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| Special
Section: HELP WANTED
1.ALL GOOD THINGS . . . 2.THE ICS FILES TEAM ASSEMBLES 3.WANTED: AMATEUR WHORES! 4.THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS 5.THE DRAWBACKS 6.THE GOOD STUFF 7.WHAT THE ICS FILES NEEDS 8.WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DONE WITH THE ICS FILES: 9.THE ICS FILES: ARE YOU A PART OF THE NEXT GENERATION? |
| CLUB
NEWS
10.OUR DECEMBER MEETING BROKE RECORDS! 11.NEWS OF OUR JANUARY MEETING: THE BASICS 12.MITCH KLEIN AND CO. HAVE A LOT AT STAKES IN JANUARY 13.HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ICS 14.WELCOME TO THE CLUB LISA CASPAR! 15.CONSTITUTION: THE CHARACTER OF ICS ELECTIONS 16.CONSTITUTION: ELIGIBILITY 17.CONSTITUTION: PROCESS OF BALLOTING 18.OUR SLATE OF CANDIDATES 19.AUDIT 20.DUES NEWS 21.NEW DUES LEVEL: THE FAMILY PLAN 22.SNOW ALERTS |
| TV NEWS
23.THE GLASS TEAT With news on A THOUSAND DAYS, NYPD 2069, the BUFFY animated series and PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT. 24.THE BRITS PICK THEIR FAVORITE SCI-FI CHARACTERS 25.AMC MAY HEAR THE LION'S ROAR 26.THE POWERS THAT BE TALK ABOUT ANGEL'S TIMESLOT MOVE 27.MORE PROPHECIES OF BUFFY'S DOOM 28.THE DEAD ZONE HAS A SECRET 29.DINOTOPIA GOES EXTINCT 30.FIREFLY IS DEAD 31.MAKE ROOM FOR HEADROOM? 32.ABC BELIEVES IN MIRACLES 33.ODYSSEY 5 REACHES THE END OF THEIR ODYSSEY 34.SUPERBOWL XXXVII COMMERCIAL ALERT 35.THE PUBLIC'S TAKEN WITH TAKEN 36.VERITAS: THE QUEST COMES TO ABC |
| EVENT
NEWS
37.THINGS TO COME With news on FARPOINT 2003, KATSUCON and JohnCon. |
| LITERARY
NEWS
38.ROWLING BLESSES BARRY TROTTER 39.ATTENTION BUDDING SCREENWRITERS: ENTER THE 555-SHORT SCREENPLAY CONTEST 40.TOLKIEN'S 111TH BIRTHDAY DRAWS WORLD-WIDE CELEBRATIONS 41.RECENT TITLES: BOOKS ABOUT MOVIES AND TELEVISION 42.RECENT TITLES: MEDIA TIE-INS 43.RECENT TITLES: OTHER BOOKS OF INTEREST |
| MOVIE
NEWS
44.QUICK TAKES: 45.STUDIOS LOOK TO THE FUTURE 46.ALIEN AND 24 OTHERS ARE ADDED TO THE NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY 47.A VIRTUAL LOVE FEST FOR GOLLUM 48.OSCAR TOONS 49.BROSNAN: LICENSED AND BONDED 50.BERRY AND BUFFY BATTLE FOR BOND 51.A JUDGE EXORCISED THE EXORCIST COURT BATTLE 52.NICOLAS CAGE SCARES UP THE GHOST 53.GLADIATOR II GETS SET TO SHOOT 54.MCKELLEN WON'T BE DUMBLEDORE 55.RICHARD HARRIS WON'T BE DUMBLEDORE EITHER 56.I, WILL SMITH 57.INDY GIRLS TO REUNITE 58.TOLKIEN'S EOWYN 59.ARWEN SAYS ELVISH HAS NOT LEFT THE BUILDING! 60.AND THE OSCAR GOES TO GOLLUM? 61.PETER JACKSON KICKS THE HOBBIT 62.WEAVING RE-ENTERS THE MATRIX 63.BEFORE YOU DIE, YOU SEE THE RING – AGAIN 64.OF SINS AND CALAMARI 65.TREK LOOKS LOW ON DILITHIUM CRYSTALS 66.MOVIE REVIEWERS SET PHASERS ON KILL 67.STAR WARS STAMPS RELEASED 68.HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN GROWS INTO HIS ROLE 69.CLONE WARS REVEALED 70.WARNER BOSS TALKS SUPERMAN V 71.X2 ENTERS THE HOME STRETCH 72.IMAGINATIVE CINEMA FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY With news on DARKNESS FALLS, FINAL DESTINATION 2, THE RECRUIT and MAY. |
| VIDEO
NEWS
73.VIEWERS SEE RED OVER DISNEY DVD 74.IS STARSHIP TROOPERS 2 IN THE WORKS? 75.CUT SCENES SHINE ON DVD |
| IN REVIEW
76. JANUARY CALENDAR |
| 23.THE GLASS TEAT
Sci-Fi Develops 1,000 Days. The Sci-Fi Channel will adapt Marvel's "Strikeforce: Morituri" comic series into A THOUSAND DAYS, a miniseries set for 2003. Sci-Fi and Universal Television will produce the show in association with Marvel. A THOUSAND DAYS deals with a group of super soldiers who die 1,000 days after being engineered to fight evil. The Strikeforce comic appeared in the mid-1980s, but is not currently being published. Marvel will reintroduce the comic for the series' launch on Sci-Fi. . . . NYPD 2069 get's picked up by Fox. Steven Bochco's NYPD 2069 follows the exploits of a present-day cop who suddenly fast-forwards to the year 2069. Danny Pino (MEN WOMEN & DOGS, THE SHIELD) has become the first actor to join the cast. He'll play an officer partnered with the New York cop revived and put back to work after spending 66 years cryogenically frozen. . . . Is the animated BUFFY still a possibility? Despite earlier news to the contrary, Joss Whedon announced that his once dead BUFFY animated series could hit the airwaves soon. We had a story in the November ICS Files about the death of the series. At the time Whedon said, "We just couldn't find a home for it, which will baffle me to the grave." If reports are true (and that is a very, VERY big "if") Whedon can die at peace. Fox will premiere the show with BUFFY cast members Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Boreanaz, Seth Green, Nicholas Brendon and Michelle Trachtenberg voicing characters. This is an Internet story from a usually reliable source. We'll see. . . . PENN & TELLER and their search for BULLSHIT: There's a new show on Showtime called PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT. The bad boys of magic use their knowledge of con artistry, magic and carnival tricks to unveil the scams behind such topics as TV psychics, alien abductions and fad religions. If you thought that the ALIEN AUTOPSY show was a documentary and that John Edwards can really chat with the dead, you might want to check it out. It premieres Friday, January 24. 24.THE BRITS PICK THEIR FAVORITE SCI-FI CHARACTERS Readers of the British magazine, SFX, have picked their top ten science fiction characters of all time. BUFFY dominated the list. Strangely, Buffy herself is not the highest ranked character from the show. She's beaten by the Spike (I suppose it doesn't hurt that Spike's an ultra-hip Brit). The BUFFY onslaught's followed by characters from FARSCAPE and STAR WARS. However, the top spot went to Dr. Who, the eccentric Brit who traveled through time and space in the guise of several actors over the course of 26 years from 1963 to '89. SFX editor Dave Golder said: "It just goes to prove that there is a certain magic to the character and the idea of the face-changing Doctor which strikes a chord with the public's imagination. Even more impressive is that the Doctor hasn't been on our screens for over five years now, and he still beat characters who have been in hugely popular films over the past 12 months." The Top 10 Sci Fi Characters of All Time, in order, is as follows: 1. Doctor Who (DOCTOR WHO) 2. Spike (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER ) 3. Buffy Summers (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER ) 4. John Crichton (FARSCAPE) 5. Aeryn Sun (FARSCAPE) 6. Han Solo (the STAR WARS saga) 7. Willow Rosenberg (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER ) 8. Darth Vader (the STAR WARS saga) 9. Angel (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER ) 10.Gandalf (THE LORD OF THE RINGS) 25.AMC MAY HEAR THE LION'S ROAR MGM Chairman Alex Yemenidjian has indicated that he's looking to buy a cable movie channel - in particular American Movie Classics (AMC). Yemenidjian said that AMC would be "a perfect fit for MGM." Cablevision Systems currently controls the channel and reportedly has engaged in discussions about a potential sale with CBS. However, Yemenidjian observed "It's very easy to understand why the channel will do better in the hands of somebody who owns a 4,000-film library. That's why it's so exciting and that's why it's our top choice." Currently, MGM owns a 20-percent stake in AMC. 26.THE POWERS THAT BE TALK ABOUT ANGEL'S TIMESLOT MOVE There are those who think The WB is condemning ANGEL by moving it to Wednesday nights at 9 PM, a highly competitive hour of television. The network itself thinks it's the natural choice to replace BIRDS OF PREY. Jordan Levin, entertainment president of The WB, observed, "What we saw with BIRDS OF PREY was, even though we felt we didn't do a good job of executing that series, that there was a core male audience there that was available for fantasy-type programming. With FASTLANE vacating that time slot, ANGEL becomes the only real male drama in the time slot. I have no doubt that ANGEL will improve year-to-year on that series, so that gives it a bit of breathing room" Jeff Bell, executive producer of ANGEL, said that he's not worried about the latest timeslot change. "They've moved us each year. Every time they move us the same people show up. We were terrified of Sundays at 9, which I think is the hardest hour in TV," Bell said. "We were doing fine. So for whatever reason we're now going to be Wednesdays at 9." After the January move, ANGEL will have aired on four different nights in its three and a half years on the air. The move will put the series up against UPN's THE TWILIGHT ZONE and NBC's THE WEST WING. But Bell believes the biggest competition will come from ABC. "The one that will really kill us is THE BACHELOR. That will kill us. That will kill everything. That will kill THE WEST WING. That will kill every living brain cell and zillions and zillions of people, mainly women, will watch it." ANGEL hasn't been picked up for a fifth season yet, and The WB's option for the show expires this season. So, if it does return the network will have to negotiate a new deal - something that didn't go so well with BUFFY. However, Levin says that they're not burning off episodes by any means, rather they are giving it a chance to prove itself on Wednesdays instead of being the show that loses its CHARMED lead-in on Sundays. "We're hopeful that it will perform and it will continue on The WB," Levin says. "I think Joss really found the show last season; I think it's improved creatively this season." 27.MORE PROPHECIES OF BUFFY'S DOOM The BUFFY death-watches has become a favorite past time. The most recent prognosticator is the E! Online columnist, Wanda, who writes the "Watch With Wanda" column. She reported that it's unlikely that BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER will return for an eighth season next year. An anonymous source at the show said that no decision has been made on an eighth season, but it's highly doubtful that Sarah Michelle Gellar will sign. "It's the general feeling around set that this will be the end of it," the source told Wanda. As for a spinoff, "The problem is the cast members who would work best aren't really that interested. I think they want to just move on. It's time." 28.THE DEAD ZONE HAS A SECRET Shawn Piller, co-creator of THE DEAD ZONE, said that the second season of the series will raise storytelling and character arcs to a new level. "There's the big secret brewing," Piller. "I don't think that we handled it the way I think a traditional show would handle it." Last season's cliffhanger complicated the lives of the main characters when Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall) had a romantic encounter with his married ex-fiancée, Sarah (Nicole de Boer). "Everyone was a little nervous about it," Piller said. "I know the actors were. Chris Bruno [who plays Sarah's husband, Walt], in particular, didn't want to be perceived as the guy who would let that happen or take it, and he was just bummed out. We talked to him about what our plans were for his character, and then he got really excited and trusted us and went down the road. And the same with Nicole de Boer. Michael Hall is down for anything and loves a challenge, and I think it was a little bit easier for him." Piller admitted they could have dragged out the romantic set up longer before Johnny and Sarah hit the sheets, but the writers didn't want to. "We didn't want to make it such a serialized, soap opera type thing," he said. "And although we could have milked it longer, I think what we're doing now will evolve the characters in a way that makes everybody stand on their own. I think we were a little worried that Sarah was becoming too much of a homemaker, and I know she wanted to be more proactive. When we talked to her originally about doing the show, we really wanted to find stuff for her to do that was challenging. We have, and I think we need to keep doing that." The season two opener, "Valley of the Shadow," a story about a kidnapped child, touched on the "big secret," as well as the apocalyptic premonition Johnny had in the first-season finale, when he met Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery), a character who was prominent in the original Stephen King novel. "It's going to be a continuing Greg Stillson arc," Piller said. "We'll be getting more into what's going on with the guy who may or may not be responsible for the end of the world. He is an evil, evil guy, but at the same time, he doesn't think he's evil, which makes him really scary. He's addicted to fame, and he's addicted to power. He's just very angry, and he's just got some dark stuff going on." 29.DINOTOPIA GOES EXTINCT ABC has pulled DINOTOPIA from its schedule after its Dec. 26 episode. The network plans to run movies in the Thursday 8-10 p.m. period. DINOTOPIA has struggled in the ratings since its debut in November. It appears that competition with FRIENDS and SURVIVOR is the giant meteors that caused the show to die. 30.FIREFLY IS DEAD Despite intense promotional efforts by Joss Whedon and the work of a cadre of devoted fans (which included buying an ad in Variety), Fox has decided to pull the plug on FIREFLY. The series two-hour pilot that aired on December 20 that may have been the series finale as well. Fans have organized a postcard-writing campaign, urging the continuation of their favorite show. FIREFLY continued in production for its full order of 15 hours, but it is uncertain whether the three remaining unaired episodes will be seen on Fox. According to a 20th Century Fox spokesman, the three episodes will be put through post-production and completed. The spokesman also says that it's likely Whedon and his team at Mutant Enemy Productions will engage in talks to see if FIREFLY can find a new home. In a post to the Buffistas bulletin board, Whedon wrote, "Don't think for a second that I have given up on this show. I think it has been mistreated shamefully, but the Fox network has indicated that they would not stand in the way (which they can) of my finding a new home for the show. That's no easy prospect. But I will do everything in my power, as always, to keep this bird in the air. Of course I'll post if there's any news." In the meantime, production of the show has shut down, Whedon added. On the Tim Minear.net Web site, meanwhile, Whedon's colleague and FIREFLY executive producer Tim Minear said that he directed the last episode to be shot. "Fox says they're going to somehow air all eps," Minear posted. "But we're not giving up yet. Please continue to check FIREFLY: Immediate Assistance for updates on the campaign to resurrect FIREFLY." 31.MAKE ROOM FOR HEADROOM? Matt Frewer (seen recently on TAKEN) said that he's trying to resurrect his most famous character: Max Headroom. "We're putting together a deal on a new Max Headroom project," Frewer said. "Then I'm doing a film with my brother. The Headroom project is still in the deal-making process, so I can't say anything about it." Frewer played the "computer-generated" character and his human counterpart, Edison Carter, in a British TV series, TV movie and subsequent American series set "22 minutes in the future." Frewer said that he's pleasantly surprised by the character's continuing popularity. "When we were making it, we knew it was way ahead of its time," he said. "I think if it was on the air [now] it would still look cutting-edge. I don't think the network was ready for it. It made a huge splash over a short time. It went as quickly as it came. That in a way was probably a plus. It never had time to go stale. Always leave 'em wanting more." 32.ABC BELIEVES IN MIRACLES MIRACLES is a drama about a Vatican investigator of the paranormal who after spending years debunking supposed miracles begins to losing his faith. Producer Roger Birnbaum explains, "This is a show that will be watching this man, who's trying to find his faith again, exploring not just miracles, but all kinds of odd occurrences that are going around that we find are fueled by some sort of darkness, and the darkness is coming for him." This project was a particular favorite of ABC Entertainment president Susan Lyne and her boss, ABC Entertainment chairman Lloyd Braun. But Disney chairman and chief executive Michael Eisner reportedly screened the pilot with president and chief operating officer Robert Iger, and both felt that the pilot was too dark and would never work as a series. The original pilot has been shelved and the series will launch with a new first episode. It stars Skeet Ulrich (THE TOUCH), Angus MacFadyen (STILL BREATHING), Hector Elizondo (CHICAGO HOPE). Look for it on Mondays, 10 PM, beginning January 27. 33.ODYSSEY 5 REACHES THE END OF THEIR ODYSSEY Showtime has canceled ODYSSEY 5. An unnamed member of the show's production staff said, "Alas, Showtime canceled ODYSSEY this week, despite our being their highest-rated original series! Apparently the powers that be want to get out of doing SF (they picked up JEREMIAH, as I understand it, because it's part of a long-standing deal with MGM). Sony/Columbia has approached the SCI FI Channel about picking it up, but we won't know anything until January. For now it's just a lump of coal in our Christmas stockings." At this writing Showtime hasn't made an official announcement about the series' fate yet. Six original episodes remain to be aired in the series' first season. 34.SUPERBOWL XXXVII COMMERCIAL ALERT I'm about to make a confession that will set me apart from many (most?) of my fellow Americans. I'm not a football fan. The sight of steroid-addicted monsters mauling each other on fields of plastic grass just doesn't float my boat. But I have been known to watch the occasional Superbowl. I suffer through those annoying football sequences to check out the hippest commercials in American culture. In this case, we get to scope the hottest (and most hyped) movies for 2003. THE HULK: The Marvel Comics character will be fully unveiled during a 30-second teaser during the Super Bowl. Previously, the studio had released a teaser in May that only showed star Eric Bana transforming into The Hulk, but refrains from showing his alter ego. The picture seems to be following a strategy similar to SPIDER-MAN, although the image of that superhero was unveiled long before its own Super Bowl ad. The first official print image comes in the form of an oversized banner that features the Hulk reaching toward viewers that debuted in December, although it looks more like artwork than an actual shot of the character. TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES: A 30-second advertising placement for the next installment of the TERMINATOR franchise will be unveiled here, and different from that currently in theaters. No further comment from the studio on what will be seen, but most likely more action shots. THE MATRIX RELOADED: A 30-second teaser for the next installment of THE MATRIX franchise will premiere at this year’s Super Bowl. When the original teaser debuted at the 1999 event, it was heralded as the break-out winner among the films competing - no one had heard of it before that time. Look for the teaser here to ratchet up awareness as well, and stroke a fervent fanbase. THE RECRUIT: The Al Pacino/Colin Farrell picture opens five days later. Touchstone is making a dramatic attempt here to raise awareness of this film. CHARLIE’S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE: A 30-second teaser for the sequel to the 2000 film will make the men in attendance swoon and think twice about another helping of buffalo wings. Apparently they're looking to combine hot martial arts action with an old-fashioned, all-American jigglethon. BRUCE ALMIGHTY: This is the new Jim Carrey where he finally finds a part to suit his ego - God. In addition to walking on water and giving his wife larger breasts, he’s also used his power to convince studio execs to purchase for him a 30-second spot here so that he can further convey his message to a worldwide audience. This ad should be very similar to the trailer already in theaters. These aren't necessarily all the movies to be pitched. We may see ads for DAREDEVIL (which opens on Valentine's Day), X2, DADDY DAY CARE, IDENTITY, BAD BOYS II, BASIC, TEARS OF THE SUN, and ANGER MANAGEMENT. Some budget conscious advertisers may wait to run their ads until after the game. ABC will air a new episode of ALIAS in the very choice timeslot after the Super Bowl. We may see some interesting ads airing during that episode. 35.THE PUBLIC'S TAKEN WITH TAKEN Airing over 10 nights from Dec. 2-13, TAKEN, the 20-hour mini propelled Sci-Fi to No. 1 in primetime among all basic-cable networks for two weeks in a row, averaging 4.97 million viewers. During the 10 days, Sci-Fi even beat the WB and UPN in household ratings. Barry Diller, chairman-CEO of the channels' parent company Vivendi Universal Entertainment, said he doesn't think Sci-Fi should try to milk the achievement of TAKEN by producing a TAKEN 2 sequel or a TV series based on the mini-series. Extending the program "would be nothing more than exploiting a story we've already told," Diller said. "For my nickel, let's call it a great day and go on to the next thing." Universal is hoping to launch new programs that will match the success seen this year by its cable networks with TAKEN, as well as MONK and THE DEAD ZONE on USA Network. USA and Sci Fi Channel together will spend a record $300 million-$400 million on original programming through 2005, according to Michael Jackson, chairman-CEO of Universal TV. 36.VERITAS: THE QUEST COMES TO ABC This series follows a teen (Ryan Merriman) who joins his archaeologist father (Alex Carter) on journeys to investigate ancient texts and artifacts, while bad guys pursue them. Patrick Massett, the co-creator of the series, said that the show will explore various mythological stories grounded in the reality of archaeology. "Some things might touch upon the Holy Grail," Massett said. "Some will touch on Ponce de Leon, lost civilizations and fountains of youth. The rivers of Eden, which is a biblical reference to this life-giving fountain, ties into the Fountain of Youth. [There will be] storylines that deal with immortality, sort of a comparative mythology on all world cultures, all the similarities between creation stories. These are large arcs that we'll be touching on throughout the series and sort of unifying all the different mythological, spiritual, cultural identities of the world and distilling [them] into one truth, veritas." Massett said the long-term structure of the series will resemble another popular genre show. "The show will be very much in structure like THE X-FILES, in that there will be stand-alone mysteries that they will be exploring and solving," Massett said. "As we go on, we'll find that several of these will connect into a larger storyline. There will be several arcs." The cast includes Ryan Merriman (THE PRETENDER), Alex Carter (THE DAY REAGAN WAS SHOT), Eric Balfour (SIX FEET UNDER), Arnold Vosloo (THE MUMMY), Cobie Smulders. It's being made by Bryan Spicer (24), Patrick Massett & John Zinman (LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER), Craig Zadan & Neil Meron, (BRIAN'S SONG, LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND). Look fore its premiere on Mondays, 8 PM, beginning January 27 |
| 37.THINGS TO COME
FARPOINT 2003 takes place on February 14, 15 & 16, 2003 at the Hunt Valley Inn located at 245 Shawan Road, Hunt Valley, MD. The special guests include Armin Shimerman (DEEP SPACE NINE's Quark, BUFFY's Principal Snyder); Gary Graham, Eric Pierpoint & Michele Scarabelli (all from ALIEN NATION); and Gil Gerard & Erin Gray (both from BUCK ROGERS). Also appearing are The Boogie Knights, TREK's Lolita Fatjo; writers Michael Jan Friedman, David R. George III and Bob Greenberger, scientists Inge Heyer and Marc Okrand; the Prometheus Radio Theatre; Susan Sackett; Howard Weinstein; And The Not Ready for Paramount Players. There'll be a Writers' Workshop led by David R. George III (who co-authored the STAR TREK novel The 34th Rule with Armin Shimerman). Armin has agreed to attend parts of the workshop as well (the final cost of the workshop has yet to be determined, but space will be LIMITED). Friday Evening at Seven, the Farpoint Committee invites you to join our special guests for a dinner of out-of-this-world delicacies (the Chef specializes in Klingon Cuisine!). Vic’s Place! Friday night, join us for Karaoke with the Pack Rats. There'll be a masquerade Saturday night at 8 PM. Ten Forward! immediately follows the masquerade, where fellow fans and an occasional celebrity guest mingle on the dance floor in a casual, night club atmosphere. There'll also be a Farpoint Art Show & Auction, a Charity Auction, the Klingon Jail, and, of course, a large dealers’ room, more panels than you can attend, and lots of fanzines. Price in advance for a full weekend is $45, Saturday only for $30, Sunday only for $25, and a child membership for $15. If you'd like to attend the Friday night banquet it requires a $35 deposit. The writer's workshop is a $45 deposit. For questions you can click the link above, e-mail trekcontact@comcast.net or drop a note to Farpoint Enterprises, Inc./ 6099 Hunt Club Road/ Elkridge, MD 21075. KATSUCON takes place February 14-16 at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, Virginia. This is a major Anime convention. Guests and activities will fit that theme. Registration is $45.00 for the weekend. Pre-registration must be post-marked by December 31st. After that everything's "at-the-door" registration. To pre-register click here. At the door registration is $45.00 for the weekend, $35 for Friday or Saturday only and $15 for Sunday only. For questions or to register send inquiries to Katsucon 9/ P.O. Box 222691/ Chantilly, Va. 22153-2691. JohnCon is an annual gaming convention held on the campus of Johns Hopkins University. They run 48 hours, non-stop, from 4 PM on February 28 to 4 PM March 2. they feature a dealer's room, games (from board games to LARP's), a B-movie theater, continuous anime and plenty of fellowship. Tickets are $9 if you're pre-registered by 2/14, $12 at the door. For more information either e-mail them at johncon@jhu.edu or drop them a note at JohnCon '03/ SAC Office, Mattin Center/ Johns Hopkins University/ 3400 N. Charles Street/ Baltimore, MD. 21218. |
| 38.ROWLING BLESSES BARRY TROTTER
J.K. Rowling and her publishers are, as you might imagine, very protective of their prodigal son. They've filed several law suits to protect Harry Potter. So some folks were surprised when a spokesman for Rowling announced that the author doesn't consider a best-selling parody to be in the same category as an unauthorized Russian series of books. Barry Trotter and the Shameless Parody by American humorist Michael Gerber is selling out in Britain, the United States and countries from Estonia to Japan. Rowling's agent is contemplating legal action against Russian author Dmitry Yemets for his unauthorized Tanya Grotter books, about a wizard orphan who wields magical powers and battles an enemy too terrible to be named. But asked to comment on Gerber's book, a spokesman for the Christopher Little literary agency said, "This is a genuine parody and a completely different kettle of fish from Tanya Grotter." In Gerber's parody, a young wizard named Barry Trotter attends Hogwash School and fights to stop filming of BARRY TROTTER AND THE INEVITABLE ATTEMPT TO CASH-IN. The parody has shipped more than 50,000 copies in the United States, with editions in Japanese, Estonian and Chinese. 39.ATTENTION BUDDING SCREENWRITERS: ENTER THE 555-SHORT SCREENPLAY CONTEST ROBOCOP writer Ed Neumeier will join the line-up of notable judges for the 1st Annual Urban Insider 555-SHORT Screenplay Contest. Neumeier joins a panel of five judges that includes director Joel Zwick (MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING). They'll select the competition’s five winning screenplays. The goal of this screenplay contest is to discover, promote, and recognize new, talented screenwriters. What makes this contest unique is that writers are challenged to write engaging screenplays in five pages or less. The contest is open to any individual who has not sold or optioned a screenplay or teleplay for more than $5,000. In addition to the winners being selected by high-profile industry judges, cash and prizes totaling more than $3,000 will be awarded. The final deadline is Jan. 25. Entry forms and information may be downloaded from www.urbaninsider.com. 40.TOLKIEN'S 111TH BIRTHDAY DRAWS WORLD-WIDE CELEBRATIONS Fans of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien observed the late writer's 111th birthday on Jan. 3. That's the same "eleventy-first" birthday celebrated by Bilbo Baggins at the beginning of Tolkien's epic work. In Hollywood and all over the world, fans will commemorated the day. They included a "Toast to the Professor" endorsed by the Tolkien Society in the United Kingdom and administered by fan volunteers all over the world, like Tolkien Forever founder Kristi Fojtik and "J.R.R. Tolkien's 111th Birthday DVD Project" producer Josh Rubinstein of Los Angeles. Fans gathered at the Cat and Fiddle Pub in Hollywood to raise a glass at exactly 9 PM and utter the words "The Professor." Rubinstein is coordinating DVD coverage of the parties around the world for a half-hour documentary on the event. Tolkien fell a little short of the 111 mark. He died in 1973 at the age of 81. 41.RECENT TITLES: BOOKS ABOUT MOVIES AND TELEVISION American Film Institute Desk Reference: The Complete Guide to Everything You Need to Know about the Movies by Melinda Corey (Editor), George Ochoa, Clint Eastwood (Introduction); $40.00 This book provides detailed information on the world of film, its history and its personalities. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: The Making of the Movie
Trilogy by Brian Sibley, $17.95
Strange TV: Innovative Television Series from
THE TWILIGHT ZONE to THE X-FILES by M. Keith Booker, $64.95
Uncharted Territory: An Unofficial and Unauthorized
Guide to FARSCAPE by Scott Andrews, $7.95
Captain Nemo by K. J. Anderson, $7.99
DARKNESS FALLS by Keith R. A. Decandido, $6.99
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| 44.QUICK TAKES:
NOTHING CRUSHES THIS SPIDER. SPIDER-MAN helped Sony set a new record for worldwide box office in 2002, with $2.75 billion. That beats the previous record of $2.68 billion, set by 20th Century Fox in 1998, based on the success of TITANIC. 45.STUDIOS LOOK TO THE FUTURE Several Hollywood studios have announced release dates for their high-profile films as far into the future as 2005. The trend has been growing since last summer, when Sony set a release date for its SPIDER-MAN sequel on the first weekend of May 2004. Other studios have followed suit, claiming release dates throughout the summer. Among the major films opening in May 2004 are Fox's TOMORROW on May 28, Universal's vampire picture VAN HELSING on May 21, Paramount's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 on Memorial Day weekend and HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN in June. Those looking to fill their calendars for 2005 can pencil in the weekend before Memorial Day for STAR WARS: EPISODE III and either June or July for INDIANA JONES 4. The summer will also see the releases of JURASSIC PARK IV, THE THREE STOOGES and Disney/Pixar's CARS. Early date-grabbing is a form of squatter's rights to the best opening dates, increasingly important now that dominating the opening weekend is essential for a blockbuster to succeed. Other benefits of advance release dates include pressuring directors to finish projects on time and having more time to plan elaborate promotional campaigns. SPIDER-MAN's $115 million opening weekend set a new standard for franchises and demonstrated how a long lead date can elevate run-of-the-mill fare to a cultural event. 46.ALIEN AND 24 OTHERS ARE ADDED TO THE NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY ALIEN was one of 25 films newly added to the National Film Registry by the Librarian of Congress. This group of titles brings the total number of films placed on the Registry to 350. Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress names 25 "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant motion pictures to the Registry. Dr. James Billington, the Librarian of Congress, observed that, "The films we choose are not necessarily either the 'best' American films ever made or the most famous. But they are films that continue to have cultural, historical or aesthetic significance - and in many cases represent countless other films also deserving of recognition. The selection of a film, I stress, is not an endorsement of its ideology or content, but rather a recognition of the film's importance to American film and cultural history and to history in general." For each title named to the Registry, the Library of Congress works to ensure that the film is preserved for all time, either through the Library's massive motion picture preservation program or through collaborative ventures with other archives, motion picture studios, and independent filmmakers. The Library of Congress contains the largest collections of film and television in the world, from the earliest surviving copyrighted motion picture to the latest feature releases. For more information, consult the National Film Preservation Board Web site. 1) ALIEN (1979) 2) ALL MY BABIES (1953) 3) THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (1952) 4) BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991) 5) THE BLACK STALLION (1979) 6) BOYZ N THE HOOD (1991) 7) THEODORE CASE SOUND TEST: GUS VISSER AND HIS SINGING DUCK (1925) 8) THE ENDLESS SUMMER (1966) 9) FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) 10) FROM STUMP TO SHIP (1930) 11) FUJI (1974) 12) IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967) 13) LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN (1925) 14) MELODY RANCH (1940) 15) THE PEARL (1948) 16) PUNCH DRUNKS (1934) 17) SABRINA (1954) 18) STAR THEATRE (1901) 19) STRANGER THAN PARADISE (1984) 20) THIS IS CINERAMA (1952) 21) THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984) 22) THROUGH NAVAJO EYES (series) (1966) 23) WHY MAN CREATES (1968) 24) WILD AND WOOLY (1917) 25) WILD RIVER (1960) 47.A VIRTUAL LOVE FEST FOR GOLLUM The Broadcast Film Critics Association acknowledged computer-generated characters in its nominees for the Best Digital Acting Performance category of the eighth annual Critics' Choice Awards. The nominees included Dobby the house elf from HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, Gollum from THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS and Yoda from STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES. The winner in this new category was Gollum, the cursed villain/victim in THE TWO TOWERS. With 187 members, the association is one of the largest critics' organizations in the United States. They announced winners Jan. 17, 2003. 48.OSCAR TOONS The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' board of governors gave 17 movies the green light to compete for an Oscar in the 2002 animated feature film category. With 17 such films eligible, the Academy can announce anywhere from one to five nominees in that category. The animated feature film award screening committee will view all the films and vote by secret ballot to determine how many should garner nominations. The 17 films are ADAM SANDLER'S EIGHT CRAZY NIGHTS, ALIBABA & THE FORTY THIEVES, EDEN, EL BOSQUE ANIMADO (THE LIVING FOREST), HEY ARNOLD! THE MOVIE, ICE AGE, JONAH - A VEGGIE TALES MOVIE, LILO & STITCH, MUTANT ALIENS, THE POWERPUFF GIRLS MOVIE, THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA, RETURN TO NEVER LAND, SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON, SPIRITED AWAY, STUART LITTLE 2, TREASURE PLANET and THE WILD THORNBERRYS MOVIE. 49.BROSNAN: LICENSED AND BONDED James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli said that Pierce Brosnan will reprise his role as Agent 007 in the 21st Bond film. She bristled at the question of Brosnan's replacement. "It's like asking a bride as she's going up the aisle who her next husband is going to be," Broccoli said. "I mean, he is James Bond. He's our guy. And until he's no longer James Bond, we ain't looking anywhere." The as-yet-untitled film will represent Brosnan's fifth outing as the British spy. The most recent Bond feature, DIE ANOTHER DAY, has been a box office winner, assuring Bond's future. 50.BERRY AND BUFFY BATTLE FOR BOND Both Halle Berry and Sarah Michelle Gellar have actively put their bids in to succeed Pierce Brosnan as the next Bond. Gellar said, "I want to see more women action stars. I don't see why James Bond has to be a man all the time. When Pierce Brosnan retires I'm going to be the next Bond." 51.A JUDGE EXORCISED THE EXORCIST COURT BATTLE THE EXORCIST director William Friedkin and author William Peter Blatty have lost their court battle to prevent movie executives at Warner Brothers from remaking the 1973 horror classic. Friedkin and Blatty claimed in their 2001 suit that they owned the copyright to the 2000 re-release, which featured 11 minutes of unseen footage, and that Warner Brothers bosses had no right to distribute the film. But a federal court dismissed the copyright case, with US District Court Judge Lourdes Baird claiming Friedkin and Blatty's interpretation of the Copyright Act "turned the statute on its head." Baird found that Friedkin had no copyright interest in either version of the film and that Warner Brothers and Blatty were co owners of the copyrights to both films and that Blatty had granted Warners the exclusive right to remake the film. Friedkin plans to appeal the decision. 52.NICOLAS CAGE SCARES UP THE GHOST Nicolas Cage announced that Columbia may settle on a script for a proposed GHOST RIDER movie any time now. "They're going to be done with the script after the holidays, and I think the studio's very excited about it," Cage said. The project, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name, originated at Dimension, but was put on hold, when Columbia picked it up. The new script will aim for a PG-13 rating. Original writer David Goyer's (BLADE) draft was rejected for being too violent. Cage said that he was on board with that change. "The comic-book world is originally a world that was a fantasy place for children and younger people," he said. "By making it hard R, you'd alienate some of those younger people, who want to go to the movies and get lost in that world. So I can understand the argument for that." As an actor, comic fan Cage was drawn to the film because of the hero's philosophical dilemma. "I always thought it was interesting: the concept of a character who's in the dilemma of making a deal with a negative force and then trying to do something positive with it," he said. 53.GLADIATOR II GETS SET TO SHOOT Best Picture Oscar winner GLADIATOR is set for a sequel. Screenwriter John Logan, who wrote the script for the original film, and director Ridley Scott are in development talks to discuss the idea of a second Roman-era project. Dreamworks is eager to green-light GLADIATOR II after banking more than $450 million at the worldwide box office and earning nine Academy Awards. Logan says, "It's in the story phase. I'm meeting with Ridley and talking about what it should be and sort of flushing it out. It's early days, trying to pick out a story. It does have something to do with the first one and I'm not calling it a sequel. It's going to be very exciting." Insiders suggest the plot may focus around the early years of the reign of Marcus Aurelius and the gladiatorial days of Antonius Proximo - the roles made famous in the film by veteran actors Oliver Reed and Richard Harris, both now deceased. Reed died in 1999 on the island of Malta while shooting the original blockbuster. 54.MCKELLEN WON'T BE DUMBLEDORE THE LORD OF THE RINGS star Ian McKellen will not succeed the late Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore in the third HARRY POTTER film, HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN. A British tabloid ran a news item under the headline: "New Potter Wizard Is ... Gandalf!" stating that Warner Brothers has cast McKellen as the headmaster of Hogwarts School after fellow RINGS cast member Christopher Lee turned it down. According to McKellen's own Web site, the veteran actor has not been cast in the role and Lee was not even asked. While the story is untrue, McKellen has not ruled out appearing in a future POTTER film in some capacity. 55.RICHARD HARRIS WON'T BE DUMBLEDORE EITHER A ghoulish little news piece ran in the London Sun. In the most twisted tradition of "the-show-must-go-on" it was reported that Richard Harris may play Dumbledore yet again in HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN despite his death on Oct. 25. The newspaper said that the producers intend to use digital technology to superimpose Harris's face over Harry Robinson, his stand-in for the first two films. An anonymous insider is quoted saying, "Many hours of footage [of Harris] are currently being scanned to see if the process is viable for the film." The newspaper did not indicate how Harris's voice could be retrieved from the grave. The story had a life cycle of 24 hours. BBC's Web site, CBBC, shot it down. "Warner Brothers told CBBC Newsround this is completely false." 56.I, WILL SMITH Will Smith has signed on to star in a movie based on the Isaac Asimov short story collection I, ROBOT. The movie involves a detective investigating a murder that may've been committed by a robot, even though the first law of robotics insists a robot must not injure a human or allow them to come to any harm. Alex Proyas (THE CROW and DARK CITY) will direct the production, which is slated to go to production in April 2003. Smith will star as a detective on the case of a crime possibly committed by a robot, despite the fact that robots must follow strict rules of behavior. "The big idea here is that if the robots have found a way to violate the laws, there is nothing to stop them from taking over, even though that seems an impossibility given those three prevailing rules," Hutch Parker, president of 20th Century Fox's film division, said. Parker added that Smith makes for perfect casting. "Putting him in a film with a visualist like Proyas and one of the most indelible pre-awareness titles in SF makes this well worth the five or so years we've invested in the project." 57.INDY GIRLS TO REUNITE Steven Spielberg has released several details about the new INDY IV. He said that the movie will have a supernatural element and that it will take place in the 1950s. Spielberg said. "We have a story. The story's wonderful, but Frank [Darabont's] writing the script right now. Frank and I and George spent weeks together pounding out the story. The story's all pounded out. Now Frank just has to labor through it." Harrison Ford is on board for new movie. For his part, Ford has repeatedly said he would be willing to reprise the role only if the script met his approval. Spielberg said that the new script is written and has been approved, and that he will direct the project himself. Commenting on his star's age Spielberg explained, "You have to understand that Harrison [Ford] is going to be 62 years old when the film [begins production in 2004], so [that's why] we had to push the years into the 1950s." Spielberg also revealed that it was Ford himself who got the ball rolling on development of the sequel. Spielberg said that neither he nor producer George Lucas would otherwise have thought of making another Indy adventure. "Harrison's the one who got George and [me] to do it," the director said. "I was done with the INDIANA JONES series, and Harrison got very proactive with both George and [me] and said, 'I want to play INDY one more time.' So he started this. Blame him." Spielberg said to expect cameo appearances by Indiana Jones' old girlfriends in the upcoming fourth installment in the INDY franchise. "I'd like to get Karen Allen back for one sound bite, and there are other INDY girls who had smaller roles who will come back," Spielberg said. As for INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM's Kate Capshaw, who also happens to be Mrs. Spielberg? "Maybe or maybe not," Spielberg said. "Frank Darabont called me and said, 'I'm not sure we can work her into the script, too.'" Spielberg added, "Sean Connery as Indy's pop will be back for a few scenes, and it's set in the early '50s. That's all I'm saying, and I've already said too much." INDY IV is set to begin shooting in 2004, with an eye to a July 2005 release. 58.TOLKIEN'S EOWYN Miranda Otto, who plays Eowyn in THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS said that filmmakers experimented with her character, but ultimately decided to keep her faithful to J.R.R. Tolkien's depiction. "There were a lot of changes made just before I arrived to shoot the main bulk of my stuff," Otto said. "There were different ideas of what they would do with the character. We shot some things that I thought at the time, 'Well, I'm not so sure.' Luckily, a lot of the things I wasn't sure about [director] Pete [Jackson] must have decided he wasn't sure about, too. We never went into [requited love versus unrequited love] with Eowyn and Aragorn [Viggo Mortensen]. I think we tried a few things that made her a little bit more vulnerable and, not comedic, but there were some lighter things for her. We were trying that out. They wanted to see if they could get more of that across from her, but I think in the end we all felt that, from the book, she's not really that sort of character. She's pretty much this headstrong, removed sort of character. I always felt it was important for her to be that way, and she is [now]." 59.ARWEN SAYS ELVISH HAS NOT LEFT THE BUILDING! Liv Tyler, who returned as Arwen in THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS said that there's much more Elvish to be heard in the new installment - and she has co-star Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) to thank for it. "A lot of that was so funny, because I would sort of see the scenes before I came down [to the set], and then I'd get there, and Viggo's favorite thing to do was to spring on me the night before that he'd had a long talk with [co-writers] Fran [Walsh] and Peter [Jackson], and he really wanted the whole scene to be in Elvish," Tyler said. "And I love to speak Elvish, but I was just like, 'Argh!' I wanted to kill him, because it always seemed that I had more Elvish to speak when we were doing the scenes than he did. I'm glad he did push that, because it's so great to hear, and it really adds a beautiful quality and depth to their relationship, and to the film in general." 60.AND THE OSCAR GOES TO GOLLUM? The makers of the new THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS are campaigning for an Oscar for one of their stars - even though he's completely computer generated. THE TWO TOWERS producer, Barrie Osborne, and director, Peter Jackson, were so impressed with their animated character Gollum that they believe he deserves recognition in this year's Academy Awards. However, the filmmakers really know that actor Andy Serkis - who voices the skeletal figure - is the one who deserves the credit for making the computer generated role come to life on the big screen. Osborne says, "The performance is really driven by Andy. He deserves a nomination for a Supporting Actor Oscar and we are going to campaign for him to get one." Jackson adds, "Andy create the character. He says the dialogue, he plays the scenes and the computer captures his movement and translates that to the digital version of Gollum." 61.PETER JACKSON KICKS THE HOBBIT Peter Jackson trashed claims that he plans to follow up the fantasy trilogy by making a movie of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel The Hobbit. After finishing work on the THE RETURN OF THE KING, next year many expected Jackson to turn to The Hobbit and make a prequel. Jackson insists he has no plans to return to Middle Earth when the trilogy is completed. He explained, "If I didn't make it, someone else would and I could just pay 12 dollars and go to the cinema to watch it. I wouldn't have to do all the hard work." 62.WEAVING RE-ENTERS THE MATRIX Hugo Weaving, who reprises his role as Agent Smith in the films THE MATRIX RELOADED and THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS said that the plots were supposed to be top secret. "I thought they were," Weaving said. "And then [producer] Joel Silver invited all of this press over to the set [in Australia] and gave away a few secrets." Weaving, who also portrays Elrond in THE LORD OF THE RINGS, added, "Essentially, there is the journey of Neo [Keanu Reeves] into a greater understanding of himself and how this whole world came about. He has a very strong journey towards truth - his own truth and the truth of the Matrix and the creation of the Matrix. Then there is another strong storyline, which is the attack of Zion by the machines, Zion being the refuge for human beings. Those are the two very strong thrusts of the films, if you like. Smith has become liberated and is in some way pretty much the same character, except that his ego is expanded, and he is in the process of replicating himself. I think the idea was to move forward. There was a 20-minute compilation that we saw about halfway through the shoot of what we'd shot, and it was quite astounding what was put together. I think in terms of breaking new ground, technically certainly, it's moving ahead. The [Wachowski brothers] always thought, 'This is what we want. We can't achieve it. It's impossible to achieve it at this stage, so let's invent something so that we can achieve it.'" THE MATRIX RELOADED opens May 15, 2003. THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS opens Nov. 7, 2003. 63.BEFORE YOU DIE, YOU SEE THE RING – AGAIN A sequel to THE RING, which has grossed more than $100 million dollars at the box office, is in the works according to the film's producer, Walter F. Parkes, who also produced MINORITY REPORT and ROAD TO PERDITION. Parkes said that the sequel will be both a prequel and a sequel, like the second GODFATHER film. "THE GODFATHER is the greatest movie ever made, and THE RING is not, but they are both about the creation of a fascinating monster," Parkes said. "You were fascinated at the creation of Michael [and Vito] Corleone, and I think you're fascinated by this little girl Samara and where she came from. For that reason, I thought, like [GODFATHERII], maybe we could look forward and look backwards. So we're trying to make arrangements with [director] Gore [Verbinski] and [writer] Ehren [Kruger], who worked on the first one. We just have to roll up our sleeves and get going on it quickly." The Japanese film on which THE RING was based was followed by both a sequel and a prequel, upon which Parkes hopes to improve in the American counterpart. "They did a prequel and a sequel in Japan, and both of them are very narratively unsatisfying," Parkes said. "What was interesting about THE RING was that it was equal parts conventional Western horror movie and equal parts very particular ambiguous Japanese mystical spiritual experience. But it had enough of both to be very delicious. Now that people know the secret of Samara and know what the videotape does, it's going to be very hard to invent something which is as fresh as the first one, but [that] also carries forward that kind of duality. We're going to try, though." As for whether THE RING breakout star Naomi Watts will return as Rachel Keller, Parkes says, “I don’t know. We have an option for her to do it and I’d love her to do it, but the star of THE RING is the ring, though she’s also become a star as a result of it. First we have to get the story written.” Parkes confessed that he was shocked by the success of the original horror flick and credits its to good old-fashion word of mouth. THE RING is a very interesting case. Ten days before opening, our tracking suggested that no one was going to come, so we not only changed our ad campaign and spent more, we screened the movie 900 times in the week before opening. I can’t help but think that’s why [it did so well]. “It was movie that people felt compelled to talk about. And the people who loved it adored it. There is a quality of a word-of-mouth movie like that. You can’t create it; it has to happen by itself." Parkes hopes to have THE RING 2 in theaters by Oct. 2004. 64.OF SINS AND CALAMARI The supernatural film SIN EATER was puled, virtually at the last minute, from its original January 17 release date. It has been renamed THE ORDER and will move of an as-yet-undetermined later opening, possibly in the late summer. The new title refers to an ancient order of rogue priests who eat food off a corpse in order to take on unforgiven sins and absolve the deceased. Heath Ledger stars. Fox bumped the Brian Helgeland-directed movie after the filmmaker and the studio agreed that the special visual effects needed work. The effects, originally handled by Mill Film in London, are now being done by Asylum in Santa Monica, Calif. The visual effects in question depict sins flying out of the human body. Post-production insiders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Mill's effects were funny, rather than terrifying. One insider described the exiting sins as "looking like calamari." 65.TREK LOOKS LOW ON DILITHIUM CRYSTALS STAR TREK: NEMESIS opened in a disappointing second place in the box-office rankings, with only about $18.8 million for the three-day period beginning Dec. 13. Paramount had hoped for at least $20 million for the 10th Trek movie's first weekend. Nemesis reportedly cost about $60 million to produce. It's taken in $41,614,360 in US box office five weeks after its release. By contrast, the last Trek movie, STAR TREK: INSURRECTION, opened to $22.1 million in December 1998, and STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT launched with $30.7 million in November 1996. The ad campaign promoting STAR TREK: NEMESIS boldly goes where no other STAR TREK movie tagline has gone before, proclaiming, “A Generation’s Final Journey Begins.” Is this really the last we’ll see of THE NEXT GENERATION? According to cast members, yes, no and maybe. Patrick Stewart admits that Captain Jean-Luc Picard may well have issued his last order on the big screen. "It’s possible, yes," said Stewart. "But I feel very content. If NEMESIS is our farewell to this particular aspect of the franchise, it’s really appropriate. I think the subject of the film and the resolutions are appropriate for bowing out. On the other hand, if it’s not, there’s a sequel just waiting to be made." Patrick Stewart said that whether or not Paramount decides to produce another STAR TREK movie, he will not return as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Stewart said, "You never want to outstay your welcome. Just like an athlete, it's horrible to go on when the best is over." Although the NEMESIS episode opened to mixed reviews, Stewart maintained that it was the best STAR TREK movie he had ever done. "I could think of no better way to bow out," he said. Marina Sirtis says that the ad campaign speaks for itself. "Do I think this is the last one? Let’s think: ‘A Generation’s Final Journey.’ Yeah, pretty much. Of course I would [do another movie]. Who is adverse to earning money? It’s the biggest check I get as an actor. We love playing these parts; I don’t think any of us would say we’ve had a moment’s regret about doing this for the last 15 years.” She grinned and said, “But I was 12 when I started. I just want to add that.” Brent Spiner, who plays android Lieutenant Data and also co-wrote NEMESIS, says that while writing the film, he assumed it was their last mission. “I had that in mind,” Spiner nods. “Obviously we don’t know - that’s Paramount Pictures’ decision and it’s based strictly on economics. If this movie does very well, it’s likely you’ll see us again. If it doesn’t, I’m sure we’re done. But in the off chance that this movie doesn’t do well, we said, ‘Let’s write one that has a feeling of finality.’” 66.MOVIE REVIEWERS SET PHASERS ON KILL Several critics appear to regard the 10th STAR TREK movie as a kind of nemesis, and they're apparently determined to prove that the pen is mightier than the phaser. Many are calling for Paramount to finally pull the plug on the franchise. Joel Siegel commented on Good Morning America: "The effects are so cheesy, the cartoons NASA sent out 30 years ago about space travel looked better than this computer generated animation. This is like early TV - CAPTAIN VIDEO, SPACE PATROL - when they'd shake the camera and throw boxes onto the set to make it look like a crash." Jack Mathews in the New York Daily News carries the same complaint further: "There comes a time when the future looks old, and that's where STAR TREK finds itself on the time-space continuum. The Enterprise crew has been wearing uniforms imagined by designers in the 1960s, upgrading from patterns developed in the Flash Gordon era. Today, they look about as futuristic as Nehru jackets and bell-bottoms." Stephen Hunter in the Washington Post complains about "the sparks." He writes: "For some reason, dating back to the TV years when special effects were hardly advanced and the budgets minuscule, the STAR TREK action sequences all involved sparks falling from pipes. That squalid tradition continues, so that in the oh-so-frequent space and phaser battles, rogue phaser blasts and other rays of destruction always bring showers of sparks raining down. It's like the worst kind of sensible suburban Fourth of July." Still, STAR TREK continues to show that hard-boiled critics can be drawn to its cause. Michael Wilmington in the Chicago Tribune comments. "NEMESIS is a deep-space overachiever that tries to conquer the universe again on a diminished budget and ship-bound settings. It doesn't win every battle . . . [but] the moviemakers here attack us at our weak emotional spots with nostalgia, special effects, coruscating action and auld lang syne." Stephen Holden begins his review in the New York Times: "Let's have a small round of applause for good old reliable STAR TREK. Now deep into its fourth decade (if you count its television and screen incarnations) the science-fiction franchise . . . keeps chugging along inside its own cheerfully nostalgic time warp." Similarly, Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times concludes his review with these words: "Familiarity and continuity are what the success of this series has always been about. We've been here before, and we like the neighborhood." 67.STAR WARS STAMPS RELEASED Australia is releasing a series of limited-edition stamps featuring vehicles and vessels from the STAR WARS saga. The print run will be limited to 10,000 sheets of stamps based on a nominated design. Each sheet comes in a presentation envelope along with 20 sheets of Star Wars letterhead and 10 envelopes. The set is currently available for purchase from the Australia Post Web site. It retails for approximately $21.50 in US dollars. 68.HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN GROWS INTO HIS ROLE STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES' star Hayden Christensen has been told to "beef up" for the next installment of the hit sci-fi franchise. Worried studio bosses fear Christensen, who will transform from Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader for the final episode in the STAR WARS series, is too slight of frame to be a convincingly fearsome part-human, part-robot. An insider says, "Hayden will change physically in this film. He'll be bigger." 69.CLONE WARS REVEALED Comic book writer John Ostrander said that upcoming issues of the Dark Horse series Star Wars: Republic will delve into the history of the legendary Clone Wars. "To my mind, this is a pivotal moment in Star Wars lore," Ostrander said. "It has been referred to since the very first STAR WARS movie came out, suggesting mystery and backstory that has intrigued and fascinated STAR WARS fans ever since. As we now can see, the Empire has its roots probably here, with the great military buildup." The stories will cover the span between STAR WARS: EPISODE II and STAR WARS: EPISODE III, which begins with the end of the Clone Wars. The cycle will conclude shortly after EPISODE III is released and will lead directly into the comic adaptation of the film. Familiar characters from the films, such as Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, will make appearances in the comic, but George Lucas will have final approval on the storyline, Ostrander said. "The fates of certain characters certainly will be decided by George Lucas in the films and we're aware of that," Ostrander said. "It's not all that different from playing with an established franchise character such as Superman or Batman; you know you're never going to kill that character off so, instead, you focus on showing different sides of a given character." 70.WARNER BOSS TALKS SUPERMAN V Alan Horn, president and chief operating officer of Warner Brothers, sought to allay fan fears about the upcoming fifth SUPERMAN movie. Horn responded to fan concerns based on an early draft of the SUPERMAN script that has hit the Web. "I think it's very interesting," Horn said. "I don't think it's annoying. I find it annoying if an embryonic draft of a screenplay gets printed on the Web that only reflects the beginning part of a process. Dealing with the response to that, a lot of the letters and e-mails, is frustrating, because I know that's not the movie we're making. In many cases, the very things that the letter writers were objecting to or concerned about were the very same things that we're concerned about. We don't think Lex Luthor should be an alien, either. And my answer is - and it's all over the Web - we agree with you. He won't be. But I have to shake my head in wonderment that the fan base for these properties is so very large that people take the time to send a six-page e-mail on Superman. That means to me only good things. I can't imagine that the person who sends the six-page e-mail won't go to see the movie." Horn also offered some details about the upcoming production and a proposed BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN film. "We're planning to do the J.J. Abrams screenplay for SUPERMAN, which is an origins story," Horn said. "We feel it's fresh, even though it covers ground that was originally covered by the Dick Donner movie. That was 20-some-odd years ago. We feel that this is fresh, hip, contemporary, moving, funny and loaded with action. [Director] Brett Ratner is extremely well qualified to handle the movie - not only did he handle the lightness and fun of RUSH HOUR, but also the drama and tension of RED DRAGON. He comes to SUPERMAN with this very strong filmography. We had a competing script, BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN. It's very, very good, written by Akiva Goldsman, and we will do it. But I prefer we start with SUPERMAN, the early years, and complement that with a BATMAN origins movie. And I'd like to think that each character will evolve so that when we have BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN, the meeting of the two will feel more organic." 71.X2 ENTERS THE HOME STRETCH Tom DeSanto, executive producer of the X-MEN sequel, X2, said that photography has wrapped and the crew is heavy into post-production. "Now, we go into the mad rush of post-production," DeSanto said while in Vancouver, B.C., where the movie was filmed. "We're doing everything from the music and effects to making sure the film kicks ass on May 3," 2003, when it opens. DeSanto added that the sequel will have more action than the first movie. He said his experience on the sequel "was even better than I expected. And to finish the film in the spectacular Canadian Rockies is a great way to end this experience. It's not as cold as it was on the first film." As for a third installment in the Marvel Comics film franchise? "We'll know whether we'll make an X-MEN 3 or not on May 3, 2003," he said. "Hopefully, everyone who wants an X-MEN 3 will show up then." 72.IMAGINATIVE CINEMA FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY JANUARY 24: DARKNESS FALLS is a feature based upon a 2001 short film called "The Tooth Fairy" written and directed by this film's screenwriter, Joe Harris. It's also obviously based upon the common myth/folktale about an imaginary being who rewards children who put teeth that fall out under their pillow (I got a quarter; what do kids today get, credit cards?). This is the story of a young man (Chaney Kley) considered "crazy" by most of the people in his small town who helps the little brother of his only friend, his childhood girlfriend (Emma Caulfield, aka "Anya" on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER), when the boy is threatened by an evil that dates back centuries, an evil that is the original inspiration for the children's tale of the "tooth fairy." The movie's directed by Jonathan Liebesman (making his feature film debut; he got his start with a 2000 short film - "Genesis and Catastrophe") If this film does even reasonably well (which probably doesn't have to be a huge number, considering the relatively low budget), it's expected that it would be the first in a series of DARKNESS FALLS horror movies. Revolution Studios hopes to license the rights to this movie in time for a video game for release in conjunction to the release, or shortly thereafter. To make matters confusing, there's a Graham Joyce novel, The Tooth Fairy, which is also about a young boy struggling with an evil supernatural force. This movie is NOT based on that novel. That book has been optioned by Radar Pictures. It hasn't started to film yet, but it should be pretty close to this plot. JANUARY 31: FINAL DESTINATION 2 is the story of
a bunch of people who meet because of a traffic accident due to a premonition
by a freshman in college. What transpires is a rush to save the life of
an unborn child with the help of Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) from the first
movie. The current movie and the events of the first movie unexpectedly
coincide and intertwine to create a bunch of very interesting surprises
and revelations about Death and its plans on Earth. The movie's directed
by David Ellis (HOMEWARD BOUND II: LOST IN SAN FRANCISCO). The screenwriters
are Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber (making their feature debuts; next
up is THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, which they are also directing).
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TV - PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT debuts on Showtime. SAT 25: ICS MEETING SUN 26: SUPERBOWL MON. 27: TV - VERITAS debuts on ABC.
FRI. 31: MOVIE - FINAL DESTINATION
2 premeires.
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