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Post by PokerKitten on Nov 29, 2003 14:11:57 GMT
Don't ask me why, but SFX mag has seen fit to give "Firefly" a big feature in the latest issue (Christmas). In the articles, Joss Whedon opines "Firefly is the most grown up and the most fulfilling experience I've ever had." What, more than marriage, more than becoming a father? Cowboys in space? Whatever.
Anyway, he gives an episode guide for the 14 eps that were made, all coming with shots from the ep in question.
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Post by PokerKitten on Dec 3, 2003 1:40:37 GMT
Science Fiction Weekly www.scifi.com/sfw/advance/01_interview.html Series creator Joss Whedon refuses to give up on his canceled Firefly
By Kathie Huddleston
Despite the fact that Fox canceled his series Firefly over a year ago, Joss Whedon is not even close to letting go of his creation. With thoughts of Firefly stories dancing in his head, the creator of the Buffy franchise has plans that just might keep the fledgling series around for a long, long time in one way or another. However, until Whedon's ideas can spring forth, the series' fans can explore all things Firefly with the new DVD set, which will be available in early December.
The four-disc set offers all the episodes, including the three completed episodes that never made it on air. Chock full of commentary from Whedon and other Firefly notables, a few very special extras provide some insights into the series, including a gag reel and Joss' tour of the set.
Whedon chatted with Science Fiction Weekly about the DVD, Firefly's cancellation, and why people should never, ever listen to the DVD extra that features his rendition of the Firefly theme song.
Tell me about the Firefly DVD. What's on it?
Whedon: shows. I think some I Dream of Jeannies and Match Games [laughs]. What we have is basically the entire history of Firefly so far. But actually that involves all of the episodes being in the right order, widescreen, which is how we shot them—although that's not how they were aired. And with three episodes that were never aired, in addition to all the others. Never aired in this country, I should say.
What can we look forward to with the new episodes?
Whedon: Well, the usual hijacks. There are three of them. One brings back the character of Saffron we had in "Our Mrs. Reynolds," who we loved very much, for a caper episode. One is kind of a dark episode from Mal and Zoe's war days. And one of the episodes is them defending a whorehouse. And you can never have enough episodes about people defending a whorehouse.
What's going to surprise us in these episodes?
Whedon: All I can say is, hopefully everything. The show was always built to try and surprise, to try and let people think they know where they are going and then head in the opposite direction. That's kind of my theory of . They fit in the canon, and one of them has a very important plot point that was never seen. But apart from that they are just more of Firefly.
What extras are on the DVDs? Whedon: Extras? You know, the usual suspects in terms of commentary from me and Tim [Minear] and Nathan [Fillion], a few of the actors on different episodes and different people. Writers and the wardrobe person, I think [laughs]. And a lot of different perspectives. The gag reel, which is one of those rare gag reels where people are actually having fun and not just messing up their lines. And they actually made a little documentary piece about the show and interviewed everybody for it, which is really nice. There's some crazy person singing the theme song, which, I can't stress enough, people should just avoid that particular extra. It was never meant to be heard by anybody.
Who would that crazy person be?
Whedon: Yeah, that'd be me. I threw it down. I was like, OK, I'll just throw it down so they know the chords and then we'll get some great old blues singer to sing it and it will be cool. And they were like, "Let's put it on the DVD." And I was like, "OK." And then I listened to it. I was like, "I must die now [laughs]." I can't stress this enough—not a singer.
And now it will live on forever.
Whedon: Yeah, I know it [laughs]. But the embarrassment is outweighed by the fact that I love this show as hard as anything I've loved, and to have it exist on the DVD shelf and in perpetuity is such a great thing for me.
The DVD sounds like something the fans have really been waiting for.
Whedon: Right away the DVD department came and said, "Oh, we're putting this out." Which was great vindication. And I'm excited, because I haven't seen the thing in a while and I'm like, "Oh, it's going to be all in a package with extras." Even though I've actually seen or created most of the extras, and I'm terrified of one of them, I'm just excited to see it out there. To know it exists, that it's on the shelves. And then hopefully leaving the shelves [laughs].
Firefly has only aired 11 episodes. Were you surprised at the response from the fans?
Whedon: I have a theory about that.
What's the theory?
Whedon: It was excellent [laughs]. That's my theory. And I think it was also the kind of I always strive, and don't always succeed but always strive, to make. Which is the kind of that basically grabs you by the gut, that makes you fall in love with the characters instantly, or at worst gradually. And to the point where their lives are incorporated into your own. I know that's what we did with Buffy, and more and more I feel that's what we did with Firefly. If you're not doing that, what are you doing [laughs]?
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Post by PokerKitten on Dec 3, 2003 1:42:00 GMT
continued A lot of -type people do other things.
Whedon: I realize that other people do other things that they're very good at. People love them. I'm not going to make a procedural because, quite frankly, I don't know anything about any procedures. I think a procedural about joke-telling would be weird and boring. But I like to make the kind of that people need. And that generally ends up meaning cult . Every now and then people create something that has a genre twist to it that becomes a mainstream hit. I don't think I'm that guy, but that's OK by me.
The summer before Firefly aired, you and I talked about the show. You told me that Fox originally loved the initial two-hour movie and then they decided that they wanted to start in a different place with a one-hour standalone episode. And you said, "And I think they're not wrong." However, my opinion as a viewer was that they were wrong and that the original two-hour movie, "Serenity," should have aired first.
Whedon: They were so wrong that we may have to create a new word that means wronger. And the fact that they got me to doubt myself in that way and the work makes me a little sad. But you know, I'd been pounded on for months. And I had people around me going, "No, [what they want is not] the way to tell a story. This is exciting. This involves you in the characters." And I was like, "What if it's dull? What if they're right?" Ultimately, you don't want to come in saying, "Check out my show. It will be incoherent." You want to work with the people who are trying to sell the show. And if there had been any people trying to sell the show, I would have.
You know, I understand why they thought they had to do what they had to do. The new word for wrong that we're going to come up with—they were glemphy. They were just completely glemphy. It really has to do more with the fact that they just had no use for the show. They didn't want the show. They didn't get the show. It was just never something that they wanted in their lives. And unfortunately they were unable to either communicate or realize that. And I say unfortunately. I guess fortunately because it lived a short life, but it's one of the happiest experiences I've ever had making something.
Really?
Whedon: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Even though it didn't seem to show up in the ratings, people did watch and love this show. A lot of people fought hard to keep it alive.
Whedon: Yes, they really did. The fans, they came through in a huge way. They've always been so supportive. And when I'm like, "It ain't nothin'. It's all over. It means nothing." And then I see what they have to say about it and it's very nice. And I go, "That's right. I'm one of them. A fan." [Laughs.]
When the show basically got no support from the network and then was canceled, that must have been a tremendously difficult experience.
Whedon: It was the best/worst year of my life. It was raining fire and I was in this nice little cave having a lovely meal with all these wonderful people, and every now and then I'd go outside and fire would rain down on me, from the very start, from script stage. In terms of dealing with the network it was just gut-wrenchingly difficult, and all a function of the fact that they didn't want me to make this show. So there was just no winning. I would go to meetings, I would talk to my agent, I would deal with executives, and I would be ulcerously unhappy. And then I would go on set and forget that any of it ever happened, because it was the happiest set and, quite frankly, the happiest place I've ever been.
The three episodes, why did they never air those?
Whedon: You know, they said they were going to air them in the summer. I don't think they really saw the percentage in it. And then perhaps when the DVD people said, "We're going to do it," it was more advantageous to be able to say never, unaired—and we never aired. So they had a good mystique to them. That's my theory. Although if the network had some use for them, I don't know if they would have rolled over the DVD people, but that's my guess.
We fans, of course, are hoping Firefly goes into movies. However, I think these characters are so strong they going to live on in our hearts and minds for a long time regardless. Whedon: I think so, too. I mean, I think about all sorts of things—movies, books, comic books. Everything. I like to think where I could use the actors. You know, it would be very fun to write a Firefly book, but then where would Nathan [Fillion] go? He wouldn't be in it. It would just be pages that talked like him. The actors too exist, very fully already, which is nice. But I still have plans for them.
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Post by PokerKitten on Dec 22, 2003 12:09:21 GMT
Herc Gets News of FIREFLY and ANGEL From The Whedon Himself!! I am – Hercules!!
We just got back from the big “Firefly” DVD Q&A at Sunday’s Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention, the one with series writer-director-producers Joss Whedon, Tim Minear and Ben Edlund, as well as regulars Nathan Fillion, Morena Baccarin, Ron Glass, Adam Baldwin and Gina Torres. We may get more reports with more details on what transpired, but here’s some highlights: * Whedon addressed the question of the “Firefly” movie before launching the Q&A. He confirmed that the script had been written and that the movie may or may not get made, but “it looks like we have a pretty good shot.” * The cast was even more optimistic. Baccarin, when asked what was on her plate, exclaimed “We’re all going to do ‘Firefly the Movie’!” “I would cancel dialysis to be in” a big-screen “Firefly,” said Fillion when asked if there were any issues with the cast’s availability. * Whedon said writing the “Firefly” movie was “the hardest writing I’ve ever done.” He says it will entertain “Firefly” virgins but also sport some big fat payoffs for fans of the series. “Which ones – I can’t say.” <snip> www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=16696
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Post by PokerKitten on Jan 12, 2004 17:16:42 GMT
Yikes, there's a fan website for the proposed Firefly movie.... (the site's pretty good, as it happens) fireflymovie.com/ And this is in the News section: January 11, 2004 From Chris Buchanan (President of Mutant Enemy):
We are getting pretty close on the movie and hopefully we'll have some "official" news soon. It seems that the DVDs are doing really well (e.g. better than Fox anticipated) and that there have been significant re-orders (an unusual thing for this type of program). Of course, we weren't that surprised but what can you do.
We really appreciate all of the fan efforts on the show's behalf and I am personally helping out on the DVDs to soldiers’ project. So just tell everybody and thanks for all their efforts. I read the boards daily and all of the great local input (where the DVDs are sold out, what the reviewers are saying about the set, etc.) is always helpful.
Universal seems to be willing to make the movie (crossing fingers, touching wood, lighting candles), but we still have a few (non-creative) hurdles to cross.
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slaybelle74
Mitch Brand
one by one the penquins steal my sanity
Posts: 250
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Post by slaybelle74 on Feb 8, 2004 2:35:19 GMT
i would love to see a firefly movie made!!i was upset when the series was cancelled,but i got the dvds for christmas...watched it all in 2 days....loved the unaired eps.nathan fillion was nude in one of them...cute deriere. ;Dand i love the way joss reuses actors..the guy who plays fred's assistant was on one of the episodes.
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Post by Cyrus on Feb 8, 2004 2:41:50 GMT
.loved the unaired eps.nathan fillion was nude in one of them...cute deriere. Oh my! ;D yep... he was also the vampire psycologist (spelling?) in "Conversations with Dead People"
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Post by PokerKitten on Mar 5, 2004 12:23:14 GMT
www.universalpictures.com/press/index.php?inc=serenity.inc
GROUNDBREAKING WRITER/DIRECTOR JOSS WHEDON MAKES HIS FEATURE DIRECTORIAL DEBUT FOR UNIVERSAL PICTURES
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA, March 3, 2004 – Joss Whedon—the Oscar®- and Emmy-nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel—is set to make his feature film directorial debut with the futuristic action-adventure Serenity, it was announced today by Mary Parent and Scott Stuber, vice chairmen, production, Universal Pictures.
Based on Whedon’s cult hit television series Firefly (which has taken on a second life following its December 9, 2003, DVD release, winning new fans and critical praise worldwide), Serenity will continue and expand upon the adventures of the memorable characters launched in the series, who will be joined by new characters created expressly for the motion picture adaptation. Whedon will act as both screenwriter and director, with Barry Mendel (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and the upcoming Wes Anderson film, The Life Aquatic) producing and Chris Buchanan (president of Whedon’s Mutant Enemy production company) and Alisa Tager (of Barry Mendel Productions) serving as executive producers. The Serenity cast will include such returning Firefly cast members as Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm ‘Mal’ Reynolds, Gina Torres as Zoë Warren, Morena Baccarin as Inara Serra, Jewel Staite as Kaylee Frye, Adam Baldwin as Jayne Cobb, Sean Maher as Dr. Simon Tam and Summer Glau as River Tam.
“We have wanted to be in business with Joss Whedon for a long time and we’re incredibly excited to be working with him on his feature film directorial debut,” stated Parent and Stuber. “Joss is a true creator, whose talent crosses all mediums. His mythic worlds are inhabited with rich, detailed and very human characters. Serenity will provide him with a great opportunity to paint another larger-than-life canvas with very identifiable, real characters at the heart of the story.” Whedon—whose compelling use of character, place and dramatic development helped Buffy and Angel to break down genre walls and cross over into global hit mainstream territory—now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future. The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family – squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.
When Mal takes on two new passengers—a young doctor and his unstable, telepathic sister—he gets much more than he bargained for. The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. The crew that was once used to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves caught between the unstoppable military force of the Universal Alliance and the horrific, cannibalistic fury of the Reavers, savages who roam the very edge of space. Hunted by vastly different enemies, they begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be on board Serenity herself.
In addition to creating the series Firefly, Angel and Buffy (as well as serving as executive producer on all three while writing and directing multiple episodes), Whedon’s feature film screenwriting credits include the original motion picture Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Toy Story (for which he received an Academy Award® nomination) and Alien: Resurrection. Whedon also composed the music and wrote the lyrics for the self-directed Buffy episode “Buffy, The Musical,” and the CD of the original songs from that landmark episode has sold more than 400,000 units. Whedon was nominated for the Emmy for outstanding writing on the Buffy episode entitled “Hush.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the second highest-selling television series on DVD
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Post by PokerKitten on Mar 21, 2004 20:28:28 GMT
Variety (via Yahoo) 'Firefly' feature alights 03/21/2004 Sat Mar 20, 7:00 PM ET
Gabriel Snyder, STAFF
Last month, Universal greenlit "Serenity," a feature based on Joss Whedon's show "Firefly," which Fox canceled in 2002 after airing only 11 episodes.
The film biz is filled with adaptations of hit series, such as "Charlie's Angels" and "Starsky & Hutch." But it's rare when a feature is based on a nonhit, such as the six-episode "Naked Gun" and the never-aired-pilot "Mulholland Dr." In each of those cases, the pics featured the original contributors of series -- and went on to significant bigscreen success.
"Serenity" is hoping to similarly rewrite the -to-film rules. But then, breaking the rules is familiar territory to Whedon, who created the series and will direct the film.
Five years after the 1992 film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" opened to ho-hum box office, he used the material to create a show that became a seven-year hit and even spawned a spinoff, "Angel."
Now he's reversing that process with "Serenity."
While Universal's decision may seem like an eyebrow-raiser, it's closer to a no-brainer: The risk is modest, and the rewards could be plentiful.
With a first-time director and no pricey stars (Adam Baldwin (news), Morena Baccarin (news), Sean Maher), the pic is a bargain, particularly for a sci-fi actioner: under $40 million. Most of it will be shot on stages on the U lot. The handful of locations will be in the L.A. area.
In addition, "Firefly" has a loyal fan base. A number of Internet fan sites, such as CHUD.com www.CHUD.com continue to dissect "Firefly," follow Whedon's career and swap series action figures.
"If you strike a chord with fans of science-fiction adventure, they're never going away," Whedon says.
This would seem to ensure a built-in audience for "Serenity" at the box office and afterward. The "Firefly" DVD has sold a surprising 200,000 copies since it was released last December. (The release fortuitously came out while U execs were debating greenlighting the pic.)
Underlying the deal was U's desire to be in business with Whedon. His shingle, Mutant Enemy, has an exclusive television deal with Fox and no motion picture deal. U execs, particularly vice chair Mary Parent, had been trying to figure out a way to work with Whedon for years.
Fox had touted "Firefly" for its 2002 season as a show that could potentially fill the sci-fi gap in its sked created by the end of the aging "X-Files" franchise. The concept was to set an ensemble of characters familiar from Westerns (the noble outlaw, the hard-scrabble preacher, the practical prostitute) in outer space 500 years in the future.
But just 11 of the 14 "Firefly" episodes produced made it to air. Interrupted by baseball and dropped for November sweeps (much to Whedon's chagrin), the show never caught on with a big enough audience to justify its 8 p.m. Friday slot (the show averaged a 2.1 rating and a 7 share; it also briefly ran at 9 p.m.).
Just before Christmas, Fox pulled the plug, using "Fastlane," which would itself later be yanked, as a replacement.
After the cancellation, Whedon sat down with Chris Buchanan, the president of his production company, and his longtime agent Chris Harbert of CAA and started brainstorming how they could keep the project alive.
Per-episode production costs were high. They mulled cable and tossed around the idea of a miniseries. The very last idea on their list was turning to a movie studio to make a feature version.
So Universal stepped in, purchased "Firefly" rights from Fox and gave it a greenlight.
Thus, U and Whedon are fulfilling the fantasy of every writer who has had a show canned after just a few episodes.
"You have no idea what this means to writers," Whedon says. "You took something you love and you got a second shot. Do you know how often that happens to writers? Never."
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BuffyGroupie
Det Grant Mars
Better part of a century spent in delinquency just paid off.~Spike
Posts: 819
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Post by BuffyGroupie on Aug 2, 2004 14:58:34 GMT
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BuffyGroupie
Det Grant Mars
Better part of a century spent in delinquency just paid off.~Spike
Posts: 819
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Post by BuffyGroupie on Aug 6, 2004 0:27:31 GMT
Thanks PK! I always seem to have problems with links . . .
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witchwolf
Eric Swan
old enough to know better , but still too young to care
Posts: 81
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Post by witchwolf on Aug 6, 2004 0:35:59 GMT
thx BG - seems interesting, though never had any desire to watch the show. oh wait... I never wanted to see Buffy either until I was demanded to do so. I'm in!! ;D
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Post by PokerKitten on Nov 23, 2004 11:14:17 GMT
Joss posted at Whedonesque Are you guys starting to hear that fanfare? Those distant drums? Are you slapping on your side-arms, pulling on your long brownish-colored coats and thumbing your crisp new bills in anticipation of the cinematic event of the year? Well, it’s official: on April 22nd you, the true the blue the loyal, can step right up with the rest of America and WAIT FIVE MORE MONTHS.
Heh. See, sometimes studios shuffle around release dates...
Okay. Don’t panic. right now you’re panicking. you’re thinking, "how could they do this to me?" But what you SHOULD be thinking is: "How could they do this to JOSS?". Seriously. That pity is mine and I want it back.
So what happened? Well, nothing terribly original. April got crowded with a lot of titles aimed at a similar demographic, and the studio decided September was a clearer corridor for the film to make the kind of impact it should. This isn’t about a lack of confidence in the film -- in fact, they told me this before they even saw it. And now they have seen it, and unless they’re way better liars than I’m used to, they dug it. Actually, they dug it pretty large, which is a good sign since there’s not a single finished effect in the film. There’s no reworking the end, no reshoots, no "does it have to be in space?". It’s just a marketing issue. Now you’ll get to watch lots of trailers in the summer. And hopefully, by the time it comes out, other people, people who ain’t us, will get a whiff of what we’re up to, and come along too.
I love this movie. I HATE waiting to show it too you. I felt pretty much the way I imagine you’re feeling right now when they told me. But these guys know what they’re doing, and they’re trying to protect their investment, not bury it. So I gotta be a grown-up. The release date is September 30th. Hopefully it won’t change again.
Spread the word. Keep the faith. And gleam the damn cube already.
j.
Plus follow-up comments.
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Post by djf617 on Apr 22, 2005 16:33:48 GMT
Serenity was supposed to open today. I guess Joss didn't want to compete with Star Wars......why not?? ;D The new release date is in September. Not sure which day.
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Post by djf617 on Apr 27, 2005 5:24:35 GMT
It's been a few days, do I can double post. Just wanted to let you know the trailer is up at the Serenity website. www.serenitymovie.com It's AWESOME! The movie opens September 30, BTW.
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Post by djf617 on Apr 27, 2005 18:41:52 GMT
Sweet!! Universal ok'd a sneak preview for May 5, and we're going!!! ;D I was shocked that Seattle was picked as one of the cities. I don't have to wait till September. YAY!!! ;D I'll probably go see it again then, anyway. The showing is in 10 cities, and they're all sold out! This is awesome!
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Post by marilyn on Apr 28, 2005 1:29:25 GMT
Wow, what luck for you and G! You can let us have the inside scoop on it! ;D
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Post by djf617 on May 6, 2005 9:16:05 GMT
OMG! Well, I'm not going to give away any spoilers, but, man!! The movie was fantastic!!! The preview was held in 10 cities, and most of the actors and Joss actually went to the theaters to schmooze with us peons. ;D Adam Baldwin, the guy who plays Jayne came to Seattle!! ;D I never wanted the girls to see it. But, Garrett bought the tickets without consultation. So, if anybody rants cuz I brought my kids, well, they can just stuff it. Erin fell asleep halfway through which is what I expected her to do. Anyway. After the movie, Adam was giving autographs, and we were way at the back of the line. Mind you, it was around 12:15 AM at this point. ;D So anyway, we're in line, and this woman walks by and looks at Erin asleep in the stroller and Ael lying down on her blanket on the floor, and says, "Are they both yours?" I said, "Yeah." I'm thinkin' she's gonna bitch me out for bringin' my kids, but she says, "Ok. Hold on a sec." A minute later she comes back and says, "Come with me." She brought us up to the head of the line and says, "You're next after these folks." ;D ;D So, I got Adam's autograph, he says the kids gotta go home and get in bed, and Ael couldn't care less. ;D Anyway, I had an awesome time. ;D Thanks for the Mother's Day present, Sarek. Garrett: Is it my imagination, or is Adam really hot in person? Me: Now that you mention it, yeah, he kinda is. ;D Here's where you can look at the nice piccies. www.flickr.com/photos/sarekofvulcan/12608798/ Well, now that I've had a little sleep, I'll add a bit to this report. Within hours after the screening was announced on the Universal board, every city sold out. Lots of other fans wanted tickets; there were even legitimate and scam sales on eBay. So anyway, we get to the theater, and we're going up the escalator and there's this guy dressed as a "bad guy" from Firefly. ;D He needs a ticket. I'm like, "Oh. So sorry." So, we get in line, and we see a guy dressed like the Captain. He was cool. ;D A few minutes later, we realized there was a camera crew. Our thought was, "Oh. Someone did send a crew." A few minutes later, Garrett asked them who they were with. The camera guy says, "We're with Universal." ;D ;D I looked at Garrett and went, "DVD!!!" ;D A little while after that, we heard all this cheering. The Blue Hand Guy (the bad guy) was coming toward the line....he scored a ticket!!!! ;D The camera crew rush over to the guy and start interviewing him. Spoke briefly to the girl who gave him the ticket. Then, when they were done, some other dude whips out this release form for the Blue Hand Guy. I turned to Garrett and said, "And, we'd like you to sign here regarding your immortal soul." ;D ;D LOL! There were some surprises, but I loved it!!! If you think you're going to go see the finished product in September, try to get through the DVDs of Firefly first. You don't really need to know the background, but it's good to know. It was awesome.
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Post by Pixie on May 6, 2005 14:16:09 GMT
Aw, sounds like you had a great time, all of you! And lol... kiddies do have some use then, eh?! ;D
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Post by nightnurse on May 6, 2005 14:54:36 GMT
Looked like you had a lot of fun deej ...aww sweet pics ...* wonders if I can borrow my nephew for the next James event ? * ;D
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