As Threatened.....OddBob's Corner

EDITOR'S NOTE: IT'S FRIDAY. I FIND THAT PAINFUL THINGS AREN'T QUITE AS PAINFUL ON FRIDAYS.

The Top 10 Other Uses for Tribbles

10> Cozies for Ewok eggs.

EDITOR'S NOTE: DOUBLEDWEEBING. GIGGLE.

9> Attach a handle, and who needs a Swiffer?

8> Great for getting the dust out of the CPU heat sink.

7> Let's just say "paintball" involves neither paint nor balls.

6> They'll buff your shuttlecraft to a fine polish. (And no, that's not a euphemism.)

EDITOR'S NOTE: PHEW. CAUSE THAT WOULD BE SILLY. (AND WOULD NEVER FIT RIGHT IN WIT THE REST OF THIS).

5> Cheese puffs for really BIG eaters.

4> Add super glue and a power drill -- build a portable shoe buffer.

3> Strawberry/banana/tribble smoothies.

2> Tribble. It's what's for dinner.

and the Number 1 Other Use for Tribbles...

1> A soft, silky, renewable source of toilet paper!

As promised...Friday Harry Potter'ing (NO SPOILERS)

EDITOR'S NOTE: A BIT OF HARRY POTTER (SPOILER-FREE) NEWS. AND THEN, SOME GROOVY GOF (GOBLET OF FIRE....BUT IF YOU'RE READING THIS, DID I NEED TO TELL YOU THAT?) PICS.

New Wizard of the Month on JKR.com
Bridget Wenlock(1202 – 1285)Famous Arithmancer. First to establish the magical properties of the number seven EDITOR'S NOTE: I HAVE BEEN TOLD, BY THE WAY, THAT GINNY WEASLEY IS THE ONLY GIRL FOR GENERATIONS AND IS THE 7TH CHILD (AND POSSIBLY OF 7TH CHILDREN....NOT SURE ABOUT THAT PART). SO SUPPOSEDLY SHE IS QUITE POWERFUL (AS WE ARE LEARNING) AND VERY SPECIAL. (AND NOT JUST CAUSE SHE IS FUNNY)

Jim Dale reading in Georgia - report and pic


The narrator of the US Potter series has been on a tour across the US reading at several Barnes & Noble book stores.

Jim was in Alpharetta, Georgia yesterday where two MN visitors, Mandy and Heather, were also in attendance.

Mr. Dale tells us how he came up with the different character's voices:

McGonagall was structured after an aunt of his. Dobby, he said, came from a small man in an elevator several years ago. Jim said that he walked into the elevator, pushed the button for the floor he needed, and then turned to face the door. From behind him, he heard a quiet voice and turned to see a small man who said, "Excuse me, sir, could you please move your bum out of my face."

Mandy also described him as being "extremely entertaining".EDITOR'S NOTE: READ THE BOOKS. THEN EXPERIENCE THEM AGAIN READ BY JIM DALE. YOU WILL THANK ME!....(AS I HAVE THANKED DWEEBPAL ANDREW FOR LOANING ME THE FIRST HP BOOK ON TAPE THAT FIRST TIME.)

EDITOR'S NOTE: AND HERE'S A POINT/COUNTERPOINT FOR MS. ROWLING-----

Pratchett takes swipe at Rowling
Writer Terry Pratchett has poked fun at Harry Potter author JK Rowling for saying she did not realise she was writing a fantasy novel.

He wrote to the Sunday Times:"I would have thought that the wizards, witches, trolls, unicorns, hidden worlds... would have given her a clue?"

Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince has been a runaway bestseller in the UK and US since its release on 16 July.

Pratchett is one of the UK's most successful novelists.

His comments came on Rowling's 40th birthday, also Harry Potter's birthday.

In a recent interview with Time magazine, Rowling said she was "not a huge fan of fantasy" and was trying to "subvert" the genre.

The magazine also said Rowling reinvented fantasy fiction, which was previously stuck in "an idealised, romanticised, pseudofeudal world, where knights and ladies morris-dance to Greensleeves".

Pratchett, whose first fantasy novel was published 34 years ago and has since sold more than 40 million books, said in his letter that the genre had always been "edgy and inventive". EDITOR'S NOTE: WELL....EXCEPT FOR ALL THAT MORRIS-DANCING.

"Ever since The Lord of the Rings revitalised the genre, writers have played with it, reinvented it, subverted it and bent it to their times," he wrote.

"It has also contained come of the very best, most accessible writing for children, by writers who seldom get the acknowledgement they deserve."

His full response to Rowling's admission that she did not think Harry Potter was fantasy as she was writing it, was:

"I would have thought that the wizards, witches, trolls, unicorns, hidden worlds, jumping chocolate frogs, owl mail, magic food, ghosts, broomsticks and spells would have given her a clue?" EDITOR'S NOTE: CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG HERE? (AND HOW MANY ANGELS CAN DANCE ON THE HEAD OF A PIN?)

Growing Up With a Dose of Magic
By KAAVYA VISWANATHAN
Franklin Lake, N.J.
I WISH I could say I started reading Harry Potter before the mania hit, but the first time I ever heard about the books was months after the release of "Sorcerer's Stone," when I ran across a small display table at the local Barnes & Noble. I read the jacket flap, decided not to buy a copy, and forgot all about Harry Potter.

It wasn't until "Chamber of Secrets" hit best-seller lists, the summer before I began eighth grade, that my dad brought the first two books home and persuaded me to read them.

Within three chapters of "Sorcerer's Stone," I had jumped on the Potter bandwagon, little realizing that more than an innocent - and forgettable - children's series, "Harry Potter" would prevail as my favorite through adolescence and into adulthood in a world that doesn't feel so safe anymore.

I spent $17.95 of my own allowance to buy a copy of "Prisoner of Azkaban," broke every lights-out rule at sleep-away camp by reading under the covers till dawn, then promptly (and unethically) returned the day-old book for a refund.

When "Goblet of Fire" was announced, I ordered my copy a month in advance and waited impatiently on my doorstep for the U.P.S. truck. And by the time "Order of the Phoenix" finally hit stores, I was in line at my local bookstore by 10 p.m. the night before the release date. My three best friends and I shrieked when midnight arrived, abandoned all dignity and scrambled over 10-year-olds in our mad rush to the counter, then stayed up all night reading. EDITOR'S NOTE: IT'S HARSH. BUT 10-YEAR-OLDS NEED TO LEARN HOW TO TOUGHEN UP.

Even though I'm now in college, and buried in a reading list that's more Proust than Potter, I made sure I got my copy of the "Half-Blood Prince" on July 16 and seriously considered taking a day off from my job to read. Every Harry Potter remains compelling, especially because I feel as if I've grown up with Harry. Throughout elementary and middle school, I had read the "Little House on the Prairie" series and the "Chronicles of Narnia," Roald Dahl and the eternal "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but these were finite, already completed series. I never doubted that Frodo would eventually destroy the ring, or that Aslan would save the day; there was no risk of unforeseen plot twists, no tantalizing feeling that I didn't quite know what was around the corner.

But Harry's development followed my own. Of course, the long waits between books meant that I aged faster than he did, but I never lost the feeling that each Harry Potter story was relevant to my life. With the "Sorcerer's Stone," Harry and I were both young, still bubbling over with excitement and discovery, certain that every story had a happy ending. I saw "Prisoner" end with a sympathetic character on the run despite his innocence, and realized with a pang that life really wasn't always fair.

And by the end of the "Half-Blood Prince," I came to the same heart-wrenching realization as Harry - that parents and friends and mentors couldn't always be shields, that some things you just had to experience and overcome on your own. Sure, my freshman year romantic heartbreak wasn't in the same category as Harry's life-or-death struggle with Lord Voldemort, but it was nice to know that my life and Harry's enchanted universe had something in common - not everything was perfect.

That knowledge has been especially driven home during the last few years. As a 12-year-old, I relished the Harry Potter novels as simple outlets of escape. The first few books were enchanting because of J. K. Rowling's extravagantly imagined universe, which tempted me to dive in with no thought of resurfacing. But especially from the fourth book on, Harry's world grew successively darker, and all of a sudden, far from being complete flights of fantasy, the novels became a reflection of reality.

The Death-Eater attacks ravaging Harry's world bear a frightening resemblance to today's terrorism, and scenes where Hermione scans the daily paper for the latest casualty toll must have been achingly recognizable to thousands of American families reading the headlines about Iraq. In eighth grade it had been easy to put off studying for a geometry test in favor of a trip to magical Diagon Alley, but it wasn't so easy to forget about Sept. 11 and subway bombings, especially when Harry was struggling with loss and betrayal and the wizarding world was its own war zone.

So why did I keep reading? Considering our current international atmosphere of fear and terror, where every week seems marked by security alerts and suicide bombings, it seems counterintuitive to seek fantasy that faithfully mirrors an increasingly grim reality.

But if Harry Potter is a reminder that not even magic can solve everything, it is also a promise of hope, sustaining the fundamental childhood belief that in the end, good really does triumph over evil, and justice is meted out to those who deserve it. EDITOR'S NOTE: FROM HER MOUTH TO GOD'S EARS! Harry is an endearingly normal hero, enduring the same romantic insecurities, friendship pressures and temper tantrums that I encounter all the time, and it is oddly comforting to think that such a seemingly ordinary boy could achieve the extraordinary.

Each time I reread a Harry Potter novel, I am reminded of the ability of everyday people to reach unprecedented heights for a cause they believe in, as well as of the importance of love, friendship and loyalty - qualities as essential to the wizarding struggle as to our own. Even adults like to think that somehow, everything will be all right.

Kaavya Viswanathan, a sophomore at Harvard, is the author of the forthcoming novel "How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life."

Meanwhile, Rowling celebrated her 40th birthday on Sunday, the day she has also made her young creation's birthday.

The author's website displayed pictures of a birthday cake and birthday card with the words: "Happy birthday Harry Potter."

Fans have been trying to deduce how old he is, with one site saying the boy wizard has now turned 25. EDITOR'S NOTE: ASSUMING....EEK...HE IS STILL ALIVE?

Rumor: Helen McCrory to play Bellatrix in OOTP
The Mirror reports today that OOTP producers are keen on 35-year-old actress Helen McCrory for the role of Bellatrix Lestrange in the fifth movie, saying "she has the gravitas and looks to pull off the part."

You can see a picture of her here.

EDITOR'S NOTE: FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW MY STRANGE NOTION THAT THIS IS THE PART I WOULD HAVE PLAYED IN THE MOVIES....DOESN'T SHE KINDA LOOK LIKE ME????!!! (I'D MAKE A GOOD CASTING DIRECTOR, HUH?!)

New GOF screening report
An interesting report from the Goblet of Fire's test screening, which took place last month in Chicago, has been posted on MoviesOnline.ca.

Here's a snippet:

The first task of the competition is amazing. It is very well produced. Professor McGonagall gives the students a firm speech about the yule ball and it's importance for social reasons and then gives a dance lesson using one of the students as her partner. Ron and Harry have made up at this point, and they have an awful time finding dates as all the girls are chasing around Victor and Cedric. Cho Chang is brilliant, she speaks with a heavy accent and is very pretty. Ron is in total denial that Hermoine has a date to the ball, and she is beautiful when she arrives. Victor and Hermoine hit it off, Ron becomes very jealous, and Hermoine ends up yelling at him. You really see the sparks fly between them in this scene. The only person to really enjoy himself is Neville, who comes home very late after dancing the night away with Ginny EDITOR'S NOTE: CAN'T WAIT CAN'T WAIT CAN'T WAIT!!! (AND LET'S GET CRACKIN WITH FILMING NUMBER 5, WHILE WE'RE AT IT!!)

EDITOR'S NOTE: DID YOU EAT YOUR VEGGIES? OK...THEN YOU CAN HAVE THOSE GROOVY PICS I PROMISED!
More GOF pictures
An excellent new set of pictures has surfaced featuring Harry, Barty Crouch, Mad-Eye and many others.


A GROUP OF GRYFFINDORS


BARTY CROUCH SR.


CEDRIC DIGGORY


ALSO CEDRIC


AWW...ISN'T SHE A CUTIE? CHO CHANG.


DUMBLEDORE, DUH.


DUMBLEDORE AND THE PENSIEVE


DUMBLEDORE CASTING A SPELL


HARRY AFTER A TASK


HARRY AT THE FEAST


INSIDE THE WEASLEY'S MAGIC TENT AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP


FIRE AT THE CAMPSITE AT THE WORLD CUP


KARKAROFF


HARRY AND MADEYE


MADEYE MOODY


VIKTOR KRUM (DID ANYONE ELSE PICTURE HIM A BIT GAWKIER? THIS GUY'S KIND OF A HUNK. POOR RON!)

A FRIDAY (woohoo) Hodgepodemishmash

EDITOR'S NOTE: A WEE ASSORTMENT OF REPORTABLES....ITEMS THAT SEEM TO CALL OUT FOR IMMEDIATE POSTING, BUT IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER OR ORGANIZATION BECAUSE I HAVE SUMMER ENNUI AND CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO THINK CLEARLY OR CORRAL MY THOUGHTS.

SIGH................

CBS to cross 'Threshold' early

CBS aims to get out in front of the sci-fi brigade in the fall with a two-hour premiere of the new drama "Threshold" slated for the week before the formal start of the 2005-06 season. EDITOR'S NOTE: YAY! NEW SHOWS SOONER! I'M JUST ABOUT READY FOR A TEST-PATTERN IF IT'S NOT A REPEAT. (OF COURSE, THANKS TO CHEWYANDY, I'VE ALREADY SEEN THIS PILOT. BUT IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS....)

CBS said Thursday that it will raise the curtain on its Friday drama "Threshold," revolving around a team of scientists and military personnel who make contact with a mysterious alien life form, from 9-11 p.m. Sept. 16, the Friday before the cap gun officially goes off Sept. 19.

"Threshold" will settle into its regular 9 p.m. slot the following week. NBC has a similarly themed new drama, "Surface," centering on a mysterious deep-sea creature, set to bow in its regular 8 p.m. Monday slot on Sept. 19

TNT unmasks 'Avenger' pic with Petersen
TNT has greenlighted an original movie titled "Avenger" from Oscar nominee Wolfgang Petersen, with Sam Elliott set to star in the international thriller. EDITOR'S NOTE: LOOKS LIKE TNT IS NOT LETTING UP ITS FULL-COURT-PRESS TO BE A FULL-FLEDGED ORIGINALS NET, HUH?

The cable network is partnering with Warner Bros. Television on the project, which is based on the novel by Frederick Forsyth.

In the two-hour movie, Elliott will portray Cal Dexter, a small-town lawyer and former Special Forces operative who hires himself out to those seeking to avenge the violent murders of loved ones. As one quest of vengeance takes him around the world, a CIA agent sets out to stop him before his mission throws the world into chaos. EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS SMELLS A LITTLE LIKE A PILOT, DOESN'T IT?

Globes shift to Monday night
ABC's "Desperate Housewives" has driven the Golden Globe Awards from their traditional spot in the Sunday night neighborhood.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. said Thursday that the 63rd annual Golden Globe Awards will take place Monday, Jan. 16, rather than Sunday, Jan. 15, at the Beverly Hilton.

According to HFPA president Philip Berk, impetus for the move came from NBC, which broadcasts the show, produced by Dick Clark Prods. in association with the HFPA.

Although he would not address the network's motivation, NBC did not want to go head-to-head again with ABC's strong Sunday night lineup, which includes "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Desperate Housewives."

Dylan, Stewart, Hornby among Quills finalists
NEW YORK -- Authors ranging from Bob Dylan to Stephen King and J.K. Rowling on Thursday made the Quills short-list -- a new literary award pitched as a populist event with a touch of Hollywood glitz.

Readers will vote for the winners in 19 categories that include graphic novels and romance, as well as the more traditional fiction and biography categories from established prizes such as the Pulitzer and the National Book Award.

In the fiction category, the nominees included British writer Nick Hornby's "A Long Way Down," about four strangers who meet while trying to commit suicide, and Chilean author Isabel Allende's "Zorro."

The list of nominees includes plenty of celebrities -- from Bob Dylan for his autobiography "Chronicles: Volume One," to comedian Jon Stewart for his satirical textbook "America" EDITOR'S NOTE: SO HOW CAN WE VOTE?!

Jackson working on DVD for original 'King Kong'
Director Peter Jackson, at work on his own remake of "King Kong," is helping produce bonus materials for the DVD debut of the 1933 original.

Jackson is working on a new documentary, "RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World," a two-hour, seven-part feature included in the two-disc "King Kong" set, which Warner Home Video will release on Nov. 22.

"Fans of this film are going to go crazy; we've got everything but the kitchen sink on here,"EDITOR'S NOTE: IF THEY CAN'T EVEN BOTHER GIVING US A MAJOR APPLIANCE, THEN WHAT'S THE POINT?! said George Feltenstein, the studio's senior vp of classic catalog.

One part of the documentary focuses on the mysterious "spider pit" sequence deleted from the film before its theatrical premiere in New York and Los Angeles.

"For years, there has always been speculation, does this footage exist, so we have a piece that actually explains what it was and we do a recreation of it," Feltenstein said. "For fans of the film, that's a big, important thing." EDITOR'S NOTE: THE SAME FANS FOR WHOM ALL SORTS OF ARCANA I DON'T UNDERSTAND ARE BIG AND IMPORTANT? (I KNOW....POT, CALLING KETTLE....)

In true Warner fashion, "King Kong" -- which has never before been available on DVD -- will arrive in stores in two configurations: a two-disc special edition and a two-disc collector's edition packaged in a collectable tin and including a 20-page reproduction of the original souvenir program, postcard reproductions of the original one sheets, and a mail-in offer for a reproduction of a vintage 27-by-41-inch movie poster.

"The real one is worth about $25,000," Feltenstein said. "These are all reproductions, but they're still nice to have."

Warner also will release a four-disc collector's set featuring the two-disc "King Kong" special edition along with "The Son of Kong" and "Mighty Joe Young."

Feltenstein said the DVD of "King Kong" was two years in the making and the fact that the DVD is arriving right before Jackson's remake opens in theaters on Dec. 14 via Universal Pictures is "actually a coincidence." EDITOR'S NOTE: SNICKER. SUUUUUURRRRRRE IT IS.

In addition to the seven-part documentary, the "King Kong" DVD set includes such extras as a documentary on "Kong" director (and creator) Merian C. Cooper, a trailer gallery of Cooper's other films, and a commentary from stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen, actress Terry Moore ("Mighty Joe Young") and special effects master Ken Ralston ("Star Wars").

Set Phaser to... Sell
New Force Comics & Collectibles will soon be offering a replica of the White handled phaser from the original STAR TREK series.

They will begin preselling the item this Sunday.

Connery 'turning back on movies'

EDITOR'S NOTE: HI DADDY!

Sir Sean Connery has said he does not want to act in any more movies because he was "fed up with the idiots" now working in Hollywood. EDITOR'S NOTE: WELL, SO ARE WE, BUT WE STILL GO SEE THE DURN THINGS! (AND BY THE WAY, IT AIN'T JUST THAT HE AND MY DAD LOOK ALIKE; IF UNCLE SEAN WEREN'T WAY RICHER THAN MY DAD AND MARRIED TO A MUCH YOUNGER WOMAN THAN MY MOM, I'D SWEAR THE CRANKINESS WAS TRULY ONE-AND-THE-SAME. CURMUDGEONS, SWITCHED AT BIRTH?)

The James Bond actor, 74, said he would need "a Mafia-like offer I couldn't refuse" to appear in another film.

"He has no plans to do any more films," Sir Sean's spokeswoman confirmed. "However, he did make a very famous film called Never Say Never Again."

He also told the New Zealand Herald why he abandoned his planned autobiography.

'Didn't understand role'
Sir Sean, who most recently appeared in 2003's The League of Extraordinary Gentleman,EDITOR'S NOTE: FOR WHICH HE STILL OWES US MONEY. explained why he was disillusioned with Hollywood.

He said: "I'm fed up with the idiots... the ever-widening gap between people who know how to make movies and the people who green-light the movies."

Sir Sean added: "I don't say they're all idiots. I'm just saying there's a lot of them that are very good at it."

He said he turned down the role of Gandalf in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy - a part taken by Sir Ian McKellen - because "I never understood it". EDITOR'S NOTE: SO THE IDIOCY IS CONTAGIOUS? (WHAT'S TO UNDERSTAND? YOU STAND AROUND A BUNCH OF SHORT PEOPLE IN A GRAY ROBE. THEN YOU DIE. THEN YOU STAND AROUND A BUNCH OF SHORT PEOPLE IN A WHITE ROBE. AND THEN THEY PAY YOU A HEAP OF CASH AND FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE SCARY PEOPLE EMERGE FROM THEIR MOM'S BASEMENTS TO LICK YOUR SHOES. SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT GIG!)

Sir Sean added that he pulled out of a lucrative autobiography deal earlier this year because he felt that the publisher wanted to delve too deeply into his private life. EDITOR'S NOTE: YA THINK?!

"I realised I was going to be spending the best part of my life, and probably the rest of my life, trying to correct these inaccuracies, and I can't be bothered." EDITOR'S NOTE: SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE NEEDS A HUG!

HOT Television Dweeb News

EDITOR'S NOTE: THERE'S SOME MOVIE NEWS NEEDING TO BE POSTED RIGHT NOW, TOO, BUT ALL THE COOL, HOT, STUFF IS IN TV. (GO FIGGER).

THANKS TO DWEEBPAL SEATTLEDENISE FOR PASSING ALONG THIS FIRST ONE -----

'Oz' Vet Gets 'Lost
Remember back in the pilot of "Lost" when the survivors of the plane wreck thought they were the only people on a scary island?

Little did they know that their deserted abode had a higher population than Manhattan.

Former "Oz" co-star Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is the latest actor to be found on "Lost."

According to the good folks at ABC, Adewale will play Emeka, "a mysterious man whose presence on the island -- and intentions -- will be revealed in one of the early episodes in the upcoming second season."

Other new additions to the "Lost" cast for its second season include Michelle Rodriguez.EDITOR'S NOTE: I THINK SHE WAS THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT IN THE SEASON ONE FINALE. (THE ONE FLIRTING WITH JACK?)

Adewale spent several seasons on HBO's "Oz" playing murderous drug addict Simon Adebisi. He was nominated for two NAACP Image Awards for the role. Adewale's other credits include the features "Congo," "The Mummy Returns" and "The Bourne Identity."

Bouchez Caught in ALIAS Spy Net

EDITOR'S NOTE: NOT EXACTLY PRETTY, BUT DEFINTELY APPEALING IN A VERY FRENCH SORT OF WAY.

ABC has signed Elodie Bouchez to join the cast of ALIAS as a regular on the series. "Bouchez will play Zoe Rienne, an internationally wanted criminal who, unbeknownst to Sydney, has been secretly working with Vaughn for several years." EDITOR'S NOTE: THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE US HATE VAUGHN SO THAT WHEN VARTAN JUMPS SHIP WE WON'T CARE?

The show will begin its fifth season on September 29th.

Another Superman joining Smallville?


Sounds like it's the mission of "Smallville" to squeeze as many members of the age-old Superman family legacy into the series before it's inevitably grounded? EDITOR'S NOTE: AND IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS?

Hot on the heels of the late Christopher Reeve's appearance on the series, comes news from TV Guide that another chap that has worn the tights, former "Lois and Clark" star Dean Cain, might be popping up in Kansas.

"There's a 75 percent chance the onetime Man of Steel will pop up on Smallville this fall as — what else? — a love interest for Lois Lane", says the site.

Reports say Cain will be playing some sort of prince who sweeps Erica Durance's Lois off her feet. EDITOR'S NOTE: ON THE ONE HAND, HE'S A BIT OLD FOR HER. ON THE OTHER HAND, JUST ABOUT ALL THE CAST IS A BIT OLD FOR THEIR ROLES AT THIS POINT. (BUT THEY'RE ALL SO DURNED ATTRACTIVE, WHO CARES!!!?)

The WB are keen to sign him on for a three-episode stint, with his first episode likely to air in November.

Cain starred as the Man of Steel on "Lois and Clark : The New Adventures of Superman" from 1993-1997. Since then he's appeared in several films and series, including "Best Men", "Futuresport", "Rat Race" and recently, TV's "Las Vegas".

Some of the other "Superman" fan-faves that have appeared in the series include Terence Stamp ["Superman II"], Margot Kiddier ["Superman 1-4"], and Annette O'Toole ["Superman III"] who plays Martha Kent.

CSI's Ferlito to Wave Good-bye to NEW YORK
CSIFiles.com is reporting that series regular Vanessa Ferlito will be leaving CSI: NEW YORK in the second episode of the new season.

In the season premiere, Ferlito's character agrees to help out a woman, who 18 months earlier didn't dare testify after being raped. As a result, the attacker was acquitted, only to now end up raping the same woman again. Ferlito's character knows it will be next to impossible to convict a man who's already been cleared by the courts once, but still vows to find some way to help the woman and put this monster behind bars. Her obsession with the case will apparently prove to be her downfall. EDITOR'S NOTE: I HAD READ THAT THE CSI-NY PRODUCERS WERE LOOKING TO 'SHAKE THINGS UP' AND DO SOME RE-CASTING. THE ARTICLE IMPLIED THAT THE CAST MEMBER BEING REPLACED WAS SOMEONE THE PRODUCERS DIDN'T LIKE. SAD THAT THIS IS FERLITO, SINCE I KINDA LIKED HER. NOT A BARBIE, BUT INTERESTING. (IMHO, THEY'D DO BETTER TO CHANGE OUT A COUPLE OF THE TOTALLY FORGETTABLE AND COMPLETELY BLAND YOUNGER GUYS ON THE SHOW).

Size DOES matter?

EDITOR'S NOTE: FOR THOSE OF YOU INTO THE NUMBERS....BOX OFFICE AND COST OF THINGS ------

DOMESTIC GROSSES
THE TOP-GROSSING MOVIES OF ALL TIME

Rank Title Studio Lifetime Gross Year

1 Titanic Par. $600,788,188 1997

EDITOR'S NOTE: DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE SHIP IS STILL SINKING!

2 Star Wars Fox $460,998,007 1977

3 Shrek 2 DW $441,226,247 2004

4 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Uni. $435,110,554 1982

5Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Fox $431,088,301 1999

6 Spider-Man Sony $403,706,375 2002

7Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Fox $377,262,649 2005

EDITOR'S NOTE: AND THIS ONE WOULD HAVE HAD ABOUT 60 MORE DOLLARS THIS PAST WEEKEND IF SMALL-MINDED MOVIE-THEATER OWNERS HADN'T TAKEN IT OFF ALL THE SCREENS IN HOUSTON! (LEAVING OUR GROUP TO OUR OWN DEVICES INSTEAD OF WHOLESOME MOVIE-GOING. WHICH THEN FORCED ME TO DRINK HEAVILY WITH FRIENDS AND DISS MEN. EVIL SMALL-MINDED MOVIE-THEATER OWNERS!!!)

8The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King NL $377,027,325 2003

9 Spider-Man 2 Sony $373,585,825 2004

10 The Passion of the Christ NM $370,782,930 2004

11 Jurassic Park Uni. $357,067,947 1993

12The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers NL $341,786,758 2002

13 Finding Nemo BV $339,714,978 2003

14 Forrest Gump Par. $329,694,499 1994

15 The Lion King BV $328,541,776 1994

16 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone WB $317,575,550 2001

17The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring NL $314,776,170 2001

18Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones Fox $310,676,740 2002

19 Return of the Jedi Fox $309,306,177 1983

20 Independence Day Fox $306,169,268 1996

EDITOR'S NOTE: PROVING....LEST WE HAD ANY DOUBT, THAT YOU CAN MAKE THE TOP 20 AND STILL BE A STUPID MOVIE.

21Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl BV $305,413,918 2003

22 The Sixth Sense BV $293,506,292 1999

23 The Empire Strikes Back Fox $290,475,067 1980

EDITOR'S NOTE: AND NOW TO THE COST OF THINGS DWEEBISH......

Star Wars props fetch high prices
A lightsabre used by Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars film has been sold for more than $200,000 (£113,000) at auction in Beverly Hills.

Gary Kurtz, who produced the first two Star Wars films, sold a range of props.

Another lightsabre, wielded by Darth Vader, was bought for $118,000 (£67,000). The pair of light sabers sold for double their estimated value. EDITOR'S NOTE: HOW WOULD ONE ESTIMATE THE VALUE OF THESE? I MEAN, THEY ARE CONSTRUCTED OF SPARE PARTS FROM PHOTO TRIPODS AND THE LIKE. SO IN MATERIALS THEY ARE WORTH ABOUT 25 BUCKS?

A Chewbacca face mask fetched $50,000 (£28,000) and Luke Skywalker's X-Wing flight suit went for $70,000 (£40,000).

Mr Kurtz's Star Wars collection was at the centre of more than 400 pieces of Hollywood memorabilia that were auctioned for $2m (£1.1m).

Blockbuster prices
The original lightsabres were made from the handles of flash guns from 1930s cameras, with black grips added.

Other Star Wars props sold included Yoda's walking cane for $50,000 and a Snowspeeder model from The Empire Strikes Back for $35,400 (£20,000).

Indiana Jones' leather jacket was also up for grabs, fetching $94,400 (£53,700), while part of a set from a derelict ship used in the first two Alien films sold for $47,200 (£26,800).

Arnold Schwarzenegger's leather jacket from The Terminator made $41,300 (£23,500) and a prop cello used by Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy went under the hammer for $35,400 (£20,100).

Original Star Wars Script page with Lucas alterations $8000

Gary Kurtz personal Star Wars Script DID NOT SELL

Stormtrooper Promo helmet & X-Wing Helmet $2000

Complete Stormtrooper Tour Costume $17,000

Original Sreen-Used Stormtrooper Blaster $47,500

Luke’s severed hand from ESB $20,000

Yoda Head and hands from ESB $8000

Yoda’s Flute $10,000

Naboo Blaster from TPM $5500

EDITOR'S NOTE:NONDWEEBPAL BOSTONLAURA OPINED THAT SHE WAS SURE I WAS INVOLVED IN THE PURCHASE OF THESE ITEMS. BUT SINCE MOST OF THESE SOLD FOR MORE THAN THE VALUE OF MY HOUSE....PROBABLY NOT.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JKR!!!

HAPPY 40TH (!!!) BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WE DWEEB.....J.K.ROWLING HERSELF!

EDITOR'S NOTE: AND IN HONOR OF MS. R, HERE'S A NEW GOF PIC THAT SHOWED UP ON-LINE TODAY. (OUR TRIO BY THE FIRE)