Raiders
Article on DreamWorksFansite.com
09/01/08, 4:10am EST
Stella
a.k.a
Canyon
on The
Raven has written an in-depth analysis on Raiders of the Lost
Ark. You can read the excerpt below from the full article that can
be found at DreamWorksFansite.com.
What is it about Raiders
that is so special? Why is Raiders considered by die-hard fans
to be the greatest Indiana Jones movie ever made? Some would say that
this particular movie is probably the greatest action adventure movie
ever made and I would most definitely agree with them. I think that
everyone will agree that Harrison Ford in the starring role of the
adventuring archaeologist was nothing short of magnificent!
Read the article here.
Posted by Jawad Mir
Steven Spielberg
Honor Delayed Until 2009
10/01/08, 3:36pm EST
The
cancellation of the Golden Globes ceremony is unfortunate for famed
director Steven Spielberg who had been due to receive the Cecil B.
DeMille award for lifetime achievement on Sunday. The Hollywood Foreign
Press will postpone the honor until next year for a proper ceremony.
Source: Variety
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Shia LaBeouf
nominated for BAFA Orange
10/01/08, 3:48pm EST
The
Transformers and soon to be Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull
star was amongst the impressive list of actors and actresses selected
by the British Academy.
The Orange British Academy Film
recognized five international actors or actresses - not newcomers, but
artists who already have demonstrated exceptional talent. Among those
nominated were Shia LeBeouf, Sienna Miller, Ellen Page, Sam Riley and
TangWei.
Voted on by the public via cell phone
(and online voting), the winning award will be handed out during the
February 10th British Academy Film Awards. The public can get to vote
for the winner via the Orange website or the following text numbers:
- Shia
LeBeouf text ORSA SHIA to 82058
- Sienna Miller text ORSA SIENNA to
82058
- Ellen Page text ORSA ELLEN to 82058
- Sam Riley text ORSA SAM to 82058
- Tang Wei text ORSA TANG to 82058
As we have reported previously,
Indiana Jones stars and creators have been the recipients of many
industry accolades of late, Harrison Ford for the Lifetime
Achievement from the International Cinematographers Guild, Cate
Blanchett receiving two
Golden
Globe nominations for Lead and Supporting Actress and Steven
Spielberg with the Cecil B. DeMille award (unfortunately postponed
until 2009).
Congratulations to Shia!
Sources: Bafta.org and MTV UK
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Christopher Lee
relishes Young Indiana Jones
11/01/08, 3:29pm EST
Christopher
Lee, undoubtedly one of the greatest actors in cinema has
faced off against many of film's greatest heroes. Whether it be with
fangs, a light sabre, a golden gun, and the eye of Sauuron. But many
Indy fans may be unaware that this screen legend also appeared on the
small screen in one of George Lucas's favorite Adventures of Young
Indiana Jones episodes. In the newly released DVD
collection of the series, viewers will spot Mr. Lee as Count
Ottokar Czernin (the real-life foreign minister of Austria-Hungary from
1916-1918) alongside Sean Patrick Flanery in the episode Adventures
in
the Secret Service.
Recently, Chicago Sun-Times reporter, Miriam DiNunzio, had
the chance to sit down and speak with Christopher Lee and discuss his
career and his experiences working on Young Indy. Here is some
of that interview:
Sun-Times: Portraying
a
historical figure must be daunting for an actor. What attracted you
to this role?
Lee: "It's fascinating to represent history. It can be a
very tough subject to handle, unless there are specific facts, total
facts, which cannot be denied. As the actor you have to get the
appearance and behavior of the character right from day one because
it's a real figure. That isn't always very easy, if you can imagine.
Count Czernin was this very devious and duplicitous character in real
life. What appealed to me about this series is that as far as I know,
every story is based on historical facts. And you have this fictitious
character, Indiana Jones, telling the story as if he was an observer at
the time.
And also, I
actually knew a member of the real Czernin family, an old aristocratic
Austrian family, Manfred Czernin, who was working with the Italian
partisans behind the German lines around 1944. I was in the plane [Lee
worked as an intelligence services officer in the Royal Air Force]
piloted to return him to England. He eventually was decorated for
gallantry, and deservedly so."
Sun-Times: Do you
think George Lucas cast you as Count Dooku in the Star Wars
prequel trilogy because of your work in Chronicles?
Lee: "I can't say yes definitively, but all I can tell you
is that I was told the episode of Young Indiana Jones that I
appeared in was his favorite. That is to say it was his favorite story
of the series."
Click here to read the full article.
And thanks to Matt Todhunter for the
heads up.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indiana Jones 4's
Blanchett
and Broadbent Win
14/01/08, 3:32pm EST
Though
it
was not the usually star-studded affair, with dazzling dress and
flash-popping paparazzi, the Golden Globe winners were announced on
Sunday, January 13, and two Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull actors were amongst the lucky recipients.
Best Supporting Actress In A Motion
Picture
Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There
Best Actor In A Mini-Series Or TV Movie
Jim Broadbent for Longford
Cate Blanchett nominated in two
categories, for both Best Actress for her stunning performance in Elizabeth:
The
Golden Age and Best Supporting Actress in the Bob Dylan
bio-pic, I'm Not There, did walk away with the prize for the
latter.
Indiana Jones new Marshall College colleague to be played by veteran
character actor, Jim Broadbent, was honored for his performance in Langford
and won the Golden Globe for Best Actor In A Mini-Series Or TV Movie.
Congratulations to both from
TheRaider.net!
Source: Variety
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Updates to
Official Indiana Jones Site
15/01/08, 7:21am EST
IndianaJones.com
has added some very cool new Animated Buddy Icons and some new
Wallpaper for you PC featuring some of the recent released images from
the upcoming adventure, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull.
Head on over and download your favorites today!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Want to be Indy,
Marion or a Tumbler?
17/01/08, 2:32pm EST
Hey
Dog,
you good at running, jumping, cracking a whip or "physical acting"
this open casting call may be right up your alley!
Anyone who has ever had the good fortune of watching the stunt filled
spectaculars at a Disney theme park , like the Indiana
Jones
Epic Stunt Show in Orlando, FL should take note.
On February 3, 2008, Walt Disney Entertainment is holding auditions for Full Time, Part Time, and Substitute
positions for Principal Stunt Actors and Tumblers for the Indiana
Jones® Epic Stunt Spectacular and Gymnasts for the Festival
of the Lion King at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Requirements:
- Principal Stunt Actors (Indiana
Jones
Stunt Double, Marion Ravenwood Stunt Double and German Mechanic)
- Should have a strong athletic build, be able to demonstrate upper
body strength and be prepared to learn a choreographed fight.
- Tumblers (Indiana
Jones®
Epic Stunt Spectacular) - Must demonstrate advanced
tumbling passes.
- Gymnasts (Festival
of
the Lion King) - Must demonstrate proficiency on rings,
trampoline and high bar.
- All applicants must be 18 years of
age.
- There may be an initial type out
audition.
For more information click here.
See you tomorrow, Indiana Jones (maybe)!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Harrison Ford to
Present Aussie Award
17/01/08, 2:41pm EST
Australia.com
Black Taie Gala Announces Harrison Ford and John Travolta
to Present to Honorees Kylie Minogue and Phillip Noyce
Minogue, an international singing sensation known for her hits
"LocoMotion" and "Can't Get You Out of My Head," is a huge Grease
fan. Noyce directed Ford in Patriot Games and Clear and
Present Danger, as well as helming accomplished films including The
Bone
Collector and Rabbit Proof Fence.
The event will include performances by
Olivia Newton-John and the Qantas Choir and Australian food by
celebrity chefs Neil Perry and Wolfgang Puck.
When: Saturday,
January 19, 2008 Red Carpet Arrivals: 6pm Media Registration: 4:30pm
Where: Hollywood
& Highland Grand Ballroom 6801 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles 90028
Parking: All media
should park within the Hollywood & Highland parking structure.
Validations will be provided.
Why: Australia
Week's signature event, the Australia.com Black Tie Gala, is a red
carpet event that honors high profile individuals for significant
contributions in their respective industries and for excellence in
promoting Australia in the United States. This year's gala will
recognize Kylie Minogue and Phillip Noyce for their contributions to
the entertainment industry.
Past honorees include Russell Crowe,
Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Jackson,
Mel Gibson, INXS, Anthony LaPagila, and Olivia Newton-John.
In 2007, special tribute was paid to Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin.
Source: CentreDaily.com
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Artist and Indy
Fan Discusses Creating the Look
17/01/08, 2:55pm EST
Indiana
Jones'
look takes serious work - as every Indy fan whoever drew or
painted Indiana Jones either traditionally or electronically can tell
you. Does the crooked smile look right? Is the chin scar going the
right way? How does the hat look?
Well, for one very talented Indy fan
creating Indy's image is not only fun but his profession! Artist and
graphic designer teacher, Russell Walks, has the enviable job of
creating promotional art for the upcoming barrage of tie-ins around Indiana
Jones
and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for Dr. Pepper,
Kellogg's and others. The Billings Gazette sat down and talked to Walks on
how he turned his talent, love of movies and married it with a strong
persistent drive to become the man behind the art we will be seeing a
lot in the coming months. Walks also discusses the secret in capturing
Indy's trademark "serious look with slight
undertones of happiness" and the twinkle in Harrison Ford's eye.
Here are excerpts of that article, (click the link to read the full article
by Gazette reporter Cathy Ulrich):
The hard thing is trying to get the
expression on Harrison Ford's face just right. Especially when all
you've got to go on for your "Indiana Jones" series is this
description: "A serious look with slight
undertones of happiness."
Not a problem for Billings artist
Russell Walks, who is doing promotional artwork for the upcoming Indy
flick for Dr Pepper, Kellogg's and "a couple of
other companies that I can't mention yet," he said.
His work for the film includes a
life-size cardboard standee of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones - yes,
the one featuring an expression with "slight undertones of happiness."
Using promotional shots provided by LucasFilm and poses from members of
his fan base, Walks created the piece after a little bit of struggle,
mostly with those slight undertones.
He did 10 or 15 sketches until he
was finally satisfied with the expression. From there he did a value
drawing, with a full range of tonal values in black and white. Walks
usually prefers to hand paint his artwork, but because of the tight
deadlines on the "Indiana Jones" project, he did most of the color in
Adobe Photoshop, then added brush strokes and "the
twinkle
in (Ford's) eye."
For those of us who have worked as a
graphic designer, illustrator (including yours truly) or just like
creating our own Indy art can all agree Russell Walks'
art is amazing and it is THE assignment we all wish we had!
So take a few minutes this summer to
admire the art on your Indy soda can, cereal or other point of purchase
displays and know that an Indy fan put it there!
Thanks to Brandon at Indyfans Film and
Stefan Zwanzger for pointing the article out to us.
Source: Billings Gazette
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Two Oscar
Nominations for Cate Blanchett
22/01/08, 5:34pm EST
The
nominees
for the 80th Annual Academy Awards have been announced earlier
today. One of the nominees is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull co-star Cate Blanchett who has been nominated for not
just one but two Oscars this year! Cate's two well deserved nominations
are:
Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Actress in a Supporting Role
Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There
Today is also a great day for two
Lucasfilm Ltd. Companies as its Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), and
Skywalker Sound were nominated for six Academy Awards!
A great article on these six Oscar nominations for Lucasfilm companies
can be found at IESB.net. Here follows an excerpt:
For the third year in a row ILM
pulled in two of the three nomination spots with Transformers
and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Skywalker Sound
also dominated the sound nominations taking three of the five slots in
Sound Editing for their work on There Will Be Blood, Transformers
and Ratatouille, which also received another nomination in the
Sound Mixing category.
Visit IESB.net to read the full article. And you can
find the full list of Academy Award nominations online at the official OSCAR.com.
Congratulations to Cate Blanchett,
ILM and Skywalker Sound from TheRaider.net!
Posted by Gilles V
Poster of Morgan
Spurlock's New Film Salutes Amsel
24/01/08, 4:40pm EST
Poster drawn by
Mark Fredrickson. |
|
Perhaps one of the most recognizable, iconic and beloved of all the
movie posters done for the Indiana Jones films was the one done by the
late, great illustrator Richard Amsel. Amsel was known for his
trademarked "photo-realism" style of illustration and made a career out
of drawing some of Hollywood's elite for the movie posters and magazine
covers. One of his greatest pieces was done shortly before his untimely
death from AIDS in 1985, and that was the art for the theatrical
re-issue of Raiders of the Lost Ark in the spring of 1982. It
showed a confident Indiana Jones keeping the world's terrors at bay
with his whip in hand as he set out for his epic quest for the lost of
the Ark of the Covenant.
Super Size Me independent
filmmaker and self confessed Indiana Jones fan, Morgan Spurlock, latest
film Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?, poster artwork
pays tribute to that Amsel poster with its own way. In a report from MTV news, Spurlock explains that he wanted to
capture the feel of big action summer film - that wasn't coming out in
the summer. The film is being shown at the Sundance Film Festival and
focuses on the director's adventures in his quest to track down the
world's number most wanted criminal.
An excerpt from MTV News' report:
Every year at the Sundance Film
Festival, competing movies plaster Main Street with their posters,
stapling advertisements over their competitors, and often having their
own obscured within the hour. But the one poster that always sticks out
is Morgan Spurlock's Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?, an
Indy-loving image advertising one of Sundance's most talked-about films.
"It was one of
the original ideas we had," the Super Size Me director
explained of the poster. "As we first started
getting into the movie, I was like, ‘This is a documentary action
movie. It's the biggest action movie of the summer that's not being
released in the summer.' We wanted a poster that reflects that, and I
love the idea of mimicking the Indiana Jones poster, with all the
people around it. Because we're going on a quest to find this lost
thing, the thing that nobody else can find, much like the Ark of the
Covenant."
Click here to read the full report by MTV news.
Visit the American
Art
Achieves to review the great artwork of the late Richard Amsel.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Bid on
International Indiana Jones Media Kits
05/02/08, 4:57pm EST
International Media Kits |
|
On eBay.com you can currently bid on a one-of-a-kind
collection of Indiana Jones International Media Kits from around
the world. Included are the original English-language media kit, as
well as a Japanese-language version, a German version and a French
version. It would be virtually impossible to find a collection like
this anywhere else!
This auction is being conducted by
an employee of Lucasfilm Ltd. to raise funds for charity. All proceeds
from the winning transaction will be donated to the AIDS/Breast Cancer
Emergency Fund so your generosity is appreciated for a most rare
collection!
These media kits were created to offer
materials to the media from the classic Indiana Jones trilogy, and
contain fascinating facts, information and fun activities about the
first three movies.
Available only from Lucasfilm Ltd. or
Paramount Pictures' international offices, you will receive these media
kits in pristine condition! And, as noted above, your bid will be
donated in full (less costs for shipping and this posting) to the
AIDS/Breast Cancer Emergency Fund as part of an annual fundraising
event conducted by Lucasfilm.
Click here to view the Indiana Jones International
Media Kits and start bidding! An unique opportunity to expand your Indy
collection and support a good cause at the same time.
This auction ends on Saturday,
February 9th.
Thanks to 'Gulliver' for the auction link.
Posted by Gilles V
The Terra-Cotta
Soldier film is finished
06/02/08, 4:51pm EST
Good
news
for the fans of the Indiana Jones/Star Wars fan film
The Terra-Cotta Soldier! Director Tevya Washburn has informed me
that this Jefferson Jones and Jax Skywalker adventure film is
officially finished!
The Terra-Cotta Soldier fan
film is available online on its official
site in various formats: Quicktime (iPod) , Windows Media and Flash.
Visit the official The
Terra-Cotta
Soldier site for more information and media on this
short fan film. This fan film can also be found at TheRaider.net's
Fan Films Museum.
A big thanks to Tevya Washburn for
informing us.
Posted by Gilles V
You Want to be
Indiana Jones?
06/02/08, 4:57pm EST
If
you
ever wanted to be an archaeologist, now is your chance.
Dr. Albert Goodyear, an archaeologist
at the University of South Carolina, has been working for 10 years at a
prehistoric site in Allendale County that could change the history of
American archaeology. His next monthlong dig is scheduled to begin May
5, and Goodyear needs some help.
Interested volunteers can send
applications to USC now.
Findings at the Topper Site, located
on the Savannah River, have shown that the first people in North
America could have existed more than 50,000 years ago -- long before
current history books say they did. The Topper area is named for
Beaufort County resident David Topper, who located it in 1998.
For generations, scientists believed
the first humans in North America, called the Clovis people, arrived
about 13,000 years ago via a land bridge from Asia.
But Goodyear drew international
attention in 2004 when he found stones believed to have been sharpened
into spear points by humans. Those points were carbon-dated to nearly
50,000 years ago, which would signal an earlier human culture, called
"pre-Clovis."
Evidence of pre-Clovis people is
popping up at sites around North America, but Topper contains the
oldest carbon-dated artifacts, Goodyear said.
For more information, read more about
this exciting opportunity at Islandpacket.com.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Harrison Ford
Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
06/02/08, 5:00pm EST
The Hollywood Reporter covered Tuesday's award
luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hilton where Harrison Ford and Judd Aptow
were amongst the award recipients. After a lifetime of entertaining
film fans around the world, Mr. Ford was honored for his "lifetime" of
work by the ICG Publicists.
Still, Harrison Ford seemed pleased
with his lifetime achievement award.
"It's somewhat ironic to get the award from the
publicists, because I've never really owned one myself," Ford
joked.
Read more about the event here.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Happy Birthday,
John Williams!
08/02/08, 7:14pm EST
On
behalf
of the whole TheRaider.net crew and its visitors, I would like
to wish soundtrack composer John Williams a very happy birthday today,
many more years of success and great fun while completing the
soundtrack of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull!
Posted by Gilles V
Shia LaBeouf Has
Won BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award
10/02/08, 5:18pm EST
Shia
Labeouf
has won the Orange Rising Star Award in 2008. The winner was
announced at the Orange British Academy Film Awards earlier today.
The Orange Rising Star Award
celebrates a young actor or actress of any nationality who has
demonstrated exceptional talent and ambition and who has already begun
to capture the imagination of the British public as a film star in the
making.
The nominees, announced in January
by last year's winner, Eva Green included Shia Labeouf, Sienna Miller,
Ellen Page, Sam Riley and Tang Wei.
The Orange Rising Star Award is
unique as it is the only Award presented at the Orange British Academy
Film Awards to be voted for by the British public. Over the last month
film fans have been voting for their favourite on the Orange website or
via text message.
Shia Labeouf has quickly become one
of Hollywood's most sought-after actors starring in films such as Transformers,
Disturbia and A Guide to
Recognizing Your Saints as well as a voiceover role in Surf's Up.
He
is currently in production on the fourth Indiana Jones instalment, Indiana
Jones
and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Visit the BAFTA site for more information on the Orange
Rising Star Award and to view the full list of BAFTA winners of this
year.
Congratulations to Shia LaBeouf!
Posted by Gilles V
Harrison Ford on
Barbara Walters Oscar Special
11/02/08, 4:32pm EST
The
traditional Oscar broadcast on ABC begins with an interview special
from veteran reporter Barbara Walters. This year Barbara welcomes the
return of Harrison Ford who hasn't spoken on camera with Ms. Walters
for over decade when he was promoting Air Force One.
In his last appearance Ford joked about "hoping not to cry" during his
interview as many actors have been known to do on these specials.
Always prepared for any peril, Ford did have a box of tissue on hand
just in case the eyes became watery.
With the upcoming return of Ford's
most famous character, Indiana Jones, set to appear on the big screen
in little more than three months, Ms. Walters once again turned the
cameras on him. This time the actor who has generated over a billion
dollar in box office receipts, received Academy Award and Golden Globe
nominations, and numerous of accolades for his acting and conservation
work, opened up about being Indy again after 19 years.
"I was
delighted to have the opportunity to do it again, and revisit a
character that has been so good to me," Ford told Walters.
Look for more from Harrison Ford in
the interview appearing on US television on the 27th Edition of The Barbara Walters Special on Sunday, Feb. 24 at
7 p.m. ET, and after the Oscar broadcast on the West Coast.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
The ABC of Indiana
Jones
12/02/08, 6:15pm EST
The
good folks at ABC are getting ready for their exclusive first look
at the Indy 4 trailer with a few other treats for Indy fans.
History from Indiana Jones
Hear from one of Indy's creators, George Lucas, as he shares his love
for history and what inspired him to use the globe-trotting
archeologist as a teaching tool with The Adventures of Young
Indiana Jones. Lucas talks openly about how he wasn't a great
student growing up, but learned to appreciate the importance of history
and how learning from the past helps us create a better future!
'Indiana Jones' Then and Now
Then take a real trip back through time with a series of Indy cast and
crew photos as we look back to the 1980's and see what the gang looks
like today. The only cast member missing is Key Hu Quan, aka Short
Round. And when did Karen Allen discover the Grail? The woman looks
fantastic and looks like she just stepped off the set of Raiders of
the Lost Ark in 1981 rather than the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull in 2008!
Indiana Jones comes to GMA
Finally, a little teaser about some sort of trailer coming out that you
may have heard about. None other than this Thursday's premiere of the
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull trailer on ABC's
Good Morning America is being
touted on the air and the web. See what lies ahead in less than two
days!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Ford to be Amongst
the Oscar Presenters
15/02/08, 3:56pm EST
Viewers
of
the Barbara Walters pre-Oscar interview program that includes
Harrison Ford will have to stay tuned to the award show, to see Mr.
Ford present alongside other Hollywood luminaries, including Indy 4
co-star Cate Blanchett.
One will have to see if any of the
winners have to throw the whip before they get their idol!
Source: BBC News
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Tusken Raiders of
the Lost Art
18/02/08, 3:33pm EST
Artist
Matt Busch, known for his fantastic art portraying
everything from Jedis to Indiana Jones was recently selected as one of
the artist who will be contributing to Topps' Indiana Jones trading
cards with randomly inserted pieces of original artwork. While getting
into the spirit of his new assignment, Matt decided to "mash up" his
favorite subjects in a video for his upcoming You Can Draw
series by portraying everyone's favorite archeologist meeting Jawas,
Tusken Raiders, Stormtroopers, Sith Lords and of course a giant,
rolling boulder!
A huge fan Indy fan himself, Matt
sent me a link to the new video along with information about his new
season of his highly popular video tutorial series How to Draw Star
Wars (based on the critically acclaimed book by the same name from
Lucasfilm and DK Publishing) that will be debuting on his MySpaceTV.com channel and StarWars.com.
Currently, Busch is putting the
finishing touches on the new episodes and has some exciting plans.
While the first series clocked in at nearly nine minutes each, the new
installments will be more streamlined- ranging closer to five minutes
each, but boasting well over a dozen brand new episodes. As well, while
the last series was monthly, Season 2 will be weekly.
Topics will cover more drawing and
painting techniques, but certain episodes will also expand into areas
such as comic books, storyboarding, and even beginning animation.
Expect more comedic antics from Busch, including several episodes which
will spoof Indiana Jones- another popular Lucasfilm property and often
associated with Star Wars.
Like Indy, Matt also as a more
scholarly side when not running through the jungle or drawing, as a
professor in the Media + Communication Arts Department at Macomb
College, and has also written and illustrated dozens of books and
magazine articles on tutorial subjects. This March, Hermes Press will
release a huge art book on the many aspects of Busch's career, The
Worlds of Matt Busch.
Remember to look for Matt's Indiana
Jones work in the new Topps trading card series and work on other
upcoming Indy 4 tie-ins and related merchandise. But for a good
laugh at Matt as Indy, check out Season 2 of How To Draw Star Wars!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indiana Jones 4
Coming to TV... in 2011
18/02/08, 3:42pm EST
Variety is reporting that the cable TV network is
adding the previous Indy films and the new Indiana Jones and the
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to its line up. Indy will be in good
company with other action stars, as the USA Network has already secured
the rights to other action movies like the Pirates of the Caribbean
trilogy, the National Treasure movies and The Bourne
Ultimatum.
Pre-buys of unreleased movies are
back in vogue, and USA Network has landed a big one: Paramount and
Lucasfilm's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
USA is buying not only the latest
sequel but the first three entries in the series as part of an overall
deal that could cost the network $40 million, depending on the box
office racked up by "Crystal Skull" in U.S. theaters. (USA's license
fee is directly tied to the movie's domestic theatrical revenues.
Paramount won't be releasing
"Crystal Skull" until May 22, but the deal calls for USA to get its
first runs of the previous three -- "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981),
"The Temple of Doom" (1984) and "The Last Crusade" (1989) -- in May as
a marathon promotional vehicle for the new pic.
"Crystal Skull" is only the latest
purchase in a marketplace distinguished by unusually active bidding for
pre-release theatricals. USA is also high on sequels, having locked up
the three "Pirates of the Caribbean" pics, the two "National Treasure"
movies, "Ocean's Thirteen" and "The Bourne Ultimatum."
USA takes title to "Crystal Skull"
in 2011, and during the course of the movie's multiyear license term,
Paramount will get the right to sell a few runs to a broadcast net in a
carve-out following USA's premiere group of runs.
For more details about Indy's possible
$40 million dollar deal read the full article at Variety.com.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Attack of the
Show's Indy Outtakes
19/02/08, 2:42pm EST
If
you
have never watched Attack
of
the Show on cable's G4 network, you are missing out on TV's
greatest blend of tech and entertainment news with side-splitting
humor. Hosted by the devilish funny Kevin Pereira and the luscious,
angelic beauty, Olivia Munn, AOTS provides running commentary on all
things from video games to DVDs, viral web videos and the latest
Hollywood blockbusters.
Recently, AOTS turned their quick wit
on the return of everyone's favorite globe-trotting archeologist and
adventurer, Indiana Jones to the big screen. In a series of sketches we see that maybe it is the
years rather than the mileage when getting Indy back up to speed. While
you won't be seeing these scenes in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull on May 22nd, they are well worth watching. So,
if you are looking to crack a smile along with a bullwhip, look no
further than AOTS's Indiana Jones Outtakes.
If you enjoy these clips, keep
watching Attack of the Show on TV and the web for more Indy
news as well.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indiana Jones and
the Creepy Skull
19/02/08, 6:55pm EST
Legendary
late
night host David
Letterman had some fun looking at the recently released teaser trailer
for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
However, it looks like Indiana Dave dug up an even more terrifying kind
of King!
Thanks to CBS and the Late Show with
David Letterman.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Riverdale Jones
and the Temple of Food
20/02/08, 4:36pm EST
Indiana Jones fever will hit a boiling point in May as the new film Indiana
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hits theatres,
especially in the pages of comic books. But while Dark Horse Comics
will be producing the film's illustrated adaptation, as well as a new
series of original Indiana Jones tales, it looks like they will not be
alone.
The publishers of Archie Comics
will be showing their Indy influence with the Jughead and Friends
Digest #42. Yes, even Archie's old pal, Jughead, will be getting
into the action and adventure game albeit with a humorous approach.
Take a look at the cover and description from the preview on Comics Continuum.
Jughead & Friends Digest #28
Written and art by Fernando Ruiz and various.
"Riverdale Jones and the Temple of
Food": While rummaging through Jughead's attic searching for sleeping
bags, Archie finds something else instead: the hat, jacket and journal
of Jughead's archeologist-adventurer ancestor Riverdale Jones! Food was
his specialty, so when the boys also find a map to the legendary
"Temple of Food," the quest is on to find this fabled land of food and
fortune! Plus: Other new and classic tales! Bonus: Puzzles, games and
pin-ups!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
New Raiders:
The Adaptation Screening
21/02/08, 6:53pm EST
All
fans near Philadelphia, PA, will be able to attend a screening of the
cult film Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation at the Backseat Film Festival on Saturday, March 15th.
The film's co-creator and star Chris Strompolos will be in attendance
at the screening.
Click
here to view a complete list of all confirmed Raiders:
The Adaptation screenings scheduled for next month.
Thanks to Chris Strompolos for the
news.
Posted by Gilles V
Illinois Jones
Saves Marion from French Fries
23/02/08, 7:42pm EST
James Fuller, writer and secret super hero, was in a place many
lifelong Indiana Jones fans only could dream of, standing next to
Marion Ravenwood and saving her from danger. In reality, James was
lucky enough to be at a celebration
of the 30th Anniversary of the 1978 John Belushi classic college
comedy, Animal House, and had the opportunity to meet one of
it's stars, none other than Karen Allen. But while that would be enough
for most, James stood by Ms. Allen as they and others watched the Indiana
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull trailer on the big
screen.
The story gets even better, as James
fulfilled his boyhood dream, and saved Ms. Allen from dreaded theatre
trash, "cold French fries! why did it have to be cold French fries!"
As the lights dimmed, and I stood in
back of the cinema, a preview for the new "Indiana Jones" film
projected onto the screen. As I watched, the door cracked open and
Karen Allen tip-toed in to watch the preview -- right next to me.
I stood there and watched her smile beam in the dark as explosions
sounded and whips cracked on the movie screen. I felt like, well,
Indiana Jones.
The ushers came by and whisked her
away before I could ask her anything. But as she rushed out, I booted a
small pile of French fries out of her path, saving her shoes from
untold defiling.
I was Indiana Jones saving Marion
Ravenwood from disaster in that moment -- or at least I was Illinois
James -- and by doing so, that part of my life had finally come full
circle.
Be sure to read this
tale of fandom, and how a boyhood crush led James to be inspired
James to become Illinois Jones and best of all a writer, allowing us
all to share in his imagination!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Ford Talks About
"Determination and Respect"
23/02/08, 7:55pm EST
In his interview with Barbara Walters the actor who has been providing
audiences with quality entertainment and their money's worth for more
than three decades, Harrison Ford, opens up on his long journey as an
actor.
Knowing that hard work and
persistence, as well as talent, are the key ingredients for success in
any profession, especially in Hollywood, the man who breathed life into
Han Solo and Indiana Jones openly talks about being told he "would
never make it".
Here are some excerpts from the
Barbara Walters interview;
During an interview with US
chatshow host Barbara Walters, he said his role as a bellboy in 1966
movie Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round had failed to impress a
vice president at Columbia Pictures.
He said: "He
told me that he'd seen the dailies and that I was never gonna make it
in the business. He said, 'Kid, when Tony Curtis had his first part in
a movie, he delivered a bag of groceries, you took one look at that guy
and you knew that was a movie star.'"
"And smart-ass
that I was, and am, I leaned across the desk and I said, 'I thought you
were supposed to think it was a grocery delivery boy.'"
He was subsequently thrown out of
the VP's office and the studio attempted to break his contract.
However, he said he was glad of the experience because it had taught
him an "independence of mind".
The 65-year-old also told Walters
that he was unconcerned that he had never won an Academy Award, saying:
"You know, the, Oscar represents the respect of
your peers. But I respect my peers, the people I work with and, I'd
rather earn their respect on the set day by day - that means more to me
than an award."
Be sure to watch the entire interview
on ABC this Sunday.
Source: Digitalspy.com
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indiana Jones
Actors at San Diego ComicCon
26/02/08, 3:41pm EST
Not only has Ben Stevens been talking about Harrison Ford signings but
it appears he has other plans as well for other Indy actors. On the OfficialPix.com website there is this new event:
July 23-27 Comic Con International
(San Diego, CA) with special guests Karen Allen (Indiana Jones),
Julian Glover (Star Wars: General Veers & Indiana Jones).
More to be announced soon.
Rest assured when we find out more we
will be sure to let all Indy fans know!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indiana Jones: One
Arm Bandit!
26/02/08, 3:42pm EST
Indiana
Jones Slot Machines!
|
|
Just when you think you have seen almost every possible Indiana Jones
tie-in comes this advertisement. Appearing in the back of "Legends"
magazine 's Winter 2008 issue, available at the Mohegan Sun Casino in
Uncasville, Connecticut comes this latest crossover - the Indiana Jones
Slot Machines! Now, I don't know if you will find your "fortune and
glory" from a casino, but at least you won't have to fight off
Thuggees, snakes and spiders.
For just a nickel, (.05 US), gamblers
can set forth on an epic adventure with a 25-payline. In addition, one
can enter a multi-player free spin bonus in a "Progressive MegaJackpot"
starting at $1 Million (paid in annual installments upon verification
with max coin bet). Now if all that might sound like some secret
incantation, I was just writing up the copy that appears on the ad. So
it looks like we don't have to make a trip to the Club Obi Wan to find
Indy in a nightclub setting.
After the Indiana Jones Nestle ice
cram bars, Dr. Pepper soda, Holy Grail paper clip holders, Pop-Tarts
and now slot machines one wonders what else is out there in the vast
world of Indiana Jones merchandise.
You can see the ad for the slot
machines yourself with the accompanying scan.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Tribute to
Illustrator Richard Amsel
26/02/08, 4:06pm EST
Poster
art by Amsel.
|
|
Artist Adam McDaniel has written an in-depth
tribute about the life and work of the late Richard Amsel.
Brilliant poster artist Amsel will be best known to Indy fans as the
creator of the two original Raiders of the Lost Ark posters.
Amsel is also responsible for many other famous film posters, such as The
Sting and Chinatown, as well as over 40 covers for TV
Guide, from 1974-1985.
Adam McDaniel explains:
Little has been written about the
artist thus far, and there are surprisingly few resources available on
the web. In researching my article, I was able to interview two of
Amsel's closest friends and get a peek at many of his sketches and
comps, most of which have yet to be seen by the public.
Click
here to read the full in-depth tribute to Richard Amsel. A must
read for anyone interested in the first Indy poster artist and art in
general!
Posted by Gilles V
The One and Only
Indy Pod Cast
01/03/08, 4:54pm EST
Indy-Cast
|
|
Indiana Jones fan, Ed Dolista, is turning his passion into a profession
with Indy-Cast, the weekly all Indiana Jones podcast.
After listening to the Force-Cast, a Star Wars focused weekly podcast
that commented on Indiana Jones from time to time, Ed wanted more and
he set out to do something about it. Recently, Ed spoke about his love
of the adventurous character and the great time it is to be an Indy fan
with the soon to be released Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull a mere few months away. This is what Ed had to say to
Moviehole.net;
The Indy-Cast is one of the only Indiana Jones
podcasts on the Internet. So if you have a craving for bullwhips,
fedoras and golden idols, odds are you've already ran across it. "I try to offer a show that is spoiler-free and
informative but that doesn't take itself too seriously," joked
Dolista.
Unfortunately, the Indiana Jones
trilogy was completed in 1989 with The Last Crusade, which left
Dolista and fellow Indy fans with nothing but hope to grasp on to. Sure
enough, after 19 years hope finally delivered. The long-awaited fourth
installment in the series, Indiana Jones in the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull, spurred Dolista into combining his passion for Indy
with his knowledge of radio multimedia to create something new.
Just like an Indy movie, the pace of
Dolista's show is fast and fun, with each episode only running about 15
minutes in length. In that amount of time Dolista covers news about the
films as well as segments on collectables and merchandise; video games
and books. There is even a listener feedback segment."One of my favorite segments is the listener feedback,
where I get tales of listeners' first experiences with Indy, plenty of
questions and even pictures of listeners in Indy garb," Dolista
said.On top of all of this, Ed Dolista hosts the Indy-Cast, a podcast
devoted to everyone's favorite fedora-wearing explorer, Indiana Jones.
As Crystal Skull's release date grows closer, Dolista hopes to
add more to the program. "I certainly would like
to include some interviews with artists, authors or anyone who is
involved with the Indy franchise," he said.
After The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hits theaters, Dolista
plans to continue the podcast as long as there are listeners providing
reviews and for novels, comics and other Indy adventures.
"And if Steven Spielberg, George Lucas or
Harrison Ford want to phone in, I wouldn't mind that either,"
Dolista said.
Be sure to catch up with the Indy-Cast every week at iTunes.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indy Whopper from
Burger King
03/03/08, 5:56pm EST
From
Burger King's latest press release;
The new items discussed Wednesday
include an Angry Bacon and Cheese Whopper with spicy, crispy onions,
and the Indy Whopper, which will have bacon and pepper jack cheese and
will be promoted together with the new Indiana Jones movie this summer.
(A regular Whopper with no bacon or cheese has 670 calories and 39
grams of fat, according to Burger King's Web site.)
Angry Bacon? Forget the Whopper,
where are the kid's meal toys?!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Star Wars
Insider #100 Explores Indy
03/03/08, 6:12pm EST
Star Wars
Insider #100 |
|
Celebrating their 100th issue, the folks at Titan Magazines have gone
all out, starting with a letter from George Lucas and goes full out to
celebrate the Star Wars saga. But why is this of interest to
the fedora, leather jacket masses devoted to Mr. Lucas's other
creation?
Well, Star Wars Insider # 100 does have some Indy
related articles, namely the "Indy Vault" #8, this time looking at
director Steven Spielberg's hand drawn story boards that ultimately
became Kao Kan's machine gun pursuit of Indy at the Club Obi-Wan. What
Spielberg wrote in just a few seconds as "Indy grabs sword, releases
gong" would take many months and careful artistry to pull off.
The article is by writer J. W. Rinzler who will be delighting fans with
his soon to be released book that looks behind the scenes at the making
of all four of Indy's big screen adventures, The Complete Making of
Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films due out
on May 20th.
With the next issue of Star Wars
Insider # 101 due to hit bookshelves in late April/ early May,
there is no doubt it will be more Indy focused as fans overseas are
seeing with Lucasfilm magazine issue #70 which sports a cover of both
Indy and Mutt.
Source: StarWars.com
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Entertainment
Weekly Covers Indy
06/03/08, 6:30pm EST
If last week's Entertainment
Weekly wasn't full of enough Indiana Jones news from the trailer to
the Lego video game, well how about the cover story. The new issue
hitting mailboxes tomorrow and newsstands all next week features
Harrison Ford as Indy (though it is a Temple of Doom shot) on
the cover. Here is a sneak peak at the
cover.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
New Raiders:
The Adaptation screenings
08/03/08, 3:09pm EST
Four
new screenings of the cult film Raiders of the Lost Ark: The
Adaptation have been announced. As well as a how-to lecture
presented by Chris & Eric in Jackson, Mississippi, on April 5th.
• |
Jackson,
Mississippi, USA - Crossroads Lecture
- April 5, 2008
Note: This event is NOT a
screening, but rather a how-to lecture presented by Chris & Eric in
indie filmmaking with concrete examples from their experience in
remaking Raiders of the Lost Ark as teenagers. An intensive session
touching on all stages of film-making -- pre-production, production and
post-production, plus plenty of fun stories. Length: 2.5 - 3 hours
Purchase tickets online. Or for info call 601-212-7387
In attendance: Chris Strompolos
& Eric Zala
Crossroads Film
Festival
|
|
|
• |
Portland, Oregon, USA - Hollywood Theatre & Film
Action Oregon
- April 18-19, 2008
at Portland's historic Hollywood Theatre built in 1926
Note: Saturday, April 19, Chris
& Eric will provide a free filmmaking lecture to all Portland
youths interested in movies and the motion picture industry. See
website below to register.
In attendance: Chris Strompolos
& Eric Zala
Film Action Oregon
|
|
|
• |
Boulder, Colorado, USA - Looking Glass Arts, Inc.
- April 25, 2008
Note: Saturday, April 26, Chris
& Eric will provide a filmmaking lecture to all Boulder youths
interested in movies and the motion picture
industry. See website below to register.
In attendance:
Chris Strompolos & Eric Zala
Looking Glass
Arts, Inc.
|
|
|
• |
Vancouver, Canada - The Ridge Theatre
- May 2, 2008
In attendance: Chris Strompolos & Eric Zala
Festival
Cinemas |
|
|
• |
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA - .EDU Film Festival /
Parkway Theater
- May 23-24, 2008
In attendance: Eric Zala
.EDU Film Festival |
Click
here to view a list of all confirmed Raiders: The Adaptation
screenings scheduled for 2008.
Thanks to Eric Zala for the news.
Indy's Bullwhip
and Other Props Up for Auction
09/03/08, 3:11pm EST
If
you really want to get a one of a kind collectible from an Indy movie,
the trademark bullwhip that Indy used to combat the forces of evil
would be it. Well, now is your chance, but it will cost you. As part of
the Guernsey Auction House's Pugliese Pop Culture Collection, the actual whip
with a note from Harrison Ford is up for bidding.
You can see images and a video about the collection that ran on NBC's Today show, and for most of us that may be
as close as we will ever come to the actual prop. But if you happen to
come across some lost treasure this weekend, maybe you can spend it on
this.
Here follows a list of Indiana Jones
props up for auction:
Thanks to Iker Pérez for the
Live Auctioneers link.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
LEGO Indiana Jones
Comic
09/03/08, 3:40pm EST
Image from LEGO's
two page Indy comic. |
|
LEGO fans that have a passion for Indiana Jones already have seen, if
not bought, the four sets currently on store shelves, and are eagerly
awaiting the new sets from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull due in May and the video game in June.
But those who joined LEGO's Brickmaster
Club will not only get an exclusive Indiana Jones and the
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull amphibious jeep set in July, but are
treated to the adventures of the LEGO Indy comic in the Brickmaster
magazine.
The January-February issue has a two
page comic of our intrepid, block head archaeologist setting out for
the Golden Lion Tamarin deep in the Amazon rainforest. As expected,
Indy encounters all kinds of dangers on his quest, but will he be
successful? Find out in the pages of LEGO Magazine!
As mentioned in an earlier news article some weeks back, this issue
also features a great "behind the bricks" interview with LEGO Designer
Adam Grabwski who discusses the research that goes into creating the
new LEGO Indy sets.
Comics, exclusive sets, plus a ticket
to LegoLand... do you need any more reasons to become a LEGO
Brickmaster? Click here to find out more about joining up.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indy Cast on iTunes
10/03/08, 6:04pm EST
The Indy Cast is getting it's own feed! What does that mean for
listeners? Well, as the show will not be with the Force-cast weekly
feed you will need to subscribe to the Indy-Cast separately in iTunes.
This will ensure more Indy fans around the world can join in and get
their weekly fix of Indy!
We have Special Edition DVD news, get
set for our Indy IV premiere party, find the lost journal of Indiana
Jones and find out why the Hovitos love a good pratfall! All this and
more as well as your Indy tales and pics on the Indy-Cast
flickr page!
Thanks to the Indy-Cast
host Ed Dolista for the info!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indy 4
Marketing is Popping Up at Theatres
11/03/08, 3:15pm EST
Got popcorn? |
|
Taking the family to the movies on Sunday to see a film that was filmed
here in Connecticut last summer, and also had my friend Mike in it as
an extra (no it wasn't a sneak peak at Indy 4), I saw something
in the theatre, in particularly the snack bar. It was a wall of Indiana
Jones and the Kingdom if the Crystal Skull teaser art on large
popcorn bags from counter to ceiling.
It had the Drew Struzan teaser on the
front and the logo, release date and website info on the side. The
other side had art for Kung Fu Panda, but who cares. It was
cool and it made me think of what they used to call those "non serious,
action-filled, summer movies", they were known as "popcorn movies". So,
it is rather fitting to see Indy on the front of a popcorn bag.
I took some shots of the bag with my own collectibles and had some fun
using it in a variation of the "got milk" ads. Hope you enjoy it!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Travel Like Indy -
MySpace Contest
12/03/08, 3:30pm EST
First
there was the announcement of the Indiana
Jones Facebook contest for tickets to the LA sneak preview of Indiana
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on May 18, now you can
have even longer Indiana Jones fun.
MySpace.com/indianajones
is now offering one lucky winner at a 7day/6 night (isn't that a
different Harrison Ford movie) at an "Indiana Jones"style" vacation.
The contest begins Wednesday, March 11, 2008 at 06:31 PM Pacific
Standard Time (PST) and ends on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 5:01 PM PST.
For rules, conditions and your chance to enter head on over to MySpace.com.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of
the Crystal Skull "Travel Like Indy Sweepstakes"
PRIZES: One Grand Prize: One Grand
Prize winner will receive a seven day, six night trip for Winner and a
guest to an Indiana Jones themed location. The Trip shall include:
round-trip coach air transportation (on an air carrier to be selected
by Sponsor) for two people from the major airport nearest Winner's
residence (approximate retail value of $3,000.00); and hotel
accommodation at a hotel selected by Sponsor (one room; double
occupancy and room tax only) for seven days and six nights (ARV of
$2,000.00).
ELIGIBILITY: Only legal residents
of United States and the District of Columbia (but specifically
excluding the states of Florida and New York) who are at least fourteen
years of age at the time of entry, have Internet access and who are
registered members of myspace.com.
The site has also poster images,
trailers and much more Indy items available for downloads. So if you
have not done so already, head on over to the Indiana
Jones MySpace page, and who knows you could be win the adventure of
your life!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Nick's Kids Choice
Awards get Indy and Mutt
12/03/08, 5:15pm EST
If
last moth's Barbara Walters pre-Oscar special that included Harrison
Ford was just a warm-up, Indy fans can start looking for the stars to
start making the pre-release appearances. Both Harrison Ford and Shia
LaBeouf will be presenters at the 2008 Nickelodeon Network's Kid's
Choice Awards on March 28th. Hosted by Jack Black, Ford and LaBeouf
will no doubt be victims to the shows tradition of "sliming" its bug
named hosts. Yes I can hear it now; "Slime! Why did it have to be
slime", as the two adventurers are drenched in green ooze!
In May, Shia will be showing his funny
face (no not his mugshot) when he hosts NBC's "Saturday Night Live".
One can only hope that classic SNL veteran and Indiana Jones travel
agent from Temple of Doom, Dan Aykroyd, makes an appearance
for a sketch promoting the Indiana Jones school of skydiving/water
rafting.
No doubt there will be more with the Indy
4 cast from late night talk shows to daytime programs - so keep
looking at the TV listings!
Source : UPI and New York Times
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Artist/Writer Dave
Stevens Passes Away at 53
12/03/08, 5:52pm EST
Dave Stevens'
The Rocketeer. |
|
I was very sad to hear of Dave Stevens passing at the very young age of
53 of Leukemia. His artwork style was truly one of a kind, and not only
did he bring the high-flying adventures of The Rocketeer to
life in the pages of comic books, and eventually the silver screen, but
played a hand in the origins of Indiana Jones. Mr. Stevens, was one of
the storyboard artists on Raiders of the Lost Ark, and some of
his illustrations can be found in the book Raiders: The Illustrated
Screenplay published in 1981. He also illustrated one of Harrison
Ford's other famous character, Han Solo, in some of the Star Wars
newspaper comic strips working alongside the legendary Russ Manning.
Mr. Stevens artwork style was simply
amazing, a meticulous artist, he labored for hours, days, weeks even
months to produce some of the most gorgeous pieces of art ever seen in
the comic book industry. His creation of The Rocketeer in 1982,
came at a time when a return to the old fashioned, serial style
adventure was coming back in style, due largely to a small film that
came out in 1981, who's lead character carried a bullwhip. Cliff
Secord, the barnstorming pilot, as Fate would have it, would become the
jet-pack fueled adventurer who protected the USA from evil doers in his
own heroic way. Coming across ape-like goons and gun-totting gangsters,
all the while saving his "Bettie Page" lookalike girlfriend, The
Rocketter was not a comic book to miss when it hit the news stands.
The Rocketeer
(1991) film poster. |
|
After the Last Crusade headed
off into the sunset, action film fans wondered if we would ever see the
Saturday matinee style fun again on the big screen. In 1991, their
wishes were answered when Stevens' The Rocketeer
hit the big screen, directed by long time Lucasfilm special effect
artist, Joe Johnston. Like Indy, the Rocketeer, terrifically played by
Bill Campbell, who with the fiery and lovely, Jennifer Connelly, saved
us from the Nazis determined to take over the world with "flying"
armies of evil. The film was, (and still is, do yourself a favor and go
rent or buy the DVD, if you haven't seen it), a great entry into the
old fashioned action adventure that Indy fans know all to well.
On behalf of myself, and the folks at TheRaider.net,
we pass along our condolences to Mr. Stevens' family and friends, and
sincerely thank him for the entertainment he brought use with his
talent and imagination.
I am sure Dave Stevens is somewhere
soaring to high adventure as I write this!
You can read more about Dave Stevens,
his life and his career and see examples of his great art at DaveStevens.com
or his Wikipedia page.
Posted with regret
and sadness by Mitchell Hallock
Tomb of the Gods
Comic Not Drawn by Weaver
13/03/08, 5:53pm EST
Indiana Jones sketch
by Dustin Weaver. |
|
Last month we announced
that Dark Horse's first 5-issues Indy adventure Indiana Jones and
the Tomb of the Gods is written by writer Rob Williams and artist
Dustin Weaver.
Turns out that Dustin Weaver is not the Tomb of the Gods artist after
all. Nor was Weaver's art shown in Wizard the final comic cover, but we
already knew that.
Dustin Weaver recently took the time
to explain what happened to his participation on the Tomb of the
Gods series at his
Live Journal. Here follows an excerpt:
It's my first time being mentioned
in Wizard magazine or having a piece printed. It's very exciting. It
would be even more exciting if it were true. I'm actually not doing the
series. I was going to do the series. I had been talking with the
editor, Jeremy, and writer Rob for a while about doing it and gearing
up to do it. It was almost certain...
Visit Dustin Weaver's Live
Journal to read the full story and to view a high-res version of
his Indiana Jones illustration, published by Wizard, as well as some
more Indy sketches!
Special thanks to 'Yodazone' for
leading us to Weaver's Live
Journal.
Posted by Gilles V
New Drew Struzan
Interview at StarWars.com
15/03/08, 2:38pm EST
Struzan's latest,
the Indy 4 one-sheet! |
|
StarWars.com's is running a great interview by
movie poster expert, Pete Vilmur, with the man behind the paintbrushes,
Drew Struzan, creator of hundreds of iconic movie character images that
have graced posters, DVDs, and various packaging for years. In the
article he opens up on what it's like to present an image that will be
tied to a film for years to come. Here follows an excerpt from the interview with Drew Struzan:
Pete Vilmur:
You've been illustrating Indy now for 27 years. How has the process of
creating the Indy movie posters changed from when you'd originally
started back in 1981?
Drew Struzan: "Well, over the years the industry has changed quite a
bit. Back then, for Raiders, they didn't want people to know
what the movie was about. For Temple of Doom, I got into that
[project] very late, I think even a week after it opened. But then on
the third one, I had access to absolutely everything -- I knew what the
story was about and all the stills from the movie were available to me,
so I really had a plethora of things to work from. And now here today,
25 years after that, nobody knows anything about the movie -- we were
asked to start doing designs on it without knowing the story! No
photographs, no nothing. So we've gone back to the start, where nobody
knows anything about a movie.
But of course through the development process I got access to thousands
of pictures -- I still don't know what it's about, although I have a
good guess. I have enough experience with Indy and the industry to be
able to look at the stills and tell you what it's about."
Source: StarWars.com
Thanks to Pete Vilmur, Kiel Bryant and
Mike Barrick at TheForce.net
for the head up on this great interview!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indy-Cast 18 is Up
for Download
17/03/08, 6:52pm EST
Indy-Cast
host Ed Dolista has just posted a description on the latest show. Ed writes:
Just letting you know we are now
easily found in iTunes - just search for Indiana Jones or Indy-cast and
there we are - it's great that we are the most popular Indy podcast in
iTunes (ok, there aren't that many…)
This episode we take a look at the new Indy poster, find out when you
can get your second round Harrison Ford autograph, learn about an
IndyFans Film meet and greet, shed some 'light' on some new Indy
collectibles and get the chance to ask author George Beahm about his
new book on Indy locations. Not only that, but you can get the chance
to win a Topps Heritage Cards prize pack from the wonderful folks at
Topps just by creating your own sketch card. All this and more as well
as your Indy tales and pics on the Indy-Cast flickr page!
Thanks Ed, we will be sure to give it a
listen!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Bend it Like Indy
17/03/08, 7:01pm EST
David
Beckham may be known the world over for his soccer play, but when it
come to roughing it he plays Indy style. In a new Pepsi ad,
Beckham dons fedora and leather jacket to face adventure while
quenching his thirst with a good old Pepsi. Great look, but this time
Indy is drinking Dr. Pepper as they have the soft drink tie-in for the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull opening in 2 months.
Source: The Daily Mail
Also thanks to Blondie-Wan for the
heads up.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
How Much for that
Bullwhip?
18/03/08, 3:17pm EST
Like
Indiana Jones himself, film maker Bandon Kleyal has been traveling
around documenting fans, cast and crew, and Indy events for his fan
made documentary, Indyfans and the Quest for Fortune and Glory.
Brandon was at the Las Vegas Guernsey auction on Saturday, (he even
called to let me hear the bidding live over his cellphone as it
happened which was cool) and filed this report:
The Holy Grail, a False Grail & Indy's Bullwhip |
|
Las Vegas -- I'm surrounded by
history! The gun that shot Lee Harvey Oswald, Elvis Presley's personal
karate suit, Dick Tracy's yellow fedora and trenchcoat. It's a lot to
take in, believe me. The Pugliese Pop Culture Collection is "purely and
simply, the greatest pop culture collection ever!" Or at least that's
what Guernsey's Auction House says, and I'd say I'd have to agree. To
give you an idea of the size of this collection, the catalog alone is 4
pounds, and cost $40 dollars! The first item up for bid, an amazing,
pristine, 1957 Original Creature from the Black Lagoon poster!
What a wonderful way to start the auction! But that's not why I was
there... So I sat, and waited... waited for items 237, 238, 239, and
240. The Holy Grail, The Grail Knight's Sword, a False Grail, and Indy
Bullwhip! Just from standing in the gallery and watching bidders and
curious onlookers throughout the day, you could help but notice that
everyone's attention were on these items! These were obviously the
pieces that every came to see. Members of the Guernsey's staff informed
me that the Indy pieces were the most requested when it came to the
press, wanting to grab images for the reports! Well hey, who could
blame them?
About 3 hours into the auction, we
had finally reached item 237. Prior to this piece, the room was pretty
loose, with various people talking about the items that were passing.
But when 237, The Holy Grail, came up, you could hear a pin drop! The
item was estimated to go for 8,000-10,000 dollars. Well folks, the
bidding began! It quickly began to climb... Bidders that were present
in the room, bidders on the phones, bidders online... Indy mania had
begun at the Palms hotel! After about four minutes, the auction was
coming to a close... What was originally supposed to sell for a maximum
of ten thousand, had just found a new home, and a new owner, for the
price of 37,000 dollars!
These were also the first items in
the auction that the audience felt that were worthy of applause! The
insanity continued for three more items, all of which gained applause.
It was an amazing and very cool experience for an Indyfan to witness.
And thanks to the people at Guernsey's, you will see ALL of the
excitement in Indyfans and the Quest for Fortune and Glory.
Thanks to Brandon Kleyla of Indyfansfilm.com
for the eyewitness account of these Indy icons!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indy-Cast Makes
iTunes Top 100
18/03/08, 4:53pm EST
Congrats
to Ed Dolista the host of the one and only Indy-Cast, for making iTunes Top 100 downloads. Ed
sent over the news and informs us that apparently this is not an easy
task. I guess there are a lot of folks out there who have an interest
in all things Indy!
Keep up the good work Ed!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indiana Jones
Summer of Hidden Mysteries
20/03/08, 3:17pm EST
A
report from Brandon Kleyla from Indyfans the documentary on Disney
looking for some adventurers. Take it away Brandon...
And Indy thought the
Streets of Cairo were crowded, wait until he hits the streets of
Adventureland! That's right folks, Dr. Jones will soon be wandering the
streets of Disneyland's famous Adventureland. But that's not all,
according the to Disneyland Casting website, there appears to be a show
in the works.
Indiana Jones® Summer of Hidden
Mysteries
Seeking Male and Female Actors for
Indiana Jones' latest live-action adventure which immerses Guests in a
series of experiences that include solving mysteries, battling evil
villains and uncovering ancient artifacts. For all roles stage combat
experience is a plus but not necessary.
Role Descriptions:
Indiana Jones: Male, 40's; a rugged adventurer, great physical shape;
can play drama, toss off comic lines and throw a punch - all with equal
ability; must interact well with children
Archaeologist: Female, late 20's-early 40's; English accent; starts out
kind and helpful but eventually reveals a villainous side; will
interact with children and lead them through a series of activities.
The Bad Guy: Male; imposing stature; physical agility and stamina a
must; pursues Indiana Jones through the crowded streets of
Adventureland, ending in a series of balcony and rooftop confrontations.
Being a past Adventureland cast
member, and anyone who's been there can tell you, the streets of
Adventureland are a bit crowded! But if they take fight to the
rooftops, who knows what could happen! All I know is that now we have
another reason to spend all of our time in Adventureland!
No word yet on when this will begin,
Auditions will take place on April 1st, and I will report more news as
it comes to me.
Thank you Brandon Kleyla for this news!
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Mini Me Versus
Indiana Jones
20/03/08, 3:34pm EST
In
an attempt at beating the odds, and a counter-marketing move, the
little movie that could is going up against the Goliath that is Indiana
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on May 22nd. The film is
the "comedy" Postal and one of its stars, Vern Trover (Mini Me
in the Austin Powers films) has a message,
or rather a challenge to our favorite archaeologist. You can read and
see the rather "aggressive challenge" here.
Where's Short Round when you need him?
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indy's Real Life
Crusade
21/03/08, 4:24pm EST
It's
more precious than gold, and is disappearing more each day.
No, it's not some sort of off-worldly,
supernatural treasure, it's our own clean Earth, and you don't have to
be a college professor to know the time to save is now. Harrison Ford,
may play a hero on screen, but it's his behind the scene actions that
have made a big impact in conservation, particularly his work with the
organization Conservation International (CI).
Whether its the disappearing
rainforest or rivers overrun with pollution that not only destroy the
organisms that live in them, but also takes its toll on the humans
around it who depended on it for their lively hood, protecting the
world around us is something we all need to do. Champion the symbiotic
balance and making folks aware of what can and must be done is a sacred
quest as well, so it is fitting that National Geographic Adventure's
April issue (and see video of the photo shoot on their website) features Ford on its cover and he
opens up on what when he first understood that we humans are just part
of the big picture and not the master of it:
We have just weeks to go until the debut of Harrison Ford's first
Indiana Jones movie in nearly two decades, The Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull To celebrate, National Geographic Adventure magazine
interviewed Ford and put him on their April cover. The interview was just in time for Earth Day, and
emphasizes Ford's work as a strategic guide for Conservation International (CI) for a period
almost as long as the stretch since the last Indy movie. Here's what I
learned about the man the mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newson recently
dubbed "sort of the original celebrity on
environment."
When asked if there would be any
green themes in Dr. Jones' latest chapter, Ford laughed, "No, we just stuck to running, jumping, and falling
down." He added, "There have been a lot of
people involved in trying to use film to influence people in a positive
way, dispose them toward protection of the environment. And I think
that's all useful, but I think that people can become inured to it."
When discussing his youth in
suburban Chicago, Harrison recalls a displaced fox friend he made in
the small woodsy area near the former agricultural land his home had
been built on. "I think there's something about
that experience that tilted me toward nature in a different way than a
visit to a national park or something would. I was struck by the fact
that these houses we were living in, these streets we were driving
down, had displaced something. That more than us belonged there."
Ford also talks about camping in
Idaho's Franch Church Wilderness, and he mentions the exotic obscure
locales he's visited through his CI work, like tepuis, freestanding
jungle mesas, in Venezuela which are only accessible by helicopter.
Ford does admit in the interview to a not very green fondness for air
travel, but occasionally his reason for flying is volunteering to help
rescue, say, an explorer in peril in the Teton wilderness. The man is
more appropriate for the cover of this mag than I realized.
To read more pick up the issue of
National Geographic Adventure on newsstands and also look into what to
protect the environment by visiting Conservation International (CI) website.
Source: Plentymag.com
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indy-Cast #19
Available for Download
24/03/08, 5:21pm EST
Indy-Cast : Episode 19 (RSS)
This action packed episode we
interview with author George Beahm, find out about a new Indy trailer,
find out how you can meet Sallah in person and check out what makes
Indy tilt! Plus we have signed copies of George's book to give away
plus some limited edition signed prints from ex-Disney Imagineer Tim
Kirk. Not only that, but you can get the chance to win a Topps Heritage
Cards prize pack from the wonderful folks at Topps just by creating
your own sketch card. All this and more as well as your Indy tales and
pics on the Indy-Cast flickr page!
This posting includes an
audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indyfans Day at
LegoLand, CA March 29th
25/03/08, 3:59pm EST
Brandon
Kleyla of the IndyFans documentary and the great folks at
LegoLand in California want all Indy fans in the area to come on out
this Saturday, March 29th to celebrate fun ad adventure in style!
IndyFans Day (Indiana
Jones™ Movie Franchise Fan Club)
Join the fun for a day full of
adventurous fun as IndyFans explore our newest addition to
the Park, Land of Adventure! Meet true fans of the Indiana Jones™ movie
franchise as they dress like their favorite movie characters. They will
also hand out IndyFans posters, give bull whip
demonstrations, ask trivia questions, and award some great prizes
including tickets to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull on opening night, and return tickets to LegoLand
California.
Schedule of Events: |
• |
10
a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Meet and Greets with favorite IndyFans Characters |
• |
11:30
a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m.
Professional Bullwhip Demonstrations by IndyFan Pony Horton |
• |
12:30 p.m., 2:30
p.m., 4:30 p.m.
Trivia game with prize giveaways |
As a special treat, we'll unveil a
new life-size LEGO® model of Indiana Jones made of more than 20,000
LEGO bricks that will be on display as you enter the Park.
This looks to be a great time to come
out and see the gang that is putting Indiana Jones fandom on film and
see get into some adventure style fun and games - LegoLand style!
Thanks for the information, Brandon!
For more information on this great event check out: LegoLand Events or Brandon's Indyfansfilm.com
site.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Get Your Indy Fix
on May 18th with SCI FI Channel
25/03/08, 4:33pm EST
On
May 18th, if you can't make it to the Cannes Film Festival or the Los
Angeles premiere of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull, and didn't buy the new "Special Edition" Indy DVD set , the
SCI FI Cable network can help! They will be running Raiders of the
Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade.
In a press release, the SCI FI Channel announced some series renewals, a Crystal
Skull special and an Indy fest! Who could ask for anything more?
Here are some of the press release excerpts:
The new season of Scare Tactics is
slated to return this year. It originally premiered on SCI FI in April
2003 and ran for two seasons. Show creators Scott Hallock (no relation
to yours truly) and Kevin Healey also serve as executive producers
under their Hallock & Healey Entertainment banner.
But the BIG news was about those
wacky crystal skulls and what they are all about...
NBC News anchor Lester Holt hosts Mystery
of the Crystal Skulls, which premieres May 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The
investigative special looks at the mythology about and search for the
legendary crystal skulls: 13 quartz sculptures discovered amid ruins of
Mayan and Aztec societies. Legends say that the skulls may unleash
untold energy should they be brought together. The special, timed to
the release of the feature film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of
the Crystal Skull, is produced by NBC's Peacock Productions, in
association with SCI FI. SCI FI will exclusively air all three previous
Indiana Jones movies on May 18, leading into the premiere of Mystery
of the Crystal Skulls.
So mark those TV Guides, set the DVRs
and watch some Indy to get ready for the return of the great adventurer
later that week!
Source: SCI FI Channel
And thanks to 'Dr. Sartorius' for the article link.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indiana Jones on
the cover of the new PREVIEWS
26/03/08, 4:10pm EST
April 2008 issue cover. |
|
The April '08 issue of PREVIEWS features Dustin Weaver's earlier mentioned Indiana Jones sketch on its
front cover! And according to Indy fan 'Yodazone'; this is the first
Indy cover on PREVIEWS in 12 years.
The PREVIEWS comic shop's catalog
includes comics, graphic novels, toys, and related pop-culture items
scheduled to ship in May 2008.
View the official PREVIEWS site to view the cover.
Thanks to 'Yodazone' for the news.
Posted by Gilles V
Indy a Big Man
United Fan
27/03/08, 3:51pm EST
Last week David Beckham was playing Indy in a new Pepsi commercial,
well Indy relays a tale about Beckham's old stomping grounds helping
him out way back in 1983 while filming Temple of Doom!
Talking to Empire magazine, Ford opens up on being brought down by his
back.
THEY'RE used to fixing up such
footie legends as DAVID BECKHAM and WAYNE ROONEY.
But Manchester United's medics can
also take the credit for patching up the ultimate action hero —
HARRISON FORD.
When he was filming Indiana
Jones And The Temple of Doom the star injured himself on an
elephant in Sri Lanka. He returned to England to shoot at Pinewood
Studios with a chronic bad back.
And he tells Empire magazine: "I couldn't find anyone to treat me in London, Harley
Street doctors were afraid of the liability issues. I finally got the
Manchester United team doctor to treat me."
The actor, staying in comedian ERIC
IDLE's London home at the time, had to visit the soccer doc every week
for an epidural.
He adds: "They had to strap me to a trolley with
a bottle of nitrous oxide. I had to be carried feet first down the
narrow, twisting stairs and was taken by ambulance to Manchester to see
the doctor."
The treatment didn't help his whip
work though. He said: "Learning the whip I was
just lashing the s*** out of myself for weeks."
Well... at least he had the nitrous to
cheer him up!
Source: The Sun and Empire
magazine
And thanks to Tim Wilson for the heads up.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
CanWest Gives Indy
Fans an Indy Fix, Too!
27/03/08, 4:20pm EST
While the SCI FI Channel will be doing and Indy marathon on May 18th
capped with a new special on the mystery of the cyrstal skulls, CanWest will be getting the whips and fedoras out
as well!
Here is the press release about the weekly Indy showings:
In the run-up to the theatrical
premiere of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
on May 22, Global Television will offer viewers the opportunity to get
reacquainted with the entire Indiana Jones trilogy on Wednesday nights
in May. This kicks off on May 7 with the 1981 classic Raiders of
the Lost Ark. The other two movies in the trilogy, Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Indiana Jones and the
Last Crusade (1989), air on May 14 and May 21, respectively.
Not bad at all, eh?
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
MAD About Indiana
Jones
31/03/08, 11:59am
EST
Legendary
MAD artist AL Jaffee is featured in The New York Times Art & Design section,
article recounts his nearly fifty years producing the always clever,
"MAD fold-ins" that appear on the inside back cover of MAD magazine. It
also talks in length about the recent health scare this classic
cartoonist came up against recently, and how he worried that his Indiana
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull fold-in might have been
his last!
"A number of
months ago I counted, and I came up with something like 396,"
Mr. Jaffee said. "I must have done No. 400 by now."
He started work on No. 4-whatever,
for the issue that goes on sale in mid-May, as he has all the others:
with a rough pencil sketch. This one shows an altar scene invoking the Raiders
of the Lost Ark movies. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the
Crystal Skull is due out soon, and the fold-in question is, "What frightening ancient relic will be the focus of
much attention and fanfare this summer?" The folded-in answer,
of course, has nothing to do with Indiana Jones.
To see what the amusing answer will be
to that question, readers will have to wait until the May issue of MAD
to fold the back cover and line up the A & B arrows to discover the
answer.
We wish all the best to Al Jaffee,the
man who created Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions and has produced
years of laughter with his art, and that he continues to still has many
more jokes still up his sleeve for years to come!
To read the full article and see
images of this master storyteller and comedian at work visit The New York Times.
Thanks to 'Yodazone' for the heads up.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
Indiana Jones Gets
Slimed!
31/03/08, 1:27pm EST
Showing that he isn't to old to be a kid, Harrison Ford joined Crystal
Skull co-star Shia LeBeouf at the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards
on Saturday night. While there to present "best voice in an animated
film" Harrison braved a rubber snake from Shia, and bravely made his
way up to a mysterious alter to retrieve the winner's name. Reenacting
the famed Raiders temple scene, Ford switched the Nick orange
zeppelin award with the golden orb of answers, and with a smile was
then showered with green slime. After it was all said and done Shia
handed the goo-covered actor with his trademark fedora to the delight
of the audience.
Indy fans will have to see if Ford
and Shia can escape what the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has
waiting for them in just six or so weeks from now when the film opens
worldwide!
Source: Hello Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter
And thanks to Tim Wilson for the link to the story at BBC News.
Posted by Mitchell
Hallock
|