THE ZOCALO TODAY – June 11, 2005

What's New

PHILADELPHIA WIZARD WORLD
Last weekend, J. Michael Straczynski was a guest at Philadelphia
Wizard World. Highlights from a report at Comics Contiuum is below:
J. Michael Straczynski said he is working with Marvel Studios on a
television project featuring Marvel characters. "We're putting the
budget together and it could prep in August or September, although
there could be a few bumps between here and there," Straczynski
said, not revealing the characters. "I try not to get too excited,
but it could be a lot of fun."

Straczynski gave an update on the Rising Stars movie. "MGM couldn't
figure out what to do with it and the option expired last month," he
said. "Three other major studios are currently interested in it."
In terms of Babylon 5, Straczynski said he told the story he wanted
to tell. Plans for a feature film weren't realized, and he has no B5
books planned.

With Amazing Spider-Man, the book has changed with the move of
Peter, Mary Jane and Aunt May to Avengers tower after Aunt May's
house burned down. "It's so much fun right now with the dynamics,"
Straczynski said. "He'll be there for a while and come back to his
own life eventually." Peter's life is tabloid fodder when Mary Jane
is caught by the press going to Stark Tower at 2 a.m. and, trying to
keep Peter's secret identity, tells them that she was meeting Stark.
Straczynski said he will deal with the ramifications of Peter living
in the tower, and he's tempted to keep Aunt May, who has a budding
romance with Jarvis, there after Peter leaves. "Peter's going to wig
out because he doesn't know how to deal with it," JMS said the
Jarvis/May relationship.

For another report of the event, go to
http://www.newsarama.com/wwphilly05/Marvel/JMS/WWPhilJMS.htm.

RICHARD BIGGS AUCTION:
There are a number of photo sets from Rick Biggs own collection up
on Ebay. These are being auctioned by a close friend of the family
and some are autographed by Rick and/or others. There are pictures
from B5, Tremors, some publicity shots and others. Check out:
<http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZcarend6a6mQQssPageNameZSTRKQ3\
aMEFSQ3aMESOI>. If you ever had the opportunity to see
Richard and Jason together at a convention, you will love the second
picture, Item 6537038616.

DISCUSSION TOPIC

Why do you think STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE was cancelled? Was it poor
writing, series fatigue? What is your opinion?

Send in your thoughts and comments to sgbruckner@.... I will
post them on the Discussion Page for everyone to share and enjoy.
There are some good ones so far. Add yours! If you see an old topic
you want to respond to, go right ahead. We enjoy hearing from you.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

JOSHUA COX:
Joshua Cox (Lt. David Corwin on BABYLON 5), is returning for a new
season of Lifetime's medical drama "Strong Medicine." Strong
Medicine, the Lifetime original drama, launches its sixth season
Sunday June 12 at 9pm ET. Joshua Cox portrays Peter Riggs, a
Registered Nurse (RN). More info on the show, including
cast/character bios, can be found on the show's webpage:
www.lifetimetv.com/shows/strongmed/index.html.

MIRA FURLAN:
One of Mira's films shot in 2005 in Belgrade, TAKE A DEEP BREATH, is
featured at the New FEST in New York City. For more information, go
to http://www.newfestival.org/cgi-bin/iowa/films.html?film=870.
The picure will also be at Frameline 29 on June 23 in San Francisco.
Get more information at
<http://www.frameline.org/festival/29th/programs/take_a_deep_breath.h
tml.>
Mira will be one of the LOST guests at the LOST FAN CONVENTION in
Burbank, California, on Saturday, June 11, 2005! Others from the
cast attending will be EMILIE de RAVIN Claire Littleton - Sunday ;
JORGE GARCIA Hugo "Hurley" Reyes - Saturday; WILLIAM MAPOTHER Ethan
Rom - Saturday; JOHN TERRY Dr. Christian Shephard - Sunday, and from
the LOST Production Team: Executive Producers DAMON LINDELOF and
BRYAN BURK appearing on Sunday. For more information, go to
http://www.creationent.com/cal/lost.htm.

PETER WOODWARD:
Peter Woodward (Galen on CRUSADE) will be hosting another cruise
this year.
Dear Friends,
Please join me for a wonderful unique cruise experience where I've
created exclusive events just for you! If you joined me last year,
you already know what an amazing time we will have again this year.
We will all create memories of a lifetime together. I have arranged
a unique opportunity for us to spend time together. This will be a
cruise with a ifference.
Join me in this unique event, get to know me, and combine fact and
fantasy, history and humor, archeology and ancient weapons, on a
cruise into adventure.
Looking forward to toasting the sunset together!!
Peter
For more information, go to
http://www.cruiseevents.net/peterwoodward/index.htm. To see photo's
from Peter's fan club cruise last year visit:
http://www.cruiseevents.net/peterwoodward/photocruise05.htm

PAT TALLMAN:
Dennis Madalone was the stunt coordinator on many Star Trek series.
He's also a singer and is giving away DVDs and CDs in lieu for
donations to charities on his home page. Pat Tallman's Penny lane
will be added to that charity listing this week. Check out Dennis'
website at www.americawestandasone.com.

Pat's sister Mary is working to make a difference -- she has signed
up to run in two triathalons in Illinois to help raise funds for
cancer research. I have posted Mary's letter out at Pat Tallman.
Read about Mary's efforts and how you can help make a difference too.

NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS:

NEW STARGATE NOVEL - Sequel to A Matter of Honor
The second part of A Matter of Honor, by Sally Malcolm, is scheduled
to be released in early September 2005. The story follows on from
the events of A Matter of Honor, as the team attempt to rescue Major
Henry Boyd and the SG-10 team from the black hole planet.
But the rescue attempt has unforeseen consequences which force them
to confront a monstrous secret on the homeworld of the Kinahhi.

The book will be available for purchase from
http://www.stargatenovels.com/books.shtml and www.amazon.co.uk. for
those outside of the UK.

NEW MAGAZINES:
Cult Times Special #34: DOCTOR WHO: This issue can be a primer for
Doctor Who fans. After a nine-year absence, 2005 marked the return
of Doctor Who, bigger and better than ever before. Under the
guidance of Russell T Davies, it's moved from being a fondly-
remembered piece of kitsch to a vital, ratings-grabbing part of the
BBC's schedule. You get an in-depth look at the past, present and
future of the galaxy's best-loved Time Lord. New to DOCTOR WHO? This
issue will give you a look at the 26 years of DOCTOR WHO. This guide
features the high points of the series so far and the facts you need
to know to fully immerse yourself in the Whoniverse! Also included
in this issue, SMALLVILLE's executive producer Alfred Gough looks
back on the fourth season of this pre-Superman Clark Kent and tells
us why he thinks it's the best year yet! Paul McGillion talks about
his role as Dr. Beckett in STARGATE ATLANTIS and BATTLESTAR
GALACTICA's Edward James Olmos looks at the series cliffhanger.

Starburst #325: DOCTOR WHO: A ratings winner for the BBC this year,
actor Bruno Langley talks about his role as Adam, the genius who was
tempted with more information than his brain could handle when he
was taken on an adventure into the far future with the Doctor and
Rose. John Barrowman brings good looks and a big dash of charm to
his role, as he reveals what it's like to join the Doctor and Rose
in their adventures in Time and Space as intergalactic con man
Captain Jack Harkness. The visual effects wizards at The Mill reveal
more of their secrets in creating the look of the series for
Episodes Seven to Ten. Also inside, George Lucas, the man
responsible for bringing the STAR WARS saga to life, starting with
the big screen, talks about his grand vision and what the future
holds for the franchise now that the complete story has finally been
told.

COMIC BOOKS

SERENITY #3
Written by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews, penciled by Will Conrad,
colored by Laura Martin, covers by Leinil Yu, Joshua Middleton and
Sean Phillips.

Just looking to earn themselves a little bit of peace on the edges
of the galaxy, the crew of the ship Serenity have landed themselves
in a big, fat trap. Now, it's up to this motley bunch of mercenaries
and fugitives to fight their way free from the grips of a nasty
bunch of covert-operatives known as the Blue Gloves. Get ready for
hot action in the cold reaches of space as Joss Whedon and Brett
Matthews deliver the brain-exploding conclusion to this comic
prequel of Whedon's Serenity feature-film--the uber-anticipated
follow-up to his cult-hit TV show Firefly. This final issue features
three seperate covers by some of comics hottest artists--Leinil Yu,
Joshua Middleton, and Sean Phillips.

DVD NEWS AND REVIEWS

LA FEMME NIKITA: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON
Six-Disc Collector's DVD Set Featuring all 22 Episodes of the Third
Season with All-New Suspenseful Bonus Materials - Available June 28.
BURBANK, CA. (May 23, 2005) - Just when you thought you had to wait
another year, Warner Home Video will release La Femme Nikita: The
Complete Third Season, the popular cult action TV series featuring
the sexiest female lead ever to grace the small screen. The six-disc
collector's set contains all 22 episodes from the third season, plus
an array of bonus features including a behind-the-scenes
featurette, "Designing Nikita", deleted scenes, audio commentary and
special gag reel footage. La Femme Nikita: The Complete Third Season
will be available on DVD June 28, 2005 and is priced at $99.98 SRP.
For more information, go to La Femme Nikita Page here at The Zocalo
Today.

HIGHLANDER: THE RAVEN
Sexy and shrewd Amanda Derieux has roamed the world for 1,200 years,
romancing kings, cavorting with thieves, and using her preternatural
street smarts to evade the blades of countless evil Immortals. Now,
she has teamed up with freelance security expert Nick Wolfe, putting
her high-octane arsenal of charisma and sassy, good looks into full
force to charm, confound and, when necessary, destroy Immortals bent
on evil in HIGHLANDER: THE RAVEN™. Classic HIGHLANDER® flourishes
like flashbacks, beautifully choreographed sword duels and
electrifying Quickenings abound in the dazzling new HIGHLANDER: THE
RAVEN DVD Collection from Anchor Bay Entertainment and Davis-
Anderson Merchandising Corp. Celebrating all 22 daring and
provocative episodes in the high-action HIGHLANDER spin-off series,
the HIGHLANDER: THE RAVEN DVD Collection beautifully preserves
Elizabeth Gracen's smart and captivating portrayal as the morally
conflicted Amanda and her incredible adventures with hunk detective
Wolfe (Paul Johansson). The nine-disc set of HIGHLANDER: THE RAVEN
comes jam-packed with newly created Bonus Materials. Each disc
boasts behind-the-scenes audio and video commentary from cast and
crew, including Gracen and Johansson, plus detailed Cast Bios,
Production Notes, Scripts, a Photo Gallery and a hilarious Blooper
Reel. Presented in state-of-the-art digitally re-mastered 5.1 Dolby
Digital Surround Sound, HIGHLANDER: THE RAVEN arrives June 14, 2005
with a priced-to-own SRP of $89.98.

Wonder Woman: The Complete Third Season
Synopsis:
Megalomaniacs. Spies. Thieves. Phantoms. Mad scientists. The world
is full of dangerous people. But don't fear -- Wonder Woman is here!
Lynda Carter returns as Wonder Woman for all 24 episodes of the
third and final thrill-packed season of the series. Teamed with
flint- jawed government agent Steve Trevor (Lyle Waggoner) and using
the alias of Diana Prince, Wonder Woman whips out her bracelets and
lariat to battle evil. And what a battle it is. Her foes include a
time traveler from the year 2155, a brain with no body, a dating
service that's serving up death, bazillions of hungry ants and a
sculptor whose statues come to life and become his partners in
crime. Wonder Woman saved the best adventures for last!
For more information, be sure to go to www.WonderWomanDVD.com or go
to Wonder Woman Page here at The Zocalo Today.

SMALLVILLE - SEASON FOUR
Set for release on September 13, all 22 episodes from season 4 will
be included in this 6 disc set (990 mins). In addition to the
episodes, Warner Bros has included some exciting bonus material. You
can expect to find 25 minutes of deleted scenes (21 scenes total),
episodes commentaries by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and
others, "Inside the Writers Room" documentary, and "Being Lois Lane"
featuring interviews with Noel Neill, Margot Kidder, Dana Delaney
and Erica Durance. The set is part of Warner Television's 50th
Anniversary, and a bonus DVD featuring an episode of The Flash has
been included.

Commentary tracks include:
"Crusade" - Al Gough(Executive Producer), Miles Millar (Executive
Producer), Ken Horton (Executive Producer), Erica Durance ("Lois
Lane") and Annette O'Toole ("Martha Clark Kent") "Transference" - Al
Gough, Miles Millar and John Glover ("Lionel Luther") "Spell" -
Jeannot Szwarc (Director), Kristin Kreuk ("Lana Lang"), Allison Mack
("Chloe Sullivan") and Erica Durance ("Lois Lane") The standard
Smallville specs apply to this set; anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1)
video and English Dolby Surround Stereo audio (with English, Spanish
and French subtitles).

INSIDE SCI-FI THE WEEK:

DEAD ZONE:
DEAD ZONE returns to the USA Network Sunday, June 12 at 10:00pm,
starting its fourth season. Created by the father-son team of
Michael and Shawn Piller, "The Dead Zone," based on Stephen King's
novel of the same name, the story focuses on teacher Johnny Smith
(Anthony Michael Hall), who awakened from a six-year coma with
psychic powers. Over three seasons, Johnny has used his powerful
visions -- triggered most often by touching people or objects -- to
solve mysteries, find missing people and even, in one episode, track
terrorists for the government. At the same time, Johnny deals with
his ever-increasing fame, or notoriety, and with the personal cost
of having awakened to realize his fiancee, Sarah (Nicole de Boer),
had married local sheriff Walt Bannerman (Chris Bruno) and was
raising Johnny's son, J.J. (Spencer Achtymichuk), as a Bannerman.
Other people in Johnny's life are his former physical therapist and
close pal, Bruce Lewis (John L. Adams), and Rev. Gene Purdy (David
Ogden Stiers), a powerful preacher with ambitions for Johnny and
legal problems of his own. As the season ended, it was a real
cliffhanger and fans will anxiously await Sunday's return to the air
waves. Lloyd Segan, executive producer of "The Dead Zone"
says, "This season we amp up the Armageddon story. Greg Stillson
comes back in a roar." The show is filming 22 episodes to be split
into two 11-episode summer runs. In between, says Segan, there's a
holiday surprise for fans of "The Dead Zone" and USA's mystery
series "Monk." The first two seasons of DEAD ZONE are also available
on DVD.

X-MEN 3:
With the departure of Michael Vaughn as director and the entry of
Brett Ratner on the scene, producer Avi Arad says, "Other directors
might have been wary. But Brett is very confident. It wasn't like
there were any mistakes to clean up. It was all fantastic." The
entire X-cast returns, including Hugh Jackman (now also a producer;
the star endorsed Ratner) and Halle Berry (in an expanded role).
Joining them: Kelsey Grammer as a furry blue genius named Beast.

STARGATE SG-1
More new cast members for STARGATE SG-1. Lexa Doig, who most
recently played Andromeda Ascendant on ANDROMEDA, has joined the
cast of Stargate SG-1 in the recurring role of Dr. Carolyn Lam in
the show's upcoming ninth season. The new season kicks off July 15.
(If I remember correctly, Lexa Doig is married to series regular
Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson).

THE IMPOSSIBLE ADVENTURES OF PHINEAS ROONE
Variety reports that Bob and Harvey Weinstein have picked up the
family fantasy pitch THE IMPOSSIBLE ADVENTURES OF PHINEAS ROONE,
from sibling writers Adam and Melanie Wilson, about a 13-year-old
Brooklyn boy who discovers that a book of fantastical tales is real.

WOLVERINE:
According to Variety, Hugh Jackman and producing partner John
Palermo will set up their company Seed Productions on the 20th
Century Fox Lot. One of their projects will be WOLVERINE, which
David Benioff has been set to write. Jackman and Palermo will
produce the film along with Lauren Shuler Donner and Marvel's Avi
Arad. Not only will Jackman's company produce features but they will
also look to produce TV shows as well. They will focus on a variety
of genres including comedies, romantic comedies and dramas.

HALO:
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that Universal Pictures and 20th
Century Fox are teaming up to make a feature film adaptation of
Microsoft video game HALO. In a division of rights, Universal will
take domestic rights and Fox will handle international distribution
on the project. The script was commissioned by Microsoft, which also
brought in producer Peter Schlessel to work on the project. The film
is based on the game franchise which has grossed $600 million. HALO
is expected to hit the big screen by 2007.

TOP 10 SF&F DVD SALES:
Star Wars trilogy
The 4400 season one
Phantom of the Opera
Star Wars: Episode I
Star Wars: Episode II
Team America: World Police
The Incredibles
Lois & Clark season one
Lost season one
Firefly complete series
Source: Amazon.com, top-selling genre DVDs, 6/6/05

SLITHER:
January 6, 2005 has been set by Universal as the release date for
its upcoming SF thriller film SLITHER, starring Nathan Fillion
(SERENITY) and marking the feature-film directorial debut of writer
James Gunn (last year's Dawn of the Dead remake). The film had
originally been eyed for a Halloween 2005 release. SLITHER also
stars Michael Rooker, Elizabeth Banks and Gregg Henry in a story
about an alien parasite that infects a resident of a small town in
South Carolina, then threatens to spread to the rest of the
population. It recently wrapped production in Vancouver, B.C.
Fillion is best known to SF fans as Capt. Mal Reynolds on FIREFLY,
will appear Sept. 30 in the movie based on the show, SERENITY.

10.5
NBC has signed Kim Delaney, Beau Bridges and David Cubitt to star in
10.5: APOCALYSPE, the sequel to 10.5. Bridges is back as President
Hollister, Cubitt returns as Dr. Jordan Fisher, and Delaney will
reprise her role as seismologist Dr. Samantha Hill. Frank Langella,
Dean Cain, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Oliver Hudson, Carlos Bernard,
Carly Pope and Tamara Hope, Melissa Sue Anderson and Barbara Eve
Harris will also star. APOCALYPSE will pick up in the aftermath of
the original chain of events. Another round of quakes threaten to
destroy North America. Delaney's character discovers that her
father's earlier, discredited seismographic hypothesis may actually
be correct and could portend greater doom. Filming started last week
in Montreal. The TV moview will air this fall.

PHREEX
Producers John H. Williams, Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi have picked
up the script PHREEX by Matt Corman and Chris Ord. The producers
will be taking the project out soon to find partners for this
animated feature. The comedy centers on of a group of animals who
set out to find their way in the world. They discover a sanctuary
run by a Bill Gates-type figure that offers itself as a home to
animals of all shapes and sizes.

SUNSHINE:
According to Variety, director Danny Boyle has added some new folks
to his upcoming sci-fi thriller SUNSHINE. Cillian Murphy, Michelle
Yeoh and Chris Evans are all on board. The Alex Garland-written film
tells of a troupe of astronauts who go to deep, dark space to find
out what has become of the crew of an earlier space mission. Seems
they've dissapeared.

CANDYMAN 4:
With impressive returns still coming in from FREDDY VS. JASON, New
Line might be teaming up a couple of horror icons in a similar
project. Tony Todd, best known as the bee-adorned CANDYMAN from
three popular films bearing the same title, tells Fangoria that
a "Candyman 4" is likely to be a two-hander, teaming the towering
assassin with another comic book favourite. "It's a `vs.' film. I
don't know if it's going to be Chucky or who!" Todd laughs and
continues, "If it's Chucky, I'm gonna…" He makes a kicking motion
and offers a wide smile. This pairing isn't likely, since Chucky is
from a rival studio. Time will tell.

BATMAN BEGINS:
With the anticipated success of the upcoming film BATMAN BEGINS, key
cast members and crew, such as star Christian Bale and co-star Gary
Oldman, have signed on for a Bat-sequel. Others—including director
Christopher Nolan and stars Katie Holmes and Morgan Freeman—have
not. Bale said that he is definitely signed to play the Dark Knight
again. But Nolan said that he is not. "I don't really know," he
said. "I did enjoy making this one. It's a fascinating character."
When Oldman, who plays Lt. James Gordon, spoke with reporters in the
company of co-star Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), both actors were
asked if they were signed to do a sequel. "I'm not," Freeman
said. "I'm signed," Oldman said quckly. The actors looked at each
other with an awkward silence. BATMAN BEGINS also stars Rutger
Hauer, Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Ken Watanabe and Linus Roache.
It opens June 15.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: 3
Variety reports that Paramount has officially given the green light
to MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3, sticking with a July 18 start for the Tom
Cruise film. The go-ahead from studio chief Brad Grey followed
several days of intense negotiations to rein in a budget north of
$150 million and a gross payout to Cruise of 30 percent. While the
first two previous M:I movies passed $1 billion worldwide, Paramount
was willing to shelve the third installment under terms that the
previous administration had agreed to. The studio and Cruise, whose
Cruise/Wagner Productions has been housed at Paramount for more than
a decade, reached a compromise on June 7.

We3
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that writer Grant Morrison is in
negotiations to adapt his "We3" comic book into a feature film for
New Line Cinema. "We3" was a three-issue limited series written by
Morrison and drawn by Frank Quitely. It revolved around three pets --
a dog, a cat and a bunny -- kidnapped from their homes by the
government and hard-wired into military battle suits, turning into
robo-assassins. When their government masters deem them expendable,
they break out into the free world and try to find their true home,
all the while reverting to their more traditional animallike
behavior.

LUCAS FILMS:
According to the Hollywood Reporter, George Lucas will move his
formidable fleet of artists and technicians from their remote posts
throughout the San Francisco Bay Area to a brave new world in
cosmopolitan San Francisco. Three Lucas units will be united in the
move: the Industrial Light & Magic visual effects teams, LucasArts
game designers and Lucasfilm's licensing, online and marketing
groups. After years spent in the tattered and pseudonymous "Kerner
Co." -- located in a down-heel corporate park in nearby San Rafael --
Industrial Light + Magic crews will find themselves overlooking the
San Francisco Bay and the Palace of Fine Arts from their perch in a
new corporate dining room. The newly minted $350 million Letterman
Digital Arts Center, named after a hospital once based there, is
built on a 23-acre site that is home to the former Presidio army
base.

THE 4400:
The USA Network series opened its second season Sunday (June 5) in
front of nearly 5.3 million viewers, tops on cable for the night. It
also ranked as the most-watched non-sports broadcast on cable for
the week. While that is great news, the bad news is that the two-
hour season premiere fell well short of "The 4400's" series debut
last July. That episode, also two hours, drew more than 7 million
viewers, a rare accomplishment for a cable program that's not a
sporting event or "The Sopranos." The series' first season went on
to average 6.2 million viewers over its five-week run.

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING SF&F BOOKS:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Black Rose (In the Garden)
A Treasure's Trove
The Da Vinci Code
Eldest (Inheritance 2)
The Time Traveler's Wife
Angels & Demons
The Opal Deception (Artemis Fowl 4)
The Chronicles of Narnia
A Feast for Crows (Song of Ice and Fire)
Source: Amazon.com, 6/2/05

THE FLASH:
In a recent interview, writer/director David S. Goyer discussed THE
FLASH and his desire to take the story back to its beginnings. "It
will be another origin story, yes. Well, yes and no," Goyer (co-
writer of Batman Begins) said. "It's going to be very different from
any other superhero movie coming out or different from any you've
ever seen." Goyer, who is currently writing the Flash script, added
that it's too early to discuss casting yet, though reports have
linked Goyer's BLADE: TRINITY star Ryan Reynolds to the project.
Charles Roven, who is one of the producers on BATMAN BEGINS, will
perform the same job on THE FLASH, along with Goyer. For his part,
Roven said fans seem happy so far with Goyer's take on the Batman
origin story, and said The Flash will tell the story of aspiring
athlete Jay Garrick, who acquires the ability to move at superhuman
speeds after a chemical alteration. The film is based on the comic-
book character was created in 1939 by Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert.

KING KONG/WAR OF THE WORLDS:
When Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS hits theaters on June 28,
KongIsKing.net reports that it will be accompanied by the first
trailer for Peter Jackson's remake of KING KONG. When asked about
the upcoming videogame for the movie, News 10 Now reports a Ubisoft
Entertainment spokesman at E3 stating, "Well, you're going to be
able to play both as Kong and as Jack. That's about all I can tell
you right now. You know, Universal isn't going to unveil KONG until
June 28th when they release their first trailer, and obviously
there's a lot of anticipation for it, so we're going to hold off as
well."

LOST:
Variety reports Michelle Rodriguez will be joining the cast of ABC's
LOST next season. She was featured in a prominent flashback with
Jack chatting in the Sydney airport lounge as an "alluring stranger"
before boarding the ill-fated flight that left him and dozens of
others stranded on the mysterious island. Rodriguez is apparently
joining the cast full-time. She will reprise her role as Oceanic
Airlines Flight 815 passenger Ana-Lucia Cortez.

HELLBOY 2:
Although the sequel has already been announced by Sony, HELLBOY
creator Mike Mignola said that it won't go before cameras until next
year at the earliest. During an interview at Wizard World in
Philadelphia, Mignola said, "The sequel is not happening yet.
Guillermo (del Toro, writer/director) and I sat down six months ago
and came up with an original story for the sequel. And he's been off
trying to make a film Spain that's been delayed. Theoretically,
while he was sitting over there, he's written the screenplay. He's
almost finished with it, and he hasn't turned it into the studio.
Once he turns it into the studio, then we start talking about the
budget, and then we'll know."

WATCHMEN:
Variety reports that Paramount has officially pulled the plug on
WATCHMEN, putting the comic book adaptation into turnaround over the
weekend. Producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin were taking the
project, with British director Paul Greengrass ("The Bourne
Supremacy") attached, out to other studios. The film, based on the
DC Comics series of the same name, came under heavy scrutiny in the
wake of Paramount chief Brad Grey's surprise move to replace Donald
De Line with Gail Berman as studio president in late March. De Line
found out about the change while in London meeting with Greengrass
about Watchmen and the need to cut its budget, rumored to be $100
million. Paramount had been aiming for a summer start but began
releasing crews working on pre-production at that point. The film
was previously set up at Universal Pictures.

X-MEN 3:
Variety reports that on June 3, Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel
Entertainment hired Brett Ratner to replace Matthew Vaughn as the
director of X-MEN 3. The hiring keeps the film on track for an
August start date and a Memorial Day weekend 2006 opening date.
Ratner (Rush Hour), a comic-book enthusiast, was among the helmers
considered to direct the first X-Men before the job went to Bryan
Singer. Ratner spent a full year developing Superman Returns, the
film that ultimately prompted Singer to drop out of directing X-Men
3. The X-Men 3 budget is locked, and Fox and Marvel consider the
script by Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg to be at least as strong as
that of the first two installments. The original returning stars
have been signed, and the cast is bolstered by Kelsey Grammer,
Vinnie Jones and Maggie Grace (Lost), who just came aboard as new
mutant characters.

THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE:
According to Variety, Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss and Emmy Rossum
have all signed on to star in the remake of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE.
Russell will play an ex-fireman and politico who is traveling with
his daughter (Rossum) and her boyfriend. Richard Dreyfuss will play
a gay man,who has just been dumped. Wolfgang Peterson is directing
from a script by Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman. The film will
start production on June 18th.

CONVENTION CALENDAR

June 10-12, 2005
2005: A Fan Odyssey
Place: Sheraton, Culver City, CA
B5 Guest: Jason Carter
Other Guests: Nicholas Lea, Once a Thief's Victor Mansfield and The
X Files's Alex Krycek ; Stan Kirsch, Highlander's Richie Ryan; Mark
Ryan, swordmaster and actor, Robin of Sherwood's Nasir ; Bruce A.
Young, swordmaster and actor ; (Highlander's Carl Robinson and The
Sentinel's Simon Banks); James Horan, Highlander, Star Trek,
Charmed; Roberta Brown, swordmaster and actor; Maureen Russell,
author of The Complete Watchers Guide and The Best of Highlander
For more information, go to http://www.fanodyssey.org/

June 11-12, 2005
LOST FAN CONVENTION
Place: Burbank, CA
Guests: EMILIE de RAVIN Claire Littleton - Sunday ; JORGE GARCIA
Hugo "Hurley" Reyes - Saturday; MIRA FURLAN Danielle Rousseau -
Saturday; WILLIAM MAPOTHER Ethan Rom - Saturday; JOHN TERRY Dr.
Christian Shephard - Sunda, and from the LOST Production Team:
Executive Producers DAMON LINDELOF and BRYAN BURK appearing on
Sunday.
For more information, go to http://www.creationent.com/cal/lost.htm

June 25-26, 2005
THE OFFICIAL BATTLESTAR: GALACTICA Convention
Place: The Burbank Airport Hilton Hotel
Guests: KATEE SACKHOFF (LT. KARA "STARBUCK" THRACE), JAMIE BAMBER
(CAPTAIN LEE "APOLLO" ADAMA), JAMES CALLIS (DOCTOR GAIUS BALTAR),
TRICIA HELFER (Number Six), RONALD D. MOORE (Executive Producer/
Show Developer) and GABRIEL KOERNER (Visual effects Artist)
For more information, go to
http://www.creationent.com/cal/bsgbur.htm

June 25-26, 2005
LONDON FILM & COMIC CON
Location: London, England
Guests: to be announced
For more information, go to: http://www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/

June 30-July 4, 2005
WESTERCON
Place: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
For more details, go to http://www.calgaryin2005.org/

July 8-10, 2005
Shore Leave 27
Emphasis: Media SF
B5 Guests: Patricia Tallman, Jeffrey Willerth, Malachi Throne
Other Guests: Mary McDonnell, Steve Bacic, Danny Strong, Alexis
Cruz, Joanna Cassidy, Mark Goddard, Chase Masterson, William Windom
Location: Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD.
Nearest city: Baltimore, Maryland
For more information, visit their website at http://www.shore-
leave.com
Contacts: information@..., 410-496-4456, PO Box 6809,
Towson, MD 21285-6809

July 8-10, 2005
OFFICIAL STARGATE SG-1 CONVENTION TOUR
Location: Burbank, California
Guests: Christopher Judge, Michael Shanks, Torri Higginson, Don S.
Davis, Teryl Rothery, Dan Shea, Peter Williams
For more information, go to: http://www.fansofstargate.com/

July 14-17, 2005
SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON
Place: San Diego Convention Center
Guests: J. Michael Straczynski
Go to http://www.comic-con.org/cci/ for more details about the
event.

July 15-17, 2005 Continuum 3: creatures natural and unnatural
Place: The Hilton
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Confirmed Guests: Neil Gaiman (American Gods; Coraline; The
Sandman), Poppy Z. Brite (Liquor; Exquisite Corpse; Lost Souls),
Richard Harland (The Eddon & Vail Series; The Ferren Trilogy)
For more information, visit their website at
http://www.continuum.org.au

July 15-17, 2005
OFFICIAL STARGATE SG-1 CONVENTION TOUR
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Guests: Christopher Judge, Michael Shanks, Don S. Davis, Teryl
Rothery, Tony Amendola, Peter Williams
For more information, go to: http://www.fansofstargate.com/

July 25-August 1, 2005
GATECON 2005
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Guests: Gary Jones, Dan Shea, Colin Cunningham, Alex Zahara, Jason
Schombing, Steve Bacic, Dan Payne, Kevin Durand, Andrew Jackson,
Aaron Douglas, Tahmoh Penikett, Andrew Kavadas, John Novak, David
Winning, Lorena Gale, Alonso Oyarzun
For more information, go to: http://www.gatecon.com/

July 30-31, 2005
Pittsburgh Toy Show
City: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Place: Pittsburgh Expomart - Monroeville
For more information visit www.pittsburghtoyshow.com

That is about it for now. I hope you all have a chance to visit the
website at http://www.isnnews.net. There is always a lot more
information there than I can put into this e-mail update.

Have a safe and happy weekend.
Sandy

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