23rd February 2009

AUDIOBOOKS NEWS

In lieu of anything substantial by way of News updates today, let me unveil a very cool exclusive: the covers for BBC Audiobooks' two Blake's 7 releases, which are due for release in April...

12th February 2009

EVENT NEWS

Empire magazine is running another contest for budding film-makers. Here are the details:

Recreate Your Favourite Movie and Win at The Jameson Empire Awards 2009!

Consider yourself a budding director? Think you can out-think the greats? Prepared to use nowt but ingenuity, your mobile phone or a DV camera? Ready to re-make any film of your choice in one minute? If the answer is yes to all of these questions, then you could win a trophy at this year's Jameson Empire Awards to be held in London. Think of it, mixing it up with the great and the good of the film biz.

What You Need To Do

Last year Empire asked you to try your hand at film making, and boy did you respond! The challenge was really simple - remake any film in no more than one minute. They were festooned with entries ranging from the inspired, to the madcap, to the slightly scary! So now, with an Award in the offing again, it's time for Done in 60 Seconds: The Revenge!

So for all of you budding Scorseses out there, the rules remain basically the same: your movie must be a sixty-second remake of a feature film and not involve any copyright infringement, i.e. music, product placement (unless it's a bottle of Jameson!) or nudity (thank you!) The only other stipulation they have this year, as 2009 marks Empire's 20th year, is that the film you choose was made during Empire's lifetime (i.e., since 1989).

Do

* Remake a movie of your choice from 1989 onwards (no originality please)

* Use your friends and family (make sure your cast have agreed to perform)

* As many as you want (it's your time)

* Feel free to 'adapt' the film to fit the format (you don't have to be completely faithful)

Don't

* Go over one minute in length, you'll be disqualified

* Slander anyone (we're averse to court cases)

* Do pornography, we are trying to run a decent magazine here

* Use any footage that is not your own (no 'mashing' allowed)

Need Some Inspiration?

To watch a montage of some of last year's best Done In 60 Seconds entries and submit your own entry click here.

The closing date is February the 23rd.

9th February 2009

DVD AND BLU-RAY NEWS

Many more titles have been added to our Incoming database this week, seeing us pass the nine-thousand titles mark!

New additions include the Blu-ray and DVD editions of the Robert De Niro / Al Pacino cop movie Righteous Kill; the first season of adult swim's cult animation hit The Venture Bros; the BBC's gritty new murder mystery series Moses Jones, which features the next actor to play the Doctor in Doctor Who, Matt Smith; Robert Downey Jr's dark romantic comedy Charlie Bartlett; new box set featuring every episode of the original George Cole / Dennis Waterman version of Minder, from Fremantle, (as well as a set of the critically-mauled new version); the sequel to soccer hooligan drama Green Street, Green Street 2: Stand Your Ground, on DVD and Blu-ray; a box set of three Fellini movies, including Nights of Cabiria; a box set of films by Jean Pierre Melville, including Le Cercle Rouge and Un Flic; the next film in the Masters of Cinema range, Muriel ou le Temps d'un retour; two classic films from Disney, celebrating anniversaries (Mary Poppins' 45th anniversary, on DVD only, annoyingly, and Pinocchio's 70th, on Blu-ray and DVD); Incendiary, a thriller starring Michelle Williams, Matthew Macfadyen and Ewan McGregor; vampire movie Southern Gothic; ghost movie They Wait; and the next release for the early episodes of The Bill, Series 4 - Volume 2.

Universal Playback have provided a link to ensure that you never miss out on the DVD releases of your favourite Universal Playback shows. Keep up to date here: http://www.universal-playback.com/

EVENTS NEWS

Kaleidoscope has announced details of its next archive television event...

Saturday 7th March 2009, 12:00 - 7:00 pm

Amblecote Room, Stourbridge Town Hall, Crown Centre, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 1YE, UK

Free Admission

THE MAIN ROOM sponsored by H. H. Carrots Ltd:
"The best carrots from my Uncle's own farm"

* 12:00 pm Good Morning Calendar - This programme was part of
Yorkshire's Good Morning Television which was described as "the first
breakfast TV service in the UK". This original recording comes complete
with adverts and test transmission (tx: 28/03/1977).

* 12:25 pm Comedy Playhouse - The Siege of Sydney's Street. An
episode of the classic anthology series starring Roy Kinnear and written
by Richard Harris and Dennis Spooner.

* 1:00 pm Come Back Lucy - a rare chance to see the first episode of
this chilling and well remembered ghost story, adapted by Gail Renard
and Colin Shindler from Pamela Sykes' novel.

* 1:30 pm A Royal Gala - extract from an ATV show featuring Mr. Rose
interviewing the residents of Coronation Street about rowdy events,
followed by the brief surviving footage from The Simon Dee Show.

* 1:45 pm Break

* 2:00 pm Guest Panel - Gail Renard and Nigel Plaskitt - Gail Renard
has had a long and successful career as a writer of children's
television and sitcoms with credits including Echoes of Louisa, The Kids
from 47a, Pipkins and The Famous Five. She is joined on stage by
Kaleidoscope's old friend Nigel Plaskitt, puppeteer and actor
extraordinaire, who has worked with Gail on many productions. We will be
catching up with Nigel's career since his last appearance with us in
2001 and finding out just what he's been doing whenever Hartley Hare
gives him some time off...

* 3:30 pm Afternoon Tea - Mark Ward will be signing copies of his new
book A Family At War, the definitive guide to Till Death Us Do Part

* 4:00 pm Guest Panel - Hooray For Hartley Hare! - the star of Pipkins
(he told us to say that) in conversation with someone incredibly unknown
and inconsequential. Visitors to previous Kaleidoscope events will know
Hartley Hare is always good entertainment value (just as well really,
his demands for appearing are a nightmare) and we are delighted he will
be updating us on his busy showbiz life since the closure of Pipkins.

* 5:00 pm A Family At War - an audio-visual presentation of very rare
footage from the tales of Till Death Us Do Part's Garnett family.

* 5:30 pm Guest Panel - Mark Ward - Mark talks about writing his new
book A Family At War and shows us more of the incredibly rare footage he found whilst researching Till Death Us Do Part. It is also hoped that
Kaleidoscope will show 3 minutes of Till Death Us Do Part - The Puppy,
digitally restored from an old CV2000 reel by SVS Resources especially
for this event.

* 6:00 pm Das Diadem - A short dramatic film made in Germany starring
Diana Rigg (as Emma Peel from The Avengers in all but name) that was
distributed on the 8mm cine film market. It was also shown in German
petrol stations - customers could watch the film being projected while
their vehicle was filled up or cleaned - and this is believed to be the
reason that the film features music and sound effects but no clear
dialogue. This edition has been digitally restored from film by Jonathan
Wood and features alternate colour footage separate from the main
programme. This colour footage is unseen since the 1960s.

* 6:25 pm The Saga of Ivor and the Pingwings - an affectionate tribute
to the late Oliver Postgate, a legendary figure to generations of
British children. The presentation features extensive rare footage.

* 6:35 pm The Newcomers - Episode 59. A unique chance to see an
edition of the BBC's late sixties soap opera.

* 7:00 pm Closedown on BBC2

THE BAR sponsored by H. H. Speedy Pizza Deliveries: "We hare around so you get it warm on your plate"

* 12:00 pm Scorpion Tales - The Ghost in the Pale Blue Dress. This ATV
anthology series always had a sting in the tail. Tony Britton and
Geoffrey Palmer star in an episode written by Jeremy Burnham.

* 1:00 pm If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them - A
controversial 1968 play by Johnny Speight, featuring Frank Thornton,
Ronald Radd, Jimmy Hanley and Nerys Hughes.

* 2:00 pm Play of the Week - The Liberty Man. A vintage production
dating from 1958. The master tape of this recording contains original
advertisements during the first commercial break.

* 3:30 pm Saturday Night Theatre - The Salesman - Another play from
the pen of Johnny Speight, starring Ian Holm.

* 4:00 pm The Bass Player and the Blonde - Edward Woodward heads the cast in this 1977 pilot play for ATV, written by Last of the Summer
Wine's Roy Clarke.

* 5:30 pm Kipling - The Sending of Dana Da. Warren Mitchell and Joss
Ackland star in this production, directed by Waris Hussein.

* 6:30 pm The Wednesday Play - The Compartment - Another entry from
the celebrated anthology series, starring Marty Feldman and written by
Johnny Speight.

* 7:00 pm Closedown

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

Guests appear subject to professional and personal commitments. Due to
contractual obligations Octavia, Mrs Muddle, Pig, Topov and Tortoise
will not be mentioned during the day.

In 2009 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

2nd February 2009

DVD AND BLU-RAY NEWS

Dozens of titles have been added to Incoming this week, which has had a major update courtesy of Graves. These include DVD releases for the recent adaptation of The 39 Steps; the first season of popular action series Burn Notice; seminal 80s British comedy series Alfresco and ITV's superhero comedy series No Heroics.

There are Blu-ray releases for BBC costume dramas Cranford and the first season of Lark Rise To Candleford; standalone releases for the three Matrix films, including The Matrix; and the next batch of James Bond movies (Goldfinger, Moonraker, The World is Not Enough and Quantum of Solace - also on DVD, of course).

BOOK NEWS

The second volume of Anneke Wills' autobiography, Naked, has a new cover design, and is now available to pre-order from Anneke's website.

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

Previous Zeta Minor News entries can viewed here.