Voyager Spoiler Revealed
obert Duncan McNeill--Lt. Tom Paris on Star Trek: Voyager--told Cinescape Online that none of the regular crew members dies in the upcoming May 23 series finale.
That contradicts rumors that someone would meet his demise in the two-hour show.
Voyager is currently shooting the finale, which wraps April 9. "Without giving anything substantial away, I can tell you it's got a lot of action in it, which Star Trek has become known for," McNeill said. "It's got great space battles and action scenes. It's also got some wonderful emotional, charged scenes. Every character on the show gets real attention, and their stories come full circle by the end of it, and it really brings together every character in a strong, emotional way. I'm very excited about the last episode. I think the fans are going to love it. For the show and this premise and what we set out to do, I think it really wraps it up in a wonderful way."
Excelsior Effort Evolves
he International Federation of Trekkers fan group is redefining its campaign to persuade Paramount to base a film or television series on the Star Trek character of Hikaru Sulu and the crew of the U.S.S. Excelsior.
The group is apparently acknowledging its failure to affect the upcoming fifth Trek series and is now focusing on keeping alive what it sees as Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future.
The group's Excelsior Campaign has been folded into the group's Guardians of the Dream campaign. The campaign's Web site will offer addresses for fans who wish to write to Paramount to suggest an Excelsior-based television movie, miniseries or theatrical film. The site will also feature an online fiction series, an original art gallery and other initiatives.
Voyager Movie Plans Iffy
obert Picardo, who plays the Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager, told Cinescape Online that there's a chance members of the crew will appear in future Trek movies.
"At the big [TV critics'] press conference, [executive producer] Rick Berman was asked that question and was, as usual, totally evasive," Picardo told Cinescape contributors Gregory L. Norris and Laura A. Van Vleet.
Picardo added, "He said there were possibilities that all or some of the Voyager characters would appear in a future film. However, I think the sense I got from his answer was that there are no current plans at all for that--that they were just keeping their options open."
Kate Mulgrew, who plays Capt. Janeway, told Cinescape, "They haven't precluded the notion of a Voyager movie, nor have they established it. I think they need to see how the next series goes and what happens in the wake of the Voyager finale."
Trek Mulling Picard's Death?
he British tabloid The Sun reported that Patrick Stewart, who plays Capt. Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek movies, has written a treatment in which his stalwart character perishes.
"With the movie, I have very strong feelings that it should be the last for The Next Generation, at least the last for Jean-Luc Picard," Stewart supposedly told the tabloid newspaper. "We have at the moment a 28-page storyline, which sounds really exciting. I have written an ending for Picard in which we finally kill him off, and producers are looking over it now."
Stewart reportedly added, "All I can say is that this film will deal with a supreme and hopefully memorable villain [to be played by Alan Rickman]. There's some cloning involved, and enemy Romulans. But I will say no more."
The Sun reported that Picard's death scene is only one of a number being considered by executive producer Rick Berman, but the newspaper added that Berman has supposedly agreed that Picard must die. The proposed 10th Trek movie is currently being written and likely won't begin production until after impending writers' and actors' strikes this spring and summer, with an eye to a 2002 release.
Potter Sequel To Film Soon?
he Empire Online Web site reported a rumor that the second Harry Potter movie may go into production for a release as early as late 2002.
The planned second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, could begin filming in the fall of this year.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone--the first movie based on J.K. Rowling's best-selling Potter series of children's novels--is slated for a November 2001 release.
Meanwhile, Rowling's literary agent, Christopher Little, told the Reuters new service that the much-anticipated fifth Potter book won't come out this year. "She is working on book five, and it is ready when it is ready," Little told the news service. "I think we would be looking at a 2002 publication date." The book's current working title is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Zealots Burn Potter Books
eligious fundamentalists torched Harry Potter books in a mass burning session of items they regard as standing against God, the SFX Network Web site reported.
Members of the Harvest Assembly of God in Pittsburgh also set fire to the Disney videos Hercules and Pinocchio for containing paranormal material, SFX reported.
The assembly's Rev. George Bender reportedly said, "We believe that Harry Potter promotes sorcery, witchcraft-type things, the paranormal, things that are against God. That is really bad."
A spokesman for Scholastic, which publishes Potter books in the United States, told the site, "I think burning books is shameful. The message is very clear by inference. I think he's saying something very strong."
Singer Reveals X-Men 2 Themes
-Men 2 director Bryan Singer told SFX Magazine that the next film will pick up themes from the first X-Men, according to a report on Cinescape Online.
"I think one of the key phrases in the X-Men movie is when Magneto [Ian McKellen] acknowledges that a war is coming, and I think that that's where the world is headed," Singer told the magazine.
Singer added, "I don't know if it will be a full-scale war in the conventional sense, but I think that
what we saw in the first movie was a skirmish. I think that the tension between good mutants, not-so-good mutants and humans will only escalate. I think that's where it's going to go."
The cast from the first movie, which was based on the venerable Marvel Comics series of the same name, is scheduled to return in the sequel. "I can't give you any hints as to whether the Sentinels and Dark Phoenix will turn up," Singer said. "I'd like to explore Wolverine [Hugh Jackman] and a bit of the mystery of his past. We hinted at that in the first film, and I'd like to explore that a little further. And I'd like to see a bit more of Xavier [Patrick Stewart]."
As for Beast, Singer said, "Yeah. Hope so. We'll see. I'm just developing the story, just coming up with the structure of the story that I like. It's material you can use in X-Men 2, and if you don't use it in X-Men 2, you can use it in X-Men 3, 4, 5. ... I'm thinking of it in terms of a universe, like the comic. It has room for expansion, if it's cared for and nurtured properly."
X-Men 2 Rumors Downplayed
arvel Comics executive Kevin Feige told the Comics2Film Web site that rumors about the upcoming X-Men 2 movie are premature.
Various rumors have suggested that the characters Beast and the Sentinels may be in the sequel, while Gambit may not.
"There are no definites," Feige told the site. "Everything's been discussed. We've got 30 years of history, thousands of books and hundreds of characters. So, we're figuring it all out."
X-Men 2, which is based on the Marvel Comics series, will be directed by X-Men helmer Bryan Singer and will bring back most of the cast from the first film.
Paramount Swims To Atlantis
aramount and Intertainment will develop A Window to Atlantis, a fantasy film based on a pitch by twin writers Chad and Carey Hayes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie, which is described as an action thriller, centers on a father's search for his daughter, who disappeared at sea, and his encounter with a potential alien city.
Arnold and Anne Kopelson will produce, the trade paper reported.
Matrix Sequels Shooting In Oz
espite a dispute with Australian authorities over tax credits, makers of the two Matrix sequels have decided to proceed with production Down Under, Variety reported.
Harry Lennix, meanwhile, will join the cast as the villainous Lock, the trade paper reported.
The Matrix 2 and 3 will shoot this September at the Fox Studios in Sydney, even though filmmakers Larry and Andy Wachowski are still wrangling with the government over tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks, Variety reported.
McKellen Talks Rings Scene
an McKellen, who plays the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson's upcoming Lord of the Rings film trilogy, told fans on his official Web site that he spent a week and a half shooting his climactic scene with a famous co-star.
"Christopher Lee [Saruman] and I (and our younger and fitter doubles) have filmed
some spectacular fighting at Orthanc, before Gandalf is rescued by Gwaihir," McKellen told the site.
McKellen added, "As I tackled the Balrog over what seemed like 10 exhausting days in the studio, I began to wonder whether the battle would last as long. But as I haven't yet seen the cut film, I can't tell you how Peter Jackson will feature my labors."
TheOneRing.net, meanwhile, cited an interview by Empire Magazine of Rings star Billy Boyd, who plays the Hobbit Pippin, in which he discusses a particularly gruesome bit. "There's a scene where there are two characters, me being one, tied up by some baddies, " Boyd told the magazine. "Someone gets their head cut off, and initially you don't see it. But Peter's like, 'Wait, hold on,' and by the time he'd shot it, the head falls off, bounces off me and falls in front, blood spurting from it, and I was like, 'Yeah! I can see the Braindead thing here!'"
Fox Stakes Out Buffy Toon
oss Whedon, creator of The WB's hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will produce an animated version of the series for Fox, the New York Daily News reported.
The Saturday morning show will take the series' storyline back to Sunnydale High School, where Buffy will find herself contending with boys, homework--and bloodsucking fiends, the newspaper reported.
The animated Buffy is being planned as a half-hour show that could go on the air as early as February 2002, but is aiming at fall of next year. "The animated series is an opportunity to take our characters back to the beginning of their adulthood and tell the stories we never got to tell about Buffy and her friends," Whedon told the Daily News. "It's a chance to recapture those years of heartache and confusion and do the stories we never could afford to do in live action."
Benson Co-Writes Buffy Comic
mber Benson--who plays Willow's love interest, Tara, on The WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer--will co-write a Willow and Tara comic book for Dark Horse, the comic publisher announced.
Benson will join Buffy comics writer Christopher Golden and Terry Moore on the one-shot book.
The comic will center on the relationship between UC Sunnydale students Willow and Tara, which is complicated by the arrival of an overeager new Wicca. "This comic is about the special friendship between Tara and Willow," Benson told the Dark Horse official Web site. "So, Chris Golden and I really tried to [imbue] our story with the idea that friendship, when put to the test, can help us overcome anything."
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow and Tara goes on sale April 4 for $2.99.
Fox Gets Spy Kids?
py Kids, Robert Rodriguez's fantasy movie, may have found its way onto the Fox television network, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The trade paper reported unconfirmed news that the network had already snapped up the TV rights to the film, though it opens March 30.
The movie stars Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino in a story about two children who must rescue their spymaster parents from a sinister genius.
Gugino Came Late To Spy Kids
arla Gugino--who stars opposite Antonio Banderas in the upcoming SF fantasy movie Spy Kids--told SCI FI Wire that she signed on two days before the start of filming.
Gugino was a last-minute replacement for Kelly Preston, who had to bow out because of her pregnancy when production was delayed.
"I came late to this project," Gugino said in an interview while promoting the movie, which is directed by Robert Rodriguez. "I got this call saying, 'Can you come and meet Robert Rodriguez for this movie Spy Kids in Austin tomorrow?' And I couldn't, because I had certain other commitments, and so finally, they said, 'Can you at least talk to Robert on the phone?' So Robert called, and we started talking, and he said, 'You know, I've been shooting with these kids for two weeks, and I've fallen in love with them. And I feel like I'm trying to find a mom for my kids. And I've met a lot of great actresses, and a lot of people have flown in, and I just can't find her, and I think you might be her. And I would love to sit down and talk with you about this.'"
Gugino added, "So, we were trying to figure out logistically ... because he was flying in for a wedding to New York. ... So, I ended up getting on a redeye, and while I was on the redeye, this woman leaned over and said, 'Hi, are you Carla?' And I said, 'Yeah.' And she said, 'I'm the costume designer.' And I'm trying to think, 'Costume designer for what?' Because they were shooting this film in Austin. ... And she said, 'For Spy Kids.' And I said, 'What are you doing on this plane?' And she said, 'I'm shopping for you.' ... It was all a very surreal experience."
Gugino came to Rodriguez's attention through the film's 8-year-old star, Daryl Sabara, whose younger brother, Evan, had appeared last year with the actress in the CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame movie A Season for Miracles. Gugino met with Rodriguez in New York, "and 48 hours later, we were shooting in Austin." Gugino plays the spy mom of Sabara and 12-year-old Alexa Vega, whose characters are forced to come to their parents' rescue. Spy Kids opens March 30.
Gugino Abducted Mermaid For HBO
ctress Carla Gugino told SCI FI Wire that she recently wrapped production on one of HBO's upcoming Creature Features, five films inspired by Samuel Z. Arkoff's 1950s SF monster movies.
Special-effects maven Stan Winston is producing the series, along with Colleen Camp and Lou Arkoff.
"I just did one called The Mermaid Chronicles, and it will have a subtitle of one of Samuel Arkoff's movies, which will either be She Creature or War of the Colossal Beast," Gugino said while promoting her upcoming fantasy movie Spy Kids. "I play a woman in 1905 in Ireland, ... an English character [who poses as] a mermaid in a circus. And we come across a real mermaid, and take her on a ship to America to become famous, even though I know something is desperately wrong about that, and she transforms into a monster and things go terribly wrong."
Sebastian Gutierrez--who directed the independent film Judas Kiss, produced by and starring Gugino--directed Mermaid. Gugino co-stars with Rufus Sewell (Dark City).
Gugino Is Three In One
arlo Gugino--who stars opposite Jet Li in the upcoming SF movie The One--told SCI FI Wire that she plays three different characters in the film--who happen to be the same person.
"The idea is that there are many different universes that are existing at the same time, and that we each have an incarnation in each universe," Gugino said in an interview. "And that as one person dies off in each universe, the other people get more and more power."
Genre veteran James Wong (Final Destination) is directing the film from a script he co-wrote with partner and producer Glen Morgan. "In terms of genre, [it's] more along the lines of, like, Blade Runner or The Matrix, even though the story is different," Gugino said. "I play three different characters in three different universes, and ... it's ultimately a movie that is a showdown between the remaining people that are left as [Li]."
The film is currently shooting in the Los Angeles area. "I play [Li's] wife in one universe, and his accomplice in another," Gugino said. "She's definitely an interesting character in terms of being a female character in an action movie. And the worlds that are being created are pretty amazing visually. And also it's nice, because it's three different people."
A&E Will Update Lathe
&E will produce a new television version of The Lathe of Heaven, based on Ursula K. LeGuin's classic SF novel, Variety reported.
In 1980, PBS adapted the book in a low-budget but critically acclaimed television film, which was recently re-released.
A&E's version will star James Caan, Lukas Haas (Mars Attacks) and Lisa Bonet (Enemy of the State) and will be directed by Philip Haas from a script by Alan Sharp, the trade paper reported.
Caan will star as Dr. William Haber, a psychiatrist whose patient George Orr (Haas) has the ability to alter reality through his dreams. Bonet will portray Heather LeLache, Orr's attorney and confidante. Production will begin in May in Montreal with an eye to a late-2002 air date, Variety reported.
DreamWorks To Adapt The Ring
reamWorks will develop The Ring, a movie based on a Japanese supernatural thriller, to be adapted by Scream 3 writer Ehren Kruger, Variety reported.
Gore Verbinski (The Mexican) is reportedly in talks to direct the film.
Kruger--who recently sold his script The Brothers Grimm, a thriller update of the classic fairy tales, to MGM--will write an English-language version of The Ring, the trade paper reported.
Based on a series of novels by Suzuki Koji, the Japanese film tells the story of a journalist investigating an urban legend about a cursed videotape that supposedly kills whoever sees it.
Hudson Will Make Last Call
isney will develop the fantasy comedy film Last Call, to be directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring Oscar-nominated actress Kate Hudson, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hudson will also produce the film through her new Cosmic Entertainment production company.
Daniel Cohn, Jeremy Miller and Alicia Martin came up with the idea for the movie, which tells the story of two escorts from heaven--an actress from the 1970s (Hudson) and a con man from the 1940s--who accidentally save the life of a racist "shock jock" who was destined to die.
First Wave Comics Due
ndromeda Entertainment plans to ship new issues of its comic book series based on The SCI FI Channel's original series First Wave, the Comics Continuum Web site reported.
First Wave: Heart of a Killer No. 2 is scheduled to ship to retailers next week, the site reported.
Andromeda will also publish First Wave: Jordan Radcliffe No. 1, based on the third-season character played by Traci Lords, in late May. Other titles: First Wave: In the Beginning No. 1, a prequel to the series, will ship in June; a two-part crossover with Crusade's Shi series, coming out in June and July; and First Wave: Double Vision, a special expanded edition.
DQ To Tout Digimon
airy Queen will spend about $2 million to promote Fox's animated series Digimon and other shows, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The promotions will include an in-store sweepstakes supported by Fox Kids.com and will launch in June 2002.
The promotion is part of a new strategy by the 5,800-store Dairy Queen chain to concentrate its media dollars and tie-ins during April-June, the trade paper reported.
Zim Trailer Posted
ickolodeon has posted a trailer for its upcoming animated series Invader Zim, created by comic book artist Jhonen Vasquez (Johnny the Homicidal Maniac).
The series will combine traditional 2-D animation with 3-D computer animation, the network announced.
The series centers on a paranoid alien named Zim, from planet Irk, who believes he is at the forefront of a sinister plan of galactic conquest. Zim premieres March 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Batman Game In Stores
atman: Chaos in Gotham, a new video game for the Game Boy Color, is in stores now, Ubi Soft Entertainment announced.
The game is based on the DC Comics series Batman and the animated New Batman Adventures television series.
In the new game, the caped crusader must battle escapees from Arkham Asylum and Gotham Penitentiary, under the command of Two-Face. Players may assume the roles of either Batman or Batgirl. The game has a suggested retail price of $29.99.
Campbell Has Key Spidey Role
ruce Campbell told the Ain't It Cool News Web site that he's got a small but crucial role in Sam Raimi's upcoming Spider-Man movie.
"I give him his name," Campbell told the site.
Campbell added, "I'm the ring announcer in this big WWF kind of event, where Spider-Man has his first little fight. I ask him, 'Well, what's your name, kid?' And he goes, 'The Human Spider.' It's like, 'Naw, you gotta do better than that.' Then I announced him: 'The Amazing Spider-Man!' So, that was fun. It was fun to work with Sam [Campbell's Evil Dead director] again and just fool around on a big-budget movie for a couple of days."
Siddig Unkempt In Reign
lexander Siddig, who appears in the upcoming SF movie Reign of Fire, told the Sid City fan Web site that his character won't resemble his polished doctor from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
The movie depicts a world destroyed by dragons and is currently in production.
"I wear a goatee (of sorts) in this picture--very unkempt-looking, as we are all urchins after the proverbial armageddon of dragon wrath," he told the site. "The entire world has been devastated by them, and only ashes remain and a few struggling survivors holding out in a castle (old medieval style). I use an approximation of a Cockney accent--more north London, really." Siddig is working under director Rob Bowman (The X-Files: Fight the Future) on the film, which stars Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey.
NPR Series Wins Bradbury
he Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America will present a Bradbury Award to the National Public Radio series 2000X--Tales of the Next Millennia, SFWA president Paul Levinson announced.
The Bradbury Award will be presented at SFWA's Nebula Banquet in Los Angeles on April 28 by SF author Ray Bradbury, the award's namesake.
Beginning in April 2000, 2000X adapted more than 40 classic science fiction stories into 26 hour-long dramatic episodes. SF author Harlan Ellison hosted the series and was a creative consultant; audio dramatist Yuri Rasovsky produced and directed the series.
Telema Adapting SF Comics
rench production company Telema has bought the feature-film rights to the SF graphic novels The Carnival of the Immortals and The Woman Trap from Humanoids Publishing, Variety reported.
Telema will adapt the stories for a single movie.
Enki Bilal, who created and wrote the novels, will write the script and direct the films. The story involves a world where gods revisit Earth and extort resources from the inhabitants, the trade paper reported.
Fox Weighs In With Gravity
ox took over the feature-film rights to Tess Gerritsen's 1999 SF thriller novel Gravity from New Line Cinema, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Michael Goldenberg adapted the book for the screen.
The book tells the story of a female research physician who travels to the international space station, where a culture of single-celled organisms has killed most of the crew.
HBO Orders Cloning Film
z producers Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana will produce Born Again, an HBO movie about cloning, Variety reported.
Bob Balaban will direct the film, about a couple that takes part in a controversial attempt to clone an infant, the trade paper reported.
Bradford Winters and Sean Jablonski wrote the script. Production is slated to begin before the impending actors' union strike in July.
Mostow May Helm T3
onathan Mostow (U-571) is in talks to direct Arnold Schwarzenegger and Edward Furlong in the proposed sequel Terminator 3, Variety reported.
Mostow met with Schwarzenegger, though final terms have to be ironed out, the trade paper reported.
Mostow would succeed James Cameron, who created the Terminator franchise and directed the first two films. Tedi Serafian's script for T3 would pit Schwarzenegger's cyborg against an indestructible female robot, Variety reported.
Production is expected to commence after the impending actors' union strike this summer.
Ellis Writes Antaeus Story
F author Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan) has written the storyline for the upcoming action video game Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising, Interplay Entertainment announced.
Antaeus marks Ellis' first move into interactive media, the game publisher announced.
Set in the year 2032, Antaeus chronicles the battle between chip-enhanced soldiers and a cabal of old-world leaders who seek to spread war. The PC game is slated for a second-quarter 2001 release.
Spacek Mulls Tuck
issy Spacek is in talks for a lead role in Disney's fantasy movie Tuck Everlasting, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Spacek would play the mother of a family that has the fountain of youth in its backyard.
Spacek would join a cast including William Hurt, Ben Kingsley and Alexis Bledel. Tuck is based on Natalie Babbitt's 1975 children's book of the same name, the trade paper reported.
WB To Air Witchright Pilot
he WB will air the pilot of Witchright Hall, the spinoff of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, sometime next week, the Comics2Film Web site reported.
The April 6 episode of Sabrina will serve as the pilot for the proposed new series.
The episode features Emily Hart (Sabrina star Melissa Joan Hart's sister) as Sabrina's troublesome cousin Amanda, who is sent to Witchright Hall, a special school for young witches, the site reported. The episode airs at 8 p.m.
Omega II's Biehn Was No Worry
atthew Crouch, producer of the upcoming sequel Megiddo: The Omega Code II, told syndicated columnists Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith that he was initially worried about signing actor Michael Biehn (Aliens).
Crouch said he fretted that Biehn is "known for having an explosive personality, which has caused him to pick up a negative vibe in the past."
Crouch--head of the Christian film company Gener8xion Entertainment--added, "I went to see Michael York, who starred in our first Omega Code and is back for the sequel, and who's one of the co-producers. And I said, 'Michael, we have the opportunity to get Michael Biehn for this project. ... Look, his reputation precedes him. I've had two meetings with him, and each one has included an emotional outburst.'" York, "in his gentlemanly English way, answered, 'A bit of stirring on the set just might make for a little excitement, mightn't it?'" Crouch said.
But the worries were for naught. Biehn, who plays York's brother, "did a fabulous job. He was just fantastic," Crouch said.
Spielberg Not Miffed With Crowe?
yndicated columnist Jeffrey Wells and the New York Post's Page Six column have backed off reports that Minority Report director Steven Spielberg was miffed at Vanilla Sky director Cameron Crowe for shooting delays that were tying up star Tom Cruise.
Wells cited an anonymous Sky source, who called the rumored dispute "horsesh-t."
Sky wrapped production three days early and on budget, Wells reported. Cruise now segues into filming Minority Report, Spielberg's SF film based on the Philip K. Dick short story of the same name.
I-Man Vote Highlights Morality
incent Ventresca, star of The SCI FI Channel's original series The Invisible Man, told SCI FI Wire that the two-part episode "Money for Nothing" gives viewers the chance to make a moral choice by voting on SCIFI.COM.
Tens of thousands of viewers cast their votes over the weekend on the outcome of the episode, whose second part airs at 8 p.m. March 30.
"We want the viewers to say, 'What would I do if I was in Hobbes' position?' And I think we achieve that," Ventresca said in an interview on the show's San Diego set. "It goes right back to what I'm saying about the show being a morality tale. And this really sort of puts that at the forefront."
The series' second season will look more closely at such issues, Ventresca added. "One thing we can expect in the second season was something I thought we put on the back burner for too long, and that is that at its core the show is a morality tale, about a guy who can do good or do bad with this gift that he has in his head. Well, I felt like Darien was sort of saving the day at the end of every episode. But if you think about it, if you're really honest about [it], ... if you're willing to get on the ship that believes that someone could become invisible, what would you do with that invisibility? And not all the thoughts that come to my mind are specifically good. ... And so, going back to the pilot, the idea of the invisibility itself has a cost. If I don't get a shot of the quicksilver, as Arnaud said in the pilot, it's as if the lid is blown off my id. ... That's what I think we're going to see in the second season a little bit more. Not Darien the naughty boy, but not necessarily not Darien the naughty boy."
Tiger Wins 4 Oscars
he martial-arts fantasy movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon took home four Academy Awards March 25, including best foreign-language film, the Hollywood trade papers reported.
The film had 10 Oscar nominations, the second most of any movie in competition.
The film was the first from Taiwan to win the best foreign language movie award. The Ang-Lee-directed Tiger tied with 1983's Fanny and Alexander for the most Oscars given to a foreign film, according to the trade papers.
Tiger also won Oscars for best cinematography (Peter Pau), art direction (Tim Yip) and original score (Tan Dun). Lee, who earlier won the Directors Guild of America award for best director, lost to Traffic's Steven Soderbergh.
A day before, Tiger won three awards at the 16th annual Independent Spirit Awards, including best film, director and supporting actress (Zhang Ziyi), Variety reported.
Tiger Gets Oscar Boost
ng Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon received a boost from its 10 Oscar nominations, rising a notch to the No. 4 slot in the box-office rankings of the March 23 weekend, the Hollywood trade papers reported.
Tiger earned $4.7 million for the weekend, a 15 percent increase over the previous weekend.
The Chinese-language movie added 167 more theaters over the period. So far, Tiger has earned an estimated $106.3 million. Tiger was the only genre film in the weekend top 10.
Earth Reaps Razzies
attlefield Earth swept the 21st Annual Golden Raspberry Awards, the tongue-in-cheek competition for the worst movies of the year, E! Online reported.
The John Travolta SF movie took the dubious honors for worst movie, actor, screen couple (Travolta and "anyone sharing the screen with him"), supporting actor (Barry Pepper), supporting actress (Travolta's real-life wife Kelly Preston), director (Roger Christian) and screenplay.
Earth tied with 1996's Showgirls for the highest number of Razzie awards, E! reported.
Among other movies, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 was named worst remake or sequel.
The awards were presented March 24 in Santa Monica, Calif., by Golden Raspberry Foundation founder John Wilson.
Effects Go To The Dogs
lizabeth Perkins, star of the upcoming fantasy movie Cats and Dogs, told syndicated columnists Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith that the movie is heavy in visual effects.
"There are 700 special effects in the film, and we had a filmmaking crew of 200 people and five cameras," Perkins told the columnists. "It's a huge endeavor. ... It's almost like we've taken a movie like Babe and inserted Mission: Impossible. That's an incredible feat to try and pull off."
The movie, which opens in May, chronicles the secret war between felines and canines. "At any given time there were 30 cats and 20 dogs on stage," Perkins said. Lawrence Guterman directs.
Mothman Near Wrap
ilming on Richard Gere's upcoming paranormal movie The Mothman Prophecies is rumored to be nearing an end in Pennsylvania, the Dark Horizons Web site reported.
Citing an anonymous source near the set, the site reported that the movie will shoot for three more days in Kittanning, Pa., near Pittsburgh, where filmmakers are shooting on a bridge.
The site also reported that The Mothman Prophecies is only a working title and that Lakeshore Entertainment is now looking to change the title to something more marketable.
Acorn Releasing Lexx Video
corn Media will release video and DVD versions of The SCI FI Channel's original series Lexx on May 29.
Acorn will release two Lexx sets, each with four episodes from the second season.
The videos will be available as a VHS twin pack or DVD single, retailing for $29.95. Both VHS and DVD formats will feature scenes never before seen by an American audience and interviews with cast and crew. In addition, the DVD will feature a behind-the-scenes making-of featurette, "Rated Lexx" segments, cast and character biographies, trivia and English and French language tracks.
The first set will include the episodes "Mantrid," "Terminal," "Lyekka" and "Luvliner." The second set will include the episodes "Lafftrak," "Stan's Trial," "Love Grows" and "White Trash."
Web Hugo To Be Awarded
onJose, the 2002 World Science Fiction Convention, announced that it will present a special Hugo Award for best Web site.
The award will be open to any Web site primarily related to the fields of science fiction, fantasy or fandom and will be given for material displayed on the World
Wide Web during the calendar year 2001.
The Hugo Awards are presented for achievement in the fields of science fiction and fantasy literature, both to professionals and fans. They are given by the World Science Fiction Society and are presented at the society's annual convention (Worldcon).
The 2002 Worldcon, known as ConJose, will take place in San Jose, Calif., from August 29 through Sept. 2, 2002.
Briefly Noted
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The official Star Wars Web site has posted a "making-of" video, with shots of the production of George Lucas' upcoming Episode II.
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The Ain't It Cool News Web site has posted surreptitious footage of production of Sam Raimi's upcoming Spider-Man movie, featuring a grainy Spider-Man stunt double jumping over tables (as described in a recent SCI FI Wire report).
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The iFilm Web site has posted new footage from the upcoming computer-animated Final Fantasy film, based on the video game series of the same name. The movie opens in July.
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Pierce Brosnan, star of Renny Harlin's proposed A Sound of Thunder movie, told USA Today that the film may be delayed by impending writers' and actors' strikes this spring and summer. The time-travel movie is based on a classic SF short story of the same name by Ray Bradbury.
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Electronic Arts released Ultima Online: Third Dawn, the latest upgrade to its popular Ultima Online fantasy gaming franchise.
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The non-profit Praxis Foundation, which sends underprivileged children to space camp, will sponsor a conference, Praxis 2001-A Space Odyssey, which will focus on space, science, technology, archaeology, paranormal phenomena and science fiction and fantasy. The conference takes place Oct. 5-7 in Pittsburgh.
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Patrick Warburton, star of Fox's upcoming superhero series The Tick, told TV Guide Online that his character won't have a girlfriend. "He can be clueless about the difference between the sexes," Warburton told the site. "He's obviously an alpha male, but he seems to be asexual--just not interested."
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The second annual Asian Fantasy Film Expo will take place June 15 and 16 in Saddle Brook, N.J.
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Sabrina, the Teenage Witch star Melissa Joan Hart told the New York Post that her racy cover photo for Maxim magazine nearly cost her her job. "The cover of Maxim almost got me fired," Hart told the newspaper. "The whole day was a disaster besides that."
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Musician Fatboy Slim has been hired to write music for the soundtrack to the upcoming Tomb Raider movie, the IGN FilmForce Web site reported.
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The SFX Network Web site posted an image of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Nana Visitor with blonde hair, as she will appear in the final first-season episodes of Fox's Dark Angel series.
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A poster of Boris Karloff's classic movie The Mummy sold at a London auction for a record £80,750 ($115,628), the Empire Online Web site reported. The 1932 poster was sold to an anonymous buyer at the Christies Vintage Film Posters auction.
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, winner of this year's Oscar for best foreign-language film, will be released on videocassette and DVD June 5, Variety reported. The Chinese-language movie will come out in both subtitled and dubbed versions on videocassette, and in Mandarin, English and French versions with English or French subtitles on DVD.
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Peter Facinelli has joined the cast of Chuck Russell's upcoming movie The Scorpion King, the prequel to this year's The Mummy Returns, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Charmed star Shannen Doherty pleaded innocent March 23 to a drunk-driving charge, E! Online reported. Doherty was arrested in December after police saw her car allegedly weaving on a Southern California highway.
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Director Kevin Smith has cast Carrie Fisher, Shannen Doherty and
Tracey Morgan in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Zentertainment reported. Fisher joins her Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill in the movie, which will feature SF and supernatural elements.
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The official Web site for Steven Spielberg's upcoming SF epic movie A.I. features a "chatbot" that visitors may talk with. A.I. opens June 29.
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Rick Baker and Gail Ryan won the Academy Award for best makeup for their work transforming star Jim Carrey into the title character in last year's Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Hollywood trade papers reported.
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Sony has opened the official Web site for its upcoming Spider-Man movie, directed by Sam Raimi. The site features new test footage of computer animation depicting Spider-Man scaling a sheer wall.
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The Saudi Arabian government issued a "fatwa" banning the Pokemon trading card game, which it said resembles prohibited gambling, the SFX Network Web site reported.
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Marcus Chong, who played Tank in The Matrix, won't be returning for the sequels, the Coming Attractions Web site reported. Citing news on the We Want Tank fan Web site, Coming Attractions said that Chong was replaced in a dispute over money.
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R. Chetwynd-Hayes, British writer of supernatural fiction and winner of a Stoker Life Achievement Award, died March 20 of bronchial pneumonia, Locus Online reported. He was 81. Chetwynd-Hayes published more than 200 short stories, more than a dozen novels and numerous anthologies over a period of 30 years.
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