No TCM Classic Film Festival this year, but it’ll be back
Q: I heard that this year’s Turner Classic Movies Classic Film Festival has been canceled. Is that true? – Brian Hart, via e-mail
A: Unfortunately, it is. As various events in the entertainment world were being postponed or canceled outright due to the coronavirus situation, TCM made the decision early in March not to proceed with its annual gathering of filmmakers and film fans for this year, which was to have taken place April 16-19 in Hollywood. The move was announced to the public by principal channel host Ben Mankiewicz in a video, and he noted that the celebrity guests who had been invited this time have been asked back for next year’s edition. Scheduled highlights for this year included a 35th-anniversary showing of “Back to the Future” with stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson in attendance, and the presentation of the third annual Robert Osborne Award (named for the late host who was the face of TCM when it launched, and for many years afterward) to film historian Leonard Maltin.
Q: Can you enlighten me on whatever happened to the series “Firefly”? Why did it end so abruptly? Or did it move to another network? – Rick Minor, Fruita, Colo.
A: Low ratings measured against the high production cost put the kibosh on creator-producer Josh Whedon’s sci-fi saga, which Fox pulled off the air before all of its episodes had been shown. However, the series had a strong afterlife on DVD and earned an Emmy Award for its visual effects, two factors that inspired the continuation of the story in the 2005 feature film “Serenity” (named for the show’s principal spacecraft).
The passionate fan base for “Firefly” also has helped keep it alive in other forms, including two comic-book series – and a video game that was to feature voices of original cast members reportedly remains in development. Many of those actors have remained visible in other projects after “Firefly,” such as Nathan Fillion (“Castle,” “The Rookie”), Gina Torres (“Suits,” “Pearson”), Alan Tudyk (“I, Robot,” Doom Patrol“), Morena Baccarin (”Gotham“) and Adam Baldwin (”Chuck,“”The Last Ship“).
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