THE ZOCALO TODAY – May 26, 2007

Another week has come to an end and we have a ton of information on
BABYLON 5: THE LOST TALES. Warner Bros. sent me a number of links to
clips created for the upcoming DVD. There are some new ones out at
VMIX – all the links are below. Be sure to keep watching the
website. If any new information comes out, I'll have it there first.

I draw your attention to the fan campaign to SAVE JERICHO. I loved
this show – and it has been cancelled. A campaign is underway to
save the series – by sending nuts to CBS. For more details, read
below. We B5ers are familiar with fan campaigns – so support the
series if you can.

BABYLON 5: THE LOST TALES
JMS writes:
FYI I'm told -- emphasis on told -- that the TRAILER for the B5 LOST
TALES DVD will be going up on www.babylon5.com end of the day today
or at some point not long thereafter.

Nothing yet! Will keep watching!

BABYLON 5 MOVIE CLIPS

MORE B5 DIARIES
Ranger Michael alerted me to more video diaries from JMS on B5: THE
LOST TALES. Go to <http://stargate-project.de/babylon5/index.php?
seite=news&show=detail&get=2335> to view them. Don't be afraid of the
German you'll see. Click on the B5 station logo. This will take you
into another section where you will see a number of B5 videos. The
ones you haven't seen yet are: Small Brown Cat, Writer/Director JMS
and Set Construction.

Thanks to Warner Bros., we have some additional video to watch from
the Babylon 5: The Lost Tales. Use the links below. More versions of
these clipls will be posted shortly.

Aftermath
<http://raincloud.warnerbros.com/wbol/us/whv/med/babylon5/diaries/bts_
babylon_5_the_aftermath_qt_300.mov> Aftermath - 300 MOV

<http://raincloud.warnerbros.com/wbol/us/whv/med/babylon5/diaries/bts_
babylon_5_the_aftermath_300.asx> Aftermath - 300 Window Media

Reunion
<http://raincloud.warnerbros.com/wbol/us/whv/med/babylon5/diaries/bts_
jc_bruceboxleitner_qt_300.mov> Reunion-300 MOV

<http://raincloud.warnerbros.com/wbol/us/whv/med/babylon5/diaries/bts_
jc_babylon5thereunioon_300.asx> Reunion-300 Windows Media

Bruce Boxleitner
<http://raincloud.warnerbros.com/wbol/us/whv/med/babylon5/diaries/bts_
jc_bruceboxleitner_qt_300.mov> Bruce Boxleitner Clip - MOV

<http://raincloud.warnerbros.com/wbol/us/whv/med/babylon5/diaries/bts_
jc_bruceboxleitner_300.asx> Bruce Boxleitner Clip - Windows Media

Joe's First Day
<http://raincloud.warnerbros.com/wbol/us/whv/med/babylon5/diaries/bts_
joes_first_day_qt_300.mov> Joe's First Day - MOV
<http://raincloud.warnerbros.com/wbol/us/whv/med/babylon5/diaries/bts_
joes_first_day_300.asx> Joe's First Day - Windows Media

Over on <http://www.isnnews.net/zocalo/lost-tales.shtml>B5: The Lost
Tales page, you will find a lot of different versions of these clips -
- with a number of different bandwidth flavors. Pick which one works
best for you and watch and enjoy.

DISCUSSION TOPIC:
The last batch of season/series finales have just about been
completed. What do you think? Did the cliffhanger leave you eager to
see the start of the next season? Was it a let-down? Are you bummed
that the series won't be back and you won't know what happened to
your favorite character?

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

BABYLON PODCAST #66

Welcome to Show #66!
Tim, Summer and Jeffrey launch the When Farm Animals Attack segment,
and all we can say is TurDuckEn. It's harder to avoid duck attacks
than it is Shadow attacks.

Warner Bros has also released "Lost Tales" teasers on YouTube, and
links will be provided later (after recovering from Lazy Show Notes
syndrome), and we really do start the "Michael checks the FarPoint
Media mailbox" segment…

Deep Geeking: This week's episode is "Confessions and Lamentations",
and Summer fesses up that this was the episode that permanently
hooked her focus into the Babylon 5 universe.
Supremely lazy show notes…. no update today. Update tomorrow… there's
always an update tomorrow.

Listener Feedback: Just for the record, the FarPoint tag is
officially spelled "boohkie", all because Google kept pulling up
websites for bookmakers. Make a note of it.

Jerseys Are Go! Interested? Let us know if you'd place a pre-order!
For more information – and back episodes of Babylon Podcasts, go to
http://www.babylonpodcast.com.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

JEANNE CAVELOS
B5 author Jeanne Cavelos will be appearing on STAR WARS TECH, a
special on The History Channel airing Monday, May 28 at 8 PM Eastern
Time. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the original STAR
WARS movie, the show explores how close we are to developing some of
the technology in George Lucas's universe. (FYI, there is another
STAR WARS special airing at 9 PM, so don't be confused.)
http://www.history.com/shows.do?action=detail&episodeId=221451

**OTHER APPEARANCES**
Jul 7: Appearing at Readercon, Marriott Hotel, Burlington, MA
http://www.readercon.org
Jul 14: Hosting the Odyssey Science Fiction & Fantasy Slam at Barnes
& Noble, Nashua, NH, 2-3:30 pm
Jul 25: Hosting the Science Fiction & Fantasy Slam at Barnes & Noble,
Manchester, NH, 6:30-9 pm
Nov 1-4: Appearing at the World Fantasy Convention, Saratoga Springs,
NY http://www.lastsfa.org/wfc2007/

NEW DVDS COMING

Complete Matrix Trilogy, The (HD)
Original Product Release Date: 05/22/2007
Synopsis:
The #1 requested film on HD is now here! The Complete Matrix Trilogy
presents the complete adventures of machine battling truth-seekers
Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Cary-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Lurence
Fishburne) in all three of the Wachowski's ground-breaking monumental
sci-fi feature films. This collection features all three films in Hi-
def and includes exclusive In Movie Experience (IME). These are the
ultimate films for the ultimate hi-def format!

Robin Hood: Season 1
Synopsis:
People's hero, war hero, romantic hero and leader of the world's most
famous resistance group...Robin Hood is known and loved by millions
around the world. His fight against a corrupt government and greedy
officials is something we all can connect with. Fun, modern and
intelligent, the BBC's Robin Hood is guaranteed to appeal to today's
sophisticated viewers and is set to be as popular as the new Doctor
Who. Sharp, witty scripts by Dominic Minghella and a striking new
look set the tone as the BBC updates this popular legend for all the
family. Episodes: 1 - Will you tolerate this? Sheriff got your
tongue? Who shot the Sheriff? 2 - Parent Hood The Arrow and the Optic
3 - The Taxman Cometh The Brothers A-Date The Assassin A Thing or Two
About Loyalty 4 - Peace? Off! Dead Man Walking The Return of the King
Clue: No

ER: The Complete Seventh Season
Synopsis:
A busload of fume-sickened school kids...a gunman whose shooting
spree claimed 19 victims...a guy in an opossum outfit who bit a man
dressed as a kangaroo. They and so many others all converge at ER.
The gurneys keep rolling in a superlative Season 7 that includes
Abby's reunion with her mother, a turbulent woman who suffers from
bipolar disorder. Also making the rounds in the 22 episodes: Carter
returns from detox, Abby goes back to square one in med training,
Benton struggles to emerge from Romano's doghouse, Kovac confronts a
mugger, Weaver reveals her sexual orientation and Chen refuses to
reveal the father of her child. Meanwhile, Greene and Corday
marry...and live under the shadow of Greene's health crisis.
Excitement, drama, suspense - the doctors are on call.
Episodes: 1 - 1. Homecoming, 2. Sand and Water, 3. Mars Attacks, 4.
Benton Backwards, 2 - 5. Flight of Fancy, 6. The Visit, 7. Rescue Me,
8. The Dance We Do, 3 - 9. The Greatest of Gifts, 10. Piece of Mind,
11. Rock, Paper, Scissors, 4 - 12. Surrender, 13. Thy Will Be Done,
14. A Walk in the Woods, 15. The Crossing, 5 - 16. Witch Hunt, 17.
Survival of the Fittest, 18. April Showers, 19. Sailing Away, 6 - 20.
Fear of Commitment, 21. Where the Heart Is, 22. Rampage.

Closer, The: The Complete Second Season
Synopsis:
An offbeat personality, a tough-as-nails approach and a track record
as one of the country's leading investigators--these are just a few
of the trails exhibited by television's next great detective, Deputy
Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, played by three-time Golde Globe Award
nominee Kyra Sedgewick in "The Closer". In her first lead role in a
dramatic series, Sedgwick plays a tough CIA-trained detective, with
Southern charm, who has been brought from Atlanta to Los Angeles to
head up the Priority Murder Squad, a special unit of the LAPD that
handles sensitive, hogh- profile murder cases. "The Closer" is
executive produced by the team behind "Nip/Tuck." Episodes: 1 - 1.
Blue Blood, 2. Mom Duty, 3. Slippin', 2 - 4. Aftertaste, 5. To
Protect and Serve, 6. Out of Focus, 7. Head Over Heels, 3 - 8.
Critical Missing, 9. Heroic Measures, 10. The Other Women, 11.
Borderline, 4 - 12. No Good Deed, 13. Overkill, 14. Serving the King
(Part 1 & 2).
For information on these videos, go to www.warnervideo.com

COMIC BOOKS
CIVIL WAR CHRONICLES #2
Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Millar, penciled by Ron
Garney and Steve McNiven, cover by Garney.
Experience Civil War and it's major tie-ins from Amazing Spider-Man,
Fantastic Four, Front Line and more in chronological order! The
landscape of the Marvel Universe is changing, and it's time to
choose: Whose side are you on? Peter Parker makes the most important
decision of his life. As the sides square off for the looming Civil
War, he'll have to live with it. Now the big question is, what will
this decision cost him? This issue reprints Civil War #2 and Amazing
Spider-Man #532 and #533.
72 pages, $4.99, in stores on August 8.

SILVER SURFER: REQUIEM #4
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, paints and cover by Esad Ribic.
"Agnus Dei." The latest offering from the Marvel Knights line
concludes! For untold years, Norrin Radd surfed the galaxy, exploring
the darkness between stars, witnessing the rise and fall of vast
civilizations. Now his ride comes to an end. Zenn-La, the planet of
his birth, the planet he saved through his own sacrifice -- the
Silver Surfer crossed the galaxy to draw his last breath here. He's
home. What waits for him?
32 pages, $3.99, in stores on August 22.

THOR #2
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, pencils and cover by Olivier
Coipel, variant cover by Gabriele Dell'Otto.
A freak thunderstorm hit the wide open spaces of Oklahoma...the same
day a young doctor named Donald Blake drove into town! Now the
friendly residents of this cozy burg are just as puzzled by the
walking stick-carrying young man as they are by the storm clouds
gathering on the horizon. Little do they know an honest-to-goodness
god of Asgard walks among them, searching for his own home in the
heart of theirs... and he's got big plans for their dusty little
town! But what connection does Asgard and Norse mythology have to the
wide-open plains of Oklahoma?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on August 1.

WHAT'S NEW IN SCIENCE FICTION

LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2007 – Platinum Studios www.PlatinumStudios.com,
an entertainment media company that controls the world's largest
independent library of comic book characters, today announced that
Toon Boom Animation, Inc., Planetwide Media's Comic Book Creator and
Wacom will be providing prizes to the Top 50 entrants in Platinum
Studios' 2007 Comic Book Challenge (www.ComicBookChallenge.com), the
industry's leading contest for aspiring comic book writers and
artists worldwide. For all the information about this contest, go to
<http://www.isnnews.net/zocalo/platinum.shtml>. <p>

24
The season finale for many shows took place this week,
including "24". Unlike many series, "24" now has a seemingly secure
spot on FOX's schedule through the 2008-09 season. Not-so-
coincidentally, the renewal carries the show through the duration of
star Kiefer Sutherland's contract with the show's production company,
20th Century Fox TV. The drama has averaged 13.6 million viewers per
week and won its first Emmy for outstanding drama series and for lead
actor Sutherland. Although the ratings have been down only slightly,
the sixth season has faced increased criticisms from fans over the
ongoing plotlines. Producers have made repeated promises that there
will be sweeping changes before next year.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
In what it hailed as a "phenonenal" pre-weekend start, Walt Disney
Pictures reported Friday that PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S
END registered a worldwide gross of $58 million in its first two days
in the global market prior to a massive takeoff over the weekend.
Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Marketing and Distribution, said that $17 million came from Thursday
night domestic showings across the U.S., $12.1 million from 13
foreign territories that opened on Wednesday, and $29 million from
Thursday showings in a total of 39 territories. "We're thrilled
beyond belief with these spectacular early returns, and anticipate
that the incredible excitement and demand will continue throughout
the weekend and summer," said Zoradi in a statement. The third in the
adventure trilogy starring Johnny Depp expanded to 102 overseas
markets on Friday, including such key countries as Japan, Mexico,
Spain, and Brazil, Disney said.

NUTS FOR JERICHO
Jericho lovers are rallying together to send as many nuts to CBS's
corporate offices as possible. <www.nutsonline.com> NutsOnline.com is hosting
the "Nuts to CBS" effort, allowing people to purchase peanuts at a steep
discount for the cause. The result is literally truckloads of peanuts--20,550
pounds as of this morning--en route or already delivered to Tessler or Kelly
Kahl, senior vice president of programming and planning at the network. Fans
interested in helping to join the campaign to renew Jericho can visit
<http://jericholives.com> Jericho Lives for more information.

NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS
Yahoo! Movies has a teaser trailer for NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF
SECRETS. Jon Turteltaub is back again directing. Jerry Bruckheimer is
producing. The script is by Gregory Poirier, Cormac Wibberley, and
Marianne Sellek Wibberley. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger,
Ed Harris, Helen Mirren and Justin Bartha. It hits theaters on
December 21, 2007. Go to Yahoo! Movies for a peek.

THE LONE RANGER
Let's say Jerry Bruckheimer is HOT! Well, here's a note on the
internet that caught my eye!

"Pirates of the Caribbean" scribes Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio may re-
team with their 'Pirates' producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and possibly
even director Gore Verbinski, on a contemporary feature film update
of classic western "The Lone Ranger." The original assorted radio,
film and television serial adventures followed a masked Texas Ranger
in the American Old West, who gallops about righting injustices,
usually with the aid of a clever and laconic American Indian sidekick
called Tonto, and his horse Silver. Collider reports that the new
version would see a reinvention of the property for a modern
audience. A lesser attempt was made in 2003 to do just that with a
two-hour TV movie/backdoor pilot on The WB network starring that
channel's most popular backdoor young hunk - Chad Michael Murray.
Heavily panned, the potential series never eventuated.

STAR WARS CONVENTION IN LOS ANGELES
STAR WARS CELEBRATION IV, a Lucasfilm-sponsored convention, opened a
five-day run May 23 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, with
exhibits and programming to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the
first movie, including a sneak peek at the proposed animated Star
Wars TV show. Steve Sansweet, Lucasfilm's director of fan relations,
promised that Celebration IV would be the largest Star Wars
convention ever; The Hollywood Reporter estimated that as many as
20,000 fans would attend. The convention will feature 17 hours of
programming, including appearances by franchise actors Carrie Fisher
(Princess Leia) and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), special opening
ceremonies on May 25, a laser tag tournament, an art exhibit of
painted and sculpted Darth Vader helmets, an exhibition of props and
set pieces from the Lucasfilm archives and panels on Star Wars-themed
episodes of Family Guy and Robot Chicken. The convention will also
offer a preview of Fanboys, an upcoming feature film dealing with the
efforts of a group of Star Wars fans who try to sneak into Skywalker
Ranch. And Celebration IV will boast an enormous store of Star Wars-
themed items, some exclusive to the convention, which will remain
open 24 hours a day for the duration. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa is expected to proclaim May 25 "Star Wars Day in Los
Angeles" with an official proclamation. And the United States Postal
Service will issue the first of its Star Wars-themed stamps on that
day as well. The convention runs through May 28, Memorial Day.

LOST RATINGS DOWN
Variety reports that the ratings for the third-season finale of LOST
were down from a year ago, but it came in a strong second in its
Wednesday-night time period. According to preliminary nationals from
Nielsen, the two-hour Lost finale averaged a 5.8 rating among adults
aged 18-49 and 13.7 million viewers overall, peaking with a 6.6
rating in the demographic and 15.5 million viewers overall in its
final half- hour. This was the show's best performance since Feb. 7,
when it premiered in a new Wednesday 10 p.m. timeslot, although its
total program average was down more than 20 percent vs. last year.
LOST returns in January with a fourth season.

JAMES BOND
According to the Los Angeles Times, Paul Haggis, the Oscar-winning
writer-director of CRASH and co-writer of CASINO ROYALE, will work on
the script for the next James Bond movie, which is slated for release
on Nov. 7, 2008.

LAND OF LOST THINGS
Variety tells us that Arnold and Anne Kopelson will produce the
fantasy family adventure LAND OF LOST THINGS for Paramount Pictures'
Nickelodeon Movies from a script by new writer Dan Mazeau. Producing
with Kopelson Entertainment is Sherryl Clark, previously an executive
at the company. Clark now runs the film side of J.J. Abrams'
production company Bad Robot. Nick Movies and producers are keeping
the story of Land of Lost Things under wraps. Production is
anticipated to begin early next year.

SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Warner Brothers has acquired the
film rights to Irish author Derek Landy's SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT, which
follows a wisecracking skeleton detective and his young female
accomplice who try to stop the return of the evil Faceless Ones.

PRINCESS AND THE FROG
Disney has tapped Dreamgirls co-star Anika Noni Rose to star in the
animated musical fairy-tale romance The Princess and the Frog.
Variety reports that Rose will voice the character Tiana, a princess
living in New Orleans' French Quarter. The movie is based on an
original story by helmers John Musker and Ron Clements, whose credits
include Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. New Orleans native Randy
Newman will compose songs and score for the project.

MONDAY, MONDAY
According to Variety, Disney has acquired the fantasy pitch MONDAY,
MONDAY, about a neurotic teen who has to relive his disastrous first
day at a new high school until he gets it right. Producers Adam
Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot will develop the comedy through their
Offspring Entertainment company. The script is by first-time feature
writer Flint Wainess. Shankman will produce but may not direct. He
opens HAIRSPRAY this summer and next directs Adam Sandler in Disney's
BEDTIME STORIES, which he and Gibgot will executive-produce.

HE-MAN AND MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE
Producer Joel Silver is developing a new film version of HE-MAN AND
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE for Warner Brothers, working with toymaker
Mattel, Variety reported. Justin Marks is set to write the script.
Mattel, which owns the toy-based franchise, must approve an outline
for the project. HE-MAN was born as a Mattel action figure, and the
toymaker created an animated series in hopes of selling dolls. The
series became a cult favorite and a campy 1987 movie that starred
Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella. The toymaker, which now licenses
HE-MAN for high-end merchandise sold to hardcore collectors, has been
wary of going Hollywood again. An attempt by Fox 2000 to make another
movie, this time with director John Woo, ended in futility as the
toymaker didn't spark to the screen plans, the trade paper reported.
The franchise has been reimagined by the producer and the writers and
pitched to Mattel as a classic good- vs.-evil battle, using the kind
of visual effects strategy employed in 300. A warrior is touted as
the last hope of a magical land called Eternia, which is being
ravaged by technology and the evil Skeletor.

THE 4400
As USA's THE 4400 prepares to return for a fourth season on June 17,
Adweek reports that the network has created a wide-ranging
interactive world consisting of 80 videos on six Web sites to promote
the series that launched on May 21. The Web sites all appear to take
sides in the debate over the use of "promicin," the fictitious drug
that can either imbue its users with superpowers or kill them. The
battle over the drug rages in the show as well. The promotion will
run through the show's season with videos featuring some characters
from the show, as well as new ones.

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
Variety reports that Mike Myers is attached to star in THE SECRET
LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, a remake of the Danny Kaye comedy classic that
producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. has moved from Paramount to 20th Century
Fox. Jay Kogen, a writer and producer on "The Simpsons," "Frasier"
and, most recently, CBS' "The Class," is writing the script. Samuel
Goldwyn Jr. and John Goldwyn will produce. Myers' next live-action
vehicle, Paramount comedy THE LOVE GURU, is on track to begin
production in September in Toronto, with Marco Schnabel directing.
MITTY will compete for Myers' next live- action slot with See Me,
Feel Me: Keith Moon Naked for Your Pleasure, the Spitfire
Pictures/Gerber Pictures drama in which Myers will play the hard-
living drummer for the British rock group the Who. Playwright Donald
Margulies (Brooklyn Boy) has completed a first draft and will do a
rewrite. The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey is aboard as a producer.
Myers also has several projects looming in the future. He is attached
to star in How to Survive a Robot Uprising, an adaptation of a
humorous survival guide written by Daniel H. Wilson that is Reno 911!
duo Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant are scripting for Paramount.
Myers also has begun early discussions with New Line and director Jay
Roach for a fourth installment of the "Austin Powers.

STARDUST
Paramount Pictures has brought online the new official website for
director Matthew Vaughn's STARDUST, opening in theaters on August 10.
Narrated by Ian McKellen, the movie is based on the best-selling
graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess. Claire Danes, Charlie
Cox, Sienna Miller, Ricky Gervais, Jason Flemyng, Peter O'Toole,
Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro star. Visit Stardustmovie.com
and meet the locals in the village of Wall, view the new gallery
images, and pick up the new downloads.

OUR LADY OF VICTORY
Variety reports that Ellen Burstyn, Carla Gugino and David Boreanaz
will co-star in independent sports drama OUR LADY OF VICTORY. The
film tells the story of the Immaculata College women's basketball
team, which rose from loser status to victory in the National Women's
Collegiate Championship in 1972. The script was written by helmer Tim
Chambers, with Pat Croce producing. Shooting began yesterday. Gugino
portrays the coach, Boreanaz her husband.

SAN DIEGO COMI-CON CONTEST
Over on the San Diego Comic Con masquerade page, http://www.comic-
con.org/cci/cci_masq.shtml you will find an announcement about Warner
Home Video presenting the best costume entry based on Babylon 5, the
new made for video film: Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, plus complete DVD
sets of the entire five seasons of the television series and Babylon
5: The Movies.

BARBARELLA
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Robert Rodriguez (Grindhouse) has
signed on to direct BARBARELLA, a new film adaptation of the classic
SF comic-book series that Universal Pictures is fast-tracking for a
2008 worldwide release. The character was immortalized in a 1968
movie starring Jane Fonda. Dino De Laurentiis, who produced the
original film, will produce the update with Martha De Laurentiis.
BARBARELLA tells the story of a female mercenary who roams across the
universe of a distant future, undertaking missions that require
physical fearlessness, ingenuity and sensuality. The character
debuted in 1962 in a French graphic magazine written and illustrated
by Jean-Claude Forest and was known for her many adventures, often
involving sex. There also was a musical produced in 2004. Rodriguez
is working with writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (Casino Royale),
who are developing a completely original adventure for BARBARELLA.
Rodriguez's coming on board puts to rest questions about what the in-
demand director would do next, including THE JETSONS at Warner
Brothers and LAND OF THE LOST at Universal.

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
MGM Home Entertainment will release a new two-disc collector's
edition DVD of the 1978 INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS on Aug. 7,
timed to the theatrical release of the similarly themed THE INVASION,
which opens Aug. 17.

THE BOOK OF ELI
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Joel Silver will produce and
Albert and Allen Hughes will direct THE BOOK OF ELI, a
postapocalyptic Western movie written by Gary Whitta for Warner
Brothers. Silver Pictures' Susan Downey and Erik Olsen also produce.
The script, which Warner bought earlier this year, centers on a lone
hero who must fight his way across the wasteland of post-apocalyptic
America to protect a sacred book that might hold the key to saving
the future of humanity. Ironically, it was a book that was the key
for the Hughes brothers getting the job to helm the feature. The duo
had read the script, agreeing that it had been the best thing they
had read in years, and knew they wanted it to be their next project.
Using their own funds, they produced a hardcover tome that featured
notes, comic panels, color photos and storyboards on how they
envisioned the movie.

VALKYRIE
Variety reports that Kenneth Branagh will star with Tom Cruise in
VALKYRIE, the Bryan Singer-directed WWII drama that shoots this
summer for United Artists. Branagh will play a German general who
mentors Cruise's character and hatches a plan to assassinate Hitler.
Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander wrote the script, based on
a true story. Singer and McQuarrie, who will produce, brought the
project to Cruise and Paula Wagner in March; Cruise committed to star
shortly thereafter. The movie begins shooting July 19 in Berlin.

THE DARK KNIGHT
THE DEAD ZONE's Anthony Michael Hall has told the LA Daily News he is
playing a character in THE DARK KNIGHT for director Christopher
Nolan. In the interview Hall told the News, "I signed a
confidentiality agreement, and I can't say which part I'm playing
because it affects the story. I can't give away the suspense — it's a
$200 million surprise, and I don't want to be the guy to ruin it." He
will return to the KNIGHT set in August for more filming. The actor
revealed, "They're shooting in London, Chicago and Hong Kong. My next
dates are in Chicago, the third week of August with Morgan, then I
get to go back to London." He went on to note, "It's really a great
role. I'm in throughout the whole movie, and I'm really looking
forward to working with Christian and Morgan and all these real
Hollywood heavy hitters."

CONVENTION CALENDAR
June 1-3, 2007
AdventureCon
Place: Knoxville Convention Center
City: 701 Henley Street, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902
Babylon 5 Guests: Walter Koenig and Claudia Christian
Other Guests: Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Dave Prowse (Darth Vader), Billy
Dee Williams (Lando Callrision) and Jeremny Bulloch (Bobo Fete)
For More information, go to www.adventurecon.com
SciFi Summer Con
June 8-10, 2007
Place: Crown Plaza Atlanta-Marietta
City: ATLANTA, GA
For more information, go to http://www.scifisummercon.net

July 13-15, 2007
Shore Leave 29
City: Baltimore, MD
Place: Hunt Valley Marriott
Babylon 5 Guest: Claudia Christian
Other Guests: Paul McGillion (Stargate Atlantis' Dr. Carson Becket);
Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek:TOS's Lt. Uhura); Aaron Douglas
(Battlestar Galactica's Chief Galen Tyrol); Colin Cunningham
(Stargate SG-1's Major Davis); Gary Jones (Stargate SG-1's CMSgt.
Walter Harriman); Dean Haglund (X-Files & The Lone Gunmen's Richard
Langly); William Campbell (ST:TOS's Trelane and ST:TOS and ST:DS9's
Koloth); Louise Sorel (ST:TOS's Rayna Kapec; Days of Our Lives'
Vivian Alamain) and Casey Biggs (ST:DS9's Damar ).
For more information, go to http://www.shore-leave.com/

July 28-29, 2007
STEEL CITY CON
Location: Monroeville, Pennsylvania
Guests: Jeremy Bulloch – "Boba Fett" - from Star Wars. Felix
Silla "Twiki" from Buck Rogers. Doug Wangler - "Quinlan Vos" from
Star Wars. Christy Hemme and Gail Kim from SPIKE TV - Wrestling
Knockouts!
For a list of guests and more information, go to
http://www.steelcitycon.com

I guess that is about it for now. Should any additional information
come my way for BABYLON 5: THE LOST TALES, I will indeed pass it
along. Keep an eye on http://www.isnnews.net.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day.
Sandy

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