8:56 pm ET, 28-Nov-97
Millennium, DS9 Climb In Ratings
Millennium and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine made substantial inroads in the Sci-Fi Wire top 20 list of speculative fiction TV shows for the period between Nov. 10-16, climbing an impressive 0.6 and 0.4 in the Nielsen ratings respectively to finish fifth and sixth for the week, up from seventh and ninth the week before. Buffy, The Vampire Slayer and The Sentinel also earned solid ratings gains, 0.4 and 0.3 respectively, moving them from the 16th and 17th slots in last week's top 20 list to the 12th and 13th spots in this week's list.
Offsetting those increases were the loss of Sleepwalkers, the freshman NBC "thrillogy" show that was canceled earlier this month, and the decline of NBC's "thrillogy" show The Profiler, which dropped from fifth to eighth position when its rating fell from 6.7 to 6.0. And even though its position on the top 20 declined only slightly, from 13th to 14th, Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict took a big ratings hit when it dropped from 4.3 to 3.5. Viper, which had been clinging to the final spot in last week's top 20 list with a 2.8 rating, fell off the list this week when it dropped to 2.3.
Below is our complete top 20 list for the week ending Nov. 16, based on the Nielsen Galaxy report. The HH Rating is the average number of households viewing a specific show expressed as a percentage of all television households.
| RANK |
NETWORK/
SYNDICATOR |
PROGRAM |
HH RATING |
| 1 |
Fox |
The X-Files |
13.0 |
| 2 |
NBC |
3rd Rock from the Sun |
9.1 |
| 3 |
CBS |
Early Edition |
8.8 |
| 4 |
NBC |
The Pretender |
7.2 |
| 5 |
Fox |
Millennium |
6.7 |
| 6 |
Paramount/Premier |
Star Trek: DS9 |
6.4 |
| 7 |
Universal TV |
Xena |
6.2 |
| 8 |
NBC |
The Profiler |
6.0 |
| 9 |
Universal TV |
Hercules |
5.9 |
| 10 |
FOX |
The Visitor |
5.5 |
| 11 |
UPN |
Star Trek: Voyager |
5.2 |
| 12 |
Warner |
Buffy |
3.7 |
| 13 |
UPN |
The Sentinel |
3.6 |
| 14 |
Tribune |
Earth: Final Conflict |
3.5 |
| 15 |
Buena Vista TV |
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids |
3.2 |
| 16 |
Tribune |
Nightman |
3.1 |
| 17 |
MGM |
The Outer Limits |
3.0 |
| 18 |
Universal TV |
Team Knight Rider |
2.6 |
| 19 |
MGM |
Poltergeist: The Legacy |
2.4 |
| 20 |
Rysher |
Highlander |
2.3 |
| Source: Nielsen Galaxy 11/10-11/16, 1997. Nielsen data subject to qualifications to be supplied upon request. |
8:41 pm ET, 28-Nov-97
Rentals Await MiB Invasion
The video rental world was quiet for the period between Nov. 17-23 as stores prepared for the onslaught of Men in Black, which was released to video earlier this week and which is expected to be one of the top-grossing rentals of all time. In the calm before the storm, The Lost World continued to dominate the Sci-Fi Wire top 10 SF video rental list, with The Fifth Element hanging on solidly to second place and all other positions remaining unchanged.
Below is the complete Sci-Fi Wire top 10 SF video rental list for the week of Nov. 17-23:
| RANK |
TITLE |
STUDIO |
WEEKS IN
RELEASE |
WEEKLY
EARNINGS
(Millions) |
TOTAL
EARNINGS
(Millions) |
| 1. |
The Lost World |
Universal |
3 |
$3.19 |
$17.21 |
| 2. |
The Fifth Element |
Columbia TriStar |
4 |
$2.18 |
$10.14 |
| 3. |
Batman and Robin |
Warner |
7 |
$1.91 |
$14.58 |
| 4. |
Mars Attacks! |
Warner |
23 |
$.20 |
$16.10 |
| 5. |
Star Trek: First Contact |
Paramount |
27 |
$.11 |
$15.6 |
| 6. |
The Island of Dr. Moreau |
New Line |
48 |
$.05 |
$21.25 |
| 7. |
Crossworlds |
Trimark |
25 |
$.04 |
$2.65 |
| 8. |
The Arrival |
Live |
57 |
$.03 |
$21.42 |
| 9. |
The Return of the Jedi: Special |
20th Century Fox |
11 |
$.03 |
$.78 |
| 10. |
12 Monkeys |
Universal |
72 |
$.03 |
$28.84 |
Source: Video Software Dealers Association and VidTrac |
7:10 pm, 28-Nov-97
Giger Fights "Alien Insurrection"
H.R. Giger, the Swiss artist who earned an Academy Award for his design work on the monster in the first Alien movie, sent an open letter to Twentieth Century Fox on Nov. 13 claiming he was cheated out of a screen credit due him in the latest Alien film, Alien Resurrection. In the letter, which is posted on his Web site, Giger says, "The designs and my credit have been stolen from me, since I alone have designed the Alien. So why does not Fox give me the credit I rightfully earned?"
Giger also claims he was cheated out of an Oscar nomination for the film Alien 3 because the screen credit he received was for "Original Alien Design" and not "'Alien 3 Creature Design', as it was my rightful title in accordance to my contract and the work I had performed on the film." Giger concluded his open letter by wishing those behind the "conspiracy" an "Alien breeding inside their chests, which might just remind them that the 'Alien Father' is H.R. Giger."
By press time Fox had not been contacted to see what, if any, reaction the studio had to Giger's letter.
12:23 pm ET, 28-Nov-97
Arnold's Boots Kick Off Auction
The boots Arnold Schwarzenegger wore in Terminator 2--along with Xena's "Chakram" and many other unique items--helped kick off the first bimonthly auction at Universal Studios' newly-opened Hollywood Backlot Store. The Backlot is a Web-based store where Universal hopes to sell products from its movie and television properties, including merchandise that was previously available only at Universal's theme parks.
5:09 pm ET, 26-Nov-97
Roc To Publish Stargate SG-1 Books
Roc announced it struck a deal with MGM Consumer Products to publish a novelization and three original books based on the Showtime television series Stargate SG-1. The first book--a novelization of the two-hour Stargate SG-1 pilot--will be written by Quantum Leap author Ashley McConnell, who has also signed on to pen the first two stand-alone novels in the line.
The first Stargate SG-1 book will hit store shelves in the fall of 1998, which will coincide with the series' debut in syndication on Fox. Roc is hoping to follow up on the success of its book tie-ins to the original Stargate movie, which include a novelization and three published sequels. A fourth book in that line, Stargate: Reconnaissance, will be published in May 1998, with at least one more book to follow.
11:27 am ET, 26-Nov-97
Mohr Joins Small Soldiers
Jay Mohr, who recently starred opposite Jennifer Aniston in Picture Perfect, has joined the ranks of Dreamworks SKG's upcoming film Small Soldiers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Mohr will play a toy designer who creates artificially intelligent toy soldiers that run amok in a small town.
Mohr was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live and also gained critical attention for his role as the unscrupulous sports agent in Jerry Maguire. In Small Soldiers he joins a lineup that includes Kirsten Dunst, Gregory Smith, Kevin Dunn, Ann Magnuson, Phil Hartman and David Cross. The film began shooting earlier this month in Los Angeles.
11:42 am ET, 24-Nov-97
Lee Joins Russell In Soldier
Jason Scott Lee has signed on to co-star alongside Kurt Russell in the upcoming SF action film Soldier, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie is about a soldier of the future (played by Russell) who becomes obsolete when the military develops a new breed of warrior.
Russell's character is retired to a distant planet, where he fights for a band of settlers while rediscovering his own humanity. Lee, who will reportedly earn a seven-figure payday for his efforts, will play one of the new-breed soldiers. Lee has previously appeared in movies such as Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.
5:04 pm ET, 21-Nov-97
Babylon 5 CD-ROM Guide Released
The Official Guide to J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5 Mac/PC CD-ROM was released earlier this week by Sierra On-Line. As the title suggests, the CD-ROM is a multimedia guide to the Babylon 5 series, and it also includes a sequence of dialogue from the show's upcoming fifth season.
"The Guide will help bring newcomers up to speed on the characters, players, politics, history and background of the B5 universe," said John Copeland, the producer of B5. "Current fans of the show will also benefit by accessing far more detailed text files on all aspects of the show."
The Guide sells for $29.95 and can be purchased through the official B5 Web site, The Station, at http://www.thestation.com; from Sierra's Web site at http://www.sierra.com; or by calling Sierra at 1-800-757-7707.
10:54 am ET, 21-Nov-97
Hodgson, Henson Team Up
Jim Henson Television inked Mystery Science Theater 3000 creator Joel Hodgson to a first-look deal that will have Hodgson developing children and adult shows for primetime, cable and late-night TV, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In addition to MST3K, Hodgson's credits include co-writing Disney's direct-to-video release Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, the creation of Comedy Central's The TV Wheel, work on Sabrina and others.
11.45 am ET, 20-Nov-97
Leigh Signs On For Existenz
Jennifer Jason Leigh has signed on to co-star opposite Jude Law in the upcoming David Cronenberg SF film Existenz, according to published reports. The film is about a virtual reality designer, played by Leigh, who gets caught up in plot by an underground "reality" movement.
The film is said to be a psychological thriller along the lines of Cronenberg's Videodrome, where the line between what is real and what is not becomes hopelessly blurred. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Existenz will begin filming in April 1998.
11:22 am ET, 20-Nov-97
Tenth Planet, Doomsday Deals Inked
MGM has bought an SF script called The Tenth Planet from screenwriter John Cox, according to Variety. The story is about an unmanned probe to a newly-discovered tenth planet that is secretly turned into a deadly weapon by military conspirators. When something goes wrong and the probe crashes on Earth, the race is on to find and disarm it.
MGM also bought a millennial thriller called Doomsday, which is based on the premise that the world is already four-sevenths of the way through the Seven Seals as they are described in the New Testament's Book of Revelation, Variety reported. When the seventh seal is broken, just in time for the new millennium, the world will end. MGM is reportedly mulling a 1999 release date.
2.38 pm ET, 19-Nov-97
The Crow Wings Its Way To TV
A new syndicated television drama based on The Crow movie franchise is under development by producer Edward Pressman and Polygram TV, according to Variety. The series, which will be called The Crow - Stairway to Heaven, picks up where the first movie left off, just after protagonist Eric Draven (a.k.a. The Crow) avenges his and his dead wife's murder.
In the TV series, Eric will continue to hunt down the bad guys while searching for a way to reunite with his wife, which of course entails finding a "stairway to heaven." A third Crow movie--The Crow, 2037--is currently in the works but is not related to the TV series. Both the film and TV versions of The Crow are based on the comic book of the same name by James O'Barr.
