Finding trustworthy reporting from journalists who aren't on the payroll of -- or sycophants of — Hollywood is becoming increasingly difficult. In the print world, Starlog magazine gets periodic complaints from fans who think it should be more critical of films and TV; the inference is that the magazine softens its negative comments in order to gain access to studios and stars, and it's a criticism that gains some credibility by Starlog Group using the same editorial staff to edit licensed magazines for films and the "Star Trek" franchise. (The company once held the status of being the number one publisher of licensed Hollywood magazines; in its defense, Starlog and its sister publications do criticize — sometimes lambast — films even when they've done licensed magazines of the same films; but it's perception and trust that's at issue here.) But it isn't alone. Cinescape, the Illinois-based competitor to Starlog, also publishes licensed magazines, Sci-Fi Channel publishes Sci-Fi magazine, and Britain's SFX magazine perhaps plays fastest and loosest with reader trust, going so far as letting one of its advertisers run ads using the same design as the magazine's own video reviews (and even using the magazine's name in the ad).

The Internet is a bit of an antidote to this, with a plethora of independent voices able to offer their own opinions. Yet we still need the professional and independent SF journalists who have trusted sources and judgment from past dealings with the studios to help us know we're learning something about an SF TV project that goes beyond the studio media release.

Mothership.com and Scifi.com will undoubtedly produce some great content, and the more power to them. Just try to separate their news from the publicity when they talk.

In other news and views

Let me do something not TV-related here. I'm reading a new novel by David Gerrold, "Jumping off the Planet," which is being touted as being in the tradition of Robert Heinlein's juvenile SF classics. Gerrold has been compared to the late master before; his ongoing Chtorr books are rightly compared to Heinlein's various books aimed at adults. Now Gerrold has assumed Heinlein's role in this other market, targeting younger readers. Judging from the 200 pages I've read so far, he richly deserves the attention.

"Jumping" is the first of several books, and if you caught the original story in Science Fiction Age a while ago, you know it includes Gerrold's usual smooth writing and likable characters, as well as his attention to social matters such as economics, sexual orientation, and family life. But there's something else here, too: gone is the author's too-cute asides and digressions, leaving a clean storyline to pull us along and a more-reliable narrative voice to guide us. It's great to see an already fine writer continue to mature, and it must surely reinforce the decision of those who voted him the coveted Nebula award several years back. I heartily recommend this book.

By the way, Gerrold wrote "Trek's" famous episode, "The Trouble with Tribbles." There's the TV connection.

This week's episodes

All times Eastern. Syndicated episodes are sometimes shown in different weeks in different locations, so your local broadcast may, naturally, differ.

Angel
WB, 9 p.m. Tuesdays; David Boreanaz, Seth Green, and Charisma Carpenter
June 27: In "Rm w/a Vu," Cordelia gets apartment hunting help from Doyle, who gets her a place with a ghostly roommate. (Repeat)
July 4: Preempted

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
WB, 8 p.m. Tuesdays; Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, David Boreanaz, Kristine Sutherland, and Anthony Stewart Head; official site
Juse 27: In "Wild at Heart," Willow must compete for Oz's love against a singer. But Oz has a special link to the singer that may signal the end of his Willow-dom. (Repeat)
July 4: In "Superstar," a high school loser becomes extremely popular and successful, and only Buffy thinks it's weird. (Repeat)

Cleopatra 2525
Syndicated; Gina Torres, Victoria Pratt, Jennifer Sky, Patrick Kake, Danielle Cormack, Joel Tobeck
Week of June 27: TBA

Earth: Final Conflict
Syndicated, Lisa Howard, Leni Parker, Von Flores, David Hemblen, Robert Leeshock, Richard Chevolleau, Anita LaSelva, Jayne Heitmeyer, Peter Krantz, Barna Moricz, Lindy Booth, Sten Eirik; official site
Week of July 4: In "Scorched Earth," a Taelon embassy bombing investigation uncovers a secret involvement by the Taelons in an old Earth conflict. (Repeat)

Farscape
Sci-Fi, 9 p.m. Fridays; Ben Browder, Lani John Tupu, and Virginia Hey; official site
June 30: Preempted by film.
July 7: In "Out of Their Minds," Moya's crew has a joint out-of-body experience.

First Wave
Sci-Fi, 7 p.m. Sundays; Sebastian Spence and Roger Cross; official site
July 2: Preempted for film.

Futurama
Fox, 7:00 p.m. Sundays; Billy West, Lauren Tom, John Di Maggio, and Katey Sagal; official site
July 2: In "Lesser of Two Evils," it's more Bender-centric storytelling, as a Bender doppelganger is hired for security, but things still go missing. (Repeat)

Lexx
Sci-Fi, 10 p.m.; Xenia Seeberg.
June 30: Preempted by film.
July 7: "Patches in the Sky"

Outer Limits
Showtime, 11:30 p.m. Fridays
June 30: "Decompression" (Repeat)
July 7: "Abbadon"

Roswell
WB, 9:00 p.m. Mondays; Jason Behr, Shiri Appleby, Brendan Fehr, and Katherine Heigl
July 3: In "Leaving Normal," Liz seeks Max's comfort when her grandmother has a stroke, but Kyle is jealous. (Repeat)

Seven Days
UPN, 8 p.m. Wednesdays; Jonathan LaPaglia, Don Franklin; official site
June 28: In "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," an admiral is missing (I told the Navy to put him away when they were done playing with him), which leads Parker to an entanglement with the Chinese off Taiwan's coast. (Repeat)
July 5: In "The Football," the president's briefcase with the nuke missile launch computer in it is stolen (I told him to put it away when he was done playing with it), and Parker's off to prevent a third world war. (Repeat)

Stargate SG-1
Showtime, 10 p.m. Fridays; official site
June 30: In "Small Victories," replicaters attack Earth. (Repeat)
July 7: "The Other Side"

Star Trek: Voyager
UPN, 9 p.m. Wednesdays; Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Jeri Ryan, and Garrett Wang. official site
June 28: In "Spirit Folk," it's a return to Fair Haven, the holosuite based on a quiet Irish town, where the locals believe the Voyager crewmembers are from the spirit world. (Repeat)
July 5: In "Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy," the Doctor's daydreams are being observed by some aliens. (Repeat)

Xena: Warrior Princess
Syndicated, Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, Bruce Campbell, official site
Week of June 27: TBA
Week of July 4: In "Married with Fishsticks," Gabrielle is unconscious, dreaming that she's a mermaid married to a merman.

The X-Files
Fox, 9 p.m. Sundays; David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi; official site
July 2: In "Signs and Wonders," snakes are killing people. Mulder and Scully get involved. (Repeat)

The final words...

"The Line Authority was beaming microwaves into [the storm]; that wasn't helping either. The news was calling it Hurricane Charles, but I didn't feel honored."
—"Charles," lead character in "Jumping off the Planet," by David Gerrold