News of the Week

Fox prepares to unleash Star Wars once again

wentieth Century Fox is set to pull out all the stops when it releases the revamped Star Wars trilogy to theaters at the beginning of next year. The "Star Wars Special Edition" will include all three of George Lucas' groundbreaking Star Wars films, which have been revitalized with extra footage, digital touch-ups and more.

Fox will reportedly release 1,850 to 2,000 prints of the special edition, bolstered by widespread promotional tie-ins and a large publicity campaign. Insiders speculate that Fox is not only trying to lure audiences back into the theater, but it's trying to impress Lucas so much that he will reward Fox with the rights to distribute the new Star Wars trilogy, which is currently in production.

Godzilla lands a lucrative publishing contract

his month Random House kicks off its new line of Godzilla titles with the first Godzilla novel ever to be published in English. The book Godzilla Returns is the first of five initial offerings from Random House, which include a junior paperback novel, a 3-D hardcover, and two paperback picture books.

Earlier this year Random House announced that it had become Godzilla's North American publisher and would work in close contact with the big fellow's creator, the Japanese studio Toho Co. Random House is hoping to capitalize on the U.S. revival of Godzilla, which includes a popular toy line, an MTV Lifetime Achievement Award and an upcoming movie by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin.

Strangely enough, Toho recently killed off Godzilla in a final, epic movie that was released this year in Japan.

Editor's Note: This issue we invite readers to submit questions for our upcoming interview with the artist behind the new Godzilla books, Bob Eggleton.

fX hosts SF auction

ersonal fX: The Collectibles Show will hold a special science fiction "primetime" auction on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 10 p.m. EST. The auction will benefit the Starlight Foundation charity and features a Star Wars poster autographed by George Lucas, ties signed by David Duchovny, and many other items from movies and shows ranging from The Day the Earth Stood Still to Space Jam.

Star Trek actors James Doohan and Terry Farrell will make special appearances on the show, which will also travel on remote to visit with "a supercollector of sci-fi memorabilia." The auction is part of fX's Nov. 20 lineup dubbed "fX Sci-Fi Invasion."

The Starlight Foundation is a non-profit organization that grants wishes and provides entertainment services in hospitals to seriously ill young children.

Sphere resumes production, scales down budget

udget problems were apparently behind the recent commotion on the set of the forthcoming movie Sphere, a film based on Michael Crichton's novel of the same name. According to Variety, Director Barry Levinson brought production on the movie to a halt last month when he needed to reassess the production and special effects budgets.

The film is now down to a lean $80 million or so and will likely retain high-profile actor Dustin Hoffman, who agreed to star in the movie before its money problems started.

Rice has a ghost of a chance at CBS

BS figures that since Anne Rice has become a household name in the United States, why not sign her to a TV deal and put that name to good use? Rice apparently agreed with CBS, and now she's at work on a one-hour drama for the network that will air in the 1997-98 TV season, featuring her name in the title.

The show, which has no name as yet, takes place in New Orleans and deals with two police officers. The catch is that one of the officers is a ghost from the 1950s, although little else is known about the script.

Clarion West open for applications

larion West, the West Coast version of the Clarion Science Fiction Writer's Workshop, is now accepting applications for its 1997 class. Twenty applicants will be chosen to attend the workshop, which will be held from June 15 - July 25 in Seattle, Wash.

Instructors for 1997 include Michael Bishop, Samuel R. Delany, Nicola Griffith, Elizabeth Hand, Beth Meacham and Lucius Shepard. Tuition for the workshop is $1,300, with on-site housing available for an extra fee. Applications received by March 1, 1997, will receive a $100 markdown on tuition. In addition, financial aid is available on a limited basis to qualified applicants.

To apply to Clarion West, applicants must submit a cover letter detailing their writing history and their reason for wanting to attend the workshop, an original manuscript or novel excerpt 20-30 pages in length (excerpts must include an outline), and a non-refundable $25 application fee.

Applications and requests for information can be sent to:

Clarion West
340 Fifteenth Ave. East
Suite 350
Seattle, WA 98112

Application forms can be obtained by calling 1-541-686-2604 or sending e-mail to 74634.2056@compuserve.com. All applications must be received by April 1, 1997.

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