The Letters to the Editor department is intended to be a forum for our readers to express their own opinions and ideas. While we appreciate the many complimentary letters we receive each day, you won't find them on this page. Instead, you will find letters that go beyond or even contradict what we have written, letters that offer a different perspective and provide a different view of science fiction. If you would like to submit a letter, please use our feedback form or send a message to scifiweekly@scifi.com.
-- Craig E. Engler, Editor
Your report on Sphere was skewed
n response to your report on Warner Bros. Films' production of the film Sphere, I have been working on the set of Sphere for the last two months, and after reading your skewed report on the "firing," I thought maybe I could set the record straight.
First, the "workers fired" weren't workers or fired at all. All of the film/production crew were put on hold starting in the first week of November due to budget hassles involving Barry Levinson and Warner Bros. Films. Not all of the people put on hold were local. We are all motion picture professionals in various areas. Half of us are local and the other half are on location from the Los Angeles offices.
We received word of production re-start on the 6th of December but full swing production didn't go back into effect until the 6th of January due to the fact that a holiday stand-down started on the 16th of December. Now, as I sit here on Friday, 14 March, 1997, I can honestly tell you that pre-production is almost completed and filming has commenced.
I am looking at my shoot schedule and Samuel L. Jackson's arrival on the 10th of March and Sharon Stone and Dustin Hoffman's arrival on the 12th of March marked the last of the awaited arrivals and Unit One shots have commenced as of today!
I hope you don't disregard this as hype and false information because it is not. One added note. Due to the fact that this is a "water" movie (many unit one underwater shots) the release date hasn't been decided on and probably won't be until at least mid-May - beginning June.
Oh yeah....in case you're wondering what "unit one" and "unit two" shots are: Unit two shots are non-actor shots. (ie. hand on the doorknob, car passing by, stand-in crowd, panning scenery, etc.) Unit one shots are just the opposite -- all actor shots.
Aaron
Amh@IscWeb.com
Editor: Sounds good, Aaron. Although our "'fired' for two to three weeks" and your "put on hold starting in the first week of November due to budget hassles" sound awfully similar to me.
You got a bad copy of Star Trek: Borg
t seems to me that you got your hands on a bad copy of the game. My CDs 2 and 3 were not mislabeled, and I experienced none of the problems with game play you speak of in your review. All in all I thought the interactive movie (Note: not game) was excellent. True, if one went in looking for a game than one could be disappointed. I hope no one who could have enjoyed this program was put off by your review to the point of not getting it.
James Wilson
wilsoncj@teleport.com
Editor: Glad to hear you're enjoying the game...er...movie.
Standing up for Perry King
f Daley had penned in a scene where Solo took a blaster shot to the vocal chords, we'd all have been better off." -- quoted from Craig E. Engler in his review of the Star Wars audio drama.
This was uncalled for. Granted, I also missed Harrison Ford as Han Solo, but I thought Perry King did a great job in the part.
Han Solo was pretty much a goofball anyway. Engler is entitled to his opinion, but there are those of us who think he's wrong! I do agree that Mark Hamill did a great job. I wish he'd played the part in the audio version of Return of the Jedi. The new guy was okay, but Mark would have been better.
Gayle Maurer
bmaurer@michweb.net
Editor: Maybe the comment was uncalled for. See my review this issue of The Empire Strikes Back: The Original Radio Drama where I give Perry King his due.
Where to buy Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama?
I'm a major Star Wars fan and collector, and I really liked your review of the Radio Drama. I was wondering if you knew where I could purchase this?
Jason Ross
jasross@nbnet.nb.ca
Editor: It should be available at most of the larger bookstores. Also, one reader reported that she successfully ordered the radio drama through Amazon.com.
Dramatizations available in print
n [last issue's] Star Wars National Public Radio Dramatization review, you might want to mention that Del Rey Books publishes the scripts of the National Public Radio dramas (all three) in book format!
(Well, we might want you to mention it, anyway.) The three books are illustrated with production and storyboard art seldom seen outside the Lucasfilm archives. And they have interesting introductions about the taping and production process by the scripts' author, Brian Daley. We've got sample chapters and stuff on our Web site.
Ellen Key Harris, Del Rey
Books
ekharris@randomhouse.com
Editor: Thanks Ellen. The books sound great.
More from TrekScoop
hanks for plugging my newsletter! I've gotten tons of responses (over 1,000 members now!). There is an "official" site for it at
http://www.wctc.net/~jcgibson/tscoop.htm if anyone cares... Thanks again.
Trek Tech
jcgibson@wctc.net
Editor: Glad we could be of help. And good luck with the newsletter.
Show me the money
wanted to ask for a small favor to satisfy my curiosity. After the last Star Wars movie leaves the big screen this summer (sniff) (sniff) would you be so kind as to post a news clip announcing how much money that nice Mr. Lucas has earned? Just interested in what the re-releases earned him this year. I know for a fact it will be more than $7 per movie twice each, because that's how many times I'll be sitting in for it! Thanks, and don't ever stop your wonderful efforts here.
Lee Allison
northstar@21stcentuury.com
Editor: By any chance do you work for the IRS?
