'Doctor Who' Episode 'Blink' Takes Hugo

By MICHAEL HINMAN Aug-11-2008

With the 66th WorldCon coming to a close in Denver, the winners of the annual Hugo Awards have been announced by the World Science Fiction Society and "Doctor Who" is a big winner.

Steven Moffat and director Hettie Macdonald won Best Dramatic Presentation-Short Form for their episode "Blink," considered to be a "Doctor Who"-lite episode from the show's third season. It beat out a very tough field that included the "Batlestar Galactica" telemovie "Razor" written by Michael Taylor and directed by Emmy-nominated Felix Enriquez Alcala; the "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood" two-parter of "Doctor Who" written by Paul Cornell and directed by Charles Palmer; the fan-produced "World Enough and Time" from "Star Trek: New Voyages" written by Michael Reaves and Marc Scott Zicree and directed by Zicree; and "Captain Jack Harkness" from "Torchwood" written by Catherina Tregenna and directed by Ashley Way.

Zicree's nomination for a fan production had some controversy attached when some society members felt that a fan production didn't meet the professional standards needed to become a nominee. Zicree defended the production saying it was very much professional in how it was filmed and produced, resulting in a later rebuke from "New Voyages" creator and star James Cawley, who says the production is amateur as a way to stay out of legal troubles with Paramount Pictures.

Winning for Best Dramatic Presentation-Long Form was "Stardust," directed by Matthew Vaughn, and written by Jane Goldman and Vaughn based on the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess. It beat "Enchanted" from writer Bill Kelly and director Kevin Lima; "The Golden Compass" from writer Chris Weitz based on the novel by Philip Pullman and directed by Chris Weitz; "Heroes: Season 1" created by Tim Kring; and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" written by Michael Goldenberg based on the novel by J.K. Rowling that was directed by David Yates.

Also getting a win was author John Scalzi, who was a guest on SyFy Radio last May for Best Fan Writer.

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About the Author: Michael Hinman is the founder and site coordinator for Airlock Alpha and the entire BlipNetwork. He owns Quantum Global Media Inc., the parent corporation of the BlipNetwork. He's a print journalist by day, and lives in Tampa, Fla.
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