Oslo Rings Fans Line Up
bout 800 Norwegian Lord of the Rings fans have been camping out in a makeshift "hobbit village" in freezing weather for tickets to the upcoming second film, The Two Towers, the New Zealand Stuff.co.nz Web site reported.
Dressed in Rings costumes, the fans have huddled in hobbit houses or tents in an Oslo park.
The most eager have slept in the village for two weeks in subzero temperatures, the site reported. The film opens in Norway on Dec. 18.
"It's like a religion," Linda Nordheim Kling, chief coordinator of the hobbit village and a Tolkien fan, told the site. "I don't know of anybody else in the world doing this." She said the idea came up after about 600 Norwegian fans lined up for several days in the streets outside an Oslo cinema last year for tickets to the first film, The Fellowship of the Ring. The Two Towers opens in North America on Dec. 18.
SF Author Sheffield Dies
harles Sheffield, a physicist and SF writer who won both Nebula and Hugo awards for his 1993 novelette "Georgia on My Mind," died of brain cancer Nov. 2 at Casey House Hospice in Rockville, Md., the Washington Post reported.
He was 67.
Sheffield, former chief scientist of Earth Satellite Corp., also won the 1991 Japanese Sei-un Award for science fiction for The McAndrew Chronicles and the 1992 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best science fiction novel for Brother to Dragons, the newspaper reported.
Sheffield was a prolific writer, with nonfiction books, short stories, collections and anthologies to his credit. He also wrote more than 100 technical papers on astronomy, large-scale computer systems, image processing, space travel, earth resources, gravitational field analysis, nuclear physics and general relativity, the Post reported. He was past president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, as well as the American Astronomical Society.
Sheffield is survived by his wife of five years, SF author Nancy Kress; two children from his first marriage, Ann Sheffield and Charles Christopher "Kit" Sheffield; two children from his second marriage, Elizabeth Rose Sheffield and Victoria Jane Sheffield; his mother, Emma Sheffield; and a sister, Ann G. Hunt, the newspaper reported.
Space's Harris Dead At 87
onathan Harris, the actor who portrayed the cowardly Dr. Zachary Smith in the 1960s TV series Lost in Space, died Nov. 3 from a blood clot in his heart while receiving therapy at a Los Angeles-area hospital, the Associated Press reported. He was 87.
Harris was being treated for a chronic back problem, family spokesman Kevin J. Burns told the AP.
Lost in Space, which ran on CBS from 1965 to 1968, was an SF takeoff of the Swiss Family Robinson, the AP reported. Harris' Dr. Smith was a saboteur who caused the Robinson family's ship, Jupiter II, to fly off course, but who found himself trapped with them.
Born Jonathan Charasuchin in the Bronx to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Harris adopted the stage persona of a classically trained British actor. Harris also worked with Pixar Animation Studios in recent years, supplying the voice of Manny the praying-mantis magician in A Bug's Life and the elderly doll repairman in Toy Story 2, the AP reported.
Lenk Returns To Buffy
om Lenk, who played one of the evil nerd trio on last season's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that he will return to the UPN series as Andrew in the Nov. 12 episode.
"I'm coming back for sweeps," Lenk said in an interview. "I'll be back, and some major, very shocking stuff happens, and then I'll be doing some more episodes after that."
Lenk does not know how many episodes will follow, because the show's producers have not decided yet. But he added that his compatriot Danny Strong (Jonathan) would also return. "Yes, I'm allowed to say he is coming back with me," Lenk said. "We come back from Mexico. They don't really say too much about what happened in Mexico, but there's some funny stuff that we talk about."
Having shot his first new episode already, Lenk said that he appreciated the new dynamic his character enjoys with the show's main stars. Last season, most of the trio's scenes were in their lair, with the occasional Buffy confrontation. "[Now], I'm getting to work with everybody. We're not just isolated like we were last time. So hanging out with the Scooby Gang is good." Buffy airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Angel Gets Complicated
effrey Bell, newly installed co-executive producer of The WB's vampire series Angel, told SCI FI Wire that the show will shake its main characters up in the next few weeks and months.
"I think what we're going to do is sort of scatter people, to a certain extent, emotionally and physically," Bell said in an interview. "We'll be bullying them and bandying them about for a while, until they need to come together to fight this horrible Big Bad that will show up in episode seven, I think it is, which will be the show right before we take a break over the Christmas holiday."
Bell added, "So we're kind of putting big, nasty, horrible things in everybody's way so that they really are uncomfortable with each other. This way, when they do have to come together there are a lot of fun and horrible and interesting things to play. The Big Bad will be a corporeal force. It's going to be a thing. I'll leave it at 'a thing.' But we are very excited about it. This is very tricky, doing an interview now, because we feel that we've come up with this really cool overarching [storyline] this season, and I want people to be excited about it without knowing it all before actually watching the show." Episode seven, entitled "Apocalypse Nowish," will air Nov. 17. Angel airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Shanks Returns To Stargate SG-1
he SCI FI Channel confirmed that Michael Shanks will return as a regular cast member of the channel's original series Stargate SG-1, again playing the role of Dr. Daniel Jackson, in the show's upcoming seventh season.
The network earlier this week announced that it had renewed the show for a full 22-episode new season.
Shanks left the series at the end of season five, and his character gave up human life and ascended to a higher plane of existence. Shanks has made one guest appearance during the sixth season and, as previously reported on SCI FI Wire, will also return in the season finale.
The channel has announced that Richard Dean Anderson also returns as the star and one of the executive producers. So far, the network has confirmed only that Shanks and Anderson are returning.
Production on the new season is slated to begin in Vancouver, B.C., early next year, for a summer 2003 launch. The remaining original sixth-season episodes will resume on SCI FI in January 2003.
SCI FI Renews Stargate
he SCI FI Channel renewed its original series Stargate SG-1 for a full seventh season, the network announced.
SCI FI ordered 22 new episodes from MGM. Richard Dean Anderson will stay in his role as both the series' star and executive producer.
"Stargate fans are everywhere," SCI FI president Bonnie Hammer said in a statement. "The ratings prove it. We are delighted to renew SG-1 for a new season. Clearly the show has done phenomenally well for SCI FI, both with original and acquired episodes, and we look forward to another record-breaking year."
SCI FI began airing the series in June, starting with its sixth season, and Stargate SG-1 broke a channel record with its summer finale episode (2.0 rating, 1.6 million households). In October, SCI FI began airing earlier Stargate SG-1 episodes as a Monday-night block, which delivered the biggest average monthly 8-11 p.m. audience for the time period in the network's history.
Production on the new season is slated to begin in Vancouver, B.C., early next year, for a summer 2003 launch. The remaining original sixth-season episodes will resume on SCI FI in January 2003.
SCI FI Airs UFO Specials
he SCI FI Channel announced that it will air two original documentary specials dealing with the question of UFOs, government conspiracies and alien abduction, starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT Nov. 22.
The specials will air in anticipation of the channel's upcoming original miniseries Steven Spielberg Presents Taken, which premieres Dec. 2.
At 8 p.m., Bryant Gumbel hosts The Roswell Crash: Startling New Evidence, a two-hour documentary about the 1947 event that includes new eyewitness interviews and never-before-seen footage. The documentary includes an excavation of the alleged Roswell crash site by archaeologists from the University of New Mexico in partnership with SCI FI. Melissa Jo Peltier (Scared Silent: Ending and Exposing Child Abuse) directed and executive produced the special. James Romanovich, Jim Milio and Mark Hufnail also executive produce.
At 10 p.m., the network airs Abduction Diaries, a one-hour documentary with first-person accounts of those who say they have been taken by extraterrestrials. Tina DiFeliciantonio and Jane C. Wagner (Girls Like Us) produced the special.
Taken, executive produced by Spielberg, is a 20-hour epic miniseries that chronicles the lives of three families against the backdrop of 50 years of UFO lore.
Gretsch Talks Taken Fantasy
oel Gretsch, who co-stars in the SCI FI Channel's upcoming original miniseries Steven Spielberg Presents Taken as Capt. Owen Crawford, told SCI FI Wire that he most appreciated the story's fantasy elements.
"We all kind of suspect that the military, the government, is keeping some information from us civilians, and this takes that idea and makes it a fun fantasy ride," Gretsch said in an interview. "What might the military know?"
Gretsch, who is the son-in-law of Star Trek star William Shatner, added, "There's a lot of space out there. In the Jodie Foster movie Contact they even had a line where they said, 'It would be an incredible waste of space' if there wasn't more out there. ... You've also got the humanistic side. My character is so ruthless and ambitious and scared. What drives somebody who is so ambitious? Why does he want to make a mark in life? [Screenwriter] Les Bohem came up with a great character-driven piece. Every character in the [miniseries] has an interesting story about why they're doing what they're doing and what motivates them. That's great writing." Taken, a 20-hour epic miniseries that chronicles the lives of three families against the backdrop of 50 years of UFO lore, premieres on SCI FI Dec. 2.
Merriman Investigates Taken
yan Merriman, who appears in episode four of the SCI FI Channel's upcoming original miniseries Steven Spielberg Presents Taken, told SCI FI Wire that he plays a journalist looking into unusual phenomena.
"I'm an investigative reporter, and I'm searching to help figure out what's going on, while my dad's trying to cover up anything," Merriman said in an interview.
The 19-year-old actor said that working with director Bryan Spicer was impressive. "He's amazing," Merriman said. "He knows exactly what he wants. He clears everybody out, likes to set up the scene the way he wants, and that's it."
Personally, Merriman can support theories of alien existence. "I believe there are aliens," he said. "I wouldn't say beings with pear-shaped heads and stuff like that. But it would be almost ignorant to think that of all these planets and all this vast universe, that there can't be another planet like us." Taken, a 20-hour epic miniseries that chronicles the lives of three families against the backdrop of 50 years of UFO lore, premieres on SCI FI Dec. 2.
Director Taken By Fanning
eff Woolnough, director of episode eight of the SCI FI Channel's upcoming original miniseries Steven Spielberg Presents Taken, told SCI FI Wire that he was impressed by his young star, Dakota Fanning.
"Dakota Fanning is remarkable," Woolnough said in an interview. "She's like an 8-year-old acting machine. I've never actually met a kid like her before. She comes to set in the morning, she hugs everybody, she's always happy. She never did anything remotely close to behavior that you'd expect from an 8-year-old. She was like 8 years old going on 40. And she came in every day, knew her lines, and you could give her an adjustment, like 'Hey, Dakota. What about if you tried it like this?' She'd go, 'Sure,' and she'd do it. She'd do exactly what you wanted. I worked with kids before, but I never worked with a kid like her. She's amazing. And her mother, too, Joy, is just terrific. You've heard horror stories about stage mothers before. This mother is the antithesis of that. She's just normal, down-to-earth, feet-on-the-ground person. Really terrific. I can't say enough about those two."
The episode includes a dramatic conceit that could have been tough for any star, let alone a child actor. Fanning had to spend most of the episode wearing a mask that covered her whole head and face. "I was worried about that with her, because it's tough. If you're at all claustrophobic or worried about not being able to hear, not being able to see for long periods of time, the helmet was potentially a really intimidating item. Fortunately, Dakota had no problem with it at all. She could wear it for long periods of time without any trouble." Taken, a 20-hour miniseries that chronicles the lives of three families against the backdrop of 50 years of UFO lore, premieres on SCI FI Dec. 2.
Lee To Sue Marvel?
tan Lee, the co-creator of Spider-Man and other Marvel Comics characters, threatened to sue the entertainment company in a dispute over profits from movies and TV shows based on his creations, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Lee, who is chairman emeritus of Marvel Enterprises Inc., claims that the company owes him 10 percent of company profits, including ancillary rights, from projects that use the company's characters, the newspaper reported.
Lee's complaint was contained in a form 10-Q filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lee said that he believes the profits are owed to him under the employment agreement he signed with Marvel on Nov. 1, 1998, the filing said.
Marvel said it's paying Lee an annual salary of $1 million, and it believes his claim is without merit, the newspaper reported.
De Niro Armed For Doc Ock?
! Online columnist Anderson Jones reported a rumor that Robert De Niro may be the first choice to play the villainous Doctor Octopus in Sam Raimi's upcoming sequel film The Amazing Spider-Man.
Jones added that longtime Raimi pal Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead), who had a cameo in the first Spider-Man, has been cast as the evil Lizard in the sequel, which is being redrafted by novelist Michael Chabon.
If De Niro passes, Jones reported that another Raimi buddy, Billy Bob Thornton, may be on standby to put on Doc Ock's eight arms. Recent rumors have suggested that Vincent D'Onofrio (The Cell) was in line for the role as well.
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco have all signed on to reprise their Spider-Man roles in Amazing Spider-Man, which is slated to begin production in February.
Petrie Talks Fab Four
oug Petrie, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer writer who's drafting a Fantastic Four movie, told MTV.com that his version of the Marvel Comics series will minimize the origin story.
"The big reason I got hired was that the scripts that were done before, by pretty big-name guys, were origin stories," Petrie told the site. "[The other scripts] were very big on 'These are astronauts that go to space' for the first, like, half-hour. It was something like Armageddon. I just kept saying it's got to be like A Hard Day's Night."
Petrie's movie would begin in a New York where the team already exists. "They're the biggest celebrities in New York City," Petrie said. "To the world outside, they are the world's coolest superheroes. [But] when they get home, they just fight with each other about everything. They order pizzas and argue about who gets the better costumes and stuff like that. It's a family comedy when they get behind closed doors."
Petrie added, "There's a tremendous amount of pressure to get this movie made, and to get it right and to cash in on the mania that obviously exists out there and the need for superhero stories." The Fantastic Four is scheduled for a 2004 release.
Episode II IMAX Opens Big
he IMAX release of Star Wars: Episode II—Attack Of The Clones took in $1.4 million from 58 screens in selected cities in North America in its opening last week, the official Star Wars Web site reported.
The per-engagement average of $24,746 was one of the biggest openings ever for an exclusive IMAX release, the site reported.
The film is being distributed by Twentieth Century Fox exclusively to IMAX theaters through the holiday season.
Trek Vet Dobkin Dies
arry Dobkin, a TV director and actor who helmed and appeared in Star Trek episodes, died of heart failure Oct. 28 at his home in Los Angeles, the official Trek Web site reported.
He was 83.
A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Dobkin's television acting credits span the past six decades, with appearances on I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, The Practice and Judging Amy. He received an Emmy nomination for his supporting role in the 1967 CBS Playhouse production of Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. Dobkin also appeared in more than 60 feature films, including Patton, The Ten Commandments and Julius Caesar, the site reported.
As a director, he helmed many series throughout the years, including The Donna Reed Show, The Waltons, Hawaii Five-0 and Charlie's Angels. Dobkin is survived by his wife, Anne, three daughters, a son and a grandson, the site reported.
Shatner Would Rework Trek V
illiam Shatner confirmed to Cinescape Online that he's been talking to Paramount about a reworked DVD version of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, which he directed.
"I may be doing a director's cut," Shatner told the site. "We have been talking to them about it, but we don't have a final response yet."
In particular, Shatner said that he is interested in updating some of the film's effects sequences. "Well, yes, that's part of what I want to do," he said. "But we don't know if the money's there yet."
Trek Command III To Ship
ctivision announced that Star Trek Starfleet Command III, a tactical starship simulator game for the PC, is ready for manufacturing and will ship to stores soon.
The game is the first in the series to take place in the Star Trek: The Next Generation universe and allows players to take total control of their own ship and crew and engage in conflict with the great empires of Trek lore, the company announced. The game has single-player and multiplayer modes.
Star Trek Starfleet Command III will carry a suggested retail price of $49.99.
Russian Rips Off Potter?
awyers for Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling are threatening to sue a Russian writer, arguing that his book Tanya Grotter and the Magical Double Bass plagiarizes Rowling's work, the Associated Press reported.
The Moscow office of the law firm LeBoeuf, Lamb, Green and MacRae—representing Rowling, her Russian publisher and Warner Brothers, which produces films based on the Potter books—sent a letter threatening to sue author Dmitry Yemets and Eksmo, the Russian publisher of Grotter, unless they withdraw the book and promise not to print any more, the wire service reported.
Grotter is an orphaned 11-year-old girl who rides a magical double bass, wears glasses, has an unusual mark on her face (a mole on her nose), and makes use of magic words to set spells in motion, the AP reported.
Yemets, a philologist and specialist in Russian folklore, told the wire service that his work was "entirely independent." But he also acknowledged that it was meant in part to parody the Potter series, only with roots in Russian culture and folklore.
For its part, Eksmo denied plagiarism charges. "This baseless accusation of plagiarism is no reason for us to carry out their wishes," Eksmo spokesman Alexei Shekhov told the AP.
The first Grotter book has sold about 100,000 copies. The second, Tanya Grotter and the Disappearing Floor, hit bookstores last week, the AP reported.
Chamber Too Scary?
avid Heyman, producer of the upcoming sequel film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, told SCI FI Wire that the second film based on J.K. Rowling's best-sellers includes its share of scares.
But Heyman added that he believes any child who made it through the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, will make it through the new film. "I think it's for kids of all ages," Heyman said in an interview. "It is a little scary, but if you read children's fiction, a lot of it is scary."
Heyman added, "If you look at Grimm's fairy tales or Alice in Wonderland [they are scary]. And emotionally, films like Dumbo [are scary]. Dumbo's mother gets cast away. Bambi's mother gets killed. I still remember that very strongly. I think kids can handle it. I don't think [Chamber of Secrets] is that much scarier than the last film. Voldemort's death in the last one and Harry's [Daniel Radcliffe] victory over Voldemort was not easy going. It was challenging. We've maintained that [in Chamber of Secrets]. One of the things I feel about these books is that they don't talk down to kids. They're books that treat the reader with respect. And we try to do the same with the films." Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets opens Nov. 15.
Isaacs Hooks Up With Pan
ason Isaacs told SCI FI Wire that, as J.M. Barrie intended, he's playing both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook in the upcoming live-action film version of Peter Pan.
"It's fantastic," Isaacs said in an interview. "What's great is
that no one has ever made a film of Peter Pan. One thinks they have seen it,
but in fact no one has."
Isaacs, who plays the villainous Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, added, "Disney did a cartoon, which is really nothing like J.M. Barrie's story. Steven Spielberg made a film [Hook] about a 40-year-old man who couldn't stop using the cell phone, but he didn't make J.M. Barrie's version of Peter Pan. This is the first time anyone's ever made a live-action version, with a 12-year-old boy playing a 12-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl playing a 12-year-old girl. It's actually about a
little girl. The play was called Peter and Wendy, and it's about a little girl who's facing adulthood and terrified of it, and so goes off to this land where there's someone who's never grown up and someone who's too grown-up, the way Captain Hook is. I'm having a great time. Currently, we're shooting [scenes involving] Mr. Darling. I haven't done any Captain Hook yet." Peter Pan is filming in Australia and is tentatively set for release in late 2003. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets opens Nov. 15.
Forlani Talks Highbinders
laire Forlani, who co-stars with Jackie Chan in the upcoming supernatural fantasy film Highbinders, told SCI FI Wire that Chan's character has unusual powers.
"He can do all kinds of things because he is a Highbinder," a mysterious being, Forlani said in an interview about the Hong Kong production.
Forlani added that she had to learn how to perform in Chan's well-known style of action. "He has me doing some cool stuff, and he actually held my hand and talked me through, so it was great," Forlani (Meet Joe Black) said. She said that she will be returning to Hong Kong to shoot some new footage for the film. "I love him, and I'm so excited to see him [again]. I was with him in Hong Kong last year, and I'm happy to be [going] back there again."
The English-language Highbinders, directed by Gordon Chan (Thunderbolt), is slated for a 2003 release in Hong Kong. No U.S. distribution has yet been secured.
WB Develops Fearless
he WB is developing Fearless, an hourlong superhero drama about a girl born without the gene for fear, Variety reported.
Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI) is executive producing, the trade paper reported.
The show is based on Francine Pascal's series of young adult novels and revolves around Gaia Moore, whose mom was murdered and whose antiterrorist operative dad is in hiding, the trade paper reported.
The WB has become the home for superhero series, including Smallville, Birds of Prey and Angel.
O.R.B. To Ship Soon
trategy First announced that its 3-D real-time strategy game O.R.B. (Off-World Resource Base) shipped to stores Nov. 5.
The PC game is be distributed by Infogrames in North America, the developer announced.
O.R.B. allows players to choose one of two spacefaring races, the Malus or the Alyssians, in a struggle across several solar systems to control the resources necessary to expand their empires, the company said. The game allows for single-player campaign missions and strategies or multiplayer gaming for up to eight players simultaneously.
Dream Production Starts
roduction began Nov. 6 in Los Angeles on the SCI FI Channel's upcoming alternative reality series The Dream Team with Annabelle and Michael, the network announced.
Co-hosted by Annabelle Gurwitch (Dinner & a Movie) and dream expert Michael Lennox, the half-hour nightly series deciphers the meanings behind dreams of guests and members of the audience.
The Dream Team, produced by Stone Stanley Entertainment, premieres Jan. 20 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SCI FI.
Jurassic IV Developing
niversal Pictures is moving forward with a fourth installment of Jurassic Park, Variety reported. William Monahan (Tripoli) will write the script, the trade paper reported.
There was no word on who would direct the sequel.
Steven Spielberg directed the 1993 original and its 1997 sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Joe Johnston helmed the most recent edition in 2001. The trio earned a combined $1.9 billion at the worldwide box office, the trade paper reported.
Wedge Preps Robots
ce Age director Chris Wedge told SCI FI Wire that he is deep into preproduction on his next computer-animated film, which has the working title Robots.
"It's being written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel [Multiplicity], and it's being designed by William Joyce [A Bug's Life]," Wedge said in an interview. "So it's a real fun, big collaboration, and it's going to be a really colorful, funny movie. It's not [science fiction]. It's a completely fresh take on the world of mechanical people."
Meanwhile, Wedge is also contemplating the inevitable follow-up to Ice Age, the computer-animated comedy about the adventures of prehistoric animals and a human baby, which grossed more than $180 million during its theatrical run earlier this year. "We're working on treatments for it right now," Wedge said. "I think the studio is certainly interested. I'm happy. You get to know all these characters, and we have a million spinoff stories. But I'm just kind of consumed by [Robots], and I have to take it one step at a time." Wedge expects Robots to reach theaters sometime in 2004. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release the DVD of Ice Age on Nov. 26 in a two-disc set, with a new five-minute short and a director's commentary, among other things.
New Line Faces Demons
ew Line Cinema has optioned the film rights to the supernatural thriller Memory of Demons, the latest book from author David Ambrose, Variety reported.
The studio is negotiating with Peter Care to direct and Fernley Philips to adapt the novel for the screen, the trade paper reported.
A Firm Films production, Demons tells the story of a father whose demons come back to haunt him when his young daughter appears possessed by the spirit of a murdered girl, the trade paper reported. The film is being eyed for a 2003 release.
Care recently closed a deal to develop and direct MGM's adaptation of Stephen King's Bag of Bones, the trade paper reported.
Warner Eyes Ball & Chain
arner Brothers is in talks to acquire the film rights to the DC Comics series Ball & Chain, about a divorced couple linked through their mutual super powers, Variety reported.
Scott Lobdell wrote the series and will adapt the comic for the screen, the trade paper reported.
Warner-based producer David Heyman (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) will produce through his Heyday Films, the trade paper reported. The comedy deals with a couple who become endowed with superpowers that function only when they are together.
U. Of Winnipeg Sells SF Books
anada's University of Winnipeg is selling one of that country's largest collections of SF books to open up space in the university's library, according to a report on the CBC Manitoba Web site.
The collection includes more than 30,000 books and periodicals and was willed to the university in the late 1990s by Winnipeg resident Robert Stimpson, the site reported.
University librarian Mark Leggott told the site that the collection had been assessed at $250,000 Canadian. It sold last month to American book dealer L.W. Curry for $140,000 Canadian. The university had been storing the collection in a basement storage room at the Greyhound bus terminal, because it didn't have space in its climate-controlled book room, the site reported.
Leggott said that most of the classic items in the collection can still be found in the university's library, including Frank Herbert's Dune books and works by Isaac Asimov and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Evil Online Details Leaked
apcom released a few more details about its upcoming Resident Evil Online game, the GameSpot Web site reported.
The game was first announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, where Sony showed a short trailer.
Capcom is now saying that the game will be set in Raccoon City and will feature gameplay typical of the series, but will let up to four players play together at once, the site reported. There are eight characters, including a police officer, plumber, journalist and surgeon. Cooperation is a big part of the online game's design, and characters can interact by exchanging weapons, offering tips or providing a shoulder for a wounded character to lean on. No release date for the game has been announced.
Witchblade Fans Raise Funds
ans of TNT's defunct supernatural series Witchblade raised more than $2,000 to benefit the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund, organizers announced.
The 11th Precinct Charity Fund-Raiser, named for the show's fictional NYPD 11th precinct, ran for two weeks and was organized by Witchblade Central Station, a fan-run organization devoted to getting Witchblade back on the air.
The group urges fans to write letters, send postcards, sign an online petition and e-mail executives at Warner Brothers Television on behalf of Witchblade, which was canceled after airing two seasons.
Viola Davis Teases Solaris
iola Davis, who appears in Steven Soderbergh's upcoming remake of Solaris, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming SF film "is great sci-fi, very metaphysical. No aliens, though. No Romulans or Vulcans."
The actress plays astronaut Helen Gordon, part of a shuttle crew orbiting a planet that has supernatural effects.
"It's a planet that actually physically manifests all your shame and your guilt, so you go to this planet and basically people from your past reappear," Davis said in an interview. "They're not real, but they reappear, and they haunt you in your sleep, in your waking life. And I'm just an astronaut trying to get off the planet."
Gordon's issue deals with a dead relative and a family friend, but Davis wouldn't reveal anything more specific. She could, however, speak about her relationship with director Soderbergh. Solaris is their third film together. "I've worked with Soderbergh in Traffic and Out of Sight also, and he's fabulous. He's an actor's director. He makes the set very comfortable. He's very smart. He knows specifically what he wants, and all of that makes for a great atmosphere." Solaris opens Nov. 27.
Pac-Man Going To Movies
rystal Sky, an international film production and distribution company, will develop the classic 1980s arcade video game Pac-Man into a live-action fantasy adventure movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Crystal Sky has reached a deal with Japanese game developer Namco and distributor Gaga for the film rights to the game, the trade paper reported. No writer or director is on board.
The deal follows on the heels of Crystal Sky's other Namco deal, to develop the video game Tekken into a feature film. That project is being adapted by Mike Werb and Michael Coleary and is also a joint project with Gaga, the trade paper reported.
Crystal Sky is also shepherding three Marvel Comics properties: the Steve Norrington-helmed Ghost Rider; Deathlok, written by Raven Metzner and Stuart Zicherman; and the Hans Rodionoff-adapted Werewolf by Night.
UPN Pulls Haunted
PN is pulling its low-rated supernatural series Haunted from the schedule after the Nov. 5 airing, replacing it with other programming for the all-important November sweeps period, Variety reported.
UPN will sub in a WWE special next week and air repeats of other UPN programs in Haunted's 9 p.m. Tuesday timeslot in subsequent weeks, the trade paper reported.
The network has made no official decision about the show's future, though industry insiders told the trade paper that they consider it a long shot that more than the 13 episodes of Haunted UPN ordered will be produced. Production is currently underway on the show's 11th episode. Seven episodes will have aired after the Nov. 5 broadcast.
Haunted failed to scare up many viewers in its post-Buffy the Vampire Slayer timeslot, the trade paper reported.
West Wins White Award
he 2002 James White Award, named for one of Ireland's best-loved SF authors, was presented to Julian West for his short story "Vita Brevis, Ars Longa," organizers announced.
West received a cash prize and a trophy, and his winning story will be published in the European speculative fiction magazine Interzone.
West's story was chosen from a field of more than 100 entries from all over the world. The final judging was conducted by a panel drawn from the science fiction field in the United States and Europe, including Michael Carroll, David Pringle, Orson Scott Card, Christopher Fowler and Graham Joyce, organizers announced. A native of Southampton, West now lives in Dublin.
Bettis Mindful Of Carrie
ngela Bettis—who stars in NBC's new three-hour TV version of Stephen King's Carrie—told SCI FI Wire that she was initially apprehensive about
playing the title role.
"Absolutely, absolutely," Bettis said in an interview.
"First of all, I think the first [Brian De Palma-directed] movie is amazing,
and I wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole."
Bettis, whose genre credits include Bless the Child and the upcoming horror film May, added, "I also love Stephen King's story, and, I don't know, I couldn't imagine anyone else doing the remake, because I'm such a Stephen King fan. I just didn't want anyone else to mess with the story. So I took it upon myself to [play Carrie]. And I tried to do something totally different from [what Oscar-nominated] Sissy Spacek [did in the 1976
feature]. I tried to approach it from a different angle, for a different time, and tell a kind of a different story based on the same [material]. I hope, I believe, that's what we've done." Carrie, which is a backdoor pilot for a proposed weekly series that would star Bettis, aired at 8 p.m. ET/PT Nov. 4 on NBC.
World Fantasy Awards Given
he World Fantasy Awards were presented Nov. 3 at the World Fantasy Convention in Minneapolis.
The awards honored works of light and dark fantasy art and literature, organizers said. A full list of this year's winners follows. Organizers also announced that Tempe, Ariz., would be the site for the 2004 World Fantasy Convention and Madison, Wis., would host the 2005 con. The 2003 convention will take place in Washington.
Novel
•The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin
Novella
•"The Bird Catcher" by S.P. Somtow
Short Story
•"Queen for a Day" by Albert E. Cowdrey
Anthology
•The Museum of Horrors, Dennis Etchison, ed.
Collection
•Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson
Artist
•Allen Koszowski
Special Award, Professional (Tie)
•Stephen Jones (for editing)
•Jo Fletcher (for editing the Fantasy Masterworks series)
Special Award, Non-Professional
•Raymond Russell and Rosalie Parker (for Tartarus Press)
Life Achievement
•George Scithers
•Forrest J. Ackerman
Hearts Was No. 1
ingdom Hearts, the action role-playing video game from Square Electronic Arts and Disney Interactive, was the number-one-selling September release across all gaming platforms, Disney announced.
The PlayStation 2 title shipped to retailers on Sept. 17.
Kingdom Hearts takes classic Disney animated characters and immerses them in a Square-style gaming world, with a new story and new characters and environments. Kingdom Hearts carries a suggested retail price of $50.
Canary Flies With Birds
eff Woolnough, who directed the Nov. 6 episode of The WB's Birds of Prey, told SCI FI Wire that the episode, titled "Sins of the Mother," centers around Dinah's (Rachel Skarsten) mother, Black Canary (guest star Lori Loughlin).
"The backstory is the Black Canary had left Dinah with foster parents and just kind of disappeared on her," Woolnough said in an interview. "Now she's coming back to Gotham 10 or 12 years later to be her mother."
Woolnough found the three leads—Skarsten, Ashley Scott (Huntress) and Dina Meyer (Oracle)—to be comfortable in their roles. It also helped that he had an existing relationship with Scott from directing episodes of Dark Angel. "Ashley Scott, who plays Huntress, was a recurring [actor] on Dark Angel last year, so I knew her from Dark Angel," Woolnough said. "She's a real salt-of-the-earth gal from one of the Carolinas. She's just a down-to-earth, normal, everyday person. Because of who she is, I really think that she's instrumental in gelling the other members of the cast. She's the one who the series is centered around, and the other ones are just drawn to her because of who she is."
The episode's action sequences were also comfortable to Woolnough because he was well-versed in the wirework martial-arts style. "We did wirework on Birds of Prey, and we used to do quite a bit of wirework on Dark Angel too," he said. "I love doing wirework. It's fun. You get to fly people around and do the sort of stunts and bits where people walk sideways on walls and walk up walls and flip over backwards and that sort of stuff. There's a fair bit of that in Birds of Prey."
As the series awaits renewal, Woolnough has been unofficially asked to direct future episodes. "So they've told me," he said. "I don't have dates, but I think they're still waiting for their back nine pickup. They told me I could do as many as I want if they get picked up. I'm sitting here hoping that happens." Birds of Prey airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Fans Campaign For Birds
ans of The WB's Birds of Prey are organizing an online campaign to persuade the Frog network to keep the show alive.
Sponsored by the Birds of Prey Online Web site, the "Start a Revolution—Save the Birds of Prey" campaign urges fans to show support for the series.
The WB has yet to give a full-season order for the show, which is based on the DC Comics series of the same name.
Briefly Noted
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Ubi Soft announced that the first Tomb Raider game for the GameBoy Advance system, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Prophecy, will hit stores on Nov. 12.
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Legendary SF author Ray Bradbury won the first Ross Macdonald Literary Award, Locus Online reported.
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Scifidimensions magazine announced that Biting Dog Press has become a sponsor of the Southeastern Science Fiction Achievement Award and has donated a number of limited-edition collectibles signed by writer Neil Gaiman for a benefit auction.
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Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda took home a pair of awards in the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's 17th annual Gemini Awards, Cinescape Online reported. Series regular Gordon Michael Woolvett won the "hottest star" award, and Francesca von Zimmermann and Ryan Nicholson got the award for best achievement in makeup.
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The Alien Online Web site reported that David Hagberg will write the novelization of the upcoming sequel film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines for Tor, as well as two spinoff novels.
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The WB will air an exclusive sneak-peek from the upcoming Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie during its block of comedies on Nov. 8, the Zap2it Web site reported. The scene features Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) in Professor Dumbledore's (Richard Harris) office when the professor's pet phoenix bursts into flames. Chamber opens Nov. 15.
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Fox has posted a new trailer for Daredevil, the upcoming movie based on the Marvel Comics series. Daredevil opens Feb. 14, 2003.
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New Line has updated the official Web site for its upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers movie, with video of Edoras, the capital city of Rohan. The Two Towers opens Dec. 18.
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Sam Neill told the Dark Horizons Web site that Steven Spielberg is prepping a fourth Jurassic Park movie. "There is a chance you'll see me in it," he added.
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The CountingDown Web site has posted an interview with Hellboy creature designer Wayne Barlowe.
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A new trailer has gone up exclusively on the Web for Steven Soderbergh's upcoming SF drama Solaris, which opens Nov. 27.
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If UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer wraps after the current seventh season, some of its characters may migrate to The WB's spinoff series Angel, creator Joss Whedon told TV Guide Online. "Until I know what's happening with Buffy and Angel, I don't know who will go where," Whedon told the site.
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The IGN FilmForce Web site debunked a rumor that writer/director Jonathan Hensleigh had been fired from the new film adaptation of Marvel Comics' The Punisher.
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The Halloween-themed 14th-season premiere of The Simpsons, which featured SF and supernatural storylines, gave Fox a ratings win on Nov. 3, averaging 16.7 million viewers and an 8.2 rating/19 share among adults 18-49, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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The Coming Attractions Web site has posted images from the set of the upcoming fantasy film Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat, including one of star Mike Myers in full makeup.
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The Muppets, including Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Animal and Fozzie Bear, will appear in commercials for MasterCard, Variety reported.
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New Line Cinema is taking an expanded version of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring back to theaters for one night on Nov. 5 in 10 cities to promote the upcoming special-edition DVD release, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The new version will feature 30 extra minutes of footage and will screen in 10 digitally equipped theaters nationwide. The DVD comes out Nov. 12.
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The DVD of Spider-Man took in more than $125 million in sales and rentals on Nov. 1, the first day it was available, and netted more than $200 million by Nov. 3, Variety reported.
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