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The Cyberspace Vanguard 1.6
Copyright 1993, Cyberspace Vanguard Magazine
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| PO Box 25704, Garfield Hts., OH 44125 USA |
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| TJ Goldstein, Editor Sarah Alexander, Administrator |
| tlg4@po.cwru.edu aa746@po.cwru.edu |
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Volume 1 October 26, 1993 Issue 6
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
--!1!-- Ramblings of a Deranged Editor (& a few deranged readers ...)
--!2!-- Within the Realm of Extreme Possibility: Creator CHRIS CARTER
on the X-FILES
--!3!-- The Highlander's Heart: An Interview with ADRIAN PAUL
--!4!-- The Art and Science of Leaping Tall Buildings
--!5!-- A Writer's Guide to STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
--!6!-- Reviews by EVELYN C. LEEPER
--!7!-- THE OLD COMIC CURMUDGEON: R-E-S-P-E-C-T ...
--!8!-- The Infamous Reply Cards and What You Said
--!9!-- SF Calendar: What's Coming Up in the Near Future
--!10!-- All The News That's Fit To Transmit
--!11!-- Spoilers Ahoy! Including TWILIGHT ZONE Episode Guide
--!12!-- Contests and Awards
--!13!-- Conventions and Readings
--!14!-- Publications, Lists and the like
--!15!-- Administrivia
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--!1!-- Ramblings of a Deranged Editor (& a few deranged readers ...)
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Well, we're certainly growing! This issue we welcome not one, but four
new regular writers, taking on French-language news, Japanese news,
HIGHLANDER news, and those ever accumulating reply cards. Also, with all of
this renewed interest in Superman generated by successful debut of LOIS AND
CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, we bring you John McGervey's "The Art
and Science of Leaping Tall Buidlings," a fun piece guaranteed to answer all
those "hey, if Superman did that, wouldn't ..." questions that will
inevitably come up. (Dr. McGervey is also the author of PROBABILITIES IN
EVERYDAY LIFE, the source of one of my personal favorite quotes: "If you had
purchased one square acre of Manhattan in 1850, you would now be ... dead.")
Also on tap is an interview with Chris Carter, creator and producer of
what seems to be turning out as this season's sleeper hit, X-FILES, and
another with screen "immortal" Adrian Paul, star of HIGHLANDER. We're also
continuing the episode guide thing by bringing you season one of the classic
Twilight Zone. (We'll run season two next issue.) Finally, for those of you
with big dreams and itchy word processors, we send Kris Voelker to one of the
workshops given by the people at STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION to give the
rest of us a report on everything you need to know about writing for STAR
TREK.
One brief comment more and I'll get on with it. If you've been reading
the magazine for a while you may notice that the relative amounts of
different things seems to change. If you would like to see more or less of
something, please let us know. This is YOUR magazine, but we can't read all
of your minds. And on a related topic, we are trying to expand the base of
our foreign coverage. If you are outside the United States and would like to
help us out by covering the scene in your part of the world, please drop us a
note. CV is read in more than 30 countries on 6 continents. (And if you're
reading this in Antarctica, please let me know!)
That's it. That's all I'm going to say. I'm going to let our readers
take it from here. (Yes, we listened to all those people who asked for a
"letters to the editor" column, and here it is!)
THE READERS SPEAK UP (catchy names for the letters column eagerly welcomed!)
[Letters to the editor may be sent to cn577@cleveland.freenet.edu. Please
start your subject line with LTE - whatever it is you want to say. We will
keep your name and e-dress confidential if you ask. Letters may be edited for
space.]
Thanks for your moving account of John Williams's final performance as
conductor of the Boston Pops. [News, Issue 5] Your statement "this man wrote
the soundtrack to my adolescence" eloquently expresses my own feelings about
Williams. In fact, his music has a special resonance in my life right
now, because my children are listening to it.
I decided a few months ago that it was time they were exposed to Star
Wars, so I bought videotapes of all three films. (E.T., too.) Both
kids (Ruth, 7, and Ben, 4) are now enthusiastic Star Wars fans. They
don't know or care that these movies are old -- to them, it's all fresh
and wonderful. They've now watched the films several times through, and
they know the music well enough that when I play my soundtrack albums,
the kids tell me what scenes go with which tracks.
This week, I explained to Ruth that there are special musical themes for
most of the characters, and now she's listening even more intently,
determined to figure out which theme is whose. Even as he retires,
Williams is casting his spell over a new generation . . .
-- pat@berry.Cary.NC.US (Pat Berry)
I'd like to say that I've enjoyed reading CV whenever it comes out and
I'd love to see you keep on producing it! But, I have a small gripe/question
about the movie section and movies in general.
According to your chart [Movie news, Issue 5] E.T. was the top grossing
film of all time which is probably true, but it doesn't tell me anything about
which movie was the most popular of all time. When Star Wars came out, it
cost about $1.50 - $2.00 to get a ticket. Nowadays you can't find first run
movie for under $6.50 - $7.50, depending on where you are. So obviously
movies that come out now are going to automatically equal the gross take of
Star Wars with 3.5 to 4 times LESS people, and this disparity will only grow
with time. And this disparity is even bigger as you go back farther in time
to the 50s, 40s and 30s.
Just spouting out the gross take numbers is a cheap way of trumpeting
your movie(s), without saying anything meaningful. I'd much rather see which
films have had the greatest ATTENDANCE so we would have better idea of which
films are the most popular. Or if they would keep track of the box office
gross in constant dollars it would be a much more useful metric for comparing
movies. How many people have seen GONE WITH THE WIND or PINOCCHIO or other
classics from tha era? Now THAT's a number I would like to see.
---- John Stoffel <john@WPI.EDU>
[Editor's Note: John is certainly correct. Since that report, JURASSIC PARK
has broken the record for world-wide grosses and has taken the #2 spot on the
US list, but adjusted for inflation, the highest grossing film of all time is
GONE WITH THE WIND.]
In the recent issue of Cyberspace Vanguard, it was mentioned that
possibly [a prominent actress] is pregnant. Though it was marked
UNCONFIRMED, I believe it is really in poor taste to speculate on the
fecundity of any woman actor, unless you are willing to pass speculation
on the father of the unborn child. The rumor has it he is a certain actor on
[another show] (I will not name him), yet I see no mention of his name either
here or in the posting on the INFORMATION board on the USENET area devoted to
[the show.]
I firmly believe that if it is okay to bring up the speculation she is
pregnant (which is slanderous) then the prospective father is not exempt from
the potential heat just because he is famous.
---- Teresa Joan Waterkuetter, dj984@Cleveland.freenet.edu
[Editor's Note: Good point, Teresa. The name of the father was not included
for a couple of reasons. 1) We didn't know, and 2) the news was included
not because we wanted to speculate as to the actress's social life, but
because it had a possible impact on a popular television show. We have a lot
of respect for this actress, and did not mean to offend her. In the future,
however, you won't find that kind of speculation here.]
One more thing: we'd like to publicly congratulate Evelyn C. Leeper on
her win as "Best Fan Writer" in the Electronic Science Fiction Awards, and
Carol Wang, our esteemed correspondent, who has successfully defended and is
now Master Wang. Congratulations, ladies!
------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER: At the moment most of the issue is written personally by the
editor, but the other writers take sole responsibility for their writing -- in
other words, we take no responsibility for copyright infringement by other
writers. (My own stuff I know isn't stolen.)
REPOSTING: CYBERSPACE VANGUARD may be reposted in its entirety without
requesting additional permission as long as all notices are retained. News
items, EXCLUDING the french-language, Japanese, and Highlander columns, may
be reposted as long as credit is given. For all other items, you MUST
contact us prior to reposting so we can get the permission of the authors.
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--!2!-- Within the Realm of Extreme Possibility: Creator CHRIS CARTER
on the X-FILES
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by TJ Goldstein
For a show that snuck up on everybody, X-FILES seems to be the sleeper
hit of the year. Quietly, and with little promotion, it has staked out
its territory on Friday night and seems to be holding on, at least well enough
to convince Fox to pick the show up for a full season.. We spoke to the
creator and producer of the show by phone from Los Angeles shortly before
X-FILES debuted.
Chris Carter isn't a stranger to producing. He's done some shows for
Disney, including THE NANNY, a 1/2 hour show he created for the Disney
Channel. Despite all that, the nervous excitement came through in his voice.
He sounds almost like a kid who has managed to pull the wool over the
exectives' eyes, sneak into the studio, and produce what HE thinks television
should be.
It's easy to pin him down on what the show IS, but not what it's LIKE.
What it IS is an hour-long series that focuses on two Federal Bureau of
Investigation agents who investigate, as the name suggests, the "X-Files."
These are the files that the FBI has put aside because there simply is no
rational explanation, such as UFO abductions or other "unexplainable
phenomena."
Fox "Spooky" Mulder is a Believer. His sister was (he believes) the
victim of a UFO abduction when he was 12, and he has dedicated himself to
studying and hopefully solving the mysterious cases the Bureau doesn't want
to touch. More than just a crank obsessed with UFO's, Mulder is trained in
psychology and science and merely insists on not discounting possibilities
simply because they don't fit in with preconceived notions of what is
possible and what is not.
The Bureau, in order to keep an eye on him, sends in Agent Dana
Scully, a physician and devout skeptic. She is more rational, but though
she rarely believes Mulder on the first try, she does at least have an open
mind -- most of the time. She's more trusting of due process than Mulder,
and that can get them -- and the people they're trying to help -- into
trouble. It's not to say that she's bumbling; not at all. She is
intelligent and extremely competent. She just doesn't always have as much
skepticism about the known reality as she does about the unknown.
Naturally, since they are a man and a woman paired together, the first
thing people think is: romance. Will they end up together on their own
time? "No, it's a relationship that is much stronger and more passionate.
First of all I would call it a cerebral romance in that these characters
sort of delight in each other's approaches and it isn't the pat or standard
or expected television romance between them. There is no physicality
between them. I don't see it in the near future here. They don't end up
in the sack together. At least I don't see it happening yet. I think it's
refreshing. I mean I was raised on shows like THE AVENGERS which are smart
and the characters were very attractive for those aspects. They didn't have
to end up in bed together."
The very creation of the show, in fact, was heavily influenced by Mr.
Carter's childhood television habits. "I felt there wasn't anything scary
on television. I loved the show NIGHT STALKER as a kid so when I was signed
to an exclusive contract by 20th Century Fox TV they asked me what I would
like to do -- which is a nice position to be in -- I told them I'd like to do
something like NIGHT STALKER but I didn't want to do something that was
limited to vampires.
So how did he decide on aliens as a substitute? "I had the
coincidental experience of spending time with a friend who works as an Ivy
league researcher, and he had shown me the Dr. Mack -- the Harvard psychology
professor -- survey on what he called the alien abduction syndrome. It
showed that 3% of the American public actually believes they have been
abducted by UFO's. I thought that was fascinating. A larger percentage
actually had experienced contact with extraterrestrials or something
otherworldly.
"I found that amazing and I thought, well, aliens have become the new
vampires of sorts. I thought there was a lot to explore. I didn't want to
limit myself to just the bad world. I wanted to explore all paranormal
phenomena and unsolved crimes that involved these or any phenomena."
So how does the show treat these "phenomena," as the hallucinations of
unstable people, or as something much deeper? "It makes a strong case for
the alien abduction syndrome. Someone is suffering from something for
reasons that are logical and believable. I'm a natural-born skeptic, but
the more research I've done and the more people I've come into contact with
by doing the show, the more they've chipped away at my skepticism. I'm much
more open-minded and there are certain things I take for granted, if not as my
truth, then as their truth.
"I should also say that if you throw a rock, you hit 3 people who
actually know more about this stuff than I do. I'm a relative babe in the
woods compared to a lot of people who have quite an extensive knowledge
about these and other phenomena, but actually I think that serves me. I
come at it with a very fresh perspective ... do you try and access these
people to try and get more information, or are you going at it from a partly
imaginative point of view? Sometimes we use an amalgam of information to
create an idea but ... we are doing all this from imagination, so it's
fiction but it's fiction that takes place within the realm of extreme
possibility."
When he got his first producing credit six and a half years ago on THE
NANNY, he "didn't know what producing entailed." Certainly, that had
changed by the time X-FILES came along. What DOES a producer do?
"Everything. Producers function as quality control people. You hire
people to do certain jobs, then you oversee those jobs. You make creative
decisions, you make decisions of taste, tone and style. You shape a movie
or TV show by the people you hire both as talent and as technical staff.
"A person has to earn my trust, generally. When you hire qualified
people, that is something that happens very soon, but I tend to have very
strong ideas about what it is I want and I try to keep an eye on all areas,
from an actress's makeup to the way a cameraman shoots a certain scene."
First and foremost, however, Mr. Carter is a writer. "Yes, I wrote
the pilot episode and now I've written 2 episodes past that, so a writer is
what I am first and foremost. That's who I am. I've become a producer by
circumstance but I love it. Producing is very social, writing is very
lonely."
And if he had to pick one? "I'd have to say in TV I can't pick one
because to be a writer in television the only way to do it is also be a
producer. It's a producer-driven medium. It's a writer-driven medium
also, but you have to want to have your stuff done well. You have to carry
it through to physical production. Writing screenplays is not like writing
prose. You're creating a blueprint with dialogue for a visual thing. So
if you're in TV it serves you best to work in both writing and producing
mediums.
"Being a producer in TV makes you a better writer in TV in that you
understand what can and can't be done. Sometimes I'll read a writer's spec
script and I can tell when he has not produced TV because he will assume
that certan things can be done which can't be done. That's one of the
things that helps you as a writer by being a producer."
Being a producer can help the writing as well as the writer. "As a
writer you've imagined something that's perfect in your mind, and so when
you see it actually take physical shape or electronic shape it can be very
depressing. It looks to you like a series of compromises ... Your original
concept is degraded from the moment it goes into somebody else's hand. There
is this whole process. It's like a bucket brigade; it is handed to a
series of people who do their job. If they do it well, they can make your
script better, and if they don't do it well it makes it worse. It's amazing
to me when the process actually creates a magical moment."
His descriptions evidence the ongoing nature of production, but "each
episode will function as a complete story. We put information out there
and they learn things that are going to shape our characters. They're not
going to go backwards once they see something. They're not going to then
not believe in it later on, so there will be an accumulation of knowledge
and experience but each episode will function as its own open-and-shut
case."
This is unlike mainstream television where, at the end of an episode,
the world essentially returns to precisely the state it was in before the
opening credits rolled. I asked him if he's afraid of not being able to
top himself. "That's a nice thing to do, I'm not afraid of that. This is
such a wide open field that the fear of having to top yourself is self-
limiting. If you fear that then you're not going to attempt to do so. I
have to go sorta boldly into the future here and hope that I can top myself
each week that I can."
Like Donald Bellisario, the creator of QUANTUM LEAP, Mr. Carter
doesn't feel that his show is "science fiction" per se. "My buzz phrase
is that the show takes place within the realm of extreme possibility. I
think it's the same area that Michael Crichton might work in. The
ANDROMEDA STRAIN, THE TERMINAL MAN, or JURASSIC PARK were all taking those
possibilites into account. We explore them as if our stories could
actually be happening." For those of you who look for scientific accuracy,
while there is no science advisor credited, "it's really easy to pick up
the phone and call your brother and get him to give you very technical
advice." His brother is a physicist.
So, when you come right down to it, what exactly IS it? It deals with
alien abduction, but it's not science fiction. It's scary, but it's not
gory. It's been compared to everything from NIGHT STALKER to early TWIN
PEAKS. So how does Chris Carter describe it? "You know, there's nothing
on TV like it. I've been asked this question and I'm always at a loss to
compare it to anything because when you start to compare it to anything you
start to do yourself a disservice. People say it's like that or oh it's
like that. I just don't think there's anything like it on TV. I call it a
cross between SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and UNSOLVED MYSTERIES."
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--!3!-- The Highlander's Heart: An Interview with ADRIAN PAUL
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(c) Linda Knights - KnightWriter Press
It didn't take long to arrive at a first impression of Adrian Paul,
one that would last through the length of the afternoon. Ask him about
himself -- the man, not the character -- and he pleasantly, dutifully,
answers your queries. Yet, despite his answers, this is clearly a very
reserved man, one who values his personal privacy as the one thing he has
chosen not to freely share with his fans.
And yet, he took time out for this interview while working through
rehearsal after rehearsal of a scene for the upcoming HIGHLANDER episode "The
Zone." They were filming a flashback sequence to a time when Duncan MacLeod,
an immortal, was aiding a handful of miners who were struggling for better
working conditions. They were working on the site of a historically
reconstructed mining camp, and Mr. Paul seemed very at home in his
"vintage-era" clothing, amidst antique cars and old, weather-worn
buildings.
His English heritage is obvious to the observer in more than the
delightful traces of British accent which linger in his speech, but he is
married to an American. She is Meilani, one of the Pepsi commercial Uh-Huh
girls, and he speaks with obvious fondness for her. Meilani is currently,
along with the group she is in, in the process of launching a new musical
career. Between her busy work schedule and his (which takes him to two
continents) they rarely get to see each other for more than a few days at a
time. Yet they've managed to buy and remodel a home in Los Angeles -- the
place they still theoretically still call home. (Mr. Paul confided that his
"hobby" before coming to HIGHLANDER was doing all the remodeling himself, from
rerouting the wiring to building arches and doing the drywalling.)
His immediate family, he said, remains in England. His more extended
family of uncles, aunts and cousins spreads out more broadly into Italy and
the U.S. One of the major advantages for him in shooting half a season in
France is that London is thus commuter-close for him, so he has frequent
chances to fly home and spend time with his family. This year he'll get to
spend some time with relatives in Italy as well.
Yes, these were all very polite answers, and there was even a slight
glimmer of animation as the subject switched from him personally to his
family.
But ask this man about HIGHLANDER or Duncan MacLeod and his eyes light
up, his expression becomes more intense, alternatingly either more
thoughtful or with a sly smile and a laugh so obviously heartfelt that it
was impossible not to join with him in the laughter.
From the very first question about the series it was clear that this
was an actor who loved his role, not just someone who comes to work in the
morning and forgets it at night. He's also an actor involved in many
aspects of the series.
Duncan MacLeod, a 400-year-old immortal alive during the time of the
Gathering, is a very active character, a man who is likely, at any moment,
to need to go from the midst of a loving, tender moment into the heart of a
battle to the death with another immortal. He is a man who must learn to
balance the pluses and minuses of his own immortality against the short
lifespans of those he has chosen to call friend ... or lover.
MacLeod's had, of course, four hundred years to learn to find those
delicate balances.
Mr. Paul hasn't had ... quite that long.
Yet, surprisingly, when he spoke of the life and lifestyle that led
him to this point in his acting career you almost got a feeling that he
might have had a couple hundred years to "get it right".
Originally a dancer working with small groups across the face of
Europe, he learned to do what he called "... street stuff, jazz ballet,
funk. I took ballet and jazz when I was younger, but then I trained. A lot
of the stuff that I did in Paris and with people I knew from London was
sort of on-the-job training."
He brought his skills as a dancer to the U.S. where he landed a brief
role in the network production of THE COLBYS -- working as a Russian ballet
dancer. "I did more ballet there ... although there was no way I could
become a fabulous ballet dancer in six months."
So how did a man go from that background to the sword-wielding
warrior strength of a Duncan MacLeod? Well, six years of martial arts
experience (Taekwondo, Aikido and other forms) and personal trainers helped
pave the way, as did a couple of years of previous training with the Japanese
sword (katana) that Duncan uses on the series.
"... I knew what I was doing a little bit (with the sword) but then
Bob Anderson, who is the fencing coordinator, helped me out. I worked with
him on it and now I understand a lot more about different styles."
There will actually be a new style -- a Chinese style -- incorporated
into his work this upcoming season. "I feel that he (Duncan) is one of
these people who has picked up a little bit, pieces, from everything he's
seen. He does the best he can. Whatever works for him."
And what do you get from the mixture of all of this training in dance
and martial arts, sword skills with a perfection of movement that is a
pleasure to watch? You get a man who often finds himself all but in charge of
choreographing the majority of the fight scenes, and whose input is
frequently sought out by those who are charged with the duty of
choreography. "I help choreograph most of the fight scenes, because we
shoot so fast that I come up with a lot of ideas that work for me and
incorporate them into the fights. John Woodlands, fight director, says
that I'm the assistant fight coordinator."
Assistant fight coordinator, star of the series, his own stunt man ...
what other hats could he wear? Well, in this case he is also a type of
walking bible for the series.
"I'm basically the person who knows Duncan and this show better than
most anyone else around here, because I've done it so long. Not that I'm
right all the time."
Mr. Paul clearly enjoyed talking about MacLeod, about what has brought
the character to this point in his life and about what is waiting for him
in the upcoming season. What does he, personally, want to see happen with
the series and the character?
The question actually arose while talking about a previous role he had
done, as John Kincaid, during the second season of WAR OF THE WORLDS. The
discussion had turned to how dark (and depressing) that series had become
by its second year. "I don't think that people want to sit down, whatever
night of the week it is and watch this deathly destruction happening all
around them. They want to be entertained.
"That is the same with Duncan, in a way. Duncan was relatively dark
in the first season. He lightened up a lot more toward the Paris episodes
but he was coming out of an era where he had a lot of problems. He was
constantly getting involved in a battle. He had to force himself into
becoming an immortal again, whereas he had wanted to be out of the game,
but now he's forced back in because it is the time of the Gathering. So it
is a different Duncan you are going to see this year.
"Now I (as Duncan) accept what I am ... what has been given to me.
So, I'm going to go ahead and try to do my best to actually do something
right for people, for the world around us. He is a good immortal, but he's
also a person. He's not perfect.
"He's human like everyone else, the only difference is he can't die
except by having his head severed from his body. But he has all the human
frailities and strengths. He has anger. He has patience. He has love.
Hate. Pain."
There are a number of major changes coming up in the next season, some
of which we've been told, some of which haven't, according to Mr. Paul,
even been fully delineated yet -- changes which will occur as the series,
once again, returns to France to film the end of the second season.
Were there differences in filming in Canada as versus filming in
France? "In America (Canada) you have a ... it's faster, they're quicker,
they do things on the line. Whereas in Europe there is a more creative
process, it can take longer to do things, which can be annoying at times.
But they have a longer process and they are more artistic in some areas.
This year we are amalgamating what we found worked in Europe with what
worked here."
They'll be amalgamating some other things they learned in France as
well -- including the importance of characterizations, of relationships, to
the series.
"What the thing is about is relationships ... the idea this year is
to work on the relationships between Duncan and other immortals. The story
lines have been opened up a lot more."
Relationships? In a series that was once characterized by TV Guide
Magazine as a "male-oriented action/adventure?"
His answer was relatively clear on the subject. "I think it is much
more important to watch the characters involved and have something that
they're going after, rather than watch people running around in a story,
because therefore you don't care about them."
And this is a man who has had a surprisingly varied amount of acting
experience for his years in the business. He lays his acting experience
mostly at the feet of his last acting coach (a man who has also worked with
Sharon Stone, John Belushi and Robert Downey, Jr) with whom he worked in
Los Angeles, although he admits that he learned a little in England, a
little in New York and is "still learning today. Nothing is static."
Yet how would he explain his own style?
"I think my way of working is all making things very real to me, to me
personally. We all do that, we mask things very easily in our lives but we
still have the emotions that are underneath and that's mostly where I pull
my work from."
So does the actor who plays a role he so clearly loves have favorite
episodes? Yes, he does, and he was quick to produce the names (something
that's impressive in light of how few actors ever seem to know the name of
the individual episodes). He especially enjoyed "Eye of the Beholder" and
"Lady and the Tiger". One episode that brought a particularly vivid story
to mind was "Band of Brothers", where Duncan must face off against an
extremely ancient immortal, one whose two thousand years of accumulated
evil he might well inherit, along with his Quickening, if the inevitable
duel ends with the ancient's death.
He was, Mr. Paul said, struggling to keep the fear of absorbing the evil
foremost in his character's mind, but it wasn't necessarily an easily
accomplished job:
"It was probably the hardest show we shot here because we were
shooting very heavy duty hours. The fight scenes we shot twelve hours in
the rain. The following day we shot twelve hours in the snow. Physically
it was exhausting because there is so much physical activity in that one
and the weather really drains it from you. You're cold, you're miserable,
you're trying to work, and you have an assortment of emotions going through
you."
And then there was "The Hunters", last season's finale where viewers were
first are made aware of the "Watchers" (or in this case the Hunters -- a
renegade branch of the Watchers).
"That was a very difficult show because we found out two days before
we were about to shoot the episode that Werner Stockard, who played Darius,
couldn't be there do the shoot.
"I saw a flashback they did there when he dies. They did a flashback
of a certain moment when I say 'Is there anything I can do for you? Is
there anything you want to talk about?'
"And he says 'I wish I could, I wish that I could.'
"And to me that moment is probably one of the most touching moments in
the show because the actor died a month and a half later. I believe he
knew there was something wrong with him, at that stage. For me it was
heartrending because I liked Darius very much -- Werner Stockard."
The interview wound down with a discussion of hobbies and interests --
jazz music and volleyball games. The day was coming to an end, the early
sunset of late summer bringing lighting changes and a breath of cool air to
the location.
Some actors want to speak only about themselves. Some will speak with
intelligence, but little emotion, about their show and their characters. A
few, very few, speak with animation and love about a character they are
helping to personally fashion. Adrian Paul is one of those few.
*******************************************
This article has been edited and reprinted with the permission of the
author. For information on Knightwriter Press publications -- including
the complete 15 page transcript of this interview -- contact Linda Knights
at LEEKNIGHTS@delphi.com or fax at 206-738-8197.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!4!-- The Art and Science of Leaping Tall Buildings
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
by John McGervey
Mary Poppins can fly. So can Superman. The difference between the
two is the difference between fantasy and science fiction. Fantasy does
not attempt to explain why the known laws of nature are being violated, but
science fiction often includes some scientific rationale for the action,
which may add to the appeal of the yarn.
A popular explanation of superstrength, for example, is that the hero
(or villain) has somehow acquired the "proportionate strength" of an insect
or a spider. Horror movies get great effects by showing giant-sized bugs,
which somehow are more terrifying than, say, giant pandas. But many giant
creatures have walked the Earth, and none of them resembled bugs. Why not?
Suppose you take a bug and multiply each of its dimensions by 100.
Its weight would go up in proportion to its volume, so the weight would be
multiplied by a factor of 100 by each dimension. The cube of 100 is one
million; a one-gram bug would become a one-ton monster. But your superbug
wouldn't be able to stand up! The strength of its spindly legs is not
proportional to their VOLUME, but to their cross-sectional AREA, which
would be multiplied by the square of 100, or a mere 10,000. If it's
original legs could support five times its weight -- say five grams -- its
new legs could only support 50 kilograms, or 1/20th of its new weight. An
elephant doesn't have those heavy legs for nothing.
In the early Superman comics, on the other hand, the writers seemed
to sense a danger in making their hero a purely magical or fantasy
figure; they invented many explanations, some of them plausible, for his
feats. Let us examine some of his superpowers (and his one weakness) to
see how we can "dream things that never were and ask 'Why not?'"
Superman's superstrength was explained by his origin on the planet
Krypton, where gravity was so strong that the inhabitants needed
superstrength just to stand up. Thus it seems reasonable that someone who
could jump to ordinary heights on Krypton (say about one meter) could "leap
tall buildings in a single bound" on Earth. There is a germ of real
physics in that concept; you need only accept the premise that human-like
creatures could develop on a planet whose gravity is several hundred
times the gravity of Earth.
One early leap by Superman was described as covering an eighth of a
mile. If this was a single leap (following a ballistic trajectory, like a
cannonball), a simple physics calculation shows that Superman had to leave
the ground with a speed of more than 100 miles per hour. That is indeed
"faster than a streamline train," to quote an early Superman description.
But as Superman matured, the descriptions blossomed. Soon he became
"faster than a speeding bullet" (about 1,000 miles per hour). The speed
corresponds to an energy of about ten million joules for a man of normal
weight. Superstrength doesn't exempt you from the law of conservation of
energy, and to gain that energy from food requires more than 2,000 food
calories -- just to reach that speed once. The conclusion: Clark Kent
must eat like a pig.
Besides the energy requirement, there are also force and acceleration
to consider. How much force must Superman's legs exert to reach 1,000 miles
per hour -- and thus leap a tall building in "a single bound?" If he is
pushing off against the ground, as people do when they leap, he has to get
up to this speed before his feet leave the ground. A high-school physics
student can compute the acceleration that takes you from zero to 1,000
miles per hour in a distance of, say, two feet; it is 20,000 times the
acceleration of gravity. This means that Superman's legs have to exert a
force that is 20,000 times Superman's weight, or about 2,000 tons
(coincidentally, just about enough to stop a speeding locomotive in a
fraction of a second).
But as his greater speed was introduced and Superman's leaps became
higher and higher, it became clear that they were not "leaps" at all. We
could see Superman changing direction in mid-air or even circling the Earth
like a satellite. At this point all traces of science had disappeared; the
feat had entered the realm of pure magic or fantasy. Nevertheless, it's
fun to try to apply the basic laws of physics to these flights.
With a speed of 1,000 m.p.h. at "liftoff," and no air resistance,
Superman could reach an altitude of three miles and cover 12 miles in one
leap. But even Superman can't turn off air resistance. Any object thrown
through the air at great speed will be slowed down by air resistance and
eventally fall earthward at a constant speed, called the terminal speed.
For a body of human size, shape, and weight, the terminal speed is about
120 miles per hour. So even if you could survive a blast that started you
off at 1,000 miles per hour, you would quickly slow down, and you would
complete your flight by falling toward Earth at a mere 120 miles per hour.
Some skiers do a little better than that; they achieve a speed of 150
miles per hour by streamlining themselves with skintight suits and special
headgear. Superman needs none of that. Defying the laws of physics, he
even trails a cape behind him on his supersonic flights!
To reconcile Superman's flights with the laws of physics, several
possibilities come to mind. For example:
1. His superstrength might permit him to propel himself as he flies,
as an airplane does. Superman's early flights sometimes displayed a
vigorous thrashing of his legs, as if he were swimming through the air.
This calls to mind the problem of pushing on the end of a rope. No matter
how strong you are, you cannot push off something unless that thing pushes
back. Action must equal reaction, and your souped-up car goes nowhere if
its wheels have no traction. Pushing hard enough on thin air to sustain
these flights would create super-hurricane winds. People near Superman's
launch point would be knocked flat, or worse.
2. Perhaps Superman has some means of jet or rocket propulsion. If
that is the case, no evidence of it ever appears. In the comics he often
moves as if he were simply running on the air; the running motion would be
superfluous if he were rocket propelled.
3. He might weigh a lot more than the ordinary mortal. Then his
initial speed would not be reduced so quickly by air resistance for the
same reason that you can throw a golf ball farther than you can throw a
ping-pong ball. This view is consistent with an early episode in which an
enemy found Superman impossible to lift, and another one in which Superman
cracked the sidewalk when he landed. (Notice that Superman is a bit of a
showoff -- he lands on one foot, not even bending a knee to minimize the
shock! In later sorties, Superman apparently has the magical ability to
slow down and make a soft landing -- no more cracked sidewalks.)
What about flying through outer space, as Superman has done almost
from the beginning? One of Superman's more mindboggling feats of flying
occurred when he was a boy; he carried his earthling father to the moon.
He took care to outfit the father with a space helmet, but not a
spacesuit. You can imagine what problems that would pose for an ordinary
mortal. Even if the father's clothing didn't burn up from air friction
during the liftoff, it would not provide any pressurization to keep poor
dad's blood from boiling in the vacuum of outer space. (Superman often
carries people through the air or catches them as they are falling. In
real life, poor Lois Lane would go "splat" all over the Man of Steel after
a typical catch; the impact on his "steely" body would be just like an
impact on the concrete below.)
Although Superman himself has no worries about air pressure (or
breathing, in space or underwater), flying in outer space has to create
problems for him. In space there is nothing, not even air, to push
against. No matter how strong he is, Superman cannot violate the law of
convervation of momentum in one direction unless he gives an opposite
momentum to something else. In empty space, this means he must use rocket
propulsion any time he wants to speed up, slow down or change direction.
Thus, when Superman is circling the globe like a satellite, he will be
there for a very long time unless he can eject something in the forward
direction to slow himself down.
One possible source for his rocket braking would be his superbreath.
He might blow his superbreath out in front of him and thereby be pushed
backward, just as a rifle recoils when it ejects a bullet. If he is
already moving forward, this recoil would slow him down and let him come
down from orbit.
Another way for Superman to slow down would be by using his X-ray
vision. It is well known that X-rays, like all forms of radiation, carry
momentum; thus Superman would recoil backward as the rays went forward, and
you can imagine his slowing down sufficiently to descend into the
atmosphere, where atmospheric drag could bring him down. (Of course, those
X-rays would have to be superstrong.)
Superman's orbital flights pose yet another physics problem when
superspeed is involved. When Superman is circling the globe seven times
per second, his speed approaches the speed of light. Even if he had such
prodigious energy, how could he avoid flying off into interstellar space?
There has to be a force keeping him in orbit. Gravitational force keeps a
body in a low earth orbit only if the orbital period is about 90 minutes.
Could Superman send out Superbreath or X-rays to keep himself in
orbit? If he did, how much force would these rays have to exert? And how
does that force compare with the force needed to stop a locomotive in, say,
one tenth of a second, from a speed of 60 miles per hour?
The force needed to keep Superman in this superspeed orbit is close
to a billion tons, even if Superman's body only has the mass of a human.
This clearly means that Superman is far "more powerful than a locomotive";
the force needed to stop the locomotive is a few thousand tons -- about 30
times the locomotive's weight, according to a high-school physics
calculation. (If his breath is that powerful, Superman could stop the
locomotive just by blowing on it -- carefully, of course, so he doesn't
launch it into outer space.)
The whole concept of motion in outer space is an interesting one.
Superboy was once shown disposing of a dangerous object by throwing it
directly toward the sun, saying "There it goes, right into the sun." But
because of the Earth's motion around the sun, the object still has the
angular momentum that it had before he threw it, and it will be in an orbit
that whips around the sun like a comet. To hit the sun in an orbit like
that, he would have to throw the object at a speed of about ten million
miles per hour. This object appeared to have a mass of at least 100 tons.
That would make the required energy more than three quintillion joules --
ten times the energy of the largest H-bomb ever made.
A much easier way to hit the sun would have been to throw the object
in a way that just cancels out his motion with the Earth around the sun.
That is, throw it toward the east at midday (in the direction that the sun
appears to move past the distant stars). Then if its speed leaving Earth
is equal to the speed of the Earth's orbital motion (a mere 60,000 miles per
hour), the object will be momentarily at rest relative to the sun, and it
will then fall straight into the sun. If Superboy had thrown the object
that way, only 100 trillion joules (equal to a 25-kiloton bomb) would have
been required.
Actions involving the Earth's curvature as well as its motion are
sometimes presented in Superman's adventures without regard to the physics
involved. A good illustration appears in a episode in which Superman became
a substitute teacher. To show how exciting a classroom could be, Superman
ground a plate-glass window (with his hands) to make it into a "super-
telescopic lens." Through this lens students could see a tropical jungle!
But a lens can only help you to see the light that strikes the lens. The
light rays from that jungle would have to pass through many miles of earth
to reach the lens. If teachers other than Superman wanted to show their
classes a tropical jungle, they'd have to fly them there.
Superman often displays an astounding ability to manipulate
materials. A favorite trick is to make huge diamonds from coal. This feat
depends on the fact that diamonds are a form of carbon that is produced
when sufficiently high pressure is applied. Superman is shown pressing on
the coal with one flat palm on each side. A human doing that to a real
lump of coal with a strong vise would have to watch out for flying
fragments when the coal shattered, long before it could be turned into a
diamond.
The numbers quoted here make it obvious that Superman can't get his
prodigious energy from food. His ability to generate X-rays suggests that
he might use nuclear energy -- he might be a walking nuclear power plant!
But that seems unlikely; if he were, the people of Metropolis would have
been fried long ago. This, and the fact that his head has a fairly normal
shape, makes us wonder how he produces those X-rays. Or are they really X-
rays?
Superman's X-rays have only one characteristic in common with the real
rays; they are stopped by lead. Real X-rays are stopped, with varying
degrees of effectiveness, by many different materials; that is the only
reason why you can use them to see anything. If the rays went through
everything, then they would be useless for vision; they have to be reflected
or absorbed to show us anything. Real X-rays are even stopped by air; at
sea level they can't penetrate from one end of a football field to the
other. We now know that some X-rays come from outer space, but to detect
them we have to fly a detector above 99 percent of the atmosphere (on a
satellite or a balloon.)
Superman's X-rays, on the other hand, are magical. They are
reflected in a convenient fashion; they will go through the wall of a
building, then bounce off a newspaper so Superman can read it! They are
also absorbed, but only when Superman wants to use their energy for some
special purpose, such as starting a fire or melting something. At other
times Superman can see for an enormous distance with the rays. When he
wishes to do so, he can even send the rays through miles of earth, as when
he said, "I'll send an X-ray beam to my Fortress of Solitude hidden in the
Arctic."
Giving Superman powers that are more than superhuman -- that are not
even limited by the laws of nature -- created the potential for something
really dull. Where is the suspense in the adventures of a creature who has
no limitations? As a student once wrote, "Achilles was dipped in the River
Stynx [sic] and he became intolerable." To make Superman tolerable, the
authors had to give him a weakness, so they invented kryptonite, the
celestial debris left over from the explosion of his natal planet, Krypton,
which occasionally falls to Earth in meteorites -- and invariably, into
the hands of evil persons.
The original kryptonite simply made Superman weak, without affecting
anybody else in the slightest. There is a vaguely "scientific" basis for
this effect. Just as a tuning fork resonates at one frequency and no other,
the alien molecules in Superman's body could resonate to (and be damaged
by) the radiation from kryptonite, while our molecules are unaffected. But
the weakness theme could only be worked so many times before it became
tiresome, so other forms of kryptonite were conjured up.
The spookiest of these is "red kruptonite," whose effects add spice to
the proceedings by being "unpredictable." One consequence of this is to
threaten the exposure of Superman's secret identity, by producing physical
changes that show up in Superman and Clark Kent at the same time. For
example, Superman suddenly grew a beard and ridiculously long fingernails
after one encounter with this material. How, you ask, could that be a
problem? Answer: He couldn't cut them; they were superstrong. The nails
were even too strong to cut with his X-ray vision. How did the writers get
Superman out of this jam? When all else fails, try luck. By an amazing
stroke of it, the nails yielded to the combined X-ray vision of Superman,
Superdog, and Supergirl!
So we see that a little imagination lets us relate some of Superman's
feats to the laws of nature. Many of them, though, remain in the realm of
magic or fantasy.
[Permission to reprint "The Art and Science if Leaping Tall Buildings"
granted to Cyberspace Vanguard by Octavia Press, Copyright 1987. Hardcover
copies of SUPERMAN AT FIFTY, in which this article first appeared, can be
purchased at half price from Octavia Press, 12127 Sperry Road, Chesterland,
OH, 44026, USA. A check for $10.50 (US) (includes shipping and sales tax)
must be enclosed with each order.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!5!-- A Writer's Guide to STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Kris Voelker
"To boldly go where no one has gone before." What should I write? These
words invade my consciousness as I sit and write my spec script. Where am I
going with my characters? What conflicts should I introduce? What story lines
will keep my audience's attention? What are the producers of STAR TREK: THE
NEXT GENERATION looking for?
My endless frustration with these questions led me to Dearborn, Michigan.
Each year, several writers' workshops are held to help aspiring writers learn
the craft of writing and submitting a spec script for ST:TNG. I wasn't
waiting any longer. I was willing to drive 162 miles to spend a day with the
"pros". This was my chance to ask the writers, in person, how to write for
STTNG. I was bound and determined to get some answers and this is what I got.
The three main speakers were: Ronald D. Moore, Co-Producer; Brannon
Braga, Script Editor; and Lolita Fatjo, Script Coordinator. As I entered the
workshop room, Ms Fatjo was standing at the doorway. She was tearing off
ticket stubs and spitting out directions. I followed the line, picked up the
workshop folder, and ran to my seat. I was ready.
She began the workshop with an introduction and a brief synopsis of the
guidelines for use when submitting a script. [You do not need to attend a
workshop to receive these. Anyone who is interested can obtain them by
calling (213) 956-8301.] When your script is completed, send it to Ms Fatjo
along with a Paramount release form. Upon submission a member of the story
analyst union will read and summarize your story. The following is a list of
qualities that the readers are looking for:
Do you know the characters?
What is the cost to produce the script?
How many characters are involved?
Is it a bottle show? (see explanation below)
Is it a simple idea?
Does it have a sci-fi angle that tells a universal theme?
Does it tell a story that can only be told on Star Trek?
Commit these ideas to memory and keep them in mind when creating your
story. This is your first step in the door. If you're fortunate, it will be
passed on to the show's Executive Producer, Michael Piller. THE ONLY WAY YOU
CAN GET INVITED TO PITCH IS IF THEY LIKE YOUR SPEC SCRIPT AND HAVE SOME
INDICATION THAT YOU KNOW THE CHARACTERS AND THE SHOW.
This whole process can take anywhere from 6-9 months to complete. You
may then get a call inviting you to pitch your story; or the dreaded rejection
letter.
During the workshop, Mr. Moore and Mr. Braga simulated a pitch session.
A volunteer from the audience came up and pitched a story that had already
been seen on STTNG. Mr. Moore and Mr. Braga extended their hello's and
cracked a few jokes. They seemed to be aware that most people are filled with
apprehension when they come, so you can expect them to try their best to help
you "feel at home." After the volunteer finished, they passed on the
following tidbits.
Come prepared to pitch three to five brand new ideas. If you need to,
type out your oral presentations and read them. The length of each pitch
should be 1 1/2 pages typed (double spaced). Your pitch should include a
beginning, middle, and end. Avoid going into excessive detail; sometimes that
makes a story difficult to follow. Mr. Moore referred to the term "broad
strokes" when describing the format and contents of a pitch session. In
addition, Mr. Braga suggested starting your pitch with a line similar to a
television listing.
Take the time to follow these guidelines. It can only increase your
chances of being successful. The most valuable handout they gave out was
probably the following list of DOS and DONT'S for a pitch session.
DON'T DO
Stories with lots of planet based scenes
Stories with lots of exterior scenes
Stories that rely heavily on action and/or special effects
Cannibalistic stories
Stories that depend on a prior relationship (ie, A former professor of
Dr. Crusher's...)
Stories about guest stars
Stories which could be seen on any other television series set in
contemporary times
Stories which lack an intimate, personal aspect
Stories about supernatural, fantasies, swords, and sorcery
Stories which echo the original series
Stories which are high on the hoke scale
DO
Stories that are character driven, personal stories about one or more of
the regular characters
Stories centered around a nifty sci-fi element
Stories that combine an emotional story with an action/jeopardy
substructure
Bottle shows (shows that take place exclusively on the Enterprise)
Shows about Q and Mrs. Troi (but be careful not to focus exclusively on
them)
One in 25 stories that are pitched get picked up and possibly produced.
After discussing the pitch process, Mr. Braga and Mr. Moore talked about
writing the teleplay. This is where the most creative process of writing
begins. First create a "beat sheet" to work off of and construct your
teleplay. A beat sheet is a story outline that depicts the sets, characters,
and action of each act. If you've constructed your story line carefully, you
will see a visual representation of how each scene leads to the next. It's
much easier to make revisions off this sheet than, say, page 36 of your spec
script.
After revising and rewriting your beat sheet, its time to put your ideas
into script format. The importance of standard script format cannot be
overemphasized. If it's not typed in the right format, it will be rejected
immediately. (Consider purchasing a computer script program. I have used
SuperScript Pro for Wordperfect 5.1. This program allows me to concentrate on
writing rather than formatting. You'll save a enormous amount of time. You
can get these from the Writers Computer Store in West Los Angeles. To order a
catalog call 1-800-277TWCS. -- Editor's Note: Neither the writer nor the
magazine are involved with the program or the store.)
Finally they advised you to WRITE, REWRITE and REWRITE some more. Once a
script is written it goes through the process of revision. Don't be afraid to
let other people read and critique your work. It can only make your script
better.
At the end there was a little bit of time left for questions and answers.
Most participants were eager to pick the brains of these three professionals,
and the questions varied. One of the participants had submitted his script and
had received a rejection letter. He expressed his frustration in not knowing
which component led to the ultimate rejection of his script. Ms Fatjo was
quick to point out that it's impossible to comment individually on every spec
script submitted. The best advice she could offer was to pay careful
attention to what was being said at today's workshop. Another member of the
audience expressed his satisfaction with the open submission policy. He
received a call from a member of the writing staff and was invited to pitch
over the phone. I came away convinced that if you followed these guidelines
and wrote a decent script, you'd get a shot.
I highly recommend this workshop. If you are interested in writing for
ST:TNG or ST:DSN, there is a wealth of information to be found at these
workshops. I also want to emphasize that the producers of ST:TNG and ST:DSN
are really interested in finding good stories. Mr. Braga said that freelance
writers have a captive audience and that now would be an opportune time to
write and submit a script. STAR TREK is the only place in Hollywood where an
"outsider" can gain some experience. Take advantage of the open submission
policy. It may be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
[Upcoming workshops are in Valley Forge, PA on Oct 23-24 and in Manhattan, NY
on Nov. 26-28.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!6!-- Reviews by EVELYN C. LEEPER
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE BROKEN LAND by Ian McDonald
A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper
Copyright 1993 Evelyn C. Leeper
THE BROKEN LAND is a well-written book, but the parallels between the
land of the book and modern Ireland are SO obvious that I found myself
groaning more often than being enlightened. The Confessors/Proclaimers
parallel to the Catholics/Protestants was bad enough, but when the
Confessors gain independence for the land except for the "nine northern
prefectures," I came very close to hurling the book at the wall.
Frequently I felt that the parallels were closer to puns in some literary
sense than to a way to look at an old situation from fresh eyes. This
might work in a humorous novel, but THE BROKEN LAND is not humorous. It is
an accurate story of what happens in a land torn apart by religious (or
racial, or ethnic) strife. This subject is certainly topical (alas), but
the precise parallels of the problem to Ireland make the book lose the
universal quality that it could have had. It is not surprising that
McDonald writes about Ireland, and writes well, as his earlier KING OF
MORNING, QUEEN OF DAY proves, but he can also write very well in a multi-
ethnic, non-specific milieu (see his SPEAKING IN TONGUES collection and his
DESOLATION ROAD), and this makes this book particularly disappointing. For
someone who knew nothing of Ireland, this would be an excellent book, but
as it stands, its total obviousness and specificity makes this the first
Ian McDonald book of the four I've read that I can't recommend.
%T The Broken Land %I Bantam Spectra
%A Ian McDonald %O trade paperback, US$10
%C New York %G ISBN 0-553-37054-5
%D October 1992 %P 322pp
HARM'S WAY by Colin Greenland
A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper
Copyright 1993 Evelyn C. Leeper
As WINTER'S DAUGHTER by Charles Whitmore was science fiction written
in the style of a Norse saga, so is HARM'S WAY written in the style of a
Victorian novel (though I would call it science fantasy rather than science
fiction). We have the poor, semi-orphaned girl who leaves home, has
adventures, meets all sorts of people, and eventually discovers her true
identity. HARM'S WAY is set on what is apparently an alternate Victorian-
era Earth, an alternate in which at some point between Defoe and Victoria,
space flight was developed (using what appear to be typical large sailing
ships of that era in our time in their appointments), and all sorts of
alien races inhabiting the solar system were discovered. (I place the
"change-point" after Defoe, because in a world of space flight, the sense
of isolated parts of the earth that Defoe depended on in ROBINSON CRUSOE
would no longer have been there.) How any of this happened is never
discussed, and with the exception of space flight and weaponry the society
is technologically at the Victorian level. The result is extremely
disorienting -- we never know what to expect from the society because it is
SO inconsistent. HARM'S WAY is an interesting stylistic experiment, but
not one I can actually recommend.
%T Harm's Way %I AvoNova
%A Colin Greenland %O paperback, US$4.99
%C New York %G ISBN 0-380-76883-6
%D August 1993 %P 310pp
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!7!-- THE OLD COMIC CURMUDGEON: R-E-S-P-E-C-T ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Column by Bill Henley
In the short history of this column, I've hardly had anything good to
say about anything. And even I get tired of complaining sometimes. So, at
the risk of losing my curmudgeon certificate, let me now offer praise for
the way certain classic comic-book characters are being handled lately.
BATMAN has been really brilliant for the past year, combining the best
elements of the "Golden Age" Caped Crusader and the '70s "creature of the
night."
SUPERMAN has suddenly become a real delight, with some of the best
characterization I've ever seen on the Man of Steel and his Daily Planet
cohorts.
Even the X-MEN, who I once loved but gave up on years ago, have come
out with some decent stories lately.
And a while back there were some very entertaining tales of the FLASH
and SUPERBOY.
There's just one slight hitch to all this, from the viewpoint of the
comic-book fan. None of this good stuff I'm referring to was in comic
books. All of it appeared on the TV screen.
It's BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES on Fox TV that has captured the
essence of Batman, while the comics
seem determined to lose it, with a
crippled Bruce Wayne and a psychotic pseudo-Batman. I'm having fun with
ABC-TV's new LOIS AND CLARK, not with the overhyped comics featuring Supes'
death, resurrection and neverending bad hair day. The X-MEN cartoon show,
though not outstanding like BATMAN, is watchable, whereas the X-comics I've
seen lately have been unreadable. And CBS-TV's late lamented FLASH show,
and the underrated SUPERBOY syndicated series, outpaced any recent comics
featuring those characters.
This is not the way it used to be. In years past, TV versions of
comic book superheroes were usually rather disappointing. The original TV
SUPERMAN with George Reeves had its charm, but even as a kid I noticed the
cheap production and wondered about the absence of neat concepts like
Kandor or the Phantom Zone. The BATMAN show was a camp disaster for anyone
inclined to take the character at all seriously. And shows like WONDER
WOMAN, INCREDIBLE HULK and the short-lived SPIDER-MAN show were pretty
flat and dull compared to the best of the comics.
Why have Hollywood TV producers and writers found the knack of
handling the great comic heroes, while most of the comic-book producers
themselves seem to have lost it? Is it that the TV folks are better paid
and more talented than those who work for comics? Probably not, since TV
writers have always made more money, but until recently comics writers
handled comics characters better.
Perhaps it's that the TV people working on shows like BATMAN: THE
ANIMATED SERIES and LOIS & CLARK grew up knowing and loving these characters,
but, unlike the comics writers, haven't been associated with them so long as
to be jaded and bored. The TV people seem content to stay within and explore
the basic, established "legend" of each character. On the other hand, the
comics writers and editors working on the same characters are either too bored
or too untalented to find new things to say about the old characters. The
only thing they can think of to do is to twist the characters brutally out
of shape for shock value.
Also, the producers of TV shows are forced to seek a wide audience,
including adults, teenagers and younger kids. The comic books years ago
gave up any attempt to attract a "mass audience"; they seem content to
subsist on a relatively small readership of teenage hobbyists, some of whom
are more impressed by fancy foil covers than good stories and art, while
others are even more jaded and obsessed by violence, brutality and
psychosis than the people producing the comics.
I wish that the producers of the comics would try to imitate the
virtues of these TV shows. That doesn't mean producing "kiddie versions"
of their comics which slavishly imitate the TV shows. It means respecting
the characters and their histories; trying to create an atmosphere of fun
and excitement rather than despair and nihilism; and trying to appeal to a
broader audience than the very narrow group on which comics depend for
their survival today.
A NOTE OF PANIC: Those who are enjoying the new LOIS & CLARK show should
note that its ratings in the first three episodes have been disappointing.
Though no word of cancellation has been heard yet, it may not be too soon
to write letters to ABC-TV in support of the show. The address I have for
ABC is: ABC Audience Information
77 West 66th St. 9th Floor
New York NY 10023-6298
COMICS TRIVIA NOTE: "Jurassic Park" fans may be interested to note that the
premise of the biggest movie of the year was anticipated, though briefly,
by a comic book over 25 years ago. In a story in THUNDER AGENTS #4, April
1966, by Wally Wood, the superhero Dynamo battles a horde of dinosaurs
brought to life by the villain Dr. Sparta. In the last panel, after the
dinos have been subdued, is this dialogue:
Alice (Dynamo's girlfriend): "Guess what? They're turning Dr.
Sparta's tropic island into a sort of park... a wildlife preserve..."
Dynamo: "Oh no! A dinosaur zoo!"
(As far as I know, though, there was never a sequel story where the
dinosaurs get loose and start eating tourists.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!8!-- The Infamous Reply Cards and What You Said
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
compiled by Linda E. Smit
Utopia and dystopia are two sides of the same coin. But,
according to most of our readers, they aren't really a possibility.
Even the majority of the ones who felt we are moving toward a dystopia
don't feel that we will ever make it there. The major reason given for
moving to dystopia is that the world is overpopulated and we don't know
how to deal with the crowding.
"There is no way that I see humans will be able to fix this
horrible problem in the immediate future. The global doubling rate
is at something like sixty years. We are running out of many of the
Earth's natural resources, and continue to deplete them at an amazing rate."
Extra-terrestrial colonization was suggested as a way to combat
overcrowding. And, although no one offered a Swiftian Modest Proposal,
I must admit that it crossed my mind as I read reply after reply choosing
dystopia because of overcrowding.
Although the majority of answers included an often grudging choice of
dystopia, almost as many replies were of the neither category. "Neither.
I don't think there is such a thing as a perfect society and yet I don't
think we are going to fall into oblivion any time soon . . . There will
be worse things, more crime, more violence and better things, longer life
expectancy, better healthcare. It evens itself out."
A few brave souls said that both were possible, depending on how
we act right now. "I think that at the moment the trend is dystopia,
but I also think we are in the midst of the point where that trend can
be reversed. The potential is certainly here for a utopia." And several
others agreed.
Only a handful of responses supported the idea of utopia. Most
of the responses stressed that utopia is only a concept or ideal that
is unrealizable in the real world. And one response stressed, "Utopia.
I hate this question. We can influence reality with our thoughts . . .
the more people who say we're heading toward dystopia, the more likely
it is that we will end up with one! I believe we will eventually
overcome this, but it is going to take a long time. A VERY long time."
Finally, my favorite response is one with a definite tongue-in-cheek
attitude. "Either of the two options is preferable to the present situation.
We are neither heading towards Utopia or Dystopia . . . we're heading
towards Myopia."
All together, you readers of Cyberspace Vanguard sound as though
you wish for something better than we have, but are guarded in your
hopes that we will find whatever answers may be available. Oh, and the
numbers ran something like this :
Utopia : 7 Dystopia : 31 Both : 5 Neither : 28
and one very honest "I don't know."
Tune in next time, when we will look at the question of paranormal
realities. Do ghosts exist? Is there such a thing as psychic energy?
Do extraterrestrials walk the Earth? Can we read each others minds?
Think about it. Until next time, this is Linda E. Smit, signing
off.
Note : For the sake of anonimity, I have not listed names to accompany
the quotations. If this concerns you, please pester me, and not the editor.
He has enough to deal with.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!9!-- SF Calendar: What's Coming Up in the Near Future
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
....................
BOOKISH
....................
If you have a favorite small press that you'd like us to keep track of, drop
us a note with the company's name and address and we'll see what we can do.
OCTOBER:
DAW: WHEN TRUE NIGHT FALLS - CS Friedman
DEL REY: UPLAND OUTLAWS (Book 2 of A HANDFUL OF MEN) - Dave Duncan; THE
STRICKEN FIELD (Book 3 of A HANDFUL OF MEN) - Dave Duncan; THE GUNS OF THE
SOUTH - Harry Turtledove; THE EARTH SAVER (Sequel to CHILDREN OF THE EARTH)
- Catherine Wells; MORNINGSTAR - David Gemmell
ROC: WILD BLOOD - Nancy Collins (England -- US markets June 1994)
TOR: THE SHADOW RISING - Robert Jordan, THE FIRES OF HEAVEN - Robert
Jordan
------------
NOVEMBER:
PEGUNIN/ROC: SHROUD OF SHADOW - Baudino Gael
BANTAM: STAR WARS: THE TRUCE AT BAKURA - Kathy Tyers
BANTAM/SPECTRA: GROWING UP WEIGHTLESS - John Ford
DEL REY: THE CHRONICLES OF PERN: FIRST FALL - Anne McCaffrey; WANDERER
(Sequel to WARRIOR) - Donald E. McQuinn; JACK THE BODILESS (First book in
THE GALACTIC MILIEU trilogy) - Julian May; SORCEROUS SEA (Third book in the
ISLAND WARRIOR series) - Carol Severance; THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY (First
book in the SLOW WORLD trilogy) - Karen Ripley; CHIMERA - Mary Rosenblum; THE
CHANGING LAND - Roger Zelazny; DILVISH THE DAMNED by Roger Zelazny
------------
DECEMBER:
POCKET: STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION: DARK MIRROR - Diane Duane
DEL REY: KING JAVAN'S YEAR - Katherine Kurtz; THE BLACK LYNX - Elizabeth
Boyer; PENNTERRA - Judith Moffett; THE BIG EMPTY - James Luceno
------------
January 1994:
BANTAM: STAR WARS: TRUCE AT BAKURA - Kathy Tyers
------------
February 1994:
BANTAM: STAR WARS: THE LAST COMMAND (P) - Timothy Zahn
------------
March 1994:
KNOPF: DIAMOND MASK (Second book in THE GALACTIC MILIEU trilogy) - Julian
May
------------
April 1994:
BANTAM: STAR WARS: JEDI SEARCH (First book in the JEDI ACADEMY trilogy)
(P) - Kevin Anderson
------------
May 1994:
BANTAM: STAR WARS: THE COURTSHIP OF PRINCESS LEIA - Dave Wolverton
------------
June 1994:
BANTAM: STAR WARS: DARK APPRENTICE (Second book in the JEDI ACADEMY
trilogy) (P) - Kevin Anderson
------------
August 1994:
?: THE DISCWORLD COMPANION - Stephen Briggs and Terry Pratchett
------------
Summer 1994:
GOLLANCZ: SOUL MUSIC - Terry Pratchett
DEL REY: THE WARDEN OF HORSES (Second book in the SLOW WORLD trilogy) -
Karen Ripley
------------
October 1994:
BANTAM: STAR WARS : (title to be announced) (Third book in the JEDI ACADEMY
trilogy) (P) - Kevin Anderson
------------
Fall 1994:
DEL REY: THE ALCHEMIST OF TIME (Third book in the SLOW WORLD trilogy) -
Karen Ripley
------------
December 1994:
BANTAM: STAR WARS: CANTINA STORIES - edited by Kevin Anderson
....................
Upcoming MOVIES
....................
This is not really the "Upcoming Movies" list that Bryan D. Jones
(bdj@engr.uark.edu) puts out over Usenet every week or so. It's actually a
pared down version that he was kind enough to let us print. We thank him
and remind you that if you have any updates or corrections, please send
them on to him. (Especially if you have access to the National Association
of Theater Owners listings ...)
All dates are US wide release dates. -Bryan D. Jones (bdj@engr.uark.edu)
Oct 29: Ghost in the Machine, Philadelphia Experiment 2, Return of
the Living Dead III
Nov 5: Robocop 3
Nov 12: A Dinosaur's Story, The Three Musketeers, We're Back
Nov 19: Addams Family Values
Nov 24: Annie and the Castle of Terror, Die Hard 3
Fall : The Fantastic Four
Dec 10: Shockwaves, Sister Act II
Dec 15: Schindler's List
Decemb: Godzilla (American)
1994
Spring: Blankman, Cartooned, The Lion King(animated, was King of the Jungle),
The Muppet Treasure Island, Thumbelina
Summer: Aliens vs. Predator: The Hunt, Clear and Present Danger, The
Flintstones, Getting Even With Dad,
Decemb: Godzilla (American), Spiderman, Batman III, Star Trek VII
Winter: With Honors
1994 : Ed Wood, Interview with The Vampire, The Lawnmowerman 2, The Mask,
Tremors II
-1995-
Dec : Catwoman
Full Moon Entertainment will be releasing the following films directly to
video. The numbers in parentheses refer to the day of the month they expect
to release the film. Remember, these dates are EXTREMELY tentative:
December: Puppet Master 4 (8), Beach Babes from Beyond (16)
January: Trancers 4 (26)
February: Arcade (23)
March: Subscpecies III (16), Dragonworld
April: Invisible
May: Puppetmaster 5, Pet Shop
June: Lurking Fear
July: Trancers 5, Prehysteria II
August: Dark Angel
September: Shrunken Heads, Beanstalk
October: Doctor Mordrid II
November: Shadow Over Innsmouth, Genie
December: Quadrant
They will also be doing two THEATRICAL releases next year: Shrunken Heads in
February 1994, and Oblivion in December 1994. These dates are, like the
others, extremely tentative.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!10!-- All The News That's Fit To Transmit
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
....................
NEWS OF SF IN FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE SF
....................
by Jean-Louis Trudel
The twentieth French National Convention was held in Orleans/la
Source, on August 27-29. Its theme was "Woman in SF" and its guests
included France's Joelle Wintrebert and Canada's Elisabeth Vonarburg.
The finalists in the novel category for the 1993 Prix Rosny Aine,
which are the closest francophone equivalent to the Hugos, were Ayerdhal
for LE CHANT DU DRILLE (THE DRILLE'S SONG), Jacques Barberi for LA MEMOIRE
DU CRIME (RECALLING THE CRIME), Serge Brussolo for LE SUNDROME DU
SCAPHANDRIER (THE DREAMDIVER SUNDROME), Alain le Bussy for DELTAS, Daniel
Sernine for CHRONOREG, and Elisabeth Vonarburg for CHRONIQUES DU PAYS DES
MERES. Ayerdhal, Barberi, and Brussolo are French, le Bussy is Belgian,
and Sernine and Vonarburg are from Canada, thus making for one of the most
diverse group of finalists in recent years. Vonarburg's novel has been
translated and published in English---as THE MAERLANDE CHRONICLES in Canada
and as IN THE MOTHERS' LAND in the United States.
The final vote was held on-site at the French National convention. In
the novel category, the winner was Alain le Bussy, for DELTAS, an
efficiently written adventure on an oceanic planet. In the short story
category, the winner was Switzerland's Wildy Petoud, for her short story
"Accident d'amour" (Accident of Love) in the 1992 anthology TERRITOIRES DE
L'INQUIETUDE.
The next French National convention will take place in 1994 in the
"science city" of Sophia-Antipolis, just off the French Riviera. If all
goes well, it should see the launch of a new professional SF magazine in
France, filling a vacuum that has lasted for at least four years. Current
information suggests that it would not be affiliated with any pre-existing
publisher, that it would be run by a collective with each member having a
well-defined task, and that it would print both translated and French
original fiction.
On the other hand, over in Canada, Quebec's two SF magazines,
IMAGINE... and SOLARIS, are alive and kicking. After a transition year
during which several issues were delayed, SOLARIS has managed to catch up
thanks to an accelerated publication schedule. Covers have been generally
gorgeous. SOLARIS 105, the late spring and early summer issue, featured
stories by Yves Meynard, "Le sang et l'oiseau" (Blood and Bird), and Jean-
Louis Trudel, "Un papillon a Mashak" (A Butterfly in Mashak), and an
interview of Daniel Sernine, as well as non-fiction and the usual
assortment of book and zine reviews ranging over two continents, four
countries and two languages. Meynard's story combined three densely
poetic reveries on the twin themes of the title, with only some subtle
echoes to link the intertwined plots, which moved in that borderland
between science fiction and fantasy. Trudel's text was a science fiction
tale mixing chaos theory, history, and the fraternization attempts of a
soldier on a world of conquered aliens.
SOLARIS 106 just came out; it is a special theme issue on utopias and
counter-utopias, featuring scholarly articles and an interview of Elisabeth
Vonarburg. It featured two stories. One, by Stephane Langlois, was a
competent space adventure tale, called "Ceux qui viennent d'en bas" (Those
Who Come From Beneath). The other, by newcomer Guillaume Demers, was
called "Le monde est un parc ou la folie est le dernier plaisir" (The World
is a Park where Madness is the Last Pleasure). It offered the story of a
man's madness, as told to him, and inspired by another man's. But was it
really madness? SOLARIS 107 is announced as a special theme issue on
time, with stories by Alain Bergeron, Yves Meynard, and Jean-Louis Trudel,
and interviews of the illustrious French author Michel Jeury and of
Canadian author Jean Dion.
Over at IMAGINE..., covers have been no less handsome. IMAGINE... 63,
the spring issue, was a special issue entirely devoted to SF in
Switzerland, with stories by Chantal Delessert, Nicolas G. Doegun, Georges
Panchard, Wildy Petoud, and Francois Rouiller. The stories by Panchard and
Petoud were the more memorable ones of the lot. H. R. Giger and John Howe
contributed short art portfolios. Jean-Francois Thomas sketched a
historical survey of SF in Switzerland, while Roger Gaillard presented the
MAISON D'AILLEURS, or House of Elsewhere, Europe's first SF museum, of
which he is director. IMAGINE... 64 was a regular issue. Guy Bouchard's
story, "Si la vie vous interesse" (A Life in the Forces), won the Septieme
Continent award and headlined the issue. It was published simultaneously
in the Belgian periodical MAGIE ROUGE 38-39, in spite of the reservations
of that magazine's editor. Bouchard's story tells of a future Quebec where
women join the army to contribute to a new revenge of the cradle... French
writer Micky Papoz and Canadian writer Sylvie Berard contributed two other
short stories, while another Canadian, Danielle Tremblay, signed the first
episode of a four-part serial, involving a non-violent, non-military space
academy, which reads like the result of miscegenation between Heinlein and
STAR TREK.
In other Quebec publishing news, Daniel Sernine's fiction collection
LES PORTES MYSTERIEUSES (The Mysterious Doors) was released by Heritage as
a young adult book. Charles Montpetit's young adult novel COPIE CARBONE
(Carbon Copy), based on an earlier short story which appeared in SOLARIS,
was put out by Quebec/Amerique. The Editions Quebec/Amerique also
announced the upcoming release of CONTES DE TYRANAEL (Tyranael Tales) by
Elisabeth Vonarburg in their juvenile fiction line. Another young adult
novel, TU PEUX COMPTER SUR MOI (You Can Count on Me), by Jean-Francois
Somain, originally published in 1990, will appear this fall in Japanese
translation. Major novels await the opening of the fall season, and
especially the November Salon du Livre in Montreal.
Earlier, Jean-Pierre April's novel BERLIN-BANGKOK, which actually came
close to predicting the fall of the Berlin Wall, was reissued by J'ai Lu
in France in a somewhat revised edition, four years after its original
publication in Canada.
The fanzine scene remains fairly sedate in Quebec. Old-timer SAMIZDAT
continues to appear sporadically, emphasizing well thought-out reviews over
fiction. Issue 24 had a story by newcomer Julie Martel as well as a long-
delayed one by Jean-Louis Trudel. The young and energetic Christian Martin
continues to pump out TEMPS TOT on a bi-monthly basis, favouring fiction
over reviews. So far, issues 22 to 26 have come out this year, with the
end of Jean-Louis Trudel's SF serial, a cadavre exquis by Laurent
McAllister, and stories by a medley of mostly new writers, including Claude
Bolduc and Francois Escalmel. Issue 25 was a special issue devoted to
newcomer Hugues Morin. Issue 26 offered an international medley of
stories, with Belgian author Alain le Bussy headlining the issue, while the
three other stories came from France, Rumania, and Canada.
In other news, Benoit Girard, who, after attending Chicon, launched an
English-language fanzine called THE FROZEN FROG, has spearheaded the birth
of a Quebec APA, called APAQ and including several SF writers. There
have also been rumblings of new magazines coming onto the scene, such as
CITE CALONNE. The first two issues of a cinema and horror magazine called
LE REVEUR FANTASTIQUE have actually appeared, with a heavy dose of reviews
and a cluttered layout. Whether it will last is still unclear, but it
bears witness to the continued vitality of the scene in that Canadian
province.
Jean-Louis Trudel
....................
Japan Report
....................
by David Milner
GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (GOJIRA VS MEKAGOJIRA), the twentieth
Godzilla film, opens in Japan on December 11th. The film features not only
Godzilla and an entirely redesigned MechaGodzilla, but Rodan and a new baby
Godzilla as well. A special preview screening of the film was held at the
Tokyo International Film Festival on Sunday, Sept. 26th, where it received
mixed reviews.
The Godzilla film TriStar Pictures is getting ready to produce will be
set in either New York or San Francisco, and feature a woman whose father
was killed by Godzilla. The special effects will be done almost exclusively
with computers. Although TriStar has yet to choose a director, it will not
be either Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam. A December 1994 release date had
been announced for the film, but sources inside TriStar now say that a
summer 1995 release date is much more likely.
The Daiei Motion Picture Company Ltd. has announced that it intends to
release a new Gamera film in Japan sometime in 1994. Daiei, which produced
all eight of the previous Gamera films, was recently purchased by the Toho
Company Ltd., the studio which produces the Godzilla films, and so Daiei
will produce the film, but Toho will distribute it.
A remake of the 1959 film JAPAN BIRTH (NIPON TANJO), which tells the
mythological story of the creation of Japan, is going to be released by
Toho in 1994. The title of the remake will be YAMATA BECOMES FURIOUS
(YAMATA TAKERU).
A new Ultraman television series called ULTRAMAN: THE ULTIMATE HERO
just finished shooting in Los Angeles. The series, a Tsuburaya Productions
Co., Ltd. and Major Havoc Entertainment, Inc. co-production, stars Kane
Kosugi, the son of Japanese martial arts star Sho Kosugi. Kosugi plays
Kenichi Kai, an armory specialist with the Worldwide Investigative Network
Response Team (WINR) who becomes Ultraman. Updated versions of the monsters
created for the first Ultraman series, ULTRA Q, are being used in the
series. ULTRAMAN: THE ULTIMATE HERO will be released on home video in Japan
in November and be available for broadcast in the United States in March
1994.
GRIDMAN, a television series similar to ULTRAMAN featuring a superhero
created on a computer, is now airing in Japan. It has received mostly
unfavorable reviews.
....................
Books, Stories, and SF Literature in General .....
....................
CHAD OLIVER, author of MISTS OF DAWN, SHADOWS IN THE SUN, and other novels,
died of cancer on August 9, 1993. He was a friend and inspiration to such
other Texas writers as Howard Waldrop and Bruce Sterling. Dr. Symmes C.
Oliver taught Antropology at the University of Texas for 38 years.
The Library of Tomorrow has been "at least put in indefinite hold" due to low
interest following limited announcements. The project was to be an
"electronic SF library" available for a flat fee. Presupporting members have
not been charged. Writers should contact Brad Templeton (brad@clarinet.com)
"for contract arrangements and more info."
TERRY PRATCHETT has said on the net that the major part of the Discworld
companion out next year will be a sort of "Discworld Brewer's Dictionary of
Phrase and Fable." It's written by STEPHEN BRIGGS "with some assistance by"
Mr. Pratchett. He also said he liked the drawings he's seen from MORT: The
Big Comic by GRAHAM HIGGINS. It'll be out mid-to-late 1994.
TERRY PRATCHETT, responding to a neo's request on alt.fan.pratchett for a
biography: "Born 1948. Still not dead."
According to KEVIN ANDERSON, STAR WARS: TALES FROM THE CANTINA is due out for
Christmas of 1994, though Bantam is still listing it as a "work in progress."
Anderson is editing the collection of short stories, where various writers
were assigned a creature from the original cantina scene in SW: A NEW HOPE
and told to write a story about how they came to be there. The stories will
be interlaced. The same basic idea is in place for TALES FROM JABBA'S
PALACE. Several other anthology titles, such as TALES FROM THE ROUND TABLE
and BESPIN ANECDOTES, have been thrown around on the net, but we have
confirmed that they were in fact a prank, and DO NOT EXIST.
According to the Del Rey Internet Newsletter, DAVID EDDINGS' next books will
be BELGARATH and POLGARA, stand alones set before the saga of Garion the
King.
NANCY COLLINS' upcoming DC comic, WICK, will reportedly be set in the
same world as her SUNGLASSES novels. Word is also that Dark Horse may
adapt the SUNGLASSES books and IN THE BLOOD.
ROBERT ANTON WILSON (THE ILLUMINATUS!, SCHRODINGER'CAT) is available
for lectures. Contact moksha@cats.ucsc.edu for information and
booking.
Word is that Larry Niven will be writing a RINGWORLD vampire story,
and that he came up with the idea a week before mentioning it at the
New Zealand natcon. Part of this third Ringworld book is already written.
According to the Del Rey Internet Newsletter, Del Rey is planning to publish
two more books set in ALAN DEAN FOSTER's Humanx Commonwealth universe, a Pip
& Flink book in 1995, and a Commonwalth Universe book in 1996.
...............
Movies
...............
VINCENT PRICE has passed away at the age of 82. The star of more than 100
films, he has said that he didn't mind being remember for his role as a master
of horror, but he was also a well known artist and gourmet cook. He died of
lung cancer in his home the night of October 25, 1993.
Some movies we haven't seen on the net yet ...
In November, look for THE THREE MUSKETEERS, starring KIEFER SUTHERLAND
(THE LOST BOYS), CHARLIE SHEEN, CHRIS O'DONNELL, OLIVER PLATT, REBECCA
DEMORNAY, and, as our favorite notion of Cardinal Richelieu, TIM CURRY. It's
directed by STEPHEN HEREK. (This Disney version beat TriStar to the starting
line, so that one's been scrapped.)
And STEVEN SPIELBERG will roll out the animated WE'RE BACK: A
DINOSAUR'S TALE, a kid flick about dinosaurs in New York on November
12. Cast includes JAY LENO, WALTER CRONKITE, and JOHN GOODMAN.
Upcoming from Troma: TOXIC CRUSADERS, A NYMPHOID BARBARIAN IN
DINOSAUR HELL, SGT. KABUKIMAN N.Y.P.D., and MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO.
Anime fans may want to look for GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, a Japanese
animated film based on AKIYUKI NOSAKA's story. It's subtitled in
english, and is supposed to be a "testimony of the human spirit."
The live action X-MEN film is scheduled for summer 1995 release from
20th Century Fox.
ANNE RICE has told the press that she is unhappy with the choice of
TOM CRUISE as Lestat in the upcoming film version of her book
INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE, saying that he's too "mom and apple pie."
Her choice? Well, she had apparently envisioned the role more like
RUTGER HAUER. Also, there are rumors that much of the homoeroticism
present in the book will not appear in the script, but it is unclear
if this is at Cruise's request or if it's just the realities of big-
budget filmmaking.
According to director STUART GORDON (RE-ANIMATOR) his latest film,
FORTRESS, was originally planned for ARNOLD SCHWARZNEGGER, not current
star CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT. He told UPI that it was changed partly
because "You never worry Arnold is the hero becase you know he can and
will escape in one piece." He also said that part of the research for
the film included a trip to Pelican Bay Prison, where they were given
stab-proof vests and "had to sign releases that said if we were taken
hostage they would not try to save us."
While parts of Europe will be seeing the $300 million grossing
JURASSIC PARK only this month, a pirated version has ALREADY been
shown on Russian television. While illegal copies of US films
dominate the Russian video market -- to the point where the Motion
Picture Association of America boycotted the Moscow film festival in
protest, and new foreign releases almost NEVER go to Russian theaters
-- the August television showing was unexpected because the film
hasn't been shown on television or released on video anywhere. It was
apparently shot with a video camera in a US, Asian, or European
theater (at one point you can see a member of the audience leave his
seat) and shown in the town of Yekaterinburg, Russia. Yekaterinburg,
coincidentally, happens to be Boris Yeltsin's home town.
(Incidentally, the Russian film scene may change. The Samuel Goldwyn
Company agreed to allow a showing of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at a Western
hotel in Moscow -- on the condition that the print have it's own 24-hour
guard. The price was $10(US), about a week's wages for the average Russian
worker. (Russian friends here say that's a VERY generous Russian wage.))
Terminator comes to New York: The New York City Transit Police Department
has been testing a laser sighting system for use in the dark subterranean
world of the New York City Subway System. They think that it will be both a
deterrent and a help, causing criminals to think twice and helping police
officers to hit their targets even in a darkened environment or a situation
where the gun can't be raised to eye level. The sights are made by
LaserMax Inc., of Rochester, N.Y. and can be inserted right into the Glock
9mm handguns the department already uses.
GALE ANN HURD (ALIENS, THE ABYSS, TERMINATOR (1 and 2)) has signed a 3 year
first-look contract with Paramount. Hurd owns her own production company,
Pacific Western Productions, formed in 1982 to make THE TERMINATOR.
Following complaints from independent theaters in England that major film
distributors were holding back hot films, the Monopolies and Mergers
Commission has been asked to investigate.
JURASSIC PARK has surpassed the worldwide box office record previously held
by ET: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, earning over $704 million. ET still holds the
domestic record by around $75 million.
Imagine, for a moment, owning stock in the film JURASSIC PARK. OK, now
stop salivating over your bank account. Obviously it's too late for that, but
according to Clarinet and UPI, the next PAUL HOGAN film, LIGHTNING JACK, is
being financed by a public stock offering on the Australian Stock Exchange.
American investors should check with the Bank of New York about availability.
Hogan's CROCKADILE DUNDEE films brought in over $800 million worldwide, so
this is likely to be a successful test, and nothing breeds success like
success, so we may see other films financed in a similar manner.
STEVEN SPIELBERG'S World War II drama SCHINDLER'S LIST will open December 15
in order to qualify for this year's Academy Awards.
MORTAL KOMBAT will follow SUPER MARIO BROS. and DOUBLE DRAGON in the arcade-
game-turned-movie field. LARRY KASANOFF will produce the film for Lightstorm
Entertainment. He will also set up a deal for a television series.
RIDLEY SCOTT (ALIEN, BLADE RUNNER) and his brother TONY (BEVERLY HILLS COP
II) are negotiating a deal with 20th Century Fox, Italy's RCS Video, and
England's Majectic Films International to produce up to 8 films. The
brothers would direct a minimum of four.
When THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW first sneak-previewed, all but 13 people
had walked out before the third reel. It wasn't until a few theaters decided
to take a chance showing the "bomb" at midnight on the weekends and a theater
owner noticed that it was the same 50-60 people who showed up every weekend
that producer LOU ADLER decided to push it as a cult film. The rest, as they
say, is history. Since then the film has taken in about $175 million on a
$900,000 investment. The then unknown stars, such as TIM CURRY, BARRY
BOSTWICK, SUSAN SURANDON, and MEATLOAF, have since gone on to fame. The film
will finally be shown on television October 25 on Fox.
But what about it's future in the theaters? Three years ago it finally
broke into Brazil, Mexico, and Spain, and next the producers are shooting for
Russia and China. The prospects for a wide release? Adler told UPI that
"Eight years ago Fox tried to distribute it widely and it bombed again. You
can't surprise people with this film. It frightens them. They don't know what
to think."
JUDGE DREDD is turning out to be one of those movies where you just can't pin
down the star. Rumors had named CLINT EASTWOOD and ARNOLD SCHWARZNEGGER, but
apparently 2000AD has confirmeded that it will be SYLVESTER STALLONE. We'll
see. It will be directed by DANNY CANNON.
The nostalgic might want to swallow their pride and see a matinee of
ERNEST RIDES AGAIN -- for the short that comes with it, MR. BILL GOES
TO WASHINGTON. The clay Mr. Bill hasn't been seen much since his
misadventures on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.
STAR WARS:
(With the next movie approaching it's beginning to look like we're
going to need a separate section for SW news. (And it's still a few
years off yet!)
Part of the resurgence in SW merchandising is the STAR WARS
ADVENTURE JOURNAL from West End Games. Beginning in February 1994, it
will be published quarterly -- 288 pages, 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches,
perfect bound with a color cover -- and will go for $12.00 in hobby
and book stores, with $35.00/year subscriptions available from WEG.
Now. Having said that, there is opportunity here. Many of
today's writers honed their teeth on other people's characters and
universes, writing "fan fiction" often without even knowing it, and
certainly without getting paid. Now's your chance to use that talent
to your advantage. WEG is looking for writers for the JOURNAL. While
it is oriented towards the SW role-playing game, there are different
sections, from short (1000-1500 words) columns such as "Rebel's Field
Guide" to longer articles on rules, new characters, or one-act
adventures. They can run from 3000 to 10000 words, but anything over
5000 words should be preceeded by a proposal. There will also be
interviews -- the first issue features TIMOTHY ZAHN, who also provides
the story "First Contact," about the first meeting of two characters
from his novels. (Interviews for following issues are already set.)
The details: First of all, while they welcome new writers, you
MUST be professional about it if you expect them to work with you.
It's still a business. Second, the pay is 3.5 to 4 cents per word,
but there are three catches: 1) They pay on publication, at least
when they first work with you. 2) That's a flat rate -- don't expect
royalties. And worst of all: 3) You sell ALL rights. Anything
written for the SW universe must be approved by Lucasfilm (WEG takes
care of that) and they then own all rights to the piece, the
characters, the places, etc. This isn't just WEG, it's anything that
uses the SW universe.
For more information on the JOURNAL and/or writer's guidelines,
write to West End Game Ltd., RR 3 Box 2345, Honesdale, PA 18431-9560.
Be sure to get the guidelines first, because they include the release
form that must accompany your manscript or proposal if they are going
to look at it.
In other news, as we reported in an earlier issue, Lucasfilm is
planning to follow the ZAHN books with a series of novels set in the
New Republic era.
The first of these is STAR WARS: THE TRUCE AT BAKURA, by KATHY
TYERS, which deals with the Empire and the Rebellion uniting to fight
an alien threat. It's due in November. Also, KEVIN ANDERSON will be
writing a trilogy centered on Luke reestablishing the Jedi Knights set
7 years after RETURN OF THE JEDI. (For more, check out the Book section.)
Also due in November is NEW VISIONS: THE ART OF THE STAR WARS
GALAXY, which features more than 70 full page illustrations, a George
Lucas intro, and writings from the artists involved with the trading
card projects.
On the musical front, Fox Records will be releasing a four CD set
of music from the movies, ALMOST completing all of the scores. The
first three will be most of the music from each film, IN ORDER, unlike
the records Polygram put out, and the fourth will include MOST of
what's left. The rest may be released on a fifth disc, but that isn't
definite. The music has been remastered and supposedly sounds
incredible. The set, called "The Star Wars Trilogy: The Original
Soundtrack Anthology," will include a 50-75 booklet featuring an essay by
director NICHOLAS MEYER and previously unreleased color plates from Lucasfilm.
It also includes track-by-track liner notes from fellow net surfer Lukas
Kendall, and will cost between $60 and $70. Lukas calls it "money
well spent."
And finally, TALES OF THE JEDI #2 is due in comics stores by
November 19th.
As for the release date of the next STAR WARS film, here's what we have:
An Entertainment Weekly sidebar listing the release of the first film as May
25, 1995 with the rest of the films in the following 5 years, and a USA Today
report that Lucas "hoped to begin production in the next four years," and
that he was working to get the costs down because "the development of the
technology was just as important" as the films.
We've been saying (privately) for a while that we believe we will see
the films May 25, 1995. The evidence bears us out. The rumors that he's
been working on it for a while seem to be true, for one thing. For another,
the new slew of books that are hitting the stands are slated to stop in
1995, which makes sense if new movies -- and hence characters and situations
-- are going to be on screen. And, for those of you who say, "But wait, 1997
makes more sense because that's the 20th anniversary," you're half right. It
is the 20th anniversary, but it doesn't necessarily make more sense. The
films will be made together (ala BACK TO THE FUTURE) and released in
successive years. That puts the last film right smack on the 20th
anniversary.
Of course, we could be wrong. As always, we encourage you to examine
the evidence yourself.
Meanwhile, after saying for years that he felt the character was played out,
HARRISON FORD will be back in his role as INDIANA JONES. The film will be
written by JEB STUART, who wrote the script for Ford's enormously successful
THE FUGITIVE, and (of course) directed by STEVEN SPEILBERG. Hints have been
floating around since the release of THE FUGITIVE when Ford told interviewers
that he and his wife, MELISSA MATHESON, had been toying with a couple of
ideas for another Indy film. There is no word as to whether any of those
ideas will be the basis for Stuart's script, or if SEAN CONNERY will be
reprising his role as Dr. Henry Jones Sr..
....................
Television
....................
....................
HIGHLANDER
....................
by Debbie Douglass
The clash of swords locked in Immortal combat returned to the small
screen when the second season premiere of the syndicated TV series HIGHLANDER
aired this month. This series and the HIGHLANDER movies on which it's based
have sparked a fast growing fandom which has already generated a fanclub,
several electronic discussion groups, one letterzine and three upcoming
fanzines. Loyal longtime movie fans have finally found a place to share their
opinions. Meanwhile groups of loyal fans scour dealer tables at science
fiction conventions searching for anything remotely related to the show and
the movies.
This HIGHLANDER fan movement continues to astound me even as I view it
from the inside. You see I'm caught up in the middle of it. I am a HIGHLANDER
fan. I'm fascinated by the idea of Immortals living among us, yet apart,
involved in their own individual dramas. People who have experienced
centuries of history firsthand, but still remain human. They aren't
superheroes. They're not supernatural beings. They are just like you and me
except they can't really die. That is unless a 7 foot tall lunatic takes
their head off with a broadsword. And yet imagine the tragedy of their lives
as they watch their friends and loved ones die of old age, a process forever
denied them.
My fascination led me to the USENET newsgroups where I discovered other
HIGHLANDER fans. We started talking as a small email group in February which
grew into the BITNET mailing list that I manage. We have fun trading tapes of
episodes we missed and discussing topics ranging next week's episode to the
history of the real Clan MacLeod. Endless discussions arise about the
differences between the American and European versions of the original movie.
Intriguing still is the directions that the producers have taken the
series so far. We've seen morality plays covering topics ranging from drugs
and medical experimentation to the angst of adoption. And they promise more
surprises yet to come. The series will be welcoming two new characters this
season. Introduced in the season premiere, Joe Dawson, played by JIM BYRNES,
is a bookstore owner who is really a high-ranking member of The Watchers, a
secret society dedicated to observing Immortals. Charlie DeSalvo, played by
PHILLIP AKIN, is a ex-Navy SEAL and martial arts expert who will be
introduced in a later episode.
The producers are continuing to follow their successful practice of
offering guest star roles to rock singers. Last season, we saw JOAN JETT,
ROLAND GIFT of The Fine Young Cannibals, and The Who's ROGER DALTREY briefly
transformed into Immortals for our enjoyment. Already this season, famed
rock star SHEENA EASTON has finished filming her shot at Immortality for an
early episode. She and ADRIAN PAUL worked together previously in her music
video 'Strut' during Mr. PAUL'S days as a dancer. Also joining the lists of
noteworthy guest stars we have ROWDY RODDY PIPER, the wrestler, and GERAINT
WYN DAVIES. Wyn Davies is no stranger to immortality. He portrays a modern
day vampire on FOREVER KNIGHT, a late night CBS series. {Note - FOREVER KNIGHT
is currently on hiatus but will be returning next spring.}
Twenty-two episodes are planned for the second season, which is ranked
No. 10 among weekly syndicated series and is shown in 137 US markets.
Fourteen of the new episodes will be shot in Vancouver and eight in Paris.
-----------------------------
NEWS:
HIGHLANDER fans were saddened to learn of the passing of actor WERNER
STOCKER, who portrayed the Immortal priest Darius last season. Mr. Stocker
suffered from a cerebral tumor and passed away in late May, several weeks
after shooting was completed on the first season. He will be missed, and we
will not forget his final role as the peaceful Darius.
CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT and his wife, actress DIANE LANE, celebrated the birth of
their daughter, Eleanor Jasmine on Sept. 8, 1993.
THE GUNMEN, described as a modern western starring CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT, MARIO
VAN PEEBLES, and PATRICK STEWART is scheduled to open in theatres in the US
on November 24.
Filming for the lastest HIGHLANDER movie will start in the middle of November
in Canada. Scenes will also be filmed at locations in Scotland and New York.
HIGHLANDER III: THE MAGICIAN will be closer in tone to the first movie
according CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT in a recent interview on NBC's TODAY show."
HIGHLANDER, the first movie, will be re-released on home video by Republic
Pictures in the USA on November 3rd.
"HIGHLANDER - THE GATHERING" will be released on home video by Hemdale films
in the USA on Oct 27. This video includes the episodes "The Gathering" and
"Revenge is Sweet" edited together as a feature length movie. Features:
Christopher Lambert, Adrian Paul, Richard Moll and Vanity.
---------------------------------
Although the net reaction to LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
seems to be mostly favorable, the show has been running third behind MURDER,
SHE WROTE and the less-well-received-from-what-we've-seen SEAQUEST DSV. The
group Viewers for Quality Television has asked ABC President TED HARBERT to
be patient and not start moving the show around, but his response was that a
network can't always afford t be patient. (Editor's note: A little move
might be in order, in this editor's opinion, if only to correct the
ridiculous mistake of pitting it against its major network competition in
terms of audience. Let's hope, however, that they don't pull a YOUNG INDY
and make viewers guess when it will be on next.)
Ratings have been holding steady, however, while those for SEAQUEST DSV
have been dropping like a ... well, fill in the blank. Every week it loses a
large part of its audience, and at this rate it will be below L&C before
long. What's more, while L&C's ratings are certainly not spectacular, ABC
reportedly likes the demographics of the audience. Don't look for quick
cancellation of SQ, though, as NBC had purchased the full 22 episodes before
the season even started.
Other talk from the producers has established that although S.T.A.R.
Labs has been mentioned in the show, viewers should not hold their breath
waiting for characters from THE FLASH to appear. It is simply a matter of
economics, as it would mean mucho bucks for DC Comics. Also, it has been
said that if the producers "smell" cancellation, they will proceed with the
engagement of Clark and Lois.
And lastly, a bit of Superman trivia: Bessolo was both the name of the
street where Superman's rocket was being stored in a recent episode of LOIS
AND CLARK and the real name of GEORGE REEVES, the 1950's SUPERMAN.
SEAQUEST DSV will be adapted for comics by Nemesis Comics, starting in
November with a story detailing the origin of the Seaquest written by DAN
CHICHESTER with ERNIE COLON doing the artwork. HOWARD CHAYKIN will do the
cover art.
RUSSELL JOHNSON, who appeared in such films as THIS ISLAND EARTH and IT CAME
FROM OUTER SPACE, was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize at M.I.T. on October 7.
Johnson is most famous for his role as the Professor on GILLIGAN'S ISLAND,
for which he received the spoof prize. While promoting his autobiography,
HERE ON GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, (NOT a steamy tell-all, by the way) he told a
Toronto writer that his standard answer for why, when he made such fantastic
inventions, the professor didn't just fix the castaway's boat, is "Fix the
boat? Wow! That never occurred to me!" (John Mack, whose research helped to
inspire CHRIS CARTER to create X-FILES, was also awarded the Ig Nobel prize for
his research into UFO abductions. The prizes are sponsored by M.I.T.'s JOURNAL
OF IRREPRODUCIBLE RESULTS.)
Never underestimate the power of the press. Earlier this month, a fatal fire
was blamed on the animated BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD, which was shown on MTV in the
early evening, when younger children can watch it. A five year old was
reportedly inspired by the pair, for whom "Fire is cool" (huh-huh-huh-huh) is
a bit of a catch phrase. He set fire to his family's trailer, killing his
two year old sister.
The day the story hit the airwaves, early evening news said that MTV was
denying any responsibility, and that they had no intention of changing the
program or it's time slot. MIKE JUDGE, who created the pair, said that what
was good about them was how stupid they made the dumb things they do look.
An hour later, national news reported that MTV was re-evaluating the pair's
place in the schedule. By 11pm, MTV had decided to eliminate all references
to "fire" from the show. Before a week was out, the 7pm showing had been
moved to 10:30pm (to be replaced with "Videos That Don't Suck").
Before the controversy, SIMPSONS creator MATT GROENING said that he was
thrilled with the explosion in animation. He told the Los Angeles Times that
"After BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD, I think everything is permitted. I love Beavis,
but I just want to kill that darned Butthead."
OK, here we go with more news on the DR. WHO front. According to sources in
the UK, the BBC will produce at least one special next year. They are
reportedly considering doing a series of specials as a means of "testing the
waters," so to speak.
Also, there's been some talk of "lost episodes" recovered in foreign
film cans shipped back to the BBC after years in storage, and these seem to
have been confirmed. There is no word on whether there are any complete
stories, but apparently there is the additional complication that the copies
that were returned were not in English. The BBC does have the audio msters,
however, and is reportedly looking into remastering the films from them.
As for what happened to the original plans for a fall special, the truth
is probably somewhere between the official line that the BBC had never
planned to make the special in the first place and the talk that it was
cancelled behind the back of high muckety-mucks amid political and
commericial maneuvering.
Here's a scary thought for you: RON PERELMAN, who owns Marvel Entertainment
Group, told NEW YORK MAGAZINE that he is willing to spend up to $1 billion
"putting together a real entertainment company." What that says about
Marvel, we don't know. Perelman paid $100 million for SCI Television, a
group of television stations, as the base for a national network he would
like to start. He also said that he wanted to produce his own shows.
MATT FREWER (MAX HEADROOM) will be doing the voice for possibly one of the
most famous mutes in film history, the PINK PANTHER. The panther, who did
actually do a little bit of dialogue in one of the live action films where
he first appeared with the credits (sounding very distinguished), will sound
like "a hyped-up version of my own voice," Frewer told UPI. "What I did was
sautee a large Spanish onion over low heat, chuck in a little oregano and let
it happen." He also said that he had a tendency to act out the panther's
movements in the recording booth. "To the producers and animators watching
from outside I must look pretty much like a guy having an epileptic fit."
MGM's newly revived animation department will make produce 40 new
episodes with Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng, who created the original.
Other voices will include DAN CASTELLANETA (HOMER SIMPSON), JO ANNE WORLEY,
RUTH BUZZI, JOHN BYNER, JOE PISCOPO, and CHARLES NELSON REILLY.
First there was SESAME STREET, and later the gang moved on to THE MUPPET
SHOW. Then there was FRAGGLE ROCK. Now Jim Henson Productions is
introducing a new generation of Muppets for THE SECRET LIFE OF TOYS, a new
television series that has already been bought by both the BBC and Germany's
WDR. There is no word on whether, when, or where the 26 13-minute fantasies
will turn up in the United States, but international video distribution will
be handled by Buena Vista Home Video, part of Disney. Disney also has a
liscensing deal with Jim Henson Productions.
If you're decrying the state of children's programming, check out CRO, a
Saturday morning cartoon that attempts to teach kids a bit of science and
technology through storytelling. (ABC, 8 am)
COLIN BAKER has returned to DR. WHO -- sort of. He has written DOCTOR WHO:
AGE OF CHAOS, a four issue limited series comic book where the 6th Doctor
goes on a quest to find one of his old companions (no word on which one.)
The artwork is by JOHN M. BURNS, and the first issue (which will sport a
metallic ink cover) will be available from Marvel after November 25th.
The third QUANTUM LEAP novel will be QUANTUM LEAP: THE WALL, by ASHLEY
MCCONELL, about the Berlin Wall. The fourth book will reportedly be written
by MELISSA CRANDALL.
According to DR. WHO BULLETIN, film cans have been returned from Scandinavia.
For those new to the phenomenon, when foreign countries return film cans to
the BBC they occasionally contain episodes of DR. WHO that are currently
"lost". They are the episodes that were originally shipped out to be shown
on foreign television. This time the rumor is that a full copy of THE POWER
OF THE DALEKS was included, but the BBC are refusing to say what was in the
cans, fueling specuation that the story WAS there, and that they are
withholding an announcement until the upcoming annivesary.
FOREVER KNIGHT is reportedly on the way back, taking advantage of the new
trend of "direct to syndication" marketing. The show is being distributed by
TriStar to CBS affiliates for the 11:30 Saturday night slot. When
encouraging your local affiliate to pick it up, be sure to let them know you
are referring to the second, syndicated season, available in May, 1994. The
address for TriStar television is 9336 West Washington Boulevard, Culver
City, CA 90232, if you want to encourage them to make the show available to
other stations of your CBS affiliate isn't interested.
....................
Star Trek
....................
On the movie front, ST VII will, as we have said, star the cast of TNG, with
possible appearances by members of the TOS crew. There's been some question
as to how extensive those roles will be, along with talk that only cast
members who have appeared in TNG being included. That, of course, narrows it
down to DEFORREST KELLEY, LEONARD NIMOY, and JAMES DOOHAN.
Nimoy, however, has made it clear that he has certain requirements for
his appearance. "I'm not going to walk through and wave," he told the San
Jose Mercury News. "If they have something interesting for Spock to do, they
can let me know and I'll be there." He also said that he had not been
approached about directing STVII.
GATES MCFADDEN may direct an episode of ST:DSN this season. Also, convention
reports cite her as mentioning that WIL WHEATON is currently doing "computer
work" in Silicon Valley.
WALTER KOENIG is back at work after the heart attack that laid him out for
heart surgery this summer. In addition to his Malibu Comics series RAVER
(which may be adapted as a video game) he is back to square one in finding
funding for a television pilot. According to an article from Gannet News
Service, at the time of his heart attack he was set to start producing the
show, which they described as "sort of a zany STAR TREK ala MONTY PYTHON."
Also in on the deal were GEORGE TAKEI and NICHELLE NICHOLS.
He was to appear in an early episode of BABYLON V, but was unable to
due to his heart attack. However, according to J. MICHEAL STRACZYNSKI, there
will be another role created for him.
The season's last TNG will be a two hour episde, but it is not clear whether
it will be a cliffhanger to be resolved in the feature film, due out for
Christmas of 1994.
RUMORS ... RUMORS ... Here's what we've got on the next ST show, to be titled
(supposedly) STAR TREK: THE NEXT FRONTIER. First off, it will NOT follow
Wesley Crusher and his cohorts at Starfleet academy. It also will NOT be set
on a USS Enterprise. It will NOT have any of the regular TNG cast in it,
although nothing is certain, and both JONATHAN FRAKES and MARINA SIRTIS have
said that they would be interested in continuing on to the new show, so a
spinoff where Riker finally accepts a captaincy is not completely out of the
question, but it is VERY unlikely.
Plotlines that have been mentioned vary widely, from "prolonged
exploration" of the Gamma Quadrant to a group of independant traders
(jokingly referred to as the USS Free Enterprise) to a show set on a Klingon
ship. The staff writers have reportedly been asked to submit ideas and
there's still plenty of time, so anything is possible.
Whatever they decide upon, it will be set in the same time period as
TNG and DSN to allow for crossovers, and rumors are that the producers are
looking for a Englishwoman to head the cast.
LEVAR BURTON will be appearing in PARALLEL LIVES, a movie for Showtime. The
interesting thing about it is that there will be no script. The actors, who
include JOBETH WILLIAMS (POLTERGEIST), and JIM BELUSHI (WILD PALMS), will
each make up a character and then bring it to director LINDA YELLEN, who will
weave them together into a story. The final filming will consist of the
actors ad-libbing according to the script outline.
The cast of ST:DSN have signed 7 year contacts, where the original TNG
contracts were only 6 years. People have been saying that they are moving on
the TNG movies because the cast wants too much money to continue in the show
now that their contracts are up, but that's NOT the case. The plan has
ALWAYS been to move on to movies after the run of the show. In fact,
originally, they only expected TNG to run for five years, where upon it was
said that they would move on to STAR TREK: THE NEXT NEXT GENERATION -- well,
OK, that wasn't the actual title, but it was the general idea -- while the
TNG people did movies.
WILLIAM SHATNER will be the grand marshal of the 1994 Rose Bowl parade. The
theme is "A Fantasic Adventure." Shatner, who raises horses and plays polo,
will ride his own chestnut gelding "I Prefer Roses."
Well, somebody's listening ... An article in Entertainment Weekly reportedly
cited comments from fans on bulletin boards and at conventions as part of the
reason for a shift in emphasis of DSN. There will be more guest stars,
mostly as Bajorrans, (FRANK LANGELLA and LOUISE FLETCHER we've already seen,
as well as JOHN GLOVER as a Trill and RICHARD BEYMER.) There will also be a
new set of villians, tentatively called The Dominion, from the other side of
the wormole.
There probably aren't too many STAR TREK fans who are computer illiterates
(and even fewer reading this magazine!) but that hasn't stopped JENNIFER
FLYNN from writing STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION: TWENTIETH CENTURY
COMPUTERS AND HOW THEY WORKED: THE OFFICIAL STARFLEET HISTORY OF COMPUTERS.
Put out by Alpha Books, it reportedly carries a lot of actual information
below the covering of futurist technology.
PATRICK STEWART will be performing his one man A CHRISTMAS CAROL in the San
Francisco Bay Area to benefit Shakespeare/Santa Cruz on November 13.
When COLM MEANEY signed for DSN, it was with the stipulation that he could
disappear for a couple of weeks to make a movie occasionally. If Cannes is
correct, he made good use of the opportunity with THE SNAPPER, based on the
second book in Roddy Doyle's Barrytown series, which started with THE
COMMITTMENTS. The film deals with one Irishman's attempt to deal with his
daughter's independence when she becomes pregnant and refuses to name the
father.
He can also be seen in INTO THE WEST.
It is the ultimate ambition of probably most of the people reading this: to go
to the stars. Though there is not yet a contest that will allow you to do
that, The Planetary Society, Time Warner Interactive Group, and NPTN's Academy
One are sponsoring a contest to allow one talented child's art to go to Mars.
The art contest carries a deadline of November 8 for paper entries and November
15 for electronic entries, so time is running short. Judges include MIKE OKUDA
and RICK STERNBACH of ST:TNG. For more information contact TJ Goldstein
(tlg4@po.CWRU.edu) or Jim Baumgartner (jbum@netcom.com).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!11!-- Spoilers Ahoy! Including TWILIGHT ZONE Episode Guide
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
STAR TREK: The Next Generation STAR TREK: Deep Space Nine
Week of 10/09/93 Gambit, Part I The Siege
10/16/93 Gambit, Part II Invasive Procedures
10/23/93 Phantasms Cardassians
10/30/93 Dark Page Melora
11/06/93 Attached Rules of Acquisition
11/13/93 Force of Nature Necessary Evil
11/20/93 Inheritance Second Sight
11/27/93 Parallels Sanctuary
In "Dark Page," Lwaxana Troi is back, but not her usual bubbly self. A
traumatic secret has caused her to have a mental collapse that threatens her
life if Deanna can't help her.
In "Phantasms," Data experiences his first nightmare, with disastrous results
for the rest of the crew.
In "Parallels," Worf bounces between alternate realities, one of which
includes Wesely Crusher. Look for alterations in costume and sets, ala'
"Yesterday's Enterprise."
The "Cardassians" attempt to reclaim young Cardassians orphaned in the war and
raised on Bejor.
Movies that will supposedly appear on season five of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER
3000: Warrior of the Lost World, Hercules, Swamp Diamonds, Secret Agent Super
Dragon, The Magic Voyage of Sinbad, Eegah!, I Accuse My Parents, Operation
007, Girl in Lover's Lane, The Painted Hills, MitchelL, The Brain That
Wouldn't Die, Teenage Strangler, Wild World of Batwoman, Atomic Brain,
Beginning of the End, Radar Secret Service
HIGHLANDER
Second season episode list
01 The Watchers
02 Studies In Light
03 Turnabout
04 The Darkness
05 An Eye For An Eye
06 The Zone
07 Revenge of the Sword
08 Amanda Returns
ALEXANDRA VANDERNOOT will be leaving HIGHLANDER to continue her career in
feature films. She had expressed a desire during the second season contract
negotiations to stay in France to be closer to her family but agreed to stay
with the show long enough for the writers to write her character out of the
story lines. Her character, Tessa Noel, will die in an episode early in the
season. As a result, STAN KIRSCH's character will be expanded.
The first episode, "The Watchers" opens in Paris with Duncan MacLeod (played by
ADRIAN PAUL), devastated by the senseless murder of his long-time friend, the
Immortal priest Darius (portrayed last season by the late WERNER STOCKER). His
hunt for the killers takes him back to North America to his old city.
"Studies in Light" Duncan discovers an Immortal friend undergoing violent
psychological changes during a photo art show and is reunited with an old lover
who is now 73 years old.
"Turnabout" Evil Immortal Quenten Barnes escapes from the tomb he was sealed in
after being convicted and executed for murder 30 years ago. Now, he is after
those involved in his execution among which is an old friend of Duncan's.
"The Darkness" A pivotal episode. Renegade Watcher Pallin Wolf is after the
death of *all* Immortals, including Duncan.
"An Eye for An Eye" Richie decides to be a hero during a terrorist attack on an
ambassador.
"The Zone" A neighborhood so bad that even the police won't go in alone. Joe
Dawson suspects that the new leader of the ruling gang is an Immortal. He asks
Duncan to investigate.
"Revenge of the Sword" A former student of Charlie Desalvo's has made it big as
a martial arts movie star. Trouble erupts on the scene of his latest movie
about street gangs.
"Amanda Returns" Our ever-popular sneak thief is back and she claims she's
changed her ways. Who can blame Duncan for not believing her? Especially since
Federal agents are hot on her trail.
[Editor's note: The TWILIGHT ZONE EPISODE GUIDE is reprinted with permission
from the author. It has not been edited except to condense it space-wise.
All text is intact. The original is available by FTP from
gandalf.rutgers.edu.]
[This file is from the Sf-Lovers Archives at Rutgers University. It is
provided as part of a free service in connection with distribution of
Sf-Lovers Digest. This file is currently maintained by the moderator of the
Digest. It may be freely copied or redistributed in whole or in part as long
as this notice remains intact. If you
would like to know more about Sf-Lovers
Digest, send mail to SF-LOVERS-REQUEST@RUTGERS.EDU.]
===========================
TWILIGHT ZONE EPISODE GUIDE
===========================
Revision of 9/82
===========================
Saul Jaffe
Lauren Weinstein (vortex!lauren@LBL-UNIX)
Lauren's rating system
* ugh. pretty bad.
** has merit.
*** good, solid show.
**** particularly good.
***** superlative.
_________________________________
In this document, comments by Saul Jaffe are preceded by SJ: and
comments by Lauren Weinstein are preceded by LW:.
"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It
is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is
the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and
superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears, and the
summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It
is an area which we call... THE TWILIGHT ZONE."
Rod Serling
LW: Background
The Twilight Zone originally aired on the CBS Television Network.
It was heavily sponsored by the large tobacco companies. In fact
Serling did a few of the commercials himself! Serling just was
not complete without the dangling cigarette, a fact which was
later to contribute to his untimely demise...
It should be noted that there have been rumors that some of the
shows credited to Serling were actually "ghostwritten" by someone
else. There is, however, no proof of this. Chalk another one up
with Francis Bacon and Willy Shakespeare....
To an even greater extent than with "The Outer Limits", many
actors appear in these episodes who later became very big stars.
Many familiar (but younger!) faces peer out at us from this
program...
FIRST SEASON 1959-1960
WHERE IS EVERYBODY? ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Robert Stevens
Cast: Earl Holliman, James Gregory
The pilot show for the series concerns a man who finds himself in a
completely deserted city. In the end, we learn that it was all a test to
observe how human beings will respond to extreme loneliness during space
flights. This was the only episode shot at Universal Studios, all others were
filmed at MGM.
LW: Earl Holliman later became known as Angie Dickenson's sidekick in
"Policewoman". Earl is the sole actor in this piece right up to the last
five minutes or so of the script.
ONE FOR THE ANGELS ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Robert Parish
Cast: Ed Wynn, Murray Hamilton, Dana Dillaway, Merritt Bohn
Wynn delivers a bravura performance as a sidewalk salesman who makes the
greatest pitch of his life to save a little girl from "Mr. Death".
MR. DENTON ON DOOMSDAY **
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Allen Reisner
Cast: Dan Duryea, Malcolm Atterbury, Martin Landau, Jeanne Cooper,
Ken Lynch, Doug McClure
A has-been gunslinger finds his fast draw abilities have been restored
after he drinks a magic potion.
LW: Neither Martin Landau nor Doug McClure had their careers exactly ended by
this episode, even though it was a poor one. Martin continued on to
roles in "The Outer Limits", and of course, starred in "Mission
Impossible". Doug shows up in a variety of places.
THE SIXTEEN-MILLIMETER SHRINE **
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Mitch Leisen
Cast: Ida Lupino, Martin Balsam, Alice Frost, Jerome Cowan
A former movie queen tries to recreate the spirit of her heyday by
screening her old movies...and living them.
WALKING DISTANCE ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Robert Stevens
Cast: Gig Young, Frank Overton, Michael Montgomery, Irene Tedrow
Young's acting and a magnificent score by Bernard Hermann highlight this
episode. Harried advertising agent Martin Sloane visits his home town and
slips thirty years into his childhood.
LW: Rather sentimental, but I'm a sucker for stuff like that. Our hero
actually meets himself as a child, and turns out to be the cause of an
old leg injury that bothered him the rest of his life...
ESCAPE CLAUSE ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Mitch Leisen
Cast: David Wayne, Virginia Christine, Wendell Holmes, Thomas Gomez
A hypochondriac makes a pact with the Devil for immortality. He then
kills someone for kicks, but instead of getting the electric chair, he is
sentenced to life imprisonment!
LW: Rather amusing, actually!
THE LONELY *****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Jack Smight
Cast: Jack Warden, Jean Marsh, John Dehner, Ted Knight, Jim Turley
This classic episode concerns one James Corry (Warden), a man convicted of
murder and sentenced to spend forty years on a distant asteroid. He has only
one companion - a robot made in the form of a woman. Ted Knight, later Ted
Baxter on THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, has a minor role as a nasty space
crewman.
LW: I gotta tell ya' ... the closing scene of this episode gave me nightmares
for many nights as a child when I first saw it. An excellent episode.
TIME ENOUGH AT LAST ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: John Brahm
Cast: Burgess Meredith, Jacqueline DeWit, Vaughn Taylor, Lela Bliss
In his first of several TWILIGHT ZONE episodes, Burgess Meredith plays a
nearsighted bank teller who becomes the only survivor of an H-bomb attack.
He is now able to pursue his only real interest in life: reading.
LW: At least, he THINKS he will be able to pursue it...
PERCHANCE TO DREAM ***
Writer: Charles Beaumont Director: Robert Florey
Cast: Richard Conte, John Larch, Suzanne Lloyd, Ted Stanhope,
Eddie Marr
The first non-Serling script of the series concerns a man (Conte) who is
terrified of falling asleep. He fears that the mysterious woman he meets in
his dreams will soon murder him.
LW: To elaborate a bit: Conte has a heart condition, and fears that the
excitement (so to speak) of dying in the dream will kill him. The last
time he went to sleep, he ended up in a rollercoaster with this mystery
woman. He knows that if he goes back to sleep, the dream will continue,
she will push him out, and that will finish him, both in the dream and in
reality. This episode involves several "layers" of reality and is a nice
one.
JUDGEMENT NIGHT *
Writer: Rod Serling Director: John Brahm
Cast: Nehemiah Persoff, Ben Wright, Patrick McNee, Hugh Sanders,
Leslie Bradley, Deirdre Owen, James Franciscus
Murky tale about a passenger aboard a wartime freighter who is certain
the ship will be sunk at 1:15 AM.
LW: Serling had a thing about ship stories, and they were almost always
rather poor. Oh well.
AND WHEN THE SKY WAS OPENED ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Douglas Heyes
Cast: Rod Taylor, Charles Aidman, James Hutton, Maxine Cooper
After three astronauts return from man's first space flight, each of
them mysteriously disappears. Based on a short story by Richard Matheson.
SJ: Serling was so impressed by Matheson's work that he was later
asked to write more episodes himself.
LW: A good episode concerning the subject of "what IS reality?"
WHAT YOU NEED ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: John Brahm
Cast: Steve Cochran, Ernest Treux, Reed Morgan, William Edmonson,
Arline Sax
Swindler Fred Renard (Cochran) tries to profit from an amiable fellow's
talent for seeing into the future. Based on a short story by Lewis Padgett.
THE FOUR OF US ARE DYING **
Writer: Rod Serling Director: John Brahm
Cast: Harry Townes, Beverly Garland, Philip Pine, Ross Martin,
Don Gordon
Arch Hammer (Townes) can alter his face to make it look like anyone
else's. Based on a short story by George Johnson.
LW: Not one of the best efforts.
THIRD FROM THE SUN ***
Writer: Richard Matheson Director: Richard Bare
Cast: Fritz Weaver, Joe Maros, Edward Andrews, Denise Alexander,
Lori March
Weird camera angles and special props left over from MGM'S FORBIDDEN
PLANET bolster this story about two families planning to leave a war-
threatened world via spaceship.
LW: Edward Andrews did at least one other "Twilight Zone", and countless
other television shows and movies over the years. A great character actor,
he usually is cast into roles involving rather evil, devious, or just plain
unlikable men.
I SHOT AN ARROW INTO THE AIR ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Cast: Edward Binns, Dewey Martin
After supposedly landing on another planet, an astronaut kills his
comrades to prolong his own life. Based on a short story by Madeline Champion.
THE HITCH-HIKER ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Alvin Ganzer
Cast: Inger Stevens, Leonard Strong, Adam Williams, Lew Gallo,
Dwight Townsend
Driving cross-country, a woman becomes panicky when she continually sees
the same ominous hitch-hiker on the road ahead. Based on a story by Lucille
Fletcher.
SJ: a personal favorite.
LW: "Going MY way?" ...
THE FEVER ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Alvin Ganzer
Cast: Everett Sloane, Bibi Janiss, William Kendis, Lee Miller
A gambling-hating man named Franklin Gibbs (Sloane) battles a Las Vegas
slot machine with a malevolent mind of its own.
SJ: Another favorite of mine.
LW: Well, let's be careful now, he THINKS it has a mind of its own, but we
don't REALLY know that. Still, it might have at that...
THE LAST FLIGHT ***
Writer: Richard Matheson Director: William Claxton
Cast: Kenneth Haigh, Alexander Scourby, Simon Scott, Robert Warwick
A British World War I flyer lands at a modern air base in 1959.
LW: A minor time paradox is involved in this plot.
THE PURPLE TESTAMENT ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Richard Bare
Cast: William Reynolds, Dick York, Barney Phillips, William Phipps,
Warren Oates, Marc Cavell, Ron Masak, Paul Mazursky
Powerful tale about a lieutenant with the ability to predict which men
in his outfit will be killed in battle.
LW: Powerful, yes. But I never cared much for it. Dick York, by the way,
played Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) Stevens' first husband in
"Bewitched".
ELEGY ***
Writer: Charles Beaumont Director: Douglas Heyes
Cast: Cecil Kellaway, Jeff Morrow, Kevin Hagen, Don Dubbins
Three astronauts land on a world where everyone is in a trance-like
state. They then encounter an eccentric old gent named Mr. Wickwire
(Kellaway), who apparently runs the planet.
MIRROR IMAGE ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: John Brahm
Cast: Vera Miles, Martin Milner, Joe Hamilton
In a nearly deserted bus depot, a woman finds herself haunted by her
double.
LW: One of my personal favorites. This episode has a great "creepy"
atmosphere. Martin Milner later starred in "Adam 12".
THE MONSTERS ARE DUE ON MAPLE STREET ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Ron Winston
Cast: Claude Akins, Jack Wagner, Ben Erway, Lyn Guild
Hysteria grips a small community as residents suspect a power failure
has been caused by invaders from outer space disguised as Earthmen.
A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE ****
Writer: Richard Matheson Director: Ted Post
Cast: Howard Duff, Eileen Ryan, Gail Kobe, Frank Maxwell, Peter Walker
A business man's working world inexplicably becomes the set for a film
in which he has become a character.
LW: Another of my favorites. The poor guy suddenly discovers that he is
talking into a prop telephone!
LONG LIVE WALTER JAMESON **
Writer: Charles Beaumont Director: Tony Leader
Cast: Kevin McCarthy, Edgar Stehli, Estelle Winwood, Dody Heath
An effective horror story in the tradition of "The Man in Half Moon
Street." History professor Walter Jameson (McCarthy), an expert on the Civil
War, is actually immortal and well over 200 years old.
LW: The first of a couple of episodes on this basic theme.
PEOPLE ARE ALIKE ALL OVER ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: David Orrick
Cast: Roddy McDowell, Susan Oliver, Paul Comi, Byron Morrow,
Vic Perrin
An astronaut (McDowell) is pleased to find that people on Mars act just
like people at home. Based on a short story by Paul W. Fairman.
LW: A TZ classic.
EXECUTION ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Ron Winston
Cast: Albert Salmi, Russel Johnson, Than Wyenn, George Mitchell,
Jon Lormer
A western outlaw (Salmi) is snatched from the hangman's noose by a
modern day scientist (Johnson) and his time machine.
LW: Russel Johnson, by the way, also had the distinction of playing "The
Professor" on "Gilligan's Island", some years later! From the Twilight
Zone to Gilligan's Island. Sigh...
THE BIG TALL WISH *
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Ron Winston
Cast: Ivan Dixon, Steve Perry, Kim Hamilton
A child's faith in miracles helps a down-and-out boxer win an important
match.
LW: Ever since "Requiem for a Heavyweight", Rod also had a thing about boxing
plots. The Twilight Zone versions of these tended to be comparatively
poor.
A NICE PLACE TO VISIT ****
Writer: Charles Beaumont Director: John Brahm
Cast: Larry Blyden, Sebastion Cabot, Sandra Warner
While committing a crime, a cheap hood (Blyden) gets killed and finds an
afterlife in which all wishes are granted.
LW: Sebastion is great as the, well, "helper" in the afterlife (he's called
"Pip".) Sebastion starred in many other roles both before and after this
of course.
NIGHTMARE AS A CHILD **
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Alvin Ganzer
Cast: Janice Rule, Terry Burnham, Shepperd Strudwick
Schoolteacher Helen Foley (Rule) is haunted by the recurring image of
herself as a child.
LW: Time paradoxes play a minor role in this episode.
A STOP AT WILLOUGHBY ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Robert Parrish
Cast: James Daly, Howard Smith, Patricia Donahue, James Maloney
Harried by his high-pressure job, an executive falls asleep on a train
and wakes at a mysterious stop called Willoughby.
LW: Another "classic", though objectively speaking, not a truly great
episode.
THE CHASER ***
Writer: Robert Presnell, Jr. Director: Douglas Heyes
Cast: George Grizzard, John McIntyre, Patricia Barry
A loser in the game of love purchases a special potion from a weird
"doctor". Based on a short story by John Collier.
LW: The doctor's name was somthing like "A. Demon" by the way, to give you
some idea of what his practice was like...
PASSAGE FOR TRUMPET ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Don Medford
Cast: Jack Klugman, Mary Webster, John Anderson, Frank Wolff
An unsuccessful trumpet player is given a second crack at life - after
he is struck and killed by a truck, but first he has to learn what it's like to
be "dead" in a world full of life...
LW: The first of several dramatic appearances on TZ by Klugman, later to
become familiar to us all as the sloppy Oscar Madison on "The Odd
Couple".
MR. BEVIS **
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Robert Parrish
Cast: Orson Bean, Henry Jones, Charles Lane, William Schallert
A kindly fellow's life is turned topsy-turvy when he receives "help"
from his guardian angel (Jones).
LW: Sigh. Poor Orson Bean (familiar to all) starred in this the first of two
almost identical (except for details) TZ episodes on the subject of
guardian angels. Neither was particularly good.
THE AFTER HOURS ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Douglas Heyes
Cast: Anne Francis, Elizabeth Allen, James Millholin, John Conwell
A woman (Francis) discovers that the floor of a department store on
which she bought an item doesn't exist, and that the salesgirl was, in reality,
a mannequin.
LW: Anne Francis we all know. This episode is one of the most memorable in
the TZ series.
THE MIGHTY CASEY ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Douglas Heyes
Cast: Jack Warden, Robert Sorrells, Don O'Kelly, Abraham Sofaer
The manager of a baseball team adds a new man to the fold - a robot
named Casey.
LW: This episode is told as a fable, and is presented in a rather "tongue-in-
cheek" manner. Fun if not taken too seriously.
A WORLD OF HIS OWN *****
Writer: Richard Matheson Director: Ralph Nelson
Cast: Keenan Wynn, Phyliss Kirk, Mary LaRoche
Serio-comedy, as a playwright creates true-to-life characters on his
tape machine. They are so true that he can make tham appear in the room with
him!
SJ: This episode has the strangest and funniest ending of the series.
LW: An EXCELLENT episode, which indeed has the most bizarre ending of any
show in the entire TZ run. Highly recommended. Keenan Wynn plays a truly
delightful character in this comedy/drama.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!12!-- Contests and Awards
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The results of the 1993 Electric Science Fiction Award.
The nominees were all of the Hugo and Nebula nominees, and the voters were
users on USENET, Internet, GEnie, other networks, and readers of the 1993
Hugo and Nebula Anthology from Clarinet. The voting was Hugo-stle.
Short Story: "The Mountain to Mohammed" by Nancy Kress
Novelette: "Danny Goes to Mars" by Pamela Sargent
Novella: Stopping at Slowyear by Frederik Pohl
Novel: A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
Professional Artist: Bob Eggleton
Fan Artist: Stu Shiffman
Fan Writer Evelyn C. Leeper
Professional Artwork: Dinotopia by James Gurney
New Writer: Nicholas A. DiChario
The 1993 Hugo and Campbell Awards
Best Novel (tie): A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge (Tor) and
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (Bantam)
Best Novella: "Barnacle Bill the Spacer" by Lucius Shepard (Asimov's,
July 1992)
Best Novelette: "The Nutcracker Coup" by Janet Kagan (Asimov's,
December 1992)
Best Short Story: "Even the Queen" by Connie Willis (Asimov's, April
1992)
Best Non-Fiction Book: A Wealth of Fable: An informal history of
science fiction fandom in the 1950s by Harry Warner, Jr. (SCIFI Press)
Best Dramatic Presentation: "The Inner Light" (Star Trek: The Next
Generation) (Paramount Television)
Best Professional Editor: Gardner Dozois
Best Professional Artist: Don Maitz
Best Original Artwork: Dinotopia by James Gurney (Turner)
Best Semi-Prozine: Science Fiction Chronicle, edited by Andrew Porter
Best Fanzine: Mimosa, edited by Dick and Nicki Lynch
Best Fan Writer: Dave Langford
Best Fan Artist: Peggy Ranson
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Science Fiction Writer of 1991-1992:
Laura Resnick
Special Committee Award for building bridges between cultures and nations to
advance science fiction and fantasy: Takumi Shibano
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!13!-- Conventions and Readings
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submit convention listings to xx133@cleveland.freenet.edu in the format:
CON NAME: Month, day, year; Hotel or Convention Center; City, State, Country;
GUESTS; Cost until deadline, Cost after deadline (please specify currency);
Full address for information; Telephone (if applicable); e-mail address (if
any)
Convention listings are provided as a public service. Cyberspace Vanguard is
not affiliated with any of these conventions and takes no responsibility for
anything to do with it.
................
SCI-CON 15: November 12-14 1993; Holiday Inn Executive Center; Virginia
Beach, VA, USA; TIMOTHY ZAHN, DARRELL K. SWEET, BILL SMITH, ALEXIS GILLILAND,
PATRICK and TERESA NIELSEN-HAYDEN, Greg Barr, William Barton, Michael
Capobianco, Cathy DeMott, Colleen Doran, Ray Goodman, Steve Hauk, Donna
Higgins, Aleta Jackson, Zachary Kane, Andrew Greenberg, Anne Parker Marsh,
Elizabeth Massie, Greg Porter, Mark Rainey, Richard Rowand, Peter
Schweighofer, Dr. Sheridan Simon, Ellie Sterheim, Stanislaus Tal, Jason
Waltrip, John Waltrip, Grahm Watkins, Bud Webster, Allen Wold, and Beverly
Yeskolski. More are expected to come; $25 (US); Sci-Con, c/o HaRoSFA,
P.O.Box 9434, Hampton VA 23670; p.e.morris@larc.nasa.gov
QUANTUM CON '94; February 19-20, 1984; Pasadena Civic Auditorium and
Conference Center; Pasadena, CA, USA; Chris Ruppenthal, Charles Floyd
Johnson, Deborah Pratt; $25(US) until 11/1/93, $30(US) until 1/1/94, $35(US)
until the con, $40(US) at the door, $15(US) non-attending; Quantum Con '94,
P.O. Box 93819, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA; eah4@po.cwru.edu. [Please note that
this con is NOT put on by Creation, but by the fans. It's for charity - the
beneficiaries being The American Diabetes Association, Broadway Cares (Equity
Fights AIDS), ECO (Earth Communications Office), The Juvenile Diabetes
Foundation, and The Los Angeles Mission.]
TECHNICON 11: April 15-17, 1994; Blacksburg, VA, USA;
ELLEN GUON, TOM MONAGHAN; Technicon 11, c/o VTSFFC, P.O. Box 256, Blacksburg,
VA 24063-0256 USA; (703) 951-3282; Technicon@VTCC1.cc.vt.edu
MEXICON 6: June 1994; "most probably a 'one-day programme, between two
hotel nights ... in Newcastle'"; #9.50 (pounds sterling); 121 Cape Hill,
Smethwick, Warley, West Midlands, B66 4SH
EUROCON: May 26-29, 1994; Timisoara, Romania; Iain Banks, John Brunner,
Herbert Francke, Joe Haldeman, Stanislaw Lem, Fredrick Pohl, Franz
Rottensteiner, Norman Spinrad; $20(US) until 12/31/93, $35(US) until 2/15/93,
$45 until 3/31/83, supporting/attending for East Europeans $5(US); Sigma
Club, Post Office 3, Box 49, 5600 Piatra Neamt, Romania; 40-96-136 731, 40-
96-144 416, fax: 40-96-119 434
Science Fiction Research Association Annual Meeting; July 7-10, 1994;
Woodfield Hilton and Towers; Arlington Heights, IL; SHERRI S. TEPPER; OCTAVIA
BUTLER, Alex & Phyllis Eisenstein, Philip Jose Farmer, Jim Gunn, Fred Pohl,
Joan Slonczewski, Joan Vinge, Jack Williamson, Gene Wolfe; $115(US);
Elizabeth Anne Hull, William Rainey Harper College, Palatine, IL 60067 or
Beverly Friend, Oakton Community College Des Plaines, IL 60016; 708-635-1987;
friend@oakton.edu; [CALL FOR PROPSAL OF PAPERS AND SESSIONS (Deadline March
1) to Hull - send 2 copies. Conference Wn paper proposal possibilities: with
special emphasis on papers dealing with the attending authors]
WISHCON III: July 29-31, 94; King Alfred's Coll, Winchester; #20 until mid-
November 93, #23 afterwards; 12 Crowsbury Close, Emsworth, Hants, PO10 7TS,
0243 376596.
WHO'S 7 (DR/BLAKE EVENT): October 29-10, 1994; Wueens Hotel; Crystal
Palace, London, UK; VARIOUS GUESTS; #30 (pounds sterling) until the end of
'93; 131 Norman Rd, Leytonstone, London, E11 4RJ
KATSUCON ICHI: February 17 - 19, 1995; Holiday Inn Executive Center;
Virginia Beach, VA, USA; SCOTT FRAZIER, DANNY FAHS, C. SUE SHAMBAUGH, JOHN
WALTRIP, JASON WALTRIP; $22 until June 30, 1994; Katsu Production, PO Box
1158, Blacksburg, Virginia 24062-1582, USA; katsucon@vtserf.cc.vt.edu,
listproc@solaris.cc.vt.edu (mailing list)
TIMEWARP (TREK): March 4-5, 1995; Grand Hotel; Malahide, Dublin, Ireland; 30
Beverley Downs, Knocklyon, Dublin 16, Ireland.
.............
Signings and Readings
.............
[Elizabeth Willey's Calander of Fantasy, SF, and Horror readings and signings
is reprinted with permission. Thanks, Elizabeth!]
Please send listing information to, the compiler: eliz@ai.mit.edu;
on GEnie, e.willey. Thanks to all who have contributed!--Elizabeth Willey
========================================================================
27 October 1993
Dan Simmons will read at Little Bookshop of Horrors in Arvada, CO.
19:30. 303-425-1975.
27 October 1993
Poppy Z. Brite and Melanie Tem will sign at Dark Carnival in Berkeley,
CA. No times. 510-845-7757.
12 November 1993
Debra Doyle and James D. MacDonald will read at Barnes and Noble,
818 South Road, Poughkeepsie, NY. 19:30. No phone.
17 November 1993
David Dvorkin will read at Little Bookshop of Horrors in Arvada, CO.
19:30. 303-425-1975.
18 November 1993
Alexander Jablokov and Ian Watson read at Dixon Place, 258 Bowery, New
York City, NY; part of the New York Review of Science Fiction readings
series. Admission $5.00; doors open 19:30. 212-219-3088.
15 December 1993
Connie Willis will read at Little Bookshop of Horrors in Arvada, CO.
19:30. 303-425-1975.
16 December 1993
Michael Swanwick and Jack Dann read at Dixon Place, 258 Bowery, New
York City, NY; part of the New York Review of Science Fiction readings
series. Admission $5.00; doors open 19:30. 212-219-3088.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!14!-- Publications, Lists and the like
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This issue we've got a bit of a diverse view of the offerings floating around
in cyberspace. Most of it is only available through Internet, but that will
change next issue. If you have a favorite SF-oriented magazine, fanzine,
mailing list, BBS, fringe newsgroup, or the like, let us know. Send
information to xx133@cleveland.freenet.edu. If you are the owner of said
resource, we would appreciate an informative listing at 10 lines or less. If
not, we'd appreciate a means of getting hold of the owner -- or better yet,
tell them to get hold of us!
THE BLIND SPOT is Duke's fantasy/science-fiction/horror magazine, and we'll
be in our third year. We take anything that fits into the above three
categories as long as it is well written. Anything we get will get a full
edit during the school year, whether it is accepted or not. We prefer stories
of less than 10,000 words, but we are flexible. We pay a flat rate of $10 if
the story is accepted. We are an annual magazine for now, and our next issue
will be published in the beginning of next year. Sample copies are available
for $2 + shipping and handling. ---- Andy Whitfield (Ye Olde Editor of the
Blind Spot)
awhit@acpub.duke.edu (Andy Whitfield)
TWILIGHT ZONE is a bi-monthly fiction-only on-line magazine that
conentrates slightly on the genres of fantasy and science fiction, possible
with some added humour. A subscription may be acquired by sending a message
to r.c.karsmakers@stud.let.ruu.nl. Submissions and general inquiries may also
be aimed at that address.
MAILING LISTS: Please MAKE SURE to send subscription request to the proper
address and to find out what the lists ground rules are BEFORE posting to it.
Most lists have rules against flaming, off-topic conversations, and spoilers
posted without warning.
HIGHLANDER: Send e-mail to LISTSERV@PSUVM.PSU.EDU with SUBSCRIBE HIGHLA-L
<your full name> in the body of the message. Questions, comments, etc.
should be direct at Debbie Douglass, ddoug@dl5000.bc.edu.
FOREVER KNIGHT: Send mail to listserv@psuvm.psu.edu with SUB FORKNI-L <your
name> in the body of the message. Questions or problems, contact
JAP8@psuvm.psu.edu. There is also a sister group, FKFIC-L, for FK related
fiction. (Use the same address to subscribe.)
This one isn't really a magazine, but Paul's been nice enough to give us
archive space on the FTP server, so we thought we'd help him out and let you
all know that he's looking for submissions. "I am attempting to expand the
offerings of electronic fiction and poetry files on the anonymous ftp/gopher
archive server, etext.archive.umich.edu. If you have any materials you'd
like to share with the universe, in ASCII text, PostScript, or TeX format, I
would be delighted to have them, regardless of size. The server pays
nothing, costs nothing, and you are welcome to copyright and retain all
privileges so long as unmodified distribution is permitted in some fashion
(otherwise I can't do anything with it)." There's also a huge collection of
'zines there, for those who are interested. For more info, contact Paul
Southworth, pauls@umich.edu.
Also, for those of you who hang out in the IRC (Internet Relay Chat), Rick
Russell has started to maintain channel #scifi Monday through Thursday 6 - 8
pm Eastern Time. (Greenwich time - 5 hrs.) Contact him at
rick-russell@tamu.edu.
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--!15!-- Administrivia
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First off, an apology. Part of the reason for this issue's lateness is a
catastrophic disk crash on the old editor's antiquated machine. (When was the
last time you saw the letters IBM without other letters after it?) Some data,
including the "About the Author"'s and a few newsbits and listings were lost.
If your listing is one of those that did not appear, please re-send it and
we will make sure it gets into the next issue.
How to get hold of us: By e-mail, the preferred way to get hold of us is at
cn577@cleveland.freenet.edu, but we are also available by Fido at Cyberspace
Vanguard@1:157/564. Then, of course, you can always get hold of us by Snail
Mail at PO Box 25704, Garfield Hts., OH 44125 USA. Writers should contact us
at xx133@cleveland.freenet.edu.
FTP access: Cyberspace Vanguard is archived at etext.archive.umich.edu.
So that's it. Thanks for sticking with us through another issue, and we hope
that all of you typo pickers will be disappointed this time! (Thanks, Pat, for
going over things.)
---- TJ Goldstein, Editor
Cyberspace Vanguard Magazine
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CYBERSPACE VANGUARD MAGAZINE
News and Views from the Science Fiction Universe
TJ Goldstein, Editor | Send submissions, questions, comments to
tlg4@po.cwru.edu | cn577@cleveland.freenet.edu
