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| On Sunday November 5th our guests were astronomers Dave Tholen and Bill Bottke. We chatted with them about asteroids and other aspects of planetary science. In this show you'll find out about the dangers from asteroids whose orbits cross the orbit of the Earth and learn why it's difficult to discover these objects. I think the hairs on the back of your neck will go up when you learn just how many asteroids zip past the Earth each week. |
 Bill Bottke (left) and Dave Tholen (right) - Picture Copyright © Burt Handelsman 2000 |
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We also chatted with them about the planet Pluto and about why the delay of NASA's Pluto Express mission is a terrible blow to science. A few days after we recorded this interview, literally just as the show was being prepared for uploading, it was announced that one of the asteroids that Dave has discovered had a 'non-zero' chance of inpacting the Earth in 2030. However a couple of days later further analysis improved our knowledge of this asteroid's orbit and eliminated the chance of its impacting the Earth. It looks like we dodged the bullet this time, but who knows what other objects are out there taking a bead on our home planet. An impact of the Earth by a large asteroid could cause the extinction of most of the life on Earth. If we continue to develop our capabilities as a space-faring people then we will have the ability to prevent such cosmic accidents. If we turn our backs on the development of space then we, and all life on Earth, will be helpless against such events. In that case we will join the dinosaurs in extinction. And in our case, we would deserve that fate for our unwillingness to face the challenges that life puts before us. Like Larry Niven has said, "The reason the dinosaurs are extinct is that they didn't have a space program." |
Listen to our show with Dave Tholen and Bill Bottke |
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On Wednesday November 1 we aired a special edition of Hour 25 featuring an interview with Jerry Doyle. Most of you know him as Mr. Garibaldi from Babylon 5, but he's also a man with a diverse background and now he's running for Congress in California's 24th district. Now this isn't the usual kind of political interview where the candidate gives his canned stump speech or bland answers to generic questions. Instead, it's just two guys chatting about what it's like to run for Congress. You'll get a chance to see the world through the eyes of someone who is undertaking one of the most high profile gigs you can find. |
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Listen to our show featuring Jerry Doyle |
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| On Friday October 27 we aired an Hour 25 Halloween Special. We chated with Del Howison and did readings of some classic 'ghostie' and horror stories. Del was a natural for this show since he owns Dark Delicacies - a Horror specialty bookstore in Burbank - and thus he has a special relationship with the horror and supernatural genre. Most of the time Del and I pass each other at breakneck speeds going in opposite directions as we take care of business. It was nice, for a change, to just sit down with him and talk about the whys and wherefores of Horror and other related subjects, like e-commerce. |
We also read two stories in a Halloween vein. The first was To Let by B.M. Croker and it offered a reason for why houses are sometimes offered at amazingly low prices. The other was The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe.
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Listen to our Halloween Special |
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| On Friday October 20 our guests were Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson talking about their new book Dune: House Harkonnen. I recommend this book most highly to you. It's a gripping story that provides a great deal of background about the Dune universe and the characters found there. I am amazed by the way that these guys can take a single line from the original Dune novel and spin it into a story arc that brings the characters alive while telling an interesting and exciting story. | I really like the books that Brian and Kevin write and always enjoy getting to sit down with them to chat about Dune. I think you'll really enjoy this interview. In it you'll learn not just about Dune: House Harkonnen but you'll find out what they've got planned for future Dune books. I'm not going to spill the beans here, but it's news about a book that many people, myself included, have been clamoring for. I can see now that I'll be on pins and needles waiting for the rest of their books. |
 {Cover Copyright © Bantam Books} |
 {Photo Credit Copyright © Jan Herbert, Photo courtesy of Bantam Books} |
Listen to our show featuring Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson |
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 Dune : House Harkonnen - detail from cover {Cover Copyright © Bantam Books} |
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On Friday October 13 our guest was author Laurell K. Hamilton. We talked with her about her newest book A Kiss of Shadows and about her Anita Blake Vampire Hunter books. Laurell's books take the traditional elements of the fantastic - vampires, werewolves and the like - and juxtapose them against realistic settings where the most amazing things seem normal. Can you think of anything better to talk about on a show that aired on Friday the 13th?  {Photo Credit : Suzy Gorman} |
 {Cover Copyright © The Ballantine Publishing Group} |
Listen to our show featuring Laurell K. Hamilton |
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| On Friday October 6 we had two guests. Writer Neil Gaiman joined us on the phone to talk about the work he's doing to promote free speech and the work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Dr. Anne Simon was with us to talk about her work as a technical consultant for the X-Files. Neil Gaiman is a popular and prolific writer whose works have appeared in the form of comics, short stories, poems, novels and screenplays. His long running Sandman comic set high standards for the genre and was one of the most popular comic series ever. Dr. Anne Simon is a Professor of Molecular Biology and also an editor of the international journal Virology, and has a love of science that is quite contagious. Her inputs to the X-Files have helped make that show believably unreal and exciting. Thus proving that one does not have to ignore the science in science fiction in order to tell interesting and dramatic stories. |
 Neil Gaiman Photo Credit : Steve Double/Retna Ltd |
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Click on the links below to hear our interviews with Neil Gaiman and Dr. Anne Simon. |
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Listen to our show featuring Neil Gaiman and Dr. Anne Simon |
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Information about Neil Gaiman's Last Angel Tour Neil's Last Angel Tour has him traveling across the country giving dramatic readings from his shorter works and poetry, and giving fans an early look at his new novel, American Gods. Each reading will be preceded by a private cocktail reception with Neil for Comic Book Legal Defense Fund members and premium ticket holders, and will be followed by a question and answer session with the audience. All proceeds from the Last Angel Tour will benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. |
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(773) 472-0449 or call Ticketmaster at (312) 559-1212 Call Ticketmaster at (212) 307-7171 (503) 233-1994 or call Ticketmaster at (503) 224-4400 PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE Writer's Guild Theater - 135 S. Doheny, Beverly Hills More tickets are now available for this event Call Ticketmaster at (213) 480-3232 |
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Links for more information relating to this show Please note that Hour 25 Productions are not responsible for the content of any external Web Sites. |
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| On Friday September 29 our guest was writer Ursula K. LeGuin. We talked with her about her new book The Telling and about the art and craft of writing. |
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| Ursula K. LeGuin has been a major figure in science fiction since the 1960's. Her books always set high standards for literary quality and just as importantly they cause you to question the way our society is organized. Her books have raised questions about how gender roles are used to define our humanity and have explored how and why cultures change. Her newest book, The Telling, raises important questions about which elements of your culture you would give up to gain technological advancements and about the price one pays for them. Like all of her work, this is a challenging and thought provoking story. Click on the links below to hear our interview with Ursula K. LeGuin. |
 Ursula K LeGuin {Picture copyright © Marion Wood Kolisch, 2000.} |
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Please note that Hour 25 Productions are not responsible for the content of any external Web Sites. |
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On Friday September 22 our guest was writer Terry Brooks. We talked with him about his new Shannara book The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Ilse Witch and about the craft of writing. I was really amazed when I discovered that he had written his first books while still working as a full time attorney. Here's a guy who knows not just how to write well but how to organize his time so he gets the important stuff done. I learned a lot from talking with him. Check out our national Authors on Tour Page to discover when and where you can meet Terry Brooks. |
| Click on the illustrations to see a larger version. {Images Copyright © The Ballantine Publishing Group} |
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On Friday September 15 our guest was writer Peter Straub. It was fascinating to learn that writing horror is a cathartic act for him. It seems that early in his life he had frequent nightmares, but they went away once he started writing horror stories. But more than that, he had some fascinating insites into the role of grief in our lives and on why it is an important part of remembering those people we have loved. The interview for this show was recorded at Dark Delicacies amidst the clatter and chatter of a four author autograph party that was as boisterous as any good party will be. Peter and I were sitting in a corner of the store with the microphone perched on a stack of books while we huddled around it talking about writing and horror and other fun stuff. The audio quality of the first clip from the interview is a bit uneven and the background noise is kinda loud, but that's the price you pay for doing interviews 'out in the world' and not in a sterile studio. | |
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| September 8 - Our guest was one of my favorite authors, Poul Anderson. He's been a prolific, popular and highly honored writer of science fiction since the early 50's. His stories emphasize the wonders that can be found in our universe and the on-going triumph of the human spirit over the challenges that life throws at us. And though his writing is always firmly fixed in the scientific realities of the real world, it is some of the most poetic and lyrical that you will find anywhere. Poul and I had gotten together at a Sherlock Holmes convention a couple of months ago and I interviewed him as a part of the con's programming. Our conversation ranged from Sherlock Holmes to the changing nature of our humanity to black holes and accidental universes and off to werewolves and licensed witches. The entire show is available at the links listed below. Click here to find out who won the Hugo awards at this years World Con. | |
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| September 1 -
Our guest - on tape - was Vernor Vinge, award winning author and professor in computer science from San Diego State University. We talked with him about the current state of computers and where things might be going with respect to human-computer interactions. We discussed his writing and got some fascinating insites into his Hugo nominated book A Deepness in the Sky and his thoughts concerning the new century. It is my pleasure to announce that Vernor won the Hugo award for best science fiction novel of the year while attending the World Science Fiction convention in Chicago the weekend we were playing this interview. Click here to find out who won the other Hugo awards at this years World Con. |
| August 25 - Our guest - on tape - was author Greg Bear. We talked with him about his new Star Wars book Rogue Planet and also his Hugo nominated book Darwin's Radio. We even had a few minutes to chat with him about his book Dinosaur Summer. |  {Book Cover © Del Rey Books.} |
 Steven Barnes{Picture © Steven Barnes.} |
August 18 - We were joined in studio by Steven Barnes who was in town to do a signing at "Dangerous Visions". We got to chat with Steve about Saturn's Race, a book which he and Larry Niven have just had published. {For my money I think it's about the best book he and Larry have written.} To find out more about Steve's work and his "Life Writing" activities, check out his website. |
August 11 - We were joined in studio by Kelly Freas and his wife Laura. | |
 Kelly Freas at work.{Picture © Kelly Freas.} |
I don't know about you, but I had a great time talking with Kelly Freas. He's been a fixture in the field of science fiction ever since he sold his first SF cover to "Wierd Tales" in November 1950 and he's still going strong. It was fascinating hearing him reminisce about working with such famous people as John W. Campbell. It was equally fascinating hearing him explain about the difference between talent and training and the importance of discipline for a commercial artist. And even though we all can recognize a Kelly Freas painting any time we see one, not even Kelly knows what it is that makes a Kelly Freas painting a 'Kelly Freas painting". |
| You can find out why the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction calls Kelly 'the most popular science fiction artist in the history of the field' by checking out his web site. |  Kelly Freas and Laura {Picture copyright © Burt Handelsman, 2000.} |
August 4 - We were joined in studio by Rockne S. O'Bannon - creator of "Farscape" - and by Ricky Manning - the Executive Producer for "Farscape". | ||
 Rockne S. O'Bannon {Picture copyright © Burt Handelsman, 2000.} |
We had a great time hearing from Rock about how the show has evolved from his original concept. Ricky explained how the show's producers found that they could take the show in a darker direction than earlier planned and still maintain the interest of the audience. I think they were both surprised by this but found that it opened many new opportunities for creative story telling. |
 Ricky Manning {Picture copyright © Burt Handelsman, 2000.} |
During the course of the show we called David Kemper - another of the show's Executive Producers - and spoke with him and some of the other folks from the show. Dave Elsey - from the Creature Shop - told us about the misadventures associated with getting actors to perform when they are completly covered by complex makeup effects. He explained that they often leave the actors eyes and mouths uncovered so they have something they can use for projecting emotions. And Rowan Woods - a director from the show - told us about the challenges he faces when doing the show. |
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 Neil Norman and fins... er, friends.{Picture © Neil Norman, 2000.} |
July 28 - Musician and record producer Neil Norman joined us in-studio to talk about his new projects. The Napster controversy was in full swing and Neil explained why free digital distribution hurts musicians. But we also found out how he is using the 'net to circumvent some of the problems that have hampered musicians in the past, such as the difficulty in getting air play for music that isn't supported by multi-million dollar advertising campaigns. Like always Neil brought along a bunch of music and we got to hear some old favorites as well as some music that had just been released. Its too bad that we didn't have more time 'cause we could have played music till dawn. Sigh. |
| We were also joined by Emily Barth who talked to us about a "V" convention she is organizing. This con will be happening September 16-17 at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Los Angeles. Check out our conventions page for more information or visit her web site. You can find out more about Neil's music, as well as listen to some samples and order CDs on-line at his web site. |
 Neil Norman and and Emily Barth{Picture © Burt Handelsman, 2000.} |
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July 21 - Gordon Cooper joined us in-studio and talked about his new book, "Leap of Faith: An Astronaut's Journey into the Unknown", as well as his experiences as one of the original seven astronauts. It was a rare treat to hear him talk about how he had to fly a manual re-entry after his Mercury spacecraft had a virtually complete electrical system failure. His successful flight was made ever the more sweet by the fact that he managed to land his spacecraft closer to its landing point than any previous Mercury spacecraft. Even though all of the other Mercury missions had come back under automatic control. {Gordon Cooper picture © Burt Handelsman, 2000.} |
| July 14 - Artist and Futurist Syd Mead joined us in-studio to discuss his approach to portraying the future using visual media. We also talked about how his previous industrial designs for future vehicles have influenced the actual cars that that are traveling on the highways of today. We even were able to squeeze in some conversation about his work in such movies as "Blade Runner", "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and "2010". For more information about Syd's work check out his website. {Syd Mead picture © Burt Handelsman, 2000.} |  |
 {Book Cover © Del Rey Books.} |
July 7 - Author Terry Brooks joined us to discuss the art and craft of writing, along with his 'Shannara' books, his novelization of The Phantom Menace and his contemporary fantasy novel Angel Fire East. |
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