THE ZOCALO TODAY â€" NOVEMBER 2, 2008

I know, it has been a while. I sometimes forget that people don’t
visit the website for the latest news, so I need to keep this e-mail
newsletter up a bit more so you don’t miss any of the BIG news!

JMS UPDATE

This probably has to be one of the biggest weekend’s in the life of J.
Michael Straczynski. THE CHANGELING, the movie he wrote and Clint
Eastwood directed, opened in US theaters this weekend. AND his name
has been plastered on every on-line news page related to rewriting
FORBIDDEN PLANET. To say that JMS is HOT, would be an understatement
of gigantic proportion. The Babylon 5 community has known his talent
for years â€" everyone else is just now catching up!

FORBIDDEN PLANET
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that BABYLON 5 creator J. Michael
Straczynski, who also wrote Clint Eastwood's upcoming CHANGELING, is
writing a long-in-the-works update of the SF classic FORBIDDEN PLANET
for Warner Brothers. Joel Silver is producing via Silver Pictures.
Warner picked up the project on the down-low earlier this year. As
late as last year, it was set up at DreamWorks, with David Twohy
attached to direct. Prior to that, New Line had it. James Cameron,
Nelson Gidding and Stirling Silliphant have been associated with the
remake over the years. Released in 1956, PLANET told the tale of an
expedition sent from Earth to check on a colony of scientists on a
far-off planet. They find two members, a man who has found alien
technology that doubled his intellect, Dr. Morbius, and his daughter,
both of whom have managed to survive an unseen monster roaming the
planet. The movie is loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest. The
movie, directed by Fred Wilcox, starred Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis
and Leslie Nielsen, but is perhaps best known for the character Robbie
the Robot.

THR also writes that Straczynski also has feature projects "The
Flickering Light" and "Lensman" with Ron Howard at Imagine
Entertainment, and "They Marched Into Sunlight," with Paul Greengrass
directing, at Playtone and Universal.

THE CHANGELING
This movie, written by JMS, opens this weekend here in the U.S. I’ve
been watching the various reports and it looks like it will come in #2
for the week, behind SAW 4. I was really rooting for it to be #1 â€"
total in ticket sales is at $3 million so far. Reviews have been
awesome! Renowned columist and reviewer Roger Ebert takes a look at
THE CHANGELING which opens this week in theaters. He gives the movie 3
1/2 stars! Read his review at
<http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081023/REVIEWS/8102\
39995>.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

JASON CARTER - THE DEAD MATTER
Gothic Horror Soundscape masters, Midnight Syndicate bring their
nightmarish visions to the big screen with the supernatural horror
thriller THE DEAD MATTER (coming 2009). Co-produced by Robert Kurtzman
(From Dusk Till Dawn, KNB FX) and starring Andrew Divoff (Lost,
Wishmaster), Jason Carter (Babylon 5, Angel), and Tom Savini (Dawn of
the Dead, Grindhouse), THE DEAD MATTER tells a story of vampirism, the
living dead, and ancient occult relics all drenched in the dark and
shadowy world of Midnight Syndicate's music.
View THE DEAD MATTER trailer exclusively at
<http://www.t3nth1rtyone.com>, hosted by Hot Topic stores.

GARY COLE JOINING ENTOURAGE
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Gary Cole is set to join HBO's
comedy ENTOURAGE as a regular next season, playing Hollywood agent
Andrew Klein, Ari Gold's (Jeremy Piven) oldest Hollywood friend from
their early days in the business. Cole is introducing the character
this season in a three-episode arc slated to air in November 2.
ENTOURAGE is halfway though its fifth season and recently was picked
up for a sixth season to begin production in early 2009 for a summer
launch.

Babylon 5 fans will remember Gary from his CRUSADE days, as Captain
Matthew Gideon.

BABYLON 5 PODCAST - #135
Put me in coach, we’re ready to play, today! Of course, since it’s the
first day of the World Series, we have to put in our predictions for
who we’ll think will win, or who we hope will win. Summer is rooting
for Philly, but Jeffrey’s hating on the Fightin’ Phils! Summer just
wants Philadelphia’s championship curse to end, and thinks this is a
great chance for them to do so.
And, we have a moment of silence to mourn the decision to by Coors to
discontinue Zima production. Could it be a Shadow plot? Let the silly
speculation run rampant… that’s what we’re here for!

Call to Action: While we haven’t set a definite travel date yet, it’s
time to start requesting donations to help fund Summer’s road trip
into Vorlon Space, currently around mid-November, to catalog the items
in Jeffrey’s storage locker, so we can help him consolidate his
storage needs. Please donate, and make a notation that it’s earmarked
for the Excursion into Vorlon Space, and those who donate will get
first crack at items, before they’re made available to auction to the
live feed listeners, and then to the general public.

Deep Geeking: This week, Tim and Summer delve into discussion about
“No Surrender, No Retreat”. We talk about the decision to ask the
League to stay on the sidelines until the fighting’s done; the timing
of some of the events in the course of the episode; the difference
between Sheridan choosing a philosophical solution to end the Shadow
War versus resorting to a shooting fight to free the colonies that
were under siege; and more.

Want more? Visit Deep Geeking, and if you want to contribute a geeking
essay, send a note to Summer.

Discussion: Jeffrey’s spent his time digging up Zima ads on YouTube.
Because he could. Why is Zima now linked with zombies in Summer’s
mind? Is Zima an undiscovered zombie repellent? Do we want to find
someone from Zima to talk about the “good old days” when B5 was on the
air?

Chris from England wonders if the relationship between Lise and Edgars
might have been influenced by Psi Corps ahead of time, in support of
the plot involving Garibaldi’s programming; and he surmises that the
Med Bay might be near the fighter bays, to get wounded pilots to
treatment quicker.

World Series Predictions (made on 10/22): Tim says Tampa in 7, Mike
says Tampa in 5, Summer says Philadelphia in 5, and Jeffrey says
Philadelphia in 5.

Go to Podcast Awards and vote for Brad’s show The Geek Spin… help Brad
collect another award!

If you want to catch up with previous podcasts, go to
<http://www.babylonpodcast.com>.

DISCUSSION TOPIC:
I, for one, am very happy with the new season of TV shows. There are a
few programs I really like -- Fringe, Sanctuary. There are a few I
want to watch yet -- The Mentalist, Eleventh Hour and it was a long
wait, but HEROES is back and moving at break-neck speed again. What
programs do you enjoy watching? Do you have any favorites? Do any of
them remind you of Babylon 5? Sanctuary brought back some good old
memories as I watched the premiere episode on Friday night. The talk
of sentient beings, the moral questions about what is right and wrong.
I'll have to tune in to see if it continues to hold my interest. So
many programs start off well, but can't sustain the quality over the
length of production.

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
Dwight Schultz - November 24
Louise Turenne - November 26
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. - November 30

Have I missed anyone? If you know the birthday of someone connected
with Babylon 5, pass the information along. We want to include
everyone in our Happy Birthday Wishes.

NEW DVDS

PRIMEVAL - THE COMPLETE SERIES 1 AND 2
Release Date: November 4, 2008
Synopsis:
When evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) discovers
prehistoric creatures alive and well in the present-day, the natural
world is turned on its head, and humanity faces a threat to its very
existence. Unexplained anomalies are ripping holes in the fabric of
time, allowing creatures from the very earliest stages of Earth's
development to roam the modern world.

Whether it's a prehistoric predator Gorgonopsid rampaging through a
quiet suburban neighborhood or a swarm of super-sized spiders in the
subway, Cutter and his team find themselves up against some seriously
beastly opponents. These puzzling creatures all have the same simple
fact in common - they don't belong here.

While Cutter and his team struggle to keep the looming disaster under
wraps, Cutter also has to deal the fact that his wife, Helen, a fellow
scientist who disappeared eight years ago, is not dead as he believed.
In fact, she's been traveling through time. However, now she's back,
and she holds the key to the riddle of the anomalies. But is it
something she's willing to share? If not, what does she really want?
Why did she come back?

Cutter, his research assistant Stephen Hart, zoologist Abby Maitland,
and student paleontologist Connor Temple race to understand what's
happening, while government bureaucrats James Lester and Claudia Brown
insist they have to keep the danger secret from the public. As the
past threatens to invade the present and destroy the future, Cutter's
crew faces a life-and-death race against time.
Primeval was created by Adrian Hodges (screenwriter of the film Tom &
Viv) and Tim Haines (writer/director of Walking with Dinosaurs).

Review:
I have caught this show off and on as it airs on BBC America. I like
it very much. The characters are interesting â€" the plot is unusual. I
was SO happy to get the DVD because it gave me a chance to see the
show from the beginning â€" which helps provides a little more of the
back story â€" but it isn’t necessary to understand why Dr. Cutter and
his team are exploring anomalies in space and time. The creatures
they encounter are awesome â€" and you at times wonder, how they did
that! The only problem I’ve had so far is having to listen pretty
hard to the English accent! This DVD set is definitely worth watching.

ANNIE LIEBOVITZ: LIFE THROUGH A LENS
Release date: October 28, 2008
Official website: www.warnervideo.com
Synopsis:
Take a peek into the illustrious career of one of today?s most
prolific photographers -- Annie Leibovitz. Annie Leibovitz: Life
Through a Lens, traces the arc of her photographic life, her
aspirations to artistry and the trajectory of her career which has
produced some of today's most recognizable and iconic photos. The film
directed by her sister, Barbara Leibovitz, depicts the various phases
that shaped her life including childhood, the tumultuous sixties, her
transition from Rolling Stone to Vanity Fair magazine and later her
most significant personal relationships including motherhood. The
film's highlights center on interviews with her most famous subjects,
mentors and colleagues -- along with personal insight from Leibovitz
herself -- to reveal the evolution of inarguably one of today's most
influential visual artists. The film was broadcasted as part of PBS's
award-winning series, American Masters, as the finale for its 20th
Anniversary season (2006) and is now available for the first time on DVD.

REVIEW
For those of you who love photography -- or just looking at good
pictures -- you are going to LOVE this DVD. Annie Leibovitz is just
amazing. This portrait of her work shows just how terrific she is and
what a life she has led looking through the lens of a camera. Seeing
photographs of John Lennon and Yoko Ono just before he was killed is
just amazing. Being able to follow her career and her growth as a
photographer and person is just as amazing.

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D - NL (SD/BD)
Release Date: October 28, 2008
Official website: www.journeymovie.com
Synopsis:
Brendan Fraser stars in this action-packed adventure based on the
Jules Vern Classic that is sure to deliver fun for the whole family!
On a hunch to find the center of the earth, Trevor Anderson (Fraser),
his nephew and their tour guide make a breakthrough discovery that
launches them on a thrilling journey into the unknown. On a scramble
to find their way back, the group travels through a never-before-seen
world encountering creatures and objects never imagined.

NEW SCI-FI PUBLICATIONS

Cult Times Issue #154: SARAH JANE ADVENTURES: Fearless investigative
journalist Sarah Jane Smith is back in action, and Elisabeth Sladen
talks about taking on a lone Sontaran and an evil clown, amongst other
nasties. HEROES: Brea Grant, aka Daphne the super-speedster, looks at
who's going to be causing trouble… FRINGE: Former Dawson's Creek star
Joshua Jackson talks about his role in the new series from Alias and
Lost creator JJ Abrams as a genius drawn into a series of unusal
investigations, ELI STONE: Victor Garber, Jordan Wethersby, looks at
the new quirky fantasy which finds a lawyer getting visions of George
Michael, amongst other things… SANCTUARY: From the Internet to your TV
screen, Christopher Heyerdahl chats about playing John Druitt, better
known as Jack the Ripper, in the new Sci-Fi series about a place where
society's outcasts can find a home…

TV Zone #231: TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES:
• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Exclusive interviews - Star
Lena Headey
• Doctor Who (2000s) Exclusive - Monster creator Neill Gorton
• V Exclusive â€" Star Jane Badler, aka Diana
• Stargate Continuum Exclusive - Star Ben Browder
• Eureka New Season Exclusive - Actor Ed Quinn
• Robot Chicken Exclusive â€" Show creator Seth Green
• Bonekickers â€" Star Adrian Lester

TV Zone Special #82: STARGATE ATLANTIS:
• 148 packed pages:
• Stargate Atlantis, Season 5 Part 1
FEATURING:
• Cast and crew interviews
• New images and designs
• Season 4 Visual FX
• Don S Davis tribute

Starburst Issue #365: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: Michael Trucco - Now
revealed as a Cylon the actor wonders how his identity crisis will be
resolved...Edward James Olmos debates reaching Earth with the Cylons…
SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES: Thomas Dekker reflects on filling big shoes
of John Connor…ROBOT - Robot builder Fred Barton talks about how a
childhood craze became a lucrative career! STARGATE ATLANTIS: Paul
McGuillion, Carson Beckett, is back in a new episode teamed with an
all-female SG team…

NEWS AROUND THE SCI-FI UNIVERSE

QUANTUM OF SOLACE
QUANTUM OF SOLACE, rolled into U.K. theaters Friday and broke the
biggest Friday openers of all time by taking $8 million (ÂŁ4.94
million) on its first day at U.K. theaters. The previous Friday best
was HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, which earned $6.5 million (ÂŁ4
million). CASINO ROYALE did $4.7 million on its opening Friday but,
unlike "Solace," it had Thursday previews. QUANTUM OF SOLACE will hit
theaters here on November 14, 2008.

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN has wrapped up principal
photography and is now entering post-production for the special
effects (Industrial Light & Magic), sound and editing. The sequel
stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John
Turturro, Isabel Lucas, Rainn Wilson and Jennifer Alden. Bay is once
again behind the camera, based on a screenplay by Alex Kurtzman,
Roberto Orci and Ehren Kruger. Plot Summary:
Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots return for the live-action
follow up to Michael Bay's 2007 blockbuster "Transformers."
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN will hit standard and IMAX
theaters June 26, 2009.

SPIDER-MAN 4
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright
David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) is in final negotiations to write
SPIDER-MAN 4 for Columbia Pictures. Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are
back as director and star, as are series producers Laura Ziskin and
Avi Arad. Kirsten Dunst also is expected to return for the latest
movie featuring the Marvel Comics character. The plot details are
under lock and key. Columbia always has gone off the beaten path
during the development process when hiring writers for the Spider-Man
movies. Alvin Sargent, a veteran scribe best known for 1973's Paper
Moon and 1980's Ordinary People, served as a writer on the second and
third films. Michael Chabon, another Pulitzer winner, also worked on
Spider-Man 2. James Vanderbilt previously wrote a draft of Spider-Man 4.

AGNES QUILL
Variety writes that Paramount Pictures has acquired screen rights to
Dave Roman's graphic novel AGNES QUILL: AN ANTHOLOGY OF MYSTERY. The
story follows 16-year-old Agnes who inherits from her grandfather an
estate and an ability to see and communicate with the dead. Thor
Freudenthal ("Hotel for Dogs") is attached to direct from a script by
Evan Spiliotopoulos. Steven Gilder and Jason Clark will produce.

DOCTOR WHO CHANGING
The BBC reports that David Tennant will quit the role of DOCTOR WHO,
after becoming one of the most popular Time Lords in the history.
Tennant stepped into the Tardis in 2005 and will leave the role after
four special episodes are broadcast next year. Tennant made the
announcement after winning the outstanding drama performance prize at
the National Television Awards. "When DOCTOR WHO returns in 2010 it
won't be with me," he said.
Rumors have already begun as to who will play the next incarnation of
the Doctor, including Paterson Joseph, David Morrisey, James Nesbitt
and John Simm. Tennant, the 10th actor to play the Doctor, left fans
guessing about his return at the end of the latest season. In the last
episode, which aired in the United Kingdom in July, the Doctor had to
defeat his enemies, the Daleks, to save the universe. Almost 10
million people watched as the Time Lord apparently started the process
of regeneration-- but did not complete it. Tennant will appear in a
Christmas special, titled "The Next Doctor," before filming four more
specials in January.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
Yahoo! Movies has posted a new five-minute trailer for the upcoming
remake of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, featuring previously unseen
footage, including more shots of the updated Gort. The film, an update
of the classic 1950s SF cautionary tale, stars Keanu Reeves, Jennifer
Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, Jon Hamm and Kyle Chandler. It
opens Dec. 12. Go to
<http://au.video.yahoo.com/watch/3810106/10430112> to watch.

BOOK OF ELI
Variety reports that Gary Oldman will co-star with Denzel Washington
in BOOK OF ELI, a post-apocalyptic actioner to be directed by Allen
and Albert Hughes. Alcon Entertainment is financing the film and
co-producing with Silver Pictures. Warner Bros. will distribute
domestically through its output deal with Alcon, while Summit will
handle international sales.
ELI revolves around a lone warrior (Washington) who must fight to
bring society the knowledge that could be the key to its redemption.
Oldman has been set to portray the despot of a small makeshift town
who's determined to take possession of the book Eli's guarding.
Alcon toppers Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson will produce, along
with Joel Silver and Washington. Lensing begins in February in New
Mexico, with the pic set for a U.S. release on Jan. 15, 2010.
CLIP FOR 24 NEW SEASON
For fans of 24, it has been a very LONG wait. The series will return
in January and from the looks of this clip, it has been well worth the
wait! Go to
<http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1513658671/bctid1885474195>
for a non-stop seventh season trailer for 24.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA MEETS LAW & ORDER
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's Katee Sackhoff is set to appear on an upcoming
episode of LAW & ORDER. Sackhoff's LAW & ORDER appearance coincides
with a starring role in "Lost and Found," a pilot Dick Wolf is
executive producing for NBC. She'll play a Los Angeles detective who's
relegated to working cases with anonymous victims after fighting with
higher-ups in the department. Brian Cox ("Deadwood," "The Bourne
Supremacy") will play her old-school partner.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
DigitalSpy reports that Christopher Lee and Alan Rickman have joined
the cast of Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND remake. Lee has taken on
an undisclosed role, while Rickman will play the hookah-smoking
Caterpillar. Eleanor Tomlinson is another new addition. She will star
as Fiona Chataway, a friend of Alice created specifically for the
Burton adaptation. Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena
Bonham Carter, Michael Sheen and Matt Lucas are also among the
star-studded cast. ALICE IN WONDERLAND is scheduled for release in 2010.

ANGELS AND DEMONS
USA Today has published a first look at Columbia Pictures' The Da
Vinci Code prequel, ANGEL & DEMONS. Again directed by Ron Howard,
written by Akiva Goldsman and starring Tom Hanks, the adaptation of
Robert Langdon's book hits theaters on May 15, 2009. The new film,
co-starring Ayelet Zurer, Ewan McGregor, Pierfrancesco Favino and
August Fredrik, will move quicker than the first pic, says the article:
The adaptation of Dan Brown's novel continues the sleuthing adventures
of Robert Langdon (Hanks), a Harvard expert in religious symbols who
discovers a conspiracy to destroy the Vatican.
Da Vinci collected $758 million worldwide, but even Grazer says the
movie moved a little slowly. Angels, by contrast, sprints from crypts,
catacombs and cathedrals. In adapting the hugely successful Da Vinci
novel, "I think we may have been too reverential toward it," Grazer
says. "We got all the facts of the book right, but the movie was a
little long and stagey."
In Angels, "Langdon doesn't stop and give a speech," Grazer says.
"When he speaks, he's in motion."

STARGATE UNIVERSE
STARGATE fans rejoice! A new STARGATE UNIVERSE will be coming your way
soon and SCI FI Wire has obtained the exclusive first concept art for
the series at SciFiWire.com. There's a new look and feel of this
latest spinoff of the Stargate franchise. The images show a bit of the
new ship that will figure prominently in the show. STARGATE UNIVERSE
centers on a simple reconnaissance mission that turns into a
never-ending quest as a new crew of Stargate explorers gates onto the
Destiny, an Ancient ship that is unable to return to Earth. They will
travel to the far reaches of the universe, encountering new races,
enemies and adventures. UNIVERSE is executive-produced by Brad Wright
and Robert Cooper, the co-creators of Universe's predecessor series
STARGATE SG-1 and STARGATE ATLANTIS. SCI FI Channel plans to begin
production of the show in early 2009 and debut it next summer with a
two-hour premiere.

Well, I guess that pretty much brings you up to date. I hope that you
will visit the website to keep up with things
(http://www.isnnews.net). If you see that I’ve missed something,
please drop me a note at sgbruckner@.... If you have a review you
would like posted â€" book, movie, DVD, send that along as well. It
would be great to have a number of reader reviews posted â€" just to see
what people are interested in and investing their time in.

Hope you turned your clocks back last night! Otherwise you are in for
a surprise this morning!

Have a great Sunday.
Be safe,
Sandy

Sandra Bruckner
Editor/Publisher
The Zocalo Today â€" http://www.isnnews.net