"The movie theme could be called The Good, The Bad And The Absurd.  Titles planned so far include . . . 
THE OLD DARK HOUSE
HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM
YOU'LL FIND OUT
CIRCUS OF HORRORS
BILLY THE KID VS. DRACULA

"Good grief, I have the serial presentation, I bring a bunch of serials to choose from for the next 12 months chapter per meeting and I have the movies for the night.  I think after the February Meeting, ICS members might be a little tired of seeing my pretty face. Perhaps I should take a few months off." 
Barry, I wouldn't worry. I get the sense that this club is not even CLOSE to being Skippered-out.
.ELECTION RESULTS 
    For the first time ever the ICS has the same Board two years in a row. Our present Board consists of Dave Henderson, Joe Plempel, Regina Vallerani, David Willard and Charlie Wittig. Even though he wasn't elected, we want to thank John Ward for running. It shows a deep level of care and commitment to run for the Board. We strongly encourage everyone to consider running each year. The more candidates we have to choose from the stronger the Board and the club will be. We are blessed with an abundance of talent in this club. If we don't get to use you for the Board we hope we'll find other ways to use your abilities for the good of the ICS.
8.AUDIT RESULTS 
    Our crack treasurer, Regina Vallerani, helped Vince DiLeonardi audit our books for last year. We're happy to report that 2001 is in fine shape. All the bank statements balanced and the books are in order. Anytime anyone in the club has any questions about the club's finances just let the Board know. Our books are always open.
9.DUES NEWS 
   It's dues time again. Individuals are $20. Couples are $30. We have given members a grace period until our March meeting (March 23) to continue their membership. Below are a list of renewing members. If you feel that your name has been inadvertently left off, or if you would like to mail your dues in, please contact our treasurer, Regina Vallerani. Her mailing address is 221 Ridgemede Rd #508/ Baltimore, MD. 21210-3042. Her e-mail address is RVALLER107@AOL.COM.
 

10.THREE YEARS IN THE DARK 
    We've spent three years gathered together on the last Saturday of every month watching movies. I thought it might be fun to look back and remember what we've seen. When you look at the titles you might recall the meeting the title was shown at, how good or bad it was and if there were any good wisecracks coming from the audience. Here, for your viewing pleasure is a look at how we've spent the last three years.
 

VERITAS, From Touchstone/Storyline Productions, an Indiana Jones-style two-hour backdoor pilot about a father-son team of archeologists. 
ASTRONAUTS, from 20th Century TV/Industry, about astronauts looking to win a spot on a mission to Mars. 
PARANORMAL GIRL, from Touchstone, about a teen-age girl who discovers she has weird powers and is recruited by the FBI to help solve crimes.
17.BIRDS OF PREY - MIGRATING TO THE WB 
    The WB is far along in its development of BIRDS OF PREY, based on the DC Comics superhero series. The WB entertainment president, Jordan Levin, announced, "We're starting to go into casting right now and are [eyeing a] fall premiere. And there are some other [comic-based] properties that we're playing around with, too." 
    BIRDS OF PREY tells the story of computer intelligence expert Oracle, the wheelchair-bound Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) and her field operative partner Black Canary. "I think it's important that it's accessible," Levin said "I mean, I love comic books. I'm a comic-book junkie, but that's a niche form of storytelling. I think that for broadcast television, you have to balance the ability to not alienate that audience, but also make it accessible and bring in a new audience. I think that SMALLVILLE is successful in that largely." 
18.THE BUFFY CARTOON IS STALLED 
    BUFFY executive producer Marti Noxon has said that the proposed animated version of the series may be stalled. "The animated series is still in the works," Noxon said. "I think that . . . there's been some problems with Fox Family TV. So I'm not sure it's going to go on, . . . not because of anything having to do with the show, but because I think Fox is not sure that they want to do more family programming like that. . . . It's not going away, because scripts are written and stuff has already been done. But right now, the question is where it's going to end up airing." 
    Noxon said that Whedon and other BUFFY writers have already written a half dozen scripts for the animated series. "Almost everybody except me," she said with a laugh. The animated show is "really funny. It's really charming. It's got to get on the air. It's definitely one of those animated shows that skews both for adults and kids. It's going to kick Spongebob's ass! Just kidding." 
    David Boreanaz said that he won't be voicing the vampire character in the animated show, which is supposed to be set back at Sunnydale High School. "Joss came to me, and he said, 'We're doing the BUFFY animated thing, and you're more than welcome to come down.' And I've just been so tied up now with work that it just hasn't happened. So I don't think it's going to happen."
19.BUFFY'S GETTING DARKER 
    Marti Noxon said that the show will turn darker as it enters the home stretch of its sixth season. "One of the questions we've been getting a lot of is there doesn't seem to be a big bad this season," Noxon said. "And what I can say is that the climax is going to be big. There may not be a big bad, but there's a big bad climax coming. I think basically what people can expect is that the seeds that have been planted throughout the season, the kind of troubles that have been brewing with all the characters, are all going to come to a head. But . . . this whole season has been very character-driven. There's not so much stuff coming from the outside." 
    This year, the show's characters have dealt with the issues of growing up and facing young adulthood, Noxon said. "Buffy is dealing with a ton of adult issues, because of the fact that Giles has left and Joyce has passed away. And she's got her sister to deal with. But I also think the adult responsibility of how you deal with sexuality and relationships." Among other things, Buffy and Spike's relationship will reach a turning point. "She's made a choice right now that is very adult, because she's in a relationship that is a lot more sexual and less romanticized. But there's also going to be a price to pay for that, because it's obviously not the healthiest situation. So she's dealing with something that I think only happens when you get out of that sort of dreamy, romantic teen-age period. And then, you know, obviously Xander facing marriage and the responsibility of being a husband. And then Willow dealing with how she deals with her power and addiction." 
    Even the three nerd villains are part of the season's overriding theme. "The trio are also a reflection of that, because they're trying to do anything to sort of shortcut having to do adult things, like get a job or go to school," Noxon said. "So really the whole thing is either about evading or accepting responsibility, which is sort of what the 20s are all about, baby! The faster you run, the worse it gets." She added, "I think you can expect that we're not going to play them totally for laughs for the rest of the season. Right now, they've been played mostly for comic relief, which I think is why people haven't felt them as really threatening. But things are definitely going to take a turn. It's not going to stay quite as comedic."
20.USA ENTERS THE DEAD ZONE 
    USA Network announced that it will air THE DEAD ZONE, a new paranormal one-hour dramatic series based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, starting in June 2002. The series, starring Anthony Michael Hall, was originally slated to appear on UPN at mid-season this year. It's been developed by Michael Piller and Shawn Piller (STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE). USA Network has picked it up for a full 22 episodes in addition to the already filmed pilot episode. 
   Hall will play Johnny Smith, an ordinary man who emerges from a coma to discover that his fiancée has married another man, that he has a son who doesn't know him - and that he has developed strange psychic powers. Nicole De Boer (STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE) co-stars as Sarah Bracknell. The series also co-stars Chris Bruno and John Adams. 
    According to a USA Network VP "We are building the show from the pilot, and it will be a somewhat different show for USA than it would have been for UPN. We have a slightly older, broader target audience than UPN's younger guys. So it will affect the creative balance." Gosh, a show for people who are no longer in high school? Sounds like fun!
21.THE DINOTOPIA TRAILER IS NOW ONLINE 
    ABC has posted a trailer and other information on an official Web site for DINOTOPIA, its upcoming miniseries based on James Gurney's best-selling children's books. The network also announced that the six-hour miniseries from Hallmark Entertainment will air starting May 12 at 7 PM. 
    DINOTOPIA tells the story of Frank Scott (Stuart Wilson), a wealthy American, and his two teen-age sons, Karl (Tyron Leitso) and David (Wentworth Miller), who survive a plane crash and find themselves castaway on a lost continent where humans and dinosaurs peacefully coexist.
22.ABC OKs DREAMKEEPER 
    ABC has given the green light to DREAMKEEPER, a miniseries about the myths and legends of Native American culture. Robert Halmi Sr. and Hallmark Entertainment will produce the four-hour miniseries, which is set to begin production in May. The miniseries is slated for a November 2003 premiere. 
    Framed by the story of an American Indian boy and his grandfather, the miniseries will explore seven or eight Native American legends, including one about a rain god who falls in love with a mortal woman and another about an outcast child who attempts to tame a water beast and save his village. 
    The cast will be made up almost entirely of Native American actors, as will a huge chunk of the crew. The miniseries will make use of next-generation computer graphics to bring the lavish fables and myths to life. John Fusco (THUNDERHEART) wrote the script; Steve Baron (MERLIN) will direct.
23.I DREAM OF BROADWAY 
    Sidney Sheldon, creator of the classic TV series I DREAM OF JEANNIE, has granted rights to develop the show as a stage musical, eyeing a Broadway run. Scott Steindorff and Stone Village Productions will produce the musical, with Sheldon executive producing with Michael Viner and Deborah Raffin. 
    Steindorff had the idea of the transformation of the sitcom into a musical. Viner, who's executive producing a movie version of  JEANNIE with Sheldon at Columbia, got the creator aboard.
24.JEREMIAH'S COMING IN MARCH 
    Showtime will premiere JEREMIAH, a new series from BABYLON 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, on 8 PM March 3. The show stars Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner and will open with a two-hour episode. Regular one-hour episodes will air Fridays at 10:45 PM. 
    The show's based on a European comic series, Jeremiah tells the story of Jeremiah (Perry) and other survivors of a future epidemic that has spared only those who have not yet reached puberty.
25.ODYSSEY 5 IS HEADED FOR SHOWTIME 
    Showtime has ordered up a full season of ODYSSEY 5, a time-travel series, for 2002. The network ordered a feature-length pilot and 18 one-hour episodes. 
    ODYSSEY 5 tells the story of astronauts who go back in time to avert an apocalypse on Earth. The series stars Peter Weller (ROBOCOP), Sebastian Roche (MERLIN), Christopher Gorham, Leslie Silva and Tamara Craig Thomas. Manny Coto executive produces the series and wrote the pilot script. David Carson (STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION) directed the premiere. 
    ODYSSEY 5 begins as an orbiting space shuttle crew witnesses a catastrophic event on Earth. Through alien technology, they are able to return home to their lives as they were five years earlier, with the knowledge of what's ahead and all the memories of those intervening years - and the chance to change not only the fate of the Earth but also the course of their own lives.
26.ROSWELL GETS YET ANOTHER REPRIEVE 
    Jason Katims, executive producer of ROSWELL, said that UPN has picked up seven more episodes of the current season, for a full year's complement. "They picked up another seven, so we're doing 20 episodes this year, a total of 20, which is good. We're shooting now the 14th episode. . . . We're more than halfway into shooting." The season finale, which will count as two episodes, will be aired in a two-hour block. 
    The show has faced stiff competition from The WB's SMALLVILLE. ROSWELL has been in danger of disappearing altogether, as it has for most of its life. As for whether UPN will pick up the series for a fourth season, Katims said, "For next year, we're essentially where we always are around this time of year, which is we don't know. This is where we were the first season and the second season, which is we're kind of at this point not sure about whether the show is going to come back."
27.LEX IS STILL GOOD IN SMALLVILLE 
    Michael Rosenbaum, who plays Lex Luthor in SMALLVILLE, said that he knows his character is destined to be evil - but he doesn't want it to happen right away. "I talk to the writers, and when there's something that's questionably evil, I say, 'You know what? Not yet,'" Rosenbaum said. "And they're like, 'No, no. This is good, because then we show that it was OK, like he had good intentions.' [But] he does things that show that dark side. People will f--k with him. That's when you see Lex. [But] he's [still] a good guy. He's a good judge of character." 
    Rosenbaum said it's doubtful Luthor will turn evil before the end of the show's current season. "But there will be a lot of fun stuff ahead," he said. "We've already done a lot of great things that are kind of secretive. . . . I shoot a machine gun in one episode, but I can't tell you why I do that. It's always interesting when you're coming on the set." 
28.SPECIAL UNIT 2 IS AXED 
    SPECIAL UNIT 2 has been canceled by UPN, despite the network already having picked up the series for a full season. Series creator and executive producer Evan Katz made the announcement, citing changes in UPN's management at the reason for the cancellation. "I could give you a lot of frustrating details, but the bottom line is the new management of UPN feels differently about the show than the old management. Our back order of nine episodes has been rescinded." 
    UPN has been undergoing some backroom restructuring recently, with the decision by parent company Viacom to merge UPN with its CBS Television Unit. Both networks now report to one chief executive - CBS's Leslie Moonves. UPN's former president Dean Valentine and President of Television Programming at Paramount Kerry McCluggage have both recently parted company with the network. 
    SPECIAL UNIT 2 premiered last April. It came in as a mid-season replacement for SEVEN DAYS. It was renewed for a second season as the lead-out show for ENTERPRISE. The show's 2.36/3.62 average rating through its first 13 broadcasts this season make it the network's third highest rated drama (behind BUFFY and ENTERPRISE) and its average currently outranks three other UPN series - THE HUGLEY'S, ROSWELL and UPN's NIGHT AT THE MOVIES. Obviously its 58.75% average retention rate of lead-in ENTERPRISE didn't help matters, making it the third worst retention rate on the six major networks - only THE AGENCY (51.06%) and ANGEL (57.36%) rank lower. 
    If you go to the Yahoo! Special Unit 2 message board you'll see that many fans are upset with the concellation. They have mounted an Online petition and letter-writing campaign to try to save the show.
29.SPIDER-MAN IS SET TO ROCK MTV 
    Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis confirmed that he is developing an animated SPIDER-MAN TV series for MTV. Bendis said, "It's too early to go into a bunch of specifics. It's not airing until the fall, but I can tell you that I am one of the executive producers and have written the pilot. I am writing a smattering of episodes in the first season, but not all of them. . . . This is a [computer-animated] series, but you have never seen CGI like this. Forget what you are picturing. It does not look like that. It's using CGI to create a traditional and really spectacular Spider-Man. Great character acting and animation. This is not the ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN TV show, as has been rumored. It is based on movie continuity, if continuity matters to you, but it has the same feel and tone of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN. . . . As MTV announced earlier in the week, the show is green-lit and in physical production."
30.SCI-FI JOURNEYS TO STRANGE WORLD 
    If you were a fan of the short-lived ABC series, STRANGE WORLD, or if you were thinking about giving it a shot, you never had much of a chance. ABC bought thirteen episodes. Starting in March, 1999 they aired three of them before they canned the series. Ten of them have never seen the light of day - until now. 
    Howard Gordon, the defunct series' executive producer, is thrilled that all of the episodes will finally come out of hiding when the Sci-Fi Channel begins airing them at 8 PM, February 8. STRANGE WORLD is about a man with a mysterious disease who investigates abuses of science. 
    The 13 episodes will answer questions raised in the pilot, Gordon said. "Fortunately, because I think we smelled the end,  I think our most successful episode frankly was the very last one we did, which really does tell a close-ended story. In a sense it works as a limited-run series. Obviously, we left our door open in case we were to come back, but we also closed up what we needed to do so a lot of the questions are answered in the last episode. In the end, we discovered the secret of this thing was really telling it from the point of view of someone who himself was a science experiment. Who was at once the beneficiary and the victim of a science that was beyond what we have. He has this incurable disease, but here he was being cured on a provisional basis and used by this woman for purposes which it seems were to uncover abuses of science. Clearly whoever she was, and however nefarious she seemed, however obtuse, the mission seemed to be the reason he was kept alive, to uncover these corporate and individual excesses of science."
31.ABC AND FOX  AND DUELING TIME TUNNELS 
    ABC and Fox may fight over competing remakes of the Irwin Allen series, TIME TUNNEL. ABC optioned the rights to TIME TUNNEL, the 1964 book by William Jenkins, published under the pen name Murray Leinster. It's now developing a script based on the book through its Touchstone Television unit. 
    Fox, meanwhile, partnered three months ago with its sister studio 20th Century Fox TV and Regency Television to create a series based on Allen's TIME TUNNEL series. The show ran on ABC during the 1966-'67 season. 
    At issue is whether the original TV show was based on Jenkins' book. The Supreme Court has ruled that owners of a book on which a filmed property is based are entitled to profits from that property should those rights expire. ABC believes that 20th's rights to the Jenkins work expired in 1992, and, since they weren't renewed, ABC believes it could have a say in how any TV series based on THE TIME TUNNEL proceeds. Fox argues the book rights were purchased only to bring Jenkins into the camp of the TV series creators and to avoid public confusion from any future Jenkins written TIME TUNNEL sequels. The actual series, Fox argues, was based on an original Allen story. 
   The TIME TUNNEL series differs in several respects from the Jenkins novel. Fox said that the U.S. copyright office doesn't note any similarity between the Jenkins book and the Allen series. The Writers Guild didn't credit Jenkins for the TV series.
32.X-FILES FINALLY RUNS OUT OF GAS 
    Chris Carter confirmed that the once-powerhouse series will end its nine-season run on Fox in May. Carter said the decision came Jan. 16, following a meeting in which Carter told Fox Entertainment Television Group chairman Sandy Grushow and entertainment president Gail Berman that he was ready to end the series. 
    "It's the ninth inning," Carter said. "We want to go out on top. We wanted to go out as a strong show." Some think he's a couple of seasons too late for that. 
    The show will wrap with a two-part episode written by Carter - the show's 201st episode. Carter said, "I hope to answer as many questions as I feel that I should answer, but hopefully this season finale will lead us in a very clear way towards this next movie that we'd like to do." 
   Carter expects to develop the characters in a second X-FILES feature film, which remains in the works at Fox. "This show's afterlife will be strong," Carter said." 
    It will be interesting to see what sort of "legs" the show has in its afterlife. If it had a couple of seasons back, had a "death with dignity," the way some classic series have, it might have been well remembered and cherished. As it is, it has become sort of a large, stitched together mass of assorted anatomical parts roaming the electronic countryside. Will people be able to remember the show it once was and line up for movie tickets as a result? We'll see. 
33.DUCHOVNY IS WILLING TO RETURN FOR THE FINALE 
    David Duchovny is willing to return to help lay to rest the series that he helped to bring to life and, in turn, brought life to his career. Chris Carter said his desire to have Duchovny return has moved closer to reality. "David was open to it and now the legal and logistical complication of trying to get it done comes." The legal problems are Duchovny's law suit against the series, which is related to his share of revenues from the series. Carter adds, "I just have to make the show as interesting as possible, not just for David but for the fans." 
    If Duchovny does return, it will represent a reversal of his previous stand on the series. As late as November, he maintained he would not return to the TV series, but was open to possibly appearing in a second film spun off from the show. I'll keep you updated on this and let you know how it's going. 
34.THE ICS SPEAKS: FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOWS OF THE 2001/2 SEASON 
    The ICS has interesting viewing habits. Of the questionnaires given at the last meeting, 9 of 27 were left blank on the TV part. Either people weren't following directions, they watch shows that weren't part of the poll or they don't watch television. Of the two thirds of us who do watch, and did answer, the following is a list of what people look at. I combined the regular watchers with the occasional. I split them up in the questionnaire to get a sense of how deep the support was for a show. You'll notice several instances of tie votes. You'll see 3 third place, 2 sixth place and 5 eighth place shows. 
1. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 
2. ENTERPRISE 
3. ANGEL 
3. SMALLVILLE 
3. X-FILES 
6. FARSCAPE 
6. THE OUTER LIMITS 
7. SPECIAL UNIT 2 
8. CHARMED 
8. DARK ANGEL 
8. FUTURAMA 
8. SHEENA 
8. THE TICK 
    Of the shows on the list the following had more occasional viewers than die hard fans: THE OUTER LIMITS, SPECIAL UNIT 2, CHARMED, FUTURAMA and SHEENA. 
    The shows that didn't get any response were BEASTMASTER, GENE RODDENBERRY'S EARTH: FINAL CONFLICT, THE IMMORTAL and MUTANT X. That last show, MUTANT X, is one of the highest rated syndicated sci-fi shows out there. Apparently its ratings can't be attributed to our club.

    KATSUCON 8 will take place February 15-17, 2002 at the The New Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore located at 700 Aliceanna Street. This is a major Anime convention. Guests and activities will fit that theme. Pre-registration is $45.00 if postmarked by December 31st. After that registration will be cash-only at the door. All three days are $50.00. Friday or Saturday only is $30.00. Sunday is $15.00. For more information either follow this link (if you're loking at this Online) or drop a note to Katsucon Entertainment, Inc./ ATTN: [The department you want to reach]/ P.O. Box 222691/ Chantilly, VA 20153-2691.

    JOHN CON is an annual gaming convention held on the Johns Hopkins University campus in Baltimore. Hosted by the university's anime and science-fiction/fantasy clubs, JohnCon runs 48 hours NON-STOP beginning at 4 PM on March 1 and ending at 4 PM on March 3. They offer a dealers' room, plenty of games (everything from board games to LARPs), a B-movies theater and 48 non-stop hours of yummy anime goodness. If you pre-register before February 14 the cost is $9. After that both pre-registration and the at-the-door charge is $12. If you need further information you can drop a note to JohnCon '02/ c/o SAC/ Johns Hopkins University/ 3400 North Charles Street/ Baltimore MD 21218 or send an e-mail to JohnCon@jhu.edu. 

    CREATION CON is an annual STAR TREK and sci-fi media convention. It takes place on Sat. & Sun, March 9-10, at Valley Forge, Pa. at the Valley Forge Convention Center. The show hours are from noon - 6 PM Daily. Guests signing autographs for a fee include Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Janice Rand of the original STAR TREK) Scott MacDonald (who has portrayed various characters on NEXT GENERATION, DEEP SPACE 9 and VOYAGER) Michael Forest (Apollo from the original TREK epsiode, "Who Mourns for Adonais") Peter Woodward (Galen from CRUSADE) and Robert Curtis-Brown (Vedek Sorad on DEEP SPACE 9 and Ledosian Ambassador on VOYAGER).

    JOHNS HOPKINS FILM FESTIVAL will take place from April 11-14 on the campus of Johns Hopkins University. Stand by for further details as they become available. 

    FILMFEST DC will hold its fifteenth annual festival beginning on April 17, running to the 28. They'll be bringing thirteen days of outstanding new cinema from around the world to the nation's capital. The screenings will take place throughout the city. The list includes theaters, clubs, museums, the French Embassy and the World Bank. Details of the festival will be posted on the festival Web site as they become available. The complete catalog will be distributed as an insert in The Washington Post on Friday, April 13. Tickets are moderately priced at $8.00 for most screenings. Advance ticket sales will be available starting April 5 through Tickets.com at (703) 218-6500. If you'd like more information go to the link provided. You can also contact Diana T. Kaiser via e-mail  at kaiserd@hisaokapr.com, or by phone at 202-466-6286. 

    CHILLER THEATER SPRING EXPO will take place April 19 - 21 at the Sheraton Meadowlands, Rt. 3 East in E. Rutherford, NJ. It's too early to give you a guest list and ticket details, but it's not too early to book a room at the Sheraton if you plan to attend. For reservations, call: (201) 896-0500 and ask for the Chiller rate.

    Horror Film Stars by Michael R. Pitts, $39.95 
This is a revised edition of a twenty year old book. The lives of eighty stars are discussed. The diverse list includes John Carradine, Jamie Lee Curtis, Yvonne DeCarlo, Faith Domergue, Boris Karloff, Otto Kruger, Bela Lugosi, Jack Palance, Vincent Price, Santo, and George Zucco. The author has revised much of the information from the two previous editions and has added several more performers to the lineup of horror film stars. The performers are given well rounded career bios and detailed horror film write-ups, with complete filmographies provided for those most associated with horror, science fiction, and fantasy movies, and genre-oriented filmographies for the lesser stars. 

    The Rough Guide to Cult Movies by Paul Simpson, $11.95 
This book is filled with trivia, behind-the-scenes info and interesting stuff on the odd little backwaters of cult movies.
38.RECENT TITLES: MEDIA TIE-INS 
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer : The Book of Fours by Nancy Holder, $6.99 
The ghosts of Slayers past come to Sunnydale in this novel based in the show's third season. Certain elements are out of whack in Sunnydale; hurricanes, flash floods, and fires plague the town. The Slayers, Buffy and Faith, as well as their friends, realize something supernatural is behind the natural disasters when mysterious axe-wielding figures appear amid the chaos. The spirits have been summoned by a powerful sorceress to kill the Slayers and feed their essence to the Gatherer, a being made up of pure evil. If the Gatherer manages to kill and feed on both Slayers, it will rise from the box in which it is imprisoned, leading to eternal chaos. In order to defeat the Gatherer, Buffy and Faith must call upon the ghosts of Kendra and India, two slain Slayers who encountered the Gatherer in their lifetimes. 

    Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Creatures of Habit by Tom Fassbender, $17.95 
An old friend of Spike is in town, and he's getting every teenager in Sunnydale to trip the light fantastic at some very special underground raves. He has a plan that could mean big things for vampires everywhere, and Spike agrees to help him out. Everyone who is anyone is rolling at these after-hour parties, including a whole posse of vampires. Buffy and the Scooby gang are going out and getting down to put an end to what's become a euphoric feeding frenzy for some the baddest baddies in town. 

    Doctor Who: Mad Dogs and Englishmen by Paul Magrs, $6.95 
Professor Reginald Tyler's The True History of Planets was a twentieth century classic; an epic of dwarves and swords and wizardry. And definitely no poodles. Or at least it was when the Doctor read it. Now he tells the true tale of how the queen of the poodles was overthrown; it's been made into a hit movie, and it's going to cause a bloodbath in the dogworld - until the Doctor, Fitz and Anji (and assorted friends) can sort it out. The Doctor infiltrates the Smudgelings, Tyler's elite Cambridge writing set of the early twentieth century; Fitz falls for the flamboyant torch singer Brenda Scoobie in sixties Las Vegas, and Anji experiences some very special effects in Hollywood, 1978. Their intention is to prevent the movie ever being made. But there is a shadowy figure present in all three time zones who is just as determined to see it completed . . . so the poodle revolution can begin. 

    Enterprise : By the Book by Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Brannon Braga, $6.99 
This is the first stand-alone novel based on this new TREK series. The crew of the Enterprise finds itself in on a first contact mission. Captain Archer goes into this experience a novice and quickly finds the issues of first contact with alien species to be more difficult than a simple "hello" and a handshake. 

    Star Trek: In the Name of Honor by Dayton Ward, $6.99 
This book features the original series characters. It bridges the gap between the series and the movies. It's set at the height of the border skirmishes between the Klingons and the Federation. Klingon border patrols are crossing the neutral zone and taking prisoners and putting them to work on a jungle planet in the mines. When Captain James T. Kirk hears about the prisoners, he mounts a rescue mission. Kirk has to find a Klingon ally to help him. We have Klingon vs Klingon, Kirk trying to get the job done and the Klingon government determined to obliterate any knowledge of the gulag. 

    Star Wars: The Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster, $26.00 
In the years since the events of STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE, the Republic has continued to crumble, and more and more, the Jedi are needed to help the galactic government maintain order. As STAR WARS: EPISODE II opens, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker have just returned from a mission on a world called Ansion. The Approaching Storm tells the story of that daring mission.
39.RECENT TITLES: OTHER BOOKS OF INTEREST 
    Ghastly Terror : The Horrible Story of the Horror Comics by Stephen Sennitt, $19.95 
What were 1950s horror comics like? What were the stories about? And were they as frightening and as subversive as their critics made out? For the first time in book form, Ghastly Terror! addresses and answers all these questions-and more, tracing their development from the grotesque, psychotic visions of the ultra-primitive 'pre-code' horrors, through to the relatively sophisticated graphic nightmares of Warren and Skywald. 

    Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson, Stephen King (Introduction), $24.95 
This is a collection of classic horror stories by Richard Matheson that have insinuated themselves into our collective imagination. They include "Duel," the nail-biting tale of man versus machines that inspired Steven Spielberg's first film; "Prey," in which a terrified woman is stalked by a malevolent Tiki doll, (and the basis for the 1996 TV movie, TRILOGY OF TERROR II); "Blood Son," a disturbing portrait of a strange little boy who dreams of being a vampire and "Dress of White Silk," a sinister tale of evil and innocence.

    What follows is the bottom of the barrel. You'll notice some familiar titles on here (some of our titles share time on the best and worst list). Again, as in the TV list, there were several ties. They're reflected in the ranking. So, from most to least hated: 
1. PEARL HARBOR 
2. JURASSIC PARK III 
2. PLANET OF THE APES 
2. TOMB RAIDER 
5. JOHN CARPENTER'S GHOSTS OF MARS 
5. THE MUMMY RETURNS 
5. SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE 
8. 13 DAYS 
8. SWORDFISH 
8. HANNIBAL 

    Most of the titles on the best list also received votes on the worst list. Only six titles received no votes at all. They were THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT, BONES, HEIST, JUST VISITING, OSMOSIS JONES and SOUL SURVIVORS. 
60.IMAGINATIVE CINEMA FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 
    FEBRUARY 8: COLLATERAL DAMAGE is the long awaited Schwarzennegger film that was delayed after the September 11 attack. It tells the story of family man, a firefighter named Gordon Brewer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who is plunged into the complex and dangerous world of international terrorism after he loses his wife and child in a bombing credited to Claudio "The Wolf" Perrini (Cliff Curtis). Frustrated with the official investigation and haunted by the thought that the man responsible for murdering his family might never be brought to justice, Brewer takes matters into his own hands and tracks his quarry ultimately to Colombia. He teams up with an unlikely ally - the wife of the terrorist (Francesca Neri). The director is Andrew Davis (THE FUGITIVE, A PERFECT MURDER, CHAIN REACTION, UNDER SIEGE). The story was co-written by Ronald Roose (who's done most of his work as an editor) and David and Peter Griffith (a pair of rookie Brits who went on to write the screenplay). 
    ROLLERBALL is a big budget Hollywood remake that's gotten a lot of press. In the future America of 2005 (they're only going 3 years in the future), "Rollerball" is a violent game whose players sometimes die. The film focuses on two players, the star of the team, Jonathan E. (Chris Klein) and his rambunctious friend (LL Cool J), who play for a Russian businessman (Jean Reno) who's willing to kill to get high ratings. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is also on the team. Her character's name is "Aurora." The film was directed by veteran action director, John McTiernan (DIE HARD, LAST ACTION HERO, PREDATOR). It was written by Larry Ferguson (ALIEN 3, HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, HIGHLANDER) and John Pogue (THE SKULLS, U.S. MARSHALLS) based on the short story and 1975 screenplay by William Harrison. 

    FEBRUARY 22: DRAGONFLY is described as a "supernatural thriller." A man (Kevin Costner) believes that his deceased wife is trying to communicate with him through the near-death experiences of her patients and the mysterious dragonflies (in various forms) that haunt him, reminding him of her. The film was directed by Tom Shadyac (PATCH ADAMS; LIAR, LIAR). It was written by David Seltzer (PROPHECY, THE OMEN) and first-timers Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson. 
    THE QUEEN OF THE DAMNED is based on the third of Anne Rice's vampire books (The Vampire Chronicles) and incorporates part of the second (The Vampire Lestat). Lestat (Stuart Townsend) has become a rock star, and it's that music that awakens the 6,000-year-old Egyptian vampire, Akasha (aka The Queen of the Damned, played by Aaliyah). She soon sets out on a plan of revenge against many of the male vampires that followed her, in the hopes of ruling the Earth with Lestat at her side. Meanwhile, there's a young female vampire hunter, Jessie Reeves (Marguerite Moreau), who begins to fall in love with Lestat. Lena Olin plays Jessie's "vixen aunt" who tries to stop her from seeing Lestat perform. It was directed by Michael Rymer (a director of a few small indie and direct-to-video films). It was adapted for the screen, from Anne Rice's novel by Scott Abbott and Michael Petroni (a pair of new writers with limited experience). 
    Anne Rice has put her stamp of approval on the movie, via a prerecorded telephone message (just call 504-522-8634). She proclaims "QUEEN OF THE DAMNED is an energetic and innovative rendition of the Vampire Chronicles, featuring fine performances and a magnificent look. . . . Well-directed, elegant and intriguing, the film is surely destined to take its place among notable modern interpretations of vampire mythology." 

TUE. 12: EVENT - Academy Awards Nominations announced. 

FRI. - SAT. 15-17: EVENT - FARPOINTand KATSUCON 8 will take 
            place. 

FRI. 22: MOVIE - DRAGONFLY and THE QUEEN OF THE 
        DAMNED premiere. 

SAT 23: ICS MEETING