=-=-=-=-= Society of the Rusting TARDIS Newsletter (#20, 08/07/95)
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>>> Items of interest to British media fans and Seattle-area residents,
<<<
>>> and whatever else I feel like spewing about. You have been warned.
<<<
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Three weeks ago, before I went on vacation, I _thought_ I sent a brief
mini-newsletter out to the list. When I returned, I learned that it
apparently never made it out. Ryan already mentioned the problems Eskimo
had
recently, but since I spent the time composing it, well, I'm gonna make you
read it: :-)
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>eskimo.com (where I read news, compose and send the newsletter, etc.) was
>seriously hacked. It was even front page news here in Seattle. The
system
>was down for several days while all the software was re-installed (and in
>some cases recompiled). Then everyone had to wait until they were
contacted
>by phone and given their new password, etc.
>
>I received my password on Saturday at 11:15pm, and on Sunday I was elected
>the chairman of Anglicon. (More about that in future newsletters.) So
I've
>been running around putting the committee together. And then there's
Jeff's
>Excellent West Coast Adventure which I am preparing for.
>
>At any rate, I thought I'd send out a quick reminder about the next video
>night. And remind everyone to check out "TV Nation" Friday at 8:00 on
Fox.
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And now on with the newsletter... (It's a little UK-light this time -
there
wasn't much time to read Usenet.)
In this issue:
Quick news items
Tenth Anniversary Rusting Tardis Picnic this weekend!
Lost "Dr. Who" clips returned
Scots Gaelic Immersion Day in Seattle
BBC told to clean up its shows
Jeff's Excellent West Coast Adventure (or "How I Spent My
Vacation")
Questions from new subscribers
Excerpts from the TeAPOTT Mailing List
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Subject: Quick news items
Sound bites:
Stephen Fry's Web page (at "http://www.phantom.com/~stephenf/"),
previously mentioned in this space, is in fact well worth checking
out. (It's been getting lots of positive mentions.)
The so-so news is that almost all of the cast of SNL is gone. The
good news is that Norm McDonald is still there. The even better
news
is that many of the writers are gone, as well.
Michael Moore's "TV Nation" is now running on Fox (Friday at 8pm).
He's got a commitment for eight episodes (which for Fox is about as
serious a commitment as they come).
Local news:
This Thursday at the Varsity, "Festival Hong Kong" features two
films starring Chow Yun-Fat: Ringo Lam's "Prison on Fire" and John
Woo's breakthrough film "A Better Tomorrow". Call 632-3131 for
show
times.
Upcoming attractions at the "Fremont Almost Free Outdoor Cinema":
August 19 - "Jaws" and "Beach Blanket Bingo". Starts at dusk
behind
the Red Door Ale House (670 N. 34th St.), $5 "donation", B.Y.O.
seating. There are prizes for best costume and most original
seating. Call 632-0287 for info.
Miscellany:
A look through a recent copy of the "Radio Times" reveals an
interesting difference between the US and the UK In the UK,
Nickelondeon runs "Pee Wee's Playhouse". Is _anyone_ running it
over here?
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Subject: Tenth Anniversary Rusting Tardis Picnic this weekend!
Join us on Sunday, August 13th at Discovery Park in Seattle (by the Ranger
station just inside the entrance) for a day of food, fun, and sunshine
(*guaranteed nice weather!*). Folks will begin gathering around 11 am,
but you can drop by any time during the day until around 5 pm. Bring your
own everything. No alcohol is allowing in Seattle Parks. Look for us at
the TARDIS Towel (tm). Call Ryan (488-7845) if you have any questions.
We're going to try and have as many original members of the club show up
for this special anniversary picnic. See you there!
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Subject: Lost "Dr. Who" clips returned
From: Steve Phillips
All Who fans will be delighted to know that assorted short clips from
episode 5 of "Power Of The Daleks" were returned to the BBC at the end of
last week. Contrary to what I reported earlier, and what was reported in
the last issue of "Dreamwatch", the returned material is *not* the
production line sequence from episode 4.
The confusion arose because staff at ABC in Australia (who returned the
clip) supplied rather vague descriptions of the material and conventional
fan wisdom had always maintained that the production line sequence was part
of the programme that was returned.
What has come back is a film insert from an educational series called
"Perspectives". The particular episode in question is called "C For
Computer" and was transmitted by ABC on 29th May 1974.
The returned film is a set of three Dalek sequences seperated by shots of
the
Sydney Opera House. Much of the soundtrack is replaced by Dalek voices
from
other parts of the episode overlaid with the theme music.
The BBC had tried to obtain the extract at the time of the making of the
"Thirty Years In The TARDIS" documentary but, at that time, they had
insufficient information for ABC to track the programme down in their
archive.
Robert Mammone (ex r.a.dw contributor) did some research and obtained some
further information which I passed onto the BBC. ABC replied to the BBC's
inquiries by saying that the full "Perspectives" episode had been wiped in
1976, but a single film insert had been retained (presumably because of the
possibility of using the Syndey Opera House views as stock shots) and it
contained several Daleks.
Steve Roberts, who handled the BBC end of obtaining the clips, has sent me
the following descriptions. My comments are in brackets.
-----
Sequence 1: Duration 10 seconds (all previously missing):
Two Daleks without gunsticks fitted, inside a room. "We are not yet ready
to
teach these human beings the law of the Daleks". Dalek moves right up to
camera
(he actually nudges it!) until only the end of the eyepiece is in shot.
[SP - There are telesnaps of this moment in the DWB photonovel]
Sequence 2: Duration 16 seconds (all previously missing):
Two Daleks open door (it rotates around hinge at one corner), exit room,
door
closes again behind them.
A long line of Daleks (models, but look OK) move down a corridor.
[SP - Unsure of where these scenes occur]
Sequence 3: Duration 19 seconds (8 seconds previously missing):
Daleks enter a room with lots of other Daleks in the background - these
others
are cardboard cutouts, and wobble somewhat in the breeze! They start the
usual
"Exterminate,annihilate, destroy! Daleks conquer and destroy!" routine.
This
then cuts in to the existing sequence [from a BBC-held 1967 edition of
"Blue
Peter"] in which they leave the room. However, this shot has been trimmed
at
the front by nine seconds, so could be extended using existing material.
The
existing material also has a much longer end, with Daleks circling behind
camera and reappearing through the doorway.
[Total] duration of previously missing material: 34 seconds.
By cutting in the material already known to exist from this episode (from
Blue
Peter and Whicker's World) it would be possible to extend the [total
existing
material from this episode] to 1min 13secs. The correct soundtrack could
be
located and dropped in from Graham Strong's excellent off-air recordings.
-----
The mystery of *why* fan wisdom thought that the production line sequence
was
part of this documentary is another matter. Possibly it was used in the
(now
junked) later portions of the programme, or it may simply have been
confusion
by somebody who was not familiar with the story. Additionally, a
poor-quality
off-TV copy of the production line sequence is thought to exist in the
collection of a well-known fan, and so there is possible confusion there
too.
If anybody *has* got (even in poor quality) anything which sounds like the
(real) production line sequence, then please get in touch!
So, 34 more seconds of "Doctor Who"s history is complete. Only another
165,000 seconds to go!
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Subject: Scots Gaelic Immersion Day in Seattle
The Seattle Gaelic Society (under construction!) invites you to
a Gaelic Immersion Day Saturday, August 12 at the Granite Curling Club,
1440 North 128th (a couple blocks east of Aurora Ave. N.).
Class: 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.
Ceilidh (party): 8 P.M. 'til ???
Cost: class - $20; bring a brown bag lunch
ceilidh (general public is invited, not just the class!) - $2 at the
door, to pay for the hall; BYOB
Three fluent Gaelic speakers from Vancouver, B.C. are coming down for
the class. There will be sections for absolute beginners, "advanced"
beginners, and intermediate to advanced learners.
The ceilidh will feature lots of celtic music: harp, fiddle, bodhran, tin
whistle, dancing, and Gaelic singing.
For more information call Richard Hill at (206) 322-3604
Suas leis a' Ghaidhlig!!
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Subject: BBC told to clean up its shows
[Yes, it isn't just on this side of the pond. -JS]
LONDON (Reuter) - The British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) will have to
cut back on sex, violence and bad language on television under a new
charter to be agreed next year, the government said Friday.
A draft charter is expected toward the end of the year and a spokesman
for the National Heritage ministry, which oversees arts policy, said
it is likely to include a clause obliging the BBC to ``avoid offending
good taste and decency.''
A BBC spokeswoman said the corporation would not resist the clause,
and Roger Gale, who chairs the media committee of the ruling
Conservative Party, commended the BBC for its ``positive attitude.''
``The BBC has had a very good reputation worldwide for its integrity,
which some people feel has become slightly tarnished, and it is making
a Herculean effort to redress the balance.''
Ahead of the charter agreement, howls of outrage are sure to greet the
BBC's posthumous screening of a drama by controversial playwright
Dennis Potter and a film called Giving Tongue, which according to
press reports includes underage sex and a lesbian relationship.
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Subject: Jeff's Excellent West Coast Adventure (or "How I Spent My
Vacation")
My week-and-a-half vacation included a 2+ day stint at the San Diego Comic
Convention. For those who don't know, it may well be the largest comic
convention in the world, with 30,000+ attendees and occupying the entire
San Diego Convention Center. The dealers' room is where I spend most of my
time (it took nearly two full days to get through) - there are comics,
cards,
toys, books, music, videos, writers, artists, celebrities, free goodies,
etc.
There is also programming - panels, presentations, etc. Here are some
tidbits:
Spumco (original producers of "Ren and Stimpy") are back with a new
show called "Jimmy the Idiot Boy". Also being discussed with Fox
is
a show tentatively titled "The Goddamn George Liquor Program". If
you thought "Ren and Stimpy" contained a bit too much toilet
humour,
well, you ain't seen nothin' yet. And they're also responsible for
those odd animated NBC peacock network IDs.
"Space Ghost Coast to Coast" (the funniest show on television) has
some new episodes in the works. Some early episodes will be
released
on video before Christmas.
Saw a good MST3K blooper tape at the booth pushing their upcoming
movie. Has it ever been broadcast?
Seen around the con in plainclothes - MST3K's "Dr. Forrester" and
Dave Thomas (the SCTV one, not the Wendy's one).
Evan Dorkin is now sporting a bright orange buzzcut. (For those
who
care.) He and his S.O. Sarah Dyer are now writing for "Space Ghost
Coast to Coast".
Have I mentioned that I don't get the Cartoon Network and would
love
to trade for "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" episodes?
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Subject: Questions from new subscribers
Catching up, I had many "subscribe me" requests, and some came with
questions,
some of which I can't answer. I thought I'd repeat them here (with their
addresses, so you can contact them directly).
From: agape (Andrew Penick)
I'm looking for a Doctor Who Technical Reference Manual--out of
print.
It has all the schematics for building the console, daleks, a
police
box (I hope), etc. etc. etc.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you have any info as to how I can obtain a
copy (or the schematics) let me know.
Anyone?
From: [oops, I lost who sent this...]
I am into newer shows such as Red Dwarf, Absolutely Fabulous,
Blackadder and the like. Are there any mailing lists/e-mail
addresses out there for those?
Not that I know of, but there are lots of newsgroups.
From: Rick May
[...] Another thing I'm interested in: *affordable* conversion to
PAL
format so I can send some American shows to friends in England (I
think
sometimes that they don't believe me when I describe some of the
shows
we see here). I once called a couple of numbers in the Yellow Pages
and
was shocked at what they charged. I'd like my friends to see some
of
our sitcoms, but not at $50-75 a throw!
I'd be tempted to get into the market if people actually
pay
that much. We've got a few people who come to the meetings
with multi-standard decks. Some might be bought, some
would
trade.
Next time, Personal Ads. (Well, maybe not.)
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Subject: Excerpts from the TeAPOTT Mailing List
[If you want the whole thing, get on _her_ mailing list.]
"THERE'S A PENGUIN ON THE TELLY" (TeAPOTT of Baton Rouge)
-A group devoted to the serious watching of anything even remotely British.
*Kristin C. Sabo, current dictator- sabo@rouge.phys.lsu.edu (504)768-7815
(abdicating August first) kristin_s@deq.state.la.us
(504)765-0166
GOSSIP (local and otherwise)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Stephen Fry [_This Is David Lander_, _Blackadder II_ (Melchet), _A Bit
of Fry and Laurie_, _Jeeves and Wooster_ (Jeeves)] does indeed have a nice
web page. See ->E-ZINE EXTRACTS<- for the URL. I checked out his page and
dropped him a line about it, and he did answer his e-mail with a very nice
reply. Quite the gentleman. I highly suggest you take a look at Mr. Fry's
page sometime. =)
A neew _Goodies_ fan club is in its formative stages. E-mail Melinda
"Big-M" Casino at goodies@badger.idiscover.co.uk for more details.
"Goodie Goodie Yum Yum..."
->TRACEY CONWAY STILL RECOVERING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[from Brian Chin, bdc@netcom.com]
"Almost Live!" cast member Tracey Conway is doing well five months after
suffering a near-fatal cardiac arrest on the set following the taping of an
episode.
Conway, who has a hereditary heart condition, now carries an implanted
defibrillator to restart her heartbeat in case of another crisis. And it
actually shocked her heart back into working once already -- during the
taping of an episode. The defibrillator worked so smoothly Conway was
reportedly unsure if anything had happened until doctors downloaded the
unit's activity log to confirm that it had averted another heart attack.
Despite her close call, Conway did not miss a single episode of "Almost
Live!" this season. She has had to curtail her physical activity, however,
and sources in the know report that she has only recently been certified
healthy enough to drive a car again.
==>> INTERNET SNIPPETS <<==
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
->BRITISH ACTORS HIT THE WEB
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>From enda@thecrypt.demon.co.uk Fri Jul 21 08:27:08 CDT 1995
I am just writing to let you know of a great new site called ``The
British Actors' Register'' at
.
The site provides a showcase for our members all of whom are well
known and respected throughout the industry. We have minimum
requirements so as to keep our membership limited to professionals.
This helps casting agencies save time and money in selecting the
appropriate actor / actress for the part.
Full CV's and photo's are on line. The service is free to view but
there is an annual fee for membership. Have a browse ... you will
probably recognise quite a few of our famous faces there already. We
are currently having discussions with four of the leading acting
agencies in London as to showcasing their clients. Soon CV's on paper
will be a thing of the past.
Have a look and please E-Mail me with any comments or suggestions you
may have. We welcome any input from people world-wide. Thanks for
your time.
Enda Madden
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->UK BOOK SOURCE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[from: Jerry Kohl, pnm@u.washington.edu]
...just in case you don't have the information handy, Cinema Books is at
4753 Roosevelt Way N.E., Seattle 98105. The phone there is (206)
547-7667. Another source for suchlike stuff is The British Connection,
Country Club Centre, 16-3200 N. Island Highway, Nanaimo, B.C.,
Canada V9T 1W1. Phone/Fax: (604) 751-2728. Dave and Margaret Hunter,
who hail originally from Scotland (well, he does at least), opened this
shop a few years ago, and issued their first mail-order catalogue
about six months ago. I've gotten quite a few books (and not a few
videos) from them.
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DISCLAIMER: Serious, and all-encompassing disclaimers apply. ie- no one is
really responsible for this newsletter. ;)
-> Just another public service announcement from your Cruise Director <-
............................... Kristin C. Sabo -
sabo@rouge.phys.lsu.edu
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Currently planned for the next Rusting Tardis video night (August 9), at
Round Table Pizza, 5111 25th Ave. NE (in Seattle):
Glam Metal Detectives: Episode 7
Vicar of Dibley: Episode 5
Further Abroad (odd documentary series - remember the one about
Belgium?)
Telly Addicts
Waiting for God: Season 5(?), Episode 3
[reflects weight before cooking, some settling of contents may occur
during shipping, offer void where prohibited, batteries not included,
your milage may vary, not to be taken internally, if a rash develops
consult your physician, objects in mirror are closer than they appear]
Coming in the near future: the new season of "Goodnight Sweetheart" with
Nicholas Lyndhurst, and Robert Lindsay as "The Wimbledon Poisoner."
The next social is Tuesday August 15 at Zoopa, in Bellevue Square.
See you on Wednesday.
"They rounded the corner, and saw, in the
flickering
firelight, a sight which chilled the very blood in
their veins. It seemed to coagulate the very
corpuscles in their arteries."
--"Beyond Time", John E. Muller (actually
Robert Lionel Fanthorpe)
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The standard disclaimers apply to everything here except this statement.
To subscribe/unsubscribe to this list, send mail to "onan@eskimo.com".
The Society of the Rusting TARDIS web page - http://www.halcyon.com/sotrt/
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