ZENtertainment #44 (6.17.96)
ZENtertainment
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-------------------!* ZENtertainment *!--------------------
ZENtertainment
An Alan Smithee Zine
June 17th, 1996 - Issue #44
http://www.zentertainment.com/
AOL Keyword: ZENTERTAINMENT
-!!- CONTENTS INCLUDE -!!-
MUSIC: Sing Don't Sign!, Juliana Hatfield, and Upcoming
Releases.
TELEVISION: ER, 60 Minutes, ESPNEWS, Larry Sanders, Jerry
Bruckheimer, and More.
FILM: ET, CAT IN THE HAT, LIFE LESS ORDINARY, THE DOUBLE,
THE JETSONS, IN LOVE AND WAR, Smithee, Tarantino, Cruise,
Streep, McConaughey, Coming Attractions, Box Office Figures,
and More.
LITERATURE: Top Cow, Anne Rice, Joe R. Lansdale, and More.
AMUSEMENT PARKS: Disney News.
------------------->> ZENtertainment - MUSIC
-!!- MUSIC NEWS -!!-
Reprise Records' SING, DON'T SIGN! is a compilation to
raise funds for the Idaho Decline To Sign Campaign, a
grassroots coalition of citizens and organizations opposing
placement of the anti-gay initiative Proposition One on
Idaho's 1996 general election ballot. The 16-track tape
includes tracks by ANI DIFRANCO, FRED SCHNEIDER, PANSY
DIVISION, PHRANC, FERRON, and More. SIGN is limited to
5000 copies -- Send $10.00 today to:
DECLINE TO SIGN CAMPAIGN P.O. Box 797 Boise, Idaho 83701
Julina Hatfield makes a guest appearance on The Cartoon
Network's SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST Wednesday along with
20 other guests. I spoke with Mammoth, Hatfield's record
label, last week and was told that she is currently
recording a new album in Boston and Woodstock.
-!!- UPCOMING RELEASES -!!-
( * = Highly Recommended by ZENtertainment )
- June 18th -
** BECK O-De-Lay
* HENRY ROLLINS Everything
* FINN BROTHERS Finn Brothers
* HALF HOUR TO GO Items for the Full Outfit
* LYLE LOVETT The Road to Ensenada
ALAN VEGA Dujang Prang
TONI BRAXTON Secrets
Plus... LITTLE FEAT, X-MEMBERS, CHERUBS, PERE UBU, ZACK
WILDE, BEDHEAD, BY PRODUCT, MUZZLE, The JAMES TAYLOR
QUARTET, and the soundtrack to KINGPIN.
- June 25th -
** DUB NARCOTIC SOUND SYSTEM Rhythym Record Volume Two
** BABY LEMONADE 68% Pure Imagination
* ME'SHELL NDEGEOCELLO Peace Beyond Passion
* KMFDM XTORT
* DEAD CAN DANCE Spiritchaser
* PRIMITIVE RADIO GODS Rocket
* J.J.CALE Guitar Man
JACK Pioneer Soundtracks
PETE DROGE Find A Door
Plus... HIS NAME IS ALIVE, GAP BAND, TEVIN CAMPBELL, JEREMY
ENIGK, SEABRON, ZOO PEOPLE, KEITH SWEAT, and the STRIPTEASE
soundtrack.
------------------->> ZENtertainment - TELEVISION
-!!- TELEVISION NEWS -!!-
The SUPERMAN ADVENTURES animated series will debut with a
primetime movie on Friday September 6th, before beginning
in it's regular timeslot Saturday the 7th at 10am. Listen
for voices by Tim Daly (Wings) as Superman, Dana Delany
(China Beach) as Lois, David Kaufmann (Freakazoid!) as
Jimmy, George Dzundza (Batman:TAS) as Perry White, Clancy
Brown (Shawshank) as Luthor, Malcolm McDowell as Metallo,
and Jim Belushi as the Parasite. Plans are under way for
appearances by Batman, Lobo, Supergirl, Darkseid, Mister
Miracle, Spectre, Wonder Woman, The Demon, Aquaman, and
more. A sneak preview of the show's artwork is available on
the new WB Animation web site at http://www.wbanimation.com
DC will release an ongoing SUPERMAN ADVENTURES series on
September 4th with BATMAN:TAS's Paul Dini writing the
debut, followed by six issues written by Scott McCloud
(Understanding Comics, Zot!)
LATE SHOW NEWS reports HBO's LARRY SANDERS SHOW will return
with new episodes in October, in stead of January as
previously announced.
SHOWTIME's THE OUTER LIMITS will air its first ever sequel
Sunday night at 10pm. LIGHT BRIGADE is the sequel to last
year's QUALITY OF MERCY, and features returning star Robert
Patrick with Wil Wheaton and Graham Greene. Sheena Easton
stars on the show the following week as a pop star whose
body is invaded by a time traveler in FALLING STAR.
TV GUIDE reports Mark Harmon (St. Elsewhere) will join the
cast of CBS's CHICAGO HOPE this fall, while Roxanne Hart
will be leaving the drama.
ESPN will launch their all-sports news channel, ESPNEWS, on
November 1st.
According to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, Laura Innes has signed
on as a regular to NBC's ER. She plays chief resident Dr.
Kerry Weaver.
CBS has pushed back the debut of the revamped CBS THIS
MORNING from August 5th to 12th, the same day the
Republican National Convention opens in San Diego.
The LA TIMES reports BET anchor Ed Gordon is in final
negotiations to become an anchor for MSNBC. DATELINE NBC's
Jane Pauley will contribute a nightly historical showcase of
past NBC News programming for the network.
60 MINUTES has gotten rid of recently-hired commentators
P.J. O'Rourke, Molly Ivans, and Stanley Crouch after poor
reaction to their segments. Though the trio only appeared on
eight shows, they had a 13-week contract.
The USA Network has announced plans for Steven Stern to
direct a telefilm based on the life of controversial Olympic
gold medalist Greg Louganis. BREAKING THE SURFACE: THE GREG
LOUGANIS STORY should air in the second quarter of '97.
VARIETY reports Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun, The Rock) will
create a TV series called SOLDIER OF FORTUNE, INC. for
Rysher Entertainment. Their sources say the show "...will be
a cross between MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and THE DIRTY DOZEN",
and that it will focus on a group of trained killers
employed by the U.S. government for covert operations.
------------------->> ZENtertainment - MOVIES
-!!- MOVIE NEWS -!!-
VARIETY reports Joe Eszterhas has written a spec screenplay
called AN ALAN SMITHEE FILM, a satire about making a movie
in Hollywood which derives it's title from the pseudonym
directors use when they want their name removed from a
film's credits. The script has gone out to a number of
Hollywood players who appear as themselves in the film, with
Eszterhas's hopes that they'll want to appear. Sylvester
Stallone, Producer Robert Evans, and Private Eye Anthony
Pellicano have already signed, Whoopi Goldberg will play
the role originally scripted for Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Bruce Willis is reading the script, and The Hughes Brothers
are close to committing to direct and star.
Quentin Tarantino Rolling Thunder label will follow last
week's re-release of the exploitation film SWITCHBLADE
SISTERS with six other pictures in the near future,
including the previously unreleased feature debut of Richard
Linklater (Slacker), the Italian slasher film BLOOD AND
BLACK LACE, a Hong Kong remake of Bruce Lee's FISTS OF
FURY. Thunder is based out of Miramax.
The LA TIMES reports Meryll Streep in in final talks to star
in a feature film based on late opera singer Maria Callas
for New Line Cinema. The film will be adapted from Arianna
Stassinopoulos Huffington's biography, MARIA CALLAS: THE
WOMAN BEHIND THE LEGEND. Streep recently completed filming
MARVIN'S ROOM, opening this December.
VARIETY's Michael Fleming reports Tom Cruise, his production
partner Paula Wagner, and producer Scott Rudin have
acquired the film rights to Washington Post reporter David
Ignatius' upcoming Random House novel, THE MAN IN THE
MIRROR. Formerly titled A FIRING OFFENSE, Ignatius' MIRROR
is about a New York reporter who goes undercover for the CIA
to investigate a colleague suspected of working for a
foreign government.
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER gave details Friday of a laserdisc
special edition of E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL due in
October that will be transferred from a new THX copy of the
film and will include 90 minutes of supplemental material,
including interview with Steven Spielberg and Henry Thomas,
and a clip of Thomas' original audition. The article also
mentions the disc will compete with a special edition of TOY
STORY, due for release at the same time, and makes mention
of Special Editions of SCARFACE (August 27th), APOLLO 13,
THE THING, and OUT OF AFRICA.
According to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, Russell Wong, from the
syndicated TV show VANISHING SON, has signed to star as
Charlie Chan in an upcoming film by Miramax/Dimension and
Adelson Entertainment.
The CHICAGO SUN TIMES columnist Bill Zwecker reports Sean
Penn will reprise his stage roll in a movie version of
David Rabe's HURLYBURLY. The film will also star Tom
Sizemore, Holly Hunter, and Penn's wife, Robin Wright.
VARIETY reports Mark Wahlberg (Fear, Basketball Diaries) and
Albert Brooks (Scout, Mother) are both extremely close to
signing on to BOOGIE NIGHTS for writer/director Paul Thomas
Anderson and New Line Cinema. Wahlberg would star as a kid
recruited by a porn company during the disco era who
becomes a major porn star, Brooks would play a porn-film
producer. Julianne Moore (Safe, 9 Months) is also attached
to star.
VARIETY reports Warren Beatty is preparing to star in two
romances; He will star and possibly direct his own script,
TRIBULATIONS, and follow it by filming TOWN AND COUNTRY with
director Richard Loncraine (Richard III). TRIBULATIONS is a
romantic comedy about a U.S. senator who has a friend put
out a contract on his life, before he falls in love and
regains his will to live. T&C is a New Line film about a man
unable to commit to his girlfriend, who has a series of
affairs which lead him right back to her.
Disney has paid six figures for TSUNAMI, a spec script about
an oceanographer fighting a military complex as a giant
tidal wave heads endangers San Francisco. Jerry Bruckheimer
(The Rock) will produce, and may be ready to open as early
as next summer.
According to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, DreamWorks has acquired
the film rights to Dr. Seuss' THE CAT IN THE HAT. Steven
Spielberg is expected to produce, and The Reporter rumors
Tim Allen may play the title role.
DreamWorks has bought the screen rights to a film based on
EXTRATERRESTRIALS: A FIELD GUIDE FOR EARTHLINGS, a novel by
Terance Dickenson and Adolf Schaller. The film will be
retitled ALIEN ZOO, and be based upon aliens who are
captured and put in a zoo when their spaceship crashes on
Earth.
Mandalay Entertainment has filed a suit against John
Travolta for dropping out of the lead in Roman Polanski's
THE DOUBLE after script conflicts with the director. Steve
Martin has signed to Travolta's part in the film, which
also stars John Goodman and Isabelle Adjani. VARIETY reports
Travolta is being wooed by Warner Bros to star in director
Cosa-Gavras' MAD CITY.
VARIETY reports Joe Dante (Gremlins, Innerspace) has dropped
out of directing a live-action JETSONS movie for Turner
Pictures. A replacement has not yet been named.
VARIETY reports Don Johnson has dropped out of starring in
Rysher's GOOD GUYS after reportedly not liking the script's
current rewrite. GUYS is on hold until at least March '97.
VARIETY reports Holly Hunter has dropped out of starring
with Jack Nicholson in director James L. Brooks' OLD
FRIENDS. The film should pick up another lead actress soon,
since filming is expected to begin in September.
-!!- MOVIE SIGNINGS -!!-
VARIETY reports FOX has signed a deal with director Danny
Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald, and writer John Hodge -
The team responsible for SHALLOW GRAVE and TRAINSPOTTING -
for the near-Worldwide rights to the trio's next film, A
LIFE LESS ORDINARY. The $12 million project will likely
star Ewan McGregor, playing the lead role of a Scotsman who
loses his cleaning man job when he is replaced by an
automatic vacuum cleaner. The character kidnaps a spoiled
rich girl for a road trip across the US, and the girls
father employs a team of hit men to kill McGregor.
TRAINSPOTTING opens in the US on July 19th.
VARIETY reports Morgan Creek Productions has hired Kathryn
Bigelow (Strange Days, Near Dark, Point Break) to direct
COMPANY OF ANGELS, a film about French martyr Joan of Arc.
Luc Besson (Professional, Nikita) is one of the Executive
Producers.
VARIETY reports Matthew McConaughey has signed to star with
Jodie Foster in director Robert Zemeckis' CONTACT for Warner
Bros. McConaughey stars in A TIME TO KILL, opening July
24th.
VARIETY reports Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, the team
behind STARGATE and INDEPENDENCE DAY, are in final
negotiations with Fox to produce and possible direct two
additional films for the studio. If the deal goes through,
they'll remake a version of FANTASTIC VOYAGE, and
co-produce a film called SUPERTANKER which they developed
with ID4 star Bill Pullman. The duo will next make a
big-budget GODZILLA film for TriStar.
VARIETY reports Mackenzie Astin has joined Sandra Bullock
and Chris O'Donnell in the cast of Richard Attenborough's IN
LOVE AND WAR. The New Line Cinema film, scheduled to open
on Christmas, tells the story of the World War I affair
between young Ernest Hemingway (O'Donnell) and Agnes Von
Kurowsky (Bullock), the Red Cross nurse who inspired
Hemingway's A FAREWELL TO ARMS. Astin has appeared in IRON
WILL, DREAMS OF AN INSOMNIAC, and EVENING STAR.
VARIETY reports Gregory Hoblit (Primal Fear) has signed with
Turner Pictures to direct FALLEN, a dark thriller about a
cop searching for a killer possessed by the devil. No talent
is attached, though Schwarzenegger had at one time
considered the cop role.
VARIETY reports Jennifer Lopez (Mi Familia, The Money Train)
has signed to play Selena in Warner Bros' biopic of the
slain Tejano singer. Production begins in August, directed
and scripted by Gregory Nava (Familia). Lopez is currently
filming ANACONDA with Ice Cube and Jon Voight, and appears
with Robin Williams in Francis Ford Coppola's JACK, opening
August 7th.
VARIETY reports Kathleen Turner will co-star with Martin
Short in an untitled comedy formerly known as A SIMPLE WISH.
Turner will play an evil fairy godmother who tries to steal
the wand of good fairy godmother Short. Amanda Plummer, Mara
Wilson, and Francis Capra are also cast in the film, and
Aidan Quinn is in talks.
VARIETY reports James Woods, Linda Fiorentino, and Michael
Rapaport have signed to KICKED IN THE HEAD, a low-budget
romance about a man living on New York's Lower East Side who
falls in love with a stewardess. Director Matthew Harrison
(Rhythm Thief) co-wrote the script with Kevin Corrigan
(Living in Oblivion), who also stars. Martin Scorsese is the
executive producer.
VARIETY reports Robin Tunney (The Craft) has signed to star
with Christian Slater in THE TEARS OF JULIAN PO, replacing
Uma Thurman. Alan Wade will direct from his own script,
with Slater traveling around the US and coming to a small
town where local women begin throwing themselves at him.
Taco Bell Corp. has signed a $200 million deal with Warner
Bros. for the exclusive restaurant rights to promote the
summer '97 release of BATMAN AND ROBIN.
-!!- COMING ATTRACTIONS -!!-
- June 21st -
ERASER: Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vanessa Williams,
James Caan, James Coburn. Directed by Chuck Russell.
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME: Featuring the voices of Demi
Moore, Tom Hulce, Kevin Kline, Jason Alexander.
LONE STAR: Starring Kris Kristofferson, Chris Cooper, Joe
Morton, Elizabeth Pena, Matthew McConaughey. Written and
Directed by John Sayles.
MOUTH TO MOUTH: Starring Javier Bardem, Maria Barranco.
- June 28th -
STRIPTEASE: Starring Demi Moore, Ving Rhames, Armand
Assante, Burt Reynolds, Robert Patrick. Written and
Directed by Andrew Bergman.
THE NUTTY PROFESSOR: Starring Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett,
Larry Miller, David Chappelle, Kevin MacDonald. Directed by
Tom Shadyac.
-!!- BOX OFFICE TOP 10 -!!-
~~ For The Weekend of June 14th - 16th ~~
This week/Last/Title//Gross in millions/Total
1 / New THE CABLE GUY $20.2 / New
2 / 1 THE ROCK $18.4 / $56
3 / 2 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE $8.7 / $145.1
4 / 3 TWISTER $7.7 / $200+
5 / 4 DRAGONHEART $4.2 / $31.2
6 / 5 EDDIE $3.3 / $19.7
7 / 6 THE PHANTOM $3 / $8
8 / 8 THE ARRIVAL $1.1+ / $10
9 / 7 SPY HARD $1.1- / $22.2
10 / New MOLL FLANDERS $1 / New
/ New STEALING BEAUTY $.100 / New
/ New SWITCHBLADE SISTERS $.015 / New
------------------->> ZENtertainment - LITERATURE
-!!- LITERATURE NEWS -!!-
Anne Rice's SERVANT OF THE BONES, the first book in her new
ghost series, is set for release later this year. A signed,
cloth-bound, slipcased, limited edition with foil embossing
and cover art by Stan Rice is due for release in August.
There are only 425 editions available, each is $150, and
available to order from OVERL...@aol.com.
Dark Horse Publications has released an unfinished Edgar
Rice Burroughs' TARZAN novel that Joe R. Lansdale completed.
A 1st edition hardcover of TARZAN: THE LOST ADVENTURE,
signed by Lansdale, is available for $26 from The Overlook
Connection - OVERL...@aol.com.
FINAL IMPACT is the new title for Yvonne Navarro's
trash-the-entire-planet supernatural science fiction/dark
fantasy novel (formerly called MILLENNIUM'S DARK EMBRACE).
Bantam Books has the oversized book (190,000 words)
scheduled for release in February of '97.
TOP COW COMICS editor and writer Dave Wohl announced and
discussed TC's break from IMAGE last week in a Wizard Comics
chat event. Top Cow is responsible for the Marc
Silvestri-related CYBERFORCE titles, as well as Wohl's
WITCHBLADE, Walt Simonson's WEAPON ZERO, and Garth Ennis's
THE DARKNESS. TC has a number of crossovers planned for the
end of the year, including a SILVER SURFER/WEAPON ZERO by
Silvestri, WOLVERINE/WITCHBLADE by Mike Turner, GHOST
RIDER/WITCHBLADE, and BALLISTIC/ELEKTRA, as well as meetings
with SPAWN and GEN13 next year. Wohl also mentioned TC will
also publish a new book by Brandon Peterson called ARCANUM
which will feature Matthew Royale from SPAWN/WITCHBLADE.
Silvestri is currently doing the art for Paramount Comics'
X-MEN/STAR-TREK crossover, due on August 28th.
Representatives from Top Cow meet at AOL Keyword WIZARD
every other Monday from 9-10pm ET.
------------------->> ZENtertainment - AMUSEMENT PARKS
-!!- A / P NEWS -!!-
The LA TIMES reports Disney has confirmed plans to build a
new area, called DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE, adjacent to
their theme park in Anaheim. The expansion will include a
1940's-themed studio back lot, a wooden roller coaster, and
a seaside boardwalk. Official details will be announced
soon.
------------------->> ZENtertainment
-> ZENtertainment is going to have an (as-yet-untitled)
festival of chat events and contests at the end of August -
We've lined up chat events with a number of guests including
Nancy A. Collins, F.M. O'Rourke, CHIMERA, POMEGRANATE, THE
WRENS, THE SUGARPLASTIC, and more are signing on each days.
I'll have a full announcement in early July, so stay tuned.
I'm looking for additional guests for the festival (and a
name for it!) so please email me if you have any ideas or
suggestions.
-> Check out the ZENtertainment AOL site this week for
full-length downloadable movie trailers from New Line
Cinema's THE LEGEND OF PINNOCHIO, THE STUPIDS, and THE
ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU.
------------------->> ZENtertainment - DISCLAIMER
ZENtertainment #44 06.17.96
NEXT ISSUE: 06.24.96
Written and Created by Sean Jordan
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