MARCH
2001
31st March, 2001
With special thanks to Alex Lum, I
have now added four more articles to my Miscellaneous
Articles page. All articles were found on the Variety
website. The first article is entitled "Manex out of
'Matrix' loop - Firm pursuing legal means for piece of project," and obviously
concerns the whole Manex Visual Effects debacle outlined in my last update. It's a good
read for anyone wanting to know more about what's been happening with the company.
According to this article, Manex is still working with WB on QotD, as well as several
other movies, so I'm hoping this is a good sign that the post-production of QotD is still
on track.
The second article is entitled "Townsend clocks in for '24 Hours'" and contains information on his next movie project. The final article concerns Michael Rymer's next project - 'Perfume'. And the other article is all about the Artists Independent Network - a Europe based management and production company with a "symbiotic relationship with the Hollywood agencies". The head of the company, Charles Finch, claims "Michael Gruber at CAA got Stuart Townsend the lead in 'Queen of the Damned' at Warner, which we could never have done, but CAA would never have had Stuart as client without us." So that's how Stuart got his foot in the door?! The casting of Lestat was a long and troubled process until Stuart finally secured the role, apparently thanks largely to his management company.
Last
month, I highly recommended a website called The Lestathenaeum. It
is, of course, "For the appreciation and veneration of Anne Rice's Vampire
Lestat." Some of you may remember that the site alse features a fantastic 'QotD Movie
Survey'. This survey gives visitors a chance to submit their views about the film in
detail. Website owner, Danielle, told me that she would soon be putting together a general
consensus of the results, and I am pleased to announce this has now been posted! Click here to
check it out! And if you'd like to contriubute, it's not too late to complete the survey.
Danielle plans to keep adding responses as she receives more submissions!
I
have now added a brand new Death Valley Concert review to this site! Most of you have
probably read my own DVC Experience. However, I have
now added a whole new page with special thanks to fellow concert-goer, Angel Sorion. He
has kindly allowed me to post his in-depth (and uncensored!) write-up of his own DVC
experience and, believe me, it's definitely worth the read! A permanent link can be found
on my DVC page, or just click here to begin!
24th March, 2001
I have come across some interesting speculation
concerning why the release of 'Queen of the Damned' has been pushed back to 'sometime'
next year. As many of you know, the film was officially set to be released in 'Fourth
Quarter, 2001'. A US release date floated around for quite some time - October 5th. This
was never official, but was widely publicised on the web. It was only recently that we
suddenly discovered that the film had been pushed back until next year. This was done
without warning, and we still have not uncovered the reason...
As previously reported, Manex
Visual Effects (MVFX) have been slated as the visual effects company for the film.
This information came directly from the QotD
IMDb page a couple of months ago. MVFX has been responsible for the effects in such
films as 'Deep Blue Sea', 'Mission: Impossible 2' and 'The Matrix'. However, as work
continues on those much-anticipated Matrix sequels, news has surfaced that MVFX is in
trouble... Special thanks go to Alex Lum for the following report:
"If you haven't been
following these events, the situation basically is that in the last week or so, Manex had
the effects work for the "Matrix" movies taken away from them by Warner Bros and
it appears that Warners is forming its own effects company (ESC Entertainment) whose staff
will primarily comprise of the Matrix team from Manex anyway. There is a much more
detailed synopsis of this at Corona Coming Attractions' "Matrix 2" page.
Now given that "Queen of the Damned" is now in post-production, and Manex are
(or were) supposed to be working on QOTD's effects, such a battle between Manex and
Warners/Roadshow would most likely affect "Queen..." in some way, particularly
if the "Matrix" movies were taking precedence for the company. I imagine that
ESC would probably work on the Matrix films only and QOTD will probably be 'farmed out' to
some other FX company (ILM I hope!)."
Remember that this is all speculation only, but you have to
wonder... This has been happening over the last couple of weeks and corresponds with the
sudden postponed release of 'Queen of the Damned'. If special effects are the reason for
the film's delay, we could consider it somewhat of a relief. When I first heard that the
film had been pushed back so far, I thought perhaps something was wrong with the film
itself - that maybe it hadn't turned out quite as planned and needed some re-working.
However, special effects are not so much of a problem. Pushing the date back means they
will have more time to work on visuals rather than rushing things to make it for an
end-of-year release.
As
promised, the next section of script has now been
posted. These pages (106-110) contain more concert memories for those who were lucky
enough to attend. Concert-goers are bound to remember our big 'speaking part' which, in
the script, reads like this:
LESTAT
You want more?!
The crowd screams...
CROWD
Yes!
LESTAT
This one's for those who've come
for me!
And remember Akasha rising from the stage?
"the WOODEN PLATFORM beneath Lestat begins to BUCKLE under his feet. Fragments of WOOD EXPLODE upwards around Lestat... Akasha rises up through the stage. Beautiful and terrifying. Her green eyes glow as she smiles at Lestat."
Besides from these highlights, most of this section of the script was filmed inside the St Albans warehouse. Ongoing extras will probably remember some of the more spectacular parts of the script, including all those vampires spontaneously combusting! I can't wait to see that! *grins* Enjoy!
19th March, 2001
Exclusive LA location pics are now online!
With special thanks to my LA contact, Roxanne, I am
proud to present the very first images of the LA homestead that will double for Lestat's
mansion in the film. My brand new LA Locations section
is now online, and a permanent link can be found on my Movie
Information page. Also included is filming information thanks to Roxanne's onset
observations, as well as corresponding script information. My 'LA Locations' section now
accompanies my Australian Locations page, and it is the
first of its kind on the web! Enjoy! :)
The script was also updated today (pages 100 - 105). This addition
to the script brings back fond memories of the Death Valley Concert shoot. Much of it is
reminiscent of what concert-goers experienced on the night. For example, on page 105,
Lestat 'inhumanly levitates' above the stage. At the concert shoot, Lestat inhumanly
'flew' down from above to address the crowd. On page 101, the script reads, "Enormous
pipes spout flames high into the sky, run like a corridor of red light along the crowd,
leading to two enormous Egyptian effigies, flanking a stage at the top end." This is
exactly like what we saw at the concert!!! More similarities will continue in the next
installment... In the meantime, for more information (or just to refresh your memory!)
feel free to read my Death Valley Concert experience!
17th March, 2001
The official Queen of the Damned website is finally online!!!
Source: Queen of the
Damned Official Website, Photo by Peter Tangen
© Warner Brothers, 2001
I spend a couple of days offline,
and Warner Brothers suddenly decides to put up their official site! *smiles* Yes, it's finally here, the much awaited official QotD site has arrived. As far as I
know, the site was actually launched either late on Wednesday, 14th March, or during the
early hours of Thursday, 15th March. Either way, it was released around the time of this
site's first anniversary - kinda bizarre, don't you think? It was also widely predicted
that the official site would take about a year to launch, and here it is approximately a
year after the domain (queenofthedamned.com) was purchased!!!
The best
feature of the site so far is the brand new Akasha photo (above). Her costume is very
similar to her outfit in a previous official photo (featured here). The only difference
seems to be the colouring of her top - one is purple and gold and the other is silver and
gold. A minor difference, but a distinctive one. However, the most notable difference in
the new official picture is her green eyes!!! In previous photos, Aaliyah's eyes have been
her natural colour. But here they have been transformed into an intense green. And they're
rather supernatural too, very similar to Lestat's green eyes on the cover of the mock
'Rolling Stone' magazine cover that was unveiled here last month. Similarly, Stuart's eyes
are his natural colour in all other previous official photos... All this leads me to
speculate that both Lestat and Akasha will have green eyes in the film, but the colour
will be superimposed.
Besides from the new Akasha pic, the official website has limited information. It's really quite basic, but at least it's a start. Hopefully, more information will be added in the months to come. The page reads:
Opens 2002
The Queen of the Damned
A supernatural adventure, this adaptation of Anne Rice's best-selling novel follows the
legendary vampire Lestat, who has re-invented himself as a rock star in the contemporary
American music scene. His music wakes Akasha, the queen of all vampires, and inspires her
to want to make Lestat her king. Akasha's malevolent power is so great that all the
immortal vampires must stand against her if they want to survive. Meanwhile a young London
woman with a fascination for the dark side falls in love with Lestat.
The Queen Of The Damned is directed by Michael Rymer and produced by Jorge Saralegui, Su
Armstrong and Bruce Berman.
The Queen Of The Damned stars Aaliyah, Stuart Townsend, Marguerite Moreau, Matthew Newton,
Vincent Perez and Lena Olin.
Interestingly, the story synopsis is almost identical to the one featured on the Urban Cinefile website. Many of you may remember this website as being home to a couple of great QotD articles by journalist Andrew L. Urban. Up until now, I had assumed that Andrew had written his own synopsis of the film, but it now seems more likely that he was given an early copy of the 'official' synopsis featured above!
In
other news today, Showbiz Ireland has featured
a small article entitled 'Townsend Vamps it up'.
The article is dated 15th March, 2001 and reads as follows:
Irish actor Stuart Townsend has spoken for the first time about playing the vampire Lestat in the upcoming film version of the Anne Rice novel Queen of the Damned. He follows in the footsteps of Tom Cruise, who played Lestat in 1994's Interview With a Vampire, but Townsend is not worried about comparisons.
"The only similarity is that both movies are based on Anne Rice books - the look and feel are totally different," the actor told the press.. "Playing a vampire is like getting dressed up for a Halloween costume ball - it's a little glam, a little camp and very removed from who I am."
Townsend was spotted by director Michael Rymer when he starred with Helen Mirren in a West End production of Orpheus Descending.
He recently starred as a lothario who charms Kate Hudson, her two sisters and her mother in the Irish comedy About Adam. His next project will be to star along with Skulls star Joshua Jackson in The Payback All Star-revue.
This article claims that this is the first time that Stuart Townsend has spoken about his role as Lestat in 'Queen of the Damned', but this is rather misleading. The first interview with Stuart concerning the film (that I know of!) was featured over at Moviemate on 19th January, 2001 (This article can also be found on my Miscellaneous Articles page). Furthermore, the above quotes from Stuart were also featured in the 'Movieline' article posted here earlier this month. Movieline magazine is probably the 'press' that Showbiz is referring too! ;)
Due to my discovery of the official site (and
the fact that I've been called in to work all weekend!), today's script update will be
delayed until Monday. My 'LA Locations' page will also finally go up on Monday night - I
promise!!! I have 25 new location pages to post and, I assure you, you won't be
disappointed!
14th March, 2001
Today marks the one year
anniversary of 'The Queen of the Damned Movie Site'!
Exactly one year ago today, I launched my humble
little website and wondered what the year would bring... and now my site is having it's
first birthday! *smiles* The past year has been a most
interesting one for 'Queen of the Damned'. We were shocked to learn that Tom Cruise was no
longer Lestat, and then endured months of speculation until another actor was finally
found. We discovered that Aaliyah was the first to be cast as the Queen herself, and that
Anne refused to speak out about the film. We became annoyed with Warner Brother's secrecy
about the project, and then listened carefully as Michael Rymer and others started talking
about it. We read all about the fantastic Death Valley Concert, and some of us were lucky
enough to attend and see the production for ourselves. Much of the cast and crew was
Australian, and Melbourne became a much talked about filming location. Pictures started to
surface and then, finally, WB released the first official images from the movie, the most
recent of which have got everyone talking... A release date of 5th October was set, and
then promptly withdrawn. WB have now removed 'Queen of the Damned from their '4th Quarter,
2001' line-up causing me to confirm that the film's release has now been pushed back until
2002... Yes, it's been a turbulent ride, and I'm sure it's one that's set to continue for
yet another year to come.
To mark today's occasion, I thought it would be fun
to share with you some site statistics. I have personally been amazed at the growing
popularity of this site, especially over the last six months. I have not received any
negative comments about my work, just a lot of gratitude! So thank you for your continued
support! The following statistics are all courtesy of my Bravenet counter, a service that
I highly recommend to any fellow webmaster or webmistress! :) (Find out more at the Bravenet website).
- Total hits - 89,772
- Last month - 13,614
- Last 6 months - 72,671
- Most hits per day - 801
(7th February, 2001)
- Busiest day - Wednesday
- Least busiest day - Sunday
- Busiest hour of the day - 8:00am - 8:59am
- Least busiest hour of the day - 8:00pm - 8:59pm
My Props Photos page
is now up-and-running. This section is a collection of all the fantastic prop photos I
received last month from generous fans, including that mock 'Rolling Stone' cover and all
the 'Vampire Lestat' memorabilia. A permanent link can now be found on my Movie Information page. Also, my 'LA Locations' page will be
up before the end of the week, most likely on Friday or Saturday.
8th March, 2001
Exclusive LA location pictures!!!
I am pleased to present the very first online
images of the LA mansion that was used as a filming location for 'Queen of the Damned'.
Shooting took place here in late January and, from what I've been told, I believe it was
used for some of the scenes set in Lestat's Hollywood mansion. These location pictures
have been generously provided by my LA contact, Roxanne. Some of you may remember that it
was also Roxanne who sent me those amazing prop photos last month, including that mock
Rolling Stone cover. Thanks to her, I now have a total of 13 photos of both the interior
and exterior of the mansion. These will all soon be seen on my upcoming 'LA Locations'
page which I plan to have completed by the end of next week. In the meantime, feel free to
take a look at the two images above... (click for larger images and descriptions!)
My
synopsis of 'Queen of the Damned' has now been posted in the 'Coming Soon' section of the
UK movie website, The Z Review. Feel free to
head on over and take a look! The information has already been included on this site, with
much of it taken from the My Opinions section. In my
report, I have tried to explain how this film will be very different to both the books and
the movie, 'Interview With The Vampire'. It is essentially a brand new project of its own!
2nd March, 2001
Great new magazine article today!
Finally, a magazine has published a positive article
concerning Stuart's casting as Lestat! Click on the pic above to view the article as
featured in the March 2001 edition of 'Movieline' magazine. Special thanks go to Silvester
Martinez for scanning the article and photo for me. He was also kind enough to send me my
very own copy via post! Thanks again, Sil! :)
As for the above photo - yes, this is the pic that accompanies the article. For some reason, I was initially amused by this picture! After seeing those great new official pics a few days ago, this photo is a bit of a contrast. It's not really how I envision our new Lestat! But then again, this is a publicity shot for Stuart, and a very good one too. Personally, I think Stu will do well as Lestat, and the article puts forward some very good points about how courageous he is for taking on the role in the first place. Stuart's quotes include:
"The only similarity with this movie and Interview With The Vampire is that it's an Anne Rice book - the look and feel of it are totally different."
"Playing a vampire is like getting dressed up for a Halloween costume ball. It's a little glam, a little camp, and very removed from who I am."
"The bigger kick is playing the vampire-as-rock-star. I had to get up and perform in front of 3000 people, lip-synching to loud, angst-ridden Korn songs and prancing around in tight snakeskin pants. I shat myself because it was so out of my comfort zone, but it was the best night of my life."
You may have noticed that this site is currently undergoing a bit of a
make-over... The Menu page now has a new look, as does my Main home page. I have also updated my Cast
List and Movie Information pages, and added a new Official Movie Photos section. A 'Prop Photos' page
is also on the way, and updates to other pages will continue throughout the next week or
so. Since I'm working on so many areas at the moment, please inform me if you come across
any difficulties or broken links and I'll fix them straight away. I'm aiming to make this
site as informative and user-friendly as possible. The QotD Movie Site will be one year
old in just under two weeks, and so I've decided it's time to get everything a bit more
organised! :)
More websites to recommend today... Special thanks to Alex Lum for
sending me the following links:
Anne Rice Online
One of the most comprehensive Anne Rice sites I've ever seen! A must for any Ricean fan.
Also includes regular QotD movie updates.
"Damning Queen of the Damned" (by Eva Weber at filmfodder.com)
A very amusing little article written by a hard-core fan who just can't get over what
they've done with Anne's material in the making of this film!
"Victoria
Hosts a Hollywood Vampire" (from Cinemedia.net)
Requires 'Adobe Acrobat Reader'. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the article to work on my
computer, but hopefully you'll have more luck than I did?!
Two more sites I've come across recently are:
The Aaliyah Experience
A great Aaliyah fansite with lots of information about her upcoming projects, including
those Matrix sequels. A link can now be found in my 'Links Archive', and I've added a
banner in my 'Cast' section.
The Z Review
I am currently working on a QotD synopsis for the UK movie site, 'The Z Review'. This
is a great site for movie fans with a huge amount of information. QotD is not featured
yet, but I'm working on it! My synopsis is set be included in the 'Coming Soon' section
within the next few days...
