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For links to the
latest film news visit our film and media
21
May 2002 Turtle
Beach Introduces 220/240V AudioTron for European Sale Turtle
Beach today announced a 220/240V model of its AudioTron digital audio appliance
for European sale.
Designed
to organize and play up to 30,000 digital audio files stored on the owners'
personal computer and play Internet audio streams through TurtleRadio,
the AudioTron transmits and receives data through an Ethernet 10BaseT or
10/100BaseT network. A recent firmware release has added Windows Media
Format streaming, a more robust Web interface, and
a
user-configurable front panel display. With the included AudioStation®
software, the PC becomes a whole-house music jukebox, delivering audio
to any room where the AudioTron is located. The AudioTron supports playback
of MP3 and WMA files, as well as uncompressed WAV files.
The
digital jukebox market reaches well beyond North American shores, said
Carmine J. Bonanno, president and CEO of Turtle Beach. IT analysts are
predicting that digital jukebox sales will be closely tied to the explosion
in home broadband installations.
Turtle
Beach makes its entire line of products available directly to consumers
via its e-commerce Web site (www.turtle-beach.com)
and customer service centre (1-800-233-9377 or 914-966-0600).
May
2002 Blast
from the BBC To encourage young talent
and to put them in touch with information and local resources the BBC has
launched Blast. If you are a young person with an interest in art,
music, dancing or film-making you can visit their website at www.bbc.co.uk/blast,
call the free helpline on 0800 011011 or visit one of the roadshows that
are taking place throughout the UK during the summer. Blast aims
particularly at reaching those who might not have enough confidence, self-belief
or just the practical knowledge to make the most of their creative abilities.
The website provides inspiration, advice, details about training, an interactive
map showing where to find local facilities, live chats and information
about the roadshows. You can also email questions to a panel of experts.
May
2002 New
Spidey Drink To celebrate the new Spider-Man
Movie, Ripfast, the leading bodybuilding and fitness nutrition company
have come out with a BRAND NEW Spider-Man Range of flavours for
their powerful protein drink ‘Protein Intelligence’.
Delicious
flavours include: Aunt Mays Banana Ice Cream, Spidey Strawberry, Goblin
Green Chocolate Mint, Peter Parker Capuccino and Spida Thrilla Vanilla!
This is a great way to introduce younger persons to training and fitness,
as well as please the rest of us die-hard Spidey fans who’ve grown up with
the super-hero says the Company. ‘Protein Intelligence’ is a high grade
protein drink for bodybuilders, athletes and persons who train at the gym!
Quality protein is essential for persons interested in health and fitness,
particularly straight after an intense training session, to help rebuild
the muscle faster and stronger. For more info visit ripfast.com
or call Ripfast on 0800 95 22 007.
Competition To win a tub of the Limited
Spider-Man
Edition ‘Protein Intelligence’ answer the following question:
What is the name of Peter
Parker’s girlfriend?
a) Mary-Jane
b) Mary-Sue
c) Mary-Lou
The first entrant out of
the bag wins the prize. All entrants win a limited edition Spidey Poster.
Please state your preferred flavour. Competition entries should be sent
direct to:
15
May 2002 Digital
Cinema for Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones In a continuing effort to
bring the excitement of digital cinema to movie-goers worldwide, Texas
Instruments (TI) (NYSE: TXN), announces that 94 screens worldwide will
show Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones utilizing
DLP CinemaT digital projection technology.
TI DLP CinemaT technology
enabled the first digital cinema viewing of Star Wars: Episode IThe
Phantom Menace in June 1999. Star Wars: Episode II
is
the first major live action motion picture to be captured, produced and
projected digitally, without a single roll of film. "If you actually want
to see the film we made and see it in the way in which we want you to see
it then the only way you can do that is digitally," said Rick McCallum,
Lucasfilm producer.
"Digital cinema is very compelling
and Texas Instruments is excited about the momentum, with rapid increase
in installations now occurring worldwide," said Doug Darrow, Business Manager,
TI DLP CinemaT Products. "Through the bold, industry-guiding steps
of a core group of enthusiastic exhibitors, studios and supporting technology
companies, the digital rollout has begun and audiences worldwide are experiencing
the promise and visual excitement of digital cinema."
Lucasfilm announced on Tuesday
that 94 screens in 17 markets around the world will display Star Wars:
Episode II on digital screens, all enabled by DLP CinemaT. To
locate the theatre near you, please go to:
13
May 2002 HotºHouse
Created
For Feature Film Music In
a major development for the world of film music, a new joint venture has
been announced between media music mavericks Extreme Music and Los
Angeles based music conglomerate Media Ventures Entertainment Group,
headed by composer Hans Zimmer and producer Jay Rifkin to create HotºHouse,
a headquarters for coordination, supervision and full service agency for
feature film music, co-headed by Karen Elliott and Becky Bentham.
The
companies will work together in handling all aspects of the preparation
and production of film music and offer a full range of services to handle
every aspect of film score pre-recording through mixing to final delivery.
Further plans are well under way for HotºHouse to launch a
film music composer agency in the UK representing an elite group of composers
in all musical genre’s both in the UK and the United States.
22
April 2002 BAFTA
Television Awards 2002 at 8.30 pm on ITV1.
Sheila
Hancock and former EasterEnders actor Martin Kemp will be among
the stars attending this year’s British Academy Television Awards.
It
will be Sheila’s first public appearance since the death of her actor husband
John Thaw in February.
Sheila
is nominated for Best Actress for her role in ITV1’s The Russian Bride.
Her
late husband also features in the nominations - one of his last starring
vehicles, ITV1’s drama Buried Treasure, is among the five programmes
shortlisted for the Lew Grade Audience Award, the only category decided
by TV viewers.
Last
year John Thaw won the Lew Grade Audience Award for Inspector Morse,
and also received the trophy in 1999 in recognition of Goodnight Mr
Tom. Buried Treasure faces competition from A Touch of Frost
starring David Jason, who has also collected the award twice. More....
12
April The
Steamroller and the Violin Facets Video will release
The
Steamroller and the Violin, a lost masterwork from legendary director
Andrei
Tarkovsky, on DVD and VHS on 11 June, 2002. DVDs and VHS tapes will
retail at $24.95 each. More...
April Sony
Launches Two New DVD Players This month Sony launches
the entry level DVP-NS305 DVD player and in May they launch the higher-spec
DVP-NS405 machine. Both are available in silver and are just 62mm high.
They will be their most competitive and feature packed models yet.
29
March 2002 E.T.
The Extra-Terrestrial Spielberg's
1982 masterpiece is re-released today in the UK. So it is a good opportunity
to publish an extract from Darren Slade and Nigel Watson's book Supernatural
Spielberg, which has a long chapter on E.T. Part Two will be
posted on the website in a couple of weeks. If you have any comments or
reviews of E.T.email them now.
Also email me if you'd like to buy a copy of the book or would like more
information about it. Now see our E.T. article here.
26
March 2002 Roxio
Unveils Digital Media Creation Software Roxio, Inc., The Digital
Media Company, today announced the release of WinOnCD 5 Power Edition (PE).
This powerful multimedia recording software enables users to record audio
and data CDs, VideoCDs, Super-VCDs and data DVDs, as well as offering high
quality audio and video creation tools, combined with easy-to-use operation.
More...
19
March 2002 Isle
of Man Film Fund Announced
The
Isle of Man Government is launching today a new £25 million Media
Development Fund to attract big budget films to the Isle of Man.
Treasury
Minister Allan Bell MHK is making the announcement in his 2002 Budget Speech.
The
money will help investment in films, as well as developing an infrastructure
which will allow more film industry activity on the Island. By the end
of 2004/5 the Isle of Man aims to establish a new mechanism enabling the
industry to become self-financing. This mechanism will allow the new fund
to retain and re-invest a proportion of the income it generates.
Since
1995, 37 films have been shot on the Isle of Man including Waking Ned,
Relative
Values, starring Julie Andrews and Colin Firth and, more recently,
Me
Without You, starring Anna Friel and The Heart of Me, starring
Helena Bonham-Carter.
Even
before this £25 million cash injection to the film industry, there
were already generous incentives in place for film and television productions.
Incentives include up to 25% of the film budget as direct equity investment,
no upper or lower limits and help with the financial structuring of budgets.
Film and television projects can also apply for production credits where
the project is being funded, at least in part, by a recognised broadcaster.
Allan
Bell, the Isle of Man’s Treasury Minister, said:
“This
extra £25 million is intended to boost the growing number of films
and television productions shot in the Isle of Man. There are an increasing
number of bigger budget films wishing to do business with our Film Commission.
“We
have decided to make long term investment to build on the benefits both
to the film industry and the Isle of Man’s economy.
“The
Isle of Man has a multitude of different locations with contrasting inland
and coastal scenery, townscapes, steam and electric trains and international
motorsport. A surprisingly high percentage of production facilities
can also be sourced locally.”
14
March 2002 Young
Adam In Production Today
Young
Adam starring Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Peter Mullan and Emily
Mortimer starts principle photography in Glasgow. It is being directed
by award winning filmmaker David Mackenzie and it's based on beat writer
Alexander Trocci's 1954 novel. The story is about a young drifter who hitches
a ride on a barge travelling from Glasgow to Edinburgh. A young woman is
found drowned in the water and the drifter seems to know more about her
than he lets on. Warner Bros has already acquired the UK rights to it.
"The project is firmly rooted in the local culture and is the kind of independent
production we are supporting across Europe," says Simona Benzakein, Vice
President, European Production, Warner Bros.
March
2002 Boy's
Town In
this article Richard Armstrong says that we need better film critics and
criticism. What do you think? Read it here.
March
2002 Seeing
with Snake Eyes This
is an interview with Kurt Russell by the magnificent Carol Allen. Read
it here.
19
February 2002 War
of the Worlds and Chrome Pendragon Pictures announces
March 18, 2002 as the official start date of live action photography for
Chrome,
their new sci-fi action thriller, starring Katie Tomlinson.
More...
14
February 2002 Top
Ten Romantic Films FilmFour.com has revealed
Britain’s top ten favourite romantic movies to set the mood for Valentine’s
day. Choices include both classic and more recent titles as follows:
1 Casablanca (1942)
2 William Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet (1996)
3 The English Patient
(1996)
4 Bonnie and Clyde
(1967)
5 When Harry Met Sally
(1989)
6 Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon (2000)
7 Breakfast at Tiffany’s
(1961)
8 Gone With The Wind
(1939)
9 Brief Encounter
(1945)
10 Roxanne (1987)
I'm surprised Ghost didn't
feature. When Harry Met Sally, starring the combination of Meg Ryan
and Billy Crystal in a New York set love story, is one of the FilmFour
channel’s highlights for Valentine’s Day (screening at 8.00pm). More...
February
2002 Launch
of Screentrade Magazine This
new quarterly journal for exhibitors and cinema enthusiasts is launched
this month. It contains insights into multiplex cinemas, a profile of the
1980s Cannon Cinemas circuit, box office analysis, projection tips and
problems, nostalgia and lots more. One issue costs £5.50 (£7.00
outside the UK) and a year’s subscription is £20 (£28.00 outside
the UK). Cheques or international money orders should be made out to Screentrade
media and posted to:
Screentrade
Sales and Subscriptions, Screentrade Media, PO Box 144, Orpington, Kent,
BR6 6LZ, UK. Please
mention Talking Pictures when making your order. For more information email:
screenads@btopenworld.com
January
2002 Changes Regular
visitors will notice I have revamped this page and added more links and
pages to enable better access to the News Archives, Lenore Wright's scriptwriting
column and to pages about new DVD/video/film releases. If you are unfamiliar
with this site or are looking for something specific scroll up to the excellent
FreeFind search facility in the panel above. Suggestions about improving
the navigation or other aspects of this site are always welcome.
January
2002 NDi
Media's Gael MacLean garners Genie Nomination NDi
Media West President, Gael MacLean has been nominated for a Genie award
for best sound on the feature film Marine Life. Directed by Anne
Wheeler, Marine Life stars Cybil Sheppard and Peter Outerbridge.
During
her extensive career as a sound designer and sound supervisor, MacLean
has received numerous nominations, taking home the Genie twice for
the films Angel Square and the Lotus Eaters.
29
January 2002 Dallas,
Texas Digital
Light Processing (DLP) Brings Video Projectors Closer To Home For many visitors to the
recent Consumer Electronics Show, there was one ‘must see’ booth – the
Texas Instruments (TI) (NYSE: TXN) booth. CES confirmed the rapid emergence
of DLP™ technology as the technology of choice for home entertainment projection
and display applications. More...
January
2002 Certified
After 7 Years The
UK controversial cult classic Boy Meets Girl by Ray Brady has been
finally granted an 18 certificate by the BBFC following a ban of 7 years
on video.
Boy
Meets Girl is now avalable uncut and uncesored on Video and will be
released on DVD in March by BOUDICCA. For more information visit:
www.boudiccafilms.com
January
2002 Can
You Spare 7 Billion Dollars? Kirk
Kerkorian is selling his 80 per cent stake in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It has
a huge film library and a great brand name so would be an excellent addition
to the Talking Pictures movie empire. All I need is the 7 billion
to make this real. Cash or cheques are very acceptable.
January
2002 Ever
Decreasing Circles The BBC comedy series starring
Richard Briers, Penelope Wilton and Peter Egan makes its video and DVD
premiere early in 2002. More...
January
2002 Wallace
and Gromit Return Nick Park has set into production
12 exciting new Wallace and Gromit films all to be released later this
year, free of charge with the help of the internet. Each film features
one of Wallace's unique new inventions and runs for approximately 1 minute.More...
January
2002 Film
Book Awards The winners of the 2001
Kraszna-Krausz Book Awards for the best books on the moving image will
be announced on Tuesday 5 February at the Arts Club in London. Film-maker
Mike
Leigh will be the guest presenter at the awards ceremony. More...
January
2002 A
Riveting Filmmaker Jacques Rivette is celebrated
by Alan Pavelin. See the article here.
Delicious
flavours include: Aunt Mays Banana Ice Cream, Spidey Strawberry, Goblin
Green Chocolate Mint, Peter Parker Capuccino and Spida Thrilla Vanilla!
This is a great way to introduce younger persons to training and fitness,
as well as please the rest of us die-hard Spidey fans who’ve grown up with
the super-hero says the Company. ‘Protein Intelligence’ is a high grade
protein drink for bodybuilders, athletes and persons who train at the gym!
Quality protein is essential for persons interested in health and fitness,
particularly straight after an intense training session, to help rebuild
the muscle faster and stronger. For more info visit 
Spielberg's
1982 masterpiece is re-released today in the UK. So it is a good opportunity
to publish an extract from Darren Slade and Nigel Watson's book Supernatural
Spielberg, which has a long chapter on E.T. Part Two will be
posted on the website in a couple of weeks. If you have any comments or
reviews of E.T. 
Wallace
and Gromit Return
