THE ZOCALO TODAY, October 8, 2005

WHAT'S NEW

JMS ON WRITING There was an interesting tidbit from JMS on his
writing style -- outline vs. no outline -- at the B5 moderated
newsgroup. I have put the entire JMS response out at
http://www.isnnews.net/zocalo/jms.shtml on the JMS Speaks page for
those interested in learning more about JMS writing style.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

BILL MUMY
Bill and THE JENERATORS will be performing Saturday, October 8
beginning at 9:15pm at:
Rusty's Surf Ranch
on the Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica, California
RESERVATIONS ARE RECOMMENDED
CALL 310-393-7437
* ONE SET ONLY *
Members of the band: Tom Hebenstreit, Miguel Ferrer, David Jolliffe,
Bill Mumy, Gary Stockdale,
Come on out and pick up a copy of the band's brand new cd, "Pony
Up"!

JMS - DARK DIMENSIONS:
In a note at the B5 moderated newsgroup, someone asked about Dark
Dimensions and a new short story. JMS said, ....my new short story
will be appearing in Dark Dimensions. The magazine's website now has
info available at: http://www.darkwisdom.com/darkwisdom.htm

BABYLON 5 SCRIPTS
JMS will be making all 91 of his BABYLON 5 scripts available soon.
Go to www.babylon5scripts.com to sign up for notification when the
Babylon 5 scripts are available for ordering. More information on
the scripts can be found on the JMS Speaks page here at The Zocalo
Today.

JMS writes Also, to those who have inquired about the B5 scripts
website (babylon5scripts.com), which will be going live in October,
the reason that folks can log in their email addresses is so that
they can be notified not just when the site goes on line, but when
each new volume is introduced. Since the plan is to knock ten bucks
off each book for the first week or so it's made available, this
will help make sure that nobody misses that window.

JASON CARTER:
Anyone who knows Jason knows how much he loves children -- and
having fun. Here's something from Jason you and your children should
enjoy. By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON (September 23)>.

Looking for stories to read to your children? How about a DinkyStory
played on your Palm device narrated by Jason? DinkyTV has available
for download, "Geraldine, the hip hop hippo", based on a poem
written by Jason Carter also known as "Ranger Marcus Cole" on
Babylon 5. Geraldine's story was conceived while Jason performed on
stage in London. A small pink hippo doll was hidden in the theater
before each show. The actors played the game of finding Geraldine
while entertaining the crowds. Like most genius actors, Jason's
imagination runs wild. He didn't just find the doll, he formulated a
story about life and struggles of a little pink hippo. Here is a
taste of his story...
Geraldine was a hippo, not unusual you think
Except for the fact that Geraldine was very small and pink
It was this that caused her problems each and every day
Being small and pink while all her friends were big and grey
It's a great story that reads over four minutes well within bedtime
story guidelines. Jason's twisted humor makes it an interesting
story for anyone. Because of the writing and the quality of his
voice I enjoy hearing the story over and over again.

JEFF CONOWAY:
SIN-JYN: Jenna Jameson is finishing up work on SIN-JYN SMITH. The
movie takes place over a Halloween weekend and centers on two
federal marshals who must transfer a mysterious man with no
identity, who may or may not be straight out of Hell. SIN-JYN also
stars Richard Tyson, Jonathan Davis, Lewis Smith, Kevin Cage, Jeff
Conaway, and Reb Brown. The film will be released in the summer of
2006.

PAT TALLMAN:
It is that time of year again. Pat is gearing up for her PENNY LANE
Christmas season effort – making sure that each of the children at
this youth facility has a happy holiday season. More details will
follow as to how you can participate.

Pat will be putting a number of items up on e-bay over the next few
months. Her seller name is SCIFIMOGUL. Be sure to check it out.

SPECIAL CAST ACTIVITIES: To learn more about what cast members are
doing away from the tube, go to http://www.isnnews.net/zocalo/cast.shtml CAST
ACTIVITIES page.

ON THE TUBE TONIGHT

8:00pm on AMC
"Insomnia"
Los Angeles police detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino) journeys to a
small Alaskan town to investigate a murder. He's fleeing his own
demons -- he's the subject of an LAPD internal affairs
investigation -- and he only finds more in the land of the midnight
sun, where the constant daylight exacerbates his persistent
insomnia. Exhausted, he nevertheless tries to work on the case of a
slaughtered teenage girl with the assistance of his partner (Martin
Donovan) and a hero-worshipping local cop (Hilary Swank). They're
soon hot on the trail of prime suspect Walter Finch (Robin
Williams), a pulp fiction writer who enjoys playing mental games.

8:00pm on ABC
"Lost"
In case you missed this week's episode, enjoy it tonight. Jack
(Matthew Fox), Locke (Terry O'Quinn) and Kate (Evangeline Lilly)
learn more secrets about the hatch. Meanwhile, after being beaten
and taken captive, Sawyer (Josh Holloway) wonders if his captors are
fellow survivors or the dreaded "Others." Katey Sagal guest stars.

9:00pm on STARZ
"Finding Neverland"
The boundless imagination of the man behind "Peter Pan" and the
poignancy of his journey combine in this emotional tale inspired by
events in the life of Scottish author James Mathew Barrie. Director
Marc Forster and an accomplished cast including Johnny Depp, Kate
Winslet, Dustin Hoffman and Julie Christie take a fictional look at
the creation of "Peter Pan," the classic of children's literature
that speaks directly to the child in all of us. The movie traverses
both fantasy and everyday reality, melding the difficulties and
heartbreak of adult life with the spellbinding allure and childlike
innocence of the boy who never grows up.

9:00pm on CBS
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
Another worthy repeat. Grissom (William Petersen) and his team hunt
for a killer after discovering the remains of a young boy starved to
death and left in a plastic container. Meanwhile, Catherine (Marg
Helgenberger) assumes her new role as supervisor and quickly finds
herself at odds with Warrick (Gary Dourdan).

DISCUSSION TOPIC

Did you see SERENITY this weekend? What did you think? Is it "the
next great science fiction adventure?"

Send in your opinions to share with your fellow readers to
sgbruckner@... and I'll post it on the Discussion Page. If
you have other issues you'd like to talk about, send them along.

BABYLON 5 OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS

Dylan Neal - October 8
Jeff Conaway - October 5
John Vulich - October 10
Tim Choate - October 11
John Copeland - October 13
Linda Huse - October 16

If there is anyone we have missed, be sure to drop me a note so that
I can add them to our Cast and Crew Birthday Listing. We want to
include everyone in our Happy Birthday Wishes.

NEW DVDS ON THE WAY

FLASH
Warner Home Video has announced a Jan. 10 release for THE FLASH: THE
COMPLETE SERIES on DVD. The six-disc series collects all 22
episodes, including the 90-minute pilot movie, from the series that
ran one season on CBS from 1990-1991. The series starred John Wesley
Shipp as Barry Allen/The Flash and Amanda Pays as Tina McGee.
Developed for televison by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo, writers
included Howard Chaykin and John Francis Moore. Danny Bilson
composed the theme music. Among the guest stars were Mark Hamill as
The Trickster, Richard Belzer as Joe Kline, Angela Bassett as Linda
Lake, Michael Nader as Nicholas Pike, Jason Bernard as The
Nightshade, Michael Champion as Captain Cold, David Cassidy as
Mirror Master and Joyce Hyster as Megan Lockhart. Hamill, who
appeared in two episodes, including the finale, is reprising The
Trickster for an upcoming episode of Cartoon Network's Justice
League Unlimited. The series' first regular episode, "Out of
Control," was recently featured on a bonus disc in Smallville: The
Complete Fourth Season.

WHAT'S NEW IN SCIENCE FICTION THIS WEEK:

THE DRESDEN FILE:
Nicolas Cage is set to executive-produce THE DRESDEN FILES, an
original two-hour back-door pilot scheduled to air next summer on
SCI FI Channel. The project, produced by Lions Gate Television in
association with Cage's Saturn Films, will be Cage's first foray
into television. Based on a series of novels by Jim Butcher, the
pilot, written by Hans Beimler (Profiler) and Robert Wolfe (The
4400, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), tells the story of Harry Dresden,
a Chicago-based private detective and the only wizard listed in the
city's yellow pages. Where others see typical crimes of assault,
kidnapping and murder, Harry sees otherworldly forces at work.
Whether consulting for the police on inexplicable crimes or
following his own cases, Dresden does battle with the forces of
darkness, always maintaining a wry sense of humor and a unique
perspective on our world. Cage is the latest in a growing list of
Hollywood elite to join forces with SCI FI. This December, the
Channel will premiere THE TRIANGLE, executive-produced by Bryan
Singer and Dean Devlin. SCI FI is also currently in development on
projects with Steven Spielberg (Nine Lives), Martin Scorsese (The
Twelve) and Frank Darabont (The Thing).

STAR WARS TV:
Now Playing Magazing writes that Rick McCallum, who served as
producer on the recent Star Wars films, has revealed some of the
details of the two upcoming TV series based on the franchise created
by George Lucas. "The live-action television series is something
we're planning for just at the beginning of 2007." In an interview
while promoting the upcoming DVD of Star Wars: Episode III— Revenge
of the Sith at Lucas' Skywalker Ranch in northern California,
McCallum said, "We're just starting to interview writers and trying
to really figure out which direction [to go]." McCallum added that
the series will have a different tone than the features and will
introduce characters that weren't seen on the big screen. "It is
going to be much darker, much grittier. It's going to be character-
based. [Lucas] envisions somewhere like 100 hours, [set] between
Episode III and Episode IV, with a lot of characters that we haven't
met, but [who] have been developed in some of the novels and other
things. We're really excited about that, because I think finally
we're going to have the opportunity to answer everybody's questions
once and for all by the time we finish the series." McCallum also
revealed that the live-action series is likely to be based in
Sydney, Australia, and will be filmed in hi-def, while production on
the animated series is already underway at Skywalker Ranch. "The
animation is being done as we speak," he told the magazine. "It's
starting to prep. That's being done here at the Ranch. A lot of the
effects are being done in Singapore. ... I think it's just now in
the conceptual work and script work [phase]. I think George is
trying to get 13 scripts done first before we really start to get
into the pipeline of it. But that'll start happening probably at the
end of March."

DOOMSDAY
Variety reports that Rogue Pictures has joined forces with Crystal
Sky Pictures to back DOOMSDAY, the next project from British writer-
director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers). The project will be the first
executive-produced by Andrew Rona (Feast) in his new position as
president of production at Rogue. Rona was previously an executive
at Dimension Films. DOOMSDAY is described as a futuristic action
thriller with political overtones, set in northern England and
Scotland. "It's in the vein of Mad Max, set in the near future, when
the world has become a very intense place to live," Rona said. "A
disaster threatens the future of mankind, and a team of people have
to stop it."

COMMANDER IN CHIEF
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that veteran producer Steven Bochco
has been recruited to take the showrunner reins of ABC/Touchstone
TV's COMMANDER IN CHIEF. The series stars Geena Davis as the first
female president of the United States, and has undergone some behind-
the-scenes changes during the past few weeks as series creator-
executive producer Rod Lurie turned his attention from supervising
the writer's room to directing "Chief" episodes. With Bochco coming
on board, Lurie will remain an executive producer on the show but
will move on from day-to-day involvement with "Chief" to develop new
projects for Touchstone. Bochco, whose long list of credits includes
ABC's "NYPD Blue" and most recently, FX's "Over There," signed a
three-year overall development and production pact with Touchstone
last month.

FANTASY MAGAZINE:
Sean Wallace, senior editor at Prime Books, will be editing a new
magazine published by Prime called FANTASY MAGAZINE. "I think it's
about time that this was launched, with an eye toward new writers,
new stories and new approaches," Wallace said in a recent interview.
Fantasy Magazine will primarily be a fiction magazine, but each
issue will also include book reviews and interviews. The first issue
features stories from multiple-award-winning fantasy author Jeffrey
Ford and World Fantasy Award-winner Jeff VanderMeer. There will also
be new fiction from rising stars Tim Pratt, Holly Phillips, Sonya
Taaffe, Catherynne M. Valente and Nick Mamatas, along with stories
from several talented newcomers, including Sarah Brandywine Johnson,
Megan Messinger and Erzebet YellowBoy. Wallace said that he wanted
to capture a feeling neglected by many current publications. "For
Fantasy Magazine, I want the reader to come away with a sense of
wonder and excitement, both of which I think are missing from a lot
of today's genre magazines," he said. "Perhaps it's because we've
forgotten what that actually means or represents, as [a] sense of
wonder isn't just the province and property of children, left behind
only to our early years and imaginations. . . . I think it's
actually gotten a bit buried these days. And I want Fantasy Magazine
to be the key that unlocks that, providing today's readers—those
particularly with a love for language, for style, for imagination—
with something new, original, and fresh." The magazine is not
currently open to submissions, but writers, both new and
established, will be invited to submit their work once the first
issue appears. "I believe very strongly in publishing new material,"
Wallace said. "And I hope to discover many more promising authors
for our readers." Fantasy Magazine will debut at the World Fantasy
Convention, which takes place Nov. 4 through Nov. 6 in Madison, Wis.
The magazine will appear quarterly, and each issue will have a cover
price of $5.95. Readers wishing to subscribe now can place advance
orders through Project Pulp, Clarkesworld Books and Wildside Press.

A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that 20th Century Fox has hired
Shawn Levy to direct the family comedy A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM. The
story centers on a goodhearted but bumbling security guard at the
Museum of Natural History who accidentally trips an ancient curse
that causes the animals and insects on display to come to life.

DOOMSDAY
Variety reports that Rogue Pictures and Crystal Sky Pictures have
teamed up to develop the futuristic action thriller pitch DOOMSDAY
from writer-director Neil Marshall. The story takes place in
northern England and Scotland and has political overtones. It is set
in the near future, when the world has become a very intense place
to live. A disaster threatens the future of mankind, and a team of
people have to stop it. Marshall wrote and directed 2002's DOG
SOLDIERS.

SUPERNATURAL
According to the Hollywood Reporter, The WB has ordered a full
season of SUPERNATURAL.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT RATINGS
LOST led ABC to victory again on another busy Wednesday in
primetime. ABC's drama hotshot towered over the night with an
average of 22.4 million viewers and a 9.2 rating/22 share in the
adults 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research. ABC
also led in the 8 p.m. hour with the hourlong season premiere
of "George Lopez" (9.1 million, 3.5/10), but at 10 p.m., CBS' "CSI:
NY" (14.5 million, 4.6/12) held up well against ABC's freshman
drama "Invasion" (11.4 million, 4.4/11).

SERENITY
The first nine minutes from writer/director Joss Whedon's can now be
viewed online at Vividas! Universal Pictures opened the film in
theaters on September 30 and has earned $12.1 million domestically
so far. Based on Whedon's FIREFLY TV series, the sci-fi actioner
stars Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam
Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass and
Chiwetel Ejiofor.

AQUAMAN/SMALLVILLE
AQUAMAN is coming to SMALLVILLE. The WB has released 15 more images
from "Aqua," the Oct. 20 episode of SMALLVILLE featuring Alan
Ritchson as Aquaman. Here's how the network describes the episode:
"A summer beach party at Crater Lake takes a dramatic turn when Lois
(Erica Durance) hits her head while jumping into the lake. Before
Clark (Tom Welling) can save her, a mysterious swimmer, Aquaman,
a.k.a. AC (Alan Ritchson), comes to her rescue, out-swimming Clark
and leaving him baffled. Professor Fine (James Marsters) tells Clark
that Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) is behind a covert operation
manufacturing weapons. AC attempts to break into the Luthercorp
Marine Center in an attempt to destroy one of Lex's torpedoes and is
captured by Lex." Pictures can be seen at
http://www.comics2film.com/FanFrame.php?f_id=15511.

STAR TREK:
Marco Palmieri, Pocket Books editor, announced some of the titles
that will be part of STAR TREK's 40th anniversary in 2006. According
to Palmieri, David R. George III's CRUCIBLE trilogy will be released
from September to November 2006, with the covers of each novel
forming a single and extended piece of artwork. Just prior to the
CRUCIBLE trilogy, Margaret Wander Bonanno's long-awaited Christopher
Pike novel, BURNING DREAMS, will appear in print in August 2006.
Also planned for the 40th anniversary will be the anthology
collection CONSTELLATIONS, set for release in September 2006. And
December 2006 will see the release of Diane Duane's fifth RIHANNSU
installment THE EMPTY CHAIR. The EXCELSIOR title FORGED IN FIRE,
which had been previously planned for release in 2006, will be
rescheduled, according to Palmieri. Palmieri notes that in addition
to the new novel releases, all of which are themed around the
Original Series, Pocket Books will reprint a number of its most
popular out-of-print titles with new cover artwork. Bonanno's
STRANGERS FROM THE SKY and former TREK story editor D.C. Fontana's
VULCAN'S GLORY will appear in August 2006, while Vonda N. McIntyre's
popular THE ENTROPY EFFECT, and FEDERATION, from ENTERPRISE writers/
co-executive producers Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, will
appear in September 2006. Also appearing is a new trade paperback
release of Duane's four previous RIHANNSU novels, MY ENEMY MY ALLY,
THE ROMULAN WAY, SWORDHUNT, and HONOR BLADE, set for release in
December 2006.

DEAN KOONTZ
Ranger Scott sends along this information:
The third installment of Dean Koontz' novels about Frankenstien will
be coming out soon. He has heard that USA Network is interested in
making it into a miniseries. Fans of the story can get more info at
USA.com.
JOHN CARTER OF MARS:
According to Variety, Paramount Picturs has hired actor-director Jon
Favreau to direct JOHN CARTER OF MARS. The script, by Mark
Protosevich, is an adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs sci-fi
series. The story begins with a Civil War veteran whose retreat into
a cave to avoid capture by Apache Indians takes an otherworldly turn
as he's transported via time portal to the planet of Barsoom and
taken prisoner by 12-foot-tall green men. Burroughs wrote 11 volumes
of Carter's adventures. Alphaville Productions' Sean Daniel and Jim
Jacks will produce. Harry Knowles will co-produce.

DRAGON STORM
Ranger Anne reports that SciFi is showing "Dragon Storm," directed
by B5's Stephen Furst, this Saturday night (10/8) at 7pm ET. The
film, starring John Rhys-Davies & Maxwell Caufield, is about two
rival kings who must put their rivalry aside to fight an alien-
dragon menace. "Dragon Storm" is being shown as a lead-in to a new
SciFi Pictures original "Dungeons & Dragons 2: Wrath of the Dragon
God" at 9pm ET, followed by an airing of Kevin Sorbo's 1997
movie "Kull the Conqueror" at 11:30pm ET. Trivia: the character was
created by the late pulp legend Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan
the Barbarian). The movie's consultant was the late author L.
Sprague de Camp & Kevin's co-stars included Tia Carrere, Litefoot
("The Indian in the Cupboard") & Broadway veteran Harvey Fierstein.

YOUNG BLADES
On the Young Blades front, still no word on any new episodes on i:
Independent Television. However, for those who'd still like to see
Bruce Boxleitner as Musketeer Captain Duvall, "Rub-a-Dub Sub" will
be seen on Sunday (10/9) at 7pm ET and "Enchanted" on 10/16 at 7pm
ET.

ULTIMATE SUPERMAN FAN
Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage, who stars in the upcoming comic-
book adaptation GHOST RIDER, became a father for the second time on
Oct. 3. Cage and wife Kim named their newborn son Kal-el, the
Kryptonian birth name of Superman.

THE LAST WARRIOR:
According to Production Weekly, Vincent Perez (Queen of the Damned)
has joined the cast of the upcoming independent film THE LAST
WARRIOR. The film, directed by John Eyres, is a post-apocalyptic
thriller set in the year 2060. Perez will play a character named
Alexander, who is destined for extermination by the security chief
of an all-powerful corporation called Genitek. Production is
scheduled to begin this January in Prague.

SCIFI GOES HORROR
SCI FI Channel has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights to
several titles from Lions Gate Entertainment, including the network
television premieres of SAW, starring Cary Elwes and Danny Glover
and ALONE IN THE DARK, starring Christian Slater, Stephen Dorff and
Tara Reid. The two films will premiere on SCI FI in 2007. In an
unannounced deal earlier this year, SCI FI also acquired the rights
to the network television premieres of Lions Gate's CABIN FEVER and
HOUSE OF THE DEAD, which are slated to air in 2006. Thomas Vitale,
SCI FI's senior vice president, said that films are a good fit for
the network's expanding audience. "We are extremely excited to have
the premiere network windows for these Lions Gate titles," he
said. "We have a long history with them, and their movies are always
enjoyed by the audience of our highly successful Saturday night
movie strand." Other Lions Gate titles in the acquisition include
MONSTER MAN, ROTTWEILER, LEPRECHAUN 3 and LEPRECHAUN 4: IN SPACE.

NIGHT STALKER:
The premiere of ABC's NIGHT STALKER ran third in the ratings in its
time slot. ABC pointed out though the series was the network's most-
watched show among 18-to-49-year-old viewers in that time slot in
more than five years, however. The show will be around for at least
21 episodes, which is one more than the original NIGHT STALKER
series ever ran.

SPECIES X
Warner Bros. has brought on Kurt Sutter to write the script for
SPECIES X. The story centers on a police detective who realizes he
might be from another world. In the course of a murder
investigation, the cop has reason to question who he is as a man,
until he realizes he's not a man. A tug-of-war emerges among a
faction of good and evil aliens. The project was created by by Jason
Hall and Nathan Hendrickson. Basil Iwanyk and David Goyer will
produce the film.

10,000 BC
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Columbia Pictures has hired
Roland Emmerich to direct 10,000 B.C. The prehistoric epic centers
on tribal life at the dawn of modern man. 10,000 centers on a young
mammoth hunter who embarks on a journey through uncharted territory
to secure the future of his dying tribe. In the process, he saves
the one he loves. John Orloff is writing a new draft of the script,
which is based on an idea that Emmerich came up with ten years ago.
Emmerich and Harald Kloser wrote the original draft. Centropolis
Entertainment's Roland Emmerich & Michael Wimer will produce the
film. Harald Kloser and Tom Karnowski will executive produce.

HALO
Reuters reports that Universal Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox
have brought Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, his wife, to executive
produce the upcoming film HALO, based on Microsoft's videogame.
Jackson said, "I'm a huge fan of the game and look forward to
helping it come alive on the cinema screen." Alex Garland wrote the
script. No director has been attached yet. The movie's release date
is currently set for mid-2007.

BOND NEWS
For months, rumors have been hinting that Pierce Brosnan might be
asked back to portray James Bond one more time. CASINO ROYALE
director Martin Campbell says Brosnan will definitely not being
asked back to play Bond. Campbell says there are only four
candidates for the role of the suave-super agent, and they are Sam
Worthington, Henry Cavill, Daniel Craig and Goran Visnjic. The four
actors were tested last week and in "less than three weeks", the
studio will reveal who they've chosen. Campbell has also revealed
he's looking for a Frenchman to play lead villain, Le Chiffre.

TOP 10 BEST SELLING SF&F BOOKS:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander 6)
Knife of Dreams (Wheel of Time 11)
A Series of Unfortunate Events No. 12
Eldest (Inheritance 2)
The Da Vinci Code
Son of a Witch
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
Wicked
Narnia box set
Source: Amazon.com, 9/30/05

PARODY:
According to www.scifi.com, a Finnish parody of STAR TREK and
BABYLON 5 titled STAR WRECK: IN THE PIRKINNING has been released on
DVD and the Web after seven years of production. See the trailer and
download the movie at www.starwreck.com.

EMILY THE STRANGE:
According to Variety, Fox Animation has hired Matthew Weiss to write
the script for a film based on the popular licensed character EMILY
THE STRANGE, created by Rob Reger.

ELDER SCROLLS
When the upcoming sequel game ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION hits the
shelves, it will feature a number of number of voices that will be
immediately familiar to science-fiction fans. The GameSpot Web site
reports that some of the names who will lend their voices to the
role-playing game include Patrick Stewart (X-Men), Sean Bean (Lord
of the Rings), Terence Stamp (Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom
Menace) and Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman). Stewart will voice the
Emperor, while Bean will provide the voice of his son. The roles
played by Stamp and Carter have yet to be announced. "Quite
honestly, we wrote the parts with these individual actors in mind,"
executive producer Todd Howard told the site. "It's an honor to have
them lend their talents to the project." ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION,
developed by Bethesda Softworks, is expected to be released later
this year for the PC and Xbox 360 formats.

GNOMES
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Vanguard Films has pre-emptively
acquired the feature comedy GNOMES! from writers Micah Herman and
Kyle Newman. The duo also are slated to co-direct the project. The
story centers on a boy who discovers that the garden gnomes in his
backyard actually are alive. When he starts to suspect that his
mom's new suitor is a gnome-eating troll, the boy enlists the
gnomes' help. The movie's format -- live action, animated or a
combination of the two -- has yet to be determined. Vanguard CEO
John Williams will produce the picture, and Eric Bennett and
Margaret French Isaac will executive produce. Williams was one of
the producers of the "Shrek" franchise and also produced the
independent CG-animated feature Valiant.

SOUNDTRACKS:
Last week, Cinescape announced that Greg Edmonson's soundtrack music
from FIREFLY was available, but only via download from the Fox Music
Web Site. This week Varese Sarabande has announced they will release
the FIREFLY soundtrack on CD on November 8th. "Composer Greg
Edmonson created a flavorful, guitar-based score for the adventures
of the crew of the Serenity, which is currently being broadcast on
the Sci-Fi channel and is now available, in its entirety, on DVD,"
notes the Varese set site. "Fans have been clamoring for this music
since the show's debut and now, finally, we are pleased to offer it.
CD features exclusive bonus tracks."
Varese has also released David Newman's score for the feature film
SERENITY – based on the FIREFLY series. The label also announced
they will release Clint Mansell's score for DOOM (based on the video
game series) also on November 8th, and Joel Goldsmith's score for
the TV series STARGATE: ATLANTIS on November 15th.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:
With only four new wide release films this weekend, Buena Vista's
FLIGHTPLAN landed in first place for the second consecutive week.
The Jodie Foster starrer brought in an estimated $15 million, down
39% from it opening. The Imagine Entertainment production has
collected an estimated $46.1 million in its first 10 days and
encountered precious little turbulence from the newer films.
Universal's SERENITY was the highest grossing picture of the new
arrivals, taking in an estimated $10.1 million to place second. The
sci-fi actioner, helmed by Joss Whedon and based on his television
series "Firefly," carried a PG-13 rating and has a strong niche fan
base. The opening was somewhat on the low side of expectations
heading into the weekend, but the vast majority of reviews for
SERENITY were favorable and exit scores were positive.
Warner Bros. Pictures' TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE moved into the
third slot, raising an estimated $9.8 million while slipping a steep
49% from its wide release debut. The stop-motion animated film,
featuring the voices of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, has
generated an estimated $32.9 million to date.
New Line Cinema's A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE placed fourth with an
estimated $8.2 million from just 1,340 theaters, up from the
previous weekend's limited run of 14. Viggo Mortensen stars in the R-
rated picture from director David Cronenberg, which had the highest
per-theater average among the top-ranked films and has taken in
around $9 million so far.
Sony's INTO THE BLUE, a film inherited from MGM when that company's
titles were absorbed by the distributor, opened with a discouraging
$7 million estimate from 2,789 theaters to place fifth. Jessica Alba
and Paul Walker star in the action-thriller set in the Bahamas,
which carries a PG-13 rating and was directed by John Stockwell.
The only other new wide release this weekend was Buena Vista's THE
GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED, which teed off with a lukewarm estimate
of $3.7 million from 1,014 theaters and landed in the ninth spot.
The PG-rated drama is set in the world of golf in 1913 and was
directed by Bill Paxton. "Game" generated strong exits, according to
a studio spokesperson, and adds around 800 runs next weekend.

CINDERELLA
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Walt Disney Co is
unleashing a $150 million marketing blitz for the release of
its "Cinderella Special Edition" DVD this week in what one toy
industry analyst called "a smart strategic move" for a holiday
season where consumers may be pinching pennies. The massive campaign
rivals advertising to support theatrical releases of Disney-Pixar
hits "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles." The royal roll-out is for
Disney's Princesses -- the media company's brand that combines the
heroines from many different tales, such as Cinderella, Sleeping
Beauty, Beauty and the Beast's Belle, and Aladdin's Jasmine. Despite
early fears that mixing heroines from different stories would dilute
their power, the Princess line is closing in on the popularity of
Disney icons Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh.

MAIL BAG:
Got something you want to talk about here -- and it's not a
discussion topic? Just drop a note and I'll put it out on the MAIL
BAG page for everyone to share.

TOP SCIENCE FICTION NEWS STORIES:
To catch up on the latest news from this week -- and last month, go
to <http://www.isnnews.net/zocalo/news.shtml> News Page. You'll find
the everything from our front page -- but over a longer period of
time.

CONVENTION CALENDAR

October 22-24, 2005
Place: Aotea Centre Auckland
City: Auckland, New Zealand
Babylon 5 Guest: Robin Atkin Downes
Other Guests: Christopher Judge, Torri Higginson, Gates McFadden,
Dean Haughland
For more information, go to http://www.pulpexpo.com/info.html

October 28-30, 2005
Necronomicon
Place: Hyatt Downtown, Tampa, Florida B5 Guest: Peter David (author
of "Soul Mates" and "There All The Honor Lies"
For more information, go to www.stonehill.org/necro.htm.

November 4-6, 2005
Global Sci-Fi Expo
Date: November 4-6, 2005
Place: Airtel Plaza Hotel
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Babylon 5 Guests: Jason Carter, Mira Furlan, Jeff Conaway, Tracy
Scoggins
Other Guests: Vaughn Armstrong, Michael Dante, Jack Donner, Mark
Goddard, Peter Jason, Jane Kean, Jeff Rector, Victor Brandt, Scott
MacDonald, Robin Curtis, Alexis Cruz, Alaina Reed Hall, Marion
Ramsey. Deanna Lund, Janice Lynde, Don Matheson, Bob May, William
Smith , Natalija Nogulich, Felix Silla, Kevin Spirtas, Leonard
Stone, Billy West, Anson Williams, Reggie Bannister, Garry Wahlberg,
Stephen Manley, Chase Masterson and Darcy Donavan
For more information, go to http://www.globalsci-fiexpo.com/

CHANGING E-MAIL ADDRESSES:
Like so many others, I'm changing e-mail addresses. I've gone to
broadband and will be discontinuing my e-mail address at AOL next
month. My new e-mail address is sgbruckner@....

That's about it for now.
Hope that you all have a marvelous weekend.
Be safe,
Sandy

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