Fox Fringe: Walter's Lab Notes #2

In this weeks Walter's Lab Notes, Dr. Bishop mentions celermitosis (i.e. fast mitosis), Nixon, epigenetic inheritance, methylation, the Hellenic Sphinx, grilled cheese sandwiches, his Vista Cruiser, and Tiresias.

The riddle he mentions is called The Riddle of the Sphinx, which comes from Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus: "Which creature in the morning goes on four feet, at noon on two, and in the evening upon three?" The answer is "Man - who crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and walks with a cane in old age".

Fringe Episode 102 - The Same Old Story

Our unlikely trio’s strange partnership begins as they investigate the mysterious death of a woman who conceives, carries to full-term and births a baby in the span of hours, and her baby who ages 80 years in a matter of minutes...

Was Episode 2 better than the Pilot?


Note: The Pilot proved to be loaded with easter eggs (hidden content). Have a look at the Fringe Episode 101 Easter Eggs for what you might have missed, and be sure keep a watchful eye out for new easter eggs in tonight's episode. If you spot one you can request a screencap here.

Official Fringe Podcast Now On iTunes

The Official Fringe Podcast is now on iTunes, sort of... Since Fox has not put it on iTunes themselves for whatever reason, we have created our own OFP iTunes feed that you can subscribe to using this address:

http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=291175422

Enjoy!

FringeTelevision In Advertising Age

FringeTelevision was featured in Advertising Age magazine recently, and that article was mentioned on the front page of the Official Fox Website (Fan Site Gets Shout Out). However, the article is now only available to paid subscribers, but luckily we have a cache of the article:

Click here to read full article

Fans Go Viral Over Fox's 'Fringe'
Network's Enigmatic Online Campaign Builds on 'Cloverfield' Base

By Claude Brodesser-Akner
Published: September 04, 2008

Many of the same online fans who inadvertently helped market the J.J. Abrams-produced 'Cloverfield' are now back and doing the same thing for his new series 'Fringe.'

LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- Fair warning to entertainment marketers: Once fans get bitten by the viral marketing bug, they could be infected for life.

Case in point: the online marketing backing "Fringe," the forthcoming TV series from J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Alias") that has its debut on Fox next Tuesday. The show -- about an FBI agent guided by an unhinged genius scientist -- already has a dozen rabid fan sites devoted to it, dissecting a handful of clues dispensed through a cryptic Fox-created website, imaginetheimpossibilities.com.

It worked before
Of course, that "Fringe" will have a fairly active viral-marketing component comes as no surprise, given that Mr. Abrams also produced "Cloverfield," a horror film whose online hype helped it make it the most successful January film release ever.

Indeed, "Cloverfield" fan sites like Cloverfield Clues racked up some 2.6 million unique visitors and just shy of 5 million page views. Created by a Lexington, Ky., software engineer named Dennis Acevedo, Cloverfield Clues was getting some 70,000 visitors daily prior to the film's release in theaters last year.

But what is surprising is that many of the same online fans who inadvertently helped market "Cloverfield" are now back and doing the same thing for "Fringe."

Mr. Acevedo, for example, has partnered with another self-described Abrams fan, an Orange County, Calif.-based administrative assistant named Edward Michaud, to create FringeTelevision.com. They're already getting 2,000 unique visitors for a site about a show no one has seen.

Raised expectations
Susan Bonds, president-CEO of 42 Entertainment in Pasadena, Calif., was not surprised that Mr. Acevedo is back at it.

While not affiliated with "Fringe," she was responsible for producing the alternate-reality game for this summer's Warner Bros. blockbuster "The Dark Knight," which has become the second-highest-grossing film of all time.

Said Ms. Bonds: "My feeling is that 'Dark Knight' and 'Cloverfield' changed things. They allowed the audience to really live in the fiction, and so overall, expectations are raised."

And the benefit is overwhelmingly accruing to both marketers and advertisers, Ms. Bonds said.

"With viral sites ... we learn not only how many unique participants, and where they are, but average length of time they experience. That's time spent with your brand or property -- about 10 minutes, on average. That's incredibly valuable to making people fans for life."

And Mr. Acevedo is nothing if not that. He has managed to see a leaked pilot episode online -- as well as the finished version from a Fox press kit, though he won't say how.

"I don't know if I want to reveal how I got it," Mr. Acevedo said.

Mysteries abound
There are a dozen other "Fringe" fan sites puzzling over viral marketing clues about esoteric plot points -- videos of sheep walking in perfect circles, mysterious Braille dots and math formulas -- but "only three or four that are really up to date. They're my competition."

So far, though, Mr. Acevedo says "Fringe" has been holding back on the viral treats, relative to "Cloverfield." A viral website, MassiveDynamic.com, a glancing reference to a corporation in the pilot of "Fringe," exists online but is not yet live [it is live now], though he said he's monitoring it closely.

"As far as viral marketing, it's been very, very limited. There's really only been seven pieces of evidence released. It's not a full-on interactive game -- at least, not yet."

Cautioned Mr. Michaud, "My sense is they're laying the groundwork."

Executives at Bad Robot, Mr. Abrams' production company, declined to comment on their plans for the show's marketing, but people familiar with the situation said there will be plenty of viruses floating around -- after the first episode airs.

Fringe Episode 102 Preview

Following the encore airing of the Fringe episode Pilot, hosted by Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson, a 4-minute preview clip of the second Fringe Episode was shown.

You can find this sneak-peek clip over at Spoilers.FringeTelevision.com along with Episode 102 promotional photos, plus plot summaries and photos for Fringe Episode 103 and Fringe Episode 104.

Fringe Dwellers Podcast: Episode 3

In the third episode of the Fringe Dwellers Podcast, Adele and Jen get their hands dirty delving into the mysteries of the Fringe Pilot. We discuss the gruesome teaser, cast chemistry, changes from the leaked to televised versions and the cow. We also read the emails and voicemails from our listeners.

Listen now:


You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

If you have a comment or question for Adele & Jen, you can email them at fringedwellers@gmail.com. You can also leave a voicemail for them at (206) 333-0072.

BTW, we have added a Podcast tab at the top, which will link you directly to all the Fringe Dwellers podcasts and Official Fringe Podcasts.

Fringe Available on Amazon and iTunes

Fringe is now available on Amazon's Video On Demand (formerly Amazon Unbox) and iTunes for $1.89/$1.99 per episode.

Fringe Pilot: Leaked Epiosde vs. Final Cut

When the Fringe pilot episode was "leaked" onto the internet back in June, J.J. Abrams and crew were quick to point out that the editing was not finished, scenes were missing, and different music would be used. Interestingly, even the "final cut" version we received in the Fringe Press Kit was slightly different from the broadcast. The run times were about the same, so what were the changes?

A lot of very minor edits were scattered throughout, mainly tightening up scenes. For example, some dialogue from an earlier scene between Charlie and Olivia was cut.

The opening title sequence was completely new (you can see the original version here).

Four big changes were added to the story line:

• Olivia tears up seeing John for the first time after the explosion, reinforcing her feelings for him
  
• The entire Steig interrogation scene with Oliva Dunham and Jack Bauer Peter Bishop
• Most of the audio from Steig's tape recorder
• The scene where the dead Agent Scott is wheeled away into the "Leaf" room

Also added was the glyph sequence at the very end, which may be some sort of key to hidden Easter Eggs.

Massive Dynamic not only changed names (from Massic Dynamics), they changed locations. The original building was modeled after the The Royal Ontario Museum, where as the new building is a typical New York skyscraper.

The Synaptic Transfer sequence has subtle changes, mostly a darker mood. The inscription on the Kayak changed from CONSTANT 1.61803 to ZENO, the tombstone changed from BLANK to HE'S NOT DEAD, and the screen monitoring John and Olivia got a makeover (although you can still see the old screen in some shots)

Nina Sharp's robotic are got a slight makeover, making it a little more see-through.

Fringe Episodes available on FOX in HD

If you forgot to set your TIVO for FRINGE last night, don't worry. The entire episode is now available in "High Definition" at the Fox On Demand website. The quality will vary based on your internet connection speed, and of course there are commercials, but you can watch it full screen, and you can't beat the price - FREE!

You can also watch the episodes here, in the Episodes section.

Fringe Trivia Quiz: Episode 1

I have created a simple Fringe trivia quiz, for the Pilot episode. Leave a message in the comments on what your score was, or you can even post your own Fringe quiz.

Fringe Trivia Quiz: Episode 1 - Pilot

Fringe Episode 101 - Pilot

When an international flight lands at Boston's Logan Airport and there are no signs of life, FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, a scientist, Walter Bishop, and his son Peter uncover a deadly mystery involving a series of unbelievable events.

How many stars do you give the Pilot?

MassiveDynamic.com site now LIVE!

The FRINGE viral website for Massive Dynamic launched today. The site is HUGE, and reminds me of The Lost Experience's Hanso Foundation website - with lots of information and sections to check out.

The site is broken into five main sections: Aerospace & Transportation, Biological & Medical, Computing & Communications, Energy & Environment, and Life & Leisure.

There's sure to be more there than meets the eye, so check it out, and let us know what you find!

Fringe Series Premiere Tonight!

If you weren't aware that the series premiere of Fringe was tonight... welcome to FringeTelevision.com for the first time!

We've added two new sections to Fringe Television for tonight's debut - Episodes and Screencaps.

The Episodes section will have posts for each week's new Fringe episode, where you can discuss the episode, analyze the clues, and talk with fellow Fringe fans. Check out TheLostCommunity.com for an example of how this will work. Episode posts will be available as soon as the show starts, generally 9/8c, however don't forget tonight's episode starts at 8/7c. The episode section is a spoiler-free zone, so please read the posting guidelines before you begin.

The Screencaps section will be the place to see screenshots of Easter Eggs and clues hidden in the show. As soon as the episode ends, we'll start posting up interesting frames. If you see anything we might have missed, leave a comment in the Screencap Request post, and we'll try to get to it. Head over now, to get a sneak peek at an Easter Egg from tonight's episode.

Also, don't forget to check out the original Fringe Wiki - Fringepedia.net. Fringepedia.net contains a wealth of information about the latest episode, characters, and "The Pattern". Just like Lostpedia or Wikipedia, any one can join and help contribute to the ultimate Fringe Encylopedia.

Fringe on MySpace

The MySpace front page has a Fringe theme today, with a cool fringe background, and a new video, titled "Rorschach".

There is also an official Fringe MySpace page: MySpace.com/FringeOnFox

io9: Fringe ARG/Viral Summary

Sci-fi blog io9 has a great summary of all the Fringe viral marketing that has happened so far, including the Radio ads, Case 0091, Fringe Press Kit, Fibonacci numbers, and Music videos.

Commenting 101

Welcome to Episodes section of FringeTelevision.com. Please review this short guide before joining the discussion.

About: Fringe Episodes is dedicated to a "watercooler" discussion of each episode of Fringe after it airs. Episode posts will be made available at the start of each new episode, on Tuesdays at 9:00 Eastern. This will allow you to leave comments during the episode. However, this also means there will be discussions about the episode before people in other time zones have had a chance to see it. So if you are not in the Eastern time zone, you may want to wait until you have seen the episode before joining the conversation.

Spoiler-Free: Fringe Episodes is spoiler-free section of Fringe Television. What constitutes a spoiler? Loosely defined, anything about future episodes that has not been broadcast on Fox. Speculation about what might happen in the future is obviously fine, but please don't post anything you know for sure will be happening. Here are a few Spoiler-Free guidelines:

1. Contents of the US promo that airs immediately after an episode ARE NOT spoilers. (i.e. Next week on Fringe...)
2. Contents of subsequent promos ARE spoilers.
3. Personal speculations on what might happen (based solely on past episodes) ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT spoilers.
4. Information from any outside sources that mention not-yet-aired actors/directors/plotlines/episode titles/etc ARE spoilers.
5. Information from any outside sources mention already-aired actors/directors/plotlines/episode titles/etc ARE NOT spoilers.
6. Contents of Comic Books, Viral Websites, and other official "canon" content ARE PROBABLY NOT spoilers.

When in doubt, please err on the side of caution. If you have a spoiler you really want everyone to know about, send us an email, and we may create a post over at the Spoilers section of Fringe Television.

Tone: Like the sidebar says, this blog is a friendly place to discuss Fringe. That doesn't mean we can't disagree and have a "spirited debate", but what it does mean is we do so like adults. io9 has a great post on "How to Be an Opinionated Commenter and Not Get Banned", which basically boils down to: Don't insult other commenters, and don't be a troll. If you see commenters behaving badly, please try to ignore them (i.e. don't feed the trolls), and send us an email.

Etiquette: When responding to a specific comment, it is useful to address your response to the comment's author by name (i.e. @Name: ... ), and quote what you are responding to. Providing links to what you are talking about is always helpful, but please avoid spam. Last but not least, please be welcoming and helpful when someone new joins the conversation.

Formatting: Blogger supports very limited formatting in the comments section, using the following standard HTML codes:

<b>bold</b> = bold
<i>italic</i> = italic
<a href="http://www.fringepedia.net">Fringe Wiki</a> = Fringe Wiki

Thank you for visiting Fringe Episodes. We look forward to discussing FRINGE with you!

Fringe Comic #1 - Like Minds / The Prisoner

The Fringe #1 comic was released today (delayed by one day by the holiday). The comic contains two stories: "Like Minds" and "The Prisoner".

The first story, "Like Minds" details the initial meeting between Walter Bishop and William Bell, and their early work on the Synaptic Transfer System.

The second story, "The Prisoner", centers around a man who wakes up in prison, but doesn't know how he got there. Is he an unintended consequence of an experiment gone wrong?

You can purchase Fringe #1 at your local comic book store for $2.99 (if they are not sold-out already!).

The remaining Fringe comics will be available:

• Fringe #2 - September 17
  
• Fringe #3 - October 29
• Fringe #4 - November 26
• Fringe #5 - TBA
  
• Fringe #6 - TBA
  

Like Minds:




The Prisoner:

Fringe Comic Book - First Sighting...

...of William Bell. Title: LIKE MINDS

Update: We've uploaded the full issue at Fringe Comic #1 - Like Minds / The Prisoner.


















Here's the detail rich article:

MTV's Splash Page: The ‘Fringe’ Cast And Crew Take Us Through J.J. Abrams’ Comic Tie-In, Plus Preview Five Pages!

If “Fringe” is the new “X-Files,” then the Fringe comic is the equivalent of having a book that shows what really happened to Mulder’s sister. Or if the show’s Dr. Walter Bishop is the new Hannibal Lector – handy to consult on cases despite those pesky mental institution surroundings – then the Fringe comic is like having Hannibal pre-cannibal.

Neither comparison is perfect – J.J. Abrams’ television series tend to be in classes unto themselves – but the point is, while the comic isn’t necessary to enjoy the show, it sure does help. “The comics are going to fill in the blanks,” said “Fringe” co-creator/writer/executive producer Roberto Orci. “There will be a payoff.”

The first six-issue series (which kicks off September 3) will focus on the history of Dr. Walter Bishop, played by John Noble as a brilliant but deranged scientist who acts as a consultant to a female FBI agent investigating cases of the paranormal, with his son, played by Joshua Jackson, acting as a conduit between the two of them. “It’s what Daddy was up to before he got institutionalized,” Jackson said.

“Walter is every actor’s dream,” Noble said. “He’s got an IQ of 190, but I have a theory why he’s unsafe to be around. I think he conducted some sort of experiment in which someone was killed, and that he was due to stand trial for manslaughter before they determined he was unfit to stand trial at all.”

Noble’s theory about his character is put to the test in the comics, which follow Bishop as a newly appointed professor at Harvard. “It’s about how his scientific career began and how he got involved in the fringe sciences,” said Zack Whedon who writes for both the show and the comic. “He’s sort of singularly focused on scientific discovery, to the point where he doesn’t really consider the consequences.”

Bishop shares a lab with collaborator William Bell, who is not physically present in the show but is referred to. “There’s a lot of mystery surrounding that character on the show,” Whedon said, “so it’s fun to get a little glimpse of who he is that you won’t get in the show.”

Besides the Bishop-Bell history, the comics will also include stand-alone stories, some of which connect to other characters on the show, and some which just add to what the show calls “the Pattern.” “They’re straight-up ‘Fringe,’ sort of ‘Twilight Zone’/’Weird Science’ sci-fi tales,” Whedon said. For instance, one involves a man who wakes up in someone else’s body, “which is terrible, especially for this guy, because it’s the wrong body,” Whedon said. “He’s now in prison.”

Where the show has to try to resolve various mysteries, the comics are free to leave some things unexplained. “Some are related to Walter’s work, some are part of the Pattern, and some are just inexplicable,” Whedon said. “And if this works out, we can do even more of them and take readers up to the events of the show. Who knows? This could go on forever.”

“We can give a richer experience to the show this way,” said “Fringe” executive producer Bryan Burk. “Because oh God, yes — ‘Fringe’ is a comic book universe.”

Thanks Mandy for the tip!

Fringe Episode 102 - Spoilers

Fox has released the title, official plot summary, and episodic photos for Fringe episode #2.

You can view see them all at Spoilers.FringeTelevision.com.

Fringe Music Video: Ror-Shak - A Forest

Fox has a new music video for Fringe, featuring Ror-Shak and their cover of The Cure's "A Forest".

The scenes appear to have been shot specifically for the video, but may contain plot elements from future episodes that could be considered spoilers. This still image, a scene from the Sheep Video from the CASE 0091 ARG. There is also a scene that could be related to the Fringe Preview Comic.

To see screenshots from the video, visit Spoilers.FringeTelevision.com.