Thursday, October 27, 2005

DWEEBING that can't wait until Monday

EDITOR'S NOTE: BUSY BUSY BUSY. SOMETIMES, IT JUST AIN'T EASY BEIN QOTD, DIG?

I'M AFRAID I HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO DO MUCH DWEEBING THIS WEEK. AND WE'LL HAVE TO SKIP TOMORROW'S USUAL RANDOM STAR WARS PICTURE POSTING, AS WELL.

WE'LL TRY TO MAKE IT UP TO ALL THE DWEEBPALS NEXT WEEK.

MEANWHILE, HERE ARE A FEW ITEMS THAT JUST COULDN'T WAIT TILL MONDAY -----

STAR WARS ITEMS:

Countdown For Sith On DVD
With less than one week to go until Star Wars : Revenge Of The Sith is released on DVD, a promo round up is in order.

Wal-Mart:
At Wal-Mart you'll be able to buy the DVD for $15.87 or for only $5 more get a second bonus DVD.

Also don't forget the Wal-Mart exclusive action figure three packs.

Suncoast:
Reserve your copy and get a free lithograph when you pick it up!

Target:
Revenge of the Sith DVD will be packaged with an exclusive Darth Vader coin, sold in limited quantities with no rain checks.

Also exclusively at Target, look for a 2-CD Star Wars Best of Episodes 1-6 for $15.99.

You can also get a limited edition $5 gift card (similar to the gift card from last April) with the purchase of any of the following:

Episode I or II DVD (Each $14.99)
Star Wars Trilogy DVD set ($44.99)
Star Wars: Battlefront II ($49.99)

Best Buy:
Free lithograph with purchase for Reward Zone members only. Plus they'll have an exclusive Unleashed Darth Vader.

EDITOR'S NOTE: SO....NO REALLY BIG DEALS AT ANY PLACE. I GUESS I CAN BUY IT WHEREEVER I HAPPEN TO BE ON TUESDAY.

AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO JUST CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THE DVD COMES OUT, CHECK OUT THE RAPPIN YODA EASTER EGG THAT'S ALREADY MADE ITS WAY ONLINE (SEE WEB ADDRESS, BELOW) -----

ROTS DVD Easter Egg Online
Dance this good you can hmmmm?

Check out the Revenge of the Sith DVD Easter egg ( hidden material ) online now by

http://www.leenks.com/link26692.htm


The Science of STAR WARS
A new exhibit opens this week at Boston's Museum of Science.

The Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination explores the fantasy technologies in the STAR WARS films, the science behind them, and current research that may lead to real-life versions of these technologies. Visitors can learn how technologies work in the STAR WARS universe through film clips and over 80 props, models, and costumes.

The exhibition is organized around two major technology themes, that solve basic human needs: getting around (transportation) and getting along with ever smarter machines (robotics). The exhibit culminates in two multi-station Engineering Design Labs where student design, build, and test solutions to challenges.

The exhibit includes the first public display of props and costumes from all six films in the series, including a replica cockpit of Han Solo's asteroid-battered Millennium Falcon. The $5 million exhibit goes beyond entertainment and turns STAR WARS into a educational tool for science and technology, fields in which U.S. dominance faces a challenge from a new generation of engineers in Asia.

Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder is presented in its original form -- accompanied by lessons in magnetic levitation and the powerful electromagnets that can hurtle high-speed "maglev" trains at speeds of up to 310 mph. There are also numerous androids and even Anakin Skywalker's prosthetic right hand from REVENGE OF THE SITH.

The cockpit of the Millennium Falcon is transformed into a high-tech planetarium with a recorded voice of Anthony Daniels, as C-3PO, explaining the stars and how modern scientists view them. EDITOR'S NOTE: I THINK IT MIGHT BE TIME FOR A VISIT TO BOSTON, HUH!? (THIS SOUNDS LIKE GREAT FUN)

Lucas opens Singapore arm for film, TV ani
Think globally, act globally is George Lucas' latest mantra.

The filmmaker's Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, a digital 'toon studio created to produce television and movies, officially opened its doors on Wednesday.

The 40,000-square-foot operation situated in the Changi section of Singapore was feted with a traditional Lion Dance, blessed by a feng shui master and marked by the unveiling of a limited edition Yoda statue that greets visitors at the door. Facility head Micheline Chau, president and chief operating officer of Lucasfilm, was on hand for the opening ceremony attended by local business and foreign trade big wigs

William Hootkins Has Passed Away
Whatsonstage.com reports that William Hootkins (AKA: Porkins) has passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 58.

Here's a snipet from Whatsonstage.com:
American stage and screen actor William Hootkins - who lived and worked for many years in the UK and was last seen on the London stage in Hitchcock Blonde - has passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Diagnosed earlier this year, he died yesterday (Sunday 23 October 2005) at St Johns Hospital in Santa Monica near his Californian home. He was 58.

Born in Dallas, Texas on 5 July 1948, the ebullient Hootkins – known as Bill or ‘Hoot’ to his friends - made his stage debut in a local school production that co-starred a fellow student who later had success in Hollywood, Tommy Lee Jones.

He initially tried to distance himself from drama by studying astrophysics and Chinese linguistics at Princeton University, but soon became involved with Princeton’s Intime Theatre group. On the recommendation of his friend, John Lithgow, he moved to the UK after graduation to study at LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) and subsequently made his home in this country.

In a busy career, Hootkins worked regularly on both sides of the Atlantic.

His first film role was in 1977, playing Jedi fighter Jek Porkins in George Lucas' Star Wars. Though the part was small, it had a big impact. He joked in a Whatsonstage.com interview two years ago “In a sense, my career's been downhill ever since. Fans still come to greet me at the stage door with action figures of my character and embarrassing photographs for me to sign.” EDITOR'S NOTE: EMBARRASSING, YES. BUT NOTHING LIKE THE DEDICATION OF A DWEEB, EH? (AND HERE'S THIS GUY, WHOSE DWEEB CLAIM-TO-FAME IS BEING THE CHUBBY GUY WHO...ACCORDING TO EU LORE...DIES ATTACKING THE DEATH STAR IN PART BECAUSE HE KEPT HIS INTERNAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS ON HIS X-WING RAMPED UP TO KEEP HIS PORKY FRAME COMFORTABLE, AND THUS COULDN'T FEEL THE IMPENDING CRASH....THAT GUY SPEAKS CHINESE AND WENT TO PRINCETON. GO FIGGER).

HARRY POTTER ITEMS:
Three new GOF posters
USA Weekend magazine will feature three brand-new Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire posters in the November 4-6th issue.

However, you will receive only one of these posters in your area.

The magazine has sent us the three posters, which can be viewed below:






EDITOR'S NOTE: THEY'RE FINE. BUT NOT NEARLY THE MUST-HAVE SPECIAL ART THAT THE ANAKIN SKETCH WAS. (FRAMED BEHIND MY TV, THANK YOU AGAIN DWEEBPAL PLANOKEVIN FOR GOING OUT AND FINDING IT FOR ME)!

Potter faces girls, Voldemort in 'Goblet'
LONDON, England (AP) -- In "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the teenage wizard faces new terrors. A face-to-face encounter with his nemesis, the evil Lord Voldemort, for one. Girls, for another.

And, still fresh in the mind of 16-year-old star Daniel Radcliffe -- ballroom dancing.

"I really wanted to be good at it," Radcliffe said of the scene in which Harry dances at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Yule Ball.

In the end, he said at a press conference Tuesday for the film, director Mike Newell "very kindly didn't show anything below my waist. You never see my feet move."

"Dan," said Newell affectionately, "is a kind of ballroom Everyman."

Radcliffe's down-to-earth charm is key to the success of the Potter films, which have become a lucrative franchise since "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (known as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the U.S.) was released in 2001.

Radcliffe was 11 when he first wore Harry's trademark spectacles and lightning-shaped scar.

Five years on, he's an assured and articulate actor who enthuses about his favorite bands -- The Libertines, Hard-Fi and Louis XIV all get the nod -- and gently coaxes his co-stars at the news conference. EDITOR'S NOTE: HE IS SCARY/POISED. I'M TELLING YOU, HE ISN'T A KID...HE'S A 55-YEAR-OLD DWARF.

Producers describe "Goblet of Fire" -- released in Britain and the United States November 18 -- as the darkest Potter film yet. Harry must face a confrontation with Voldemort, the evil warlock who killed his parents and who returns to human form -- in the shape of Ralph Fiennes -- bent on destroying the young wizard.

Charting Harry's fourth year as a trainee wizard at Hogwarts, the film has plenty of magical set pieces to delight fans of J.K. Rowling's saga. There are airborne acrobatics at the Quidditch World Cup, and the Triwizard Tournament -- a perilous contest that sees Harry face off against a fearsome Hungarian Horntail dragon.

As well as Fiennes, new cast members include Brendan Gleeson ("Troy," "Cold Mountain") as Potter's new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the fearsome Mad-Eye Moody; and Miranda Richardson ("The Crying Game," "Sleepy Hollow") as poisonous gossip columnist Rita Skeeter.

The movie also introduces new students to Hogwarts' corridors, including Stanislav Ianevski as Bulgarian Quidditch star Viktor Krum, French actress Clemence Poesy as the heart-fluttering visiting student Fleur Delacour and Scottish schoolgirl Katie Leung as Harry's love-interest Cho Chang.

British director Newell ("Four Weddings and Funeral," "Donnie Brasco") said he was nervous about condensing Rowling's 640-page book into his first Potter film.

"The book's as big as a house brick, and I was very unsure quite how one would attack it," said Newell, who follows American Chris Columbus and Mexican Alfonso Cuaron at the Potter helm.
One idea was to have to be split into two films. But Newell said he eventually found the key to the story -- "it was a thriller."

"Voldemort and Ralph Fiennes were really in charge of events right from the very beginning, and only little by little did Harry catch up with what was happening to him, until it was too late and there he was facing the devil in a graveyard," Newell said. "As soon as I could see that, I felt that I could stay true to the book and at the same time keep the length down."

Newell has turned down the chance to direct the fifth film, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." Filming is due to begin in February under British television director David Yates ("State of Play," "Sex Traffic.")

With the films now more than halfway through Rowling's planned seven-book series -- the sixth volume, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," was released earlier this year -- budding romance is a new development for the teenaged Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione.

Inevitably, Radcliffe and his co-stars Emma Watson, 15 and Rupert Grint, 17, face questions about their own love lives. They deflect them with good grace.

"I'm learning to drive at the moment, so that's taking all my time," Grint told reporters.

TELEVISON ITEMS:
SIN CITY Series
Variety has reported that Harvey and Bob Weinstein's new company, the Weinstein Co., is in final negotiations with Barbara Schneeweiss to develop a TV slate.

One of the shows they are looking to develop would be based on Dimension Films' SIN CITY.

The series would apparently "follow in the footsteps" of the sequel, which is planned for 2006.

More SG-1 and ATLANTIS on the Way

Sci Fi Channel has anonunced they are renewing STARGATE SG-1 and STARGATE ATLANTIS. They are ordering 20 episodes of each, which will premiere next summer.
SG-1 will be entering its 10th season overall -- fifth on Sci-Fi. ATLANTIS, on the other hand, will be starting its third season.

Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper will continue to executive produce both programs. EDITOR'S NOTE: WELL, AT LEAST BEN BROWDER GETS TO STAY EMPLOYED. (NOT ON ANYTHING THAT MATTERS...BUT....OH WHO CARES ANYMORE......)!??

GRRRRR....

Gosselaar on press duty in 'Chief'

Mark-Paul Gosselaar is joining the cast of the new ABC drama "Commander in Chief," where he'll play a slick media strategist.

Gosselaar's move to "Chief" reunites him with executive producer Steven Bochco, who took the reins of the White House drama this month from creator Rod Lurie. Gosselaar previously co-starred on the Bochco-produced ABC drama "NYPD Blue" from 2001 until the series finale this year.

MOVIE ITEMS:
Clooney, Soderberg Warm to WIND CHILL
George Clooney & Steven Soderberg's Section Eight & Blue Print Pictures will team together with Revolution Studios to produce the horror film WIND CHILL. The script is by Joe Gangemi and Steven Katz. Greg Jacobs will direct.

The story centers on two college students who share a ride home for the holidays but break down on a deserted stretch of road, where they are menaced by the ghosts of all those who died there. EDITOR'S NOTE: I DO SO HATE IT WHEN THIS HAPPENS.

Bowman keen to direct second X-Files movie
Rob Bowman, director of the first “X-Files” film, says he’d be keen to return for Mulder and Scully’s second big-screen adventure, if FOX will have him back.

"My involvement is not something I can control. And what I've said when I'm asked the question 'Will I direct it?' is: I have to be asked to direct it first. I'd love to direct it. But if I don't, then I just can't wait to see it because I know it'll be great”, Bowman, director of “Elektra” and “Reign of Fire”, tells FilmForce.

"[The X-Files] is like an old friend from the past. Whenever they come knocking at the door, they'll be greeted with open arms. I think... I hope that there's no bad time to make the X-Files sequel. If it came out at any time, I'd run and see it. Everybody wants to make it. And certainly as a fan, I want to see it." EDITOR'S NOTE: YES YES YES YES YES.

He adds, "[The script will be] cool and sophisticated. That's how Chris writes. I'm sure he has lots of stories. I just think, please hurry, because I can't wait to see it."EDITOR'S NOTE: DID I MENTION ME TOO?

Bowman hasn’t been told anything about the yarn, only that it will be "a stand alone story. That's what I was told. It won't be tied into the X-Files mythology. So, anybody who's never seen the X-Files can step into the movie theater and have the full experience, and really see the great chemistry between David and Gillian." EDITOR'S NOTE: GIVEN THAT THE LAST TIME WE SAW THEM THEY WERE SORT OF PREPPING FOR THE END OF THE WORLD, THIS SHOULD BE INTERESTING. HOW DO WE HAVE A STAND-ALONE, NON-MYTHOLOGY STORY AFTER ALL THAT?

Glover joins Condon's cast in 'Dreamgirls'


Danny Glover has been cast in "Dreamgirls," the musical Bill Condon is directing for DreamWorks.

Based on the stage musical, "Dreamgirls" follows the rise of a female singing group called the Dreamettes. The musical was a thinly veiled story of the Supremes.

Beyonce Knowles already has been cast as Deena Jones, one of the Dreamettes, while Jamie Foxx has been cast as Svengali-like manager Curtis Taylor Jr. and Eddie Murphy as womanizing R&B star James "Thunder" Early. Glover is playing Murphy's manager, Marty Madison.

Laurence Mark is producing, and Patricia Whitcher is exec producing. DreamWorks' David Beaubaire oversees.

Glover, whose lengthy film career includes "Silverado," "The Color Purple" and the "Lethal Weapon" movies, appeared in last year's hit "Saw" and next appears in the Walt Disney Co.'s upcoming "The Shaggy Dog."

MISC. ITEMS:
Boreanaz returning as Angel?
Seems those rumoured “Buffy” and “Angel” spin-off movies mightn’t be TV efforts after all – with the success of DVD premieres these days, they might be going straight to Blockbuster.

"There are serious discussions going on about bringing some of the characters back and making a few movies that will go straight to DVD, but they will certainly be the quality they have always been," Buffy executive producer Marti Noxon tells Sci Fi Wire. EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A HALF-BAD IDEA, DOES IT? (WONDER IF THERE ARE OTHER FRANCHISES...."FARSCAPE"....THAT COULD DO THIS TOO? SIGH....)

"Joss is the king of jumping mediums, so it is an obvious step for him to do this," Noxon said.
Noxon confirmed that several of the shows past writers, including Drew Goddard, have been contacted about turning in script ideas that would center on the minor characters.

Though Sarah Michelle Gellar isn’t expected to pick up her stake to play Buffy again and Alyson Hannigan’s very busy with her show ‘How I Met your Mother’ (though I hear she's been asked to participate, and is keen), Noxon says films centering on the characters of Spike (James Marsters) and Angel (David Boreanaz) might be wise, and successful, options to kick off. EDITOR'S NOTE: ALTHOUGH BOREANZ IS CURRENTLY DOING A SERIES ON FOX THAT IS ALSO DOING WELL. ("BONES")

I’ll make a prediction and say that Whedon might even continue the “Serenity”/”Firefly” universe as a series of DVD movies too. Not so bad? EDITOR'S NOTE: OOOO...YES YES YES YES YES!!!! (UMM...THAT WOULD BE NICE).

A THESPING UNIVERSE ITEM ----

Third

By Larry WorthMitzi E. Newhouse Theater, New YorkRuns indefinitely



College professor Dianne Wiest comforts her ailing father, Charles Durning.

Wendy Wasserstein is probably best known for penning "The Heidi Chronicles," then winning a Pulitzer and Tony for it.

All things being relative, "Heidi" now looks like a mere warmup for "Third," which is Wasserstein's most mature, challenging and ideologically complex work.

It's also her most flat-out entertaining.

For a great deal of the wide-ranging narrative, one isn't quite sure where it's going, except that it's charting the increasingly questionable decisions made by Laurie Jameson (Dianne Wiest), a middle-aged New England college professor.

When first meeting Laurie, it's September 2002, and she's in her glory in the lecture hall, branding King Lear as an idiotic narcissist and his saintly offspring Cordelia as "a masochistic simp."

Yes, Laurie's an uber-feminist, never mind a Bush-bashing, bleeding-heart liberal who's proud of her activist-lesbian daughter and frowns on her heterosexual child's conventional ways.

In between warding off hot flashes, she's also coping with 1) a father (Charles Durning) whose dementia worsens by the day, 2) a sickly colleague (Amy Aquino) battling bone cancer and 3) America's invasion of Iraq, the subject that may torment her the most. At least until meeting Woodson Bull III (Jason Ritter).

Third, as he prefers to be called, is a rich, handsome, 20-year-old preppy with GOP leanings who enrolls in one of Laurie's classes. He also starts to emerge as Laurie's unlikely sparring partner, who more than holds his own with her.

That's the launching pad for a series of developments that carry far-reaching, potentially tragic repercussions for each of the central players.

Before long, Wasserstein has incorporated a "Proof"-like mystery, a deliciously twisty series of cat-and-mouse face-offs and even a bit of "Turn of the Screw" as one starts to question possibly obsessive behavior and its consequences.

And that's in addition to richly textured characters and consistently funny dialogue that has one laughing aloud one minute and in the next, weighing its emotional baggage.

Veteran Broadway director Daniel Sullivan confirms that he's an expert at tweaking such varied components for maximum impact. He's also clever at drawing viewers into the drama, exemplified in the opening lecture scene, during which he makes the audience comprise the student body. It's a neat touch.

Then there's the cast, headed by the inimitable Wiest.

While she's had no shortage of work during the past few decades, this is her best performance since winning her 1994 Oscar for "Bullets Over Broadway." Wiest goes from vulnerable and sad to screamingly funny and then armor-plated with the slightest of inflections, as exhibited in a brilliantly delivered monologue to her therapist. She's like an ever-morphing force of nature.

Ritter makes for a surprisingly effective foil. Cementing his good reviews from a cinematic turn this year as John Goodman's closeted gay son in "Happy Endings," he truly comes into his own here. His comedic timing would make late father John proud, while his dramatic forays carry considerable heft.

In supporting roles, the always reliable Durning is heart-wrenchingly moving as Laurie's mentally unstable dad, while Gaby Hoffmann's moments as the voice-of-reason daughter clearly define her as an actress on the rise. Then there's Aquino's cancer-riddled professor, who appears to redefine the meaning of black humor with every line reading.

Piece by piece, the production amazes. Collectively, "Third" adds up to one of the season's biggest treasures, and the loveliest jewel in Wasserstein's crown.

Third Presented by Lincoln Center

TheaterCredits:

Playwright: Wendy Wasserstein

Director: Daniel Sullivan

Set designer: Thomas Lynch

Costume designer: Jennifer von Mayrhauser

Lighting designer: Pat Collins

Sound designer: Scott Stauffer

Original music: Robert Waldman

Cast:

Laurie Jameson: Dianne Wiest

Woodson Bull III: Jason Ritter

Jack Jameson: Charles Durning

Emily Imbrie: Gaby Hoffmann

Nancy Gordon: Amy Aquino

Record 58 countries court Oscar

Having invited 91 countries to submit films, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Tuesday that a record 58 took the Academy up on its offer.

Three countries that had not previously been represented submitted films: Costa Rica, which offered Esteban Ramirez's "Caribe"; Fiji, which submitted Vilsoni Hereniko's "The Land Has Eyes"; and Iraq, which entered Jamil Rostami's "Requiem of Snow."

Several movies arrive in the wake of local controversies.

Christian Carion's "Joyeux Noel," from France, had drawn a formal complaint from France's independent producers union, the Societe des Producteurs Independants, claiming that the choice of film -- by a seven-member selection committee appointed by the state's funding body, the Center National de la Cinematographie -- was "politically motivated." The SPI, lacking legal recourse, has since backed off.

When Italy's first submission, Saverio Costanzo's "Private," was ruled ineligible by the Academy because none of its dialogue is in Italian, Italy submitted Cristina Comencini's "La bestia nel cuore."

WB Cartoons Resurrected On Web
BUGS BUNNY MIGHT NOT HAVE new adventures on network TV these days, but his escapades continue on the Web.

The famous rabbit, like several other WB cartoon characters, can now be seen in new animated shorts distributed on about half a dozen child-oriented sites, including Kaboose.com and Funschool.com.

This summer, Broadband Enterprises quietly began syndicating short Warner Bros. cartoons online. The arrangement, which was recently extended through the end of the year, involves distributing new clips--created just for the Web--for shows such as "Looney Tunes," "Gotham Girls," "Timberwolf," and "Cartoon Monsoon."

Kellogg's and Procter & Gamble run streaming ads before the shorts, and display a static banner next to the clips, said Matt Wasserlauf, president and CEO of Broadband Enterprises.

The pre-roll ads--mainly 30-second units--target children between the ages of 6 and 11, as well as their mothers. Kellogg's has promoted Pop Tarts, Frosted Flakes, and Twistables, while Procter & Gamble has been touting Bounty towels, Wasserlauf said.

Broadband Enterprises is currently evaluating whether to extend distribution to other sites to which it provides video streams. "We laid out the opportunity across the board and are awaiting feedback," said Wasserlauf, a former WB executive who once was responsible for syndicating network programming to local TV stations.

All Warner Bros. shorts currently streaming are original, but Broadband Enterprises might in the future make repurposed TV clips available online, Wasserlauf said. EDITOR'S NOTE: 'REPURPOSED'. AS IN, RERUNS. (FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO TRY NOT TO TRACK THE REALLY STUPID OBFUSCATION OF THE AD/MEDIA BIZ). IN THIS INSTANCE, THOUGH, A LITTLE 'REPURPOSING' MIGHT NOT BE A BAD THING....IF WE GET SOME OLD "PINKY AND THE BRAIN" OR "ANIMANIACS" OR "BATMAN/SUPERMAN"?

HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!!

AND LASTLY, BACK TO STAR WARS:

Download A Halloween Mask

Over at Star Wars Kids, they have several new printable Halloween Halloween masks. EDITOR'S NOTE: ALMOST ALL THE BESTEST STUFF IS ON THE KIDS SIDE OF THE STAR WARS WEBSITE. (HAVE YOU NOTICE THAT?)

Created by several Star Wars artists, these files can be downloaded and printed out at home! There's even my favorite droid, R2-D2

http://www.starwars.com/kids/activity/crafts/f20051026/index.html

Revenge of the Halloween Masks
October 26, 2005



Need a costume for Halloween but you're just not sure which Star Wars character you'd like to be? Download and print these Revenge of the Sith masks created especially for starwars.com by Star Wars illustrators and artists.

Choose from these Episode III characters: General Grievous and Obi-Wan Kenobi by Cat Staggs, Tion Medon and Aayla Secura by Cynthia Cummens, C-3PO and Yoda by Chris Trevas, Padmé Amidala by Sarah Wilkinson, Chewbacca by Joe Corroney, The Emperor by Otis Frampton, Anakin Skywalker by Randy Martinez, R2-D2 by Brent Woodside, clone troopers by Tom Hodges, Boga by Amy Pronovost and Darth Vader by Matt Busch!

Directions:
1. Choose the mask you want to print out on a color printer. There are two sizes -- one that prints out on a standard size sheet of paper (8½x11) and a large version (11x17) for printers that can print that size paper. If you are unsure whether your printer can print the large size, ask an adult to help (and join in on the fun!). EDITOR'S NOTE: DOES ANYONE KNOW ANY ADULTS? NO? GOOD...PLAY PLAY PLAY!!!!

2. Once printed, carefully use scissors to cut out eye holes and (optional) nose holes -- so you can see and breathe once the mask is on. EDITOR'S NOTE: WHERE'S THE CHALLENGE IN THAT?!

3. With a hole puncher, punch out side holes centered at either side of the mask.

4. Hold the mask up to your face. If the eye holes are too small for you to see through them, enlarge them cutting around them with scissors (you may want an adult to help you with this). EDITOR'S NOTE: NAW. LET'S JUST RUN WITH SCISSORS.

5. Next, cut two pieces of string, each approximately six inches long. Tie or tape each piece in each side hole you made in Step 3.

6. Tie the ends together at the back of your head to hold the mask on.

EDITOR'S NOTE: HERE ARE THE FACES THEY HAVE OVER AT THE STARWARSKIDS WEBSITE (SEE WEB ADDRESS, ABOVE). I PRINTED ME OUT A BOGA!!!




Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Can't EVER have too much HARRY!

EDITOR'S NOTE: BETWEEN GOF, THE MOVIE, RAPIDLY COMING UPON US, AND CASTING NEWS FOR OOTP, THERE IS SO MUCH HP STUFF IT'S ALMOST TOO MUCH.

NOT THAT THAT IS REALLY POSSIBLE....TOO MUCH HARRY POTTER?!

The Dark Mark is over my house
The Polvadore family in Nacogdoches, Texas have spent the last few days constructing a real-life Dark Mark. EDITOR'S NOTE: YES, THEY NO DOUBT HAVE TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS. BUT GOSH DARN IT AIN'T THEY OUR KIND OF TIME-WASTERS!?

The model, which looks great at night, is four by five feet and was made out of green rope lights. They have positioned the eerie Mark seven feet above their house.

Check out a pic below:



GOF's PG-13 rating justified
Today, an article published by USA Today discusses the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire's PG-13 rating in the United States.

After a viewing of the film, they offer explanations as to why it was given this rating:

A 'Goblet' of intense images
By César G. Soriano, USA TODAY

LONDON — Just as Harry Potter is growing up in J.K. Rowling's series of phenomenally popular books, the screen version of the young wizard isn't entering quietly into his adolescence.

Judging by the first look at the finished film at a screening for journalists Friday night, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire more than earns its PG-13, the first in the series to receive that rating. EDITOR'S NOTE: FINALLY....DWEEB SMUT!

In the USA, PG-13 carries with it a caution for parents and warns that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Goblet is cited for its sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images.

Says director Mike Newell: "Audiences that began with No. 1 and are now 14, 15, 16 years old will kind of want to know you are not infantilizing the situation. These are not children's books; these are adult stories."

Among the more frightening scenes in the fourth Potter installment, due in theaters Nov. 18:

• A giant man-eating snake.

• An implied murder.

• The graphic destruction of the Quidditch World Cup campsite at the hands of the dark-hooded, skull-faced Death Eaters.

And that's just the first 15 minutes.

Goblet features the first appearance by the evil Lord Voldemort,EDITOR'S NOTE: YES, I KNOW..."FEAR OF THE NAME ONLY INCREASES FEAR OF THE THING ITSELF"....BUT LET'S PAUSE A SEC WHILE WE ALL SPIT OVER OUR SHOULDERS. (BOB....SPIT AWAY FROM THE KEYBOARD NEXT TIME). played by Ralph Fiennes, and culminates in a graveyard battle between Harry and Voldemort that includes a torture scene.

Other scenes that may be of concern to parents include creepy spiders crawling on schoolchildren, fire-breathing dragons, monstrous mermaids, a character nearly suffocated by vines and a near-drowning. The film also contains mild profanity, sexual innuendo and the death of a main character.

Producer David Heyman says he was pleased with the rating. "It will be good for a slightly older audience, and it shows that we've been faithful to the material," he said Saturday at a news conference to promote the Warner Bros. picture, one of the most anticipated films of the holiday season. EDITOR'S NOTE: GOF IS REALLY THE FIRST OF THE HP BOOKS THAT TAKES A MUCH DARKER TURN. I THINK THE PG13 RATING IS A GOOD SIGN THAT THEY FILMMAKERS ARE BEING TRUE TO THE MATERIAL.

Goblet "is a different kind of animal. It has evolved," says Newell. Dumbing down the books would have been patronizing to fans who have grown up and matured alongside Potter, Newell says.

Whether the film is too scary for children under 12 depends on the child's disposition, says star Daniel Radcliffe.

"If you are a very sensitive 10-year-old, you probably couldn't see it, but then again, if you are a very resilient 5-year-old, you could," he says. EDITOR'S NOTE: I HAVE SAID IT ALL ALONG....THIS BOY IS NOT A 16 YEAR-OLD; HE'S A VERY OLD MIDGET.

"What's great is there is all the intensity, and that's fantastic. I think people would have been disappointed if we had pulled away from that. At the same time, you have got a lot more comedy. It is the funniest of the films so far. There is a nice balance of light and shade."

Goblet of Fire: 156 minutes long
Veritaserum has independently confirmed the fourth Harry Potter movie's running time as being 156 minutes and 25 seconds; this includes thirteen minutes of credits which are filled "with bits of humor". EDITOR'S NOTE: DRAT....NOW THE RIFFRAFF WHO DON'T USUALLY KNOW ENOUGH TO STAY FOR THE CREDITS WILL BE SULLYING OUR SENSE OF SUPERIORITY ABOUT IT. (DARN THOSE RIFFRAFF).

AND BY THE WAY....ZOWIE! THE MOVIE IS MORE THAN 2 AND A HALF HOURS LONG (INCLUDING CREDITS)! GLAD TO SEE THEY ARE NOT TRYING TO SHOE-HORN THAT GREAT BIG BOOK INTO 2 HOURS.

Heyman discusses OOTP casting
Harry Potter producer David Heyman spoke a little with VTM yesterday, following the Junket in London.

He said "we are in negotiations with Imelda Staunton" for the role of Dolores Jane Umbridge in OOTP, although she announced last week on ITV she would indeed play the part.

The producer also said that Luna Lovegood auditions were going "...really well. Early days yet, but we're, you know, we're meeting, and look forward to finding her. We've seen lots of girls - a couple thousand... We scour."

Order of the Phoenix filming to stay in UK?
There have been rumors and speculation in past months of a possible set move to the Czech Republic because of costs, among other things.

Today however, The Times reports that filming for the fifth Potter movie will indeed stay in the UK. This decision was made because of "the cost of relocating the extensive sets and talent overseas." The British Film Industry is also thrilled to hear the news

Live from the London GOF Press Junket
MuggleNet, Leaky, and a bunch of other sites and press representatives are on a conference call at the moment, where we'll be listening in on and participating in a conference with Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, followed by one with Clemence Poesy, Robert Pattinson, Stanislav Ianevski and Katie Leung, and finally a third conference with Mike Newell and David Heyman.

UPDATE: The conference has now concluded, lasting just over two hours.

Our notes from the show (first brought to you live as they occurred in conjunction with Leaky) can be found below:

Interview with Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson:
Emma:
There has been a lot of speculation about whether we're going to outgrow our parts but it works out really well because each one takes about a year.

Dan: There is always this thing of, 'Will you get too old for your part?' People play a lot younger than they actually are in real life. I don't think it's as big an issue as a lot of people make it out to be.

Dan doesn't like iPods becuase he's obsessive about having the actual CD and sleeve.

Dan, joking about whether the kids would fall into wild Hollywood lifestyles: "I'm planning on buying 20 Porsches and crashing them all just for the extravagance!" The kids don't go to the parties they're invited to most often; Dan feels like he's "fooling people" because it's this massive thing (the film) and yet he's so low-key he feels like he's tricking everyone.

Emma loved all the arguing in the film - she thought it was realistic of the characters.

Mike Newell treated them like adult actors, say Emma, where in other films they could "get away with more," says Dan.

Emma, on walking down the stairs at the Yule Ball: "I didn't know there were so many ways you can walk down stairs until that day."

Rupert says he thinks he'll continue acting for his career.


Emma doesn't want Harry Potter to be the last thing she does; she loves getting on stage and reacting to a live audience.

Dan loves acting and was trying to figure out what the attraction was: he has no idea. He says it's something to do with power, because you have a character and it's up to the actor to determine how the character is seen. He says he has a huge passion for acting and is "maybe" interested in eventually directing because he's been inspired by the directors he's worked with so far.

Dan: "Me and Harry are not very good with women. I've got better now. But I think any man ever who says he has never had an awkward moment with a girl is a liar. He's either a liar or he's delusional."

Dan: "The thing with Harry and Ron is that they are the worst dates in the world with these two poor girls!" Afzhan, his date, is also one of his best friends. "You have sort of the ballroom casualties who are outside weeping because the night has gone so horribly."

Emma: "Including Hermione!"

Emma on the Yule Ball: "I loved doing it because I can relate to what she goes through. I so know that frustration where guys can be so insensitive....Hermione is so insecure about herself and she's never really had any attention from a guy before that when she sees Viktor looking at her it's like, 'Is that guy really looking at me?' ... She does not know what's happening to her and she gets caught up in this whirlwind."

Emma, on what she wants to see happen in book seven: "For goodness sake, Hermione and Ron just need to get it together! It's just been so long now!"
EDITOR'S NOTE: AMEN, GIRLFRIEND!

Interview with Clemence Poesy, Robert Pattinson, Stanislav Ianevski, and Katie Leung:
Stan: "Krum is the world's David Beckham...I think he's got two sides: very sporty, very concentrated, but also he's got a big heart." Ianevski wants to continue acting.

Clemence: "[Fleur] is the kind of girl we've all had in our school. Miss Perfect, kind of annoying at the end, but always well-dressed."

Pattinson: "It's impossible to hate [Cedric]. He's good at sports, and very athletic; he kind of vaguely takes Harry under his wing and they get closer as the film draws to a close."

Katie: "[The role] has brought out a lot of confidence in me."

Interview earlier with Director Mike Newell and Producer David Heyman:
David Heyman is happy with the 12A rating because he doesn't feel they're children's books, and calls it a "generous, smart, funny thriller."

Mike Newell, much to WB's chagrin, says the movie has all the elements of a great Bollywood film.

Two years ago, Mike Newell met with Jo Rowling and they discussed the moral challenges inherent in the book and how important it was for Harry to stand on his own morality.

Mike Newell: "I can't stand myself sometimes." He hates his work, all the time, he says. "I always hate the end result, and this time, and it may be a very bad sign, this time I don't hate it. This time I think it's what I tried to do, what we all tried to do, which was to make this wonderful, terrifying thriller ride. So it pleases me very much."


Dan Radcliffe likes to do his own stunts; he'll go to the gym several times a week during lunch and has become a "jock," says David Heyman.

Jo has not seen the film yet but will soon.

Jo Rowling OK'd putting Barty Crouch in the first scene. "Oh, that could have happened, yes," she said when they called her to ask about it.

Mike Newell: Jo Rowling is not "the best returner of a phone call I've ever come across" but is very sweet and available, and gives the filmmakers the freedom they need to make their own work.

David Heyman calls her "the most generous of collaborators."

Heyman: Kloves to Return for Sixth Script
A quick note from today's press junket that we hadn't yet snipped for you:

According to Executive Producer David Heyman, Steve Kloves, who wrote the script for the first four films, is going to return to script Half-Blood Prince:

DH: ... He is a fantastic writer, who manages to bring a keen sense of character, and really understands the voice of the actors he is writing for. He can write with great emotion, and at the same time, also a great humor. He is not doing the fifth, because he is writing another project for me called, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," which I hope he will direct. However, he read the sixth book and couldn't stay away, and so he's gonna come back and write the sixth.

Mike Newell: Oh, great! Oh, that is good!

DH: Yeah, I know it's great. (laughter) Michael Goldenberg is writing the fifth. He is another writer, who, actually, I talked to about the first film, and he's doing a fantastic job. You can never make a good film out of a bad script. You most certainly can make a bad one out of a good one. But, he does have a good script. And, I really believe that Steve Kloves, on each of the four films, has given us a really good script. He's also a man, in my perspective, who writes without ego. He's someone who... It's great when you sit in the script meeting with him, because you can say anything - and he's thought through everything - it doesn't mean that he doesn't defend what he has, but he does it in a way which explains the reason why he has done what he has done. But, it's always open to changes. He also has an encyclopedic knowledge of the world, and clearly, he and Jo are very much on the same wavelength. EDITOR'S NOTE: YAY! KLOVES WILL BE BACK! (AND HERE'S HOPING GOLDENBERG LIVES UP TO KLOVES IN THE MEANTIME)

Weasleys to Host Kids' WB! Halloween Event
James Phelps (Fred Weasley), Oliver Phelps (George Weasley), and Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) will be hosting "HARRY POTTER'S SPELLBINDING SECRETS SATURDAY" on October 29.

The actors will take viewers on a "Trick-or-Treat" adventure behind the scenes of the Harry Potter films while they host the entire Kids' WB!'s Saturday morning lineup (8 a.m.-12 p.m. ET/7-11 a.m. PT).

Here's an excerpt form the official press release:
Kids' WB!, which received special access to the Harry Potter movie sets in London, "treats" viewers to special effects "tricks" as the network goes behind the scenes into the magical world of the Harry Potter films.

Kids' WB! and the Weasleys will unmask how the movie makers created some of the magic and how the special effects bring various movie scenes to life.

Join the Weasleys as they reveal the movies' spellbinding secrets - including how the actor who plays Peter Pettigrew was turned into a rat; how a half-eagle/half-horse mythical creature came alive on screen; and how the triple decker Knight Bus managed to squeeze its way through London traffic!

Reuters Photos
There was a photocall today, and Reuters has the new photos of some of the cast members, here. Enjoy!
















British actors (L to R) Stanislav Ianevski who plays Viktor Krum, Clemence Poesy who plays Fleur Delacour, Rupert Grint who plays Ron Weasley, Emma Watson who plays Hermione Granger, Daniel Radcliffe who plays Harry Potter, Katie Leung who plays Cho Chang and Robert Pattinson who plays Cedric Diggory in the forthcoming film "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" attend a photocall in London October 25, 2005.

EDITOR'S NOTE: AND HERE'S MORE GOF PICS. I THINK, AT THIS POINT, WE CAN LINE THEM UP IN ORDER AND RECREATE THE MOVIE IN STILL PICTURE FORM. (NOT COMPLAINING; I'M A GLUTTON FOR GOF PICS).








EDITOR'S NOTE: HE'S ALWAYS BEEN A TAD CREEPY. BUT EVER SINCE BOOK 6, HE GIVES ME THE TOTAL GOOSEBUMPS!






EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS RIGHT HERE IS WHY EVIL HAS A FIGHTING CHANCE AT VICTORY....YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY. EVIL CAN BE SOOOOOO YUMMY.










EDITOR'S NOTE: THEY ARE GEEKY-LOOKING, BUT SO CHARMING AND CUTE, HUH?!


EDITOR'S NOTE: THE NEXT THING THAT HAPPENS AFTER THIS PIC IS NOT GOOD, HUH? (SHUDDER.....)






EDITOR'S NOTE: SHE IS ADORABLE. SURE HOPE HARRY LIVES LONG ENOUGH TO HAVE REALLY CUTE KIDS WITH HER.