New Fanderson Music CD!

Kevin Bulmer wrote:
> My day job is creating animated TV series and I see companies selling
> live-action drama at the same markets I attend. Making the production costs
> work is always tricky and the possibility of extra revenue from licensed
> merchandise is normally something people get excited about, not throw out.
>
> What a shame. I look forward to watching the new pilot show, but I no longer
> have high hope for this series.

Same here, Kevin.
I think this is mainly a vanity issue with producers like the owners of
Trilogy. They pay to license a property and then try to distance
themselves from the original as much as possible just in case their
version is successful. That way they don't have to give credit to the
original creators. Unfortunately, this tactic (now referred to as the
"Lost in Space" maneuver) has never worked in the entire history of
filmed media, so all this behavior does is point out the fact that the
producers don't have a whit of originality themselves.
It takes even LESS talent to ruin a fondly remembered film or show than
to simply honor it with an altruistic remake.
And anyone who would consciously toss out elements of a property ripe
for toy and merchandise licensing in this day and age is not exactly the
sharpest skewer in the shishkebob.
AT

"Christian J." wrote:

> Trilogy Entertainment has named Pen Densham and John Watson as
> executive producers of the new big-budget UFO series which is
> currently in development. British writer Simon Davis Barry has
> been commissioned to write the pilot script which will radically
> revise the UFO concept and format. "We're doing a much more
> contemporary version. It really plays more towards paranoia, (...)
> In our show, there are aliens already living amongst us."

Sounds a lot like The Invaders .. which in its time, worked
nicely as a commentary on 'reds under the bed' cold war
paranoia. I wonder if the makers of the new series have
terrorism paranoia in mind?

It makes me wonder if they're targeting an audience that doesn't include
current fandom?

Mary

-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Bulmer [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 01:45
To: [hidden email]
Subject: RE: [SHADO] Re: UFO remake news?


Is it just me? Surely these people must have done SOME homework. You only
have to look at the prices the little Konami UFO models were fetching on
eBay to see how popular the craft are. So popular that Konami are reissuing
the set! Doesn't this tell us (them) something?

I just got FAB 48. The new series sounds awful. Of course I'm not a
fan of remakes in general.

Can you give a few more details. I dont have a subscription. I know that
the aliens are on earth now and they no longer have moon base or HQ hidden under
the film studio anymore. Maybe we should start a letter writing
campagne(sp). I want my UFO with a moonbase and or HQ under film studio. Do you know
when they go into production? Scott


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

All shows have a fan base. The questions that production companies usually
ask are will the fans come back to the show, is there a chance to make more
money than production cost, is there a way to get new fans interested in the
program? That is why shows like Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica made
comebacks. UFO has that fan base but it also had problems. UFO only had one season.
BG had one season but it had a spin off BG 1980. Star Trek tried to come
back with the original cast but Leonard Nimoy had other projects. STNG was a
sucess because the fans backed it and Gene Rodenberry was still alive and
producing new ideas despite his handicaps. UFO had Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. They
revamped the show and called it UFO :1999. It turned into Space 1999. Again
fan base was there but the Andersons divorced during production of Space 1999
year 2. Martin Landau and Barbara Bain divorced shortly after. Martin Landau
doesn't even acknowledge those years. The point is the only way to get UFO 2
to listen to us is to write or email them. Once the show is in production it
is very had to get changes made. scott


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Please be more specific. How did you see a screening of the new UFO series?
scott


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

At 09:22 PM 2/20/2004 -0500, you wrote:
> It turned into Space 1999. Again
>fan base was there but the Andersons divorced during production of Space 1999
>year 2.

Sylvia and Gerry divorced between the seasons. Sylvia had nothing to do
with the second season of Space. (And it shows!)

> Martin Landau and Barbara Bain divorced shortly after. Martin Landau
>doesn't even acknowledge those years.

If you mean his years working on Space 1999 Martin has done plenty of
interviews since Space speaking about Space. There is one on the French
TF-1 Space DVD's, Interviews for Fanderson and notably an edition of
Nightline (On the ABC Network) where he spoke about the uniforms on Space
among other things about the show. He had some pretty nice stuff to say
about it!

If you mean Martin speaking about Barbara....There I'm not so sure but the
divorce wasn't finalized (I Think) until years later.

> The point is the only way to get UFO 2 to listen to us is to write or
> email them. Once the show is in production it
>is very had to get changes made. scott

Good luck, I just looked over my copy of FAB today (Just got it!) and what
they wrote about UFO 2 sounds awful. There's plenty of meat on that old
shows bones. That they want to re-invent it is just sad and a waste. I
thought the advent of CGI would make all these effects intensive shows come
in under budget like B5 did and have more effects. Plus, how much would it
cost them to put someone in a red space suit with a green fish tank in the
faceplate? : - )

But, maybe something will happen between now and when it actually airs, if
it makes it into production. I mean, these UFO revival attempts have had
some bad luck, haven't they?

Sorry guys,
If it hasn't got the cool "futuristic" machines, then it's lost me. Skydiver, the Mobiles and the Interceptors (regardless of practicality) are amongst the best vehicles created for TV and movies. The original UFO without them would have been just another boring show for kids like me. The new series will need some sort of "gimick" to attract audiences unless it has absolutely first class writing and acting (which sounds unlikely). With CGI I would have thought some spectacular machines would have been possible.
Smells a bit like a bomb to me (as much as I hope it won't be)
Cheers
Tania

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According to the Internet Movie database Martin Landau and Barbara
Bain were divorced in 1993, long after Space: 1999 (1975-77).

Stuart <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I just got FAB 48. The new series sounds awful. Of course I'm not a
> fan of remakes in general.

any idea about who will score the soundtrack?

I would question Martin Landau not acknowledging the Space 1999 years. On Fanderson's excellent Space 1999 Documentary there's a lot of contemporary footage of him discussing aspects of the show. As for writing or e-mailing the producers of the new show, might they not be the types who'll think "We know best" and display an "Up yours" attitude?

[hidden email] wrote:Martin Landau doesn't even acknowledge those years. The point is the only way to get UFO 2 to listen to us is to write or email them. Once the show is in production it is very had to get changes made. scott



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Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

That cant be right because in THe Making of Space 1999, they were still
married. Maybe they reconciled for a while. SCott


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> OK, one small snippet about the cast members for our Ed fans :-)
> "Ed Bishop and George Sewell were great. There was a lot of humour
> there on UFO actually, we had a good time. I must admit that I had an
> eye for Ed at the time. He was an amazingly attractive man. I think
> we all looked good in the costumes actually."
>
> That's for Amelia :-)
>
> Christian

Whooooooo! Competition, Amelia!! LOL! Well, who can blame her? Ed really
did look good in turtle necks and nehru (and not everyone did)

:)

-- Y

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> Hello all, I am new here, and this sounds like interesting news, though!
>
> Ciao from Italy,
>
> Matteo

Hey, Matteo!! <waving> Welcome to the list. I have an uncle named
Matteo. Small world. {{:^)

Ciao from Texas!

-- Yuchtar, the friendly Klingon

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Yuchtar zantai-Klaan | [hidden email]
I am not a number! I am a FREE FAN!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"I'd like to apologise in advance for
anything I may say or do that could be
construed as offensive as I slowly go NUTS!"
-- Colonel Jack O'Neill
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
http://yuchtar.users4.50megs.com/
http://home.earthlink.net/~nunzie945

I feel Griff's comments on the fate of remade TV shows, esp cult favourites,
are right on the $$. I feel exactly the same way he does and I applaud him
for coming forward and laying it on the line the way he did. I am to the
point now in which I would prefer to enjoy old DVDs and videotapes of the
originals, however flawed, than watch a "new and improved" Hollywood version
which bears NO resemblance to the originals at all. 'Nuff said! Pam

OK I have to confess I've used the paranoia theme in my own fan-fic stories
and yes I've also written a few pieces that owe a big debt to The Invaders
and the X-Files in some areas. I've written quite a few pieces that centre
on the possibility that some of Earth's most ancient cultures were
influenced by alien intervention (shades of von Daniken - whether you agree
with him or not I used that thread) and lately I've been writing stories
which bring up the idea of the aliens trying to breed a hybrid race so they
can more easily take over planet earth through a 5th column effort....Pam

Thank you Pam :) I am glad I am not the only one who feels this way.

I 'grew up' with UFO and the other GA series and feel very defensive towards
them. They in some way became inextricably part of my life and thus part of
the magic that is me.

Woe betide those who meddle with them. I will be very interested (I hope) to
see what Gerry Anderson's new CG Captain Scarlet will be. I would expect it
though, to be rather similar in mood and manner to that of Final Fantasy.
Even the best CG movies to date seem to lack warmth, spontaneity, depth and
for want of a better word 'humanity'

Best to all, Griff

<snip> I feel Griff's comments on the fate of remade TV shows, esp cult
favourites, are right on the $$. I feel exactly the same way he does and I
applaud him for coming forward and laying it on the line the way he did. I
am to the point now in which I would prefer to enjoy old DVDs and videotapes
of the originals, however flawed, than watch a "new and improved" Hollywood
version which bears NO resemblance to the originals at all. 'Nuff said! Pam
<snip>