Clarke Welcomes Real Millennium
riter Arthur C. Clarke (2001: A Space Odyssey) urged the world to celebrate the "real beginning" of the millennium on Jan. 1, according to the Reuters news service.
In a New Year statement from his home in Sri Lanka, the venerable SF writer said, "The intelligent minority of this world will mark 1 January 2001 as the real beginning of the 21st century and the third millennium."
Clarke added, "Those who celebrated the twin events a year too soon are also invited to join in the celebrations." A year ago, Clarke issued a statement attempting to correct the misperception that the millennium began in the year 2000. Clarke collaborated with director Stanley Kubrick on the movie 2001 and wrote the novelization.
Spielberg To Help Episode II?
he Ain't It Cool News Web site reported rumors that Star Wars: Episode II director George Lucas and producer Rick McCallum may consult Steven Spielberg to help edit and rework the film's storyline.
Citing an anonymous source, the site reported that Lucas and McCallum are fretting over the two-and-a-half-hour rough cut of the film, whose story is described as "a total shambles."
The site added that reworking the film's story is pushing deadlines back and making post-production work very frustrating. Episode II is slated for a May 2002 release.
Episode II Shaping Up
tar Wars: Episode II producer Rick McCallum told the official Star Wars Web site that the film is approaching its final length.
Editor Ben Burtt and director George Lucas are cutting the film together at Skywalker Ranch in Northern California.
The film is currently in its rough-cut stage and is scheduled to undergo at least four more cuts before final. "There's a lot of work to do," McCallum said. "You go through various emotional stages when reviewing this footage. At times, you have to face the truth of what you didn't get and what you hoped for. The second stage is that you're amazed by all the things you did get that you didn't even think you got. And then the third stage is that you see certain things are infinitely better than you could have even imagined.
"The length of the film is determined by what you feel works," McCallum told the site. "Sometimes you have something that works at three hours. Sometimes it takes eight hours to tell a story, which is what's great about television. Creatively, if Ben and George decided that Episode II had to be three hours long, then we'd have to make it that length. But that's hard to sustain if you don't plan it that way up front."
Ryan Vamps It Up In Dracula
eri Ryan, who plays a vampire in the current Dracula 2000, told the Mr. Showbiz Web site that she welcomed the chance to play someone different from Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager.
"Star Trek is notorious for pigeonholing its actors," Ryan told the site. "Not intentionally, but it's a by-product of the show. But because of the response I've gotten within the industry to Dracula 2000, I don't have that fear anymore."
Ryan said she got the role after Miramax called and offered it to her. "It was wonderful," she said. "Both the Dracula and Voyager productions worked together really well so I could do this. It's been difficult for the four years I've been on Voyager to do films because of the schedule."
In the film, Ryan plays a New Orleans television reporter who undergoes a transformation after meeting the titular prince of darkness. "It's got sort of a postmodern spin, and they're taking this very Victorian character who's been sequestered away for, you know, 100 years, and he reemerges in our time to a very different world, one that's more promiscuous and violent," Ryan said. "And he fits right in."
Dracula Inducted Into Registry
od Browning's 1931 vampire movie Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, was among 25 titles inducted Dec. 27 into the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress, Variety reported.
The National Film Registry now includes 300 movies deemed culturally, historically or aesthetically significant and slated for preservation.
Other genre films on the list included Herbert Brenon's Peter Pan (1924), from Famous Players Lasky/Paramount; Robert Clampett's animated Porky in Wackyland (1938) from Warner Brothers; and James Sibley Watson's The Fall of the House of Usher (1928). The 25 titles were selected from more than 1,000 nominated for the registry by the public, the National Film Preservation Board and the library's Motion Picture Division staff, Variety reported.
Nebula Award Sites Announced
he 2002 Nebula Awards Weekend will take place April 25-28, 2002, in Kansas City, Mo, and the 2003 Nebula Awards Weekend will take place in Philadelphia on dates to be determined, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America announced.
As previously announced, the 2001 Nebula Awards Weekend will take place April 27-29, 2001, in Los Angeles.
The local team in 2002 is Robin Wayne Bailey, Paula Helm Murray, Allison Stein, Keith W. Stokes, and Dave Truesdale, with the assistance of the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society. The local team in 2003 is Oz Fontecchio, Catherine Asaro, Gardner Dozois, Tom Purdom, Darrell Schweitzer, David Sherman, Michael Swanwick and Paul Levinson.
BloodQuest Extras Wanted
xile Films is seeking extras to model for computer-generated background characters in its upcoming computer-animated movie BloodQuest, based on the Warhammer 40,000 comic series, the Comics2Film Web site reported.
Fans are asked to send a head and shoulders photograph and a short explanation of why they would make a good space marine, imperial guardsman or ork.
The filmmakers said that they should have a distribution arrangement in place for the movie by the end of January or early February. The Warhammer series chronicles the 41st-century lives of warriors who are part Knights Templar of the Crusades and part RoboCop.
Laurence In Hellraiser 6?
andom's eSplatter Web site reported a rumor that Hellraiser star Ashley Laurence was in talks to appear in a rumored sixth installment of the supernatural horror franchise.
Laurence, who starred in the first two movies, would appear in the film Hellraiser: Hellseeker, the fan site reported.
The site added that it's not clear if Clive Barker, who created the franchise, would have any involvement in a sixth sequel.
Unpaid Spidey Extras Sought
akers of the upcoming Spider-Man movie have issued a call for unpaid extras through Metropolis Comics in the Los Angeles area.
Extras are needed for filming in Culver City, Calif., on Jan. 17, 18 and 19.
The extras will take part in scenes of Peter Parker's (Tobey Maguire) first transformation into Spider-Man, his first encounter with the evil Bone Saw McGraw ("Macho Man" Randy Savage) and his unsanctioned wrestling match with McGraw, Metropolis reported.
People who are over 16 years old and are interested in the extra jobs must sign up at Metropolis, 8323 Firestone Blvd., Downey, Calif., or call (562) 869-1492 for more information.
Friends Star Up For Bond?
atthew Perry (Friends) is rumored to be under consideration to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, at least according to a report by gossip columnist Janet Charlton, the IMDB Web site reported.
Bond moviemakers Eon Productions denied any discussions had started about a replacement for Brosnan, who is expected to bow out after his next Bond film.
Ralph Fiennes, Rupert Everett, Ioan Gruffudd and singer Robbie Williams have all been rumored to take over the role of 007.
Connery Courted For Austin 3
ean Connery is being courted to appear in the third Austin Powers movie as the superspy's father, the New York Daily News reported.
Star Mike Myers and director Jay Roach have reportedly approached Connery, best known for his own superspy role as James Bond.
The third Powers movie is reportedly a 1950s-era prequel that would feature Austin and Dr. Evil as rival classmates, the newspaper reported. But the Daily News also reported that Connery has been cool to the entreaties.
Park To Play Iron Fist
ay Park (X-Men) has signed to play the lead in Iron Fist, Artisan Entertainment's upcoming feature film based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name, the Comics Continuum and IGN FilmForce reported.
The Continuum reported that Iron Fist will begin production before the impending actors' strike next year.
IGN reported that an announcement was due soon on Park's casting. John Turman will write the script for Iron Fist. No director is attached.
Park has also said he wants to reprise the role of Toad in the upcoming sequel to last year's hit X-Men movie.
Spanish SF Awards Presented
he 2000 UPC Science Fiction Awards were presented Nov. 29 at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain.
The awards recognize works in English, French, Spanish or Catalan.
The award winners were chosen from 107 entries from Central and South America, North America, Asia and Europe. A full list of winners follows.
First Prize (tie)
•Buscador de Sombras by Javier Negrete
•Salir de Fase by Jose Antonio Cotrina
Special Mention
•Del Cielo Profundo y del Abismo by Jose Luis Zarate
UPC Mention
•Halgol by Miguel Lopez
Dune Game Due For PC
reamCatcher Interactive will publish a 3-D action adventure video game for the PC based on Frank Herbert's SF novel Dune, the FGN Web site reported.
Based on the events in Herbert's first Dune novel, the game places players in the role of Paul Atreides shortly after the massacre of his family by the evil Harkonnen.
Cryo Interactive and Widescreen Games are developing the Dune game, which is scheduled for a September 2001 release.
Separately, Westwood is developing a real-time strategy game also based on Dune.
No Director Yet For Four
arvel Studios executive Kevin Feige told the Comics Continuum that no director has been attached to the proposed Fantastic Four movie, based on the Marvel comics series of the same name.
"Everything you're hearing is totally, totally rumors," Feige told the site. "We're seeing who is interested now."
Rumors have linked Raja Gosnell (Scooby-Doo) to the project.
Nikita 'Thon Coming
SA Network will air a marathon of episodes of La Femme Nikita on Jan. 1, a week before it premieres the fifth and last season of the SF series, the network announced.
USA will run each of the previous four season's premieres and finales from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. ET/PT.
The first of eight new hour-long episodes will premiere on Jan. 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with a rebroadcast the same evening at midnight. A second La Femme Nikita marathon is scheduled for March 4, 2001, consisting of the fifth season's first seven episodes. The marathon will start at 1 p.m. and culminate at 10 p.m. with the series finale.
USA Network is owned by USA Networks, which also owns SCIFI.COM.
Time Warner Wins Potter Domains
ime Warner Entertainment, which holds the marketing rights to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of children's novels, was granted ownership of 107 Potter-related Internet domain names in a ruling by the United Nations' World Intellectual Property Organization, the Associated Press reported.
The domain names include www.harrypotterinhollywood.com, www.harrypottersmovie.com and www.harrypotterfilm.org, which had been registered by HarperStephens of Agoura Hills, Calif., the AP reported.
Time Warner told the U.N. panel it had the rights to produce merchandise based on the four books in the Harry Potter series, the first of which is about to be turned into a Hollywood film by Time Warner unit Warner Brothers.
Yeoh Still Mulls Matrix 2
ichelle Yeoh--the actor and martial artist who is under consideration for a role in The Matrix 2 and 3--told the Fandom Web site that she hasn't committed to the sequels yet.
"Yes, they have been courting me to do that, but I have not said yes, because my priority right now is obviously with my production company, Mythical Films," Yeoh told the site.
Yeoh added, "What you have got to do is look into yourself and know what your priorities are and where you are wanting to go with certain things. I think every good movie obviously is going to help, be it a big-budgeted Hollywood production or a European production, or the most important, an Asian, Hong Kong or Chinese production. The most important thing is if you have a good product it will speak for itself. Obviously, any awareness helps. And Matrix is indeed a large franchise and will be a very huge movie, and I appreciate the talent of the [directors, the] Wachowski Brothers--I think they are very talented. But, if it doesn't fit into the schedule of what we have going here, then it will be very hard."
Family Man Opens At No. 3
icolas Cage's holiday-themed fantasy movie The Family Man premiered in the No. 3 slot over the four-day Christmas weekend, taking in $15.2 million, the Hollywood trade papers reported.
The weekend's other genre debut, Dracula 2000, opened at No. 7, with $7.8 million.
Mel Gibson's What Women Want took the No. 2 slot in its second weekend of release, with $21.5 million and a total of $70.1 million after 11 days. Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas fell to No. 4 in its sixth weekend, with $15 million for the weekend and a total so far of $235.4 million.
Sam Raimi's supernatural thriller The Gift grossed $12,000 at just one Los Angeles theater, where it played to qualify for Oscar consideration. The movie premieres nationwide on Jan. 19.
Stealth Offers Heinlein Classic
tealth Press announced a new hardcover edition of Robert A. Heinlein's classic SF novel Orphans of the Sky, which was last published in 1987 as an Ace paperback.
The new edition was approved by the author's widow, Virginia Heinlein, and his agent, Eleanor Woods, the publisher announced.
The book tells the story of a generational starship and became a paradigm for many SF plots to follow, Stealth announced. Orphans of the Sky is available only at Stealth's Web site, priced at $21.95.
Briefly Noted
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The Coming Attractions Web site has posted images of what appear to be costumes and the crashed spaceship set from Tim Burton's upcoming Planet of the Apes movie.
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The Green Mile, the Tom Hanks supernatural movie, topped Video Store magazine's 2000 video rental charts, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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The Dark Horizons Web site reported rumors that Ron Perlman, Leonor Varela and Luke Goss have been cast as members of the "blood pack" in the upcoming Blade: Bloodhunt movie. The site also reported that Irish singer Samantha Mumba may have landed a role as the pure-blood vampire Nyssa and that Steven Berkoff is up for the role of vampire overlord Eli Damaskinos.
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Patricia Tallman (Lyta Alexander of Babylon 5) spent the holidays playing Santa to benefit Penny Lane, a home for abused children in the Los Angeles area. In addition to coordinating a gift campaign for the children, Tallman has raised more than $50,000 to build Penny Lane's CARE computer lab.
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Wizards of the Coast Inc. will buy the official Star Wars fan club from Fantastic Media. Wizards will operate the fan club, run the Star Wars Web store and publish Star Wars Insider magazine. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
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