Have a question about something fantasy-related? Ask the Oracle! (Be sure to include your first name and the city, state, and/or country you are writing from.)
Q: What’s this about a sequel to Heavy Metal? Is it really going to happen? — Blake, Appleton, WI
A: The Oracle can reveal that there already is a sequel to the 1981 animated cult classic: Heavy Metal 2000 (not to mention a video game, 2000’s Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.2). But ignoring the horribly-received 2000 movie, there has been a new version — not exactly a sequel — in the works for several years now, spearheaded by David Fincher (Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), a fan of the original.
At one point, Paramount dropped the project, but last week’s announcement that Titanic’s James Cameron will co-executive produce and direct a segment (and that Jack Black will appear in a comedy segment) makes the project now far more likely to happen.
Q: Have any fantasy shows ever won Emmys? – Ent, Fort Lauderdale, FL
A: The Oracles assumes you jest. Fantasy, like most genre programming, is quite simply almost never given the recognition that the Emmys, the ultimate designation of industry respect, signify.
While fantasy series have frequently been nominated in the make-up, special effects, and other technical categories, as far as the Oracle knows, only three fantasy series have ever been nominated for the Outstanding Drama or Comedy Awards: Beauty and the Beast in 1988; Bewitched four times during its nine-year run; and The Twilight Zone in 1961 (Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, a 1970s sequel of sorts, was also nominated once in the category of Outstanding Single Program, Comedy or Drama).
Fantasy programming is virtually never nominated in other prominent categories either. In seven seasons, for example, Sarah Michelle Gellar was never nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role for her landmark role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, nor was any of the stellar supporting cast (the Oracle won’t name the often lackluster, already-forgotten actors who were nominated instead, because it will only make your blood boil). It was considered a big deal in 2000 when Joss Whedon was finally bestowed a writing nomination for “Hush,” his revolutionary, mostly dialogue-free Buffy episode.
Xena: Warrior Princess was likewise mostly shut-out of the Emmys, although Joseph LoDuca was — very deservedly — nominated six years in a row for the show’s music.
A few notable Emmy fantasy exceptions: The X-Files did receive a number of acting nominations (and star Gilliam Anderson actually won the award in 1997). The leads and many guest stars on Touched by an Angel were frequently nominated for acting awards for that show, as were many actors on Bewitched; Agnes Moorehead was nominated six of the show’s nine years, and Elizabeth Montgomery was nominated five times.
And in addition to their Outstanding Drama nominations, Beauty and the Beast received several acting nominations for its lead actors, and The Twilight Zone did receive a number of writing nominations (and won twice, both times for Rod Serling).
Q: Since dwarves live underground, why don’t they suffer from kidney failure, osteoporosis, and other symptoms associated with Vitamin D deficiency? — Martin, Tulsa, OK
A: The Oracle senses some sarcasm on the part of the question-writer, but will take your question seriously anyway (he’s just that kinda oracle).
The Oracle can reveal that, after many generations of subterranean dwelling, dwarves have developed genetic mutations that enable them to survive on much lower levels of Vitamin D, and enable them to derive it solely from their food sources, in much the same way the Inuit developed the ability to survive on a mostly-meat, high-fat diet.
Q: Is it my imagination or does “If I Only Had a Brain,” the song the scarecrow sings in The Wizard of Oz, speed up halfway through? Isn’t that sort of unusual? – Molly, Sandpoint, ID
A: The Oracle compliments you on your keen ear! For the 1999 DVD release of the classic film (which coincided with the movie’s 60th anniversary), Disney included outtakes not used in the film’s earlier releases — including an extended version of this song and dance number by Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow. In this version, the tempo definitely speeds up for the instrumental dance interlude.
Unusual? Yes. But not so uncommon that composers don’t have terms for it: namly, “Più Mosso,” which indicates a sudden change in tempo, in this case an “assai,” or large, change. After Bolger’s dance, the composer employs “Tempo primo,” which returns the song to its original speed.
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Are we not counting Buffy as fantasy? Because they won two of them. Granted, they were for makeup and music, but they were Emmys. (For whatever those are worth.)
No, Buffy counts, but those are technical awards (which, as I say in the piece, isn’t exactly the same thing). But Buffy was nominated for a writing grammy, which is good, but still…
Are we not counting Buffy as fantasy? Because they won two. Granted, for makeup and music, but still.