Mood:  d'oh

I know it's been rumored in the past, and I won't even begin to tell you how many times over the years I've written or gathered up stories, but with this e-mail, I'm excited to announce that ZENtertainment has indeed officially returned.

It's going to be baby-steps for a little while... I'm still holding a day job as Editor-in-Chief of CINEFANTASTIQUE Magazine and I'll be away for the next week working the San Diego Comic-Con, so I'm hoping to assume a bi-weekly publishing schedule for the time being. There's also not going to be any big fancy website, but rather, I'll be running things through my personal home page linked above.

But as you've likely already noticed, there are some changes afoot, and I hope you'll agree that they bring something to this humble little e-mailer.

Enough from me, let me get back to the news for the first time in what must've been years... But first, I do have a simple plea for help... Over the years, e-mail addresses have changed or people have left what they thought to be a dead list, so I need your help! Forward this to friends, family and co-workers or mention it anywhere else you can.
All anyone needs to do to subscribe is email zentertainment-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

PS - If you're attending the San Diego Comic-Con this week, be sure to drop by the CFQ Media booth at 5467 and say hi.

- SeanJordan@aol.com

SMALLVILLE Signals Jimmy Olsen
TV GUIDE's Michael Ausiello reports Aaron Ashmore (Veronica Mars) will play Jimmy Olsen on the CW series SMALLVILLE next season.
The Daily Planet cub reporter will be introduced in the season opener, where Clark/Kal-El/Superman will have to find a way to escape from the Phantom Zone that Zod imprisoned him in, and Ashmore is also expected to be a new love interest for Chloe Sullivan.
Ausiello also hints at a "pivotal" comic book character guest starring on the show later in the season, and he's expected to reveal just who that will be in this week's issue of TV GUIDE.
If Aaron looks familiar to the SMALLVILLE universe, it may be due to the fact that his twin brother Shawn has appeared in the past as the Parasite-like villain Eric Summers.
http://www.tvguide.com

24's New POTUS and Other Castings
E! TV goddess Kristin Veitch has revealed that the President on the next season of 24 will be Wayne Palmer, the brother of former POTUS David Palmer, who is portrayed by actor D.B. Woodside (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Kristin also spills that Regina King (Jerry Maguire) is finalizing contract negotiations to play an "attractive African-American woman in her 30s," and she predicts King will play the First Lady.
The sixth season of 24, premiering in January, is expected to be set in multiple locations and not just Los Angeles.
Former ALLY McBEAL star Peter MacNicol signed on to play a high-ranking government official earlier in the week, and he'll shoot the fast-paced series concurrently with the CBS drama NUMB3RS.
http://www.eonline.com/Gossip/Kristin

PAINKILLER JANE Ongoing Series on Sci Fi in January
The Sci Fi Channel has picked up PAINKILLER JANE as an on-going series.
Based on a comic created by Jimmy Palmioti and Joe Quesada, the ongoing JANE series will alternate a bit from the two-hour movie the network aired last December starring actress Emmanuelle Vaugier (Two and a Half Men, House of the Dead 2).
While it's possible the new series could still star Vaugier, rather than playing an Army soldier exposed to a biochemical weapon that gives her powers of rapid but painful healing, the new show finds the character working as a scientist who turns DEA informant on her company.
When she's accidentally exposed to an experimental cure for a drug addiction epidemic, she gains her powers that increase every time she is injured, but she must find a cure within a month or the cure's unstable nature will overtake her.
http://www.scifi.com

SIX FEET UNDER Star Enters LOST ROOM
Peter Krause (Six Feet Under) will play a detective who finds a motel room key that unlocks the door to a parallel world in Sci Fi Channel's THE LOST ROOM.
The miniseries, which also stars Elle Fanning, will begin production this week in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a premiere sometime in December.

Rose Tyler's Return to WHO
Despite the fact that Billie Piper made her final regular appearance as Doctor Who sidekick Rose Tyler on the UK show's recent season finale, trapped in a parallel reality, the actor is expected to appear in the series' upcoming Christmas special.
Next season, the Doctor will get a new assistant named Martha Jones, played by newcomer Freema Agyman.

U.K. OFFICE Stars to Appear on U.S. Series
The New York Post reports some of the cast of the U.K. version of The Office will appear on NBC's U.S. version next season.
"There's a lot of love between [the casts and crews] of the two versions of the show," executive producer Ben Silverman told the paper. "Expect some cameos from the U.K. paper company."
Series creator Ricky Gervais is also writing one of next season's episodes, and Silverman also tells the paper that Gervais is also considering a guest appearance on the show, but that it's not likely to happen for some time.
http://www.newyorkpost.com

OFFICE Webisodes Premiere at NBC.com
NBC has premiered the first two of ten THE OFFICE webisodes that will focus on the supporting characters of the hilarious NBC series.
THE OFFICE: THE ACCOUNTANTS will follow characters like Kevin and Angela as they try to figure out why thousands of dollars are missing from the Dundler-Mifflin budget.
New episodes will go live every Thursday.
http://www.nbc.com/the_office

Sci Fi Seeks Feedback on SCREW-ON HEAD
The SCI FI Channel website is offering an advance look at the pilot episode of the animated series THE AMAZING SCREW-ON HEAD at its website, weeks before the pilot premieres on the Sci Fi Channel on July 27.
The series, based on HELLBOY creator Mike Mignola's 2002 comic about a secret agent working for President Abraham Lincoln to defeat a great evil, is written by series executive producer Bryan Fuller, whose credits include DEAD LIKE ME and WONDERFALLS.
The website is asking for viewers of the pilot to fill out a survey that will determine whether or not the network greenlights the pilot for an ongoing series.
AMAZING features the voices of Paul Giamatti (Sideways), David Hyde Pierce (Frasier), Molly Shannon (SNL), Mindy Sterling (Austin Powers) and Patton Oswalt (Comedians of Comedy, Reno 911).
http://www.scifi.com/amazingscrewonhead

ZEN QUICK HITS:
- G4's ATTACK OF THE SHOW begins its live coverage of Comic-Con this Friday at 8pm
- The final season of THE SOPRANOS will premiere as late as March 2007
- HBO is close to signing Larry David for a final season of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
- The second and presumably final season of ROME will premiere on HBO in January 2007
- A second season of HBO's BIG LOVE is expected to premiere in June 2007
- HBO has greenlit TRUE BLOOD, a vampire series from SIX FEET UNDER's Alan Ball
- FX has ordered a fourth season of RESCUE ME
- MTV2 has ordered a new season of the Comedy Central series CRANK YANKERS
- E! has ordered another season of THE SIMPLE LIFE
- Michael J. Fox will be a recurring character next season on BOSTON LEGAL
- Dave Foley guest stars on Lifetime's LOVESPRING INTL. tonight at 11

Warner Bros. Hands WATCHMEN Over to 300 Director Zach Snyder
Zach Snyder has reportedly signed on to develop and direct an adaptation of Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons' quintessential graphic novel WATCHMEN for Warner Bros..
Snyder has directed an upcoming adaptation of Frank Miller's 300 for the studio which relied heavily on greenscreens to recreate an illustrated world similar to Robert Rodriguez and Miller's adaptation of SIN CITY, and his other credits include the recent remake of DAWN OF THE DEAD.
Set on an alternate world in 1985, WATCHMEN is the story of a lone group of former superheroes and the murder of one of their own, which leads the detective amongst them to uncover a drastic secret plot to prevent a nuclear showdown between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Apatow Finds New Freaks & Geeks With SUPER BAD
Judd Apatow (Freaks and Geeks, 40-Year-Old Virgin) will produce Greg Mottola (Daytrippers)'s high school comedy SUPER BAD.
The Columbia Pictures film, written by Evan Goldberg (Da Ali G Show) and co-star and Apatow regular Seth Rogen, will star Michael Cera (ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT's George Michael) and Jonah Hill (40-Year-Old Virgin) as two high school seniors trying to buy alcohol for a party so as to be popular with the ladies.

Paramount has EYE on Jessica Alba
VARIETY reports Lions Gate has acquired the rights to remake the Japanese horror film THE EYE from Paramount, where the film was in turnaround. David Moreau and Xavier Palud are attached to direct the film, and the studio is reportedly pursuing Jessica Alba to star.
The Japanese version of THE EYE involves a cornea transplant recipient who begins to see disturbing images that lead her to investigate what happened to the eye's previous owner.
http://www.variety.com

Jolie to Portray Pearl in A MIGHTY HEART Biopic
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Angelina Jolie will star in an adaptation of Mariane Pearl's memoir A MIGHTY HEART: THE BRAVE LIFE AND DEATH OF MY HUSBAND DANNY PEARL. Danny Pearl was a Wall Street Journal reporter kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan while researching a story on Islamic militancy in 2002.
Partner Brad Pitt will produce the film through his Plan B Productions.
Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, Code 46) will direct.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com

Vince Vaughn May Star in Clarke Memoirs
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vince Vaughn is in early talks to play FBI agent John O'Neill in an adaptation of Richard Clarke's Washington memoir AGAINST ALL ENEMIES.
Paul Haggis (Crash) will direct the drama, expected to star Sean Penn as Clark. Former U.S. terrorism czar Clark's book involves how the present Bush administration handled the threat of al-Qaida both before and after the 9/11 attacks.

Murphy, Liu in WATCHING THE DETECTIVES
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later , Batman Begins) will play a film noir buff whose world is turned upside down after meeting a wild femme fatale (Lucy Liu) in Broken Lizard comedian Paul Soter's directorial debut, the romantic comedy WATCHING THE DETECTIVES.
The Peace Arch Entertainment/Plum Pictures production began shooting in New York last week.

Piper Perabo in Post-Apocalyptic Thriller
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Piper Perabo (Coyote ) has joined Chris Pine (Just My Luck) in an untitled post-apocalyptic thriller that brothers Alex and David Pastor will write and direct for Paramount Vantage. The film will revolve around four friends trying to escape a pandemic virus, who discover they may be more dangerous to each other than any virus could be. Lou Taylor Pucci (Thumbsucker) is also in talks to star.

DreamWorks Announces Cast on SHREK THE THIRD
DreamWorks Animation's has announced a vocal cast for SHREK THE THIRD which includes Amy Sedaris (Strangers with Candy) as Cinderella, Amy Poehler (SNL, UCB) as Snow White, Cheri Oteri (SNL) as Sleeping Beauty, Maya Rudolph (SNL) as Rapunzel, John Krasinski (The Office) as Sir Lancelot, Eric Idle (Monty Python) as Merlin, and Ian McShane (Deadwood) as Captain Hook.
The film finds Shrek (Mike Myers), Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) on a mission to locate the rightful king of Far, Far Away so that Shrek and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) won't have to leave the swamp and assume the role.
The rightful king, Artie, is voiced by Justin Timberlake, and the film will also feature voices from John Cleese and Julie Andrews.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT on the Big Screen?
According to the TV GUIDE website, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT's Alia Shawkat thinks there is a "good possibility" that there will be an ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT feature film, and series creator Mitch Hurwitz is discussing the matter with series producer Ron Howard.

Warner Bros. Acquires FIRESTORM Novel
Variety reports Warner Bros. has acquired the film rights to David Klass' young adult novel FIRESTORM.
The book is the first in a planned "Caretaker Trilogy," and Warner retains the right to option the book's sequels. The environmentally-conscious sci-fi story chronicles the adventures of a high school senior who gets caught in an epic battle being fought both in the present and one thousand years in the future.

GREY'S Star Set for Stephen King Short
VARIETY reports Kate Walsh (Grey's Anatomy) will play John Cusack's wife in Dimension Films' adaptation of the Stephen King short 1408.
The film, which also stars Samuel L. Jackson, stars Cusack as a man who spends his days debunking paranormal reports, until encountering the real thing in Room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel.
Mikael Hafstrom (Derailed) will helm the film, which will shoot in England this summer.

Focus Features Lines up EVENING Cast
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Claire Danes, Vanessa Redgrave and Toni Collette are in negotiations to star in Focus Features' adaptation of the Susan Minot novel EVENING.
Lajos Koltai (Fateless) will direct the drama, which revolves around a 65-year-old cancer patient and her two daughters trying to come to terms with her impending death, who learn of their mother meeting her true love back in her youth.

-----> BOX OFFICE ESTIMATES ----->
-> For the Weekend of July 14 - 16
(This Week/Last Week/Title/Gross/Total Gross/Weeks Open)
1/ 1 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 2 $62.2/$258.2 (2)
2/New LITTLE MAN $21.7 (1)
3/New YOU, ME AND DUPRESS $21.3 (1)
4/ 2 SUPERMAN RETURNS $11.6/$163.7 (3)
5/ 3 THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA $10.5/$83.6 (3)
6/ 5 CARS $7.5/$219.7 (6)
7/ 4 CLICK $7.0/$119.7 (4)
8/ 7 THE LAKE HOUSE $1.6/$48.9 (5)
9/ 6 NACHO LIBRE $1.5/$77.1 (5)
10/19 A SCANNER DARKLY $1.2/$1.8 (2)
11/12 AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH $1.1/$17.0 (8)

-----> COMING ATTRACTIONS ----->

- July 21st -
CLERKS II [MGM/Weinstein Co. - R]
Starring Brian Christopher O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Ethan Suplee, Jason Lee.
Written and directed by Kevin Smith.
WHAT: With the Quick Stop gone and an engagement to a great woman, Dante's life is about to change forever.
But is it for the best? And how will one donkey show forever change his life?
http://www.clerks2.com

LADY IN THE WATER [Warner Bros. - PG-13]
Starring Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Freddy Rodriguez, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban.
Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
WHAT: A building manager's life begins to unravel when he rescues a character out of a bedtime story who is trying to make the treacherous journey from our world back to hers.
http://www.ladyinthewatermovie.com

MONSTER HOUSE [Sony - PG]
Featuring the voices of Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jon Heder, Kevin James, Jason Lee, Catherine O'Hara, Kathleen Turner, Fred Willard.
Story by Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab.
Directed by Gil Kenan.
WHAT: Three kids try to save their neighborhood from a haunted house.
http://www.monsterhouse-movie.com

MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND [Fox - PG-13]
Starring Luke Wilson, Uma Thurman, Rainn Wilson, Anna Faris, Eddie Izzard, Wanda Sykes.
Directed by Ivan Reitman.
Written by Don Payne.
WHAT: A man discovers his vindictive ex-girlfriend has super powers, which she plans to use to destroy his life.
http://www.mysuperex.com

THE AMATEURS [Bauer Martinez Distribution - R - LA/NY]
Starring Jeff Bridges, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tim Blake Nelson, Jennifer Coolidge, Isaiah Washington, Glenne Headly, Joe Pantoliano, Lauren Graham, Patrick Fugit, William Fichtner, Judy Greer.
Written and directed by Michael Traeger.
WHAT: A small town works together to make an adult film.

SHADOWBOXER [Freestyle - R - Limited]
Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Helen Mirren, Vanessa Ferlito, Stephen Dorff, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Macy Gray, Wes Bentley, Eva Mendes.
Written by Will Rokos.
Directed by Lee Daniels.
WHAT: A pair of trained assassins have second thoughts on fulfilling their contract for a crime boss and go on the run with a pregnant woman in this noir thriller.
http://www.shadowboxerthefilm.com

BEEN RICH ALL MY LIFE [First Run Features - NY]
Directed by Heather MacDonald.
WHAT: A documentary involving five former showgirls who danced at the Apollo, the Cotton Club and other Harlem hot spots in the 1930s and 40s, and still perform at places such as Carnegie Hall.

Island Streams New KILLERS Single
Island Records has posted "When You Were Young," the first single from the new KILLERS album, at the band's official website.
This first single from the October release of "Sam's Town," which frontman Brandon Flowers describes as a Bruce Springsteen-inspired record, will be available for purchase in September.
http://www.islandrecords.com/thekillers

WU-TANG CLAN Reunite for a Month of Dates
The WU-TANG CLAN have announced a month-long tour with all their original members - sans the late Ol' Dirty Bastard - that will kick off in Phoenix, Arizona on August 3.
The tour will include the "Rock the Bells" tribute to ODB with Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Redman and De La Soul in California on August 5 and 6.
WU-TANG have not released a new album since 2001's "Iron Flag," however, Method Man's new CD "4:21 ... The Day After," is due out in August.
http://www.wutangcorp.com

AMERICAN IDOL Update
AMERICAN IDOL finalist Chris Daughtry has signed with RCA-based 19 Recordings, and has begun recording an album expected to be released later this year. The singer, who finished fourth on IDOL, plans to form a band that could feature members from his old group, ABSENT ELEMENT.
After being eliminated on IDOL, rock band FUEL offered Daughtry a role in their band as the new lead singer, after being impressed by his performance of "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" on the show.
In other news, the sixth season of AMERICAN IDOL will begin auditioning vocalists on August 8 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Auditions will continue for five weeks, traveling to the cities of San Antonio, East Rutherford, Birmingham, Memphis, Minneapolis and Seattle.
http://www.idolonfox.com

-----> NEW RELEASES ----->
"*" - Recommended by ZEN

- July 18 -
*NEIL GAIMAN Where's Neil When You Need Him (Dancing Ferret)
*MASSIVE ATTACK Collected: Japan Tour Edition (Toshiba EMI)
*LISA GERMANO In the Maybe World (Young God)
*XTC Apple Box (TVT)
*NOUVELLE VAGUE Bande a Part [Limited Edition] (Peace Frog)
SASHA Avalon Los Angeles, CA 6/24/06 (Instant Live)
LOS LONELY BOYS Sacred (Sony)
GOLDEN SMOG Another Fine Day (Lost Highway)
BRUCE COCKBURN Life Short Call Now (Rounder)
THIRD EYE BLIND Greatest Hits (Rhino)
LADY IN THE WATER Soundtrack (Decca)
OZRIC TENTACLES Floor's Too Far Away (Magna Carta)
Plus... *DARK BLUE WORLD, BILLY RAY CYRUS, RODNEY ATKINS, THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS, JOHN PIZZARELLI, ERIC CHURCH, BLACK STONE CHERRY, OJOS DE BRUJO.

- Featuring Tori Amos, CURVE and others, the Neil Gaiman CD features 17 songs inspired by the author's comics and novels including SANDMAN and AMERICAN GODS, and an extensive 20-page booklet of liner notes from Gaiman featuring exclusive art by Dave McKean.
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE's Gerard Way has also written a foreword for the collection.

- The Limited Edition import of French duo NOUVELLE VAGUE features such bonus tracks as the band's covers of The SMITHS' "Sweet and Tender Hooligan," and NEW ORDER's "Blue Monday."
The main release itself features covers of ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN's "The Killing Moon," YAZ's "Don't Go," U2's "Pride (In The Name of Love)," BLONDIE's "Heart of Glass," and BAUHAUS' "Bela Lugosi's Dead."
http://www.nouvellesvagues.com

-----> BILLBOARD CHART ----->
For the week ending July 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan
1/New JOHNNY CASH American V: A Hundred Highways [American/Lost Highway]
2/ 3 NELLY FURTADO Loose [Mosley/Geffen]
3/ 1 INDIA.ARIE Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship [Uni Motown]
4/ 4 DIXIE CHICKS Taking the Long Way [Columbia]
5/ 6 GNARLS BARKLEY St. Elsewhere [Downtown/Atlantic]
6/ 5 RIHANNA A Girl Like Me [SRP/Def Jam]
7/ 7 RASCAL FLATS Me and My Gang [Lyric Street]
8/ 9 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL [Disney]
9/ 2 DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL Dusk and Summer [Vagrant]
10/New RISE AGAINST The Sufferer & The Witness [Geffen]

Paramount to Release TWIN PEAKS Season 2 This Year?
MovieHole reports that PARAMOUNT is working with David Lynch on the long-awaited Season Two DVD of TWIN PEAKS, as well as an all-new DVD release of Season One.
The collections, which will feature all-new featurettes, could be released as early as the end of the year.
http://www.moviehole.net

-----> NEW RELEASES ----->
"*" - Recommended by ZEN

- July 18 -
*FILM NOIR CLASSIC COLLECTION, Vol. 3
*ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY JR.: THE COMPLETE SERIES
*THE INCREDIBLE HULK: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
*THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW: LIVE AT THE ROXY
*AMAZING STORIES: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
THE PRETENDER: SEASON 4
CARNIVALE: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON
JACK OF ALL TRADES: THE COMPLETE SERIES
SYBIL: 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION
TOUGH GUYS COLLECTION
TSOTSI
2005-2006 NBA CHAMPIONS
SHE'S THE MAN
ULTRAMAN: SERIES ONE, Vol. 1
BEST OF SHE-RA - PRINCESS OF POWER
REN & STIMPY: THE LOST EPISODES
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FLASH GORDON: THE COMPLETE SERIES
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER - BOOK 1 WATER, Vol. 4
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: KARATE ISLAND
QUEER DUCK: THE MOVIE
CAPTAIN HERLOCK - THE COMPLETE BOX SET

- Fox Home Entertainment's latest FILM NOIR collection features the films BORDER INCIDENT, HIS KIND OF WOMAN, LADY IN THE LAKE, ON DANGEROUS GROUND and THE RACKET.
http://www.foxhome.com

- - - - - - - - - - - - - DISCLAIMER - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ZENtertainment #549
NEXT: #550 (7.31.06)
-> To Unsubscribe, you must send an e-mail to:
zentertainment-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
-> To sign a friend up or begin receiving ZEN
yourself, send an e-mail to: SeanJordan@aol.com
-> Send press releases, review material, letters, etc, to:
3657 Dunn Drive, #5, Los Angeles, CA 90034
or by e-mail to: SeanJordan@aol.com
or by FAX to: 310-204-5882
-> For Advertising Rates, email SeanJordan@aol.com
ALL CONTENTS COPYRIGHT 1995-2006 ZENTERTAINMENT. ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED. ZENtertainment IS A TRADEMARK OF SEAN JORDAN.
CONTENTS MAY NOT BE REPRINTED WITHOUT PERMISSION.