THE ZOCALO TODAY – December 15, 2006

WHAT'S NEW

Below you will find a number of recent postings from JMS on the
Babylon 5 Moderated News Group. He updates you on a number of his
current projects and hints at some others. This issue will also
bring you up to date with the Babylon Podcasts. This week's
interview with Kim Holly was great!

BABYLON 5 NOVELS
Last week, we reported that there would be some new Babylon 5 novels
available from Mongoose Publishing. What made this "news" was the
fact that the material indicated JMS was going to have some
involvement -- something that had not been part of the equation
previously. Skeptical, we have been waiting for something from JMS
on the subject. Please read his response below:
December 12, 2006

I've tried several times to reply, but each time the server ate it,
let's see if this one gets through.

To recap...after making a number of rather controversial statements
about my involvement, which were not accurate, there were several
emails exchanged which resulted finally in my agreeing to give
Mongoose a second chance. The main concerns were that a) information
given to the fans should be accurate, b) the books should be
canonical, and c) the level of writing on the books had to be
consistent with what's gone before. To be fair they said they would
work within the guidelines they were given.

I made it very clear that I did not want any money off the deal, no
fees for myself, the purpose was to ensure the quality of the books.
The manuscripts came in on the books currently in progress, and
unfortunately the level of writing is at very best amateurish, on a
level somewhat below what one would find on the average fan-fiction
website. In some cases the manuscripts had net handles not even
actual names, they were unprofessionally put together and edited,
and the writing is just not there. This is not the sort of thing
that can be easily corrected with just some notes or asking for re-
dos. They haven't done much publishing in the area of fiction
previous to this time, and my feeling is that as well-intentioned as
they might be, they don't really have the chops when it comes to
fiction. And their statements on their website are again somewhat
overstating the situation and not being entirely accurate in the
projects and processes being announced.

So having given a second chance to this process, and again as well
intentioned as they may be, my sense is that this is going to be a
case of diminishing returns. Fiction is a far more subjective field
than putting together reference books, and you really have to trust
the tastes and perspective of your editorial staff, which for me,
subjectively, isn't here. So I've stepped back and said I really
can't be a part of this process because I can't endorse something if
I don't think the quality is going to be there. So it's between them
and WB at this point.

JMS UPDATE
December 13
Having sold 'The Changeling' to Ron Howard, how has that changed
your ability to choose your projects?

The difference is fundamentally this: in the past, when meeting
about features, I (like 99% of all writers) went in at the lower
levels, studio development guys about nine rungs down, and it was
always a crap shoot if this was a real offer, how long they'd string
you along, and they didn't have the power to say yes in the room.
The Changeling script, and Ron's purchase thereof, changed
everything. I hopscotched right into the a-list, and now when I go
in, it's a) on really cool projects, b) I'm meeting with the heads
of studios or heads of production not development guys, these are
people who can say yes in the room, c) I'm also meeting directly
with directors which is the best way to get a film made, and d)
these are straight-up offers by guys who really *know* what a story
is, who have good reps. It's not like "here, here's 'Bloodsuckers
from Outer Space,' go write it." They're prestige projects.
It's honestly been rather breathtaking. And it shows what just one
script, if it's the right script, can do. And a lot of the guys I'm
meeting didn't even know about the TV background, didn't know or
care how old I was...it was all about the words, which should be
encouraging to anybody out there.

For a science fiction TV guy there's nothing weirder in the world
than (as was the case a few weeks ago) to go to a meeting at a
production company at the WB lot, find out it's George Clooney's
office, and go in and there he is, on the couch, and he waves me
over to sit next to him. "Come on, here, sit, tell me about what's
new in your life."

There are times I feel like I'm wearing somebody else's life.
December 12, 2006

The screenplay for the film I'm writing for Universal will be turned
in mid-January. Akiva Goldsman is among the producers on this
project, a big budget historical movie based on the life of King
David.

This week the outline for the film I'm writing for Paramount will be
turned in to the studio. I'm still waiting for the PR department to
announce the project so I can't yet identify it. I can say though
that it's for Brad Pitt's Plan B productions.

Coming down on the other side of finishing these scripts, I now have
to decide which of four projects currently in front of me I'll take
to write starting in January. They range the gamut from another
historical movie, to an adaptation, a remake of a *very* famous SF
film, and a movie based on a British series for a major actor. (And
no, it's not a British series that most genre people would know
about, a la Blake's 7 or the like.)

CHANGELING
I had lunch with the President of Imagine Entertainment today, who
let me know that it is their intention to get Changeling in front of
the cameras by no later than late summer '07. A major star has
committed, but I can't release that name yet.

THE ADVENTURES OF APOCALYPSE AL
I checked back to see when The Adventures of Apocalypse Al would be
airing on CBC, and it turns out they were waiting for any last
minute notes from me on the finished product before locking and
scheduling. My oops.

BABYLON 5: THE LOST TALES
I turned in the director's/producer's cut last Friday, the studio
viewed it yesterday, loved what they saw, and now we've locked the
cut. Friday I have a music spotting session with Chris Franke, and
up north, Atmosphere is churning out CGI as fast as they can. (We're
not going for the shakey-cam look that BSG has made something of its
house style in order to not poach, out of courtesy. Our production
offices at the Vancouver Film Studios were right next door to the
BSG offices, incidentally. And just two stages down they were
shooting the Fanastic Four sequel.)

Fairly soon, probably starting late January, the director's blogs
will start showing up on the net. I can't tell you how much I hate
being in front of the camera.

BORROWED LIVES
The script for my pilot, Borrowed Lives, went to the network last
week, and we should hear a yes or no fairly soon on whether we go
into production.

Because it's hard to get another show going when you'd be in second
position contractually, we're waiting to see if Borrowed Lives gets
picked up before going out to the networks with Rising Stars, which
I'm developing with Sam Raimi's company.

COMIC BOOKS
I'm three issues into Thor, four issues into the secret project I'm
writing for Marvel, Spider-Ham comes out shortly (couldn't love it
more), Bullet Points 2 comes out this week, and in general I'm
keeping busy.

Leaving Amazing Spider-Man?
I've been giving it a lot of thought, and what I've enjoyed writing
the most for Marvel have been the special projects, like Bullet
Points, the new one I'm writing, and I'm most especially happy with
how Thor is going. So I finally felt that the best thing I could do
would be to devote myself almost entirely to those projects...come
up with really cool 6, 12 or 18 issue special projects, in or out of
ongoing titles, or reviving titles, and keep Thor my own monthly
mainstream Marvel book, so I can give all of those the proper amount
of attention.

The cool thing about this is that I get to play anywhere I want in
the Marvel universe, I can tell whatever stories I want without
worrying about continuity for the most part, and best of all the
process calls for the books to be fully written and drawn THEN
solicited, so there are no delays. So right now, on the new project,
I'm 4 scripts in out of 12, pencils are now coming in on issue 3,
and we should have the whole thing done before the first issue hits
the stands. That, for me, is the more satisfying way of doing
things.

And how many more issues of Fantastic Four will there be?
This next one is my last.

To read more about LOST TALES and the entire press release, go to
Lost Tales page at <http://www.isnnews.net/zocalo/lost-tales.shtml>.

BABYLON PODCASTS

BABYLON PODCAST #45
by Summer —
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Interview: Kim Holly, Costume Supervisor

After relaying some updated "Lost Tales" news, Tim, Summer and
Jeffrey welcome Kim Holly, costume supervisor for the entire series
save "The Gathering". Kim's work was pivotal in making the look of
the uniforms and costumes match up with the creative visions of JMS
and Anne Bruice, as well as making them fit all the cast comfortably
and colorfully.
Kim tells us about the creative process behind designing and piecing
together the various costumes for the different races seen on the
show, about the complaints about the original Earthforce uniforms,
of the special designs for Michael York and Wayne Alexander, of the
amusement from poking Jeff Conaway with a needle on camera, and
more.

Listener Feedback: We revel in another B5 Haiku from Hilary; Trampas
from The Signal chimes in with the suggestion that Jedi are
telepathic enough, and that the Shadows wouldn't get along with
Darth Vader, which leads to a tangent on Huttese; Jarsto expounds on
the quality and quantity of his voicemails, and one reason why the
Shadow vessels didn't bother destroying Keffer's Starfury; Jarsto
again, with a new B5 Haiku. In email, Gabriel disagrees with Tim on
the myth vs tech argument; Miles adds to the comments on the
inclusion of technomages in the B5 universe.

We so need a B5 holiday season collection of quotes and song
variations.

Babylon Podcast #44
by Summer —
Wednesday, December 6, 2006

The holiday season is upon us all, and Santa Kosh has begun checking
his lists to see who's naughty, who's nice, and who's really really
nice. The chatroom chimes in with a cornucopia of Santa Kosh and B5
related Christmas jokes.

Listener Feedback: In voicemail, Iron Eagle comments on "Geometry of
Shadows", and responds to Jarsto; Jason in KC comments on character
theme music possibilities; Mark from Lowell on Show #34 and what the
Grey Council learned when about Valen/Sinclair; comment on Tim's
complaints about technomages; Thomas from Flagstaff welcomes Jarsto
as a show addition; Jarsto likes hearing project updates from B5
alumni; Jarsto comments on "Geometry of Shadows" and highlights a
rift between fans for and against technomages, and how the Drazi
method of leadership selection might work on current-day Earth;
Edmund from Greeneville on the possible improvements for any future
All Boys geeking shows; CA in Phoenix enjoys the show so far, and
wants more fun interviews. Tim reads an email from Edmund about the
escalation of the Drazi fights in "Geometry of Shadows", and wonders
if the Shadows might have influenced the escalation of violence in
the Drazi Purple/Green conflict.

Deep Geeking: Tim and Summer continue episode analysis with "A
Distant Star", and given that Russ Tamblyn was featured, Tim and
Summer ask Jeff what it was like to work with some high profile
guest stars over the years in the show.

In talking about an episode that they both consider to be one of the
weakest of Season 2, despite the fact that D. C. Fontana is credited
with writing it, the dialogue seemed to be less than optimal in flow
between characters and seemingly incongruent confluence of unlikely
events.

Would the Shadows have left the Starfuries alone, or would it really
have gone back and made sure that they hadn't survived to talk about
their existence? Or were there just too many little things that
needed to be setup in this episode that the weight caused the
structure of the actual episode to collapse? The technobabble runs
fast and deep here, and having all that happen just to give Keffer a
search for truth and meaning this season seems a little weak.
How did this episode influence JMS in his resulting feat of writing
all of the episodes of Seasons 3 and 4, or was it even an influence
at all? We may never know.

BABYLON PODCAST #43
by Summer —
Wednesday, November 29, 2006

On a rare instance, Jeffrey is already home enjoying a concoction
when he joins Tim and Summer to chat. He's still going on about the
snow. We have to find snow for this man, and soon.

Tim reads an email from a confidential informant, giving us details
on some of the effects work being done and minor changes in which
stories will be shot for Vol 1 and Vol 2 of The Lost Tales, and
Jeffrey gives us a minor lesson on the business of runaway
production, and one possible way it could impact the historical
continuity of the crew involved then and now.

Deep Geeking: It's been a while, but we're getting back into episode
discussion! Tim and Summer delve into "The Geometry of Shadows", the
first of many WHAM episodes to hit us in Season 2.

We talk about Lord Refa, and his ambitions to gain favor in the
court, and his hopes that an alliance with Londo would vault him
into the line of succession to the throne. We disagree about the
introduction of technomages into the B5 universe, because Tim
prefers rocketships and Summer prefers sword-n-sorcery. We talk
about Ivanova's promotion and her trial by fire introduction to the
careful dance of diplomacy with the Drazi and their ritual of
dominance (in consideration of her broken foot). We talk about
Garibaldi's doubt in himself and his ability to continue to do his
job in light of being ambushed and betrayed by his former second-in-
command, Jack.

The "Purple-Green" machinations provide much geek fodder, touching
on the diplomatic, the political, the humorous, the devious, the
scheming and the counter-scheming, between both Drazi factions, and
the humans trying to maintain some semblance of order and
preventative furniture care. And the rules change committees.
Tangents traveled include wondering how the Drazi method might work
out in our own political systems; Galen having a bigger impact on
Tim than Elric; more musings about human-alien interactions in terms
of species specific information sharing.

Listener Feedback: In voicemail, Jarsto submits another B5 Haiku
(RevolutionSF has Sci-Ku's as well); John from Dispatches from
Tuzenor chimes in on the B5/BSG debate; Jarsto comments on Mike's
newly found appreciation for B5, and on Jeffrey's anecdotal
contributions to the show; Iron Eagle responds to a live stream
comment on Captain Janeway's real contribution to the Trek universe;
Jarsto calls in with yet another instantly inspired B5 Haiku.
Go to Babylon Podcast to listen to all of the previous broadcasts or
visit Podcasts for the collection.

BABYLON 5 DISCUSSION TOPIC:
It seems as if there are more science fiction/fantasy programs on
television and at the movies than ever before. Why do you think this
is happening? Are people trying to look into the future or are
people tired of police or doctor dramas?

Send your comments along to sgbruckner@.... I'll post them for
everyone to read on the Discussion Page.

NEW DVDS
FORBIDDEN PLANET
(Two-Disc 50th Anniversary Special Edition
This 50th anniversary edition is packed with special material --
including deleted scenes and appearances by the Robot.

THE LIBRARIAN: THE RETURN TO KING SOLOMON'S MINES
Warner Bros. has announced the release of THE LIBRARIAN: THE RETURN
OF KING SOLOMON'S MINES on DVD for December 19, 2006. If you missed
the premiere on TNT, you can see the movie on Saturday December 9 at
4:00pm and 11:45pm; Sunday December 10 at 11:30am and Saturday,
December 16 at 12:15am. The premiere last Sunday averaged a strong
6.2 million total viewers! For more information about the movie, go
to http://alt.tnt.tv/librarian_return/index.html. If you loved
Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones -- you'll love Noah Wyle as Flynn
Carsen.

NEW SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS

THE MAKING OF STAR WARS: THE DEFINITIVE STORY BEHIND THE ORIGINAL
FILM
by J. W. Rinzler
Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of George Lucas' epic Star Wars and
featuring "lost" interviews from the LucasFilm archives, this
exclusive, official story offers a glimpse behind the movie that
launched the saga in 1977 and changed filmmaking forever!

SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINES
COMICS INTERNATIONAL SPECIAL EDITION #1: DR. WHO IN COMICS
From the publishing birthplace of V For Vendetta and Miracleman,
Quality Communications presents a special edition of the industry's
news magazine Comics International, spanning 43 years of strips by
some of the world's top artists and writers, from Frank Bellamy to
Alan Moore, for publishers ranging from Marvel and Gold Key to the
BBC and even MAD Magazine. Contains an exclusive interview with Dave
Gibbons, the many lives of Doctor Who, plus articles on the top ten
artists across the decades, graphic novels, foreign editions, the
latest Who news, interviews with artists, writers, and editors past
and present, new comic strips, and much more!

ACTION TV MAGAZINE #1 & #2
These issues feature articles on The Avengers and The Baron, plus an
overview of cult tv writer and creator Dennis Spooner's career,
including an exclusive interview given to the editor prior to his
passing.

SCIENCE FICTION NEWS

CASINO ROYALE
After fierce bidding with several outlets, including broadcast
networks, Spike TV, TNT and FX, USA landed the latest James Bond
film starring Daniel Craig. Under the five-year deal, said to be in
the neighborhood of $20 million, USA will get the MGM/Columbia
Pictures blockbuster movie in June 2009. The package, brokered by
Sony Pictures TV, also gives the cable network the right to carve
out an additional window on broadcast or cable. "Casino Royale," the
first Bond movie with Craig as the famous British spy, is on track
to outpace "Die Another Day" as the highest-grossing movie in the
franchise.

ABC TV SCHEDULE SHUFFLE
ABC as pulled the plug on quiz show "Show Me the Money" and the
midseason drama "Day Break" and is moving the "America's Funniest
Home Videos" to Tuesdays. NBC has shut down production on the
upcoming drama "Raines." "Money" and "Day Break" are taken off the
schedule effective immediately. The network also has canceled its
recent order for six additional episodes to "Money," hosted by
William Shatner. According to the Tuesday and Wednesday scheduling
moves announced this month by ABC, "Money" was supposed to move to
the 8 p.m. Tuesday slot beginning Jan. 2. That time period will now
go to veteran "America's Funniest Home Videos." On Friday, Jan. 5,
ABC will air repeats of "According to Jim" in "AFHV's" 8-9 p.m.
slot. Starting the following week, the network will air reruns
of "Grey's Anatomy" at 8 p.m. and "Brothers & Sisters" at 9 p.m. On
Wednesday, ABC will air reruns of "Jim" and "George Lopez" in "Day
Break's" 9 p.m. period for the rest of the year. The unaired
episodes of the thriller starring Taye Diggs will run on ABC.com,
with a new episode premiering every Wednesday. On Jan. 3, the
network will launch its 8-10 p.m. comedy block as planned with an
hour of a new "According to Jim" and the series premieres of "The
Knights of Prosperity" and "In Case of Emergency."
Newsmagazine "Primetime" will be closing the night at 10 p.m. until
the hit drama "Lost" comes back with all new episodes Feb. 7. As
for "Raines," the cop drama starring Jeff Goldblum and Madeleine
Stowe, it has filmed seven episodes of its 13-episode order. As
previously planned, the network will air them in the 9 p.m. Friday
period, which the new series will share with incumbent "Las Vegas."

DRIVE
FIREFLY's Nathan Fillion has been tapped as the lead on Fox's
midseason drama series "Drive." The show, from 20th Century Fox TV
and executive producers Tim Minear, Ben Queen and Greg Yaitanes,
chronicles an underground race across America. Fillion will play
Alex Tully, a charming, rogue landscaper who is coerced into joining
the race to search for his wife who had been abducted. In the
original pilot, the role was played by Ivan Sergei.

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD
You can watch a new trailer for LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD AT Yahoo
Movies. 20th Century Fox released the new teaser trailer for the
fourth film of the action franchise will feature John McClane (Bruce
Willis) attempting to stop a techno-terrorist from shutting down the
nation's computer systems on the Fourth of July. The story takes
place around Washington, D.C. Co-starring Justin Long, Maggie Q,
Timothy Olyphant and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, the Len Wiseman-
directed film opens on June 29.

VISUAL EFFECTS OSCAR
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that
seven films are in consideration for achievement in Visual Effects
for the 79th Academy Awards®. The films are listed below in
alphabetical order:
Casino Royale
Eragon
Night at the Museum
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Poseidon
Superman Returns
X-Men: The Last Stand
Nominations for the 79th Academy Awards will be announced on
Tuesday, January 23, 2007, at 5:30 a.m. PST in the Academy's Samuel
Goldwyn Theater.

STARGATE NEWS
According to Gateworld.com, a third Stargate series is now in
development. A production source informs said that the new series is
in the concept phase, and is being actively worked on by the
Vancouver creatives behind Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. No
concept for the show has yet been revealed. The third TV series is
also not likely to be rushed into production for a 2007 premiere in
order to replace SG-1, which takes its final bow with 10 new
episodes this spring. Instead, a premiere in 2008 or later is more
likely at this point. STARGATE ATLANTIS returns for its fourth
season later in 2007. Meanwhile, SG-1 will continue with two movies,
presumably direct-to-DVD, currently aiming for a fall 2007 release.

DEAD AND DEADER
Dean Cain has signed on for the upcoming original SCI FI Channel
movie Dead and Deader because it struck him as a "fun hoot of a
project." The former star of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of
Superman plays Lt. Bobby Quinn, a U.S. Army soldier who becomes a
half-zombie after he's attacked by a giant beetle while on a
mission. When he awakens, Quinn teams with a cook (Guy Torry) and a
doctor (Susan Ward) to contain the fully "zombified" soldiers
running amok on a military base. "We called it a 'zomb-edy,' Cain
said in an interview. "Actually, that's Guy Torry's word. It's a
zombie comedy, and it's very funny, and it was a lot of fun to
shoot. I'd seen a lot of the zombie films, and the guys who made the
film with us were such zombie fans, and our effects guys were zombie
fans. It was fun for me, because this guy, Quinn, ain't the nicest
guy in the world. When I played Superman, he was the most moral,
ethical character on the face of the planet. This guy is a military
guy who's half-zombie. He's just kicking some ass, and he's not
worried about being moral. The makeup was not the most fun in the
world. I looked sick for several weeks, but it was freeing to just
be this other guy." There are amusing cameos by such familiar genre
faces as Armin Shimerman (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), John
Billingsley (Star Trek: Enterprise) and Dean Haglund (The X-Files).
Characters debate the merits of the original Dawn of the Dead versus
the 2004 remake, and Ken Foree versus Ving Rhames. At one point,
Quinn playfully tells Torry's character to quiet down by
threatening, "Don't make me eat you." "There was a good bit of the
humor in the script," Cain said. "You knew that when you read the
tone of the script. But Guy Torry, ... the thing is you don't want
to try to out-funny him. He's a [stand-up] comic. So a lot of the
stuff we did was in the script, but occasionally we'd be able to
come up with some off-the-cuff stuff. Susan is pretty funny, too. So
we had kind of a clear right to do anything we wanted to and if we
got off track they'd bring us back." DEAD AND DEADER debuts Dec. 16
at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
Science fiction and fantasy movies usually do poorly when it comes
to awards for excellence. This year's Golden Globe nominations
announced Dec. 14 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association
recognized a few of this year's best programs. NBC's HEROES won a
nod for best television series, drama, joining returning nominee
LOST, from ABC. LOST's Evangeline Lilly and Patricia Arquette, star
of NBC's MEDIUM, were nominated for best performance by an actress
in a drama television series, and HEROES newcomer Masi Oka got a
nomination for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in
a series, miniseries or motion picture made for television. In the
film category, Guillermo del Toro's upcoming Pan's LABYRINTH
received a nod for best foreign-language film. Renee Zellweger got a
nomination for best performance by an actress in a motion picture,
comedy or musical, for her starring role in the upcoming fantasy-
tinged biopic MISS POTTER. Johnny Depp was nominatd for best
performance by an actor in a motion picture, comedy or musical, for
his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD
MAN'S CHEST, along with Will Ferrell for STRANGER THAN FICTION. The
nominees for best animated feature film included CARS, HAPPY FEET
and MONSTER HOUSE. Prince's "The Song of the Heart," from HAPPY
FEET, also was nominated for best original song, motion picture.
Clint Mansell (The Fountain) and Hans Zimmer (The Da Vinci Code)
both received nominations for best original score, motion picture.
Golden Globe winners will be named in a ceremony in Beverly Hills,
Calif., on Jan. 15, 2007.

TARZAN
According to Variety, Warner Brothers is in negotiations with
director Guillermo del Toro to helm a new take on Edgar Rice
Burroughs' classic TARZAN character for the big screen. Jerry
Weintraub will produce the movie, and John Collee (Master and
Commander: Far Side of the World, Happy Feet) is negotiating to
write the screenplay. Weintraub will produce through his Jerry
Weintraub Prods. banner. Del Toro (Pan's LABYRINTH, HELLBOY) grew up
reading Spanish-language translations of Burroughs' books and feels
that the classic themes are still compelling. Del Toro also sees
that there is new ground to cover in the Tarzan mythology by turning
back to the original Burroughs prose. In the years since Burroughs
first introduced the loincloth-clad character in book form in 1914,
Tarzan has headlined live-action and animated films, as well as
radio and TV shows.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
The Hollywood Reporter indicated that PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD
MAN'S CHEST tallied first-week sales of 10.5 million units, making
it the biggest home video debut of any new release this year. The
sequel, which was also the top box-office earner of 2006, shot to
first place on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart for the
week ending Dec. 10, and it pulled the original PIRATES OF THE
CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL back up to number nine a
full three years after it was released. DEAD MAN'S CHEST is now
poised to be the top- selling DVD of the year, beating another
Disney title, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE
WARDROBE, which was released in April and has since sold about 14
million copies. The Pirates sequel also will likely become the top
live-action DVD ever. That honor currently belongs to the original
Pirates, which sold 9.9 million DVDs its first week out (and another
1.1 million VHS cassettes) and went on to sell more than 18 million
units, discs and cassettes combined.

INAMORATA
Variety reports that Graham King's Initial Entertainment Group has
bought the film rights to INAMORATA, a paranormal- tinged book, for
Johnny Depp's production company, Infinitum Nihil. The acquisition
was one of three books that Depp's company and King will co-produce
for Warner Brothers Pictures under King's deal with the studio.
Infinitum was careful to stress that Depp isn't attached to star in
the projects. At the same time, any project set up at an actor's
vanity company has the potential to turn into a starring vehicle.
Initial and Infinitum are in talks with Peter Medak (Romeo Is
Bleeding) to helm the film version of Joseph Gangemi's Inamorata,
which is to be adapted by the author. Set in Philadelphia in the
1920s, the book revolves around a Harvard grad student who falls in
love with a beautiful psychic whom he is attempting to discredit as
a fraud.

STAR TREK XI
Writer/director J.J. Abrams confirmed to Variety that work is on
track to release a proposed 11th Star Trek movie in 2008. Abrams, co-
creator of ABC's LOST, is producing the movie for Paramount and co-
writing it. TrekMovie.com, meanwhile, reported that Abrams and
Paramount have added Stratton Leopold to the growing list of
executive producers for Star Trek XI.

WGA AWARDS
ABC's LOST got two 2007 nominations for Writers Guild of America
television awards, and SCI FI's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA received one.
LOST received a nomination for best dramatic series, and the
episode "Two for the Road," written by Elizabeth Sarnoff and
Christina M. Kim, received a separate nomination for episodic drama.
LOST is written by JJ Abrams, Monica Owusu-Breen, Carlton Cuse,
Leonard Dick, Drew Goddard, Javier Grillo-Marxauch, Adam Horowitz,
Dawn Lambersten Kelly, Christina Kim, Edward Kitsis, Damon Lindelof,
Steven Maeda, Jeff Pinkner, Matt Ragghianti, Elizabeth Sarnoff and
Alison Schapker. The two-part BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
episode "Occupation/ Precipice," written by Ronald D. Moore, got a
nod for best episodic drama. NBC's HEROES, meanwhile, received a
nomination for best new series for its writing staff, which includes
Jesse Alexander, Adam Armus, Natalie Chaidez, Aron Eli Coleite, Kay
Foster, Bryan Fuller, Michael J. Green, Tim Kring, Jeph Loeb and Joe
Pokaski. Other nominations included: "The End of the Whole Mess," an
episode of TNT's Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of
Stephen King limited series, got a nod for best episodic drama; the
teleplay was by Lawrence D. Cohen, based on the short story by King.

MORTAL ARMOR: THE LEGEND OF GALAHAD
According to Variety, Laurence Dunmore is set to direct MORTAL
ARMOR: THE LEGEND OF GALAHAD, a coming-of-age take on Sir Galahad's
quest for the Holy Grail. Seven Arts Pictures is financing the film,
with production slated to begin next summer in the United Kingdom.
Gale Anne Hurd produces. Joel Gross wrote the script. Dunmore most
recently directed Johnny Depp's THE LIBERTINE. ARMOR is a co-
production of Hurd's Valhalla Motion Pictures and Peter Hoffman's
Seven Arts.

TAG
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Universal Pictures has hired
Carey Malloy to adapt TAG, a supernatural horror comic book
published by Boom! Studios. Marc Platt is producing the adaptation
along with Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby via their Boom Entertainment
Inc. banner. The story in TAG is set in motion when an average Joe
strolls down the street after a fight with his girlfriend and a
random stranger tags him, handing off an ancient pagan curse. He
begins to die, seeing his body decompose every day before his eyes.
Cursed, he must either surrender or find the next victim to tag. The
comic book was written by comics veteran Keith Giffen and drawn by
Kody Chamberlain.

PUSHING DAISIES/ALICE
Variety reports that Bryan Fuller, co-executive producer of NBC's
HEROES, has won a pilot commitment from ABC for PUSHING DAISIES, a
romance-tinged procedural about a man who can touch dead people and
bring them back to life, Fuller will write the pilot with American
Beauty producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen. Jinks and Cohen will
executive- produce via the Jinks/Cohen Co. and Warner Brothers
Television. Fuller and Jinks/Cohen are also developing ALICE, an
interpretation of Alice in Wonderland that Fuller wrote on spec.
Fuller created the Showtime series DEAD LIKE ME and Fox's
WONDERFALLS.

NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE
The Hollywood Reporter reports that NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE, the latest
supernatural thriller from Japan, has been picked up by the
Weinstein Co. for distribution in North America, the United Kingdom,
Australia and New Zealand. In a deal first set in motion at
November's American Film Market, Arclight Films subsidiary
Easternlight Films has announced that it has sold the rights to
NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE for an undisclosed fee after the movie screened
at the Pusan and Rome film festivals. Written and directed by Shinya
Tsukamoto and starring Ryuhei Matsuda, Masanobu Ando and singer
Hitomi, the movie is the tale of a female detective investigating a
pair of suicides mysteriously connected by the fact that both
victims dialed zero on their mobile phones just seconds before they
died. The detective tracks down a man with the power to enter
people's dreams, a device that enables Tsukamoto to put his
idiosyncratic filming styles to good use.

MIGHTY B
From Variety: Nickelodeon has greenlit MIGHTY B, an animated show
from Saturday Night Live star Amy Poehler, about an ambitious, merit-
badge-collecting "Honeybee" Scout voiced by Poehler.

GRACE
According to sources at the Hollywood Reporter, TNT is in
negotiations to pick up the supernatural drama pilot GRACE to
series. Oscar winner Holly Hunter stars in the show, playing a jaded
Oklahoma City police detective who is visited by an irascible angel
and offered an opportunity to redeem her life. The Fox 21-produced
GRACE is said to be considered a strong self-starter, a candidate to
air in the 10 p.m. hour with no series lead-in, similar to the way
FX schedules its original dramas in the Tuesday 10 p.m. slot. GRACE
co-stars Laura San Giacomo, Leon Rippy and Bokeem Woodbine and was
written by Nancy Miller, who is executive-producing with Gary
Randall.

THE PRINCE
Intrepid Pictures (upcoming The Hitcher and Balls of Fury) has
purchased Dave Kalstein's screenplay THE PRINCE, a psychological
thriller centering on a prep school student framed as a terrorist
who seeks revenge on his former classmates, says The Hollywood
Reporter. The production company plans to co-finance the project
either through its Universal Pictures/Rogue Pictures first-look deal
or with another partner. Intrepid founders Trevor Macy and Marc
Evans paid in the low-six figures for the script and are set to
produce the project, with plans to finalize a production deal by mid-
2007. The pair developed the idea with Kalstein and commissioned him
to write the screenplay. "It's a modern-day 'Count of Monte Cristo'
set in New York's jet-set society," said Kalstein, who based the
script on his experiences getting kicked out of prep schools. After
the title character is falsely charged with a planned Columbine High
School-style attack, he is sent to prison and re-emerges among his
old cohorts with a new identity. He plays on their fears and
ambitions, ultimately killing them or exposing their secrets in his
quest for justice.

SPIDER-MAN 3 CLIPS
Reports indicate that FX will air an "exclusive cut" of SPIDER-MAN 2
on January 2 at 7pm. The network will also give another sneak peek
at SPIDER-MAN 3, so be sure to tune in on the 2nd! The third
installment, opening May 4, stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst,
James Franco, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, Thomas Haden Church,
Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, James Cromwell and Theresa
Russell. Sam Raimi directs from a script by Alvin Sargent.

PHILIP MARLOWE
Philip Marlowe is making a comeback on television with ABC planning
a Los Angeles-set, present-day but noir style procedural crime drama
utilising author Raymond Chandler's famed hard-boiled detective.
Sean Bailey, Greg Pruss, Daniel H. Blatt, Phil Clymer and Carol
Wolper will produce the potential series entitled PHILIP MARLOWE.
Bailey confirms that the character-based detective show has no plans
to use any of Chandler's Marlowe books as source material for
storylines. Chandler's most famous novels include "The Long
Goodbye", "Farewell, My Lovely" and "The Big Sleep". The likes of
Humphrey Bogart, Robert Montgomery, George Montgomery, Robert
Mitchum, Dick Powell, Elliot Gould, Danny Glover, James Garner,
James Caan and Powers Boothe have previously portrayed the
character.

AVERY HOUSE
According to Variety, Tagline Television is partnering with Mark
Burnett on a new drama for the Sci Fi Channel titled AVERY HOUSE.
The show will center on a New York family that moves into a haunted
home. AVERY HOUSE, written by Emmy winner Dava Savel ("Ellen"), was
named one of the 10 best unproduced drama scripts by Written By
magazine. The drama, also produced by NBC U TV Studio, had been in
development limbo but scored a SCI FI order after Burnett became
attached.

AFI AWARDS
NBC's HEROES and SCI FI's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA made the 2006 AFI
Awards list of the 10 best TV programs of the year.

NEW SCIENCE FICTION PROJECT
Creator of USA's THE 4400, Scott Peters, is developing FOUND, a
reincarnation drama for ABC, which is part of a new raft of SF
series in the works for various networks, according to The Hollywood
Reporter. ABC is also developing JUMPER and THE 36th MMAN; all three
series are from Touchstone TV. CBS, meanwhile, is developing a
supernatural drama from JOAN OF ARCADIA creator Barbara Hall, about
exorcists who investigate weird phenomena. NBC is developing a time-
travel drama and is remaking THE BIONIC WOMAN, from BATTLESTAR
GALACTICA executive producer David Eick. The networks seem undaunted
by the failure of last season's crop of SF shows, including CBS'
THRESHOLD and ABC's INVASION. Two of this season's breakout hits are
SF-themed: NBC's HEROES and CBS' JERICHO.

NEW AMSTERDAM
Variety reports that the Fox TV network has ordered a pilot
tentatively titled NEW AMSTERDAM, about a New York homicide
detective who is secretly centuries old. Allan Loeb and Christian
Taylor (ABC's Miracles) will write and executive-produce the pilot.
Steven Pearl also is an executive producer. Regency TV is producing
with Scarlet Fire Films.

ALEX AND THE IRONIC GENTLEMAN
The Hollywood Reporter writes that the Weinstein Co. and its
Weinstein Books division are embarking on a multimedia adventure,
acquiring two titles in a new children's fantasy book series, a film
option on the novels and a rolling option for all print prequels and
sequels. The adventures begin with ALEX AND THE IRONIC GENTLEMAN,
first-time author Adrienne Kress' chronicle of plucky 10-year-old
orphan Alex Morningside's quest to free her schoolteacher from the
clutches of evil pirates. The magical mission takes her aboard the
Ironic Gentleman, a pirate ship where her teacher is held prisoner.
GENTLEMAN will be published in fall 2007, with the unwritten and
untitled sequel tentatively scheduled for the following fall.

CONVENTION CALENDAR

February 16-18, 2006
Farpoint
City: Baltimore, MD
Place: Hunt Valley Marriott
Guests: Summer Galu (Firefly), Alice Krige (Stare Trek)
For more information, go to their website at
http://www.bcpl.net/~wilsonr/

I guess that just about brings you up to date with what's going on
in the world of science fiction – and Babylon 5 in particular. I
hope that you will take the opportunity to share your thoughts
about science fiction in the world of entertainment today – and send
along any material you think other readers might be interested in. Be sure to
visit the website <http://www.isnnews.net> often to keep abreast of all the
latest in news from around the internet.

Have a great weekend.
Take care.
Sandy

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