THE ZOCALO TODAY – January 19, 2008

WHAT'S NEW
There isn't a lot to report – except that Volume 13 of the Babylon 5
scripts will go on sale January 23. A description of what scripts
are included is below so make sure you get your copy if you are
collecting them.

With the writer's strike continuing, there isn't much else going on.
Various networks and movie houses have already started to lay off
staff. A few entitles have made independent agreements with the WGA
and there is hope that the recent agreement made by with the
Director's Guild (DGA) might serve as a guide to an agreement with
writers. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the WGA will begin
formal talks with studio CEOs, perhaps as soon as Monday, in an
effort to resume formal negotiations with the Alliance of Motion
Picture & Television Producers. The striking WGA, which hasn't held
a negotiating session with the AMPTP since Dec. 7, will study terms
of the DGA contract all weekend, the guild insider said.

VOLUME 13 OF BABYLON 5 SCRIPTS - JANUARY 23
According to Cafe Press, Volume 13 of the Babylon 5 Script Books will
be released on January 23, 2008 at 10:00am Pacific Time

VOLUME 13
Episodes included:
The Ragged Edge
The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father
Meditations on the Abyss
Darkness Ascending
And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder
Movements of Fire and Shadow
The Fall of Centauri Prime

For other script books and Babylon 5 merchandise, go to
www.babylon5scripts.com.

Thanks Ranger Jan for the update on the scripts. I'm sure we all have
been looking forward to this volume.

LENSMAN
Ranger Don sent in a note the other day to give us all some
background on the LENSMAN series, since news had hinted at upcoming
movies and listed JMS as having been greatly influenced by the
series. I hope he doesn't mind that I am posting his note. It will
give everyone who is unfamiliar with the work a better understanding
of why this series is considered one of the best works of science
fiction.

I noticed, with great excitement, your news item on the ISN News Web
Site for January 11 regarding the negotiations between Ron Howard and
the EE Smith Estate for film rights to the Lensman Series. The
Lensman Series is one of the top 2 Science Fiction stories I would
like to see made into film. (The Other being Weber's Honor Harrington
Series).

However I feel the need to clarify one of the facts sited in your
article. Specifically "The Lensman series began in 1934 with
Triplanetary, a novel serialized in the pages of the magazine Amazing
Stories "

It is true that Triplanitary was initially serialized in the January
to April 1934 issues of Amazing Stories. However the Triplanitary
published therein was NOT a Lensman Story and was NOT set in the
Lensman Universe. Rather, it was a stand alone story about the space
pirate Grey Roger.

The Original Lensman Stories were initially contracted for by F.
Orlin Tremaine, then editor of Astounding Stories, in 1937. At that
time Smith envisioned The Lensman Series to be a 400,000 word novel
in 4 parts. He delivered an 85 page outline to Tremaine, who
committed Astounding to print the entire story, before he left the
magazine.

The Lensman Series was published in Astounding under the leadership
of John W. Campbell as follows:

"Galactic Patrol," serialized in "ASTOUNDING," Sep '37 - Feb '38
"Gray Lensman," serialized in "ASTOUNDING," Oct '39 - Jan '40;
"Second-Stage Lensman," serialized in "ASTOUNDING," Nov '41 - Feb '42;
"Children of the Lens," serialized in "ASTOUNDING," Nov '47 -
Feb '48.

In 1947 L loyd Arthur Eshbach, the owner of Fantasy Press, set up a
deal with Smith to publish the four books in hardbound editions. At
the time Fantasy Press was publishing hardbound editions of other
Smith Books, like the Skylark Series, with great success, and so
Eshbach sold Smith on the idea of reworking the earlier Triplanitary
Novel, so that it would fit into the Lensman Universe, and then write
a bridge novel "First Lensman" to connect everything to the first
four books. The Hardbound editions were published as follows:
"Triplanitary," Fantasy Press hardbound, 1948.
"First Lensman," Fantasy Press hardbound, 1950.
"Galactic Patrol," Fantasy Press hardbound, 1950.
"Gray Lensman," Fantasy Press hardbound, 1951.
"Second-Stage Lensman," Fantasy Press hardbound, 1953.
"Children of the Lens," Fantasy Press hardbound, 1954.

And that is why today, there are six books in the Lensman Series. If
you are interested, this and many other details regarding the Lensman
Series can be found in the Lensman FAQ forund at
http://www.outel.org/decomposed/goe/LFQ1.html.

BABYLON PODCAST
WELCOME TO SHOW #95
We're switching things up this week, and JEFFREY's running the
board, recording this episode from FarPoint Media's Los Angeles
studio. The only real downside was that there was no way to broadcast
a live feed for this episode. It was truly a session that deserved to
be on the feed, too.

Tim, Summer and Jeffrey are joined by Brad Bowyer, and we start out
pondering why we never saw the B5 command staff come down with the
flu or the runs, and the musing devolves from there.

Tim reads an email imploring fans to write letters in support of
getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Walter Koenig, and
he's the last remaining original Star Trek member not to have a
star.

Walk of Fame Committee Chairman Johnny Grant passed away a few hours
after we recorded this show, so please address your letters to:
Chairman, Walk of Fame Committee
c/o Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
7018 Hollywood Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Hollywood, CA 90028
You can find more details here:
http://www.walterkoenigsite.com/waltersstar.html

Deep Geeking: Tonight's geeking focuses on 'Sic Transit Vir', and
discussion on how the characters start adjusting to their new roles
as leaders of a breakaway station all alone in the night.
It takes a few viewings to appreciate just how much humor is running
just below the surface.

To catch up on all the wonderful podcasts, go to
www.babylonpodcast.com.

DISCUSSION TOPIC:
Apart from Babylon 5, what TV show is or has been your science
fiction favorite and why? Is it Farscape, Battlestar Galactica,
Firefly, Jericho, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1?

Send in your selection and comments to sgbruckner@.... I will
post them on the Discussion Page for everyone to enjoy. See if you
agree with your fellow readers. Add yours! We enjoy hearing from you.

NEW PUBLICATIONS COMING

Dark Horse Returns to Whedon's Verse for Serenity: Better Days
Captain Mal Reynolds and his compatriots ride their ramshackle
Firefly-class starship into another misadventure when Serenity
creator Joss Whedon reteams with co-writer Brett Matthews and artist
Will Conrad for Dark Horse Comics' Serenity: Better Days #1 (JAN08
0041, $2.99), the launch of a three-issue prequel to Whedon's
popular 2005 film, Serenity, and a January PREVIEWS Gem of the
Month!.

The Serenity crew's first comic-book journey, Those Left Behind (HC:
JUL07 0021, $19.95), sold more than 85,000 copies, illustrating how
popular Whedon's creation has become beyond the small and wide
screens. This newest caper find Mal and the gang doing what they try
to do best: pull off a grand heist. Of course, as Serenity followers
know, Mal's best-laid plans have a distressing tendency to self-
destruct. But this time, it looks like the plan may actually work.
With a cover by Serenity: Those Left Behind cover artist Adam Hughes,
the 40-page, full-color Serenity: Better Days #1 is set to ship on
March 12.

NEW DVDS COMING YOUR WAY

STARGATE: THE ARK OF TRUTH
U.S. RELEASE DATE - March 11, 2008 (DVD)
BUDGET - $7 million
WRITTEN BY - Robert C. Cooper
DIRECTED BY - Robert C. Cooper
STARRING - Ben Browder (Cameron Mitchell), Amanda Tapping (Samantha
Carter), Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson), Christopher Judge (Teal'c),
Claudia Black (Vala Mal Doran), Beau Bridges (Hank Landry), Tim
Guinee (Tomin), Currie Graham (James Merek), Morena Baccarin (Adria),
Julian Sands (Doci), Matthew Walker (Merlin), Sarah Strange (Morgan
Le Fay), Greg Anderson (Prior), Doug Abrahams (Prior)
With the Ori forces poised to launch a final assault on Earth, SG-1
must travel to their home galaxy in search of a way to stop their
onslaught.

You can pre-order this DVD now on Amazon.com.

WHAT'S NEW SCOOBY-DOO: COMPLETE THIRD SEASON
Release Date: January 8, 2008
Official website: www.scoobydoo.com
Synopsis:
In this third installment of What's New Scooby-Doo? finds the Mystery
Inc. gang fighting crimes and solving mysteries as they travel the
world and find themselves in a number of exciting, sports-themed
settings. In Diamonds are a Ghouls Best Friend, the gang travels to
Russia for the International World Cup hockey event and come face-to-
face with the ghost of a Russian hockey player who does his best to
ruin the event. Block-Long Hong Kong Terror finds the gang on a trip
to Hong Kong where they encounter a giant Chinese New Year's dragon
that has mysteriously come to life. In Gentlemen, Start Your
Monsters, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma find themselves
in a haunted stock car race. All 13 episodes of What's New Scooby-
Doo? The Complete Third Season are loaded with laughs and hilarious
escapades that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. A bonus
episode, Scooby-Doo Christmas, is also included.

This DVD will be a great addition to those you watch with your
children. It brings back many fond memories of watching Scooby Doo on
Saturday mornings.

CONVENTION ALERT:

FAR POINT: Mira Furlan's appearance at the upcoming convention has
been canceled due to a professional commitment. For more information
about the convention, go to http://www.farpointcon.com.

SHORE LEAVE, one of the best fan-run conventions on the East Coast
(in the U.S.), announced yesterday that George Takei will be one of
their guests this year. The convention dates are July 11-13, 2008 and
pre-registration is now open at http://www.shore-leave.com.

WRATH OF CON
Rick Albritton from The Wrath of Con has sent along information about
his upcoming convention where Jerry Doyle will appear. Dates are May
30 - June 1, 2008 in Panama City Beach, Florida. For more
information, go to http://www.wrathofcon.org.

CONVENTION CALENDAR

February 15 ~ 17, 2008
FARPOINT
Place: Hunt Valley, Maryland (Baltimore area)
B5 guest: Mira Furlan - cancelled
Other Guests: James Callis, Harve Bennett
For more information, go to http://www.farpointcon.com

February 22-24, 2008
WonderCon 2008 Place: Moscone Center South
City: San Francisco, CA
B5 Guest: J. Michael Straczynski
For more information, go to http://www.comic-con.org/wc/index.php.

March 7-9, 2008
MEGACON 2008
Place: Orange County Convention Center
City: Orlando, Florida
B5 Guests: June Lockhart ("The Quality of Mercy") and Dylan Neil
("Legend of the Rangers" and "Blood Ties")
Other Guests: Adrian Pasdar ["Heroes" (Saturday/Sunday)], BSG's Mark
A. Sheppard, Steve Bacic (Andromeda/Stargate SG-1), Erica Durance
["Smallville" (Saturday/Sunday)] and author Tanya Huff ("Blood Ties"
series)
For more information, go to MegaConvention.com.

March 28-30, 2008
First Annual Naruto-Star Trek Convention
Place: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
JAMES CAWLEY is the Senior Executive Producer of the Star Trek fan
series "New Voyages" and doubles as actor in his role as Captain
Kirk. The Naruto Trek Convention will be screening the episodes "In
Harms Way" and the latest New Voyages episode "World Enough and Time".
Visit our website (http://www.narutotrek.com) and see where all the
fun is! We have only one goal: to make this the best con you've ever
attended! The Naruto Star Trek Convention is a meeting place not only
for Naruto and Star Trek fans, but for all anime, sci-fi, animation,
comic book and manga fans. Resistance is futile -- Believe it!

March 29-30, 2008
STEEL CITY CON
Place: Monroeville Expomart
City: Pittsburgh, PA
Guests: Kenny Baker (Star Wars), Joyce Dewitt, Priscilla Barnes, Tony
Burton
For more information, go to www.steelcitycon.com

April 11-13, 2008
GRAND SLAM: THE SCI-FI SUMMIT
Place: Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel
City: Burbank, CA
Guests: Brent Spiner, Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto, James Marsters,
Nichelle Nichols, Roxann Dawson, Erica Durance, and others.
For more information, go to http://www.creationent.com/cal/stgs.htm.

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD OF SCIENCE FICTION

CLOVERFIELD
CLOVERFIELD opens this weekend (January 18) and director Matt Reeves
said during a recent interview that the codename for the movie kept
changing to dupe fans, but they weren't fooled. In the film,
CLOVERFIELD is the government's case designate for the monster that's
attacking New York City; and it also happens to be the name of a main
street near producer J.J. Abrams' office in Los Angeles. "There was a
kind of interest that was building as we were shooting the film, and
so we kept changing our title," Reeves (Miracles) said. At one point,
the name Slusho came up; it's a fictional Japanese drink that has
appeared in previous works by Abrams. It's also the subject of a
viral marketing Web site connected with the film. "Slusho obviously
has the ALIAS connection, and so people who knew anything about ALIAS
might make that connection," Reeves said. "At a certain point we
thought we should take a title and make it completely mundane, and
that was where Cheese came from." Reeves added, "We thought, 'We'll
go to New York and no one will be excited about a film called
CHEESE.' And on our first day of shooting in New York they'd already
found us. People were just incredibly smart about figuring out where
we were going and what we were doing. So that was just a funny part
of the journey. There were even more titles. We also had Chocolate
Outrage. Our script supervisor Dawn Gilliam came up with that one. At
a certain point we were asking for names from everyone on the crew."

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
Reports indicate that a trailer for INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF
THE CRYSTAL SKULL will begin showing on February 14. ENTERTAINMENT
TONIGHT will show a teaser on their February 14 episode and the
trailer will premiere in theaters on the 14th as well. CHUD.com is
reporting that the much-awaited trailer to the fourth Indy flick will
premiere online at 12:01 a.m. on February 15.

JERICHO
As if the wait were not enough for this fine drama, Carol Barbee,
executive producer of CBS' post-apocalyptic series JERICHO, said
during a recent interview that the upcoming seven-episode second
season will tell a complete story--but that producers shot two
endings in case the show is picked up for a third season. "We don't
end the show," Barbee said. "What we do, we did two endings. We shot
two endings. And one of them basically just lets you know that
everybody is OK." She added: "The other ending shows you exactly
where we're going to go for the third season. ... I wouldn't call it
a cliffhanger as much as I would say you say, 'Oh, OK, now I know
where we're going to go. But if there's not going to be a third
season, the other one puts sort of a nice emotionally satisfying
point to it." JERICHO returns next month with an episode that picks
up the story from the season-one cliffhanger, in which the
townspeople of the small Kansas hamlet--led by Skeet Ulrich, Ashley
Scott and Lennie James--were preparing to go to war with neighboring
New Bern. Barbee offered a few spoilers for the first episodes of the
new season, "Reconstruction, Condor" and "Jennings & Rall." "We get
into Jericho and reconstruction has begun," Barbee said. "The
Cheyenne government is in town. They're rebuilding. People are
getting jobs, people are getting cell phones, life is coming back to
Jericho. But it's changed, because now there's this government,
Cheyenne, and they have contractors who are working for them named
Jennings & Rall, and ... this company ... [has] set up a storefront
on Main Street. And they're going to be a big presence in our lives
for the next season." Barbee said that the new season will take the
show into new territory thematically. "The headline is the first
season was about surviving the nuclear attack and saving the town,"
she said. "The second season is about saving the country and our way
of life, our system of government. And then the natural progression
is to have that be save the world for the third season." JERICHO
returns Feb. 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

STAR TREK TOUR OPENS
If you live in Long Beach, California, San Francisco, Minneapolis /
St. Paul, Chicago or Detroit, the STAR TREK TOUR will be coming to
your town soon. The limited engagement in Long Beach ends February 17
and will then move onto the other cities.
Original Star Trek star William Shatner waxed nostalgic about the
franchise as he unveiled a multimedia touring exhibition of Trek
memorabilia in Long Beach, California. "I must tell you I walked in
this morning and went to look at the bridge and felt this surge of
nostalgia," Shatner told reporters in a news conference in the Queen
Mary Dome, referring to a recreation of the original bridge of the
starship Enterprise. "It was quite incredible. I hadn't been on the
bridge set ... since I made the last movie." Shatner is the official
ambassador for the exhibition, called Star Trek the Tour. It wasn't
all a pleasurable trip down memory lane, Shatner joked. "I looked
over at the uniform that I was supposed to have worn back 40 years
ago, and I thought, 'That couldn't be me.' [It was] a little small,"
he said, evoking laughter from the crowd of journalists. The tour,
produced by SEE Touring Productions and presented by Metropolitan
Talent, features recreations of several Trek sets, including the
bridges of the original Enterprise and The Next Generation's
Enterprise D. The 50,000-square- foot exhibition includes costumes,
props, ships and other items from all five Trek TV shows and 10
movies. The tour also features a multimedia theater and several
flight- simulator rides. Shatner was eventually asked about the
upcoming 11th movie, a reboot of the franchise by director J.J.
Abrams. Will he appear in it? "I think they're about halfway through
shooting, something like that, or coming toward the end," Shatner
said. "They've got another three weeks to hire me [laughs]. I don't
think you'll be seeing me, unfortunately. I would love to have been
in it. For some reason, I'm not. I don't know the reason why. But I'm
sure it'll be a wonderful film, and I wish them all the best. I only
hope that Star Trek continues." Star Trek the Tour opens Jan. 18. For
more information and a glimpse at some of the exhibits, go to
http://www.startrek.com/custom/include/community/tour/news/article/1.h
tml.

Speaking of the STAR TREK movie, be sure to pop over to Moviefone.com
to check out the first pictures from the new movie. There are also
cast photos so you can get familiar with the new personalities and
who will be portraying your favorite character in the new film. The
movie is due in theaters this December.

SHUTTER
John Hensley (TV's NIP/TUCK) just completed SHUTTER, a remake of a
2004 Thai ghost film. "It will be scary, and good," Hensley said.
Hensley co-stars with Cursed's Joshua Jackson and Transformers'
Rachael Taylor, who play a newlywed couple. "I'm a friend of the
couple, and they are all haunted by ghostly images that they see in
photographs that are developed after a tragic accident," Hensley
said. "And this group of friends come together to try to help them.
The friends are reunited in Tokyo, and then things begin to happen."
The remake was shot in the Japanese capital. Roy Lee (The Ring)
produced, along with Doug Davison (The Grudge) and Takashige Ichise
(who did both the American and the Japanese versions of Dark Water
and The Grudge). SHUTTER also features HEROES' James Kyson Lee, as
well as David Denman (Fanboys), Natalie Okamoto and Albert Smith. The
film is directed by Masayuki Ochiai (Infection) and was written by
Luke Dawson. Shutter is expected to have a late-March release date.
Hensley can next be seen in the independent SF sex satire TEETH,
which opens Jan. 18.

TOP 10 SF&F DVD SALES Battlestar Galactica season three Ratatouille
Lost season three Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Family Guy: Blue Harvest Blade
Runner (Blu-ray) Stargate: The Ark of Truth Battlestar Galactica:
Razor Resident Evil: Extinction Source: Amazon.com, top-selling genre
DVDs, 1/11/08

STAR TREK WEBSITE
Paramount has put up a placeholder Web site at
http://www.paramount.com/startrek/ for J.J. Abrams upcoming Star Trek
movie, which is in production with an eye to a Christmas release.

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR
While out promoting his next film (THE AIR I BREATHE), Brendan
Fraser, who reprises the role of Rick O'Connell in the upcoming third
Mummy movie, was very complimentary of his new leading lady, Maria
Bello when talking with reporters. He said that Bello (A History of
Violence) buffed up and worked out for the role of Evelyn O'Connell,
which she takes over from Rachel Weisz, who played the character in
the two previous films. THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR is "a
very different movie, and [Bello] is great, great, great," Fraser
said. "She's really got a lot of moxie. She can take care of herself.
She was good news, and there are a lot of bad guys who will be
suffering." The third installment of the hit Mummy franchise finds
Fraser's O'Connell, Bello's Evie and their grown son, Alex (Luke
Ford), in China, where they encounter the resurrected first Emperor
of Qin (Jet Li), a shape-shifting entity who was cursed by a wizard
(Michelle Yeoh) centuries earlier. Weisz, who has won an Oscar and
had a baby since the last Mummy movie, declined to sign on for the
third one. "Will people miss Rachel?" Fraser asked. "Oh, heck, anyone
could play Rick O'Connell or any of these roles. Any role can be
played. It's a role. Rick O'Connell. You tell me, but I had such a
good time making those movies that I couldn't resist coming back to
that, even if it is seven years later. That's good, because it allows
you to reinvent [the role]." Director Rob Cohen shot Dragon Emperor
in China, which was tough, Fraser admitted. "I don't like leaving the
creature comforts for that long, but it was a Chinese desert that we
were in," he said. "It was a good experience." Universal Pictures is
planning on releasing THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR on Aug.
1.

JUSTICE LEAGUE MOVIE ON HOLD
According to Variety, Warner Brothers has placed its upcoming Justice
League movie on hold in part because of the writers' strike; in part
by script issues (according to the Hollywood Reporter. Warner let the
options lapse on the young cast that director George Miller chose to
play DC superhero staples. The studio, which had set Jan. 15 as its
green-light deadline, confirmed that the project is on indefinite
hold, the trade paper reported. The project now most likely won't get
under way until late summer or fall at the earliest. Cast members
were informed late Tuesday that their options would not be exercised,
but they were also assured the studio is determined to make the film
with them in it. But before that can happen, there are several
problems to be resolved. The studio's reasons included not getting
the official response it needed on tax breaks from shooting in
Australia. And while Warner executives like the script they got from
Kieran and Michele Mulroney, it would benefit from a little more
work, something that isn't possible because of the writers' strike.
The decision to put the project on hold now frees up the actors who
had been cast in the roles of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green
Lantern and the Flash. D.J. Cotrona, Adam Brody, Anton Yelchin,
Common, Teresa Palmer and Megan Gale had been cast in the movie in
November, with their holding deals extended at least once as the
studio tackled the script problems.

SCI FI CHANNEL GETS A NEW PRESIDENT
Dave Howe has been named president of SCI FI Channel and will report
to Bonnie Hammer, president of USA Network and SCI FI Channel. Howe
will oversee original development, programming and marketing, global
brand strategy and market development, strategic planning, SCI FI
Digital (SCIFI.COM, SCI FI Pulse, DVICE.com), SCI FI Magazine, media
relations and SCI FI's recently launched public-affairs initiative,
Visions for Tomorrow. Howe is also charged with launching a new
global brand identity for SCI FI and driving SCI FI's continuing
strategy to expand and diversify its business portfolio beyond
broadcast and digital media into new affinity areas such as video
gaming, mobile, licensing and merchandising and the youth market.
Howe was appointed the SCI FI 's general manager and executive vice
president in July 2004 and had served as executive vice president,
marketing and brand strategy, since joining the company in September
2001. As general manager, Howe oversaw the launch of some of SCI FI's
most successful and ground-breaking programming, including TIN MAN--
which was ad-supported cable television's top entertainment telecast
among adults 25?54 in more than two years and was the most- watched
telecast in channel history--as well as the critically acclaimed
Peabody-Award- winning series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Howe also
spearheaded a major overhaul of SCI FI's brand strategy, focused on
redefining the genre and making it more relatable and accessible to a
broader audience and new generation of viewers. This led the way for
the hit drama series EUREAK and the hit reality series GHOST HUNTERS,
which have attracted record numbers of new female and younger viewers
to the channel. Prior to joining SCI FI, Howe spent 15 years at the
BBC in London.

X-FILES
In an interview with USA Today, Chris Carter, creator of the X-FILES,
sayd that we can say goodbye to any reference to the long running
mythology plotline for X-Files 2. The upcoming sequel from 20th
Century Fox will be a stand-alone movie. "We spent a lot of time on
(the mythology) and wrapped up a lot of threads" when the show went
off the air in 2002, says Chris Carter,. "We want a stand-alone
movie, not a mythology conspiracy one." Along with the article, two
new pics featuring Mulder and Scully were released. The next film was
penned by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz with the former back behind
the camera as director. This sequel stars David Duchovny, Gillian
Anderson, Xzibit, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Callum Keith Rennie
and Adam Godley.

DOOMSDAY TRAILER
A new trailer has gone live for Neil Marshall's upcoming post-
apocalyptic thriller film DOOMSDAY at Yahoo movies . In DOOMSDAY,
writer/director Marshall (The Descent) has created a future Great
Britain three decades after a Reaper virus has struck. Authorities
walled off Scotland and northern Britain to stop the virus' spread,
but it reappears in London. An elite group of specialists, captained
by Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra), is dispatched into the quarantined
zone to find a cure, but the unit must battle through a landscape
that has reverted to a medieval nightmare. Doomsday, which also stars
Bob Hoskins, Adrian Lester, Alexander Siddig and Malcolm McDowell,
opens March 14.

HYBRID
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Myriad Pictures' first project
from its recent first-look deal with comic publishers Studio 407 is
the live-action eco-horror film HYBRID. Peter Kwong will adapt the
screenplay from his comic book of the same name. The plot follows
vacationing college students stalked by a mutant creature from the
deep. The monster, who emerged from polluted waters, gets his revenge
on humans by fishing for them in the sea. Myriad president and chief
executive officer Kirk D' Amico and Studio 407 managing director Alex
Leung are producing. Principal photography is tentatively set to
begin in mid-2008 off the coast of Thailand. Kwong's comic-book
version of HYBRID will be published in June.

YESTERDAY WAS A LIE
YESTERDAY WAS A LIE, an independent SF noir movie produced by former
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Chase Masterson, will have its world
premiere at the Park City Film Music Festival. The movie, from
Helicon Arts, will premiere on the festival's opening night, Jan. 17,
in Park City, Utah. James Kerwin wrote and directed the black-and-
white movie, which stars Kipleigh Brown as Hoyle, a girl with a sharp
mind and a weakness for bourbon who finds herself on the trail of a
reclusive genius (John Newton). The cast includes Masterson, Mik
Scriba, Star Wars' Peter Mayhew, Nathan Mobley, Warren Davis, Megan
Henning, Jennifer Slimko and radio personality Robert Siegel. For
more information on the movie, go to
http://www.heliconarts.com/yesterday/.

TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES
According to Variety, Fox's Jan. 13 debut of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH
CONNOR CHRONICLES scored the best opening-night demographic ratings
of any new show in three years. The new series got a lot of help from
Warners with strong marketing and a big NFL playoffs lead-in. The
Warner Brothers TV-produced Terminator notched a 7.6 rating/ 18 share
among adults 18-49 and delivered some 18.3 million viewers with its
one-hour debut on Sunday at 8, preliminary Nielsen national data
showed. The pilot gave Fox its best premiere numbers for a scripted
show in eight years, since Malcolm in the Middle became an instant
hit on a Sunday night in January 2000. TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR
CHRONICLES moved into its regular Monday 9 p.m. timeslot on Jan. 14.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Jaden Smith (son of Will Smith)has
landed a part in Fox's sci-fi thriller THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.
Smith will play the rebellious Jacob, the 8-year-old stepson of
scientist Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) who first makes contact
with the humanoid alien Klaatu (Keanu Reeves). Kathy Bates and Golden
Globe winner Jon Hamm also star. Scott Derrickson is directing the
contemporary reinvention of the 1951 Fox classic being produced by
Erwin Stoff, Gregory Goodman and Paul Boardman. It is filming in
Vancouver. David Scarpa penned the screenplay about Klaatu's arrival
on Earth that triggers a global upheaval as governments and
scientists race to unravel the mystery behind his appearance. Smith's
Jacob and stepmother Helen get caught up in Klaatu's mission, coming
to understand the ramifications of his being a self-described "friend
to the Earth." Smith co-starred in 2006 with his father in "The
Pursuit of Happyness," for which he won a Teen Choice Award and an
MTV Movie Award.

THE ROAD
Variety reports that Charlize Theron has been cast opposite Viggo
Mortensen in the upcoming adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD.
John Hillcoat (The Proposition) is directing the 2929 Entertainment
project, based from a screenplay by Joe Penhall. Dimension Films, a
branch of the Weinstein Company, will handle the distribution.
Shooting is scheduled to begin this month.
Plot Concept: Story centers on a man (Viggo Mortensen) who embarks on
a nightmarish road trip after a nuclear explosion in an attempt to
transport his son to safety while fending off cannibals. Theron, who
will play the wife of Mortensen's character, will be seen mostly in
flashback.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
Don't miss the new pictures and wallpaper for this upcoming movie. I
don't know about you, but every time I hear the Indiana Jones theme,
I immediately remember my favorite scenes, the funny lines from
Harrison Ford or Sean Connery and the sense of adventure each of the
movies has brought to the big screen. I, along with many of you,
anxiously await the latest movie, coming on May 22. The wallpaper is
awesome! Go to http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html to pick
out one you'll enjoy on your desktop. Take a few -- one for each day
of the week.

THE 4400 FAN CAMPAIGN
Fans of THE 4400, canceled by USA Network recently, are mounting a
mail-in campaign to try to persuade network executives to reconsider
their decision. The the success of JERICHO fans in mailing in peanuts
to CBS and Tabasco sauce for ROSWELL, fans will ship sunflower seeds,
a favorite of 4400 character Dr. Burkhoff (Jeffrey Combs), in a
coordinated mailing daily for a week, starting Feb. 1. The fans have
also organized an online petition, which has more than 6,000
signatures to date. USA canceled the show in December, after four
seasons. The final episode, "The Great Leap Forward," aired on Sept.
16, 2007.

MARLA MASON SERIES
According to SciFi Wire, Phoenix Pictures has optioned the film and
television rights to Hugo Award-winning fantasy writer T.A. Pratt's
Marla Mason series, about the adventures of a wisecracking, ass-
kicking sorceress. No writers, directors or stars have been attached
to the project as of yet. The contemporary urban fantasy series
follows Marla Mason, a sorceress who defends her city (and the world)
from a variety of supernatural and terrifying threats with her magic
and wits. The first book, Blood Engines, was published by Bantam
Spectra in 2007. Volume two, Poison Sleep, is due out in April. Book
three, Dead Reign, is due in October, and volume four, Grift Sense,
comes out in April 2009.

SERIES RETURN
With the writer's strike, there isn't a lot to watch on TV so I know
everyone is happy that some series are returning this week. To
mention a few -- KYLE XY (I love this show), PRISON BREAK and
SUPERNATURAL (January 31). SUPERNATURAL creator Eric Kripke said in
an interview on TV.com that they only completed 12 episodes before
production was shut down because of the strike. We've already seen 8
episodes, so there are four new ones headed our way.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
WB's THE BUCKET LIST captured the top spot this weekend at the box
office with 19.5 mil in receipts after expanding into 2,895 theaters
in its 3rd week of release. In the first two weeks, it made only 1.4
mil so its total reflects that, which is now at 20.9 mil. WB has its
budget listed at 45 mil. Second place went to FIRST SUNDAY by Sony
Screen Gems. The film starring Ice Cube pulled in 19.0 million on
2,213 theaters across the nation, which amounts to an average of
$8,585 per showing. Screen Gems seems to continue making smart
decisions with their films by keeping small budgets and sneaking in
under the radar with these prospective hits. Fox Searchlight once
again expanded their JUNO release this weekend and once again enjoys
a spot in the top 3. The film written by Diablo Cody & directed by
Jason Reitman has received good word of mouth and has gained momentum
with each expansion while maintaining a steady income of revenue.
This weekend was no different with the film pulling in another 14.0
mil in its 2,448 theaters. This has it only dropping 11% from its
previous weekend and has its domestic total at 71.2 million. It's
clearly a big hit for the indie branch of 20th Century Fox. Fourth
place went to Disney's NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS. The sequel
took another 11.8 million this weekend in its 3,377 theaters, which
makes for an average rate of $3,400. In 4 weeks of theatrical
release, it has 187.2 mil domestically and another 102.0 overseas,
which has its worldwide gross at 289.3 mil. The studio will begin
pulling the film out of local cinemas over the next few weeks but not
before it likely hits the domestic 200 mark and who knows what it
will do in overseas numbers. ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS came in 5th,
pulling in 187.7 mil domestically after grabbing another 9.1 this
weekend. The family blockbuster is still showing in 3,384 theaters in
its 5th week of release. Following in 6th place is the biggest
success of the winter, WB's I AM LEGEND, which grabbed another 8.1
mil this weekend. In 5 weeks of release, it has pulled in 240.2 mil
here in the states and another 169.3 mil overseas. No budget listed
by the studio but it's obvious that a worldwide gross of 409.5 mil
makes this a blockbuster reminiscent of the summer numbers... Another
WB film, ONE MISSED CALL, follows in 7th place, which collected
another 6.1 mil in change this second week of release. In two weeks,
it has 20.6 million in domestic receipts. The fourth WB film for this
weekend also landed in the top 10 with P.S I LOVE YOU taking 8th
place. In 4 weeks of release, the film has pulled in 47.0 million by
banking as a credible alternative for couples and certain
demographics. Ninth place went to Universal's THE PRIATES WHO DON'T
DO ANYTHING, grabbing 4.4 million in its debut this weekend. The
studio only released the film in 1,337 so it had no shot at really
getting any higher against the heavier released competition. Last
place goes to the Focus Film ATONEMENT, which has been a limited
release throughout its 6 weeks of release. This weekend was no
different with the film pulling in 4.3 mil in its 950 theaters across
the nation. It has 25.2 million in domestic totals.

Well, I guess that is about it for now. Be sure to visit the website
to get pictures and links to exciting trailers. If you have some
news you'd like me to post, please send it along for your fellow
readers to enjoy. If you see a B5 cast member in a new project – or
old movie – let us know so we can keep an eye out for it. If you
have questions, send them along. If I don't have an answer, perhaps
someone else will.

Take care and have a wonderful weekend.
Sandy

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