The Zocalo Today – June 2, 2007

BABYLON 5: THE LOST TALES

NEW VIDEO CLIP FOR THE MOVIE
A video clip from the upcoming movie, THE LOST TALES, is now up at the
website, babylon5.warnerbros.com. You have got to see this! For a fan,
it is a wonderful teaser for the movie, giving you a taste of what is
to come. It is absolutely awesome hearing the Christopher Franke B5
music again. I can't wait until July!

BABYLON 5 WEBSITE
Warner Bros. has brought the BABYLON 5 website back to life in time
for THE LOST TALES. Go to www.babylon5.com to find this opening screen:

Check out the Official Babylon 5 The Lost Tales MySpace Page for the
latest Babylon 5 updates!
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales DVD available July 31st. Order your copy now!

Vote on your favorite Babylon 5 Episodes through the Chronicles
Section and see the top ranked episodes in our Fans Section!

Show your Babylon 5 love by personalizing your MySpace page with our
Babylon 5 MySpace skin and The Lost Tales MySpace skin from our
Downloads Section!

The Main Menu offers: The Lost Tales Movie; News; Chronicles; Cast &
Crew; Personality Quiz; Downloads; Fans and Store. Some of the
sections are not complete as yet, but it will be fun to watch develop
and grow.

DISCUSSION TOPIC:
There are hundreds of "classic" science fiction tales that have yet to
be brought to the big screen. If money were no object (yes, I know, I
wish too), which stories would you bring to life? Who would
you have play the main character/s?

Send in your comments and suggestions to sgbruckner@.... Share
your thoughts with your fellow readers – I'll post them for all to
read on the Discussion Page at The Zocalo Today.

BABYLON PODCAST #67
Welcome to Show #67!
Summer, Jeffrey and guest commentator Edmund Boys talk about Tim being
missing in action this episode, and also open the doors to the
burgeoning availability of Jeff's B5 collectibles. Summer will have to
figure out a way to arrange travel to Los Angeles, so she can catalog
Jeff's stash and help him sell those items to Babylon Podcast
listeners and then to the greater B5 collector community.

And Jeff proposes that we need to have sex. A lot of it. For a week or
so… nothin' but sex. As a platform for "Kosh for President". On the
Green ticket (not on the Purple ticket). Discuss. It's out of hand,
but try to discuss anyway.

Deep Geeking: This week's episode is "Divided Loyalties", and even
though Tim has been vocal in the past about his displeasure with this
episode, he really has a good reason for not being present to voice
his reasons live.

So Summer and special guest Edmund Boys discuss the episode, and Tim
submits his opinions and comments via a pre-recorded statement. Since
Tim isn't there to rebut our refutations to his explanations, Summer
and Tim win this round of the argument.

In "Divided Loyalties", we see Rangers go to desperate measures to
warn the station's command staff of the presence of a spy, including
bringing Lyta back to the station, at risk to her freedom since she's
been reclassified as a rogue. We also see a little more interaction
and deepening of the relationship between Sheridan and Delenn.

The sudden heating up of the relationship between Susan and Talia, and
the unmasking of the spy (as well as how they'd remained hidden so
long) are all wrapped up a little too fast for the tastes of most
die-hard fans, but given the pending cast changes at the time, JMS did
a pretty fine job with what he had to work with in such a short time
frame.

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!
This week we field voicemails from John in NC about batting cage sound
effects; Kurt from the ScapeCast chimes in on the appropriate
equipment for the Narn Bat Squad; Kurt again, back to recount the
story on how he missed seeing "Knives" the first time around; Kurt one
more time, with details on what happened to Sol to cause the events we
see in "Deconstruction of Falling Stars"; Eric from NY wants a Purple
football jersey with "E. Smith" as the name; Jim from Brookline on
football jerseys over baseball jerseys.

For more information on Babylon 5 Podcasts, go to www.babylonpodcast.com.

BABYLON 5 JUNE BIRTHDAYS
Jeffrey Willerth (Kosh) - June 5 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFFREY!
Donovan Brown (Optic Nerve) - June 6
Ann Bruice Aling (Costumes)- June 8
Mark Walters (Art Department)- June 10
Susan Norkin (Post) - June 10
Adrienne Barbeau (Amanda Carter) - June 11
Enid-Raye Adams (Crusade)- June 16
Mike Vejar (Director)- June 25

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

NEW DVDS COMING

300
The epic graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City) assaults the screen
with the blood, thunder and awe of its ferocious visual style
faithfully recreated in an intense blend of live-action and CGI
animation. Retelling the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, it depicts the
titanic clash in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans
fought to the death against Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his massive
Persian army. Experience history at swordpoint. And moviemaking with a
cutting edge.
Available July 31, 2007

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

NEW SCIENCE FICTION PUBLICATIONS

Cult Times #141: HEROES: On Heroes, Sendhil Ramamurthy plays Mohinder
Suresh, a geneticist whose father is killed, putting Mohinder on a
path towards a series of encounters with people with amazing
abilities. He talks about his search in this issue. SUPERNATURAL:
Jensen Ackles explains what's turned his character, Dean Winchester,
from a gung-ho demon fighter into a more internal, considered person
with repressed emotions; BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: Mary McDonnell,
President Roslin's cancer's back but she's determined to fight on. Her
alter ego, Mary McDonnell, explains how she plans to keep going in
Season 4; MEDIUM - Gifted with her mother's psychic abilities, Ariel
Dubois finds herself increasingly drawn into a dark world of criminal
acts. Sofia Vassilieva, who plays her, talks about what's coming, and
VERONICA MARS -Jason Dohring goes through the changes in his
character, Logan Echolls, which have taken him from bad boy and chief
nemesis of Veronica to romantic lead on the show.

TV Zone #216: DOCTOR WHO - Director Graeme Harper discusses his
episodes 42 and the return of Captain Jack Harkness in Utopia.
Plus...As Robot comes to DVD, writer Terrance Dicks recalls the
creation of Tom Baker's Time Lord. And... A special picture preview of
Human Nature. STUDIO 60: Matthew Perry discusses the battle for
survival of the critically-acclaimed drama set behind the scenes on a
failing comedy show; HUSTLE - Ashley Walters, the latest recruit to
the conman team, the former rapper who shot to fame group So Solid
Group, now plays grifter Billy Bond… BATTLESTAR GALACTICA - Writer
Mark Verheiden guides us through his episodes for the second and third
seasons, including the stunning season finales… STARGATE ATLANTIS: The
second part of an article on the series's visual effects, creator Mark
Savela discusses the imagery of a fan favourite's controversial death…

NEW JMS 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.

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD OF SCIENCE FICTION

HARRY POTTER THEME PARK
Reuters writes that author J.K Rowling has given her permission and
blessings for a Harry Potter theme park to be built in Orlando,
Florida. The joint venture between Warner Bros Entertainment and
Universal Orlando Resort will be called The Wizarding World of Harry
Potter. The builders loook to "create the world's first immersive
Harry Potter themed environment." Rowling said, "The plans I have seen
look incredibly exciting and I don't think fans of the books or films
will be disappointed." The new area will feature rides and interactive
attractions. In addition there will be shops and restaurants will
allow visitors o sample fare from the wizarding world's best-known
establishments. Production designer Stuart Craig, who worked on all of
the feature films,will lead the creative design for the new park so it
remains faithful to the look and feel of the films. The park is
scheduled to open sometime in 2009. Take a peek at the plans at
http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/.

SPY HUNTER
Variety reports that RESIDENT EVIL and ALIEN VS. PREDATOR director
Paul W.S. Anderson will direct SPY HUNTER, the big budget adaptation
of the popular Midway video game that revolves around a transforming
supercar called the Interceptor. The trade paper says he will be
working with another writer to pen the project, which has already gone
through several writers, including Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Zak
Penn and Stuart Beattie. John Woo was originally attached to helm the
movie, in 2004, that will introduce the never-seen spy hunter who
works for a secret government agency. He uses the gadget- packed
Interceptor (that can transform from a car into a motorcycle, jet ski
and submarine) to hunt down agents and thwart a shadowy terrorist org
known as Nostra. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has long been attached to
play the secret agent behind the wheel of the vehicle. Whether he'll
be recast has yet to be determined. The Rock starred in "Spy Hunter:
Nowhere to Run," a Midway game that the company released last year.
Anderson's next film is DEATH RACE, which he is also directing for
Universal. The film is a remake of 1975's Death Race 2000. Adrian
Askarieh, who has an adaptation of the video game Hitman filming at
Fox, is producing the project with Chuck Gordon and Jeremy Bolt.

NUTS FOR JERICHO
Jericho lovers are rallying together to send as many nuts to CBS's
corporate offices as possible. 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 Jericho Lives (www.jericholives.com) for more information.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA COMING TO AN END
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that the upcoming fourth season of
Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica" will be its final one. After
months of speculation, the show's producers will make the announcement
at a press conference today. Ending "Battlestar" with the upcoming
22-episode fourth season was a creative decision made by the show's
executive producers Ronald Moore and David Eick. "This show was always
meant to have a beginning, a middle and finally, an end," Eick and
Moore said in a statement Thursday. "Over the course of the last year,
the story and the characters have been moving strongly toward that end
and we've decided to listen to those internal voices and conclude the
show on our own terms. And while we know our fans will be saddened to
know the end is coming, they should brace themselves for a wild ride
getting there - we're going out with a bang." The fourth and final
season of "Galactica" will kick off in November with "Razor," an
extended two-hour episode, with the rest of the season slated to run
beginning in early 2008. Sci Fi's executive vp original programming
Mark Stern said the channel's brass "respect the producers' decision
to end the series." "We are proud to have been the home of this
groundbreaking show," he said. "We have always known that Ron and
David had a plan for 'Galactica' and trust that fans can look forward
to a truly amazing final season." A couple of weeks ago, the show's
star Edward James Olmos was quoted saying that the upcoming batch of
episodes were definitely the last ones. Sci Fi issued a statement
denying such a decision had been made. "I promise you that when Ron
and I make a decision about 'Galactica's' future, we'll let you know,"
Eick said at the time.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA PANEL DISCUSSION - JUNE 6
SCI FI Channel is inviting fans of its SF series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
to a panel discussion with the cast and crew in Los Angeles, followed
by a sneak peek at the upcoming fourth season. The question-and-answer
session with executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick and
stars of the show will take place at the Cinerama Dome theater, 6360
W. Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles, on June 6 at 8 p.m. Seating is on a
first-come, first-served basis. The panel will be moderated by cast
member Lucy Lawless, who will be joined by co-stars Edward James
Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber and Katee Sackhoff. It will be
followed by a peek at BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's fourth season, which
returns to SCI FI Channel in January 2008. As a special bonus, the
first 500 fans in line will be allowed in at 6 p.m. for a screening of
the season-three finale, "Crossroads, Part 2," in high definition.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END
Variety reports that Disney's Buena Vista TV has sold PIRATES OF THE
CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END to USA Network for its broadcast premiere in
September 2009.

THE 4400 - NEW CAST MEMBER
Executive producer of USA's THE 4400, Ira Steven Behr, said in a
recent interview that the upcoming fourth season will introduce a new
regular character, played by Australian actress Jenni Baird. Baird
(Conviction) will play Meghan Doyle, the new head of the National
Threat Assessment Command, or NTAC, for which Tom Baldwin (Joel
Gretsch) works. Baird's Doyle is the third commander of the government
agency charged with monitoring the 4,400 people who were abducted,
then returned in a ball of light, with new superhuman abilities; the
previous directors were Dennis Ryland (Peter Coyote) and Nina Jarvis
(Samantha Ferris). Meghan Doyle, who makes her first appearance in the
fourth-season premiere "Wrath of Graham", is a Fellini-loving,
rule-breaking outsider who threatens to upset the careful order of the
quasi-law-enforcement establishment of NTAC. And it's no accident that
Doyle is an attractive blonde. "I had the bright idea that Meghan,
this new character, could give us a new head of NTAC and would also
give us someone for Tom to ultimately get involved with..." Behr said.
Baird joins a returning cast that also includes Billy Campbell,
Jacqueline McKenzie, Patrick Flueger, Chad Faust, Megalyn Echikunwoke
and Conchita Campbell. THE 4400 kicks off its fourth season on June 17
at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

MOONLIGHT
The Hollywood Reporter writes that David Greenwalt ,
co-creator/executive producer of ANGEL, has been signed to serve as
executive producer/show runner on CBS' new drama series MOONLIGHT,
which has a similar theme. MOONLIGHT, from Warner Brothers TV and
Silver Pictures TV, centers on a private investigator (Alex
O'Loughlin) who is a vampire. In his eternal life, he is joined by his
former bride (Amber Valletta), a seductive vampire who bit him 60
years ago, as well as a deceitful ally (Rade Serbedzija), who also is
undead. The PI's life is turned upside down when he falls for a
beautiful mortal woman. In the presentation, Shannon Lucio played the
part, which is now being recast. Greenwalt will serve as an executive
producer alongside Joel Silver; the project's writers, Ron Koslow and
Trevor Munson; director Rod Holcomb; and Gerard Bocaccio. Greenwalt
previously served as show runner on NBC's Kidnapped, UPN's Jake 2.0
and ABC's Miracles. In addition to co-creating Angel with Joss Whedon,
Greenwalt was a writer-producer on Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
He also worked as a consulting producer for SCI FI Channel's original
series EUREKA.

LOST
"Lost: The Complete Third Season -- The Unexplored Experience" will be
released on Dec. 11 on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. The 23-episode,
seven-disc set comes with a one-on- one with star Matthew Fox, a
featurette on "The Others," a documentary chronicling 24 hours in
production and a selection of never-before-seen flashbacks. Also
included are behind-the-scenes looks at 10 episodes, audio
commentaries, deleted scenes and bloopers.

THE 4400 - RETURNING JUNE 17
In a recent interview, Ira Steven Behr, executive producer of USA's
THE 4400, said that the upcoming fourth season will propel the story
to a different level and ultimately answer the big question put
forward in the very first episodes: Why exactly were people abducted
in a big ball of light, only to be returned with superhuman abilities?
"What most excites me about this season [is] that we finally answer—or
may answer, depending on your point of view—what it was all about,
what ultimately it's all about," Behr said in an interview in
Hollywood on May 30. "Most shows won't do that and then still feel
they have enough credence to continue on. But, you know, I think it's
a pretty cool outgrowth of what the original concept series was. And
it always bugged me from the very beginning: ... Why did everyone come
back? ... I wanted answers, you know?" Before that happens, the show
will rapidly pick up the threads left dangling in the third-season
cliffhanger last fall, during which self-styled 4400 messiah Jordan
Collier (Billy Campbell) had passed out promicin, a drug that gives
takers a 50-50 chance of developing superhuman abilities—or dying.
(The show's producers are pretty far along in the fourth season's
production, with writers finishing up the 11th of 13 segments this
season.) "The first ... four episodes are ... shows that really talk
about what it's like for people who did not get taken in a ball of
light against their will and were given abilities against their will:
What happens to people who actually risk death and took the shot,"
Behr said. The next few episodes will deal with the mythology of the
series, and the character of Richard Tyler (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali)
for the ninth and 10th episodes (Ali has otherwise been occupied
filming a role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.) The final
three episodes of the season will kick things into "space madness,"
Behr said with a laugh. The fallout from the promicin release will
inform much of the season's story arcs and is the subject of several
Web videos that are linked through the show's official Web site. As
for the big answers coming? "There's going to be some people who are
going to deny that that's what it's all about," Behr teased. "On the
show, they're not going to be sure if it's what it's all about. In the
writers' room, there's some discussion what it's all about. But I
think it certainly [is] a reasonable facsimile [of] what it's all
about. And it certainly gives a focus, you know?" THE 4400, which
stars Joel Gretsch, Jacqueline McKenzie, Patrick Flueger, Chad Faust,
Megalyn Echikunwoke and Conchita Campbell, returns with the episode
"Wrath of Graham" on June 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

TEEN TITAN MOVIE COMING
According to the Hollywood Reporter, DC Comics' Teen Titans will be
adapted as a live-action movie for Warner Brothers. Akiva Goldsman and
Kerry Foster will produce through their Weed Road company, while Mark
Verheiden has been brought on board to write the script. The Teen
Titans first appeared in 1964 as a sort of junior Justice League,
comprising Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Speedy, the
respective sidekicks of Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Green
Arrow. The comic series reached X-Men-style success in the 1980s, when
the team was relaunched in a new comic with the characters no longer
kids but college-age adults, and the stories explored more mature
themes. The series also saw the addition of Cyborg, Starfire and
Raven, original characters who weren't sidekicks, while the character
of Robin matured into one called Nightwing. Most recently, the comic
was adapted to the television screen with a Cartoon Network series
that ran from 2003-'06 that used many of the '80s comics' heroes and
storylines. It is not known which heroes will be used in the new
movie, but Nightwing is said to be in the mix. Goldsman said the tone
will be consistent with such recent Warners' comic book fare as Batman
Begins, Superman Returns and the upcoming Watchmen.

DOCTOR WHO - PETITION
Last year the BBC commissioned a project to recreate in animation form
the two lost episodes of the 1968 Doctor Who serial The Invasion for
DVD release. At this stage, despite glowing reviews, there are no
plans to animate any of the remaining 106 lost episodes. This petition
aims to get those plans restarted:
http://www.petitiononline.com/lostwho/petition.html.

FEARNET
Ghost House Pictures, the joint venture between producers Sam Raimi
and Rob Tapert with Mandate's Joe Drake and Nathan Kahane, will
provide two original Internet series for FEARnet, beginning this
spring. The first series, Devil's Trade, will premiere on June 6. It
follows three teenagers who incur the wrath of a horrifying curse
after purchasing an item off DevilsTrade.com. The live-action series
will consist of seven three- to five-minute episodes. The second
series has yet to be announced. FEARnet calls itself the world's
premier destination for on-demand, online and mobile horror.

INFESTED
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rogue Pictures and Random House
Films have picked up the rights to Scott Sigler's upcoming SF thriller
novel INFESTED and its untitled sequel. INFESTED, due to be published
next spring, was picked up by the Random House imprint Crown
Publishers. The book follows a CIA black ops specialist and a Centers
for Disease Control scientist who team to contain a rapidly spreading
parasite whose bite turns ordinary people into crazed serial killers.
The trail of corpses leads to an infected man who is fighting a bloody
battle for control of his own mind and body.

HERCULES - AGAIN
Variety reports that Avi Lerner's Millennium Films is developing a
HERCULES feature film, based on the mythological Greek demigod. Lerner
and Millennium's Boaz Davidson, Danny Dimbort and Trevor Short are
producing. Sean Hood (Blackwell) has already delivered a script. No
director's yet attached. The saga of HERCULES provided ample fodder
for more than a dozen Italian movies, starting with Hercules in 1957
with Steve Reeves. The myth was also fodder for the syndicated TV
series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Disney's animated feature
film Hercules". Hood's credits include The Crow: Wicked Prayer and
Halloween: Resurrection.

THE HAPPENING
Variety reports that Zooey Deschanel (TIN MAN) has signed to star with
Mark Wahlberg in M. Night Shyamalan's 20th Century Fox SF thriller THE
HAPPENING. The story concerns a man who takes his family on the run
when an apocalyptic natural crisis threatens to end civilization;
shooting starts in August in Philadelphia. Deschanel's credits include
BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA and the upcoming animated SURF'S UP. Deschanel
will also play the role of DG in SCI FI's Tin Man, based on L. Frank
Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; it debuts in December.
VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA - DVD
The first volume of the third season of the classic SF TV series
VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA debuts on DVD on June 19 and features
the season's first 13 episodes, plus photos and an interview with star
David Hedison.

TRANSFORMERS PREMIERE
Variety reports that Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS will have its world
premiere at Italy's Taormina Film Festival on June 21; the SF movie
opens everywhere else on July 4.

LIFE ON MARS
According to Variety, David E. Kelley has recruited The West Wing and
Studio 60 helmer Thomas Schlamme to direct the pilot for his ABC
time-travel drama LIFE ON MARS, based on the BBC original show.
Schlamme will also executive-produce the pilot, which is in
preproduction and slated to shoot sometime this summer. LIFE ON MARS
is based on the BBC series of the same name, which revolved around a
21st-century detective (John Simm) who finds himself inexplicably
thrust back into the 1970s, working on a case that may affect the
future. Casting on Kelley's Mars is under way. Rachelle LeFevre has
already been set.

DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING
Film Ick reports a rumor that author Neil Gaiman will direct his first
feature film later this year: an adaptation of his graphic novel
DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING, based on his own script. The site also
reported that Gaiman had discussed the movie with Pan's LABYRINTH
director Guillermo del Toro a couple of weeks back. The film will most
likely shoot in late autumn or early winter in the United Kingdom,
that TRANSFORMERS star Shia LaBeouf is "almost certainly going to play
the male lead," named Sexton Furnival in the comics, and that Death—or
Didi as she calls herself in her mortal form—has snagged the interest
of a famous young actress who will be named soon.

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
Warner Brothers has bumped up the release date of HARRY POTTER AND THE
ORDER OF THE PHOENIX a couple of days, to July 11 from the original
July 13.

ELRIC
Empire Online reports that Chris and Paul Weitz will adapt the fantasy
saga, about Elric of Melniboné (aka Elric Kinslayer or The White Wolf)
for the big screen. The Elric books first appeared in print in 1961
and number more than a dozen volumes. "Of the great classic fantasy
series it's the one that hasn't been done yet," Chris Weitz told
Empire Online. "My brother, Paul, and I liked those books growing up,
and we've met Michael Moorcock, and he trusts us to take those books
forward." The Weitz brothers' Depth of Field production company will
develop the adaptation, although no director is yet attached. "I'd
really like it if my brother directed them," Chris said.

TRAVELING
Variety reports that Stuber/Parent's Scott Stuber and Mary Parent will
produce Universal Pictures drama TRAVELING. Shooting begins early next
year. Aaron Eckhart is set to star in the film, which will mark the
directing debut of Brandon Camp. Camp wrote the script with longtime
writing partner Mike Thompson, who will also produce. Eckhart will
play a widower whose book about grieving turns him into a phenomenon.
Reinvented as a charismatic self-help guru, he falls for a woman at a
seminar and is forced to confront the fact that he hasn't come to
grips with his own loss.

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT
Dennis Iliadis will direct a remake of Wes Craven's first film, THE
LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, which Craven is producing for Rogue under his
Midnight Pictures. Adam Alleca is on board to rewrite the script.
Variety reports that Craven is producing with Midnight cohort Marianne
Maddalena and Sean S. Cunningham. The latter produced the 1972
original. Craven said the remake will retain the spirit of the
original, about killers who inadvertently seek refuge with the parents
of one of their victims, but aim for a more realistic tone. Craven
expects to begin production on THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT early next
year.

DARK KNIGHT
USA Today reports that THE DARK KNIGHT, the sequel to director
Christopher Nolan's BATMAN BEGINS, will become the first feature film
to be partly shot in the large- screen IMAX format. Nolan will shoot
four action sequences, including the introduction of the Joker, played
by Heath Ledger, in IMAX. "There's simply nothing like seeing a movie
that way," Nolan told the newspaper. "It's more immersive for the
audience. I wish I could shoot the entire thing this way." The four
scenes will fill the IMAX screens, some of which are eight stories
high. And in traditional theaters, the scenes will appear more vivid.

DOCTOR WHO
According to the official Web site of Freema Agyeman, Martha Jones on
the third season of the BBC's DOCTOR WHO, shot down rumors that the
actress would be leaving the series. The site posted a statement from
the BBC: "It is absolute rubbish that Freema Agyeman has been axed or
sacked from DOCTOR WHO. However we do not comment on future
storylines." The statement came in reaction to a story published in
the British tabloid The Sun, which said that Agyeman was being axed
because "show chiefs think her performance is not as strong as in her
earlier episodes." Agyeman joined the series opposite star David
Tennant at the beginning of season three, following in the footsteps
of Billie Piper, who played the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler, in the
first two seasons. The third season of DOCTOR WHO is currently airing
in the United Kingdom on BBC One. It will begin airing in the United
States on SCI FI Channel in July.

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

June 8-10, 2007
SciFi Summer Con
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

This has been a very exciting week for Babylon 5 fans. The website
Warner Bros. opened for THE LOST TALES is a good start for promoting
the upcoming movie. The new clip that is now up at the site it
terrific. We can only hope that sales of the DVD will show Warner
Bros. that BABYLON 5 is STILL popular and should continue to invest in
projects for JMS.

I hope that you will visit the website (http://www.isnnews.net) to
stay on top of whatever information is available on BABYLON 5. Be
sure to tell your friends as well – and join in on the discussion topic.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Be safe,
Sandy

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