The Zocalo Today – August 16, 2004

TODAY'S NEWS

BABYLON 5 MOVIES -- AVAILABLE TOMORROW
On Tuesday, Warner Bros Home Video will release the "Babylon 5: The
Movies," on DVD. This 5 disc set will contain all 5 movies as well
as special features. The set will carry a $59.98 SRP and will be
available in stores and online August 17th. "The Gathering" will be
presented in 4:3 (original aspect ratio) while the other movies will
be 16:9 anamorphic widescreen; all movies will feature Dolby Digital
5.1 tracks. The sets will be closed captioned and be subtitled in
English, Spanish and French.

Each movie will contain commentary from the creator (J. Michael
Straczynski), cast and crew, as well as an introduction for each
movie by JMS. Rounding out the special features is the
featurette, "Creating the Future - How Science Fiction and the show
influenced each other."

The Gathering (1993): Alien envoys come to the giant space station
in the pilot that launched the five-year TV series.

In the Beginning (1998): The B5 prequel! It's humans vs. aliens in
the battle that led to the station's creation.

Thirdspace (1998): Is there a realm beyond hyperspace? Discovery of
a million-years-old gateway technology may hold the answer...and
more.

River of Souls (1998): After death, then what? Questions of eternity
arise when a supposedly infallible harvester of souls proves to be
very fallible.

A Call to Arms (1999): The torch is passed. A race against time to
save Earth links the B5 mission with the Rangers' new interstellar
efforts.

For more information on Babylon 5 DVDs, go to Babylon 5 DVDs.

FARSCAPE, ART AND DRAGON*CON

There is an art competition underway for the upcoming Dragon*Con
convention. If you would like to submit an entry to the Scaper Art
Show and the Scaper Art Competition, the deadline is August 18th.
Since time is so short, you can e-mail your image(s) to
scaperdcart@... as .jpg (.jpeg) attachments. The resolution
should be 640 x 480 or higher. Please also include the following
info:

Name
Address
E-mail
Title(s)
Medium(s)
Category for each piece (competition only)

You are allowed 1 entry in each of the categories for the
Competition portion of the project. For the Show portion, the number
of entries is unlimited.

DISCUSSION TOPIC:

What do you think of the new STARGATE ATLANTIS series? Do you like
the story, cast, the premise for the series?

Send in your thoughts and comments to sgbruckner@.... I post
them on the Discussion Page for everyone to share and enjoy. See
what has come in so far. If you see an old topic you want to respond
to, go right ahead. We enjoy hearing from you.

JMS UPDATE

Here is just a very brief update lifted from the B5 moderated
newsgroup -- JMS answers some questions on JEREMIAH and TMOS:

1. When will Season 2 of "Jeremiah" be released on DVD? We don't
have Showtime, and we've watched Season 1 DVDs ad infinitum.

I've no idea, it's an MGM decision, and they have not consulted or
informed me concerning any of the DVDs.

2. Does the recent death of Richard Biggs mean that the B5:MoS
project has been cancel(l)ed or postponed?

It's resulted in a slowdown to make changes and adjust things.

3. Will the remaining eight episodes already filmed of "Jeremiah"
constitute Season 3 or part of Season 2?

They were filmed as season 2, how Showtime chooses to market them is
their province.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

GARY COLE: Gary has been nothing but busy since leaving the role of
Capt. Gideon on B5's CRUSADE. Gary stars as Jerry "The Blade" in POP
ROCKS, an upcoming TV film for ABC Family. The story follows Jerry
as financial circumstances force him to return to his heavy metal
rock band past -- and try to keep his secret from his family. Gary
is also in MOZART AND THE WHALE with Josh Hartnett. This film is due
out in December and follows a couple with Asperger's Syndrome who
fall in love. (Asperger's is a form of autism, one of Gary's special
interests.)

PETER WOODWARD: Peter is looking forward to seeing fans at Dragon
Con this year - it is his ONLY convention appearance currently
booked for the whole year. He has been very busy writing scripts.
His movie directed by (Lord!) Richard Attenborough and starring
Shirley MacLaine is slated to shoot in March; early prep begins next
month; and he is finishing a History Channel documentary on
Alexander the Great, which airs when the big film comes out.

CHRISTOPHER FRANKE: Christopher Franke is busy doing the music for
UPN's new AMISH IN THE CITY.

SPECIAL CAST ACTIVITY - CRUISIN' WITH BABYLON 5

STEPHEN AUSTIN: Stephen Austin (B-5's "Pak'Ma'Ra Ambassador") has
the following August booking for his comedy routine:

ON THE ROCKS
Sat., Aug. 21st, 2004 – 8p
Fresno, CA
559-224-9800

THE ICE HOUSE - ANNEX
Tere Joyce Presents: CHEAP THRILLS
Weds., Aug. 25th, 2004 – 8p
Pasadena, CA
626-577-1894

Don't forget - along with comedy legends Vic Dunlop and Bruce Baum,
Stephen will be cruising the Caribbean and he wants YOU to join the
fun!!! Here are the details:
Departing March 6-13, 2005
The Carnival V a lor
Sailing roundtrip from Miami Florida
visiting Belize, Isla Roatan, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel
http://www.cruiseevents.net/dunlop/index.htm.

CRUISE WITH PETER WOODWARD
Peter Woodward sent along a reminder about his cruise:
"Just wanted to say hello to my fans and friends out there, and tell
you the latest on my Caribbean Cruise plans, January 9-16 of 2005. I
will be giving live teaching sessions with medieval weapons from the
Conquest series, and we'll be talking about B5/Crusade and the Sci-
fi universe, and uncensored stuff about Egypt. Booking is going
well, and we are sailing on Holland America's Westerdam, roundtrip
from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau, St Marteen, Tortola, and Half-Moon
Cay."
For more information, go to
http://www.cruiseevents.net/celebrity.htm and then press Peter's
photo. Space is limited! Don't delay, call today! 800-695- 5253 or e-
mail: Susan@....

BABYLON 5 INTERVIEWS ON VIDEO

Ranger Mark was Dragon-Con's OFFICIAL videographer for 1998 and
1999. He has pulled together a series of interviews from various
conventions over the past 10 years available and they are now
available on e-bay. This includes footage from Dragon-Con with Peter
Jurasik hosting the Dawn Look a Like Contest , and 2 panels of the
B5ers, one all women the other the men. There is now a 2-hour tape
devoted to BABYLON 5 cast members, including two interviews with the
late Richard Biggs.

Mark's Ebay page is http://stores.ebay.com/markscelebrityinterviews
and his text page is http://members.tripod.com/cosmicmc/. If you are
interested, drop over and give this a look-see.

For those of us who have enjoyed going to DragonCon over the last
few years, these tapes will be especially enjoyable. They will bring
back memories -- that can be shared.

THE LATEST SCIENCE FICTION PUBLICATIONS:

Starburst Special #65: This issue has a lot of information about the
new THUNDERBIRDS movie. You go behind the scenes with Director
Jonathan (Star Trek) Frakes, young stars Brady Corbet, Vanessa Anne
Hudgens and Soren Fultobn who play Alan, Tin Tin and Fermat and Sir
Ben Kingsley, aka `The Hood' and Sophia (Lady Penelope) Myles
and
Ron (Parker)Cook. The magazine looks at the the CGI effects and the
costume designs as well. You'll also find articles on STARGATE
ATLANTIS as Producer Peter Deluise talks about working on the
series, and actors Torri Higginson, Rachel Luttrell and Rainbow Sun
Francks chat about their roles on the new Stargate team.

Expose #88: In this issue, HARRY POTTER, Daniel Radcliffe, talks
about working with new directors and growing up as he looks ahead to
The Prisoner of Azkaban, and beyond. Also, Ian Spelling catches up
with Hagrid, alias Robbie Coltrane.

TV Zone Special #58: You will get a guide to the first part of
Stargate SG-1's eighth season, complete with cast and crew
interviews – and a look at the making of the new spin-off series
Stargate Atlantis. Also Battlestar Galactica 2004 -- Commander
William Adama, Edward James Olmos, takes the battle to the Cylons
–
and deals with family issues – in the continuing revival of the
classic Sci-Fi show.

WHAT'S ON TONIGHT

CABLE AND NETWORK SHOWS:

8:00pm on HBO
Dreamcatcher
Telepathic friends and the military confront aliens. Based on a book
by Stephen King.

9:00pm on ABC
Jurassic Park III
A paleontologist and a couple outrun cloned dinosaurs after their
plane crashes on an island.

10:00pm on CBS
CSI: Miami
Extreme
The body of Nikki Wilcox is found miles away from her wealthy
neighborhood and the evidence suggests that she was kidnapped. Her
wrist watch leads Horatio (David Caruso) to her boyfriend, who
confesses that he hired a professional kidnapping service with
Nikki's consent because they both were looking for a new adrenaline
high.

ON SCIFI TONIGHT:

6:00pm
Stargate SG-1
Sentinel
Anubis' forces lay siege to a planet after Shades of Gray NID team
disables its defenses.

7:00pm
Stargate SG-1
Nemesis
SG-1 faces creatures of mass destruction.

8:00pm
Stargate SG-1
Small Victories
Replicators make their way to Earth.

9:00pm
Stargate SG-1
The Other Side
SG-1 helps a civilization with ties to Earth.

10:00pm
Stargate SG-1
Upgrades
A device helps the SG-1 crew to become superhuman.

INSIDE SCIENCE FICTION THIS WEEK:

TOP 10 SCIFI CHANNEL SHOWS:
Stargate Atlantis 2.5
Stargate SG-1 2.2
Out for Blood 1.6
Dragonfly 1.6
Dante's Peak 1.3
Thirteen Ghosts 1.1
The Ninth Gate 1.1
The Breed 1.0
Project Viper 0.9
Virtuosity 0.9
Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 7/26/04 - 8/1/04.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The battle for the #1 spot this weekend was won
by ALIEN VS. PREDITOR, as it snatched $38.3 million. The opening
weekend far exceeded expectations heading into the frame and deftly
surpassed all previous openings of either franchise. The opening
also bettered the debut of New Line's horror match, "Freddy vs.
Jason," which opened with $36.4 million. Fox continues to be on a
roll at the boxoffice -- the opening for the PG-13-rated "AVP"
marked the distributor's sixth consecutive film that debuted to the
tune of more than $20 million. Meanwhile, Buena Vista's PRINCESS
DIARIES 2: THE ROYAL ENGAGEMENT proved to be engaging the second
time around as the Garry Marshall- directed romantic comedy placed
second with a debut of an estimated $23 million. The G-rated
PRINCESS DIARIES 2, starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, opened
to slightly more than the $22.9 million the first film earned in its
debut weekend, and since its Wednesday release has accumulated an
estimated $37.2 million, just a bit less than the entire first week
of "The Princess Diaries." Challenges to the box office from the
Summer Olympics in Athens and Hurricane Charley on the East Coast,
also played a part in this week's gross totals. DreamWorks'
COLLATERAL held up well in its sophomore frame. The Tom Cruise
starrer, helmed by Michael Mann, placed third with an estimated $16
million, down a moderate 35%, while bringing the 10-day total to
about $52.4 million. Warner Bros. Pictures' animated YU-GI-OH! based
on the popular Japanese television series and trading cards, opened
in the fourth slot with an estimated $9.4 million, attracting mostly
young males. The distributor picked up the worldwide rights to the
film, excluding Japan, for around $5 million. Universal's THE BOURNE
SUPREMACY slipped 42% in its fourth session as the Matt Damon
starrer generated an estimated $8.3 million to place fifth. The
action-thriller has generated an estimated $139.4 million to date,
surpassing the total run of the first film in the franchise, which
left theaters with $121.7 million. Buena Vista's THE VILLAGE
continued as the thriller moved into the sixth slot with an
estimated $7 million, down a harsh 57% in its telling third frame.
The M. Night Shyamalan-directed picture looks destined to be his
second-lowest-grossing release to date since the debut of "The Sixth
Sense." The total for "Village" is around $99.7 million and should
cross the $100 million mark today. Paramount's THE MANCHURIAN
CANDIDATE was seventh with an estimated $6 million in receipts. The
Denzel Washington starrer was off 43% in its third weekend and has
picked up roughly $48 million so far.

SKY HIGH: The cast for this film continues to grow. Bruce Campbell,
Lynda Carter and David Foley have joined the cast of SKY HIGH, a
teen comedy that Mike Mitchell is directing and Andrew Gunn is
producing. SKY HIGH revolves around a high school for superpowered
teens in a world where superheroes are an everyday occurrence.
Campbell will play Coach Boomer, who tests students and decides
whether they become a sidekick or a hero. Carter is set as the
school's principal, while Foley will portray Mr. Boy, the teacher of
sidekicks. Brigham Taylor and Louanne Brickhouse are the execs on
the project, which is set to start Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Gunnfilm's Ann Marie Sanderlin is executive producer.

DAREDEVIL: Fox Home Entertainment is targeting November 30 for the
release for the DAREDEVIL Director's Cut DVD. ELEKTRA is scheduled
for a January 14 release date, so this would be a nice promo to get
fans ready for the new film.

FRAGILE: Calista Flockhart is back to work following a break from
her successful ALLY McBEAL series on an independent feature FRAGILE.
The Filmax project will see Flockhart topline as a nurse who takes a
new job at a desolate children's hospital during its closing days.
She struggles to keep the kids safe and uncovers the mystery behind
apparent attacks of an unknown origin that hurt the kids so that
they cannot leave the premises. Richard Roxburgh, Yasmin Murphy and
Gemma Jones are also on board to star. The film starts shooting in
Barcelona at the end of the month with Jaume Balaguero directing
from a script he wrote with Jordi Galceran.

BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE/THE OUTER LIMITS: STIGMATA director Rupert
Wainwright has signed on to direct the werewolf fllm BLOOD AND
CHOCOLATE for MGM and is also now attached to direct the studio's
big-screen adaptation of THE OUTER LIMITS. BLOOD is based on the
book by Annette Curtis Klause and set in a secret society of
werewolves living in modern-day society. The story revolves around
the romance between a female werewolf and a human. Ehren Kruger (The
Ring), who wrote the script for BLOOD, will serve as an executive
producer.

BABYLON 5 DVD: It has been fantastic seeing the ads for the upcoming
BABYLON 5 MOVIES on TV. The clips used only give a brief taste of
what lies on the DVD set -- but it is wonderful seeing the show on
the tube again -- if only briefly.

GREEN LANTERN: At the Wizard World convention this weekend in
Chicago, DC Comics announced a new ongoing Green Lantern series
featuring Hal Jordan. The series, simply titled Green Lantern, will
follow the five-issue Green Lantern: Rebirth mini-series that
launches in October. Geoff Johns, the writer of the Green Lantern:
Rebirth, will also be writing the ongoing title. Carlos Pacheco and
Jesus Merino, who are featured in an upcoming run on
Superman/Batman, will be the artists.

STAR WARS: At the Wizard Convention in Chicago, Topps announced that
in addition to the roster of 25 artists who are creating original,
one-of-a-kind sketch cards which will be inserted randomly into
hobby packs of STAR WARS HERITAGE cards, James Earl Jones (the voice
of Darth Vader) and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) have signed cards
for the series as well. Both actors signed a very limited quantity
of cards. Star Wars Heritage represents the first time Mark Hamill
has ever signed for Topps while James Earl Jones signed once before
for Star Wars Evolution, a character-based series published by Topps
in 2001. Star Wars Heritage contains five cards, plus one wrapped
piece of bubble gum per pack. The suggested retail price is $2 per
pack. The product ship date is the week of Sept. 20, coinciding with
the release of the DVD launch of the original Star Wars Trilogy.

TOUCHING EVIL: Bruce Willis, who serves as executive producer of the
USA Network series TOUCHING EVIL, was informed this week that the
show is over. USA Network executives blamed the end on poor ratings.

YU-GI-OH!: Warner Bros. Pictures' release of the animated adventure
film Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie, opening Friday in theaters nationwide, has
sparked a frenzy among fans eager to obtain four new "Yu-Gi-Oh!"
trading cards that were created exclusively for the film. Moviegoers
receive one of four exclusive "Yu-Gi-Oh!" cards free with the
purchase of admission to Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie, but two enterprising
fans stole a quantity of 2,400 cards from the Cinemark Movies 8 in
Chino, California after perpetrating an elaborate ruse. A man
impersonating a Warner Bros. employee, along with a partner posing
as his assistant, convinced theater management that the wrong type
of cards had been shipped to the facility, and made off with the
entire quantity after promising to send replacements. Audience
demand for the exclusive cards has been so great that theater
managers around the country have besieged Warner Bros. Pictures with
calls requesting additional quantities, and sales of the cards are
doing a brisk business on eBay.

JULIA CHILD: While this has nothing to do with science fiction, I
know there are a lot of people out there who loved Julia Child and I
didn't want another day to pay without acknowledging the passing of
this great, dignified personality. She brought food to the TV
screen, and made cooking fun. Child's first tube success came when
she was fifty in 1963. The French Chef, which won Peabody and Emmy
awards, turned her into a culinary star and introduced Americans to
her signature sign off, "bon appétit." Her television shows and
popular cook books changed the eating habits of millions. The set
for one of Child's kitchens is a featured attraction at the
Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington. Chefs
and TV viewers will miss Julia Child -- and her rare humor and wit.

HURRICANE CHARLEY: With this hurricane bearing down on the East
Coast, there is little other news -- as everyone waits to see what
will happen as the storm passes. I hope all our readers will be
safe -- particularly some special folks in the Cape Canaveral area.

CONSTANTINE: With the premiere set for February 11, 2005, Brian
Tyler has been hired to score CONSTANTINE, the action adventure
based on the DC/Vertigo comic book 'Hellblazer'. The film stars
Keanu Reeves as a supernatural detective and Rachel Weisz as a
policewoman in a story filled with demons, angels, heroes and
villains. The film was directed by debutant Francis Lawrence.

TOP SF NETWORK SHOWS:
Joan of Arcadia 2.8
Charmed 1.4
Smallville 1.4
Enterprise 1.1
Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 7/19/04 - 7/25/04.

SMALLVILLE: Rumors from The KryptonSite report that in the fifth
episode of SMALLVILLE's new season will bring another of DC Comics'
superheroes to Smallville, namely The Flash! The Flash character
we'll get to see in the episode will be Bart Allen, the young boy in
the DC Comics' universe who is the grandson of the Golden Age's
Barry Allen Flash. KryptonSite says that Bart will have many of the
same qualities of his comic counterpart: a tendency to act first
without thinking about the consequences and a motor mouth. The names
of other Flashes will also be seen or mentioned in the episode, such
as Wally West (who is the current Flash in the comics) as well as
Jay Garrick. The one thing that appears to be different at this time
is the character's superpowers origin: unlike the comics, where Bart
comes from the future and inherited his powers via the family tree,
the SMALLVILLE version of Bart received his superspeed by a strange
accident as a child. Sounds more like the accident that gave Barry
Allen his powers. The as-yet untitled episode is scheduled to air
October 20. It's being written by ex-BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER writer
Steve DeKnight.

EVERY WORD IS TRUE: Gwyneth Paltrow (Sky Captain and the World of
Tomorrow) will play Peggy Lee in Warner Independent Pictures' Truman
Capote biopic EVERY WORD IS TRUE. She joins the cast which includes
Mark Wahlberg, Sandra Bullock and Toby Jones. Sigourney Weaver (The
Village) has also has joined the cast, playing one of Capote's
socialite confidantes. Wahlberg will portray "In Cold Blood" killer
Perry Smith, with Bullock as Harper Lee, the "To Kill a Mockingbird"
author who was Capote childhood friend. U.K. actor Jones will star
as Capote. The film focuses on Capote's relationship with convicted
murderers Dick Hickock and Smith while the pair awaited execution on
death row. Variety says the $10 million-budgeted project, written
and to be directed by Doug McGrath, will start production on January
1.

WAR OF THE WORLDS: According to the Hollywood Reporter, director
Steven Spielberg is likely to reteam with VFX guru Dennis Muren and
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) on WAR OF THE WORLDS, starring Tom
Cruise at Paramount and DreamWorks. Producer Kathleen Kennedy is
already beginning talks with the Northern California effects house,
and Muren is likely to oversee the job, with Paramount executive
Mark Bakshi supervising for the studio. The number of special
effects shots for WAR has yet to be determined, but it is not
expected to be as large as some recent summer films. Spielberg,
Muren and ILM previously teamed up on MINORITY REPORT, which
contained about 400 shots, and ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: AI, which
included close to 300 shots. WAR will begin filming in November for
a release in 2005.

TOP 10 SF DVD SALES:
1. Star Wars trilogy
2. The Passion of the Christ
3. Hellboy
4. 13 Going on 30
5. Alf season one
6. The Manchurian Candidate
7. Angel season four
8. Alias season three
9. Babylon 5 movie collection
10. Darby O'Gill and the Little People
Source: Amazon.com, top-selling genre DVDs, 8/9/04

THE 4400: The USA Network claimed the top three basic-cable spots in
total viewers last week with the Aug. 8 finale of THE 4400 and new
episodes of MONK and THE DEAD ZONE. Variety reported that the final
installment of 4400 earned a 2.3 rating among viewers aged 18-49 and
6.1 million viewers overall, while DEAD ZONE posted a 2.0 rating and
4.6 million viewers. USA placed first with a 0.95 national rating in
18-49, putting it on a par with The WB (1.0). USA averaged a 1.15
rating in 25-54 and 2.9 million total viewers.

SUPERHERO PROJECT: BATMAN screenwriter Sam Hamm and ex-X-FILES and
MILLENNIUM staff writer Darin Morgan have a new but still untitled
feature project in development at DreamWorks that they'll write
together. The story idea is about a marriage counselor who's in a
bit of a dilemma: the man she's about to marry believes that he's a
superhero. Morgan won an Emmy for his writing on the third season
episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose". He's been MIA from
television since making an acting appearance on ABC's short-lived
horror series THE OTHERS.

FLASH GORDON: Apparently Ashton Kutcher is in talks with Director
Stephen Sommers to star as FLASH GORDON -- according to the World
Entertainment News Network. Sommers ["Van Helsing"] apparently sees
Kutcher as the perfect 'Flash'. "He has the right look, the right
build and he isn't known for any one film role so he would be an
empty canvas for Stephen to work with."

MEGACITY 909: Screenwriter Ronald Shusett, who recently co-wrote the
screen story for Alien Vs. Predator, has optioned the screen rights
to the new comic book MEGACITY 909. The story revolves around an
elite team by the code name PHOBIA which is charged with tracking
down Pulses; supernatural creatures that can possess humans.

TOP 10 SF SYNDICATED SHOWS:
Stargate SG-1 2.1
Andromeda 1.9
Mutant X 1.7
She Spies 1.6
The X-Files 1.6
Buffy 1.4
3rd Rock 1.3
Angel 1.3
Beastmaster 1.1
The Outer Limits 1.1
Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, 7/19/04 - 7/25/04

CARTOON NETWORK: Variety reports that the Cartoon Network and Warner
Bros. Television Group are developing a weekday morning franchise of
animated series aimed at preschoolers, which will launch next spring
in a commercial-free block of original and acquired programming.

TEEN TITANS: Warner Home Video has announced a September 28 release
date for sets of TEEN TITANS: DIVIDE AND CONQUER and STATIC SHOCK:
THE NEW KID. Both animated series feature six season-one episodes
and has a suggested retail price of $19.97 for the DVD and $8.93 for
the VHS version.

AIRBORN: According to the Hollywood Reporter, Stephen Sommers (MUMMY
& VAN HELSING), and his producing partner Bob Ducsay will produce
AIRBORN, a fantasy film for Universal Pictures, based on a
children's book by Kenneth Oppel. Ruddy Morgan principals Albert
Ruddy and Andre Morgan will partner with Sommers and Ducsay. Airborn
tells the story of a 15-year-old boy who works on a luxury airship
that is part dirigible and part passenger cruise ship. When air
pirates attack the airship, the boy and a girl embark on an
adventure that includes strange flying creatures, secret lairs,
nasty villains and uncharted volcanic islands.

THE FROG KING: A LOVE STORY: Bret Easton Ellis (AMERICAN PSYCHO,
LESS THAN ZERO and GLAMORAMA), enjoyed Adam Davies first novel THE
FROG KING: A LOVE STORY so much that he decided to write the book's
screenplay. The script has just been optioned by Intermedia, a
producing firm, and is now in the early stages of development. THE
FROG KING, published two years ago, is a bittersweet romantic drama
about an employee leading a drudging existance working for a New
York publishing firm whose only source of true happiness is his
relationship with his sweetheart -- even though he's cheating on
her. When she finds out and calls off their romance, the man will do
just about anything, including weaving a growingly complex web of
lies, to get her back. Asif Kapadia is the current frontrunner to
direct the picture.

BLOOD RAYNE: Oscar-winner (Ghandi) Ben Kingsley will play the
vampire Kagan, the evil ruler of an army of bloodsuckers, in an
upcoming film adaptation of the videogame "BloodRayne." Set in 18th
century Romania, the film chronicles the adventures of the title
character, a half-vampire, half-human who has the super strength of
a monster but the emotions of a person. Kristanna Loken, the former
model who portrayed the Terminatrix in "Terminator 3: Rise of the
Machines," will play the heroine, who must overthrow Kingsley's
character -- who is also her father -- in order to save the world
from the living dead. Will Sanderson plays Evil Thrall. The film is
set to begin filming in Romania later this month. This $47 million
project, will be independently produced. Directed by Uwe Boll, who
also made the videogame-to-movie adaptations "House of the Dead" and
the upcoming "Alone in the Dark," "BloodRayne" videogame debuted in
2002 and a sequel is set for release this October.

FAY WRAY: The lights at the Empire State Building were dimmed last
night in tribute to KING KONG's star Fay Wray, who passed away
Sunday. It has been over 70 years since the gentle giant scaled the
Empire State Building holding the actress tightly in his grasp while
she screamed and struggled into cinematic history. "We are saddened
by the passing of Fay Wray, a wonderful actress and dear friend of
the Empire State Building," reads a statement on the building's
official website. "In her honor, the lights of the ESB Tower will be
dimmed."

DONALD DUCK: Well it's about time! Donald Duck received the 2,257th
star on the legendary Hollywood walk on Monday. The beloved Disney
character was joined by his pals Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy,
Daisy Duck and Pluto for the occasion and to also celebrate his 70th
birthday. Johnny Grant, Honorary Mayor of Hollywood and Chairman of
the Walk of Fame Committee, presided over the event and Leron
Gubler, President/CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce spoke on
behalf of the organization. Michael Eisner, CEO of the Walt Disney
Company also showed up for the festivities. Donald made his film
debut on June 9, 1934 in the Silly Symphonies cartoon "The Wise
Little Hen." His trademark quack was voiced by Clarence "Ducky" Nash
for 51 years, a job that has been taken over by Disney animator Tony
Anselmo later. Donald next appears in the direct-to-DVD release
of "The Three Musketeers," the first feature-length film ever
starring Donald, Mickey Mouse and Goofy together.

PUBLIC ENEMIES: Variety reports that COLLATERAL director Michael
Mann and Leonardo DiCaprio will collaborate on a drama about the
great crime wave of 1933-34. Universal Pictures has purchased screen
rights to PUBLIC ENEMIES, the best-selling book by "Barbarians at
the Gate" author Bryan Burrough. The film will tell the story of how
the government's attempt to stop Depression-era criminal legends
John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd transformed J.
Edgar Hoover's FBI from a powerless agency into the country's first
federal police force.

WAR OF THE WORLDS: Stephen Spielberg is planning on helming Tom
Cruise in a David Koepp-scripted adaptation of the H.G. Wells' WAR
OF THE WORLDS for Paramount/DreamWorks and is also attached to THE
RIVALS, a Robin Swicord- scripted DreamWorks drama about cat-
fighting 19th century stage divas.

TOP 10 SF BESTSELLING BOOKS:
1. The Da Vinci Code
2. Angels & Demons
3. Dune: The Battle of Corrin
4. Brimstone
5. The Time Traveler's Wife
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
7. The Grim Grotto (Lemony Snicket 11)
8. Night Play (Dark Hunter)
9. The Dark Tower (Dark Tower 7)
10. Song of Susannah (Dark Tower 6)
Source: Amazon.com, 8/9/04

GLOBAL FREQUENCY: Expected as a mid-season replacement, GLOBAL
FREQUENCY executive producer John Rogers told fans at last month's
Comic-Con International in San Diego that the pilot episode will
shoot this month in Vancouver, B.C., and that four episodes have
been financed out of a planned 13. GLOBAL FREQUENCY is based on the
WildStorm comic created by Warren Ellis and stars Michelle Forbes
(Star Trek: The Next Generation) as Miranda Zero, the lead
character. Aimee Garcia plays Aleph, Josh Hopkins is Sean Ronin, and
Jenni Baird plays Dr. Kate Finch. "We've basically introduced a sort
of Mulder and Scully that appear on every episode: Sean and Kate,"
Rogers said. "They actually go out and are our investigatory and sci-
fi girl team. Aleph's always running the ops. Miranda bombs in when
we needs to do cool spy stuff. And also, by keeping the cast split
up, we can really develop the global feel. The idea that Miranda's
in one place and the experts are in another. Also, we will be very
heavily hitting the idea that you could be on the Global Frequency."
Ellis has played a role in the series and will be visiting the
set. "Warren's level of involvement is that he approves all of the
stories," Rogers said. "He approved the stories and the script on
the pilot, and Warren will be writing at least one this season."

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE: A couple of familiar names have been added to
the writing staff of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE -- Judith and Garfield
Reeves-Stevens, the husband-and-wife writing duo of some of the
franchise's most popular books. The Reeves-Stevenses have written
over a dozen novels for the non-canon TREK prose universe including
bestsellers such as FEDERATION, as well as non-fiction titles like
PHASE II which examined the second STAR TREK TV series first
proposed in the 1970s. The writing duo also partnered with William
Shatner on a series of TREK books that brought back the character of
James T. Kirk in the aftermath of his death in STAR TREK:
GENERATIONS. The Reeves-Stevenses STAR TREK novels are known for
their detail to the franchise's continuity, a factor that new fourth
season showrunner Manny Coto is focusing on beefing up on the show
next year. Already several plotlines for new ENTERPRISE episodes
have been mentioned and they include ties to events, places or
characters from THE ORIGINAL SERIES and THE NEXT GENERATION.
Undoubtedly the hiring of the Reeves-Stevenses will enhance this
element for ENTERPRISE. Writer Alan Brennert was hired last week to
work on the ENTERPRISE writing staff. Brennert is an accomplished
science fiction novelist and screenwriter, having penned episodes of
the new OUTER LIMITS and TWILIGHT ZONE television series. He's also
written for DC Comics on such titles as WONDER WOMAN and BATMAN.

THIEF: Linda Hamilton (TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY and BEAUTY AND
THE BEAST) and Michael Rooker (THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK) have
joined the cast of FX's THIEF pilot. The show is about a career
thief (played by Andre Braugher) and his crew who are preparing for
their next theft. With American law enforcement and the Chinese
mafia both pursuing the theives for different reasons, the life of
the gang's ringleader gets even more complicated when he has to
become the legal guardian of his stepdaughter. Also starring in the
pilot are Will Yub Lee, Malik Yoba and Mae Whitman. Hamilton will
play the fence of Braugher's character while Rooker will play a cop
being investigated by Internal Affairs. Filming is slated to begin
this month in New Orleans under the direction of Paul McGuigan
(GANGSTER NO. 1.)

THE RING 2: DreamWorks has officially rescheduled the release of THE
RING 2 to sometime next March, giving the studio enough time to
allow for post-production work on the horror sequel. The film
suffered a setback when Noam Murro, the original director of THE
RING 2, departed the project this past spring. At that point, Hideo
Nakata (the director of the first Japanese RING picture) to come
onboard. Additional production delays also occurred, and scheduling
conflicts with star Naomi Watts had to also be ironed out. With an
opening scheduled in March 2005, THE RING 2 will face stiff
competition from SAHARA, the sequel to MISS CONGENIALITY and the new
CG family film ROBOTS.

CRIMINAL MACABRE: Another comic book is headed for the big screen.
Writer Bragi Schut has been hired to fashion Steve Niles' CRIMINAL
MACABRE comic book into a feature film. In development at MGM, the
horror property would mark the movie debut of Niles' Cal McDonald
character, a private detective that specializes in solving cases
involving the supernatural. Niles himself wrote the first draft of
the script and now Schut will come onboard to create a completely
new version. Schut specializes in horror screenplays, having written
SEASON OF THE WITCH) (which is set during the Black Plague) and THE
LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER) (which expands on the story of the
doomed sea vessel that brought Bram Stoker's Dracula to London.)

RED EYE: Horrormeister Wes Craven has signed to direct the thriller
RED EYE for DreamWorks. Benderspink is producing along with Bonnie
Curtis, Jim Lemley and Marianne Maddalena. The film centers on a
woman held captive by a stranger on an airliner who threatens to
kill her father unless she helps him arrange the assassination of a
wealthy businessman. Carl Ellsworth wrote the screenplay. Mark
Sourian, Marc Haimes and Jeanne Algood are the execs overseeing for
the studio. Craven directed the Meryl Streep starrer "Music of the
Heart" and recently finished shooting "Cursed."

FANTASTIC FOUR: According to Vancouver sources, Fox's THE FANTASTIC
FOUR, will be working in Vancouver, BC from August 2 to November 12.
They will be building a Brooklyn Bridge set on the site. Once
construction is complete, filming will begin on the site. After
filming has taken place, the bridge and set will be dismantled and
removed.
TV SCHEDULE ON SCIFI CHANNEL
BABYLON 5 and CRUSADE are not currently listed on any SCIFI
schedule.

STARGATE SCHEDULE:
08/16/2004 06:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 SENTINEL
08/16/2004 07:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 NEMESIS
08/16/2004 08:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 SMALL VICTORIES
08/16/2004 09:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 THE OTHER SIDE
08/16/2004 10:00 PM STARGATE SG-1 UPGRADES

STARGATE ATLANTIS SCHEDULE:
08/20/2004 10:00 PM STARGATE ATLANTIS POISONING THE WELL
08/20/2004 12:00 AM STARGATE ATLANTIS POISONING THE WELL
08/27/2004 10:00 PM STARGATE ATLANTIS HOME
08/27/2004 12:00 AM STARGATE ATLANTIS HOME

FARSCAPE SCHEDULE:
19-AUG-04 03:00 AM FARSCAPE INFINITE POSSIBILITIES - PT 1
19-AUG-04 04:00 AM FARSCAPE INFINITE POSSIBILITIES - PT 2
19-AUG-04 05:00 AM FARSCAPE THE CHOICE (FARSCAPE)
22-AUG-04 01:00 AM FARSCAPE FAMILY TIES
26-AUG-04 03:00 AM FARSCAPE I-YENSCH, YOU YENSCH
26-AUG-04 04:00 AM FARSCAPE INTO THE LION'S DEN PT. 1
26-AUG-04 05:00 AM FARSCAPE INTO THE LION'S DEN PT. 2
29-AUG-04 01:00 AM FARSCAPE DREAM A LITTLE DREAM

CONVENTION CALENDAR

Aug. 19-22, 2004
GENCON
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Guests TBA
For more information, visit their website at
http://www.gencon.com/ .

Aug. 20-22, 2004
Orlando Heroes and Wizards
Location: Orlando, FL
Guests: Kevin Sorbo, John Rhys-Davies, Robert Trebor, Bruce Hopkins
For more information, visit their website at
http://www.vulkon.com/ .

Aug.27-29, 2004
CANADIAN NATIONAL SCI-FI EXPO
Location: Toronto, Canada
Guests TBA
For more information, visit their website at
http://www.hobbystar.com/torontomain.html .

Aug. 27-29, 2004
Oakland Buffy Convention
Location: Oakland, CA
Guests: James Marsters, Alexis Denisof, Anthony Stewart Head, Andy
Hallett, Mercedes Mcnab, Juliet Landau and more
For more information, visit their website at
http://www.vulkon.com/ .

August 28-30, 2004
JAMES DOOHAN FAREWELL CONVENTION
Location: Los Angeles
Guests: James Doohan, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei,
Walter Koenig, Grace Lee Whitney and Majel Roddenberry.
More Guests TBA
For more information, visit their website at
http://www.planetxpo.com/ .

Aug.28-29, 2004
CREATION CONVENTION
Location: Sacramento, CA
Guests TBA
For more information, visit their website at
http://www.creationent.com/ .

August 27-29, 2004
STARGATE SG-1 CONVENTION TOUR 2004
Location: Radisson Airport
City: Chicago, IL
For more information, visit their website at
http://www.fansofstargate.com .

Be sure to visit the referenced sites to see if there have been
changes in dates/guests attending. Visit our Convention Calendar at
the website for a full listing of upcoming conventions.

That is about it for now.
Have a fantastic week ahead.
Be safe,
Sandy

Sandra Bruckner
Editor/Publisher
ISN News: The Zocalo Today
http://www.isnnews.net