Syfy March 2013

Third of three posts today on Syfy to finally catch me up-to-date. The following represent this month's listings for Syfy airing in March 2013 on the network. Note that season five of Merlin continues here and concludes next month.


SAT., 2 MAR
02:00 AM
Merlin: The Hollow Queen


SUN., 3 MAR
04:00 PM
Face Off: Make It Reign


MON., 4 MAR

01:30 PM
Movie: Stargate: The Ark Of Truth
    
05:30 PM
Movie: Outlander


TUES., 5 MAR
02:00 PM
Face Off: Make It Reign


FRI., 8 MAR

03:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Black Forest
05:00 AM
Merlin: The Hollow Queen

08:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Witchville
10:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Book Of Beasts, The
12:00 PM
Movie: Merlin And The War Of The Dragons
02:00 PM
Syfy Original Movie: Beyond Sherwood Forest
04:00 PM
Syfy Original Movie: Black Forest

10:00 PM
Merlin: With All My Heart


SAT., 9 MAR
12:00 AM
Merlin: With All My Heart


SUN., 10 MAR
04:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Rise Of The Gargoyles


TUES., 12 MAR
01:00 PM
Face Off: Make It Reign


FRI., 15 MAR
10:00 PM
Merlin: The Kindness Of Strangers


SAT., 16 MAR

12:00 AM
Merlin: The Kindness Of Strangers

09:00 PM
Movie: Underworld: Evolution
11:00 PM
Movie: Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans


TUES., 19 MAR
12:00 PM
Face Off: Make It Reign


WEDNES., 20 MAR
03:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Dark Relic


THURS., 21 MAR
 03:00 PM
Movie: Wes Craven Presents: Dracula II: Ascension


FRI., 22 MAR
10:00 PM
Merlin: The Drawing Of The Dark


SAT., 23 MAR
12:00 AM
Merlin: The Drawing Of The Dark


TUES., 26 MAR
11:00 AM
Face Off: Make It Reign


WEDNES., 27 MAR
    
03:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Reign Of The Gargoyles
    
03:00 PM
Ghost Hunters International: Murders And Mysteries: England And New Zealand


THURS., 28 MAR
11:30 PM
Movie: Stargate: The Ark Of Truth


FRI., 29 MAR

03:30 AM
Merlin: Lancelot Du Lac
04:30 AM
Merlin: A Herald Of The New Age
    
02:00 PM
Syfy Original Movie: Rock Monster

10:00 PM
Merlin: The Diamond Of The Day - Part One


SAT., 30 MAR

12:00 AM
Merlin: The Diamond Of The Day - Part One
    
05:00 AM
Stargate Atlantis: Before I Sleep

06:30 PM
Movie: Blade II


SUN., 31 MAR
11:00 PM
Movie: In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

Syfy February 2012

Second of three posts on Syfy. The following represent the medieval-themed listings from last month, February 2013. Note that season five of Merlin continues here.


FRI., 1 FEB
10:00 PM
Merlin: The Disir


SAT., 2 FEB
12:00 AM
Merlin: The Disir


SUN., 3 FEB
08:00 PM
Movie: Chronicles Of Narnia, The: Prince Caspian


MON., 4 FEB
04:00 PM
Movie: Chronicles Of Narnia, The: Prince Caspian


TUES., 5 FEB
06:00 PM
Face Off: Make It Reign [premiered in Jan.]


WEDNES., 6 FEB
12:00 PM
Ghost Hunters International: Hamlet's Castle: Denmark


FRI., 8 FEB
10:00 PM
Merlin: The Dark Tower


SAT., 9 FEB
12:00 AM
Merlin: The Dark Tower


SUN., 10 FEB

10:30 AM
Movie: Stargate: The Ark Of Truth

   
05:30 PM
Movie: Outlander


MON., 11 FEB
02:30 PM
Movie: Outlander


TUES., 12 FEB
04:00 PM
Destination Truth: Issie/Icelandic Elves [??]
05:00 PM
Face Off: Make It Reign


THURS., 14 FEB

09:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Beauty And The Beasts: A Dark Tale
11:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Grendel
01:00 PM
Syfy Original Movie: Beyond Sherwood Forest
03:00 PM
Movie: Dragon Wars
    
09:00 PM
Movie: Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans


FRI., 15 FEB

09:30 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Sinbad And The Minotaur

01:30 PM
Syfy Original Movie: Almighty Thor

06:00 PM
Movie: Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans

10:00 PM
Merlin: A Lesson In Vengeance


SAT., 16 FEB
12:00 AM
Merlin: A Lesson In Vengeance


TUES., 19 FEB
04:00 PM
Face Off: Make It Reign


WEDNES., 20 FEB
01:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Sinbad And The Minotaur
03:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Immortal Voyage Of Captain Drake, The


FRI., 22 FEB

03:00 AM
   
Syfy Original Movie: Dark Relic

10:00 PM
Merlin: The Hollow Queen
[1 week hiatus after this episode; season 5 continues beginning 8 March]


SAT., 23 FEB
12:00 AM
Merlin: The Hollow Queen


SUN., 24 FEB
10:30 AM
Face Off: Make It Reign


TUES., 26 FEB

01:00 AM
Merlin: The Hollow Queen

03:00 PM
Face Off: Make It Reign

Syfy January 2013

The first of three posts today to catch up-to-date with relevant listings on Syfy. The following represent the medieval-themed programming for January 2013.

In addition to the material listed, the network also premiered "Make It Reign", an episode of Face Off featuring designs for a medieval-like secondary world. At the time, I was unaware of its appropriateness, but, as new details have emerged, future air-dates have been added to later postings to the blog.

Of note, the month also featured the US premiere of the fifth (and final) season of Merlin, which recently wrapped up its five-year run in December 2012. The series aired on Syfy in January opening with a marathon of season four, and season five runs from January through April on the network. Season four is now available on DVD and Blu-ray, and season five is due out in April; both seasons (as well as the previous three) are (of course) available through the various digital download providers.


FRI., 4 JAN


[Merlin Season 4 marathon]
08:00 AM
Merlin: The Darkest Hour - Part 1
09:00 AM
Merlin: The Darkest Hour - Part 2
10:00 AM
Merlin: Aithusa
11:00 AM
Merlin: His Father's Son
12:00 PM
Merlin: A Servant Of Two Masters
01:00 PM
Merlin: The Secret Sharer
02:00 PM
Merlin: Lamia
03:00 PM
Merlin: Lancelot Du Lac
04:00 PM
Merlin: A Herald Of The New Age
05:00 PM
Merlin: The Hunter's Heart
06:00 PM
Merlin: The Sword In The Stone - Part 1
07:00 PM
Merlin: The Sword In The Stone - Part 2


10:00 PM
Merlin: Arthur's Bane - Part One
[Merlin Season 5 premiere]


SAT., 5 JAN
    
12:00 AM
Merlin: Arthur's Bane - Part One

02:00 AM
Movie: Merlin And The War Of The Dragons
04:00 AM
Syfy Original Movie: Book Of Beasts, The



WEDNES., 9 JAN
09:00 PM
Ghost Hunters: Irish Ruins


FRI., 11 JAN
10:00 PM
Merlin: Arthur's Bane - Part Two


SAT., 12 JAN.
12:00 AM
Merlin: Arthur's Bane - Part Two


FRI., 18 JAN

06:00 PM
Merlin: Arthur's Bane - Part Two

10:00 PM
Merlin: The Death Song Of Uther Pendragon


SAT., 19 JAN
12:00 AM
Merlin: The Death Song Of Uther Pendragon


FRI., 25 JAN
10:00 PM
Merlin: Another's Sorrow


SAT., 26 JAN

12:00 AM
Merlin: Another's Sorrow

03:00 PM
Syfy Original Movie: Thor: Hammer Of The Gods
    
11:00 PM
Syfy Original Movie: Rock Monster


SUN., 27 JAN

11:30 AM
Movie: Wes Craven Presents: Dracula II: Ascension

05:30 PM
Movie: Blade II

08:00 PM
Movie: Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans


MON., 28 JAN

02:30 PM
Movie: Blade II

05:00 PM
Movie: Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans

Vikings--Now on History

The History Channel premieres the nine-part series Vikings tomorrow 3 March at 10 PM EST. The series is based on the life and adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok. The following promotional videos appear on the network's YouTube channel.

Chiller March 2013

Quick update on Chiller for this month:

There are no noticeable listings with medieval content airing on Chiller in March 2013. However, recurrent series, such as Buffy and the Vampire Slayer, may include undocumented material.

Chiller February 2013

Here are the (slim) medieval-themed listings from Chiller for last month, February 2013:

TUES., 26 FEB
09:00 P ET
Movie: Vlad


WEDNES., 27 FEB
03:00 A ET
Movie: Vlad

Chiller January 2013

Moving closer to the present, here are the relevant listings from Chiller for January 2013. Details for all productions are available in the links lists.


THURS., 3 JAN
 07:00 P ET
Movie: Vlad

FRI., 4 JAN
 01:00 A ET
Movie: Vlad


FRI., 18 JAN
12:00 P ET
The Outer Limits: Shroud


FRI., 25 JAN
01:00 P ET
The Twilight Zone (1985): The Last Defender Of Camelot


SAT., 26 JAN

11:30 A ET
Movie: Vlad

11:00 P ET
Movie: Vlad

Medieval Afterlives in Popular Culture (New Book)

Out late last year from Palgrave Macmillan:

Medieval Afterlives in Popular Culture
The New Middle Ages
Edited By Gail Ashton and Daniel T. Kline

Palgrave Macmillan, December 2012
ISBN: 978-0-230-33734-3, ISBN10: 0-230-33734-1,
5.500 x 8.500 inches, 258 pages,
Hardcover $85.00

Drawing from an eclectic mix of scholars from the US, UK, and Australia,Medieval Afterlives in Popular Culture examines the persistence of medieval themes, characters, and situations in a variety of media from reality television to Virginia Woolf, Arthurian film to Disney animation, Shrek to historical fantasy. Each essay demonstrates that the Middle Ages are not relegated to a static past but continue to fashion a vital presence in contemporary popular culture, changing our assumptions about the flow of history and the creation of the present.

 

Contents (from WorldCat):

 

The YouTube prioress : anti-semitism and twenty-first century participatory culture / Candace Barrington --
Animated conversations in Nottingham : Disney's Robin Hood (1973) / Andrew Lynch --
Virginia Woolf's middle ages / Steve Ellis --
Dario Fo's Mistero Buffo and the left-modernist reclamation of medieval popular culture / Louise D'Arcens --
Acephalic history : a Bataillian reading of Monty Python and the Holy Grail / Daniel T. Kline --
Medievalism and periodization in Frozen river and The second shepherds' play : environment, class, miracle / Robert S. Sturges --
Time travel, pulp fictions, and changing attitudes toward the Middle Ages : why you can't get Renaissance on somebody's ass / Steve Guthrie --
H.P. Lovecraft's "unnamable" Middle Ages / Brantley L. Bryant --
Confession, contrition, and the rhetoric of tears : medievalism and reality television / Angela Jane Weisl --
Robin Hood, frenched / Richard Utz --
Brief encounters : Arthur's epic journey in Antoine Fuqua's King Arthur (2005) / Leslie Coote --
"My other world" : historical reflections and refractions in modern Arthurian fantasy / Philippa Semper --
Queer origins, deformed lies : seeding the future in Torchwood's "Children of earth" / Gail Ashton --
The medieval entertainment channel : the Shrek quartet / Kathleen Coyne Kelly.

About the editors:

Gail Ashton is an independent scholar and poet. She previously taught at the University of Manchester and the University of Birmingham and writes, edits, and reviews medieval and contemporary literature, especially Chaucer and poetry.

Daniel T. Kline is a professor and Chair of English at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He specializes in Middle English literature and culture, literary and cultural theory, and digital medievalism. He has published in Chaucer Review, College Literature, Comparative Drama, the Journal of English and Germanic Philology, and Philological Quarterly, among others. 

 

 

Praise:

 

'Spanning many centuries and multiple media, this collection will inform and delight specialists, generalists, and anyone else interested in how we shape the Middle Ages and they shape us. Through highly engaging case-studies, the authors thoroughly and thoughtfully explore the vast and sometimes surprising legacy of our medieval past. They challenge the most fundamental assumptions of (neo)medievalism and open new avenues of research into one of the most dynamic and wide-ranging fields in the humanities.' - Karl Fugelso, professor of Art History at Towson University and editor of Studies in Medievalism
'An insightful collection that confronts issues too often left implicit in studies of medievalism head-on. Together the essays pose an important challenge: to examine the persistence, contingency and plurality of medievalism, and the implications that has for periodization and the ongoing influence of the medieval on the modern.' - David W. Marshall, California State University San Bernardino and editor of Mass Market Medieval: Essays on the Middle Ages in Popular Culture

'The essays in Medieval Afterlives in Popular Culture are energetic and spirited. They explore the diversity of medievalisms in popular culture, asking powerful questions about modern critical, creative, and political investments in such forms of medieval re-creation. Through a series of detailed readings, the authors offer loving, critical attention to texts that are often dismissed or unregarded. The best of these essays go even further: to consider the role of medievalism in shaping our ideas of modernity, and the relationship between high and popular culture. This collection is packed full of fresh insights and readings, and will become essential reading for students and researchers working in this field.' - Stephanie Trigg, University of Melbourne

 

 

 

Disney Middle Ages (Complete at Last)

Here are the complete details on the recent collection Disney Middle Ages:

The Disney Middle Ages: A Fairy-Tale and Fantasy Past
The New Middle Ages
Edited By Tison Pugh and Susan Aronstein

Palgrave Macmillan, December 2012
ISBN: 978-0-230-34007-7, ISBN10: 0-230-34007-5,
5.500 x 8.500 inches, 304 pages, 6 b/w illustrations,
Hardcover $85.00

The Middle Ages depicted in Walt Disney movies have come, for many, to figure as the Middle Ages, forming the earliest visions of the medieval past for much of the contemporary western (and increasingly eastern) imaginary. The essayists of The Disney Middle Ages explore Disney's mediation and re-creation of a fairy-tale and fantasy past, not to lament its exploitation of the Middle Ages for corporate ends, but to examine how and why these medieval visions prove so readily adaptable to themed entertainments many centuries after their creation.

Contents:

Introduction: Disney's Retroprogressive Medievalisms: Where Yesterday Is Tomorrow Today; T.Pugh

PART I: BUILDING A BETTER MIDDLE AGES: MEDIEVALISM IN THE PARKS
Mapping the Happiest Place on Earth: Disney's Medieval Cartography; S.YandellDisney's Castles and the Work of the Medieval in the Magic Kingdom; M.BaylessPilgrimage and Medieval Narrative Structures in Disney's Parks; S.Aronstein

PART II: THE DISTORICAL MIDDLE AGES
'You don't learn it deliberately, but you just know it from what you've seen': British Understandings of the Medieval Past Gleaned from Disney's Fairy Tales; P.SturtevantThe Sorcerer's Apprentice: Animation and Alchemy in Disney's Medievalism; E.F.Labbie
The Sword in the Stone: American Translation and Disney's Anti-medievalisms; R.GossedgeWalt in Sherwood, or the Sheriff of Disneyland: Disney and the Film Legend of Robin Hood; K.J.HartyFuturistic Medievalisms and the U.S. Space Program in Disney's Man in Space Trilogy and Unidentified Flying Oddball; A.Foster

PART III: DISNEY PRINCESS FANTASY FAIRE
'Where happily ever after happens every day': The Medievalisms of Disney's Princesses; C.BradfordDisney's Medievalized Ecologies in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty; K.C.KellyThe United Princesses of America: Ethnic Diversity and Cultural Purity in Disney's Medieval Past; I.Mitchell-SmithEsmerelda of Notre Dame: The Gypsy Girl in Medieval View from Hugo to Disney; A.CravenReality Remixed: Neomedieval Princess Culture in Disney's Enchanted; M.S.Cecire

About the Editors:

Tison Pugh is a professor of English at the University of Central Florida. He is the author of Queering Medieval Genres, Sexuality and Its Queer Discontents in Middle English Literature, and Innocence, Heterosexuality, and the Queerness of Children's Literature.

Susan Aronstein is a professor of English at the University of Wyoming,. She is the author of Hollywood Knights: Arthurian Cinema and the Politics of Nostalgia and her articles on medieval Arthurian romance, medieval film, medievalism and popular culture have appeared in numerous books and journals.

Praise:

'An exciting excursion through Disney's entertainment kingdom. The exploration of Disney's 'retroprogressive' reimagining of the Middle Ages - from the medieval cartography of the theme-park maps and the fantastical geography of Wart's Camelot and Robin's Sherwood to the familiar iconography of Disney's fairy-tale castles and the increasingly diverse ethnography of his princesses - is lively, perceptive, and provocative. The Disney Middle Ages offers fascinating insights into American values and consumer practices; and it is essential reading for anyone interested in medievalism, film, or popular culture.' - Barbara Tepa Lupack, author of The Girl's King Arthur and Illustrating Camelot
 
"Witty, wry, and informative, this volume opens with an engaging introduction followed by thirteen essays that explore Disney's influence on contemporary readings of medieval sources as well as on modern perceptions of the Middle Ages. Stylishly written, the essays have wide appeal, reaching medievalists in all disciplines and well beyond to anyone who has ever encountered or who has been touched by a Disney film, owned a Disney product, or visited a Disney theme park. A model for other publications of its kind, The Disney Middle Ages presents fresh ways to consider popular culture in historical contexts and demonstrates Disney's apparently endless vitality in shaping modern notions of all things medieval." - Martha W. Driver, Distinguished Professor of English and Women's and Gender Studies, Pace University

Contents for Forni's Chaucer's Afterlife (At Last!)

Now available from McFarland (click link) and coming soon from other sellers:

Chaucer’s Afterlife: Adaptations in Recent Popular Culture
Kathleen Forni

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-7344-1
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4766-0267-7


Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Introduction: The Popular and the Professional 7
1. Modes of Intertextual Engagement 21
2. Chaucer the Detective 61
3. Chaucer on the TV Screen: The BBC’s Canterbury Tales and Jonathan Myerson’s Canterbury Tales 84
4. The Canterbury Pilgrimage and African Diaspora 106
5. The Chaucer Brand 122
Chapter Notes 133
Bibliography 151
Index 165

Chiller December 2012

A final post on 2012. The following represent Chiller's meager medieval-themed programming for December 2012.

Slim pickings this month:

SUN., 23 DEC
08:00 A ET
Supernatural Science: King Arthur

Chiller November 2012

The penultimate listing for 2012, a vampire-filled list of Chiller's relevant offerings from November 2012.

THURS., 1 NOV
01:30 P ET
The Twilight Zone (1985): The Last Defender Of Camelot


SUN., 11 NOV
10:00 A ET
Supernatural Science: King Arthur


TUES., 13 NOV
02:00 P ET
Supernatural Science : King Arthur


FRI., 23 NOV [part of the "Fangsgiving" celebration]
06:00 A ET
Forever Knight: Dark Knight
07:00 A ET
Forever Knight: Dark Knight: The Second Chapter
08:00 A ET
Forever Knight: For I Have Sinned
09:00 A ET
Forever Knight: Last Act
10:00 A ET
Forever Knight: Dance By The Light Of The Moon
11:00 A ET
Forever Knight: Dying To Know You
12:00 P ET
Forever Knight: False Witness
01:00 P ET
Forever Knight: Cherry Blossoms
02:00 P ET
Forever Knigh: Dark Knight
03:00 P ET
Forever Knight: Dark Knight: The Second Chapter
04:00 P ET
Forever Knight: For I Have Sinned
05:00 P ET
Movie: Vlad

11:00 P ET
Movie: Vlad


SAT., 24 NOV
 03:00 P ET
Movie: Vlad


MON., 26 NOV
 06:00 A ET
The Outer Limits: The Tipping Point

Chiller October 2012

Continuing the listings for Chiller, here are the details from October 2012.


Missed data for at least 10/1 and 10/7-8.


SAT., OCT 13
11:00 A ET
Movie: Vlad
11:00 P ET
Movie: Vlad


MON., OCT 22
11:00 A ET
The Outer Limits: Shroud


WEDNES., OCT 24
08:00 A ET
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Buffy Vs. Dracula


THURS., OCT 25
05:00 A ET
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Buffy Vs. Dracula

Jack the Giant Slayer

In addition to its Middle-earth franchise, Warner Bros. is presenting an alternate medieval secondary world in the upcoming feature film Jack the Giant Slayer. From the trailer (with opening narration from Ian McKellan, the Lord of the Rings's / Hobbit's Gandalf), the film looks like an attempt to tap into the continued popularity of neomedieval fare and presents both an action-adventure tale and love story. The film premieres this weekend, and additional details can be found by searching the Warner Bros. Pictures channel at YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/WarnerBrosPictures/videos?query=jack+the+giant+slayer).

Dragons Come to Life

DreamWorks' feature film How to Train Your Dragon has been a productive franchise of late with an animated series on Cartoon Network and, now, a live-action version called How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular. The studio includes a number of promotional videos for the stage show on its YouTube channel, including the following trailer.