THE ZOCALO TODAY – NOVEMBER 4, 2007

WHAT'S NEW
Well, it looks like the writers will begin a strike tonight at
12:01. This is something JMS has been talking about for a while.
Over 90% of the WGA members voted to strike and this is the highest
vote ever received from the membership.

When asked what writers/producers do; must they cover their
computers and wait for an end to the strike, JMS responded with:

You can produce what's written, and make minor changes for purposes
of production (usually called A through H changes) meaning changing a
bedroom set to a living room set, that sort of thing, but no story
changes or dialogue changes unrelated to production.

When asked about the duration of the strike, JMS' response was:

In order to have any real impact, the strike will have to be at least
as long as the '88 strike, which lasted six months.

PENNY LANE AND BE A SANTA PROGRAM
It is that time of year again -- and Pat Tallman is working with
Penny Lane to brighten the holiday season for disadvantaged kids.
Below is a note Pat sent along about this year's effort.
We kicked off the Be A Santa program at Penny Lane's fundraising gala
last week. It's official! We are looking for donations of trees &
decorations, and a truck! We are planning the parties. Everyone is
getting excited.

We need your help!

This is a very small & personal program. We need everyone to help to
make it work. Anything you can give is greatly appreciated!
How you can help...

Who are the Penny Lane kids?
Penny Lane is a family treatment center that cares for the most
difficult to manage children with the highest quality care. These
kids have been so sexually, emotionally and physically abused, they
cannot be placed in regular foster care. We have children from all
over California, Nevada and Arizona. The Be A Santa program focuses
on the 104 teens in residence in the North Hills main facility and 9
satellite houses.

The Be A Santa program will bring the magic of the Holidays to the
Children of the Penny Lane Home for abused Children who would not
have a holiday otherwise. We will bring your personal message of
caring to these special children. Your much needed Tax Deductible
gift or donation will allow us to give or purchase requested Holiday
Gifts to the kids, reminding them that people do care about them.
Thank you for your support!

Penny Lane is a non profit 501� organization dedicated to those
youngsters commonly known as the hard-to-place children, providing a
safe and congenial, nurturing atmosphere for them as well as
transitioning them when ready to the most appropriate environment and
integrating them into the community.

Your tax deductable donation will help us provide decorations & a
holiday dinner, a gift bag of goodies including a gift card to the
Westfield Mall for as much $ as I can give them. We divide what we
take in amongst the 104 kids. Last year we were able to give each
child a $65 dollar card! Thanks to you!

All Angels, Santas and Elves are needed and greatly appreciated!
Because of you, these kids have a real Holiday!!!
Sincerely,
Patricia Tallman
Be A Santa

For more information about the Be A Santa program, send messages to
beasantaelf@... or visit their website at
http://www.beasanta.org.

Send checks made to Penny Lane , with Be A Santa in the memo to:
Be A Santa
6433 Topanga Canyon Blvd. #207
Canoga Park, CA 91303
Thank you!!!

DISCUSSION TOPIC
Now that the new season is in full swing, what do you think? Are
there a few series out there that you like? How about Moonlight,
Journeyman, Bionic Woman? Are there others to mention?

Send in your thoughts and comments to sgbruckner@.... I will post
them on the Discussion Page for everyone to share and enjoy. There
are some good ones so far. Add yours! If you see an old topic you
want to respond to, go right ahead. We enjoy hearing from you.

BABYLON 5 BIRTHDAYS
Robert Foxworth - November 1
John Vickery - November 4
Damian London - November 12
Tracy Scoggins - November 13
Mackenzie Gray - November 22
Dwight Schultz - November 24
Louis Turenne - November 26
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. - November 30

If you have others that you would like to add to the list, please
send them along.

BABYLON 5 PODCAST
Welcome to Show #88!

Jeffrey enlightens us as to what its like to live "in fire", and how
to avoid problems and still managing to keep abreast of the World
Series.

Deep Geeking: Tim, Summer and Jeffrey talk about "Exogenesis". Don't
forget, this is the episode where Steve "Snackman" Thorpe, Carrie
Dobro and Jeffrey all appear as med techs (we didn't, and we have a
little fun with Jeff about that).

While this episode is really a low mark in Season 3, there are a few
tidbits in it that reflect in later episodes, and later character
behavior. We see the first time that Marcus and Franklin work
together, we find out a little more about Corwin, and we witness a
comedy of errors that leads to Ivanova inadvertently encouraging
Marcus' romantic intentions.

We can only imagine what this episode might have been like if JMS'
creative process hadn't been so greatly interrupted.

B5 Audio Drama: The Three-Edged Sword Episode 17: "Questions of
Authority" (TS: 21:52-27:25) 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? Head over
and check them out!

Remembrances: Jeffrey and John Radulovich pay tribute to producer /
director Richard Compton, who passed away on August 11.

Your feedback does matter, and is welcome! You can call us at 206-338-
2259, or email us and tell us what you think; and likely hear it
played or read on the show. Please try to keep the voicemail comments
as brief as possible.To catch up on all the previous Babylon
Podcasts, go to BabylonPodcast.com or here at The Zocalo Today on
Podcast Page.

NEW SCI-FI PUBLICATIONS

Cult Times #146: HEROES: Zachary Quinto, who's made a name for
himself as brain-devouring wannabe hero Sylar, talks about his return
in Season Two, and his latest role, as the young Spock in the
upcoming Star Trek movie; BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's Michael Trucco
discusses the fourth season of the show, in which his character, Sam
Anders, not only has his wife return from the dead but must also hide
the discovery that he's a Cylon; SARAH JANE ADVENTURES - Gareth
Roberts explains why writing for Sarah Jane isn't far removed from
writing for Doctor Who and we attempt to prise information out of him
about his Season 4 Who story and JOURNEYMAN: Former Rome star Kevin
McKidd introduces his new series, in which he plays Dan Vasser, a man
who inexplicably finds himself bouncing around through Time, righting
wrongs.

Starburst Issue #356: STAR TREK: Get a behind-the-scenes look at the
making of the high definition, all-new special effects laden re-
mastering of The Original Series with production supervisors Mike and
Denise Okuda; BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: RAZOR - The wait is almost over!
The production team give us the lowdown on what to expect from the
new TV movie, focusing on the events aboard the Battlestar Pegasus!
HEROES: Star Ali Larter chats about her role in the first successful
season of the hit Sci-Fi show, and discusses what the future may hold
for Niki and Jessica Sanders in Season 2. STARGATE ATLANTIS:
Executive producer N John Smith discusses the 10-year legacy of SG-1,
the show's new DVD movies, and the eagerly anticipated Atlantis
Season 4; LOST: Will the show sink or swim? Producers Carlton Cuse
and Damon Lindelof share their thoughts on the ebb and flow of the
third season of the show.

NEW DVDS COMING OUT:

X-FILES - THE COMPLETE COLLECTOR'S EDITION

The time has come for all truths to be known and fans to believe once
again as Fox Home Entertainment exposes the complete world of "The X-
Files" with the remarkable 61-disc DVD collection THE X-FILES--THE
COMPLETE COLLECTOR'S EDITION, landing November 6th as one of this
year�s must-have ultimate giftset collections. Packaged in an
exclusive limited edition mega-boxset featuring several collector
items including Season One comic book, classic art cards, theatrical
poster and more, THE X-FILES --THE COMPLETE COLLECTOR'S EDITION is
highlighted by all 201 episodes from the long-running series with
hours of bonus features along with the 1998 feature film The X-Files:
Fight The Future, plus an all-new bonus disc comprised of insider
extras and featurettes that examined the complex web of alien and
government conspiracies within the story arc from all four volumes of
the popular The X-Files Mythology DVD collections. THE X-FILES-- THE
COMPLETE COLLECTOR'S EDITION will be available for the suggested
retail price of $329.98 U.S. / $419.98 Canada.

Beginning as a cult hit in 1993, "The X-Files" quickly become a
worldwide phenomenon, garnering 16 Emmys; and five Golden Globes;
Awards including "Best Dramatic TV Series" during in its nine-season
run. Created by executive producer Chris Carter ("Millennium," "Harsh
Realm"), the series gripped the imaginations of fans around the globe
and launched the careers of David Duchovny (The TV Set, Trust the
Man) and Gillian Anderson (The Last King of Scotland, Playing by
Heart), both honored with "Outstanding Performance" Golden Globes for
their roles. Known for its unique blend of science-fiction/fantasy,
dry wit and intelligence, the series centers on FBI Agents Fox Mulder
and Dana Scully investigating the existence of alien races,
uncovering government conspiracies, and other paranormal and
unexplained phenomenas. Through its nine year run, the series
featured a host of guest stars including Tony Shalhoub, Jesse
Ventura, Alex Trebek, Lili Taylor, Michael McKean, Ed Asner, Lily
Tomlin, Kathy Griffin and Richard Belzer, to name a few.

TOP NEWS STORIES FOR SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2007
TIME CHANGE:
I hope you all remembered to change your clocks last night! That
extra hour of time made a big difference this morning! Its a shame we
won't feel the same about it tomorrow.

WATCHMAN
Some new updates for Zack Snyder's adaptation of the Alan Moore comic
WATCHMEN appeared online courtesy of Warner Bros. The official site
for the upcoming film has been updated with a new production blog
from Snyder as well some photos of the production office. Zack also
hinted we should expect something soon in November in regards to the
production. The film stars Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley,
Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman,
Carla Gugino and Stephen McHattie.

Plot Concept: Set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed
superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and
the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet
Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of
his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less
determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to
kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects
with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired
superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a
wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared
past and catastrophic consequences for the future.

DISTRICT 9
According to Variety, Directors Peter Jackson and Neill Blomkamp have
set up a new sci-fier called DISTRICT 9. The trade reports that
Jackson and Blomkamp spawned this new idea from their work on getting
HALO made, before that fell apart at budget approval time. Blomkamp
plans to direct this production set to begin spring of 2008 while
Jackson produces through his company Wingnut Films. The plot details
are being held for this sci-fi concept until they reveal it to
distributors later today at AFM. Weta Workshop will be handling the
visual effects for the production.
"For the last year, my team and I have had the pleasure of working
very closely with Neill," Jackson said. "He has a passion and a
command of the language of cinema that will result in 'District 9'
fascinating people all over the world."

WRITERS STRIKE TO BEGIN MONDAY
The Hollywood Reporter writes that the federal mediator in the WGA's
contract talks has summoned negotiators to a last-ditch meeting, set
for 10 a.m. Sunday, in an effort to avoid a writers strike. The place
for the meeting -- just called by Juan Carlos Gonzalez of the Federal
Mediation & Conciliation Service -- hasn't been pinned down yet. The
dramatically positive development Friday evening follows news earlier
Friday that the WGA West board and WGA East Council had accepted a
negotiating committee recommendation and set a writers strike for
12:01 a.m. Monday. Barring a weekend agreement to forestall the
walkout, pickets are expected at studios and networks on both
coasts. "We have 48 hours and what we really want to do is not strike
and come to a resolution," John Bowman, chair of the WGA's
negotiating committee, said at a news conference Friday to announce
the strike decision.

According to Variety, some networks have planned to air the remainder
of their scripted/filmed series in between repeats for the rest of
the season. Others are expected to bring over their cable network
programs to their primetime lineups such as Universal-NBC bringing
over repeats of Battlestar Galactica, The 4400, Monk, etc to their
NBC lineup. FX may bring over Niptuck, The Shield, Rescue Me
programming to their network to air alongside 24 and Prison Break
repeats.

HEROES
TV Guide reports that with the writers strike confirmed to start on
Monday, "Heroes" is going back and shooting an alternate ending to
the Dec. 3 episode that, if used, would allow the episode to function
as a season finale. The magazine says that originally, the episode
was only supposed to serve as the conclusion of the
current "Generations" arc.

KINGS
Variety reports that NBC has greenlit production on KINGS, an modern
retelling of the King David story written by Michael Green ("Heroes")
and directed by Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend. Green and Lawrence
will serve as executive producers, as will 3 Arts Entertainment's
Erwin Stoff. KINGS will be set in a modern city that's a sort of meta-
New York City (think Gotham City, but not as dark). The city will is
the center of a kingdom financed by a wealthy entrepreneur who's
benefited from the constant state of war in the kingdom. The first
season plot will have a young solider catapulting to fame via a
heroic act that pits him as a David vs. a much stronger Goliath.
He'll ultimately end up running the kingdom.

MR. UNTOUCHABLE
According to Variety, Showtime is teaming with Forest Whitaker to
develop MR. UNTOUCHABLE, a drama series that will chronicle the true
story of flashy Harlem heroin dealer Leroy "Nicky" Barnes. Barnes is
portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the Ridley Scott film American
Gangster, which opens today. Variety says the Showtime project has no
official connection to Scott's pic, nor is Gooding involved.
Instead, "Mr. Untouchable" is based on helmer Marc Levin's just-
released Magnolia documentary of the same name. Whitaker and Levin
will executive produce the Showtime series, with David Burke ("Law &
Order: Special Victims Unit") serving as writer and exec producer.
The series will tell the story of how Barnes built a drug empire in
the 1970s that rivaled that of the Italian Mafia. It will show how he
rose to great heights, but with his success coming at the expense of
his Harlem community. The series will also detail the government's
war on drugs and how it failed for years to bring Barnes down.

POSSESSION
BUFFY's Sarah Michelle Gellar will star in the upcoming supernatural-
tinged psychological drama POSSESSION. The film deals with a woman
whose husband and brother-in-law both end up in comas, when the
brother-in-law awakes and claims to be her husband. "It's sort of
like a play and a movie all combined," Gellar said in a recent
interview to promote her upcoming SF movie, SOUTHLAND TALES. "It's
about a woman, a young ... career-minded woman, married to a more
artistic type, and they live with her brother-in-law because he's out
on parole—that's how they met; she was his lawyer. And her and the
brother-in-law don't get along very well. And there's a terrible car
accident. And they're both in a coma." Gellar's character finds her
life turned upside down. "And she gets a phone call one day that one
of them has woken up, but you don't quite know who," Gellar
said. "When she gets there, she finds out it's her brother-in-law.
They can't stand each other. And her husband is still obviously in a
coma. And she has to take him home. ... "But the odd thing is, he
believes that he's her husband," Gellar added. "And the question is:
Is it her husband? Is he faking? Does she want her life back so bad
that she's willing to believe [it] and convince herself about
something that's not there? Or is it possible that somehow his love
came back to her?" The movie also stars Lee Pace (TV's Pushing
Daisies) and Michael Landes (TV's Special Unit 2). As for the title,
it was previously ADDICTED. "Depends on what week you catch the
title," Gellar joked. "I'm still not entirely sure what the title
is." POSSESSION is slated for release sometime in the spring of 2008.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: RAZOR
Stephanie Jacobsen plays the new character Kendra Shaw in the
upcoming BATTLESTAR GALACTICA prequel telefilm RAZOR. She talked with
reporters about her experience with the project and said that the
show's veteran cast made her feel welcome on the set during
production. RAZOR follows Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) as he assumes
command of the battlestar Pegasus and also recalls events of nearly a
year before, on the eve of the Cylon attack, involving then-Pegasus
commander Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) and her ambitious,
conflicted protege, Shaw. "I have to say that I didn't feel like an
outsider stepping in at all," Jacobsen said. "Everyone was just
wonderful. So I didn't have that to draw from. Everyone was helpful
and accomodating, welcoming, very open, very generous with me in
every which way. So I didn't have that sort of same solitary
experience working on Battlestar as my character did. But ... coming
in as someone who was completely new to the environment and new to
everyone who was already established there was akin to the character.
So I guess there was that correlation." Jacobsen said that she shares
many scenes in Razor with Michelle Forbes and came away impressed by
her co-star. "Oh, she is almost like a force of nature, in a way,"
Jacobsen said, adding: "Her focus and her intensity, I have to say
she made this one of the easiest jobs I've ever done, in a sense,
because responding to what she provides on set as a fellow actor is
absolutely effortless. It's like she does almost everything; you just
have to listen to her and watch her. Yes, she's incredible. I'd
recommend working with her to anyone." BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: RAZOR
will premiere on Nov. 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The upcoming fourth and
final season of the show kicks off in early 2008. SCI FI, meanwhile,
announced that RAZOR will screen threatrically in special preview
screenings in select movie theaters on Nov. 12.

THE BOX
James Marsden ("X-Men" films, upcoming Enchanted) has joined Richard
Kelly's new horror film, THE BOX, with Cameron Diaz and Frank
Langella. Marsden and Diaz will play an unhappily married couple who
receive a box from a stranger who tells them that if they push a
button on the box, they'll receive a hefty amount of cash -- and
someone they don't know will die.

KNIGHT RIDER
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Justin Bruening (All My
Children) will be leading the cast of the new two-hour backdoor
pilot, KNIGHT RIDER. The trade reports Bruening will play the son of
Michael Knight, the character played by David Hasselhoff in the
original series. Like Bruening, Hasselhoff was a soap star (The Young
& the Restless) with few other credits when he landed the role. Doug
Liman and Dave Bartis are executive producing for Universal Media
Studios and Dutch Oven Productions. Steve Shill is set to direct and
co-exec produce it.

HEROES: ORIGINS
Variety reports that NBC has shelved plans for HEROES: ORIGINS, a
spinoff series of its hit show, and the possibility of a writers'
strike contributed to the decision. Production has been halted
indefinitely on the planned six-episode spinoff. It had attracted
such talent as feature directors Eli Roth and Kevin Smith and writer
Michael Dougherty (Superman Returns). NBC had planned to debut the
show while HEROES was on hiatus. HEROES also has been facing
sophomore growing pains, losing some key staff members, the trade
paper reported. Insiders told Variety that HEROES: ORIGINS isn't
completely dead and could very well be revived at a later date,
perhaps as soon as next season.

INDIANA JONES 4
The official Web site for the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull has posted video of the wrap of principal
photography on Oct. 11 in New Mexico. The movie now moves into its
lengthy post-production process, which will likely include visual
effects, editing and scoring of the fourth installment in the popular
franchise. The video offered glimpses of many of the movie's
principal cast, including the first looks at John Hurt and Jim
Broadbent in what appear to be costumes. The final scene also appears
to feature star Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones' civilian garb as a
college professor. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
is slated for release on May 22, 2008.

HYPERACTIVE
According to Variety, MTV Films has picked up the feature rights to
Scott Christian Sava's forthcoming graphic novel HYPERACTIVE, about a
teen whose hyperactive metabolism enables him to move with incredible
speed and agility and catches the attention of a pharmaceutical
company that wants to extract his DNA.

X-FILES
It's official: 20th Century Fox announced yesterday that a second The
X-Files movie is in production, with a release date of July 25, 2008.
The sequel reunites stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson under
the direction of series creator Chris Carter, who co-wrote the
screenplay with former X-Files executive producer Frank Spotnitz. The
as-yet-untitled movie is being kept a secret, but Fox said that the
story will be a stand-alone mystery that also takes the relationship
between Duchovny's Fox Mulder and Anderson's Dana Scully in
unexpected directions as Mulder continues on his quest for the truth
and Scully remains inextricably tied to her partner's pursuits.

UP
Pixar announced that their newest animated feature film, UP, will be
written and directed by MONSTERS, INC's Pete Docter, along with
writer Bob Peterson (FINDING NEMO), Pixar helmer Brad Bird
(RATATOUILLE). The movie, about which little is known, is set for
release in 2009. "I think it's a really great, emotional, whimsical
[story]," Bird said in an interview while promoting the upcoming DVD
release of RATATOUILLE. "It's not like any other Pixar film." Up will
follow Wall*E, which is due for release on June 27, 2008. Rumor has
it that UP will tell the story of a 70-year-old man who teams up with
a wilderness ranger to fight monsters. Although the story will
reportedly be aimed at a more mature audience, it will still have the
typical Pixar appeal. "I think kids will like it," Bird said. Pixar's
upcoming animated film, Wall*E, also marks a departure for Pixar:
It's the studio's first science fiction movie, about a robot in the
far future. "Wall*E is not like any other Pixar film," Bird
said. "RATATOUILLE is very different from CARS. CARS is different
from THE INCREDIBLES. One of the wonderful things about Pixar is
they're always looking for a different way to tell a story. And they
are passion-driven projects. ... These films are more emotionally
invested in from the word go. And they feel that that kind of passion
to see it get made is what's going to carry it through."

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
Director Terry Gilliam will reteam with his Brothers Grimm star Heath
Ledger on THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS, a fantasy movie about
Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), who has the gift of guiding the
imaginations of others, Variety reported.

DOLLHOUSE
According to the Hollywood Reporter, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
creator Joss Whedon is returning to television with "Dollhouse," a
new sci-fi project starring "Buffy" alumna Eliza Dushku that has
received a seven-episode commitment from Fox. "Dollhouse," from 20th
Century Fox TV, is Whedon's first TV project since his 2002 Fox
drama "Firefly." The drama, whose license fee is said to be in the
$1.5 million-$2 million-per-episode range, stars Dushku as Echo, a
member of a group of men and women who are imprinted with different
personalities for different assignments. In between tasks they are
mind-wiped, living like children in Dollhouse, a futuristic dorm/lab.
They have no memories of their previous lives, until Echo begins to
try to find out who she was. "Joss has been my favorite friend,
genius, ally and confidant in the business since I was 17," said
Dushku, who also will serve as a producer on the project. "It's
incredible how much energy and excitement I have for this; I can't
wait to be this Echo character." "Dollhouse" came out of a lunch
between Whedon and Dushku in September, shortly after the actress had
signed a development deal with 20th TV and Fox. Whedon was giving her
advice about writers and types of shows that might be good for her
but wasn't interested in venturing into TV himself because he was
trying to get a couple of movie projects off the ground at the
time. "In the middle of the conversation, I went, 'Oh, God. I thought
of the show, and I had the title,' " Whedon said. Dushku came on
board immediately. Within a week, the show was set up Fox and 20th
TV. Broadcast networks had been pursuing Whedon for years, but he had
been focused on features. "It was a really welcomed surprise," Fox
entertainment president Kevin Reilly said of getting Whedon's pitch
for "Dollhouse." Reilly and Fox entertainment chairman Peter Liguori
called the decision to pick up the show "a layup." "Joss is not only
one of the more innovative show creators out there, he is an
unbelievably accomplished showrunner," Liguori said. "It was a
creatively inspired idea, and the fact that he wanted to do it with
Eliza was the cherry on a sundae." Whedon met with Reilly and 20th TV
chairman Dana Walden for several hours Tuesday afternoon talking
about "Dollhouse." "You can imagine a really exciting, timely,
emotional show that will be packed with his signature storytelling
involving humor, emotions and themes that are relatable," Walden said
after the meeting. Although an agreement on the project was reached a
month ago, the deal didn't close until this week, so writer/
executive producer Whedon hasn't started writing it. With a writers
strike considered imminent, he might not be able to finish it any
time soon. "I'll hit the ground running, and I'll work until I'm
supposed to, then I'll stop dead in my tracks and will pick up my
picket signs," he said. Although it interferes with his work
on "Dollhouse," Whedon is in favor of a strike. "I think the issues
are extremely serious, and I think the studios are extremely
entrenched," he said. "No one wants a strike, but it has to happen
because (the studios) would not listen. I support it and will do
anything to fight for the creative rights that the people deserve."

GHOST TOWN
THE 4400 star Billy Campbell has joined Tea Leoni, Ricky Gervais and
Greg Kinnear in the supernatural romantic comedy GHOST TOWN for
DreamWorks and Spyglass Entertainment. The Hollywood Reporter
indicates that the story centers on a dentist who dies briefly during
routine dental surgery and gains the ability to see dead people who
ask him for help in contacting the living. Campbell will play the
love interest of Leoni's character, a widow whose deceased husband-
turned-ghost (Kinnear) is trying to thwart her imminent marriage.
David Koepp is directing from a script he wrote with John Kamps.
Campbell played the messianic Jordan Collier in USA Network's 4400.

GROUNDED
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Disney has acquired GROUNDED, an
SF comedy script by Paul Davidson; the movie's story is being kept
under wraps.

DIARY OF THE DEAD
Although George A. Romero's DIARY OF THE DEAD won't be released until
next year, Artfire Films and Romero-Grunwald Productions have already
given a green light to another zombie sequel, which Romero will
direct from his screenplay, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The
instant sequel, which will be offered at the American Film Market,
will pick up where the first film ends. Fighting their way out of a
mansion through a horde of ravenous zombies, the survivors of Diary
escape to a remote island only to be plunged into another battle with
the dead. Principal photography is set to begin in the spring. DIARY
premiered at September's Toronto International Film Festival, where
Cinetic sold North American and Mexican rights to the Weinstein Co.

THE TELL-TALE HEART
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ridley and Tony Scott's Scott
Free Productions are developing TELL-TALE, a modern-day movie that
will reimagine Edgar Allan Poe's classic tale "The Tell-Tale Heart."
Michael Cuesta will direct Dave Callaham's script, which is a
psychological thriller that sets Poe's story against the backdrop of
modern science. The Poe-inspired film will be produced by Ridley
Scott, Tony Scott and Costigan, as well as Social Capital's
Christopher Tuffin and Martin Shore. The film will be shot in early
2008. Casting is under way.

SPIDER-MAN 4
It seems that SPIDER-MAN 4 now officially has someone attached to the
project. After months of searching, Entertainment Weekly reports that
Sony has hired James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, The Rundown) to write the
script for this fourth installment of the web-hurling superhero. The
magazine also reports that Sony wishes this fourth film to be
released in 2009. This kind of timeframe puts Sony and Vanderbilt
under some time constraints because Vanderbilt will not be able to
write anything during the WGA strike, something which could take
effect tomorrow at midnight if the union decides to take that course
of action. No word as to whether Sam Raimi, Toby Maguire or Kirsten
Dunst will be attached to the project.

BOND 22
Things are moving fast on the JAMES BOND front. It was confirmed that
Paul Haggis has just handed in his final draft of the "Bond 22"
screenplay ahead of the upcoming writer's strike. Meanwhile MGM
chairman and CEO Harry Sloan confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that
the studio has signed Daniel Craig to do four more "James Bond"
movies after 'Royale'. Theme song singers for "Bond 22" are already
being talked about with the likes of "X-Factor" winner Leona Lewis
and HIM frontman Ville Valo dubiously suggested by the British
tabloids this week. Finally Italy is looking to be a the site of much
filming according to MI6 which says that Grand Hotel Gardone and
Locanda Punta San Vigilio Hotel on the edge of Lake Garda are to be
scouted shortly. The Stelvio Pass in the Italian Alps, and Matera in
the Basilicata region are apparently set for shoots.

HEROES
Everyone who has met STAR TREK's Nichelle Nichols at a convention or
personal appearance knows she is a "class act". Now the cast of
HEROES is getting the chance to find this out, first hand. Dana
Davis, who plays Monica Dawson on the show told reporters that she's
been thrilled and honored to share the screen with her. Nichols is
the latest addition to the show's large ensemble cast, and she plays
Monica's grandmother, who is referred to as Nana. "Wow, I hate to
admit this, [because] I'd like to keep my game face on, but when I
found out that Nichelle was joining the cast, one of the producers
told me, and he said, 'Guess who's playing Nana?'" Davis said during
a Oct. 25 conference call. "And I was like, 'Who?' And he
goes, 'Nichelle Nichols.' I was like, 'Shut up!' And I remember I
punched him. I was so excited I called my manager, and they were
like, 'No way.' Everyone was so excited." Davis added: "My mom was
more excited that I was working with Nichelle than that I was on
HEROES. She was like, 'Will you please tell Nichelle that I
said "Hi."?' And I'm like, 'Mom, I can't just say, "Hey, guess what?
My mom says 'Hi'"' But it was so cool. It was surreal. I mean, ...
she has so much grace and beauty, and I always joke that I'm totally
upstaged by her because we'll, like, walk into a room, and people
will be like, 'Nichelle! ...' And it's like, 'Hi, I'm here, [too,]
guys.'" HEROES airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING
Guillermo del Toro, who is producing the film adaptation of Neil
Gaiman's comic-book miniseries DEATH: THE HIGH PRICE OF LIVING,
believes Gaiman is the right choice to direct the film, even though
he's never directed a full-length feature before. "I think that if
anyone knows that character, it's him," del Toro said in an interview
on the set of his current directorial project, HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN
ARMY, in Budapest last week. "And then, if we need to create a
support structure, we will. I mean, there is without a doubt no one
more qualified to tell that story than Neil Gaiman in my mind." The
character of Death, as embodied by a perky young goth woman, first
appeared in Gaiman's critically acclaimed comic-book series Sandman.
In the three-issue miniseries DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING, she
takes human form in order to better understand humanity, a ritual
that happens once a century. During this time, she befriends a
suicidal teen and teaches him the value of life. Gaiman's only
directing credit to date is A Short Film About John Bolton, a
fictional story about the real-life artist told in documentary style.
Earlier this year, Gaiman visited the set of HELLBOY II to learn from
del Toro and observe him at work. "We talked a lot," del Toro
said. "We talked about him directing as soon as possible." Del Toro
expressed his confidence in Gaiman's vision as both a writer and
director. "I think that Neil is a guy that thinks in terms of ideas
and very concrete images," he said. "He's not an artist in the sense
that he's not a draftsman, but he is the creator of that
universe. ... I think there's a great advantage to not knowing how
things should be done. People just go and make them happen, because
they don't know that they are impossible. ... I prefer first-time
mistakes than 10th-time mistakes. I think these guys are going to
have first-time things that no one else is going to do. So hopefully
it will happen."

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK
Variety reported on August 14, 2007 that New Line hired Len Wiseman
to direct the remake to the John Carpenter cult classic. This film
already has Gerard Butler attached to portray the Snake Plissken
character, something which made headlines last spring. The film would
be written by BLACK HAWK DOWN scribe Ken Nolan, produced by Neil
Moritz and executive produced by the original's producers John
Carpenter, Ori Marmur, Ron Halpern and Frederic Sichler. This is
verified information about the film. Brett Ratner was reported to
have attached to the film but it is now reported that he is not
involved with the project.

WONDER WOMAN PROJECT STALLED
WONDER WOMAN Producer Joel Silver told reporters that the project has
been placed on the back burner in light of another impending
superhero film. "They're going to make the JUSTICE LEAGUE movie, and
we're kind of pausing on WONDER WOMAN now," Silver said in a news
conference while promoting FRED CLAUS. "Let them go ahead and do that
picture [first]." The Amazon superhero from the DC Comics series will
be a major part of the upcoming JLA. "And if that comes together,
WONDER WOMAN will be a part of that story," Silver said. "And then
we'll see where we go from there. But we struggled with it for a
while. I hope that we can solve it and make it one day." WONDER WOMAN
was originally to be written and directed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer
creator Joss Whedon. But he dropped out of the project because of
creative differences with Silver and the studio. Since then, the
movie has been moribund.

CONVENTION CALENDAR:

DECEMBER 1-2, 2007
Steel City Con
Guests: Richard LeParmentier, Corin Nemic, Mark Goddard, Bob May,
Cathy St. George, Mark Sparacio, Blly Tan and others
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Place: Pittsburgh Expomart - Monroeville
For more information visit www.steelcitycon.com

That is about it for now. I hope that you will begin to think about
supporting Penny Lane this year. Last year they did a tremendous
job – and they have for a lot of years now. Patty Tallman has been
out there every year trying to make a difference – and I hope that
you will help her in her efforts this year.

Don't forget to visit the website (http://www.isnnews.net) often. It
is updated daily with news from around the world of science fiction,
film and video.

Until next time,
Be Safe.
Sandy

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