THE ZOCALO TODAY – October 22, 2006

HEROES
Today you can catch three episodes of HEROES on NBC beginning at
8:00pm.

Heroes - Don't Look Back
A Los Angeles policeman hears the cries of a little girl on his beat;
Claire almost reveals her secret ability to the school.

Heroes - One Giant Leap
Claire's social life suffers when her romance with a quarterback
takes a tragic turn; Niki winds up in the middle of the desert when
she follows instructions from a mysterious source.

Heroes - Collision
Suresh locates one of his father's genetically advanced supermen;
Hiro turns time to his advantage in Las Vegas; a tragedy at a bonfire
puts Claire's healing abilities to the ultimate test.

BABYLON: THE LOST TALES UPDATE

October 14, 2006
Fast follow-up....
Just got back tonight from Vancouver, and we've now nailed down/hired
nearly all of our key department heads and the Director of
Photography who I'll be working with closely during production. We
spent today in the first informal production meeting going over how
we're going to shoot this, reviewing the storyboards, determining
what's going to be green screen and what's going to be practical
set...this should be a pretty cool looking project, with some sights
we haven't really seen before as well as some more familiar sights.
What I can say about the three episodes is that we go to Mars, Minbar
and of course B5, we introduce a new kind of Minbari cruiser, and
there's a rather startling sequence on Earth. I've decided to shoot
each segment a little differently from each other, so they each have
their own visual style that complements that particular story. On
Monday the B5 team up north will be checking out the stages, and
about a week or so from now the actual B5 offices will open up and
folks will start moving in.

It's starting to feel a lot like fun.

We'll also be working with WB to put together a special reel from the
shoot that we can bring to debut at San Diego Comic Con next year.
Meanwhile, not only has the Universal feature deal noted in another
thread been finalized, so I'm writing that now, but the Paramount
feature deal has *also* been closed, so now there are two big-budget
feature screenplay assignments that I have to write, the first due by
late November/early December, the second one sometime to be delivered
shortly after the first of the year. A third assignment is kind of
nibbling around the edges which could be very cool, even though I
couldn't start writing it until I finish the other two, which means
it'd have to be spring 2007 to turn in the script if the assignment
comes in.

Finally, now that Ron has said it's okay to bring in other directors
on Changeling, there's been a small flood of a-list directors coming
around to try and pick up the assignment. Part of the attraction is
not just the script, but the acting talent involved...as noted in the
LA Times piece, Reece Witherspoon (and two other oscar-winning
leading female actors) are extremely interested in the lead role. I
imagine we'll start having meetings in the next few weeks to narrow
down the list of directors.

It's crazy-busy, but good.
jms

BACK-UP REMINDER

Ranger Jim sent in a very good reminder, brought about by a real-
world problem JMS had recently. He lost a novel when his hard drive
crashed and data was unrecoverable. Anyone who operates a computer
should have back-up procedures. I know, it is time consuming and "it
can never happen to you". Anyone who wants to avoid losing work
should back up important files regularly to another drive--CD, DVD,
USB or Firewire HD, tape drive or whatever. This is especially
crucial for anyone with multiple drives configured as RAID 0 since
that doubles your chance of losing it all.

Check out the thumb drives now available in just about any size. They
are very reasonably priced and are very small. They make backing up
your files very easy. I have a thumb drive with me all the time with
my files on it. The ultimate contingency plan. Not only that, you can
work on something no matter where you are -- as long as you have a
computer handy.

Babylon Podcast: Show #37
by Summer —
Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Tim, Summer and Jeffrey discuss the bit of news that's been trickling
out about the pre-production status of "Babylon 5: The Lost Tales",
but we may have to wait until November for filming to begin before
getting solid info to speculate on and dream about. Also for today,
we have another Listener Feedback Extravaganza on tap this week… sit
back and enjoy the geeking.

Listener Feedback: Starting out with comments and emails: Casey on
what new Grey Council members are told after they join; Jim Carr on
the details of Sinclair's assignment to Minbar after Santiago's
assassination, as told from the novel "To Dream in the City of
Sorrows"; PFerg muses on Psi Corps using mindwipes to create a
willing and submissive army of minions.

For voicemails, Zack Ricks from Geek Survival Guide apologizes for
what could be construed as a disparaging B5 fan comment; Jarsto has
several comments on time loops, Vorlons and how they play with
others; Gabriel in LA comments on the impact of the good guys failing
to save the day in "Chrysalis"; Ty(?) from Oregon on Vorlon agendas
during the Earth-Minbari War; John wants to know if the we had any
comparisons of B5 to the new BSG, which leads to some interesting
revelations about shows having the staying power to compel people to
look forward to multiple viewings; CA in Phoenix with two messages on
mindwipes and possible time constraints for the procedure; Josh on
the time travel paradoxes; how Draal got the time vortex open. Daniel
(IronEagle) chimes in with a final email about what he's spent to
jumpstart his Babylon 5 addiction.

NEW STARGATE NOVELS

"Alliances", written by Karen Miller, follows on immediately from the
Season 4 episode, "The Other Side". Following the disastrous mission
to Euronda, the team - and especially Colonel Jack O'Neill - are up
the creek without a paddle with a crocodile named Sen. Robert Kinsey
circling the boat.

The team must ignore the Washington politics and regroup to spearhead
a mission to find more hosts for the Tok'ra. It means infiltrating a
Goa'uld slave breeding farm and risking their lives - but that sure
beats doing 20 questions with Sen. Kinsey.

Karen Miller, a fantasy author who lives in Australia, has been a fan
of Stargate SG-1 ever since the pilot episode, and the authenticity
of her characters and situations shows on every page of this action-
packed novel.

STARGATE SG-1: Alliances is available from
<http://www.stargatenovels.com> - for immediate despatch in the UK
and USA. It's also available from Amazon.co.uk and should shortly be
available from Amazon.com and many good book shops.

NEW DVDS AVAILABLE

LA FEMME NIKITA:
THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON
La Femme Nikita: The Complete Fifth Season includes the following DVD
special features:
" Unaired scenes from select episodes
" Season 5 Internet teaser
" "Declassified" - a lowdown on Season 5 as the creative minds behind
the series and select cast members discuss the show's last 8 episodes
For more information on this Season 5 release, go to La Femme Nikita
page here at The Zocalo Today.

Be sure to visit http://www.warnervideo.com/lafemmenikitadvd/ to
watch a free episode from season three.

NEW SCIENCE FICTION PUBLICATIONS

LOST: THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE #9
NEWSTAND EDITION
In this 100-page, mid-season special issue of Lost: The Official
Magazine, divulge the secrets and lies of the island and learn
exclusive news on the dramatic conclusion to season three. Plus,
flashback to the multi-layered connections that the survivors share
and profile the "Others" – are they good, bad, or something else
entirely? (C: 1-1-2) NOTE: Not available in the U.K.

PRISON BREAK MAGAZINE #2
NEWSSTAND EDITION
Go behind-the-scenes of the most exciting show on television with The
Official Prison Break Magazine! The thrilling second issue brings
fans exclusive interviews with Dominic Purcell and the men behind
Abruzzi and Sucre. Plus, count down the top 20 nastiest moments (so
far!) and enter the mind of Michael Schofield. (C: 0-1-2)

STARBURST SPECIAL #79: DOCTOR WHO
This is a jam-packed Doctor Who issue full of interviews and photos,
featuring the making of the Doctor Who Christmas Special, "The
Runaway Bride," with new photos and interviews, and a look forward to
year three! Take a look back at Who spin-off series Torchwood, with
an episode guide and more behind-the-scenes secrets; The Sarah Jane
Adventures — the latest on this new program featuring Elisabeth
Sladen as the Doctor's former companion Sarah Jane Smith — in
exciting new investigations; more from Battlestar Galactica as the
third season reaches the halfway-mark; learn how the humans escape
from the Cylons; Spider-Man 3 and everything you need to know about
the upcoming Marvel blockbuster! Plus, dazzling images in the "Sci-Fi
Gallery," a look at a forthcoming hit movie in "Trailer Park," and
much, much more! (C: 0-1-2)

COMIC BOOKS
STAR TREK: NEXT GENERATION—THE SPACE BETWEEN #1
by David Tischman & Casey Malone
Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation with
this all-new relaunch of the Trek franchise in comics! In the first
issue of this special miniseries, planet Tigan-7 requests entry into
the Federation, but the Enterprise is attacked as a hostile invader
when it makes contact, and the planet's leader has no record of any
communication with any outside world. Riker, Tasha, and Data beam
down to the planet in secret, and discover an information-obsessed
culture, rewriting pieces of its 6,000-year history on a daily basis,
to maintain political stability. An all-new, all-different, Next-Gen
adventure, featuring Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the
Enterprise D!

INSIDE SCI-FI THIS WEEK:

Sunday, October 22, 2006
According to TMZ, Rachel McAdams is in negotiations to star in the
upcoming New Line film THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE, based on Audrey
Niffenegger's bestselling novel of the same name. The Time Traveler's
Wife follows the story of Clare, a beautiful art student, and Henry,
an adventuresome librarian, who have known each other since Clare was
six and Henry was thirty- six, and were married when Clare was twenty-
three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry is one
of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder:
periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced
in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity in his life, past and
future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences
unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing. Jeremy Leven wrote
the screenplay, no director has been attached as of yet.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
People have always been fascinated by magic -- and this week's box
office results prove it. Buena Vista's "The Prestige" took the top
spot for the day, while Paramount Pictures' "Flags of Our Fathers"
entered the list in the third position. "The Prestige," Christopher
Nolan's period tale of dueling magicians, starring Hugh Jackman and
Christian Bale and playing in 2,281 theaters, conjured up an
estimated $5.05 million for the day, according to the boxoffice
tracking site boxofficemojo.com Clint Eastwood's "Flags of our
Fathers," which revisits the battle of Iwo Jima, took in an estimated
$3.48 million in the 1,876 theaters in which it debuted. Meanwhile,
Martin Scorsese's cops-and-mobsters thriller "The Departed," which
was No. 2 at last weekend's boxoffice, hung onto the second spot with
an estimated $4.25 million. This weekend's other new wide
release, "Flicka," "20th Century Fox's family film about a girl and
her horse, claimed the fifth spot with an estimated $2.55 million.
Bowing in 859 theaters, Sony Pictures' costume drama "Marie
Antoinette," directed by Sofia Coppola, ranked eighth with an
estimated haul of $1.88 million. However, its per-theater average of
$2,183 rivaled the per-theater average of $2,214 that "The Pretige"
notched. On a per-theater basis, though, the 3-D rerelease of "Tim
Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas" did even better. Playing in
168 theaters, it scored $7,292 per screen, which resulted in a daily
total of an estimated $1.23 million, which earned it a ninth place
slot for the day. Sony's horror pic "The Grudge 2," which dominated
last weekend's boxoffice, slipped to fourth place as it took in an
estimated $2.7 million for the day.

HELLRAISER REMAKE
Clive Barker has announced on Revelations that The Weinstein Company
is developing a HELLRAISER remake and has asked him to write the
script:

"They're going to remake HELLRAISER ONE with a lot more money and
they've invited me to write it – the invitation came from Bob
Weinstein – which I am going to do, on the basis that if I don't do
it, it will be done in some way that I probably won't like!
"It's only that one that I really, really, really care about in terms
of its remake value - and it'll be kind of fun to have the extra
money to do the effects and all that cool stuff.
"So it puts me in the situation of writing both the beginning and the
end of Pinhead at the same time – 'In my end is my beginning…' I'm
not in the middle, as it were, I'm leaving out his middle age, I'm
just dealing with his beginning and his end.
"I'm excited about it - actually it'll be kinda cool to revisit it
once and see if there are things we can do to it which will make it
significantly better."
Barker adds that he won't direct, but that he'll be producing as well.

PAINKILLER JANE
Sci Fi Channel announced the casting Kristanna Loken in the title
role of its new PAINKILLER JANE Jane series this week. Production on
22 one-hour episodes of the series, produced by Insight Film Studios,
in association with Starz Media and Kickstart Comic Arts Studio, will
begin in Vancouver next month. The network describes the show, which
will not be set in continuity of the pilot movie in this way:

"Painkiller Jane is the story of Jane Vasko (Loken), a DEA agent who
is recruited by a covert government organization tasked with
capturing 'Neuros' - genetically-enhanced individuals who possess
superhuman powers of the mind. During the course of her first
investigation with the team, Jane inexplicably discovers that she too
possesses extraordinary abilities - abilities that render her
impervious to injury ... but not pain. She develops miraculous
regenerative powers, healing from every injury and finding herself
stronger than she had been before. As she continues to work with the
government to hunt Neuros, Jane tries to uncover the cause of her own
transformation and what - if any - connection she shares with the
very people she is pursuing."

PAINKILLER JANE is executive produced by showrunner Gil Grant. Loken
will serve as co-executive producer. The series is slated to premiere
on SCI FI in next spring, followed by a domestic broadcast weekly
syndication window in fall 2007. Starz Media will handle U.S. DVD and
syndication sales, as well as distribution to key worldwide markets.
Additional casting is currently underway.

PREMONITION
Sony Pictures has released a new trailer for the dramatic thriller
PREMONITION, which will definitely peek your interest in this movie.
Go to http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/premonition/ to watch.
Here's a description of the story:

A housewife (Sandra Bullock) finds out that her husband (Julian
McMahon) was in a car crash, but when she sees him the next day, she
realizes that she saw a premonition and will

FRAGGLE ROCK MOVIE COMING
The Jim Henson Company now confirms what millions of internet fans
have speculated: the Company is in development on a full-length
feature about the Fraggles, stars of the 1980's television
show "Fraggle Rock." The announcement was made by Lisa Henson who
serves as co-CEO of The Jim Henson Company with her brother Brian
Henson. The untitled film will for the first time take Gobo, Wembley,
Mokey, Boober and Red on an adventure outside of Fraggle Rock where
they will interact with the strange beings in "outer space" (also
known as humans). The treatment is being written by author Ahmet
Zappa (The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless) who will also
executive produce the project with Brian Henson and Jason Lust. Lisa
Henson will produce. Lisa Henson said, "'Fraggle Rock' has remained a
favorite project at our Company and has certainly continued to be
loved by its many devoted fans, so we are thrilled to begin work on
this project. With its message of celebrating diversity and its
ambitious goal of promoting world peace, now is the perfect time to
embark on a new Fraggle adventure."

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Variety reports that Julia Ormond (Inland Empire) has joined the cast
of Paramount's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, directed by David
Fincher and based on a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, about a man
(Brad Pitt) who hits age 50 and begins aging backward.

THE MIST
Variety reports that Dimension Films will turn Stephen King's
novella "The Mist" into a horror film, which Frank Darabont will
direct from his own script. Thomas Jane is in talks to be part of the
ensemble cast. Darabont, whose biggest hits were the King adaptations
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and THE GREEN MILE, has long been enshrouded
in "The Mist." King entrusted the rights to him several years ago,
when Darabont had a first-look deal at Paramount. Darabont is in the
final stages of reclaiming rights to his script. A spring production
start is envisioned for the film, which Darabont will produce with
Castle Rock's Martin Shafer and Liz Glotzer. Published in 1985 as
part of King's short-story collection Skeleton Crew, "The Mist" takes
place in a small town where a thick mist engulfs the area, killing
those caught in its darkness. Terrified survivors seek refuge in a
supermarket, while a swarm of murderous critters tries to get in.

WITCHES
Pan's LABRYINTH director Guillermo del Toro wants to make a more
faithful film version of Roald Dahl's dark fantasy children's book
THE WITCHES, which was adapted for the screen once before, in 1990,
by director Nicholas Roeg. Del Toro said, "I liked a lot of the Roeg
film, but I really, really disliked that the ending was changed,
because I think the essence of the Dahl story is that the kid remains
a mouse. Having said that, how the hell do I know that they won't
change it on me again? They probably did that to Nicholas Roeg. So it
may happen again. But I want to try." In THE WITCHES, a group of
witches aims to rid England of all children, but their plot is
thwarted by a resourceful little boy who won't give up, even after
he's transformed into a tiny mouse. Del Toro added: "Growing up, it
was my favorite Dahl book. It was my favorite, because the witches
represent adulthood. They represent the world. They represent all
things that f--k up a kid. And I always thought it was great that the
grandmother and the boy were essentially the same age and, therefore,
were susceptible to witches that were in the guise of respectable old
ladies. I thought Dahl has that subversive streak in him. It was
there in his UNEXPECTED tales, but it was also in his children's
books. And much like H.H. Munro, Dahl has a very definitely
sophisticated point of view on what the children's world is. That
script is written. It's budgeted and awaiting a green light." Del
Toro added that he's got several other fantasy and horror projects on
his plate that he hopes to produce and/or direct in the near future,
among them THE COFFIN, MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS, DEAD MAN and LEFT HAND
OF DARKNESS. Pan's LABRYINTH opens in limited release on Dec. 29 and
goes wide in January.

IGOR
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that Jeremy Piven and Molly Shannon
are lending their voices to IGOR, the computer-animated comedy from
Exodus Film Group. IGOR centers on a mad scientist's hunchbacked lab
assistant Igor, who has big dreams of becoming a scientist and
winning first place at the annual Evil Science Fair. It will be
distributed domestically by the Weinstein Co., which also has secured
rights in most foreign territories. Piven will voice the role of Dr.
Schadenfreude, Igor's nemesis, with Shannon voicing Eva, a giant,
indestructible monster invented by Igor. They join a cast that
includes Steve Buscemi, John Cleese and Christian Slater. Anthony
Leondis is set to direct the screenplay by Chris McKenna (American
Dad).

ERAGON
Fox has updated the official Web site for the upcoming film version
of Christopher Paolini's fantasy novel Eragon, which opens Dec. 15.

ME2
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Walt Disney Pictures has bought
a time-travel comedy project from screenwriter Larry Doyle titled
ME2, with Mark Waters attached to direct. Waters and his producing
partner, Jessica Tuchinsky, will produce via their Watermark Pictures
production company. The plot for ME2 is being kept under wraps. Doyle
came up with the idea before taking it to Watermark and will begin
writing immediately. Doyle was a writer-producer on TV's The Simpsons
and also wrote episodes of Daria and Beavis and Butt-head; his
feature credits include Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Waters is
directing THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, the big-budget adaptation based
on the best-selling children's books, which is shooting in Montreal.

SWEENEY TODD
Variety reports that Helena Bonham Carter will join Tim Burton's big
screen adaptation of "Sweeney Todd." Johnny Depp has already signed
on to star in the feature for Dreamworks and Warner Bros. John Logan
penned the film screenplay. Carter will play meat pie-maker Mrs.
Lovett, who is a murderess who mixes in her victims' bodies in meat
pies. Depp has signed for the lead role of SWEENEY TODD. "Borat" star
Sacha Baron Cohen is rumored to be interested in the role of Signor
Adolfo Pirelli. Shooting will begin next year for a late 2007 release.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

October 21-23, 2006
Armageddon Pulp Culture Expo
City: Auckland, New Zealand
B5 Guest: Mira Furlan
For more information, go to their website at http://www.pulpexpo.com

October 27~29, 2006
London Expo
Place: Excel Centre in Docklands
City: London, UK
Guest: Joe Flannigan, Stargate Atlantis; Christopher Lee, Star Wars;
Dan Shea, SG-1; Joel Gretsch and jacqueline McKenzie, The 4400; many
others
For more information, go to http://www.londonexpo.com

October 27~29, 2006
SuperNova Pop Culture Expo
City: Sydney, Australia
B5 Guest: Mira Furlan
For more information, go to http://www.supanova.com.au/

October 27~29, 2006
Vulkon Convention
City: Orlando, Florida
Guests: Avery Brooks, Jonathan Frakes, Denise Crosby, Walter Koenig,
Armin Shimerman, Rene Aberjonois Tim Russ, Andrew G. Probert, Suzie
Plakson
For more information, go to http://www.vulkon.com/upcoming.htm/

I guess that pretty much brings you up to date. Be sure to stop over
at the website <http://www.isnnews.net> often to see what's going on.
If you have some news you'd like to share, be sure to send it along
to sgbruckner@....

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday and have a terrific week ahead.
Be safe.
Sandy

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