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3:26 pm ET, 15-Jan-98

 Connery, Moore Bond With Merlin

Jason Connery and Deborah Moore, the respective children of James Bond actors Sean Connery and Roger Moore, have been signed to star in the new syndicated series Merlin: The Quest Begins, according to Merlin producer Kaleidoscope Media Group. The series' two-hour premiere will debut later this month at the NATPE '98 conference, while an additional 20 one-hour episodes are in the works for a fall release in the United States.

The Arthurian drama chronicles the adventures of Merlin the magician--played by Connery--as a young man first coming into his powers. Moore will co-star in the series as Nimus. The show has already been cleared in the Far East, Latin America, Germany, France and Eastern Europe.

--Sci-Fi Wire

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2:43 pm ET, 15-Jan-97

 Contact Leads Video Rentals

In the absence of any new contenders, Jodie Foster's Contact once again led the SF video rental market, taking in $3.75 million for the week ending Jan. 11. The Sci-Fi Wire top 10 SF video rental list for the period of Jan. 5-11 remained unchanged from last week's top 10, although rental sales for all SF videos were down substantially, presumably because most renters were returning to work and school after the holiday season.

The SF video market will likely remain calm until Jan. 27, when the SF/horror flick Event Horizon is scheduled to hit rental store shelves. Below is the complete Sci-Fi Wire top 10 SF video rental list for the week ending Jan. 11:

RANK TITLE STUDIO WEEKS IN
RELEASE
WEEKLY
EARNINGS
(Millions)
TOTAL
EARNINGS
(Millions)
1. Contact Warner 4 $3.75 $17.86
2. Men in Black Columbia TriStar 7 $2.07 $39.93
3. Spawn New Line 3 $1.96 $6.54
4. The Fifth Element Columbia TriStar 11 $1.29 $21.76
5. The Lost World Universal 10 $.63 $27.29
6. Batman & Robin Warner 14 $.44 $19.46
7. Mars Attacks! Warner 30 $.17 $17.44
8. Asteroid Live 18 $.11 $3.61
9. DNA Cabin Fever 7 $.18 $1.01
10. Star Trek: First Contact Paramount 34 $.08 $16.42

Source: Video Software Dealers Association and VidTrac

--Sci-Fi Wire

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3:16 pm ET, 14-Jan-98

 Paramount Opens Star Trek Site To All

Bowing to demands from Star Trek fans around the world, Paramount Digital Entertainment has decided to open the official Star Trek Web site Star Trek: Continuum to all Internet users, rather than continuing its policy of making the site available exclusively to members of The Microsoft Network. As part of its revised plans, PDE has dumped Microsoft as its technology partner and charter sponsor, instead teaming up with technology giant IBM.

"IBM intends to enhance Star Trek: Continuum by making this already successful entertainment Web site available to fans on a global basis," said Bruce M. Polichar, vice president of entertainment for IBM Global Telecommunications and Media Industries. "Star Trek fans spoke, and we listened," added David Wertheimer, president of PDE.

Although Continuum will eventually be fully available to all Internet users, PDE has said the process will take several months to complete.

--Sci-Fi Wire

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1:17 am ET, 14-Jan-98

 SFWA Releases Nebula Prelim Ballot

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Inc. has released the preliminary ballot for the 1997 Nebula Awards, which are given annually to the best novel, novella, novelette and short story as voted on by active SFWA members. To make the preliminary ballot, works must receive 10 recommendations by active SFWA members during their eligibility period, which is 12 months from the date of their first publication.

Active SFWA members will then vote for the top five works in each category to obtain a final ballot. Two special Nebula juries--one for short fiction and one for novels--can add a sixth work to the final ballot in each category at their discretion. This final ballot will then be put to a vote by active SFWA members to determine the 1997 award winners, which will be announced during a ceremony to be held in Sante Fe, N.M., from May 1-3.

--Sci-Fi Wire

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5:09 pm ET, 13-Jan-98

 Levinson Refitting Sphere

Director Barry Levinson has recalled the cast and crew of the movie Sphere in order to shoot a new ending for the film's Feb. 13 release, according to Variety. The current ending apparently left test audiences cold to the underwater SF thriller, which stars Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone and Samuel L. Jackson.

While it's in port for the refit, Sphere will also get some new dialog and new special effects, according to reports. Sphere is based on Michael Crichton's book of the same name, which is a story about a Navy mission to explore what appears to be an alien craft that crashed deep at sea.

--Sci-Fi Wire

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2:43 pm ET, 13-Jan-98

 Branagh, Boyle Join Alien Love Triangle

Kenneth Branagh (Dead Again) and Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) have agreed to join Miramax's upcoming SF comedy Alien Love Triangle, according to published reports. Boyle will direct, and Branagh will act in, one segment of the three-part anthology film, which is about a man who finds out that his wife is actually a male alien.

The film is expected to begin shooting this spring in the United Kingdom. Director Bill Forsyth has reportedly been approached to write and direct the second segment of the compilation story, but it's unclear whether he's interested in the project.

--Sci-Fi Wire

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11:27 am ET, 13-Jan-98

 Anne McCaffrey Signs Game Deal

Best-selling SF&F author Anne McCaffrey signed a deal with Tom Clancy's Red Storm Entertainment to create a game based on her Catteni series, according to Red Storm. The title, which could hit stores as early as 1999, will involve a futuristic Earth fighting against an alien race that is bent on enslaving humans.

"My new venture with Red Storm Entertainment will allow me to take my work to the exciting new world of interactive computer gameplay," McCaffrey said. "Red Storm Entertainment's vision and creative development team greatly impressed me, and I'm looking forward to working closely with them to invent a new medium in which to tell my stories."

--Sci-Fi Wire

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11.42 pm ET, 12-Jan-98

 Duchovny, Anderson Sign Until 2000

X-Files co-stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny have agreed to stay with the show until the year 2000, according to TV Guide. The announcement came shortly after Fox said it would air at least two more seasons of the series, with or without its current stars.

The pair's decision to stick with the hit show was likely helped by Fox's recently announced plans to move the X-File's shooting location from Vancouver, B.C., to Los Angeles, Calif., something first Duchovny and then Anderson had demanded. Duchovny has said he would like to be closer to his L.A.-based wife and The Naked Truth star Téa Leoni, while Anderson is said to be interested in pursuing a movie career, which would all but require a move to L.A.

In still more Files news, today Fox announced that an interactive road show based on the series--dubbed "The X-Files Expo"--will begin a 10-city U.S. tour in March. "The Expo will be a place for people who like the show to get together and have a great time," said X-Files creator Chris Carter.

The tour is tentatively scheduled for the following dates and cities: San Francisco, March 6-8; Los Angeles, March 13-15; Dallas, March 20-22; Atlanta, March 27-29; Miami, April 3-5; Chicago, April 17-19; Detroit, April 24-26; Boston, May 1-3; New York, May 8-10; and Washington, D.C., May 15-17. Tickets for the tour go on sale Jan. 20 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling 1-888-397-6849 or online by visiting http://www.thex-files.com.

--Sci-Fi Wire

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10:51 pm ET, 12-Jan-98

 King, Gibson Pen X-Files Episodes

Best-selling authors William Gibson and Stephen King have each co-written upcoming episodes of The X-Files that will air on Fox during the crucial February Nielsen sweeps month, according to published reports. Gibson, best known for his groundbreaking SF novel Neuromancer, penned his script--about the bizarre death of a computer genius--with fellow SF author Tom Maddox.

Meanwhile, horror guru King co-wrote the episode "Chinga" with none other than X-Files creator Chris Carter. Their story takes FBI agent Dana Scully on vacation to King's home state of Maine, where she discovers people suffering from self-inflicted wounds, apparently at the direction of a young girl. The episode is slated to air on Feb. 8.

In addition to these special episodes, Fox will air a behind-the-scenes X-Files feature on Feb. 1, which may feature scenes from the upcoming Files movie, according to TV Guide.

--Sci-Fi Wire

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1:14 pm ET, 12-Jan-98

 U-Haul Creates Roswell Tribute Truck

Today U-Haul International Inc. unveiled a new U-Haul truck image that pays homage to what many believe was a UFO crash landing that took place in Roswell, N.M., in 1947. The graphic, which will adorn the side of about 300 U-Haul trucks in service, depicts a UFO, a large alien figure pining for home, and the slogan "What happened in Roswell?"

The Roswell truck graphic was created in conjunction with the International UFO Museum and Research Center as part of U-Haul's "Salute to America" campaign, and a special version of the image with the tag line "Everyone has to move sometime" will be donated to the museum for permanent display. In honor of the event, which included the unveiling of the first UFO U-Haul truck in front of the museum, Roswell Mayor Tom Jennings proclaimed Jan. 12 "U-Haul UFO Day" in his city.

"It's a euphoric feeling here in Roswell," Jennings told Sci-Fi Wire by phone from the unveiling ceremony. "It looks great."

--Sci-Fi Wire

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