From our Friends at Games Workshop: Games Day is our huge gaming convention held in several cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles each year. Each show is a major event, with thousands of fans gathered to celebrate their enjoyment of the Games Workshop hobby. Players can find everything from elaborate gaming events to sneak peeks at upcoming products to painting and scenery demonstrations and more!
Grand Tournaments are where the finest players around the country meet to test their skills in all aspects of the hobby, from playing to painting to sportsmanship, in organized events run by Games Workshop staffers. Seattle, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Chicago are among the sites for these epic conflicts. Only the best in all areas will rise to become the Grand Champion!
Rogue Trader Tournaments are where players can compete against each other in hardcore, fun-filled competitive events in locations all over the country. These events are run by local fans, and allow players to experience the same type of action-packed Citadel Miniatures tabletop conflict that happen in the Grand Tournaments. Results are registered online at the Games Workshop Hall of Heroes, allowing players to view their national rankings and be eligible for special prizes and offers.
For a full listing of all Games Workshop Events, visit our website at: http://www.games-workshop.com/news/us/events/events.htm
Games Workshop Announces Its Games Day Hobby Celebration and Gaming Convention Schedule!
Games Day is the huge gaming extravaganza for the Games Workshop series of hobby games such as Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000, the world?s most popular tabletop battlegames. These special events draw thousands of enthusiasts from across the country to join with fellow players in enjoying their favorite games. This year will see an additional third Games Day convention hosted in Los Angeles, to join the established events in Baltimore and Chicago. There will be gaming events ranging from beginner to expert for all the games, plus painting contests, seminars, tournament games, special guests, and more. Special campaign games will be running through all three Games Day conventions, allowing players to become part of huge overall events of thousands of fellow fans. Gaming Clubs from around the country will also be a part of the show as they put on their own gaming events for players. There will be lots of new Lord of the Rings tabletop battlegame events too, including displays and promotions plus of course sneak peeks at the new The Return of the King figures and game for the upcoming motion picture! Also in attendance at each show will be Sabertooth Games, running events for their Warhammer 40,000 Collectible Card Game and the new Warhammer Collectible Card Game, plus showing off their upcoming Tradeable Miniatures Game for The Lord of the Rings.
First up ? Games Day Los Angeles! Games Workshop will be holding its first ever Games Day celebration event in Los Angels, an event sure to rock the West Coast like nothing before. For years players have been demanding Games Workshop put on a Games Day in California, and this year it will finally happen. It?s sure to be huge event, the largest ever put on by the company in this region!
Guests will include the head of the Games Workshop Studio Jim Butler, lead designer of the new The Lord of the Rings tabletop battlegame Alessio Cavatore, artist and painter for many of our projects on The Lord of the Rings Dave Andrews, author William King (of the popular Gotrek and Felix series of novels), Tony Cotrell from the special Forge World division, and more!
Show Date: May 31 Location: Ontario Convention Center, CA Hours: 10am -7pm Call us at 1-800-394-GAME for more information, or on the web at: http://www.games-workshop.com/news/us/events/events.htm
That seems to be the consensus of Academy insiders who are confronting the prospect of a war in Iraq. The White House is hinting that hostilities will likely break out just prior to the Academy Awards, scheduled for March 23.
Though the Oscars have in fact been postponed three times before, a cancellation or significant delay is thought to be unlikely this year. At the most, insiders say, the ceremony could be delayed for two days in the case of war. A greater delay, it is thought, would wreak havoc with talent as well as network commitments worldwide.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences won’t discuss the possibility of a postponement on the record; a spokesman said speculation is useless because there are simply too many variables to consider. But one insider confirms that they are mulling the possibilities.
If there were a postponement, the ideal scenario would be to reschedule within 48 hours. All the nominees could stay in town and there would be minimal readjustments in such areas as studio parties, limousine rentals, etc.
A longer postponement would create bigger headaches. Aside from the effort and expense of rescheduling events, presenters and nominees from out of town would have to return to L.A., potentially playing havoc with production schedules for those who are working. One exec said his studio would try to accommodate whatever stars and other VIPs want, but pointed out that many might not want to fly at all in the event of war.
Of course, the Oscarcast is not just a celebrity get-together. It’s a television event with a global audience estimated at 1 billion. It’s typically the year’s second highest-rated program, after the Super Bowl. The Academy turns a profit of around $30 million in a typical year and ABC’s net is about the same.
For 2003, ABC is selling 30-second spots for $1.3 million-$1.4 million, and most spots are already sold. The spots are sold based on a ratings guarantee, and the effects of war on an Oscarcast are unpredictable, say advertisers.
John Rash, senior VP and director of broadcast negotiations at Campbell Mithun Esty, says one of the things on advertisers’ minds is that during a war, “The mass audience may be in search of escapism, so the ratings of the telecast may surge.” If the rating ends up higher than ABC’s audience guarantee, the added viewers are pure gravy to advertisers.
But any major news development — from an escalation in fighting to an Iraqi surrender — could cause viewers to flip over to news, handing Oscar a ratings hit and leaving ABC on the hook for make-goods.
Worst-case scenario
One worst-case scenario is a major story breaking just before the Oscarcast or during the ceremony. According to ABC insiders, the network would have to take a wait and see approach should events unfold on Oscar day. If it appeared that morning that events were of such a magnitude that it would require wall-to-wall 24 hour coverage, then perhaps the Academy Awards would be postponed.
That decision is more difficult than ever before, since the networks now have the ability to go live with news from almost anywhere, almost anytime, often without knowing at the outset how important a story will turn out to be. That means that news toppers must decide, while events are still unfolding, whether a story is important enough to pre-empt regular programming.
“A lot has to do with novelty,” Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz told Daily Variety. “A war that has just broken out gets a huge amount of media attention. A war that has been dragging on for a couple of months becomes more of a back-burner story. So as with so many other things in life, timing is everything.”
Should the Oscars start and news warranted a break-in, festitivites could perhaps be paused, depending on the developments. A 20-minute special report, for example, would be slightly disruptive, but wouldn’t end the evening. That’s what makes putting contingency plans on paper so difficult, the insider said. After all, there’s no real way to predict what might or might not happen.
According to ABC, the decision to break into the Oscars would be made solely by the president of the news division, based on the nature of the story and its importance to the American people.
The real nightmare for ABC would be major news that required the net to run news for the rest of the night, causing the web to forfeit the revenue from one of the year’s most lucrative ad nights. Yet ABC says it’s committed to make any such decision based solely on the importance of any breaking news.
“As is always the case,” an ABC spokesman said, “if there are world events that warrant coverage on the night of the Academy Awards, ABC News will bring them to the American audience with the full support of the academy.”
Complications
A postponement would make matters more complicated. Ad buyers will have to choose whether to keep their slots, and if so, what to run in them. Rash expects that “most advertisers will stay in the telecast” if the show is postponed: “Advertisers’ messages in the Academy Awards tend not to be time-sensitive. The spots are more in the nature of brand building.”
Andy Donchin, senior VP and media buyer for Carat N.A., said, “ABC will take the temperature of advertisers” in the event of a postponement. “But advertisers who pay the $1.4 million for a 30-second spot want to be in the Academy Awards.” These advertisers, he said, “often create specific elements built around the awards show, including product launches” geared to reach the widest audience possible day and date.
But there is also a question of propriety.
Bob Flood, senior VP and director of national TV for Optimedia Intl., said that in the middle of a war, “if the tone of the advertiser’s message is not consistent with the tone of the culture and society,” the advertiser would probably try to negotiate its way out of going forward with a 30-second spot in the awards.
Campbell Mithun Esty exec Rash also raises the questions of the kudocast content, such as a patriotic theme or acceptance speeches that address the war.
The show goes on
One reason the Oscars have proceeded in wartime is that America wants them to. Wartime presidents such as Franklin Roosevelt have asked that Americans go on living normal lives. It’s a lesson that Bryce Zabel, chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, has taken to heart.
The Emmys, scheduled for five days after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, were moved to Oct. 7 — then moved yet again when the American bombing campaign in Afghanistan began that day.
According to Zabel, “What we learned from the Emmy postponement is that these beloved American cultural touchstones, like the Emmys and the Oscars, can be postponed to fit in with the events of the day, but ultimately the show should go on. That there is merit in that old saying, and we believe in it.”
The Oscar ceremony continued during past conflicts, of course. Kudos were mostly unaffected by the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, and even during World War II, albeit more subdued and less glamorous than in other years.
But that was then, observes Howard Kurtz. “The difference between now and World War II is that just as the awards for best actor and best picture are being handed out, the viewer can flip to 15 other channels and watch live action war in Iraq. That’s a tough environment for any awards program.”
Zabel recalls that ATAS had no contingency plan for a catastrophe the scope of Sept. 11, and had to develop one on the fly.
“I guess what we learned is that there is no rulebook on these things,” Zabel said. “A contingency plan means ‘if this happens, then we do that’ — and that is very hard to do. You have to go with your gut. You have to survey the community with the time that you have and find out in many respects what they want to do about it.
“I guess what we did intuitively in 2001 is about what you would do if you had a crisis plan: Get your highest level leadership together to find out what their first thoughts are. Then, draw in the voices from each respective organization and share that information and continue until a consensus emerges, mindful of the time frame you have.”
To Zabel’s surprise, no other organizations, including AMPAS, have contacted the TV Acad to discuss their experiences with the postponement. “I’m surprised. Because if the situation were reversed, I’d be on the phone asking ‘What did you learn?’ “
In fact, the stars may literally be lining up for the Oscars to go on as scheduled. In the 1991 Gulf War, planners timed the Jan. 16 start of Operation Desert Storm to take advantage of the darkness of the new moon. This year’s next new moon is March 2, three full weeks before the kudocast. That’s plenty of time for auds to turn their attention away from the Iraq theater to the Kodak Theater.
She doesn’t drink, goes disco-bowling, attends spinning classes and finds comfort in falling asleep watching The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Oh, and she has a serious crush on Aragorn.
PREMIERE: You’re not alone in worshiping the Viggo.
RICCI: The biggest lesson I learned coming out of The Lord of the Rings was there’s really no reason for me to go out with someone I’m not attracted to ever again. That’s what it taught me: Do not go out with ugly men.
PREMIERE: Have you ever met Viggo?
RICCI: I had a screen test with him. He nibbled on my ear, and I was like “Ah! I love you!”. My cat is named Viggo.
Thanks to Holbytla for this press release from the Game Developers’ Conference which has news about Jon LeBrie, WETA CTO, speaking at the Game Developers’ Conference in March in San Jose.
Gollum Comes to the 2003 Game Developers Conference
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ —
Jon LeBrie, CTO, Weta Digital has been announced as keynote of CMP Media’s 17th annual Game Developers Conference (GDC), March 4 – 8, 2003, San Jose, California. LeBrie is the principal architect of the digital infrastructure used to create the Academy Award-winning digital visual effects in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. LeBrie’s keynote, “Fleshing out Middle Earth: Weta Digital Creatures” discusses specific approaches to crowd animation, creature setups, digital doubles, Ents, the specific challenges involved in bringing Gollum to the screen, and how the concept of ‘creative iteration’ informed the development of one of the world’s largest digital visual effects infrastructures. The GDC offers more than 300 sessions, which provide valuable information, diverse perspectives and inspiration to all game developers. Attracting more than 10,000 attendees annually, the GDC provides an independent forum for developers from around the world to set the agenda for the next generation of games. “With revenues at $10 billion, video game development is serious business,” said Alan Yu, director, Game Developers Conference. “This industry is changing at an incredibly rapid pace. Developers are facing serious issues and challenges from within and outside, making the GDC more important than ever to the health of the game industry.” Other notable speakers include:
— Will Wright, co-founder, Maxis, driving force behind “Sim City” and recipient of the Game Developers Choice Lifetime Achievement Award, in a discussion titled: “Dynamics for Designers” — Paul Debevec, lead graphics researcher, University of Southern California, whose techniques were used to create the Academy Award-winning virtual background for the “bullet time” shots in the film “The Matrix,” lecturing on “High Dynamic Range Imagery and Image-Based Lighting” — Rich Vogel, executive producer, Sony Online Entertainment, who produced “Meridian 59” and “Ultima Online,” and Raph Koster, creative director, Sony Online Entertainment, whose credits include “Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided,” “Ultima Online” and “Ultima Online: The Second Age,” leading “How to Manage a Large Scale Online Gaming Community” — Rick Giolito, Electronic Arts, speaking about “Creating a Cinematic Game Experience” — Robert Garriott, CEO, NCsoft Austin; J.C. Herz, professor, New York University, former New York Times editor; Won Il Sue, director of business development, Nexon Corporation; Cindy Armstrong; and Seung Hoon Choi; discussing “Korea, Where Multiplayer Gaming is King” — Jaime Griesemer, Mat Noguchi and Marty O’Donnell, Bungie Software, covering the development of “Halo” from the design, engineering and audio sides in “Halo: Development Evolved” — Mia Consalvo, assistant professor, Ohio University; Sheri Graner Ray, 10-year veteran of game writing, design and production; Clarinda Merripen, human resource manager, Cyberlore Studios; and Sheri Pocilujko, product support administrator, Incredible Technologies; speaking on “Profiling the Female Gamer: A Look at How She Buys and Plays” — Jonathan Blow, designer, programmer and writer of Game Developer Magazine’s “The Inner Product” column, covering 3D manipulation, interactive mixing and other issues in “Experimental Gameplay Workshop” — Kenji Kaido and Fumito Ueda, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., recipient of a 2002 Game Developers Choice Award for game innovation, lecturing on “Game Design Methods for ICO” — Masaki Kawase, presenting “Frame Buffer Postprocessing Effects in Double-S.T.E.A.L. (Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions)”
The GDC’s seven content tracks cover the following disciplines: visual arts, production, business and legal, game design, audio, programming and the IGDA track. For the complete list of presenters, schedules and event information, visit GDConf.com .
About the Gama Network Providing resources for game development for more than 10 years, the Gama Network is where professional creators of interactive entertainment come for information, interaction and inspiration. The Gama Network includes the Game Developers Conference, the Independent Games Festival, Game Developer magazine and Gamasutra.com. For more information, please visit GamaNetwork.com About CMP Media LLC CMP Media LLC CMP Media LLC is a leading integrated media company providing essential information and marketing services to the entire technology spectrum, including the builders, sellers and users of technology worldwide. Capitalizing on its editorial strength, CMP is uniquely positioned to offer marketers comprehensive, integrated media solutions tailored to meet their individual needs. Its diverse products and services include newspapers, magazines, Internet products, research, direct marketing services, education and training, trade shows and conferences, and custom publishing.
CONTACT: Sibel Sunar or Stacy Schwartz, +1-310-785-0515, ext. 271/276, or sibel@bohle.com/stacy@bohle.com, both of The Bohle Company for Gama Network; or Jennifer McLean of Gama Network, +1-415-947-6219, or jmclean@cmp.com
We’ve got a transcript of PJ’s Empire Awards Acceptance Speech, thanks to Ringer Spy WeeTanya *
Setting: The WETA armor room.
Peter Jackson is completely decked out in a suit of Middle Earth armor, swinging a mighty sword around.
Richard is standing to one side of him, avoiding the sword.
*
Peter Jackson [P]: I get to kill all these guys now, it’s going to be great, Richard. In a 13 episode series, 1 hour episodes. Jackson the Barbarian, it’s going to be called, it’s gonna be cool, and it’s going straight into syndication.
Richard Taylor [R]: And who’s going to play the lead?
P: Me.
R: Of course!
P: Nonono — I’m okay, I watched what they were doing. I saw Viggo, I know his tricks. I know exactly what he did…
R: And the cast? Who are you imagining?
P: Oh we’ll get a good cast — I don’t think it’s gonna be a problem. You know, the first episode, right, I’m on this big pirate galley, and I’m kinda fighting off all these pirates, and I’m just killing everybody — but then this big galleon just crashes into an iceberg, so I thought I’d offer that one to Bernard Shaw.
R: Yeah, he’d be the man.
P: Yeah — No — he’s got no sense of direction, the poor bugger, no sense of direction. And Billy Boyd, Dominic Moghnahan, I think they could play this kind of romantic couple. You know, one of them would have to dress up as a woman, but that’s what they used to do on the weekends.
R: They’re pretty used to that.
P: Yep. Happened all — every weekend.
P: Of course Sir Ian McKellen, he wants to be a wizard again.
R: The frocks? It’s the frocks.
P: Yeah, it’s the frocks. He doesn’t want to go back into Shakespeare, he found his true calling wearing the pointy hat. And you know of course I’ve got a love interest, and it’s going to be Cate Blanchet.
R: Yeah? And, ah, think she’ll do it?
P: Yeah — oh yeah, yeah yeah — well, I mean no — I guess she probably will.
R: You’ve asked her.
P: No, but there was a vibe, ay, when she was out in New Zealand — there was a special little something between us — that was good — that was good. And, you know, I’ve even got a role for Andy Serkis in this film.
R: Of course, excellent.
P: He gets to play this little earthworm. And you know what, I’ve got this amazing idea, where he’s this little worm, and he keeps having these kinda internal arguments with himself, because he doesn’t know whether or not he’s the head or the bum. And he kinda keeps debating it amongst himself — you know — it’s gonna be cool. It’s great.
R: Any idea — what about the costumes, the props? Where we gonna get those from?
P: We’ll just use these — I mean all we gotta do is paint them a different color — and New Line would never know.
R: Right exactly we’ll get the spray cans out… chop it up, refit [?] it.
P: Just like spray it purple, put a little pink over here, and it’s gonna be cool.
R: A few feathers… Good, good!
P: And Bob’s your uncle, Bob’s your uncle.
R: So Pete, I know you came to talk about the film, but…
P: [Notices the film crew] Jeezus, what are they doing here?
R: Well, actually I didn’t tell you. We’re not actually here to talk about the film — I asked you to come along — I know you’re keen to always get into the costumes. But look, it’s actually an award that we’ve been given. The good people at Empire have given us Best Film of the Year award.
P: Fantastic! Oh this is just so cool! Best Film for Jacko the Barbarian, and we haven’t even started filming it! Oh this is just fantastic.
Look, I’d just like to thank Empire Magazine, and all of the readers at Empire that voted for Jacko the Barbarian, it’s just a wonderful sign of faith. And I’d like to thank all of the cast that haven’t been in it yet, but are going to be in it.
Los Angeles and New York (2/6/2003) – The Writers Guild of America, East and west announced the nominations for outstanding achievement in screen during the 2002 season.
*****Original Screenplay*****
– Antwone Fisher, Written by Antwone Fisher; Fox Searchlight – Bowling for Columbine, Written by Michael Moore; United Artists/Alliance Atlantis/Salter Street Films/Dog Eat Dog Films – Far From Heaven, Written by Todd Haynes; Focus Features – Gangs of New York, Screenplay by Jay Cocks and Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan, Story by Jay Cocks; Miramax Films – My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Written by Nia Vardalos; Gold Circle Films/HBO/MPH Entertainment/Playtone
*****Adapted Screenplay*******
– About a Boy, Screenplay by Peter Hedges and Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz, based on the novel by Nick Hornby; Universal Pictures/Studio Canal/Working Title Films/Tribeca Productions – About Schmidt, Screenplay by Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, based on the novel by Louis Begley; New Line Cinema – Adaptation, Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman, based on the book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean; Columbia Pictures – Chicago, Screenplay by Bill Condon, based on the musical play, book by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb and the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins; Miramax Films – The Hours, Screenplay by David Hare, based on the novel by Michael Cunningham; Paramount Pictures/Miramax Films
Surprisingly, there haven’t been that many films to go on to get a Best Picture nomination without a WGA nom — here is the list:
2001 – In the Bedroom (ineligible) 2000- Gladiator (won Best Picture) 1999- The Green Mile 1998 – Elizabeth, Life is Beautiful 1995 – Il Postino 1994 – Pulp Fiction (won screenplay Oscar) 1992 – A Few Good Men 1991 – Beauty and the Beast 1990 – Godfather III 1988 – Mississippi Burning 1986 – The Mission 1985 – Kiss of the Spider Woman
