THE ZOCALO TODAY – September 15, 2007

Hello there. I hope that you are all having a marvelous weekend.
Fall has begun to arrive here in the Eastern part of the U.S. and we
are very glad to see the heat and humidity taking a break. For those
of you still suffering – take care and drink a lot of fluids.

NEXT LOST TALES FEATURE
In the latest STARBURST magazine, there is an exclusive interview with
J. Michael Straczynski. JMS talks about the direct-to-DVD movie and
what may be ahead. He says:

JMS : Yeah, if we do another one I would definitely put the Garibaldi
(Jerry Doyle) story in and probably a Londo (Peter Jurasik). That
would be my preference for the next two [...].

CONVENTION ALERT
While still a ways off, you may want to put this date on your calendar
-- May 10-11, 2008. JMS will be in Seattle, Washington for the
Emerald City ComiCon. Details are can be found at
http://www.emeraldcitycomiccon.com. Check out other conventions
taking place this year. One may be near your home – and have someone
featured you've wanted to meet. Conventions are a great way to meet
other Babylon 5 fans! They are everywhere!

DISCUSSION TOPICS
Here's a new topic for you to ponder. There are a number of movies and
TV series based on comic book heroes. Which would you like to see on
the big or little screen next and why?

My personal favorite would be either Green Hornet or Green Arrow. I
loved the Guy Williams/Bruce Lee series from years ago. I've seen
hints that someone is working on a movie, but haven't seen anything
finalized as yet. Send in your suggestions and we can compare notes to
sgbruckner@....

BABYLON PODCAST
Welcome to Show #81!
Jeffrey is in the main studio in Phoenix, Tim the Younger has joined
us, and Petter Hansen (Warlord in IRC), is visiting us. His server in
Norway handling the live feed, and he has arrived bringing Norwegian
beer for the boys to consume.

Warning: This episode runs far off the beaten geeky path from the very
beginning, and there is much silliness sprinkled in with the B5 content.

Studio Banter: Jeffrey gets the scoop from Petter on Babylon 5 viewing
and fandom in Norway; Michael and Tim the Younger try to raise elder
gods, and we discuss various Lovecraftian influences in the Babylon 5
universe; Jeffrey wants everyone to change their names to fit into the
Narn or Minbari naming conventions;

Fan Cast: The Three-Edged Sword Episode 11: "The Deluge" (TS:
20:08-24:59) What you're hearing here on The Babylon Podcast is just a
small part of the story… the full audio drama can be heard at Voices
of Babylon, so what are you waiting for? Go over and check them out!
Listener Feedback: Mike discusses new B5 swag and props he saw at
Dragon*Con; Tim is a recent B5 fan, and has managed to lure his mom
into watching the series too; Tim reads an email from Australian
contest winner Mark; Steve in MD enjoyed Lost Tales and wants more,
but argues about the use of "Colonel" in a ranking system that's
obviously naval based; Mark H comments on Lochley's comments about
leaving the demons behind, thinking that maybe that's one of the
reasons for causing Sol to go nova and destroy Earth in
"Deconstruction of Falling Stars"; Neil comments on the argument
between Tim and Summer about "Liquid Sky" being a far worse movie than
"Armageddon".

Voicemails: Edmund responds to his Fake Edmund responder; John from
Jersey begins the commentary on the "Over There" segment of "Lost
Tales", criticizing the portrayal of the Centauri bombardment of Earth
as the worse thing Sheridan could have seen… when it's really not;
John from Jersey reminds us that his side is part of the three-edged
sword; John in Michigan is on the "Deathwalker" episode, and comments;
Edmund on Bronzethumb's list of LoTR-B5 parallels, and the source of
"Last, Best Hope"; John from Jersey with more thoughts on "Over Here".
Babylon 5 Information Gathering: Can we and should we mount a Babylon
5 propaganda campaign, in order to get sales of The Lost Tales to the
point where Warner really really wants to greelight more volumes of
TLT? Let us know…

To catch up on all the previous podcasts, go to www.babylonpodcast.com
and here at the Zocalo Today at Babylon Podcasts.

SPECIAL TREAT
Ranger Matthew has created some Babylon 5 art pieces that are
absolutely awesome! I hope that you'll be able to see them at the
website. The Portrait of Londo Mollari is marvelous -- and The Zocalo
is just awesome. There is so much detail that you have to look at if
for a while to take it all in. I have placed smaller versions of the
pictures out – just to conserve space. If you would like larger ones,
let me know.

Thank you Matthew for sharing your talents with us.

Any other artists out there? Send in your creations and we'll see
about refreshing our Fan Art Pages.

LOST TALES GIVEAWAY - WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The competition has ended. Winners of copies of BABYLON 5: THE LOST
TALES for their compositions of "What Babylon 5 Has Meant To Me" --
are Rob (Kentucky) and Garry (Sydney, Australia). I will get the DVDs
out in the mail this week.
A special thanks to Warner Bros. for providing the extra copies of the
DVD.

NEW DVDS COMING

STARGATE SG-1 COMPLETE SERIES
MGM announced that the upcoming STARGATE SG-1: THE COMPLETE SERIES box
set will be available on October 9, 2007. The set will contain all 10
seasons(214 episodes) on a total of 54 discs. Each disc will be
presented in anamorphic widescreen and the set will feature a
commemorative booklet along with the last 4 discs containing bonus
material. The MSRP for the box set is $329.98.

Special Bonus Materials(4-Discs):
Disc 51: 3 Featurettes-" Stargate SG-1: The Lowdown", "From Stargate
to Atlantis: The Lowdown" & "Behind the Stargate: Secrets Revealed".
Also included is promos--Ark of Truth & The Continuum.
Disc 52: 3 Featurettes-"Sci Fi Inside: Stargate SG-1's 200th Episode",
"Behind the Mythology of Stargate SG-1" & "Stargate SG-1: True Science"

Disc 53: 3 Timeline to the Future featurettes-- "Part 1: Legacy of the
Gate", "Part 2: Secrets of the Gate and Part 3: Beyond the Gate"...
3 SG-1 Video Diary featurettes-- Teryl Rothery, Don S. Davis and
Richard Dean Anderson: Paradise Lost,
4 SG-1 Directors Series featurettes--"Smoke and Mirrors", "The
Changeling", "Memento", "Prophecy"
2 additional featurettes-- "Stargate SG-1 Season 5: Gateway to
Adventure" & "Stargate SG-1: The 100th Episode"

Disc 54: 5 SG-1 Directors Series featurettes--"Revisions", "Heroes",
"Resurrection", "Threads" & "Moebius"
2 Beyond the Gate featurettes--"A Convention Experience with Amanda
Tapping" & "A Convention Experience with Michael Shanks"
8 additional featurettes--"Behind the Scenes: Journey Inside Lost
City", "The Storyboard Process", "Bra'tac vs. Ronan: Designing the
Fight", "Stargate Magic: Inside the Lab", "Richard Dean Anderson: My
Life as a Mime", "Profile On: Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie", "The
Last Day of Teal'C" & "Stargate SG-1 Alliance: The Making of the Video
Game"

STARGATE SG-1:THE COMPLETE SERIES hits shelves everywhere on October
9, 2007.

CONVENTION CALENDAR

September 29-30, 2007
ASSIMILATION, Florida's Newest Science Fiction Experience
Place: The Radisson Worldgate Resort
City: Kissimmee, Florida
B5 Guest: Tracy Scoggins ("Capt. Elizabeth Lochley" from Babylon 5)
Other Guests: ETHAN PHILLIPS ("Neelix" from Star Trek: Voyager);
RICHARD HORVITZ ("Invader Zim" from Invader Zim); MICHAEL A. STACKPOLE
(New York Times Bestselling Author); GLENDA C. FINKELSTEIN (Acclaimed
Local Science Fiction Author) and ROOSTER TEETH PRODUCTIONS (Creators
of "Red vs Blue")
Further information regarding the event can be found at
www.assimilationcon.com.

October 5-8, 2007
Gaylaxicon
Place: Sheraton Atlanta Hotel
City: Atlanta, GA
Guests include: Jim Grimsley, Georges Jeanty, Selina Rosen, Melissa
Carter, Steve Berman, Rob Caves, James Cawley, David B. Coe, David
Gerrold, Joe Haldeman, Shaun Lyon, Paul Stevens, Laura J. Underwood, &
Toni Weisskopf
For More information, go to http://www.gaylaxicon2007.org/home.htm

October 12 ~ 15, 2007
Daranacon
Place: Kansas City, Missouri
Babylon 5 Guest: Mira Furlan
For more information, go to http://www.daranacon.org/

November 2-4, 2007
United Fan Con
Place: Springfield, MA
B5 Guest: Tracy Scoggins
Other Guests: Stargate Atlantis' Dr. Elizabeth Weir: Torri Higginson,
Classic Star Trek`s Janice Rand: Grace Lee Whitney, TV Icon: Henry
Winkler, Battlestar Galactica's Crewman Cally: Nicki Clyne
For more information, go to http://www.unitedfancon.com.

WHAT'S NEW IN SCIENCE FICTION AND TV THIS WEEK

CHUCK
NBC announced that Rachel Bilson (Fox's The O.C.) will guest-star as a
potential love interest on NBC's new SF series CHUCK in a
multi-episode arc scheduled for broadcast in late October. Bilson will
play a romantic possibility for Chuck (Zachary Levi), the first since
his college girlfriend broke his heart a few years ago. Like all
people in Chuck's new, spy-infested world, she may not turn out to be
so perfect—or even who she says she is. Bilson took time off from
filming Doug Liman's SF movie JUMPER in Los Angeles to do the guest
spot, show creator Josh Schwartz said in a statement. Schwartz and
Bilson previously worked together on the hit O.C. Chuck stars Levi as
an ordinary guy who works for the "Nerd Herd," a team of tech- support
clerks at a big-box retail store inspired by Best Buy's Geek Squad. He
becomes involved in the world of international espionage when a former
college buddy e-mails him a computer program that downloads the entire
national intelligence database directly into his brain. CHUCK
premieres Sept. 24 and will air Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

REMASTERED STAR TREK
The digitally remastered version of the original Star Trek series
returns in syndication for the 2007-08 season the weekend of Sept. 15
with the premiere of an enhanced version of "The Galileo Seven." The
episode, which first aired in 1967, features Spock in command of the
tiny shuttlecraft Galileo, the first appearance of the small craft
that would become a staple of the franchise. The episode will feature
new computer visual effects of the Galileo in flight, as well as the
space storm Murasaki 312. The remastered episode also features a
digital transfer of the original Star Trek film elements and newly
recorded remasterings of the show's main title theme, CG renderings of
spaceships and other visual effects created by CBS Digital. A list of
U.S. stations carrying the digitally remastered Star Trek can be found
at StarTrek.com.

CBS SERIES - NEW ACTORS/CHARACTERS IN SOME OF OUR FAVORITE SERIES

Criminal Minds - Wednesdays, 9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT
Emmy Award nominee Joe Mantegna will join the cast of "Criminal Minds"
starring as FBI Special Agent David Rossi, an original member of the
Behavioral Analysis Unit who took early retirement to go on lecture
and book tours, and has volunteered to return to the unit. Mantegna is
scheduled to make his first appearance in the sixth episode of the
season. "We are all THRILLED to have Joe Mantegna joining our family.
He's an incredible actor, a genuinely nice person and, as a fellow
Chicagoan, I can tell you he makes fantastic Italian Beef sandwiches
and Chicago Style Hot Dogs," said Executive Producer Ed Bernero.

CSI: NY - Wednesdays, 10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT
A.J. Buckley will become a series regular after recurring for two
seasons as Adam Ross, a CSI Tech guru out of Seattle. Specializing in
Computer Forensics, Ross is the go-to scientist for the latest
technological applications needed to solve crimes in Manhattan. "He
was hired by Mac Taylor to stay 'one step ahead' of the criminals in
New York City, who often use more complicated technology than the
average crime lab in the country. Therefore, Ross is the X-factor in
crime solving and necessary 'ringer' to fight the most complex and
sophisticated crimes," said Anthony E. Zuiker, Creator and Executive
Producer of the CSI Franchise.

Ghost Whisperer - Fridays, 8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT
Jay Mohr will become a series regular, playing Professor Payne who
provides an encyclopedic knowledge of the spirit world, as well as
genuine concern for Melinda's (Jennifer Love Hewitt) safety as she
puts herself in ever greater danger to protect those she cares about -
even though he hides his concern behind an ever-present irreverent
sense of humor. "We're thrilled to have Jay as a series regular this
year. He's a terrific actor who is fun to work with for the same
reasons he's fun to watch: he brings humor, energy, creativity and
spontaneity to the set and to his role. He also brings sports
commentary and sometimes donuts," says Executive Producer P.K. Simonds.

New Recurring Cast Members:
Without a Trace - Thursdays, 10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT
Golden Globe nominee Henry Thomas (E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Gangs
of New York) will join the series in a recurring role as Jack's
(Anthony LaPaglia) evil nemesis, and the leader of a human trafficking
group who the FBI team is pursuing.

Guest Stars:
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Thursdays, 9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT:
Jessica Lucas (The Covenant, "The L Word") is set to guest star in
four episodes of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" beginning Thursday,
Oct. 11. She plays the role of Veronica Lake, aka "Ronnie," a young,
overzealous new CSI in training, who is extremely bright, albeit nave.
After graduating from one of the top criminalistics programs in the
country, she was offered positions at numerous crime labs, but chose
Vegas due to its increase in crime rates. Now that she's entered the
throws of solving real crimes, she's about to find out that in
searching for the perpetrator of a crime, she could easily become his
next victim.

Without a Trace - Thursdays, 10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT:
James Marsters ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel") will guest star
in a five episode arc beginning with the season premiere on Thursday,
Sept. 27. He will play Grant Mars, a detective who helps Vivian
(Marianne Jean-Baptiste) with an unsolved case.

HIGHLANDER: THE SOURCE
Adrian Paul, star of the original HIGHLANDER series and now and
executive producer of the upcoming SCI FI movie HIGHLANDER: THE
SOURCE, said during a recent interview that film five in the
long-running film and television franchise examines the source of
immortality. Paul reprises his role as the long-lived Scottish
swordsman Duncan MacLeod in HIGHLANDER: THE SOURCE, which premieres
Sept. 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. "Everything has gone to pot, basically,"
Paul said. "The world is sitting in another place and time, and he's
kind of lost hope as to ever being anybody or achieving anything.
Everybody keeps saying, 'You're the one. You're the guy. You're the
... .' But virtually everyone he knows has died, and the world has
turned to s--t, and so he's kind of like, 'OK, I don't know what to do
anymore with who I am or what I'm supposed to be here for.'" Further
complicating the situation, the love of MacLeod's life, Anna Teshemka
(Thekla Reuten), has inexplicably left him. "And now his only intent
is he just wants to find her," Paul said. "What ends up happening is
that he finds her, but he finds her while she's on the quest with
these other Immortals for the Source." Paul said that The Source is
different in structure from previous Highlander projects. "This was a
more linear story," Paul said. "It had no flashbacks, which surprised
me, actually, at first, because I always loved doing the flashbacks,
and I know the fans loved them. So it was really tricky to do. I think
the idea was really good, in the sense that it was it became a quest
movie. All the others had a different feel to them and were a little
more convoluted. This one has one storyline that goes all the way
through."

PADDINGTON BEAR
Variety reports that Warner Brothers is teaming with Harry Potter
producer David Heyman to bring the British kids classic book series
PADDINGTON BEAR to the big screen, with Hamish McColl (Mr. Bean's
Holiday) writing the screenplay. Heyman had this to say about the
project..

"Paddington Bear is a universally loved character, and I have wanted
to bring him to screen for some years. Michael Bond's 'Paddington'
books have such wit, wonder and charm. Essentially, Paddington's story
is that of an immigrant arriving in London and trying to find a home
and a family. Above all, I love Paddington's unique style of comedy."

THE OAKS
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Bahar Soomekh, Matt Lanter and
Shannon Lucio have been cast in Fox's new paranormal TV drama THE
OAKS. The project, from 20th Century Fox TV and Little Engine, was
picked up by the network last month with a series commitment. Written
by David Schulner and to be run by Shawn Ryan, OAKS tells the
intertwined stories of three families—a young couple who have just
lost a child in 1968, a family of four in 1988 and a pregnant couple
in 2008—who live in the same house and are haunted by a restless
spirit. Lucio and Lanter will play the 1968 couple; Soomekh will play
the pregnant woman, who is a highly educated, capable executive, in
2008. Michael Cuesta is directing the pilot for OAKS, which is slated
to begin production in November. He also is executive-producing with
Schulner, Ryan and Little Engine's Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo.

THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Elias Koteas, Martin Donovan and
Kyle Gallner are joining Virginia Madsen in the horror film THE
HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT for Gold Circle Films and Lionsgate. Madsen
stars in the film, described as an Exorcist-like take on a family's
experience with supernatural forces after settling into a new home.
Gallner will play Madsen's cancer-ridden son, Matt, who becomes aware
of the paranormal activity present around him. Koteas will play a
priest and fellow cancer patient that Sara Campbell (Madsen) turns to
for help. Donovan will play Madsen's husband. The film, directed by
Peter Cornwell and written by Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe, began
shooting this week in Winnipeg, Canada.

GONE BABY, GONE
Ben Affleck's directorial debut has been delayed indefinitely because
of the Madeleine McCann case in the UK. GONE BABY, GONE, tells of a
four-year old girl's kidnapping and the effect it has on two
detectives trying to find her. Affleck agrees with the move, saying "
It is only when someone said there was this case that was very similar
to my film that we looked it up. We don't want to release the movie if
it is going to touch a nerve or inflame anybody's sensitivities."
Buena Vista have pulled the film from its December 28th release date
indefinitely.

BIONIC WOMAN
Michelle Ryan, who plays Jaime Sommers in NBC's upcoming BIONIC WOMAN,
said during a recent interview that she chose not to do research about
people with artificial limbs or to speak with anyone who'd survived a
catostrophic accident before starting work on the show. Ryan plays a
young woman who has her legs, an arm, an ear and an eye replaced with
superpowered bionics after an accident. "I feel like, with Jaime, I
sort of feel like each stage Jaime learns something new, I do." "So I
specifically sort of have not done that [research], because I feel
like Jaime is ... trying to deal with her sister, [Lucy Hale, and]
she's trying to deal with a boyfriend [Chris Bowers] that wasn't
entirely honest with her. She's learning as she goes along. So I feel
like each new step, that's when I'll sort of sit down and work out
when Jaime deals with something new for the first time." Though Ryan
chose not to research her character's background, she added that she
is aware that science and technology are catching up with the show's
SF elements. "I'm hearing about a man who has a bionic hand and how it
moves as our hands do, and these two bionics guys talking about having
bionic hearing," she said. "We read in the media all the time [that]
something that seemed impossible 30 years ago is now actually not that
impossible. So as we go along, I'm learning more all the time." BIONIC
WOMAN premieres Sept. 26 and will air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

THE TALISMAN
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Steven Spielberg's latest attempt
to bring Stephen King and Peter Straub's THE TALISMAN to the TV screen
has hit a snag. TNT's six-hour adaptation of the novel,
executive-produced by Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, has been put on
hold because of budgetary issues, sources told the trade paper. The
limited series, from DreamWorks TV, was announced by TNT with big
fanfare in December and was slated for a summer 2008 premiere. After
all scripts were recently completed, it became clear that their
execution would require a larger budget than previously allocated. The
fantasy- horror project, about a boy's quest through this world and a
parallel world known as the Territories to find a talisman that will
save his mother, is said to involve elaborate special effects. TNT and
DreamWorks are now addressing the financial issues and looking for
ways to make the series.

SCORPION
The success of the Bourne franchise has everyone looking around for
new properties. CastleBright Studios has picked up a collection of spy
novels by acclaimed author Andrew Kaplan. "Scorpion," "Dragon Fire"
and "Hour of the Assassins" topped bookshelves in the '80s and '90s
with their surprise twists and brimming action. These spy thrillers
will be dusted off and spun into action. Toppers Jay Douglas and Nav
Gupta will produce with their vee pee, Justin Kaplan, who put them in
touch with the reclusive novelist through mutual friend Brian Garfield
– author of "Death Wish" and the Kevin Bacon starrer Death Sentence –
who hailed the novels as some of the top spy novels ever written. Set
apart from the others, Hour of the Assassins will see a stylized
makeover with a skewed reality in the same vein as Sin City, and tells
the story of a sympathetic assassin who becomes the hunted when the
world's most powerful regimes allow their top killers one synchronized
hour to settle any last scores. Douglas and Gupta will also script the
adaptation along with comic book scribe Heather Kenealy. Whereas
SCORPION, arguably the most popular of the Kaplan's books, will stay
truer to the novel, and centers on a loner agent of the same codename
whose cynical sense of humor is outshined only by his stealthy
talents. After being sent into the volatile Middle East to rescue a
congressmen's daughter sold into slavery, he discovers interweaving
mysteries, high-voltage adventure and nothing is what it seems. With
"Dragon Fire" serving as sequel material, a search is on for a writer
to adapt. CastleBright is currently developing the video game-based
adventure Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars and is in
preproduction on the sci-fi/actioner Level Seven.

PULSE
According to Moviehole.net, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's Jamie Bamber will
star in the sequels to Kristen Bell's supernatural horror movie PULSE.
Bamber will appear in PULSE: AFTERLIFE and PULSE: INVASION, two
straight-to-DVD sequels again written and directed by Joel Soisson. In
the films, Bamber will play Stephen, a recently divorced executive who
is hiding out in a mountain lodge guarded by armed sentries in a
post-phantom world. He finds his child still alive and must protect
her from the phantom of ex-wife Michelle.

DIARY OF THE DEAD
The Hollywood Reporter writes that the Weinstein Co. has snapped up
North American rights, including Mexico, for GEORGE A. ROMERO'S DIARY
OF THE DEAD at the Toronto Film Festival. The movie is the latest
sequel to Romero's 1968 horror classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. An
Artfire Films/Romero-Grunwald Productions film, DIARY was written and
directed by Romero; produced by Peter Grunwald, Art Spigel, Sam
Englebardt and Ara Katz; and executive-produced by Dan Fireman, John
Harrison and Steve Barnett.

FEARNET and CATACOMBS
Variety reports that the horror movie CATACOMBS will get its U.S.
premiere on Fearnet, the video-on-demand movie service jointly owned
by Comcast, Sony Pictures TV and Lionsgate. CATACOMBS is the first
original movie bought by Fearnet since it launched 10 months ago. The
ad-supported Fearnet's lineup consists of Sony and Lionsgate action
movies, highlighted this month by Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Krull,
Starman, Nightwing and three Godzilla movies. CATACOMBS, from
Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures, stars Alecia Moore (aka Pink) and
Shannyn Sossamon in a story about a young woman who stumbles into a
nightmare when she gets lost in the 200 miles of limestone tunnels
beneath the streets of Paris. The movie premieres on Fearnet Oct. 1;
four weeks later, on Halloween, it will be available for streaming
onto computers through Fearnet.com. CATACOMBS drops on DVD early next
year.

DEATH IN LOVE
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that Josh Lucas and Adam Brody have
boarded DEATH IN LOVE, a drama Boaz Yakin is directing from his own
script. Yakin also is producing with Joseph Zolfo. Jacqueline Bisset
and Lukas Haas already have been cast. DEATH follows a pair of story
lines that revolve around two brothers (Lucas and Haas). While Haas'
character must deal with his mother (Bisset), his brother is lost in
life until he is befriended by a scam artist (Brody). Shooting is
under way in New York.

BLUE BLOOD
According to Variety, NBC is resurrecting BLUE BLOOD, the Brett
Ratner-Neil Tolkin police drama that had been set up at Fox last year.
The network has greenlit production of a pilot for the project, with
Ratner aboard to direct and executive produce via his Rat TV and 20th
Century Fox TV. Shooting is set to begin in New York this fall. Gina
Matthews (What Women Want) and Grant Scharbo are executive producing
via their Little Engine Productions. Tolkin wrote the pilot script and
will executive produce. Based on the bestselling 2004 autobiography by
New York cop Ed Conlon, BLUE is an ensemble hour about a rookie NYPD
police officer. The twist: The newbie officer is a Harvard grad who
decides to return to the family beat -- law enforcement.

HARRY POTTER FRANCHISE
The success of HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX has made
Warner Brothers' boy-wizard films the top-grossing franchise in movie
history, the studio announced. The combined worldwide box-office gross
for the five Harry Potter films to date is more than $4.47 billion,
surpassing the box-office totals of all 22 James Bond films and the
six Star Wars movies, the studio said on Sept. 10. HARRY POTTER AND
THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX is still going strong in theaters around the
globe, and two more films are in the works: HARRY POTTER AND THE
HALF-BLOOD PRINCE and HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, based on
J.K. Rowling's beloved books. All five of the Potter films so far have
found themselves among the 20 largest-grossing box-office hits of all
time. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE will open on Nov. 21,
2008. The seventh and final film, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY
HALLOWS, is planned for a 2010 release.

TRON REMAKE
The Hollywood Reporter writes that commercial director Joseph Kosinski
is in final negotiations to develop and direct "Tron," described as
"the next chapter" of Disney's 1982 cult classic. Sean Bailey is
producing via the Live Planet banner, as is Steven Lisberger, who
co-wrote and directed the original film. Kosinski, who last month
signed on to helm the remake of "Logan's Run" for Warner Bros.
Pictures, will oversee the visual development of the project and have
input on the script, which is being written by "Lost" scribes Eddie
Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Story details are being kept secret. The
original, about a computer programr thrust into a computer and forced
to fight in games he helped create, is remembered for its sci-fi
gladiator- style battles and groundbreaking special effects. It was
the first movie to use computer-generated images instead of models and
other optical effects in conjunction with live action. The arcade game
based on the movie was so popular that it earned more than the movie.
When making the original, in order to convince the studio to take a
chance on a first-time director, Lisberger shot a test reel, financed
by the studio, involving the deadly Frisbee battle. In a case of
historical synchronicity, sources said one of the things Kosinski will
be doing is working on a sequence involving the movie's Light Cycles
to work out his vision for the movie. Sources also said visual effects
personnel, for many of whom "Tron" was an inspiration to enter the
business, already are jockeying for pole position to work on the
sequence. Brigham Taylor is overseeing for Disney.

MUMMY 3
Maria Bello, who won wide acclaim for 2005's A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE,
co-stars in the upcoming sequel film THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON
EMPEROR, taking over the character originated by Rachel Weisz. Bello
said during a recent interview that "She has the same name, but she's
a very different character than Rachel played." "She's a bad-ass
action chick. I had to train a lot. I had to do wushu, a martial-art
form, some kick- boxing, swordfighting, rifle training for a couple of
months before we even started shooting." Bello added: "It's the role
of my dreams. It is just a blast." Bello soon joins co-stars Brendan
Fraser and Jet Li for two months of shooting in China. Bello said that
after a few weeks of rehearsal, she has sustained a black eye after
getting butted by a Winchester rifle, but added that she's fine now.
"I'm looking forward to the doll, too, though," she said cryptically.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opens Aug. 1, 2008.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
During the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 9, co-star Shia LaBeouf
announced that the upcoming fourth Indian Jones movie will be called
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. Along with
LaBeouf, the film stars Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen,
Ray Winstone and John Hurt. He made the announcement at the awards
ceremony, which was broadcast live from Las Vegas. The fourth Indy
adventure is currently in production and is slated to debut May 22, 2008.

WOLVERINE
According to a rumor at TheXverse.com, the upcoming X-Men spinoff film
about WOLVERINE is slated to begin shooting as soon as November in
Sydney, with Hugh Jackman reprising his most famous role. Citing
unnamed sources, the site reported that the as-yet-untitled WOLVERINE
film is moving forward following the recent confirmation of Gavin Hood
as the project's director. The three X-Men movies have been filmed in
Vancouver, Canada.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
While the numbers were less than impressive, this weekend's winner is
3:10 TO YUMA, pulling in only 14.1 million in 2,625 theaters across
the nation. The western, starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe,
pulled an average of $5,316 per showing and earned a quarter of its 55
million dollar budget in its 3-day debut. Following right behind the
western is the re-imagining of HALLOWEEN by director Rob Zombie. The
horror film pulled in another 10.0 million in its second weekend at
the theaters even if it's in nearly a thousand more theaters then 3:10
TO YUMA. It averaged $2,887 per showing in its 3,475 prints. These
types of numbers represent a 61.9% drop off from debut to second
weekend. HALLOWEEN has pulled in 44.2 mil domestically. Rounding out
the top three rankings, landing in 3rd place is the comedy from
producer Judd Apatow, SUPERBAD. The film featuring three geeks in
their last days of highschool grabbed another 8.0 million in its
fourth weekend at the box office. The comedy only dropped 35.8% from
last week putting its domestic total at a very nice 103.6 million.
With a budget of only 20 mil, it's clear this is yet another smash hit
for Apatow.

TAPPED
NBC already has two sci-fi/fantasy themed shows in their Monday night
lineup, HEROES and JOURNEYMAN. Now, it looks like their developing a
new fantasy with writer Adam Gibgot. According to Variety, this new
fantasy, TAPPED, is described as "Heroes Meets Touched By an Angel" by
the network because it deals with a touch of the divine inside its
concept... Plot Concept: Centers on average folks who realize they are
somehow plugged into a frequency at which God is transmitting messages
to them. Messages are designed to help humanity -- one person at a time.

TRANSFORMERS
TRANSFORMERS arrives on DVD and HD DVD on Oct. 16 in a two-disc
special-edition set, as well as on a single disc from DreamWorks
Pictures and Paramount Pictures, distributed by Paramount Home
Entertainment.

SHREK THE THIRD/TRANSFORMERS
It has been a very good year for Paramount Pictures. SHREK THE THIRD
and TRANSFORMERS helped boost them to the top of the box-office heap
this summer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Paramount sold
$727.3 million worth of tickets, led by DreamWorks Animation's third
SHREK movie (the second-highest-grossing film of the summer, with
$320.7 million) and the DreamWorks/Paramount co-production
TRANSFORMERS (third overall, with $310.6 million). Paramount was the
only studio with two $300 million-plus winners. Universal Pictures
took second place with THE BORNE ULTIMATUM, KNOCKED UP and I NOW
PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK & LARRY. Walt Disney Studios scored with PIRATES
OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END and RATATOUILLE, but its box-office
tally was about $200 million less than the previous summer, placing it
third for the summer. Warner Brothers Pictures improved its standing,
moving from fifth last summer to fourth this time around with the help
of HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX ($286.8 million) and
OCEAN'S THIRTEEN. The record-setting SPIDER-MAN 3 (the summer's
top-grossing movie, with $336.5 million) gave Sony Pictures a strong
start, but the studio suffered after that, placing fifth.

THE GRAYS
According to a posting on alien-abduction writer Whitley Strieber's
official site, director Wolfgang Petersen is set to helm a movie based
on Strieber's THE GRAYS. Strieber said that Sony picked Petersen (The
Perfect Storm) to do the film version of the SF thriller book, which
draws heavily from Strieber's Communion, an account of what he said
was his alien abduction. Filming should start in the next few months
with an eye to a release date in the summer of 2008 or 2009.

NEW SUPER HERO
Austin, Texas police detective Jarrett Crippin was declared the big
winner of this season of WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO? Star and judge
Stan "The Man" Lee chose Crippen's alter ego THE DEFUSER to be
America's newest superhero over runners-up Hyper-Strike and Hygena in
the conclusion of SCI FI's original competition reality program. THE
DEFUSER will be immortalized in his very own comic to be written by
Stan Lee and published by Dark Horse Comics, and Shocker Toys will
create an action figure of the character. THE DEFUSER will also get to
appear in a SCI FI original movie. Inspired by Batman and Captain
America, Crippen created his character when he was a young boy. THE
DEFUSER is a loner and expert at gadgetry and invention. He performs
at 110% possessing enhanced speed, strength agility, reflexes, hearing
and eyesight.

LIVE AND DIE
Over at Fangoria.com, you will find reports that Robert Kurtzman
("Wishmaster," "The Rage") will helm "To Live and Die" for MGM
Pictures. Sean Patrick Flannery (DEAD ZONE) stars as a cop who is
hired by the FBI track down a mastermind assassin who is responsible
for the death of his wife. Joe Pantoliano, Amanda Wyss and Michelle
Greathouse also star and production is currently underway in New Mexico.

ROBOTECH
According to the Hollywood Reporter, SPIDER-MAN's Tobey Maguire will
produce and may star in a film based on the classic SF anime ROBOTECH.
Warner Brothers Pictures picked up the rights to ROBOTECH, which
features giant robots known as mechas. Maguire is producing through
his Maguire Entertainment banner and is eyeing the lead role in what
the studio plans as an SF franchise a la Paramount's hit TRANSFORMERS.
Drew Crevello also is producing through his Supercool Hollywood
BigTime Productions. Craig Zahler has been tapped to write the
screenplay. ROBOTECH was a cartoon series during the 1980s from
Harmony Gold USA and Tatsunoko Productions. It was re-edited and
re-dialogued to combine three Japanese anime series to give the
producers enough episodes to air as a daily syndicated series.
ROBOTECH takes place at a time when Earth has developed giant robots
from the technology on an alien spacecraft that crashed on a South
Pacific isle. Mankind is forced to use the technology to fend off
three successive waves of alien invasions. The first invasion concerns
a battle with a race of giant warriors who seek to retrieve their
flagship's energy source known as "protoculture," and the planet's
survival ends up in the hands of two young pilots.

JOURNEYMAN
JOURNEYMAN executive producer Kevin Falls is no stranger to the small
screen, having written and produced such shows as THE WEST WING, SHARK
and SPORTS NIGHT. However, he says that science fiction is something
new to him. "As far as me getting into this genre, it's liberating in
some ways to do something so different, and the toughest thing I've
done, too," Falls said. "I thought trying to dramatize farm subsidies
and saving Social Security on West Wing was hard. Doing time travel is
difficult." JOURNEYMAN stars Kevin McKidd (HBO's Rome) as Dan Vasser,
a San Francisco newspaper reporter who finds himself inexplicably
thrown back into different time periods within his own lifetime. He
can't control when or where he goes, but he seems to have a mission to
change the future by affecting the lives of strangers in the past.
"It's a Rubik's Cube, and the challenge is to tell these stories,
which are a lot of fun, but it's Whack-a-Mole," Falls said. "You push
something down over here, and you screw something up over there. And
we really want to make these episodes clear for the audience, so
people aren't just scratching their heads, going 'I'm totally lost.'
And I think we've done it so far." JOURNEYMAN premieres Sept. 24 and
will air Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

LAST BATTLE DREAMER
Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish and Sean Bean have joined the Viking
epic "Last Battle Dreamer" says The Hollywood Reporter. Phillippe will
star as a seventh-century Viking warrior named Thorfinn who, along
with his older brother, the battle-scarred Hakon (Sean Bean), invades
Britain. Writer-director Menno Meyjes ("Martian Child," "Manolete") is
scheduled to shoot the project later this year for Future Films &
Handmade Films International. Phillippe and Cornish will next be seen
together in Kimberly Pierce's "Stop Loss."

JEFF THE IMMORTAL
Variety reports that Universal has snapped up JEFF THE IMMORTAL, a
supernatural comedy written by Chris Bishop and produced by Marc Platt
Productions. The movie centers on a slacker who discovers he has
supernatural powers but uses them for selfish purposes. Bishop has
delivered a draft of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DORKS, an American remake the
2004 German movie, for Warner Independent.

IRON MAN
According to IRON MAN director Jon Favreau, the official teaser
trailer will appear on Sept. 10. In his MySpace.com blog, Favreau
inidicates that the trailer, which will incorporate elements from the
footage previewed at last month's Comic-Con International in San
Diego, will debut across the Viacom Network's highest-rated programs.
The first appearance will be immediately before The Hills on MTV.
Favreau lists other appearances on his blog. A hi-res version of the
trailer will then appear on Apple.com/trailers on Sept. 11. Iron Man,
starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, opens May 2, 2008.

DOCTOR WHO SEASON FIVE
It was confirmed yesterday by the BBC that DOCTOR WHO will return for
a fifth season in the spring of 2010, meaning that the show will take
a kind of break in 2009. The network also announced that this year's
WHO Christmas special, airing on BBC One in December, will feature
star David Tennant and Australian pop star Kylie Minogue. The
13-episode fourth season of the show went into production last month
and will air in the United Kingdom in spring 2008, with a special
episode for Christmas 2008. Catherine Tate is set to return for the
complete run of the season, reprising her role as Donna from the 2006
Christmas special. Freema Agyeman, who played the Doctor's companion,
Martha Jones, in season three, will return to the fourth season midway
through; Agyeman, meanwhile, will join the cast of the WHO spinoff
series TORCHWOOD. In 2009, Doctor Who will air only three special
episodes starring Tennant, written by head writer Russell T. Davies.
The third season of Doctor Who ended its run in the United Kingdom
earlier this year. It can be seen in the United States on SCI FI
Channel, Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

SOUL CODE
According to Variety, TRON writer/director Steven Lisberger has sold
SOUL CODE, an SF movie about a tech pioneer who has perfected a way to
download and transfer a person's memory. Lisberger will direct the
movie. Lisberger, whose 1982 TRON pioneered the use of computer
graphics in films, has been involved with several projects since then
that never got off the ground. Lisberger wrote a TRON sequel several
years ago, but the movie stalled amid a regime change at Disney. A
2003 video game version of the sequel sold well.

RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION
Variety reports that Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas will host the Sept.
20 world premiere of RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION, the zombie sequel film
that takes place in the ruins of a post-spocalyptic Sin City. Screen
Gems, Sony's genre division, spent eight to 10 months planning the
promotion, which includes a ticket giveaway, an in-room channel
devoted to behind-the-scenes footage of the movie and sweepstakes for
a BMW motorcycle. Two 30-foot banners have been flying outside the
casino the past two weeks and will stay in place until the premiere.
The movie stars Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Oded Fehr, Ashanti and
Mike Epps, who are all slated to attend. RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION,
the third installment in the video-game-inspired franchise, opens
Sept. 21.

CLONE WARS
According to Animation Magazine, Walt Disney Studios is heavily
campaigning to get broadcast rights for George Lucas' much anticipated
CG-animated series CLONE WARS. The studio is competing with Fox and
HBO who are also rumored to be interested in picking up broadcast
rights. Each episode will be 22-minutes long and will follow the
general tone of the original 1977 STAR WARS with an action focus and
lighter tone. Lucas has previously said that he wants to produce at
least 100 episodes of the show which is expected to be ready for
broadcast by the fall of 2008. The live-action series in the works
won't begin airing until Fall 2009 at the earliest.

That is about it for now. Thanks again for being a part of the
Babylon 5 community. If you hear or see something you'd like to share
with your fellow Zocalo readers, send it along and I'll post it. Be
sure to participate in the discussion topic this week. I love reading
what others think about the entire world of science fiction (comics,
novels, TV, movies). If you have a topic you would like to discuss,
send it along and we'll see what others think.

Be sure to tell your friends about the newsletter – and the website.
It is updated daily with whatever information I think you'll be
interested in. If I am missing something, let me know!

Until next time.
Take care,
Sandy

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