HIGHLA-L Digest - 2 Feb 2004 to 3 Feb 2004 (#2004-24)
Automatic digest processor (LISTSERV@lists.psu.edu)
Tue, 3 Feb 2004 22:00:02 -0500
There are 8 messages totalling 447 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Season 4 DVDs
2. Season Two dvd Commentary: Run For Your Life
3. Impact & New HL Mini-Series? (4)
4. Impact & New HL Mini-Series?/Frankenstein
5. Impact & New HL Mini-Series?/Frankenstein- now Threat Matrix
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Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 22:25:30 -0800
From: DericJon <highlander_rifts@hotmail.com>
Subject: Season 4 DVDs
Ok, i havent been on for a looooooooong time. does anyone know when the
Season 4 DVDs are hitting the stores?
-deric
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 13:01:22 -0500
From: Wendy Tillis <immortals_incorporated@cox.net>
Subject: Re: Season Two dvd Commentary: Run For Your Life
MacGeorge wrote:
>This was the first time they had two original songs in the show: "Jack of
>Diamonds" was sung by Jim Byrnes. It was the first time he had ever sung
>on the show and was the trigger to lead them to build "Joe's" so they
>could showcase his talent. The song was "so cool that we lengthened the
>scene by 50% because we wanted to hear more of the music."
So that is the excuse for a boring scene that just runs on and on to no purpose? So we can hear the background song? Egads.
>It is interesting that in virtually all these 2nd season episodes so far,
>the Watchers are not at all benign witnesses to Immortal lives. They are
>the bad guys, weirdos and nutcases out to kill Immortals just because they
>don't think they "deserve" the gift of Immortality. In this case, the
>Watcher was a racist, so as a Black Immortal, Carl had two strikes against
>him.
Frankly, most all the Watchers we see all through the Series fall into one of two categories - either the badguy/nutcase/weirdo category or the too-stupid-for-words/too naive-to-live/too-starry-eyes-to-believe category. One wonders how this organization survived for thousands of years and how anyone who was involved (and had half a brain) could believe they were doing important work. Those that purely Watched usually ended up dead, those that interfered were almost always bad guys. Joe was both at one time or another. (OK, not strictly speaking *dead* but closed to it).
The whole concept of Watchers still makes no sense to me - other than as a way of bringing more non-Immortal perspective to the Series. I'm still unclear as to what they were Watching *for*. To record the lives of beings that they could never reveal to anyone outside their own group? To have a record of what happened for the day that the One took over the world? I can see it now- a rat-bastard Immortal has taken the Prize and is ruling the world with an iron hand. The Watchers (now called Hiders) sit around a camp fire and share their incredible tale with the other poor mortals who are living under eternal tyranny. These mortals are *so* grateful to discover that someone knew about Immortals and the Prize and did nothing but Watch that they beat the Hiders to death with their own Chronicles.
>The other important "message" of the episode is one that is a sub-theme of
>everything to do with DMotCM, that he believes that Immortality is a
>privilege and a gift and that Immortals have an obligation to use it for a
>good purpose.
I'm not sure that Duncan believes that Immortality is a privilege and a gift. I think he sees it as a fact of life. He *is* Immortal..that's just the way his life is. His personal code of honor requires that he try to be a good man- as he would have doing regardless of whether he was Immortal or not. I wouldn't say he thinks that Immortals have an obligation to use their Immortality for good purposes- rather that they shouldn't use it for ill. If an Immortal just wanted to lay about on a beach and get a good tan for 3000 years, Duncan wouldn't have a problem with that. In fact I'd suggest that Duncan's only rules for Immortal conduct are 1) you don't hurt/kill mortals for anything other than a damn good reason and 2) you don't pretend to be a God. If you avoid those two things, Duncan doesn't care if you work to cure cancer or work to drink all the beer in world.
Wendy(Shouldn't Joe been a bit more peeved when Duncan asked him to rejoin the Watchers just days after practically forcing him to quit?)
Immortals Inc.
immortals_incorporated@cox.net
"Weasels for Eternity"
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 16:05:52 -0500
From: Wendy Tillis <immortals_incorporated@cox.net>
Subject: Impact & New HL Mini-Series?
Ok....I've been patience....has anyone here actually read this article (besides John whom I will assume read it <eg>)? Any comments? Details? Anyone? John? ( If a magazine article falls in the forest and no one reads it, is it still news?)
I suppose this needs spoiler space:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Tiny bits I've gleaned:
Working Title : Highlander: Archangel
Lead characters name : Michael MacKenzie (McKenzie?)
Cast of characters : Core of five including Michael (20-something), female lead (20-something), and others
Premise: ?? Possibly that a group of older (in number of years lived, not in apparent age) Immortals introduce newly Immortal guy to the world of the Game.
Not much to go on and possibly all wrong <eg> but let's see....
If you had all the titles in the world to chose from, why would you chose one that you had already used? One possibility is that you forgot that you used it already. Another is that you know you used it but figure that only the old fans will know about that and you don't really care about the old fans anyway. Another is that you have some idea of tying the HL myth to the Christian myth hence the title and the name of the lead Immortal. Or, you intend to tie the mini-series to the finale of the old Series with some carry-over of the idea of Zoroastrian demons and demented dwarves lurking in the streets. None of these seem like great ideas...which leads me to wonder why TPTB have such a hard time picking new names for shows. Let's face it...they had to stretch like crazy to explain why Amanda's series was called Raven.
The fact that the lead characters name in Michael and the show is called Archangel scares me. Please, please, please let's not have Immortals pretending to be angels. (What's with new TV shows that involve god?)(Especially a god that asks someone to do utterly mundane things for no apparent reason other than god's ability to asks and some poor person's apparent inability to say no)(And then there are the numerous shows with dead people as lead characters)(And inanimate objects that talk to people and request that they solve problem to shut the object up.)(Obviously there are drugs in the water system in LA) Please, please please let's not have a group of Immortals banded together to solve crimes or right wrongs. Let's not have them living in an abandoned church somewhere with cool Gothic silhouettes to stand against.
Group of five main characters. I wonder how many are Immortal? Certainly not all of them. ..because that kind of makes a mockery of TCBOO. Other than the Horsemen, when did we see more than two Immortals maintain a close working relationship over time? We saw 3 work together occasionally (Duncan, Amanda, Richie or Duncan, Methos, Amanda, etc) but 5 living and working together would be wrong. Just wrong!!!! So, I'll assume the only Immortals are Michael and his female partner (lover, associate, landlady) and the new Immortal on the block (NIOTB). The others will be our mortal characters who get to be kidnapped, shot, poisoned etc so we can see the Immortals mourn.
I wonder what kind of plot TPTB have developed? The story has to outline the life of Immortals (including some semblance of the Rules), introduce all the characters, set up a couple of conflicts, have some gratuitous head-board rattling, blow up lots of stuff in a couple of exciting Quickenings, have a car chase and some gun play, and solve the conflicts while leaving room for a sequel and/or series if ratings are good.
Will it just be the usual - happy Immortal find a new Immortal and works to introduce him to the Game while avoiding stock scenery-chewing bad guys? (Will the bad guy be the normal Euro-trash or will he be something "exotic" like a Hispanic or an Arab?)( Maybe a big bald black guy.)(Is Clancy Brown available?)
Will it be Immortal crime-solvers must save the world from evil plotting Immortal bad guy with a retrovirus or a dirty bomb? (Does it bother anyone else that the bad guy brother from "The Pretender" is a good guy on "Threat Matrix"?)(I keep expecting him to do something evil)(And to lose a thumb)
Will it be young hip Immortals decide to solve the mystery of their origin by exploring every cave in the world looking for a ragged hermit named Duncan while also living and loving amongst the mortals?
Help me out here...someone must have read the article and know something more....tell!
Wendy(Truly hoping that this turns out to be a wonderful mini-series and not another cringe-worthy mess.)
Immortals Inc.
immortals_incorporated@cox.net
"Weasels for Eternity"
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 21:23:00 -0000
From: "a.j.mosby" <a.j.mosby@btinternet.com>
Subject: Re: Impact & New HL Mini-Series?
Okay.
While I personally like the idea of angels (fallen angels, maybe...certainly
an idea that Widen worked into the not dissimilar Prophecy series of movies)
I'm not sure that there's any real link other than a creatively-inspired
one.
Yes, the name Michael (often pictured with a flaming sword) is no accident
and David said so himself. I think there are liable to be analogies rather
than anything that would hit you over the head too savagely.
The promise of flashbacks to both the Scottish Highlands of the MacLeod era
and also Attila the Hun also sound promising.
Plenty of time for it all to go astray, but the blocks in palce so far sound
promising.
Hopefully Impact will have an interview with Peter Briggs in th near future
re: The Source. Having seen an early version of the original
script....*shudder*
John
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wendy Tillis" <immortals_incorporated@cox.net>
To: <HIGHLA-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 9:05 PM
Subject: [HL] Impact & New HL Mini-Series?
> Ok....I've been patience....has anyone here actually read this article
(besides John whom I will assume read it <eg>)? Any comments? Details?
Anyone? John? ( If a magazine article falls in the forest and no one reads
it, is it still news?)
>
> I suppose this needs spoiler space:
> 1
> 2
> 3
> 4
> 5
> 6
> 7
> 8
> 1
> 2
> 3
> 4
> 5
> 6
> 7
> 8
>
> Tiny bits I've gleaned:
>
> Working Title : Highlander: Archangel
>
> Lead characters name : Michael MacKenzie (McKenzie?)
>
> Cast of characters : Core of five including Michael (20-something), female
lead (20-something), and others
>
> Premise: ?? Possibly that a group of older (in number of years lived, not
in apparent age) Immortals introduce newly Immortal guy to the world of the
Game.
>
> Not much to go on and possibly all wrong <eg> but let's see....
>
> If you had all the titles in the world to chose from, why would you chose
one that you had already used? One possibility is that you forgot that you
used it already. Another is that you know you used it but figure that only
the old fans will know about that and you don't really care about the old
fans anyway. Another is that you have some idea of tying the HL myth to the
Christian myth hence the title and the name of the lead Immortal. Or, you
intend to tie the mini-series to the finale of the old Series with some
carry-over of the idea of Zoroastrian demons and demented dwarves lurking in
the streets. None of these seem like great ideas...which leads me to wonder
why TPTB have such a hard time picking new names for shows. Let's face
it...they had to stretch like crazy to explain why Amanda's series was
called Raven.
>
> The fact that the lead characters name in Michael and the show is called
Archangel scares me. Please, please, please let's not have Immortals
pretending to be angels. (What's with new TV shows that involve
god?)(Especially a god that asks someone to do utterly mundane things for
no apparent reason other than god's ability to asks and some poor person's
apparent inability to say no)(And then there are the numerous shows with
dead people as lead characters)(And inanimate objects that talk to people
and request that they solve problem to shut the object up.)(Obviously there
are drugs in the water system in LA) Please, please please let's not have a
group of Immortals banded together to solve crimes or right wrongs. Let's
not have them living in an abandoned church somewhere with cool Gothic
silhouettes to stand against.
>
> Group of five main characters. I wonder how many are Immortal? Certainly
not all of them. ..because that kind of makes a mockery of TCBOO. Other than
the Horsemen, when did we see more than two Immortals maintain a close
working relationship over time? We saw 3 work together occasionally (Duncan,
Amanda, Richie or Duncan, Methos, Amanda, etc) but 5 living and working
together would be wrong. Just wrong!!!! So, I'll assume the only Immortals
are Michael and his female partner (lover, associate, landlady) and the new
Immortal on the block (NIOTB). The others will be our mortal characters who
get to be kidnapped, shot, poisoned etc so we can see the Immortals mourn.
>
> I wonder what kind of plot TPTB have developed? The story has to outline
the life of Immortals (including some semblance of the Rules), introduce all
the characters, set up a couple of conflicts, have some gratuitous
head-board rattling, blow up lots of stuff in a couple of exciting
Quickenings, have a car chase and some gun play, and solve the conflicts
while leaving room for a sequel and/or series if ratings are good.
>
> Will it just be the usual - happy Immortal find a new Immortal and works
to introduce him to the Game while avoiding stock scenery-chewing bad guys?
(Will the bad guy be the normal Euro-trash or will he be something "exotic"
like a Hispanic or an Arab?)( Maybe a big bald black guy.)(Is Clancy Brown
available?)
>
> Will it be Immortal crime-solvers must save the world from evil plotting
Immortal bad guy with a retrovirus or a dirty bomb? (Does it bother anyone
else that the bad guy brother from "The Pretender" is a good guy on "Threat
Matrix"?)(I keep expecting him to do something evil)(And to lose a thumb)
>
> Will it be young hip Immortals decide to solve the mystery of their origin
by exploring every cave in the world looking for a ragged hermit named
Duncan while also living and loving amongst the mortals?
>
> Help me out here...someone must have read the article and know something
more....tell!
>
> Wendy(Truly hoping that this turns out to be a wonderful mini-series and
not another cringe-worthy mess.)
>
> Immortals Inc.
> immortals_incorporated@cox.net
> "Weasels for Eternity"
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 17:34:15 EST
From: Dotiran@aol.com
Subject: Re: Impact & New HL Mini-Series?
In a message dated 2/3/2004 4:07:37 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
immortals_incorporated@cox.net writes:
> Help me out here...someone must have read the article and know something
> more....tell!
>
**Well the best news is that the whole mini series is being written by David
Abramowitz.
**The amazing thing is TPTB in the HL franchise were approached from outside
for this mini series slot, they didn't pitch it. It's being done with Larry
Levinson's company, who provides "product" for the Hallmark channel.
**It *might* be shot in South Africa. They'll do some secon unit work in New
Orleans, Germany and France.
**Flashbacks will be important. Attilla the Hun, the Spanish Inquisition, and
the Highlands of Scotland will all be featured.
**According to the article, "Highlander: Archangel" is a "provisional" title.
And, according to DA "it has NOTHING to do with the episode of the same name)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 19:29:32 -0500
From: Heidi <heidi@bronze.lcs.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Impact & New HL Mini-Series?/Frankenstein
From: Dotiran@aol.com
**Well the best news is that the whole mini series is being written by
David Abramowitz.
I haven't read the Impact article but did read something on the Scifi
Channel site about it. According to that the `mini-series' is just
four hours. Given that and what you said about DA writing it, I
wonder if the same will hold if it becomes an actual series.
From: Wendy Tillis <immortals_incorporated@COX.NET>
I suppose this needs spoiler space:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1
2
3
4
5
[..]
Not much to go on and possibly all wrong <eg> but let's see [..]
(And then there are the numerous shows with dead people as lead
characters) [..] Please, please please let's not have a group of
Immortals banded together to solve crimes or right wrongs. Let's
not have them living in an abandoned church somewhere with cool
Gothic silhouettes to stand against.
Na, maybe that'll be saved for the Frankenstein series USA Network
may be doing. From what I've read it's a "contemporary twist" on
Frankenstein set in present day Seattle. Dr. Frankenstein and
his creation are still alive thanks to his "genetic tinkering".
(So I guess that covers live, dead and immortal characters).
There's also going to be a female cop (of course) and her partner
(of course) who by chance find out who Frankenstein and the
creature are, so you've got the crime solving there. (sounds
like the recent failed Tarzan series.) The article said a two
hour pilot plus four scripts were ordered so I expect they're
trying for an actual series. (the info was on the Scifi Channel
site a few weeks ago.) What is it with Seattle and immortal
characters?
(Does it bother anyone else that the bad guy brother from "The
Pretender" is a good guy on "Threat Matrix"?)(I keep expecting him
to do something evil)(And to lose a thumb)
I've never seen `Threat Matrix' but have seen `Mr. Lyle' in a car
commercial which was a bit odd at first.
=}{=
(heidi@bronze.lcs.mit.edu)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 21:40:35 EST
From: Dotiran@aol.com
Subject: Re: Impact & New HL Mini-Series?/Frankenstein- now Threat Matrix
In a message dated 2/3/2004 7:30:35 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
heidi@bronze.lcs.mit.edu writes:
> I've never seen `Threat Matrix' but have seen `Mr. Lyle' in a car
> commercial which was a bit odd at first.
>
You are missing one of the best written, taut action dramas on tv this
season. TM is simply wonderful.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 16:47:49 -1000
From: MacWestie <mac.westie@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: Impact & New HL Mini-Series?
Wendy--
> I suppose this needs spoiler space:
Just IN CASE it actually comes to pass, in any form recognizably close....
> 1
> 2
> 3
> 4
> 5
> 6
> 7
> 8
> 1
> 2
> 3
> 4
> 5
> 6
> 7
> 8
> If you had all the titles in the world to chose from, why would you chose
one that you had already used?
And one closely associated w/ the most fan outrage in HL franchise history?
Odd, really.
>Let's face it...they had to stretch like crazy to explain why Amanda's
series was called Raven.
Reminds me that Raven also had Abramowitz as head writer. So much for
quality guarantees.
> The fact that the lead characters name in Michael and the show is called
Archangel scares me.
I also quake. And the slant sounds so...New Age. Blech.
> Will it be Immortal crime-solvers must save the world from evil plotting
Immortal bad guy with a retrovirus or a dirty
bomb? (Does it bother anyone else that the bad guy brother from "The
Pretender" is a good guy on "Threat Matrix"?)(I keep expecting him to do
something evil)(And to lose a thumb)
No, Jamie Denton's hot now, as of his sexy judge role on the doomed Philly.
He does that eyebrow thing....
Nina
mac.westie@verizon.net
------------------------------
End of HIGHLA-L Digest - 2 Feb 2004 to 3 Feb 2004 (#2004-24)
************************************************************