Space Cases Blasts Off - Ooze News - March 1996

Ooze News - March 1996

Space Cases

Blasts Off

What would you do if you were trapped on a spaceship with your teacher and assistant principal for the next seven years?

Space Cases, Nickelodeon's new science-fiction show, is the story of five kids who find out for themselves. Set in the year 2261, Space Cases follows five students (the "space cases") who study - or rather, don't study - at the Starcademy, a training school for intergalactic heroes.

Their troubles begin when they are sent to a special three-week summer-school program. One day, the students wander aboard a mysterious alien ship, which is empty - except for a robot. Their teacher and assistant principal follow them on board - and are about to tell the kids to return to school - when the ship suddenly blasts off through a freak hole in space. The ship ends up on the other side of the galaxy, and the shortest course back to the Starcademy will take seven years to complete. The space cases are trapped - and their adventures begin.

Space Cases premieres on Saturday, March 2, at 9 PM.
Subject to change. Check local listings for details.

Lost In Space... Again

Space Cases co-creator Bill Mumy (left) with Mark Hamill (of Star Wars fame) make guest appearances on Space Cases as Jin and Pel, respectively.

Bill Mumy, the show's co-creator (with Peter David), knows a lot about science fiction. From ages 10 to 14, he starred in the classic TV show Lost in Space. Currently, he stars on Babylon 5, another TV sci-fi adventure show. We asked him some spacey questions.

Nickelodeon Magazine: What would you do if you met an alien?
Bill Mumy: I guess it would depend on the alien. If he were friendly, I'd find out what kind of music he listens to. I would ask him if he'd like to make a guest appearance on Space Cases. He wouldn't have to go to makeup.

NM: What makes Space Cases different from other TV shows?
BM: It's a sci-fi show about kids. Another thing that makes it different is that there are no hand weapons. People aren't going around blasting one another.

NM: If you could ride a rocket into space, would you?
BM: If I could go to the airport and get on a spacecraft, I'd do it in a minute.

NM: What's your favorite planet?
BM: My favorite planet is Earth, but it needs a lot of work.

NM: Would you want to live in space?
BM: I'd rather live in Hawaii. But California isn't so bad.

The Cast Of Cases

Your guide to who's who in the crew

Catalina
Home: Titan (one of Saturn's moons)
Special characteristics: Catalina has rainbow-striped hair. She also has an invisible friend named Suzee. No one but Catalina knows if Suzee really exists. Catalina says that it's Suzee who comes up with all the bright ideas.
Played by: Jewel Staite, age 13

Harlan
Home: Earth
Special characteristics: Harlan has natural leadership skills, but he often makes mistakes. After all, he's only human.
Played by: Walter Jones

Radu
Home: Andromeda (a constellation)
Special characteristics: Radu has spiral-shaped ears, which give him super-hearing. He also has super-strength - 10 times that of a human.
Played by: Kristian Ayre, age 18

Rosie
Home: Mercury
Special characteristics: Pink skin and a hairless body. When she gets angry, her face turns very red. If Rosie gets frustrated or upset, she also radiates heat. The temperature of the room increases and she sets off the sprinkler systems.
Played by: Paige Christina, age 13

Bova
Home: Uranus
Special characteristics: Bova has a pair of antennae on his forehead. They can generate electricity.
Played by: Rahi Azizi, age 13.

And...

Thelma is an android. Her fingers can do almost anything, from screwing in screws to dispensing beverages. [Thelma stands for Techno Human EmuLating MAchine, and is played by Anik Matern.]

Commander Seth Goddard is the kids' teacher. He sometimes loses his temper trying to keep the space cases in line. [Played by Paul Boretski.]

T.J. Davenport is the assistant principal who expects perfection from others and herself. [Played by Cary Lawrence.]

Ask the Boss Lady

Where you ask the president of Nickelodeon, Geraldine B. Laybourne, anything you want.

Do you always wear pencils in your hair?
Only when I'm trying to look really smart!

What was the worst smell you ever smelled, and where were you when you smelled it?
When I was growing up, the New Jersey Meadowlands smelled like 40,000 skunks had had a spraying party. (That was before the property was cleaned up and a sports complex was built there.)

What is your favorite smell?
My favorite smell is chocolate-chip cookies being baked in the oven - or maybe it's brownies.

Are you as funky as Nickelodeon's characters?
I've always thought of myself as down-to-earth and funky. But, to make sure I answered your question correctly, I looked up funky in the dictionary. One definition is "having a offensive odor." The next time someone calls me funky, I'm going to ask them exactly what they mean by it.

What's New on Nick

Ren and Stimpy on the Move
Starting March 16, The Ren & Stimpy Show will be on Saturdays at 6 PM.

Woodunit?
Watch The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, a new show about a 16-year-old amateur detective, on weekends starting in March.

All times are for Eastern and Pacific time zones. Shows air one hour earlier in the central time zone. Shows subject to change. Check your local listings for details.

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Additional source: Wikipedia.

Nickelodeon UK - Ooze News - November 1995

Ooze News - November 1995

Nick UK

Once upon a time, Nickelodeon just took over schools - now it's taking over the world.

Nickelodeon has been on the United Kingdom since 1993, where it's known as Nick UK. Although Nick UK is very similar to Nickelodeon in America, there are some differences. NICKELODEON MAGAZINE found out about them when we visited Nick UK in London, England.

The most unusual part of Nick UK is NickAlive. Between shows, hosts do live broadcasts from two studios. One studio is in a London shopping mall called the Trocadero. It has glass walls, so the crowds at the mall can walk by, look in, and even end up on TV. It's the kind of place where alnmost anything can happen.


The rest of the time, NickAlive works out of the UK's first-ever Virtual Studio. Computers and fancy camera work are used to create three-dimensional backgrounds, such as a Gak cave and kitchen. The hosts can interact with these backgrounds.

In both settings, NickAlive involves lots of kids. Every weekend (and each Wednesday during school vacations), kids vote by phone for their favorite show. The show that gets the most votes airs, usually within the house. For Coast to Coast, eight kids were chosen to travel across America, from New York to California, in a motor home. They were given camcorders to tape whatever they wanted during the month-long journey, which took place in August. Short segments of the trip will air this fall.


Kids also call and fax in jokes, pictures, and more. When we were there, one kid called up and played his trumpet over the phone. Another gargled the theme to The Flintstones.

All of this kookiness is led by seven human hosts and a orange fish called Bert.



"It's so spontaneous," says Yiolanda Ttokkallos, one of the hosts. "We can decide to do something and then do it - just like that!"


Nick UK isn't always live TV. It also airs show you can see in the U.S., like Clarissa Explains It All and Rugrats. But others are special to Nick UK. One is called School of the Week, where Nickelodeon visits a British school and wreaks havoc. Each week a different school is invaded. Teachers are forced to dress up in chicken suits, kids get to tell the truth about school lunches, and a student's romantic crush is exposed.


One of the most popular shows on Nick UK is Family Values, where a host travels across Britain and surprised families by dropping in on them at home. Then he gets them to reveal secrets about one another, like who has the messiest room in the house. So far, Family Values has not gotten in to see the Queen, but that doesn't mean they won't.

Bert the Fish

Perhaps the only fish on a call-in show, Bert the Fish hates everything. Especially kids. He thinks they smell like milk, and this bothers him. Other fish bother him, too. They always seem to open their mouths, yet they never say anything. This animated creation can be found complaining on NickAlive where he hosts with a human sidekick.

The Presenters

NICKELODEON MAGAZINE spoke with some of the presenters (as hosts are called in England) of NickAlive.

Nigel Mitchell

At 16, Nigel is the youngest of all the presenters.

NM: What is the worst thing about being on a live show?

Nigel: Things can go wrong. Once, I was left there looking like a complete lemon because I thought we weren't on the air anymore. I just sat there staring.

Lucy Alexander

Lucy trained as a dancer before becoming an actress.

NM: Have you ever gotten the hiccups while on the air?

Lucy: Yes, and once, I got a big hair in my eyeball - it felt like it was wrapped around it. I had to start the segment with my eye closed, tears streaming down my face.


James Gilbey

Before coming a presenter on NickAlive, James was a star on a British soap opera called EastEnders.

NM: What has been your most embarrassing moment on the show?

James: I do a part of the game show Family Values, where I talk to a parent and a viewer on the phone every morning for a whole week. We've done all sorts of research on the family, so I know all these silly secrets. I've got a reputation for being quite mischievous. Well, one family decided to get me back. I was talking on the phone with them when suddenly they hung up. I was baffled - I hadn't said anything rude to them. Suddenly, they burst through the studio door and covered me in custard pies. I thought I was talking to them at home, but they were in the back room of the studio the whole time. That was the moment I wish had never happened.

Yiolanda Ttokkallos and Mounya Khamlichi

Yiolanda and Mounya were sales assistants when they found out about an audition at Nickelodeon one Friday. They were on TV a week later.

NM: What's one of your favorite things you get to do on the air?

Mounya: We do a segment called "The Love Doctor." Kids phone in with their love problems, and we offer big sister advice. The funniest question we ever got was from a guy who was dating a set of twins, and didn't know which one to go out with.

Rick Adams

Rick was so nervous before his first time on live TV that he threw up.

NM: Do you ever wish you weren't doing a live TV show?

Rick: Sometimes. Yesterday, kids were voting by phone for which show they'd like to watch. Lucy (my co-host) and I always bet on which show is going to be chosen, and the winner gets to do something to the loser. I lost, and Lucy dropped two glasses of ice down my trousers. I sang soprano all afternoon.


Sarah Cawood

NickAlive is Sarah's first-ever TV job.

NM: Describe your first moment on live TV.

Sarah: It wasn't too bad because I'm a dancer and I'm used to seeing 3,000 people in front of me. When you've only got a camera, you're not actually aware that there are people watching you, unless you stop and think about it.

You Speak English?

You may think Brits and Americans speak the same language, but can you understand the following sentence?

Hey, mate, I hope those crisps choccy biccies, and ice lollies I ate while watching telly don't make me guff. Otherwise, I'll have to put on trainers and run to the loo.

Here's a little glossary to help you understand the sentence and make up sentences of your own.

British English - American English

telly - TV

loo - bathroom

ice lollie - popsicle

guff - pass gass

rubber - eraser

crisps - potato chips

chips - French fries

trainers - sneakers

choccy biccies - chocolate cookies