A world of video, writing, photography and other ways to improve your knowledge of and connections with the world.
The deadline is getting near for those proposing panels or wishing to participate on panels at InConJunction. 
Panel suggestions are accepted until April 25, Tuesday, panel suggestions until April 25 and signups to participate on existing panels until May 1.
The first of two nights of my Beatles Summer of Love at the Martinsville Public Library was great fun for yours truly and I hope for everyone who attended. Here’s a clip from a performance by Dennis Champlin and Dena Holmes. The second of two presentations will be at 6 p.m. April 25 at the library, 110 S. Jefferson St., Martinsville, Indiana..
Here’s a link to a performance by them: https://www.facebook.com/BeatlesMemoriesandMemorabilia/videos/1875355519392299/
And here is link to two more songs by them:
If you’ve ever been to Worldcon, whether it’s in London, Spokane or Kansas City, you know that probably the biggest event is the awarding of the Hugo Awards.
The final nominees for the honors this year, which will be presented in Helsinki, have just been announced.
Here are few of them:
Best Novel:
All the Birds in the Sky, by Charlie Jane Anders; Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers; Death’s End by Cixin Liu, translated by Ken Liu ; Ninefox Gambit, by Yoon Ha Lee; The Obelisk Gate, by N. K. Jemisin; and Too Like the Lightning, by Ada Palmer.
Best Novella:
The Ballad of Black Tom, by Victor LaValle;
The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe, by Kij Johnson;
Every Heart a Doorway, by Seanan McGuire;
Penric and the Shaman, by Lois McMaster Bujold;
A Taste of Honey, by Kai Ashante Wilson; and This Census-Taker, by China Miéville.
Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form):
Arrival, screenplay by Eric Heisserer based on a short story by Ted Chiang, directed by Denis Villeneuve; Deadpool, screenplay by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, directed by Tim Miller; Ghostbusters, screenplay by Katie Dippold and Paul Feig, directed by Paul Feig. Hidden Figures, screenplay by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi, directed by Theodore Melfi; Rogue One, screenplay by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, directed by Gareth Edwards; and Stranger Things, Season One, created by the Duffer Brothers
Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form):
Black Mirror: “San Junipero”, written by Charlie Brooker, directed by Owen Harris (House of Tomorrow): Doctor Who: “The Return of Doctor Mysterio”, written by Steven Moffat, directed by Ed Bazalgette (BBC Cymru Wales); The Expanse: “Leviathan Wakes”, written by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, directed by Terry McDonough (SyFy); Game of Thrones: “Battle of the Bastards”, written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, directed by Miguel Sapochnik (HBO); Game of Thrones: “The Door”, written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, directed by Jack Bender (HBO); and
Splendor & Misery [album], by Clipping (Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes)
Who knows what the future of “Doctor Who” will be — except possibly time travelers — but the next few months could prove crucial.
After only one new episode in 2016, which was the marvelous Christmas “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” episode, the “10th series” since the SF shows were resume in 2005 could prove to be the last. At least it will be the last series for showrunner Steven Moffat and current Doctor Peter Capaldi as both have announced this will be their final series.
The new series will premiere on BBC America at 9 p.m. April 15, next Saturday.
The Doctor will be joined by new companion Bill Potts, played by Pearl Mackie. If you’ve seen the last two Christmas specials, you’ll probably be delighted to see the character Nardole in several episodes of the new season.
The first episode of the 10th series will be immediately followed at 10:10 p.m. by “Class,” the Doctor Who spinoff that has been available to British viewers since last spring. The story focuses on five of the students and staff at Coal Hill Academy, which has frequently been part of Doctor Who episodes and where Clara was a teacher. 
The series focuses on five students and staff who asked by the Doctor to deal with alien threats in the midst of dealing with personal issues.
Although “Class” has received positive reviews in the U.K., the eight episodes have performed poorly in the ratings there, possibly due to poor promotion by the BBC.
As for the upcoming season of Doctor Who, it is set to have 12 episodes running weekly through July 1 plus a Christmas special.
Titles for 10 of the first 12 episodes include “The Pilot,” “Smile,” “Thin Ice,” “Knock Knock,” “Oxygen,” “Extremis,” “The Pyramid at the End of the World,” “The Lie of the Land,” “The Empress of Mars,” and “The Eaters of Light.”
The big question, of course, is if and when Doctor Who will return after this series and, if so, who will be the next Doctor.
“But Ronnie D,” my friend said.
I interrupted and said, “Please don’t call me ‘Ronnie.'”
“Okay, Ronald D,” the friend continued, “but you love the Beatles.”
“True,” I said.
“And you’re a big fan Ron Howard, too,” the friends said. “So what’s your problem with ‘Eight Days a Week: the Touring Years?'”
Where does this begin, particularly with the recently released 2 Disc Special Edition Blu ray?
When the documentary was shown in the theater in Cincinnati, it was immediately followed by the complete Shea Stadium concert. The two-disc, Blu-ray set doesn’t include the concert and that’s just one of the disappointments.
I buy any “fresh” Beatles products, continually feeding my 52-year plus addiction. The long version of the Beatles’ Anthology videos, the Beatles movies, The Beatles First Visit to the United States and the two-DVD Ed Sullivan Show set include nearly everything and more than is in this documentary and I own them all.
It’s also very disappointing to see some of the original black and white footage colorized.
I love the Beatles (see my Beatles Memories and Memorabilia Facebook page) and Ron Howard (that guy has great initials), but not this package. If you want to see a better film by Ron Howard, make sure you see “In the Heart of the Sea,” which was released in 2015.
The documentary is great for beginners, but not longtime Beatlemaniacs who’ll find this chiefly a condensed rehash. Unlike the promotional slogan for it, it is not the story we haven’t heard before.
The extra disc would have been the place for the Shea Stadium concert. Instead, we’re only allowed 15 or so minutes of live Beatles’ performances, none from the Shea Stadium show. Also, I had hoped to see more of the Candlestick Park concert, their final live concert not counting the rooftop Get Back show.
The promotion for this film also included a tie-in with a new version of the Beatles’ Live at the Hollywood with a couple of additional live tracks including one which had previously been released in the mid-1990s as a part of an Anthology EP.
The CD was another failed opportunity. If the surviving Beatles and the Apple execs had converted Live at the Hollywood Bowl into a more comprehensive live CD that included other venues this would have been something fans have been clamoring for for decades.
In 2015, the wonderful “1+” video collection of Number 1 hits and other song was a superb offering of how the Beatles legacy could be enhanced.
Unfortunately, it appears with this year’s release that the Beatles and Apple are trying to see how far they can stretch the material and how much fans are still willing to buy.
I am extremely disappointed with these releases. Still, I will watch this many more times, trying to find something I might have missed and probably be ready to buy whatever is released next year.
The author guest of honor at the 2017 InConJunction gathering will be Mercedes Lackey, author of Heralds of Valdemaar and Mage Wars series.
Artist guest of honor will be Larry Dixon, Marc Gunn will be the music guest, Shonna Bedford (Lyte of Echo 51) will be the media guest, Kim Richey will be science guest of honor, and Mogchelle will be the cosplay guest of honor. Author Keith DeCandido
will be the toastmaster.
The 2017 InConJunction Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention theme will be “On a Wing and a Song.”
The 37th annual event will be June 30-July 2 at the Marriott East Hotel, Indianapolis. For more information, go to www.inconjunction.org.
Here’s a special treat for you this weekend if you’re attending Starbase Indy in the Wyndham Hotel: InConJunction members will be the hosts of A Game of Books in-room party at 9 p.m. Saturday in Room 255 of the hotel. Have fun and learn about what’s being planned for 2017 InConJunction.
