Seth MacFarlane is a Total Science Nerd
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- 8/10/2011 |
- 10:00 am
There are few people in the world of television with more creative influence, more of an 'it' factor, than Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. In addition to creating, producing and providing multiple voices for his flagship animated TV show, which has aired on the Fox network in fits and starts since 1999, he's also the force behind top-rated hits like American Dad and The Cleveland Show.
In 2008 he signed a deal with Fox worth a reported $100 million (making him the highest-paid TV writer in the world), and earlier this year it was announced that he would be granted a life-long wish to revive the beloved animated franchise The Flintstones.
So what does a guy like that -- with seemingly unlimited power to develop whatever project he chooses -- do next?
Would you believe it's a 13-part documentary series about space and science? Because it is.
The show is called Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey, and it aims to pick up where famed astrophysicist Carl Sagan's 1980 PBS series left off. Sagan, who is best known for making astronomy accessible (and fun!) even for those of us without an advanced science degree, died in 1996. But his wife, writer and producer Ann Druyan, is said to be producing MacFarlane's project, along with noted astrophysicist Steven Soter.
And from the breath-of-fresh-air department, here's a quote from MacFarlane about the reason he's chosen this project above all others:
"Never more than at this moment in the modern era have we needed a profound reminder of the colosally important and exciting role that science, space exploration and the human quest for knowledge must continue to play in our development as a species."
Holy underwear! We couldn't agree more, and we can't wait to see what he and his team come up with. The series is scheduled for a 2012 arrival date, but you can go ahead and get excited about it starting... now.
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American Girls Know Their Science
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