans on Twitter: #CrossTheLine. I never thought the day that we decided to do so would have led to this. Thank you, Tara and Paul.









Peter's Eulogy for Olivia is another appreciated and tear-inducing addition. When The Day We Died aired, the decision was made to only play Chris Tilton's score as Peter started his words. While I enjoyed the haunting melody, I was disappointed that we didn't get this rare glimpse into Peter's feelings, especially after seeing the original scene as an Easter Egg for the Season three DVDs. So, this beautiful tribute that underscores the love of one man for the extraordinary woman who changed his life, really made me smile. I am so delighted that it was included.






The inclusion of the empty envelope that once contained Walter's white tulip, brought back those memories when Donald/September pulled the hidden notebook out in  The Boy Must Live, and gave Walter the tulip from the old timeline in order to give him strength. We know that the tulip that was once inside is now in Peter's possession.












This only makes me want a full size resist poster.
























The picture of Peter and the machine. This reveal was one that I never saw coming. When September dropped it at the bar for Olivia, it was one of the biggest surprises in the series for me. And I was just as terrified for Peter as she was. (Check the back. Interesting...)

Machine Sketches and First People

Bishop Family

A Future in Disorder