Newsletter 6A 10 October 2000
Eastlant Sci-Fi Group - 2000-2001 Season Progress Report 6A.
This is a digest of recent Sci-Fi- and genre-related news as of 10 October 2000.
Shows Premiering in the Next Week:
The Following Shows have already been requested and will be taped:
7 Days
Oct 11
Nov 6
Friends Season 7*
Oct 12
4 Eps - Nov 8 - 8 Eps - Dec 7
Will & Grace*
Oct 12
4 Eps - Nov 8 - 8 Eps - Dec 7
* - Non-Genre Shows - These will be retained only as long as we need to fulfill requests for them, and then recycled.
News & Notes
Group News:
In Answer to Earlier Inquiries about Using Credit Cards---
Over recent years we have been asked several times if we could accept credit cards. Of course, we can't do this ourselves, as the cost of running a Merchant Account would greatly increase the cost of the tapes. However, we have been keeping an eye out for a method of transferring funds, and now thanks to UK contact Sarah Reeson, we have come across what looks like a viable method.
Sarah recently sent us payment for an entire season from her UK credit card, using Bidpay, a website intended to allow successful auction bidders to pay for their items. Details can be found at http://www.bidpay.com/
We are not sure if they will accept cards from everywhere in the world, but most areas seem to be covered. As the site is US based and issues Western Union Money Orders to us at domestic rates, charges for this service are likely to be far lower than for IMOs for example. Exchange fees are most likely absorbed into the credit card charge.
When you look at the site, you will see in the FAQ a claim that the site can only be used for auctions. There is however, a way round this. Here is what Sarah told us about how she fooled the system:
The site is "dumb": it states it won't allow you to send a MO without an auction number, but the addition of a "." in the auction number field on the submission form is enough to fool it. I use it for any large sum over $50 (simply because it's more secure than cash..:->)
However, when it asks for details of what you are purchasing, please do not be too specific. Simply insert "Video Tapes" in the "Auction Item" box.
This does work, as we have received Sarah's WU Money Order, so if anyone would like to try it from countries other than the UK, we would be grateful to know how you get on.
Batman and Editing
You may remember that we mentioned that SFC was about to air the original 60s Batman series. As we eventually want to put these episodes in order, may we remind you that if anyone wants these episodes as they air (in random order), they will be unedited and in the order in which they come. We just don't have the time to edit these twice, so if you want them in the right order, please bear with us until we get enough to start making up masters in original series order.
PLEASE NOTE: as we expect to be even busier than usual this season, we may well apply the same rule to other archive episodes waiting to be edited. Normally, if anyone requested such an episode (the ones with the asterisks in the episode list) we would do a special edit for just that purpose. However, with 55 series requested so far this season, not including the specials, and the entire run of Widescreen Babylon 5, the first 4 seasons of Xena to replace and Nikita Seasons 1-4 to add to the library, all on a daily basis, as well as 9 other series on various cable stations (well over 1500 hundred episodes in total), we will not have time for any avoidable editing.
Interference in Weeks One and Two
Up until this weekend we have been experiencing some interference on a few of the networks, as a result of something called "beating" between the signals of a local radio station and the WB, NBC, and CBS networks. Apparently, this occurs when a signal which is an almost exact match to another signal (or an overtone of that signal) combines with it to create an effect which is not a part of the original transmission.
We are told that this has been going on for several months, but no action was taken until we complained and told the radio station that we would be quoting their interference with local TV signals as supporting evidence in our court case against our landlord over his ban on satellite dishes which comes up next month. For some reason that seemed to focus their attention on the issue.
The problem now appears to have been solved by negotiation between the TV companies and the radio station, as it seems to have disappeared over this last weekend. However, for the first two weeks, we have had some feint background lines wandering across the picture of some of the shows we have taped. The worst affected were WB shows Buffy (eps 1 & 2), Angel (eps 1 & 2), Charmed (ep 1) and Roswell (ep 1). Shows from Fox (Xena, Andromeda, EFC, etc) and UPN (Voyager) are not affected, nor are shows from cable stations.
This interference in no way affects picture quality, but the lines drifting slowly from the bottom of the screen to the top are annoying. Please bear with us on this. From here on, everything should be vastly improved.
Oops! Sorry About Part C
Apologies to everyone for dumping an unannounced part C on you last week. This was supposed to go out just to the webmaster at Infinite Frontiers, so that he can update the on-line episode list, but I dropped it in the wrong outbox, and it went to the automailer. I shall do what it always said in my school report and try to do better next time.
Buffy and Angel for the White House!!!
This isn't really TV news, so I have included it here. Nor is it really of any significance to the TV shows, but I am including it here for curiosity value.
This article appeared in several syndicated newspapers across the country last week, after the debate between Presidential Candidates George Bush and Al Gore was scheduled against Buffy and Angel (and the premiere of Dark Angel) last Tuesday night and we thought it would be of interest to our Buffy and Angel fans.
Buffy, Angel Would Make Dream Ticket
Let me know how the presidential debate comes out. I'm watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel tonight.
The writing is much better. The main characters are more attractive and more believable when delivering their lines. And after 10 minutes or so of dialogue we get to see them kick someone in the head.
I would write in Buffy and Angel for President and Vice President if they were eligible. But Buffy is too young. Angel is old enough, born sometime in the 18th century, but he's a vampire and would disintegrate during the inauguration.
Buffy and Angel are the kinds of shows that politicians claim are destroying American society. They are violent - sometimes gory. The characters engage in steamy sex. Buffy's best friend Willow is a lesbian who dates a witch. She turned away from men when her werewolf boyfriend Oz dumped her after an animalistic tryst with a murderous she-wolf.
All in all, it sounds just like another day in the Oval Office. But unlike the White House occupants, Buffy and Angel are role models.
I would rather my daughter be like Buffy and battle bloodsuckers than be like Hillary and turn into one.
I would rather my son be a vampire with a soul like Angel, than a politician without one, like Bill.
As for comparison with the current crop of candidates:
Buffy kills only vampires which technically are dead anyway - George W Bush has sent 140 prisoners to the death chamber - No1 in the country;
Buffy and Angel's victims deserve to die, although Angel accidentally killed an innocent demon last week - There's n telling how many innocent people Bus has executed given the "hang-em-high" legal system in Texas;
Buffy has never slain a mentally disabled vampire - George W allowed the execution of a convict with an IQ of 63;
George W is pro-gun - Buffy is anti-gun but pro-stake;
George W won't deny he used cocaine - Buffy once got hooked on beer, but only because a sorcerer hexed it;
Angel's private eye business is on the verge on bankruptcy but even so, he would never take money from Buddhist nuns - Al Gore's campaign is flush with millions in the bank and it did.
Angel and Buffy had sex outside marriage. But they were truly in love, which unfortunately caused Angel to lose his human soul and turn into a psychotic killer - Al looked like a psychotic fang-face when he gave Tipper a tonsillectomy at the Democratic National Convention. If Buffy were there, she might have mistaken th4 situation and staked Al there on the spot.
Angel kisses Buffy because he loves her - Al Gore kisses his wife to appeal to middle-aged suburban women.
The closest Al ever came to combat was taking notes in Vietnam - in just 4 years, Buffy and Angel have battled The Master, Spike, Mr Trick, Adam the Cyborg and Dracula.
Angel's greatest hope is to become human - so is Al's.
Al and George W were born with silver spoons - Buffy is the product of a single-parent household because her dada walked out on her. Angel constantly battles his demonic dark side.
Al and George W never saved the world - Buffy and Angel do it twice a season - and without raising our taxes.
Mike Thomas.
TV News:
TV Stations Playing Numbers Game with Cleo and Jack
Please note that the TV stations that are carrying the syndicated Back2Back Action hour of Cleopatra 2525 and Jack of All Trades are labeling these shows as a second season. We were led to understand that the episodes now airing were in fact the remaining eps from Season 1. However, for the sake of conformity, we will fall in line with the networks, so in effect, Season 1 now consists of 14 episode of each, and what we would have labeled Season 1 Episode 15 will now be Season 2 Episode 1.
Judge Sides with Writer in 'Queen of Swords' Duel
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An aspiring screenwriter has won the first round of a legal duel over the new TV show ``Queen of Swords,'' which she says was hijacked into syndication by Paramount Pictures two decades after she first sold the idea to ABC.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge Thursday ordered a halt to further broadcasts of the hour-long action drama, about a swashbuckling masked heroine, unless writer Linda Lukens receives a screen credit as the creator of the show.
Paramount denies her allegations and will appeal the judge's order, a spokesman for the Viacom Inc.-owned Company said. Under California law, a preliminary injunction of this nature is automatically stayed on appeal, the spokesman said.
But Lukens' attorneys disputed this, insisting Paramount could be held in contempt for airing the show again without crediting Lukens, unless the appeals court expressly decides otherwise.
Lukens sued the show's producers and Paramount, whose television group distributes the series, claiming the ``Queen of Swords'' was lifted from her own work on a TV drama that she has been developing under the same title for years.
The writer claims both she and the executive producer for the series were represented by the same literary agency, the Broder/Kurland Agency, which also is named in the lawsuit. In his ruling, Judge Morris Jones said a comparison of Lukens' work to the series, which premiered in the United States this week, revealed ``striking similarities indicative of misappropriation'' and that Lukens was likely to prevail on the merits of her case.
Besides having the same title, both Lukens' work and the Paramount-syndicated TV show involve an avenging, masked aristocrat who, inspired by the unjust death of her father, fights evil with the help and guidance of a gypsy mystic, according to the lawsuit. Her work is set in colonial New France; the series in Spanish colonial California.
Lukens' attorney, Anthony Kornarens, said his client came up with the idea in the late 1970s and sold a treatment for the show to ABC, where she co-wrote a script that never was produced. After rights reverted to Lukens, she reworked the script and sought to further develop the project before it was ''misappropriated'' and landed at Paramount, Kornarens said.
``This is something she's been working on for a long, long time.'' According to her attorney, Lukens' resume includes a number of little-known entertainment projects, including a production credit for a 3-D women's wrestling movie made for pay-per-view television.
However, The Hollywood Reporter reported today that a stay has been put on the injunction until it can be heard in appeals. So, the show can be aired until the appeal.
Freakylinks Rates Well
Freakylinks, Fox's new paranormal Internet drama, premiered to strong ratings Oct. 6, winning the 9 p.m. time slot in its target demographic of adults 18-34, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The drama, starring Ethan Embry, drew a viewership of 6.8 million, aided by a lead-in from Police Videos.
The season premiere of The WB's Charmed at 9 p.m. on Oct. 5, meanwhile, drew 7.7 million viewers, making it the network's most-watched show of the week, the trade paper reported. Charmed topped its previous highs for the night in adults 18-34 and adults 18-49, Variety reported.
UPN's 7 Days Steps Ahead
Thomas Ropelewski, executive producer of UPN's time-travel series 7 Days, said that the upcoming third season will switch gears to focus more on the show's current characters and introduce one new regular. 7 Days, which stars Jonathan LaPaglia as Frank Parker and Justina Vail as Olga Vukavitch, has its season premiere Oct. 11; it airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
"One of the things we learned in the second season is how flexible and malleable the style of storytelling in the show actually is," Ropelewski said. "Last year I would say was about experimentation in storytelling. We would jump genres. ... The third season is going to be more about characters and exploring our family of characters and their interactions."
This season, the show introduces a new character: Andrew "Hooter" Owsley, a boy computer genius played by Kevin Christy. Owsley will bedevil his mentor, Ballard, played by Sam Whipple. "He'll start at about episode five or six," Ropelewski said. He'll "bring a different kind of dynamic to the show, because he's this puppy dog in this high-technology toy store. ... Frank Parker is his hero. ... [Owsley is] filled with energy. ... And he needs a little guidance and training, and Parker will try to guide him."
Created by television veteran Christopher Crowe, 7 Days tells the story of a top-secret government project in which a chrononaut "back-steps" in time seven days to fix a problem. Vail won a Saturn Award this year for her portrayal of the brainy but sensual Olga.
Expect upheaval in the upcoming season, Ropelewski said. Donovan, played by Don Franklin, will act on his career frustration; Olga will have to deal with her attraction to Parker; Ramsey (Nick Searcy) may find himself in charge of the "Back-Step" program; and Talmadge (Alan Scarfe) may have to deal with a nervous breakdown. The third season may also see the return of a chrononaut from the future who was featured prominently in last season's finale.
Since its debut as an SF action-adventure series, 7 Days has evolved into a show about moral choices, Ropelewski said. "What the show has ... become is ... sort of like a Groundhog Day, where the questions it asks are, 'What would you do if you could live last week over again?' ... I think some of the best 7 Days episodes we've done are about moral choices. And I think it's probably the only show on the air that traffics in irony. ... Why [do] those small things that you change have huge significance that you don't even know about when they first happen?"
Henson Gets 'Jack'
Brian Henson has elected to direct the CBS TV network's Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story four-hour miniseries. According to Variety, the production will take a nontraditional look at the classic fairy tale.
Set in the present, the story the story is about a man who finds himself in court being sued for the actions of one of his ancestors, in this case "Jack", and his criminal actions against giants.
The production is likely to ramp up in the next couple of months, with shooting taking place in London. CBS, as yet, has not scheduled the film, though it could be ready as soon as May 2001.
'Pretender' TV Movies
As previously rumored, the TNT cable network has finally committed to producing two TV movies based on NBC's canceled The Pretender TV show. According to the trades, the first film will resolve the cliffhanger left at the fourth season's finale. Michael T. Weiss will return to the role of Jarod. In addition, series regulars Andrea Parker, Jon Gries and Patrick Bauchau will be in the films as well. Series creators Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle will write both telefilms as well as executive produce with Fred Keller. Keller will direct the films, too.
Both films will be sued to cross-promote reruns of the original series currently being shown on the cable station. Currently there are no plans to resurrect The Pretender in its series format, but good ratings may result in further films.
Lords Talks 'First Wave'
As previously reported in the Insider, Traci Lords has joined the cast of First Wave. Lords, who now prefers to use her full name of Traci Elizabeth Lords, recently spoke about what its been like to sign up to battle aliens on the program's third season. Here is a part of the news report:
The third season of the internationally acclaimed science fiction series, First Wave, recently premiered in Canada on Space: The Imagination Station. First Wave's creator, Chris Brancato, says that we can expect the third season to be filled with lots of action and some very exciting changes for Cade Foster, who is the "chosen one" to save the human race from being taken over by invading aliens. "We will be dramatically ramping up the 'invasion' tension. Introducing a powerful alien leader. And also giving Cade Foster a new and unexpected ally."
That new unexpected ally is the very beautiful and sexy Jordan Radcliffe, played by eminently alluring Traci Elizabeth Lords (Blade, Profiler). Traci is thrilled to be working with her new co-star, Sebastian Spence, and everyone else involved with First Wave. She felt the role of Jordan was exactly what she was looking for. She loves the way Chris Brancato has developed her role, "I felt like someone had been hiding under my bed and wrote it."
Much of the filming of the third season of First Wave has been completed and I asked Traci if Jordan was all she expected. "I didn't necessarily expect to be leaping and jumping. I think in the last show I killed 4 aliens, kicked someone in the face, dove off a bus, and was home for dinner by six. So, it's a lot of fun and I never mess up my lipstick so sometimes I feel a little like Jaclyn Smith, with my gun and my tight pants on Charlie's Angels."
First wave also stars Rob LaBelle as Cade Foster's paranoid genius ally and Roger R. Cross in a dual role, as aliens Joshua and Cain. While the lucky Canadians get to watch Traci in her new role, fans in the United States, who get their weekly dose of First Wave on the Sci-Fi cable channel, will have to wait until the third season premier in January.
Movie News:
The Specials Aren't Mystery Men
James Gunn, writer of the SF film The Specials, told Eon Magazine that the independent superhero satire isn't a cut-rate version of last year's Mystery Men. "If somebody says The Specials is about second-rate superheroes, that's where the similarities end," Gunn told the magazine.
Gunn added, "Besides that, Mystery Men is a slapstick action film. Our movie is a character comedy. It's about human beings. It's about being a superhero as a human being. It's not about being a superhero and fighting. They're totally different movies. I would actually say that in some ways Mystery Men and X-Men are more alike than The Specials and Mystery Men."
The Specials, which opened in limited release on Sept. 18, tells the story of America's "seventh-best superhero team" and stars Gunn, Thomas Haden Church, Paget Brewster, Rob Lowe, Jamie Kennedy, Judy Greer, Kelly Coffield, Sean Gunn, Jordan Ladd, Mike Schwartz and Jim Zuvelic.
Scooby Doo Movie in Works
Writer James Gunn told the Popcorn U.K. Web site that he's working on a screenplay for a proposed live-action version of the animated television series Scooby Doo. "The script is on the second draft," Gunn told the site. "It just went into Warner Brothers two weeks ago."
Gunn added, "It looks like it's going to happen. There's a lot of momentum behind the film." Jennifer Love Hewitt is rumored to be in line for the role of Daphne. But Gunn denied a rumor that British actor Rhys Ifans would play Shaggy. "That's a false rumor," he said.
King's Dragon to Get Animated
WAMC Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based production company, has optioned Stephen King's novel The Eyes of the Dragon for an animated feature film, the Screendaily.com Web site reported. The novel, which King wrote for his daughter in 1987, tells the story of a kingdom inhabited by dragons, magicians and knights.
WAMC told the site that the project's screenplay is due for completion by early 2001. Character design will be originated in the United States, while sets and background will be created in Europe, the site reported.
Law Coming Along
Jackie Estrada of comic book publisher Exhibit A Press told the Comics Continuum that work continues on the script for Supernatural Law, the upcoming Universal Pictures movie based on Batton Lash's comic series Wolff and Byrd. The series tells the story of a law firm that represents demons and other supernatural creatures.
"Mike McCullers is doing a rewrite, with input from the director, Harald Zwart," Estrada told the site. "The rewrite is due in sometime next week. Nothing can get underway until casting is taken care of, and Universal is apparently looking at a lot of different people. And of course, everything could be affected by the threatened [Screen Actors Guild] strike." The initial script was written by S.S. Wilson and Steve Mazur, with a pass by Marti Noxon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
Editor's Note: Sounds like Wolfram and Hart to me. Not surprising given Noxon's connections to Buffy.
Obi-Wan Mulder?
The X-Files actor David Duchovny told fans that he got a call from George Lucas to appear in Star Wars: Episode III, but hasn't accepted it, according to Empire. Speaking in a French Internet chat, Duchovny said, "I'm a fan of Star Wars, but I'm not sure of having the time to act in it. ... I've got tons of projects in production after The X-Files series."
Duchovny will appear in 11 episodes of the upcoming eighth season of his hit Fox show. In addition, he's set to star in director Ivan Reitman's upcoming SF comedy movie Evolution, which is about aliens trying to invade Earth. "In Evolution, I play a professor who is charged with saving the world from aggressive aliens," he said. "I think that it's a transition that will take me away from The X-Files towards other roles."
Duchovny added that he's not eager to return to television once The X-Files ends. "I think it will be difficult to do another series, since people will always remember my work in The X-Files," he said. "I think it's the best time to turn the page and do something else."
'Pirates': The Movie
First it was a movie based on Disney's Country Bear Jamboree… now it looks like the once politically incorrect Pirates of the Caribbean attraction will also get its own film spin-off.
According to Variety, one-time game show producer Jay Wolpert has signed a deal with Disney to write one of their future projects as well as being in negotiations to do another. The first project, The Old Man in the Baseball Cap, is said to be based on the true story of a 19-year American pilot shot down over Yugoslavia in World War II. While on the run, a brave female freedom fighter came to his aid and helped the pilot to escape to safety in Czechoslovakia.
The second project is the potential Pirates of the Caribbean movie. According to the trade, Wolpert has already fleshed out some ideas for the film with Disney from a previously created treatment developed internally.
Previously, it has been reported that Disney was intent on developing many projects internally that would be cost effective as well as having name recognition. Country Bear Jamboree, a coming TV movie, was the first result of the plan. As far as Pirates is concerned, no story details are given, though one would presume that the film would be comedic in tone, like the ride.
One can't help but wonder what other park attractions might get the movie treatment, but after Pirates, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine the Haunted Mansion is next. We just hope that there are no plans for a It's a Small World movie.
Odds and Ends: Short items not worthy of an article in their own right.
The Oct. 3 premiere of Fox's Dark Angel earned the network its largest Tuesday audience ever for regular programming, bringing in an average viewership of 17.3 million. Among adults 18-34, the show earned an 8.3 rating and a 22 share.
The British tabloid The Sun reported that Paul Newman may play the caped crusader at age 75 in Batman: Year One, Darren Aronofsky's upcoming film based on the DC Comics series of the same name, according to TV Guide Online. "It's hard to believe that I'll be Batman at 75," Newman reportedly said. "It's not the usual story. It's going to be futuristic stuff." However, recent reports suggest that this might be just pie in the sky.
Writer Dana Windsor will produce the pilot for a proposed vampire soap opera entitled Living by Night, according to Cinescape. Described as a cross between Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and the British soap opera East Enders, the pilot will begin production in Wilmington, NC. The pilot will center on Rain, a 500-year-old vampire who struggles to protect the humans he cares about.
The X-Files star Gillian Anderson told the British newspaper The Guardian that she is thinking about taking her act to the London stage, where she would like to appear in theatrical plays. Anderson also said she plans to live part-time in the British capital at some point, though her commitment to The X-Files will likely keep her near her current home in Malibu, Calif.
Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin will star in The Devil and Daniel Webster, a supernatural movie based on Stephen Vincent Benet's story of the same name, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Baldwin will also make his feature-film directing debut with the movie for Cutting Edge Entertainment and El Dorado Pictures, the trade paper reported. Production is slated to start Jan. 15 in New York.
Hopkins will play publisher Daniel Webster and Baldwin will play writer Jabez Stone in the updated version of Benet's story, about a writer who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for fame and fortune. Pete Dexter (Michael) adapted the story for the screen, and Bill Condon and Nancy Cassaro did a rewrite.
Representatives of Paul Newman denied to Cinescape Online a rumor that the actor would play a 75-year-old Batman in Darren Aronofsky's upcoming Batman: Year One.
Mariah Carey is rumored to be the top choice to play Wonder Woman in Joel Silver's upcoming movie version of the comic series.
Part B Follows Shortly
Best wishes,
David Gerhard, Chairman
Bob Jenner, Information Officer
Alexandra Benedict, Entertainment Industry Liaison Officer
Eastlant Sci-Fi Group
Fans Working for Fandom, Not for Profit.
Eastlant Sci-Fi Group - 2000-2001 Season Progress Report 6A.
This is a digest of recent Sci-Fi- and genre-related news as of 10 October 2000.
Shows Premiering in the Next Week:
The Following Shows have already been requested and will be taped:
7 Days
Oct 11
Nov 6
Friends Season 7*
Oct 12
4 Eps - Nov 8 - 8 Eps - Dec 7
Will & Grace*
Oct 12
4 Eps - Nov 8 - 8 Eps - Dec 7
* - Non-Genre Shows - These will be retained only as long as we need to fulfill requests for them, and then recycled.
News & Notes
Group News:
In Answer to Earlier Inquiries about Using Credit Cards---
Over recent years we have been asked several times if we could accept credit cards. Of course, we can't do this ourselves, as the cost of running a Merchant Account would greatly increase the cost of the tapes. However, we have been keeping an eye out for a method of transferring funds, and now thanks to UK contact Sarah Reeson, we have come across what looks like a viable method.
Sarah recently sent us payment for an entire season from her UK credit card, using Bidpay, a website intended to allow successful auction bidders to pay for their items. Details can be found at http://www.bidpay.com/
We are not sure if they will accept cards from everywhere in the world, but most areas seem to be covered. As the site is US based and issues Western Union Money Orders to us at domestic rates, charges for this service are likely to be far lower than for IMOs for example. Exchange fees are most likely absorbed into the credit card charge.
When you look at the site, you will see in the FAQ a claim that the site can only be used for auctions. There is however, a way round this. Here is what Sarah told us about how she fooled the system:
The site is "dumb": it states it won't allow you to send a MO without an auction number, but the addition of a "." in the auction number field on the submission form is enough to fool it. I use it for any large sum over $50 (simply because it's more secure than cash..:->)
However, when it asks for details of what you are purchasing, please do not be too specific. Simply insert "Video Tapes" in the "Auction Item" box.
This does work, as we have received Sarah's WU Money Order, so if anyone would like to try it from countries other than the UK, we would be grateful to know how you get on.
Batman and Editing
You may remember that we mentioned that SFC was about to air the original 60s Batman series. As we eventually want to put these episodes in order, may we remind you that if anyone wants these episodes as they air (in random order), they will be unedited and in the order in which they come. We just don't have the time to edit these twice, so if you want them in the right order, please bear with us until we get enough to start making up masters in original series order.
PLEASE NOTE: as we expect to be even busier than usual this season, we may well apply the same rule to other archive episodes waiting to be edited. Normally, if anyone requested such an episode (the ones with the asterisks in the episode list) we would do a special edit for just that purpose. However, with 55 series requested so far this season, not including the specials, and the entire run of Widescreen Babylon 5, the first 4 seasons of Xena to replace and Nikita Seasons 1-4 to add to the library, all on a daily basis, as well as 9 other series on various cable stations (well over 1500 hundred episodes in total), we will not have time for any avoidable editing.
Interference in Weeks One and Two
Up until this weekend we have been experiencing some interference on a few of the networks, as a result of something called "beating" between the signals of a local radio station and the WB, NBC, and CBS networks. Apparently, this occurs when a signal which is an almost exact match to another signal (or an overtone of that signal) combines with it to create an effect which is not a part of the original transmission.
We are told that this has been going on for several months, but no action was taken until we complained and told the radio station that we would be quoting their interference with local TV signals as supporting evidence in our court case against our landlord over his ban on satellite dishes which comes up next month. For some reason that seemed to focus their attention on the issue.
The problem now appears to have been solved by negotiation between the TV companies and the radio station, as it seems to have disappeared over this last weekend. However, for the first two weeks, we have had some feint background lines wandering across the picture of some of the shows we have taped. The worst affected were WB shows Buffy (eps 1 & 2), Angel (eps 1 & 2), Charmed (ep 1) and Roswell (ep 1). Shows from Fox (Xena, Andromeda, EFC, etc) and UPN (Voyager) are not affected, nor are shows from cable stations.
This interference in no way affects picture quality, but the lines drifting slowly from the bottom of the screen to the top are annoying. Please bear with us on this. From here on, everything should be vastly improved.
Oops! Sorry About Part C
Apologies to everyone for dumping an unannounced part C on you last week. This was supposed to go out just to the webmaster at Infinite Frontiers, so that he can update the on-line episode list, but I dropped it in the wrong outbox, and it went to the automailer. I shall do what it always said in my school report and try to do better next time.
Buffy and Angel for the White House!!!
This isn't really TV news, so I have included it here. Nor is it really of any significance to the TV shows, but I am including it here for curiosity value.
This article appeared in several syndicated newspapers across the country last week, after the debate between Presidential Candidates George Bush and Al Gore was scheduled against Buffy and Angel (and the premiere of Dark Angel) last Tuesday night and we thought it would be of interest to our Buffy and Angel fans.
Buffy, Angel Would Make Dream Ticket
Let me know how the presidential debate comes out. I'm watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel tonight.
The writing is much better. The main characters are more attractive and more believable when delivering their lines. And after 10 minutes or so of dialogue we get to see them kick someone in the head.
I would write in Buffy and Angel for President and Vice President if they were eligible. But Buffy is too young. Angel is old enough, born sometime in the 18th century, but he's a vampire and would disintegrate during the inauguration.
Buffy and Angel are the kinds of shows that politicians claim are destroying American society. They are violent - sometimes gory. The characters engage in steamy sex. Buffy's best friend Willow is a lesbian who dates a witch. She turned away from men when her werewolf boyfriend Oz dumped her after an animalistic tryst with a murderous she-wolf.
All in all, it sounds just like another day in the Oval Office. But unlike the White House occupants, Buffy and Angel are role models.
I would rather my daughter be like Buffy and battle bloodsuckers than be like Hillary and turn into one.
I would rather my son be a vampire with a soul like Angel, than a politician without one, like Bill.
As for comparison with the current crop of candidates:
Buffy kills only vampires which technically are dead anyway - George W Bush has sent 140 prisoners to the death chamber - No1 in the country;
Buffy and Angel's victims deserve to die, although Angel accidentally killed an innocent demon last week - There's n telling how many innocent people Bus has executed given the "hang-em-high" legal system in Texas;
Buffy has never slain a mentally disabled vampire - George W allowed the execution of a convict with an IQ of 63;
George W is pro-gun - Buffy is anti-gun but pro-stake;
George W won't deny he used cocaine - Buffy once got hooked on beer, but only because a sorcerer hexed it;
Angel's private eye business is on the verge on bankruptcy but even so, he would never take money from Buddhist nuns - Al Gore's campaign is flush with millions in the bank and it did.
Angel and Buffy had sex outside marriage. But they were truly in love, which unfortunately caused Angel to lose his human soul and turn into a psychotic killer - Al looked like a psychotic fang-face when he gave Tipper a tonsillectomy at the Democratic National Convention. If Buffy were there, she might have mistaken th4 situation and staked Al there on the spot.
Angel kisses Buffy because he loves her - Al Gore kisses his wife to appeal to middle-aged suburban women.
The closest Al ever came to combat was taking notes in Vietnam - in just 4 years, Buffy and Angel have battled The Master, Spike, Mr Trick, Adam the Cyborg and Dracula.
Angel's greatest hope is to become human - so is Al's.
Al and George W were born with silver spoons - Buffy is the product of a single-parent household because her dada walked out on her. Angel constantly battles his demonic dark side.
Al and George W never saved the world - Buffy and Angel do it twice a season - and without raising our taxes.
Mike Thomas.
TV News:
TV Stations Playing Numbers Game with Cleo and Jack
Please note that the TV stations that are carrying the syndicated Back2Back Action hour of Cleopatra 2525 and Jack of All Trades are labeling these shows as a second season. We were led to understand that the episodes now airing were in fact the remaining eps from Season 1. However, for the sake of conformity, we will fall in line with the networks, so in effect, Season 1 now consists of 14 episode of each, and what we would have labeled Season 1 Episode 15 will now be Season 2 Episode 1.
Judge Sides with Writer in 'Queen of Swords' Duel
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An aspiring screenwriter has won the first round of a legal duel over the new TV show ``Queen of Swords,'' which she says was hijacked into syndication by Paramount Pictures two decades after she first sold the idea to ABC.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge Thursday ordered a halt to further broadcasts of the hour-long action drama, about a swashbuckling masked heroine, unless writer Linda Lukens receives a screen credit as the creator of the show.
Paramount denies her allegations and will appeal the judge's order, a spokesman for the Viacom Inc.-owned Company said. Under California law, a preliminary injunction of this nature is automatically stayed on appeal, the spokesman said.
But Lukens' attorneys disputed this, insisting Paramount could be held in contempt for airing the show again without crediting Lukens, unless the appeals court expressly decides otherwise.
Lukens sued the show's producers and Paramount, whose television group distributes the series, claiming the ``Queen of Swords'' was lifted from her own work on a TV drama that she has been developing under the same title for years.
The writer claims both she and the executive producer for the series were represented by the same literary agency, the Broder/Kurland Agency, which also is named in the lawsuit. In his ruling, Judge Morris Jones said a comparison of Lukens' work to the series, which premiered in the United States this week, revealed ``striking similarities indicative of misappropriation'' and that Lukens was likely to prevail on the merits of her case.
Besides having the same title, both Lukens' work and the Paramount-syndicated TV show involve an avenging, masked aristocrat who, inspired by the unjust death of her father, fights evil with the help and guidance of a gypsy mystic, according to the lawsuit. Her work is set in colonial New France; the series in Spanish colonial California.
Lukens' attorney, Anthony Kornarens, said his client came up with the idea in the late 1970s and sold a treatment for the show to ABC, where she co-wrote a script that never was produced. After rights reverted to Lukens, she reworked the script and sought to further develop the project before it was ''misappropriated'' and landed at Paramount, Kornarens said.
``This is something she's been working on for a long, long time.'' According to her attorney, Lukens' resume includes a number of little-known entertainment projects, including a production credit for a 3-D women's wrestling movie made for pay-per-view television.
However, The Hollywood Reporter reported today that a stay has been put on the injunction until it can be heard in appeals. So, the show can be aired until the appeal.
Freakylinks Rates Well
Freakylinks, Fox's new paranormal Internet drama, premiered to strong ratings Oct. 6, winning the 9 p.m. time slot in its target demographic of adults 18-34, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The drama, starring Ethan Embry, drew a viewership of 6.8 million, aided by a lead-in from Police Videos.
The season premiere of The WB's Charmed at 9 p.m. on Oct. 5, meanwhile, drew 7.7 million viewers, making it the network's most-watched show of the week, the trade paper reported. Charmed topped its previous highs for the night in adults 18-34 and adults 18-49, Variety reported.
UPN's 7 Days Steps Ahead
Thomas Ropelewski, executive producer of UPN's time-travel series 7 Days, said that the upcoming third season will switch gears to focus more on the show's current characters and introduce one new regular. 7 Days, which stars Jonathan LaPaglia as Frank Parker and Justina Vail as Olga Vukavitch, has its season premiere Oct. 11; it airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
"One of the things we learned in the second season is how flexible and malleable the style of storytelling in the show actually is," Ropelewski said. "Last year I would say was about experimentation in storytelling. We would jump genres. ... The third season is going to be more about characters and exploring our family of characters and their interactions."
This season, the show introduces a new character: Andrew "Hooter" Owsley, a boy computer genius played by Kevin Christy. Owsley will bedevil his mentor, Ballard, played by Sam Whipple. "He'll start at about episode five or six," Ropelewski said. He'll "bring a different kind of dynamic to the show, because he's this puppy dog in this high-technology toy store. ... Frank Parker is his hero. ... [Owsley is] filled with energy. ... And he needs a little guidance and training, and Parker will try to guide him."
Created by television veteran Christopher Crowe, 7 Days tells the story of a top-secret government project in which a chrononaut "back-steps" in time seven days to fix a problem. Vail won a Saturn Award this year for her portrayal of the brainy but sensual Olga.
Expect upheaval in the upcoming season, Ropelewski said. Donovan, played by Don Franklin, will act on his career frustration; Olga will have to deal with her attraction to Parker; Ramsey (Nick Searcy) may find himself in charge of the "Back-Step" program; and Talmadge (Alan Scarfe) may have to deal with a nervous breakdown. The third season may also see the return of a chrononaut from the future who was featured prominently in last season's finale.
Since its debut as an SF action-adventure series, 7 Days has evolved into a show about moral choices, Ropelewski said. "What the show has ... become is ... sort of like a Groundhog Day, where the questions it asks are, 'What would you do if you could live last week over again?' ... I think some of the best 7 Days episodes we've done are about moral choices. And I think it's probably the only show on the air that traffics in irony. ... Why [do] those small things that you change have huge significance that you don't even know about when they first happen?"
Henson Gets 'Jack'
Brian Henson has elected to direct the CBS TV network's Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story four-hour miniseries. According to Variety, the production will take a nontraditional look at the classic fairy tale.
Set in the present, the story the story is about a man who finds himself in court being sued for the actions of one of his ancestors, in this case "Jack", and his criminal actions against giants.
The production is likely to ramp up in the next couple of months, with shooting taking place in London. CBS, as yet, has not scheduled the film, though it could be ready as soon as May 2001.
'Pretender' TV Movies
As previously rumored, the TNT cable network has finally committed to producing two TV movies based on NBC's canceled The Pretender TV show. According to the trades, the first film will resolve the cliffhanger left at the fourth season's finale. Michael T. Weiss will return to the role of Jarod. In addition, series regulars Andrea Parker, Jon Gries and Patrick Bauchau will be in the films as well. Series creators Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle will write both telefilms as well as executive produce with Fred Keller. Keller will direct the films, too.
Both films will be sued to cross-promote reruns of the original series currently being shown on the cable station. Currently there are no plans to resurrect The Pretender in its series format, but good ratings may result in further films.
Lords Talks 'First Wave'
As previously reported in the Insider, Traci Lords has joined the cast of First Wave. Lords, who now prefers to use her full name of Traci Elizabeth Lords, recently spoke about what its been like to sign up to battle aliens on the program's third season. Here is a part of the news report:
The third season of the internationally acclaimed science fiction series, First Wave, recently premiered in Canada on Space: The Imagination Station. First Wave's creator, Chris Brancato, says that we can expect the third season to be filled with lots of action and some very exciting changes for Cade Foster, who is the "chosen one" to save the human race from being taken over by invading aliens. "We will be dramatically ramping up the 'invasion' tension. Introducing a powerful alien leader. And also giving Cade Foster a new and unexpected ally."
That new unexpected ally is the very beautiful and sexy Jordan Radcliffe, played by eminently alluring Traci Elizabeth Lords (Blade, Profiler). Traci is thrilled to be working with her new co-star, Sebastian Spence, and everyone else involved with First Wave. She felt the role of Jordan was exactly what she was looking for. She loves the way Chris Brancato has developed her role, "I felt like someone had been hiding under my bed and wrote it."
Much of the filming of the third season of First Wave has been completed and I asked Traci if Jordan was all she expected. "I didn't necessarily expect to be leaping and jumping. I think in the last show I killed 4 aliens, kicked someone in the face, dove off a bus, and was home for dinner by six. So, it's a lot of fun and I never mess up my lipstick so sometimes I feel a little like Jaclyn Smith, with my gun and my tight pants on Charlie's Angels."
First wave also stars Rob LaBelle as Cade Foster's paranoid genius ally and Roger R. Cross in a dual role, as aliens Joshua and Cain. While the lucky Canadians get to watch Traci in her new role, fans in the United States, who get their weekly dose of First Wave on the Sci-Fi cable channel, will have to wait until the third season premier in January.
Movie News:
The Specials Aren't Mystery Men
James Gunn, writer of the SF film The Specials, told Eon Magazine that the independent superhero satire isn't a cut-rate version of last year's Mystery Men. "If somebody says The Specials is about second-rate superheroes, that's where the similarities end," Gunn told the magazine.
Gunn added, "Besides that, Mystery Men is a slapstick action film. Our movie is a character comedy. It's about human beings. It's about being a superhero as a human being. It's not about being a superhero and fighting. They're totally different movies. I would actually say that in some ways Mystery Men and X-Men are more alike than The Specials and Mystery Men."
The Specials, which opened in limited release on Sept. 18, tells the story of America's "seventh-best superhero team" and stars Gunn, Thomas Haden Church, Paget Brewster, Rob Lowe, Jamie Kennedy, Judy Greer, Kelly Coffield, Sean Gunn, Jordan Ladd, Mike Schwartz and Jim Zuvelic.
Scooby Doo Movie in Works
Writer James Gunn told the Popcorn U.K. Web site that he's working on a screenplay for a proposed live-action version of the animated television series Scooby Doo. "The script is on the second draft," Gunn told the site. "It just went into Warner Brothers two weeks ago."
Gunn added, "It looks like it's going to happen. There's a lot of momentum behind the film." Jennifer Love Hewitt is rumored to be in line for the role of Daphne. But Gunn denied a rumor that British actor Rhys Ifans would play Shaggy. "That's a false rumor," he said.
King's Dragon to Get Animated
WAMC Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based production company, has optioned Stephen King's novel The Eyes of the Dragon for an animated feature film, the Screendaily.com Web site reported. The novel, which King wrote for his daughter in 1987, tells the story of a kingdom inhabited by dragons, magicians and knights.
WAMC told the site that the project's screenplay is due for completion by early 2001. Character design will be originated in the United States, while sets and background will be created in Europe, the site reported.
Law Coming Along
Jackie Estrada of comic book publisher Exhibit A Press told the Comics Continuum that work continues on the script for Supernatural Law, the upcoming Universal Pictures movie based on Batton Lash's comic series Wolff and Byrd. The series tells the story of a law firm that represents demons and other supernatural creatures.
"Mike McCullers is doing a rewrite, with input from the director, Harald Zwart," Estrada told the site. "The rewrite is due in sometime next week. Nothing can get underway until casting is taken care of, and Universal is apparently looking at a lot of different people. And of course, everything could be affected by the threatened [Screen Actors Guild] strike." The initial script was written by S.S. Wilson and Steve Mazur, with a pass by Marti Noxon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
Editor's Note: Sounds like Wolfram and Hart to me. Not surprising given Noxon's connections to Buffy.
Obi-Wan Mulder?
The X-Files actor David Duchovny told fans that he got a call from George Lucas to appear in Star Wars: Episode III, but hasn't accepted it, according to Empire. Speaking in a French Internet chat, Duchovny said, "I'm a fan of Star Wars, but I'm not sure of having the time to act in it. ... I've got tons of projects in production after The X-Files series."
Duchovny will appear in 11 episodes of the upcoming eighth season of his hit Fox show. In addition, he's set to star in director Ivan Reitman's upcoming SF comedy movie Evolution, which is about aliens trying to invade Earth. "In Evolution, I play a professor who is charged with saving the world from aggressive aliens," he said. "I think that it's a transition that will take me away from The X-Files towards other roles."
Duchovny added that he's not eager to return to television once The X-Files ends. "I think it will be difficult to do another series, since people will always remember my work in The X-Files," he said. "I think it's the best time to turn the page and do something else."
'Pirates': The Movie
First it was a movie based on Disney's Country Bear Jamboree… now it looks like the once politically incorrect Pirates of the Caribbean attraction will also get its own film spin-off.
According to Variety, one-time game show producer Jay Wolpert has signed a deal with Disney to write one of their future projects as well as being in negotiations to do another. The first project, The Old Man in the Baseball Cap, is said to be based on the true story of a 19-year American pilot shot down over Yugoslavia in World War II. While on the run, a brave female freedom fighter came to his aid and helped the pilot to escape to safety in Czechoslovakia.
The second project is the potential Pirates of the Caribbean movie. According to the trade, Wolpert has already fleshed out some ideas for the film with Disney from a previously created treatment developed internally.
Previously, it has been reported that Disney was intent on developing many projects internally that would be cost effective as well as having name recognition. Country Bear Jamboree, a coming TV movie, was the first result of the plan. As far as Pirates is concerned, no story details are given, though one would presume that the film would be comedic in tone, like the ride.
One can't help but wonder what other park attractions might get the movie treatment, but after Pirates, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine the Haunted Mansion is next. We just hope that there are no plans for a It's a Small World movie.
Odds and Ends: Short items not worthy of an article in their own right.
The Oct. 3 premiere of Fox's Dark Angel earned the network its largest Tuesday audience ever for regular programming, bringing in an average viewership of 17.3 million. Among adults 18-34, the show earned an 8.3 rating and a 22 share.
The British tabloid The Sun reported that Paul Newman may play the caped crusader at age 75 in Batman: Year One, Darren Aronofsky's upcoming film based on the DC Comics series of the same name, according to TV Guide Online. "It's hard to believe that I'll be Batman at 75," Newman reportedly said. "It's not the usual story. It's going to be futuristic stuff." However, recent reports suggest that this might be just pie in the sky.
Writer Dana Windsor will produce the pilot for a proposed vampire soap opera entitled Living by Night, according to Cinescape. Described as a cross between Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and the British soap opera East Enders, the pilot will begin production in Wilmington, NC. The pilot will center on Rain, a 500-year-old vampire who struggles to protect the humans he cares about.
The X-Files star Gillian Anderson told the British newspaper The Guardian that she is thinking about taking her act to the London stage, where she would like to appear in theatrical plays. Anderson also said she plans to live part-time in the British capital at some point, though her commitment to The X-Files will likely keep her near her current home in Malibu, Calif.
Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin will star in The Devil and Daniel Webster, a supernatural movie based on Stephen Vincent Benet's story of the same name, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Baldwin will also make his feature-film directing debut with the movie for Cutting Edge Entertainment and El Dorado Pictures, the trade paper reported. Production is slated to start Jan. 15 in New York.
Hopkins will play publisher Daniel Webster and Baldwin will play writer Jabez Stone in the updated version of Benet's story, about a writer who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for fame and fortune. Pete Dexter (Michael) adapted the story for the screen, and Bill Condon and Nancy Cassaro did a rewrite.
Representatives of Paul Newman denied to Cinescape Online a rumor that the actor would play a 75-year-old Batman in Darren Aronofsky's upcoming Batman: Year One.
Mariah Carey is rumored to be the top choice to play Wonder Woman in Joel Silver's upcoming movie version of the comic series.
Part B Follows Shortly
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David Gerhard, Chairman
Bob Jenner, Information Officer
Alexandra Benedict, Entertainment Industry Liaison Officer
Eastlant Sci-Fi Group
Fans Working for Fandom, Not for Profit.
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