3rd November 2008

INCOMING

We've added dozens of forthcoming titles to the Incoming database this week, including last week's TV zombie-fest Dead Set;

BOOKS NEWS

Titan Books will release a book about Frank Miller's movie adaptation of Will Eisner's classic comic strip The Spirit on November the 25th. Here's the press release...

The Spirit: The Movie Visual Companion

A Hero Born, Murdered, And Born Again…

“[The Spirit] is considered by many to be the Citizen Kane of comic books” - Frank Miller

Will Eisner’s classic comic character makes the leap to the silver screen in The Spirit, the spectacular new live-action movie from Lionsgate and Odd Lot Entertainment; and Titan Books is bringing fans the ultimate addition to the movie experience, The Spirit: The Movie Visual Companion [25 November 2008, £19.99].

Written for the screen and directed by Frank Miller (creator of Sin City, 300) and presented in his dynamic comic-book visual style, The Spirit stars Gabriel Macht as the eponymous hero and his alter-ego, the presumed-dead young detective Denny Colt, as he fights crime in his hometown of Central City using nothing but his wits and fists. Starring alongside Macht is Samuel L. Jackson as arch-nemesis The Octopus, plus Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, Sarah Paulson, Paz Vega and Jaime King as alluring femmes fatales. Dan Lauria also stars.

Written by leading ‘making of’ author Mark Cotta Vaz and featuring an exclusive introduction by Miller himself, The Spirit: The Movie Visual Companion contains interviews with the cast and crew, colour gallery photos and behind-the-scenes shots, production art, and the full screenplay. Also featuring Frank Miller sketches and storyboards, this stunning hardback volume will please comics fans and movie fans alike, and is available one month before the film hits cinema screens.

“Frank Miller is taking The Spirit into the greatest comic book film noir we're likely to ever see.” - Ain’t It Cool News

Lionsgate and Odd Lot Entertainment are production partners on the film, produced by Deborah Del Prete and Gigi Pritzker of Odd Lot Entertainment and Michael E. Uslan of Batfilm Productions Inc. Batfilm co-founder Benjamin Melniker and Steven Maier are executive producers. The film is also executive produced by William Lischak, Michael Burns, and Michael Paseornek. Odd Lot's Linda McDonough and Batfilm's F.J. DeSanto serve as co-producers. Jeff Andrick serves as co-executive producer. Lionsgate is distributing The Spirit in the U.S. and U.K.

Mark Cotta Vaz is one of the world’s foremost author of movie ‘making of’ books. His informed, incisive, and highly entertaining writing has graced titles including Behind the Mask of Spider-Man, The Art of Finding Nemo, The Art of Batman Begins, and his acclaimed history of matte painting in movies, The Invisible Art.

The 256-page book has an RRP of £19.99, but you can currently pre-order it from Amazon for £12.99.

EVENT NEWS

Kaleidoscope have announced details of their Christmas Event and Grand Charity Auction, which will take place on the 6th of December, between midday and 7pm, at the Amblecote Room, Stourbridge Town Hall, Stourbridge, West Midlands. Here's their press release...

* 12:00 pm Welcome to Southern Television - the station opener for
Christmas Day 1981.

* 12:01 pm The Glories of Christmas - a galaxy of stars including Roy
Barraclough, Bob Monkhouse, Dora Bryan, Les Dawson, Gerald Harper, John Laurie, Patricia Phoenix, Patrick Troughton and Richard Todd make
Christmas Day really special in this show from 1974.

* 1:00 pm Whodunnit! - A Piece of Cake. Festive mystery quiz hosted
by Jon Pertwee and featuring William Russell, Nicola Pagett, Eamonn
Andrews, Hughie Green and Leslie Crowther (tx: 26.12.1974).

* 1:40 pm Play School - an edition of the long-running childrens'
programme from Christmas Eve 1970.

* 2:00 pm Break

* 2:15 pm Kaleidoscope Grand Charity Auction 2008 - a selection of
items donated by our guests, supporters and attendees throughout the
year are up for grabs in our annual charity auction, with all proceeds
going to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Please note we will be
accepting bids in person only.

* 3:00 pm A Christmas Carol - an award-winning animated version of
Charles Dickens' masterpiece, produced by Anglia Television in 1970.

* 4:00 pm Afternoon Tea

* 4:30 pm Christmas Peter - Festive highlights from Blue Peter through
the decades in this unused compilation from our recent Blue Peter Goes
Gold! event.

* 5:20 pm ITN archive footage of Westward and Southern Television
being told they had lost their franchises, whilst at the Christmas
party! Followed by some trailers for ITV's Christmas line-up in 1976.

* 5:30 pm Pop Goes Christmas - Festive special from 1983 in which
contemporary artists including Dexy's Midnight Runners, David Essex, the
Nolans, Musical Youth, Shakin' Stevens and Toyah sing traditional
Christmas songs.

* 6:00 pm Ghost in the Water - a brilliant BBC ghost story from 1982,
directed by former Kaleidoscope guest Renny Rye. A school project leads
Tess and David to investigate the tragically short life of Abigail
Parkes, but all is not as it seems... The filming locations used in this
story are all within a few miles of our venue (tx: 31/12/1982).

* 6:55 pm Closedown - a few trailers and adverts before David Hamilton
wishes us all goodnight from Thames Television (tx: 1978), followed by
The Wombles playing us out as usual!

All material at Kaleidoscope events is screened with the permission of
the copyright holders. Programmes and timings may be subject to change
before the day.

In 2008 Kaleidoscope is supporting the Royal National Lifeboat
Institution once again.

Full details of this event and Kaleidoscope's other activities can
always be found on our web site: www.kaleidoscope.org.uk
 

Last week's Zeta Minor News can be viewed here.

Previous Zeta Minor News entries can viewed here.