Here's all the Archived News items for July, 2006. Back to Current News.

28/07/06
James Marsters & Friends - Question Time
From: JMLive Mailing List

QUESTION TIME

Do you have a burning questions you've always wanted to ask your favourite celebrity?

Do you yearn to know the truth about the life of a TV vampire or want to know the secrets of Smallville?

Well, now is your chance to ask James in person and to put questions to the other guests attending James Marsters And Friends aboard the Queen Mary.

Simply submit your question via the online form, which can be found on both JamesMarsters.com and JamesMarstersLive.com and make sure you select which guest the question is addressed to - ie James Marsters, Tony Todd, Jane Espenson etc.

If your question is chosen you will find a note in your registration pack with your question and the Q&A details printed on it. There is no limit to the number of questions you can submit. Spot prizes will be awarded to the best questions.

http://www.jamesmarsterslive.com/qm_question.shtml
http://www.jamesmarsters.com/QMEvent/question.html

28/07/06
JM.com: Extra Q&A's
From: http://www.jamesmarsters.com/home.html

** A few extra questions to cure the mid-Q&A blues... **

If you were going to "sell" only one of your favorite musicians to someone who'd never heard of him/her, which musician would it be and what would you say to convince that person to listen?
Nick Drake and his album Pink Moon. Nick died weeks after recording it and it truly sounds like it's too beautiful for this world.

In your opinion, what are the three most important emotional characteristics you need in a friend?
Forgiveness, truthfulness, and patience.

28/07/06
Vote for the Best & Worst of Smallville Season Five
From: http://www.devotedfansnetwork.com/index.php?page=smallville

The Best & Worst of Season 5 Awards
Jul 24, 2006 - 9:34 AM - by olea
The Best & Worst of Season 5 It has been 2 months since the fifth season of Smallville came to an end and we are 2 months away from the Premiere of Season 6 on The CW Network. So as a hiatus treat, we thought this is the best time to revisit all those loved episodes and vote for our favourite moments. Our DTS & DFN Staff have worked together to compile a list of the best and worst of season five and it's now up to you to choose the winners. Click on the link below to take this survey and join us in deciding what was The Best & The Worse of Season Five as you saw them. >Vote Now!!!< The survey will stay open until August 20th and the results will be posted soon after. Have fun.... Olea DTS Site Manager

28/07/06
IDW - Spike: Asylum #2
From: http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0607/25/idwoct.htm

IDW PUBLISHING FOR OCTOBER

SPIKE: ASYLUM #2

Written by Brian Lynch, art by Franco Urru, covers by Urru and Busch.

An innocent girl is trapped in a high-security prison for the supernatural. Spike has checked himself in to get her back. But before Spike can even find her, he has to survive his first day. Vampires, werewolf gangs, vengeance demons, invisible men, giant eight-foot slugs... every prisoner wants to be the one who does him in. What began as a rescue mission is now quickly escalating into a battle for self-preservation in Spike's latest adventure.

32 pages, $3.99.

26/07/06
Spike Premium Format Figure - Sideshow Exclusive
From: http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=71681

HU sueworld2003 @ Whedonesque

Spike Premium Format Figure - Sideshow Exclusive
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Premium Format Figures
Premium Format Figure (Item No. 71681)

Limited Edition TBD

Est. to ship 1st Qtr 2007

Your Price: US $249.99

SIDESHOW EXCLUSIVE EDITION
The Sideshow Exclusive version of the Spike Premium Format figure includes a unique display opportunity. You will receive two Spike portraits, one regular, and one 'game face.' The two portraits are interchangeable, so you can choose whether Spike is in a vamp mood, or his usual cheeky-self.

The Premium Format Spike Figure captures Spike in his iconic red shirt and black leather jacket, standing in a casually aggressive pose. Spike's easy manner masks his potential for great violence, and the Premium Format Spike figure is endowed with all of the personality and attitude that makes Spike such a fun character to watch on-screen. The figure is cast in high quality polystone, and finished with real fabric clothing, all expertly tailored to enhance this museum quality 1:4 scale reproduction. Spike stands over 20" tall atop his detailed display base, and is sure to be the centerpiece of your Buffy collection.

"I'm a vampire. I *know* something about evil."

Evil, brash, brutal and clever, Spike (a.k.a. William the Bloody) was one of the most infamous vampires ever documented by the Council of Watchers. A slayer of two Slayers, Spike terrorized Europe and beyond with Angelus, Darla and his sire, Drusilla for more than a century. In the episode "Fool For Love", Buffy is thrown by an injury she receives from a normal vampire, so she seeks Spike's council on how he was able to kill two Slayers. Spike agrees to share his history, for a price. What is revealed to the audience is the surprising tale of William, a shy, 1800s poet that, on the heels of a devastating romantic rejection, ended up in the arms of Drusilla and his ultimate vampiric salvation.

Barely 200 years-old when he makes his first appearance in the episode "School Hard," Spike, also known in vampire circles as William the Bloody, earned his nickname by torturing his victims with railroad spikes. As a British vampire with punk rock attitude, Spike wildly sails into Sunnydale to help his sickly vampire girlfriend, Drusilla, get better by tapping some evil energy emanating from the Hellmouth. Although he brags about killing two Slayers, he can't seem to conquer Buffy, and is even hit with an ax by Buffy's protective mom. By the end of the second season, Spike resorts to betraying all his demon buddies to the Slayer in order to escape with his true love, Drusilla.

As the seasons progressed, Spike's nefarious vampiric ways were always the expected, but the slow reveal of his past from human poet to the sadistic, William the Bloody proved to be an even more compelling tale. Spike admitted that it was only as a vampire that he truly learned how to live, and a new phase of his vampire existence evolved due to his association with Buffy, and being chipped by The Initiative. Unable to harm humans, Spike was forced to become something other than what his nature dictated and used his battle prowess to help the Scoobies fight the good fight, but his vampire face is always a reminder of the demon lurking within. (hide this text)

Artist(s): Sculpted by Oluf W. Hartvigson(portfolio), Fabrication in association with Gidget Earle

IMPORTANT SHIPPING INFORMATION
This is an oversized item. As a result, the shipping quote generated by our online cart will not be accurate. For an accurate quote, please use our Shipping Quote Request form.

Product Type: Premium Format Figure

Product Size: Including base: approx. 22" H (559mm) x 9.5" W (241mm) x 9.5" L (241mm)*

Est. Product Ship Weight: 13.00 lbs (5.62 Kg)

* Product size and weight are approximate values. Weight is an estimated value calculated by item, box and shipping materials.

IMAGE GALLERY: (Click for Larger Version)

26/07/06
Comic-Con: Angel & Spike Comics Announced
From: http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7925

[clipped]

CCI, DAY 2: DICK TRACY, SCARFACE, ANGEL, SPIKE & MORE TO COME FROM IDW
by Jeremy Goldstone, Guest Contributor
Posted: July 22, 2006

IDW made its name publishing horror and movie license comics. From the upcoming comics they showed at their panel on Friday at Comic-Con International in San Diego, they aren't deviating much from those genres, with a few key exceptions.

 

Falling somewhere between horror and licensed characters are Angel and Spike. Angel is getting a new anthology book, "Masks," with stories from Christopher Golden, Jeff Mariotte, James Patrick and Scott Tipton, and art by David Messina, Stephen Mooney, Sean Murphy, Steph Stamb.

Spike is getting a five-issue mini, "Asylum," by Brian Lynch and Franco Urru.

"Spike gets committed to an asylum for the supernatural," explained Lynch. "It's kind of like Scientology meets the supernatural. It's fun, you should buy a copy."

The two characters team up in "Angel: Auld Lange Syne," by Tipton and David Messina.

"It's a team-up, but the team up doesn't happen until the end, so there are full Spike and Angel stories," Tipton said. "It's kind of like old 1970s superhero action. There's plenty of good old-fashioned demon bashing."

26/07/06
James Marsters & Friends: Gold Gifts Galore
From: JMLive Mailing List

GOLD GIFTS GALORE AT FRIDAY REGISTRATION

Gold ticket holders can claim a free bonus gift if they collect their registration packs for the James Marsters And Friends weekend on Friday, September 8.

A choice of gifts will be on offer during the registration session aboard the Queen Mary. Gold ticket holders can choose from a selection of free prizes including rare tour t-shirts and passes, guitar picks, buttons, signed trading cards and other surprises.

Registration opens at 2:00pm in the Queen Mary reception area. Gifts are limited to one per person and apply to Friday registration only. Some items are limited.

Registration will remain open until 8:00pm on Friday and will then re-open at 8:00am on Saturday at the entry to the main Exhibition Hall.

Premium ticket holders, it is recommend that you register between 2pm-5pm on Friday as the evening events start at 6:00pm. Further information will be sent directly to you by email (event @jamesmarsterslive.com. Please make sure that you can receive emails from this address)

ALL TICKET HOLDERS
Please bring along your email registration print-out and some identification to register - driving licence, passport etc.

Event wristbands will be issued when people register. Please wear wristbands at all times. They are your entry to all the weekend events. Anyone not wearing a wristband will be refused admittance to James Marsters And Friends.

For details on how to book a ticket for James Marsters And Friends go to:
http://www.jamesmarsterslive.com
http://www.jamesmarsters.com

_________________________________________________

James Marsters and Friends
8-10 September 2006
The Queen Mary, Long Beach, California

http://www.jamesmarsterslive.com
http://www.jamesmarsters.com

26/07/06
IDW Publishing Goes Crazy with Spike
From: http://comicbookbin.com/preview351.html

Idw publishing goes crazy with spike
By the editor
Jul 19, 2006, 16:33

Idw publishing goes crazy with spike
This September, The Lunatics Are Running The Asylum!

An all-new, five-part Spike miniseries is set to breakout from IDW Publishing this September... and things are guaranteed to get crazy with Spike: Asylum. And, who is responsible for putting away Spike with hundreds of deranged and psychotic monsters and demons? Making their IDW debuts are screenwriter Brian Lynch (Big Helium Dog, Monkey Man) and Italian artist Franco Urru.

In Spike: Asylum, Spike is offered the opportunity to be a hero—as well as earning a hefty fee—by helping the Monahan Family find their missing daughter, Ruby. As luck would have it, Ruby is a half-demon and has been checked into the Mosaic Wellness Center, a rehab facility for vampires, demons, and other creatures of the night. Spike’s “simple” solution is to check himself in as a patient, but there’s a slight problem—the numerous super-powered, supernatural patients at the center happen to know Spike, and they want him dead. Can Spike survive the onslaught of mad monsters, much less the therapy?

“The fun of doing a comic series featuring Spike is that we have a far bigger budget than any TV show,” states Lynch. “Not in how much we’re getting paid, but everything and anything can happen. We can go as epic as we want to be and not worry about working within the restrictions of a weekly TV budget.”

Lynch, writer that he is, had more to say, too. “I've been a fan of the Joss Whedon's work and characters since the very first season of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. BUFFY and ANGEL (and later FIREFLY and SERENITY) have inspired and influenced me as a writer. The chance to play in his universe is a dream come true.

“The fact that Franco and I get a full five issues to tell a solo Spike tale lets us really delve into the character in ways that (hopefully) haven't been seen. Spike's a complicated character; he's been both a ruthless killer and a hero who's saved the world a handful of times. And he's still not sure which role suits him best.”

“I'm approaching the series as if it's a full-on, big-budget SPIKE summer movie. Huge set pieces, fight scenes, and a supporting cast of hundreds demons, vampires, and other assorted monsters. But we don't lose the character moments and serious smart-assery that Whedon fans have come to expect.”

IDW will be announcing two other projects based on Joss Whedon’s classic characters at next week’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, too.

Spike: Asylum #1 (Diamond Order Code JUL06 3217), the first full-color, 32-page issue of a five-issue miniseries, debuts in September 2006.

26/07/06
Diamond Select: 24" Spike Puppet Plush
From: http://toychest.diamondcomics.com/toys/08_06/21_spike_puppet.htm

HU sueworld2003 @ Whedonesque

Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: 24" Spike Puppet Plush

A Diamond Select Release! Depicting the puppet version of the blond Brit himself, this plush toy is the perfect companion to the sold-out Puppet Angel Plush! This unique plush…

• measures approximately 24" tall
• comes painted and ready for display
• is limited to 5,000 pieces
• features a hand-numbered box with matching Certificate of Authenticity

Plush..........$55.00

Please note that the items on this product page may not be available at every store. Shipping times and prices may vary. For items sold by case assortment, retailers cannot guarantee receiving specific items. Ask your retailer for more information when you order.

Directions:
1) Print out this product page
2) Take this product page to your local comic book specialty store near you, and ask them to order the item(s) you want.
3) If you cannot find a store near you, check the Comic Shop Locator Service!

18/07/06
IDW New Releases: Spike vs. Dracula #4
From: http://www.idwpublishing.com/newreleases.shtml

New Releases coming at you July 19th from IDW!

Spike vs. Dracula #4
Click on the images to preview:

17/07/06
JMLive: Interesting Website Fact
From: http://www.jamesmarsterslive.com/site.shtml

Fact: The blues used on the JMLive website are taken from the colour(s) of James' eyes in the photo. And yes you do have to make the picture very very large to do it.

17/07/06
JMLive: July/August Video Clip
From: http://www.jamesmarsterslive.com/ex_wmqa.shtml

Extras : Words & Music Q&As

JM = James Marsters
CP = Cheryl Puente
Q = Question

Matinee Q & A

JM: So, we just have a few minutes. This is a different kind of Macbeth than I’ve ever seen in America, and I thought it might be interesting if you guys have any feedback about it... usually with Lady M as a big bitch and Macbeth as a big wimp, which I never really agree with. I just thought I’d you give a chance to ask any questions if there’s nothing that was clear. Or are you asleep? The brave one! Yeah...
Q: About the closeness of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth at the outset and how that disintegrated as the play progressed.
JM: She helped create a monster, didn’t she? Exactly.
Q: continues... About how much responsibility Lady Macbeth had in Duncan's murder and what then happened to Macbeth
JM: It was Duncan’s fault. Duncan screwed him. It’s really important. For me, what Shakespeare is saying, you can have a wife that’s telling you to do the wrong thing, you can read your horoscope that’s going to tell you to do the wrong thing, you can listen to witches if you want, but at the end of the day it’s your decision. He lays it out really clearly. He says to the audience "I’m not gonna do it, screw it. If chance wants to have me king, then I don’t need to do anything". It’s only when Duncan screws him that he says "Prince of Cumberland, that’s the step on which I must fall down" and then he says, you know what - "Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires" And then he’s like "You know what? I’m gonna kill this bastard. He’s a dead man." He would have done it without her, it’s just will he do it in the bedroom? ‘cause he leaves thinking he’s gonna do it on the battlefield. And then stupid Duncan, idiot Duncan says "I’ll sleep in your bed tonight" He is old and so that tempts them. And the other thing about the scene is, Lady M....I always thought of the scene where Lady M is taking after Macbeth as kinda like Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro, and they're about to steal a car and Bobby’s like "I don’t know, I don’t feel so good about this", and Joe is like "Are you a man? You got a dick or what? Last time I counted there was two of them!" I think that for Shakespeare what should be allowable for two men to say to each other, should also be allowable for a woman to say to a man. But unfortunately in our society we don’t allow women that. But in Shakespeare’s mind, who was a humanist and saw all of us as human beings, more than anything else, I think that by having Lady M attack like that, he’s showing his idea of the perfect relationship where these two people are equals. So she goes after his balls, right? And it doesn’t work. He’s like "Pffft! I do everything a man would-- what do you know?" And then she says "Aha! I have a way to get away with it! We’ll blame the guards." And he’s like "Holy shit! Don’t ever have any girls, baby, you only have men, you need to have some murderers, that’s beautiful, I love you". So it’s not the emasculation that gets him, it’s really a plan that they can get away with. Historically, in Holinshed the reason Macbeth is set up as a Thane in the first place is because he married her. Yeah. Plus, Shakespeare is writing at a time when a woman is sitting on the throne. I think they were ahead of our time, actually, with regard to sexual relationships, I think we’ve fallen back actually.

Q: About the disintegration of the Macbeths relationship.
JM: And that’s the tragedy
Q: continues... About how the change in the relationship mirrors the other changes in the characters over the course of the play - a strong couple at the start but estranged and with their worlds collapsing at the end.
JM: I’m glad, you just hit it on the nail, the theme is best carried by this relationship in the play.
Q: About the set and costume
JM: Actually, Shakespeare - his company performed it in jeans and a T-shirt of his day. They wore just whatever they wore normally, and if you were a king you got a crown, if you were a beggar you got a tatty cloak, and he had all the little props and stuff but it was only little pieces, but they put on their normal dress, just neutral modern day dress, and not all theatres did that. I think he did it for a reason, I think he did it to draw attention to the words.
Q: continues... The decision to do the play so simply.
JM: I would argue when there’s too beautiful a tech going on in Shakespeare’s show, it fights the words. There was a movie that was the ultimate expression of that, it was the Tempest in which Gielgud did all the parts, do people remember that? I thought it was absolutely fabulous if you didn’t look at the television, or turned the sound down and just watched the images. They were both great shows but fighting each other, I couldn’t make heads or tails and I’ve done the play twice.

Q: About the ‘out, out, damn spot’ scene - was Lady Macbeth insane at that point?
CP: Yes, it’s absolutely her going insane. During the whole time, in the beginning, she’s reminding Macbeth "just wash your hands, we can wash it right off, and if we wash the sin off our hands there’s not gonna be any more problems, we’ll forget about it, I’m gonna be Queen and you’re gonna be King", and in the end she can’t, even in her mind’s eye, get the blood off her hands, she just can’t. It’s on her hands permanently.
Q: continues... About how she went from being the one who seemed so strong about the prospect of the murders but was the one who ended up so deeply affected by it
JM: ‘cause in the day she was the calm one. This is something interesting that came in our rehearsal with our director, Dan, this idea that Lady M was really being the calm one, that’s her guilt. "I was the one who was calm, he was even feeling bad and freaked out, I was chill about it!" So she re-lives it, maybe with the kind of emotion she might have been feeling inside but not able to express because she had to cool him down.
CP: In the original play, it’s actually a scene with me and that speech is broken up between a dialogue between my nurse and a doctor, and you would know they are addressing the fact that I’m insane at that point, however.

Q: Why the Scottish Play rather than some other Shakespeare play?
JM: Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! The only curse on this play is it usually doesn’t work. Besides the fact that you have young guys running around in the dark with swords. People get hurt. Usually it’s some 20 year old playing Macduff, and God help us all, you know?
Q: continues... About Macbeth not being as popular a play as some of the other Shakespearean works
JM: I happen to think that this is a really misunderstood play, that’s why I pick it. I feel like Hamlet's been done very well, many times, but Macbeth, to me, is like a ripe plum on the tree, just waiting to fall, and no-one’s quite cracked it. I happen to think that it never has really rocked since Shakespeare died. Because what happened was after he died, the Kings Men, his theatrical company, took the play to the King-- Shakespeare did the most controversial, the most offensive thing you could think about, he went way further than anybody had ever gone to scare the audience. He actually had witches incanting to the devil live on stage. To Elizabethans, who believed if you said the word good you’d get good luck, and if you said the word evil, evil would come you, they thought that the devil would actually come up through the floorboards and get them all, so it was like a crime. And it worked like gangbusters, Macbeth was a big hot play and people were really afraid to go to it etcetera. But when his men took it to the king they were like "Umm, maybe we’ll re-write that scene, make it not quite so scary" And so what you come to is, when the witches incant to Hecate, if you perform the scene as written, Shakespeare didn’t write that scene, the audience will laugh at you every time, I’ve done the play twice. If you cut it, his one major step down into hell is missing, and the play kinda goes [gestures descent] duh duh duh duh [big drop] duh duh duh and it doesn’t quite make emotional sense anymore, ‘cause at some point the devil’s got to come to town, and this shit gets serious now. I think my dream is to do it as a film because I think you could replace that scene and not re-write the Shakespeare and do it as a dumb shot with music and special effects with witches incanting the devil and freaky shit happens and cut. And I don’t think the audience would even notice that there’s no language going on. I’ve seen directors trying to do that on stage, but it’s a big silent hole in the middle of the play.

Q: About how you deal with the famous soliloquies and not let them stand out and pull people out of the performance.
JM: You just have to not think about that, because really, for a stage actor, it’s one big famous bit, they’re all like that, and so you really just ....If you let the words do your work for you, they’ll carry you through a journey, and if you’ve made decisions that are based on the text, and you don’t fight it, then the actual words will carry you through. If you let that happen you forget about that, all I was like was "Fucking hell, there’s this dagger!"
Q: About the passion between the Macbeths
JM: Yeah, completely, don’t you think?
CP: Absolutely.
JM: In the beginning, he’s just.... When you say to someone, we’ll talk later, it means that we’re not gonna talk now, and what else does he wanna do? He’s been away at war for three months. If you really listen to the words, and don’t let them just be Shakespeare talk, and like "What is he really saying, we’ll talk later? What does that mean, we’ll talk later? Oh! Oooohhh!" She comes in and says "What’s up? Why aren't we sleeping together anymore? Why are you keeping to yourself?" And so it’s right there in the words.
Q: continues... About how Macbeth cuts himself off from Lady Macbeth as the play progresses and doesn't respond to her any more.
JM: Well, yeah, ‘cause she doesn’t wanna keep being a murderer, and he knows that, and he has to keep murdering to hold the throne, and he’s trying to protect her, it’s what we all do with our loved ones, we try to protect them from the pain that we feel, and we end up distancing ourselves from them and break their hearts.

Evening Q & A

Q: About the accent he used for the Shakespeare lines which wasn’t the same as the one he usually spoke in.
JM: There is an American accent called Transatlantic or Standard Stage American, and it’s specifically designed by Edith Skinner to keep you from going [bad American accent] "Oh horror horror horror!" [audience laughs] Yeah [stage accent] "Horror, horror horror!" We all study it. Right on, that’s what I went to Julliard for [shudders].

Q: Did the Macbeths love each other?
CP: They absolutely love each other; it’s just that King Duncan wasn’t supposed to give that crown to his son. It belonged to Macbeth. They don’t pass it down from crown to crown, he was just wrong. My husband deserved that crown. So I had to tell him to strap a set on and go get it! [audience cheer] That’s why I married him, ‘cause he’s a big strong man.
JM: I think it’s all about love. In fact I think the true tragedy of the play is that they gain the crown and they lose each other. That’s why it’s a tragedy I think.

Q: Would Macbeth have killed Duncan without the witches?
JM: Yeah. Because Duncan screwed him. The thing is, in the beginning of the play, when the witches say you’re gonna be the king, Macbeth goes "[gasp] you read my mind! Whoa!" because he’s already thinking about it, but when it comes to him he says "You know what? I’m not gonna do it. That ain't right, man. That’s just not quite cool right now". But it’s when Duncan proclaims his son to be Prince of Cumberland; he has that speech "Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies" then he goes "Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires". So at that point that’s what makes up his mind to kill the king and I don’t think witches would change that. I think the witches function like a horoscope. You can use it or not. I think the point that Shakespeare is making is that you might have a wife that is pushing you to do one thing, you might have a horoscope telling you when to do something, but it’s your choice.
Q: About the witches representing inner demons.
JM: Yeah. That's the weird thing - in Shakespeare’s day there really were about 300,000 people in Europe walking around calling themselves witches, believing that they were witches and robbing graves and battlefields for thumbs and eyelids and stuff, it was really going on, and people really did believe it. But Shakespeare I think, is saying that this doesn’t make any difference, it’s still your decision. As far as the inner demons, I don’t look at it that way, I think of it as wrong choices. I think that we all remain moral throughout life by avoiding temptation, a set of circumstances will come down the pipes and you’re just tempted to move your morality that way just to get what you want. It’s only through an act of will that we hold to the things that we believe. But Macbeth is tempted to go beyond his own morality and pays the price. It’s a lot bigger price than he probably thought it was going to be.

Q: Method acting vs. Shakespearean acting?
JM: Yeah, big conflict, because in Shakespeare’s time, it’s all in the words, everything that the character thinks is in the words. Shakespeare is like Picasso. Picasso paints like 3 noses, 5 noses like that, because he’s showing the entire moment, he’s opening up one second of time to all the different facets that a hundred people might have noticed. Shakespeare is doing the same thing, so in one second of time he blows out with a soliloquy or with a lot of language and what you find is if you just marry yourself to the words they will carry you. A great actor Bob Scoggins, I was at the Goodman doing the Tempest, my first professional gig, and I asked what’s the secret of doing Shakespeare, and he goes "Kid, stand up straight, say your lines clearly and get the hell off stage," and that was exactly the secret of Shakespeare, that is really the secret. And The Method has you feeling and thinking a whole bunch of stuff beyond the words, so it’s kind of death to tell you the truth, they don’t really marry that well. Another actor will probably tell you exactly the opposite.
Q: About it being bloody.
JM: Actually from the nave to the chops. [audience laughs] Sorry, go ahead.
Q: continues...
JM: It was the worst thing he could think of to do.
Q: continues...
JM: This is my favorite subject right now, Lady M, man. The theme of this play is not avoid Lady Macbeth. That is not a theme, that is not enough for Shakespeare. The theme is not get your wife pregnant so she’ll be nice to you, that is not the theme of the play. I think Shakespeare was a humanist, and he viewed us all, primarily, as human beings, and that that commonality outstrips any differences we may have being male, female, plumbers or lawyers or whatever. I think that he believed that the way that a man would take after another man should be allowable for a woman to do. I think that in his mind when he shows Lady M taking after her husband like that, he’s showing his view of a perfect relationship, where they’re truly equals. Cause I always thought of it as Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro doing a crime and Robert De Niro goes "Man, Bobby, I don’t know I should do this I’m feeling really nervous" and Joe Pesci goes "What? Have you fucking got balls? Show them to me, I don’t think they’re there anymore!" That’s totally cool for guys, but we seem to have backslid since the time of Shakespeare and we cannot conceive that woman would be able to do that to her husband and not be a bitch, so let’s conceive it now.

Q: About the date he’d given for the setting of the play?
JM: I forgot my Holinshed and I called it 650 but isn’t it like 11-something? I don’t know.

Q: Did he write the performance and will it be published?
JM: I wrote all the in-between parts myself. Uh... the other stuff, not. I don’t know if we’re gonna publish it either. Did I answer your question?

Q: About Macbeth being a warrior, the scenes with Banquo
JM: I think the only curse of this play is that usually it doesn’t work, for that very reason. There’s only one production of it in modern times that’s known to be a success, that’s the ‘53 Olivier. I listened to it, and I also took great note that he was the only actor to draw his sword and rush the ghost, he jumped right up on the table and rushed it, he said about that "well he’s a fighter, there’s fight/flight and he’s not going to fly, he’s a warrior" and I just thought you know what? That is exactly right. And when you go back to the language Macbeth is toying with the ghost. "You’re dead. Get out of the way dead guy, let the earth hide thee", "Go where you belong". So I don’t think he’s ...
Q: continues... Could he have stopped and not killed Banquo?
JM: Banquo knew it. Banquo knew that he did Duncan. Banquo heard that prophecy and suddenly Duncan is dead in Macbeth’s extra bedroom? Macbeth goes to Banquo and says "Dude, when the time comes, back me up. I’ll make it worth your while." And Banquo says "As long as I don’t have to fuck anybody that’s cool" And Macbeth was like "Okay, you’re dead". Once you go down that road, you have to keep walking it, that’s the thing; Macbeth knows this, that’s why he doesn’t make the decision lightly. He knows that there will be more murders after that first murder. He also knows that Lady M doesn’t really wanna think that way and that’s why he sequesters himself away from her and breaks her heart.

Q: About casting other characters.
JM: Banquo needs to be taller than Macbeth. It has to visually be obvious why I gotta kill that guy. Banquo is usually played by an older, kind of comfortable looking actor, and I have never been able to figure that out, he’s supposed to be an equal with Macbeth on the battlefield. Macduff is always cast as a big strong guy and that’s a good thing but usually Banquo is cast weak and I don’t think so, I think I gotta stab him in the back man, because I am not losing my place. I would say Malcolm, the son of Duncan, he has got to be the most vicious mother out there, because he is the new kind of king, he’s not gonna kill you with a sword, he’s gonna figure out a more deft way to do it, and to make your family hate you afterwards. He’s gotta kick butt, when you get to that England scene, you’ve gotta come out of that England scene with Macduff and Malcolm just thinking like "that Malcolm is the shit". And they usually cast - in America anyways - I’ve seen it played very effeminate. "He’s not a fighter", well he is a fighter, he’s just a fighter with a brain. That’s unfortunately all the time we have.

17/07/06
JMLive: July/August Video Clip
From: http://www.jamesmarsterslive.com/ex_clip.shtml

Words and Music 2005 - Video Clips

Have you ever wondered what James thinks about the power dynamics in Macbeth and why he loves the play so much? Every month we put up a new clip giving an exclusive peep into James's Q&A sessions at Words & Music - just as if you were there.

Just click here to download JULY/AUGUST's clip

This is the fourth in a series of soundbites of questions from the Q&A, available for download. The clip is available for one month, and will then be replaced by a new one.

17/07/06
JMLive: Submit Your Photographs Competition
From: http://www.jamesmarsterslive.com/photos.shtml

Got James?

To celebrate the new-look JMLive.com website there's the chance to win a goodie bag, that includes a signed European copy of Civilized Man. Entering is easy; just send your photographs of James and we'll then send the final selection to James to decide his favourites.

Prizes will be awarded to the winner and runners-up, and shown on the website.

THE RULES
Please read carefully as failure to comply may lead to your entry being disqualified.

• The competition is for the best individual photograph of James.
• The photograph must have been taken by you. Please do not send photographs that are not your own.
• Entry is limited to three photographs per person.
• Original photographs only, no photo manipulations or artwork.
• Only send in the following formats: jpg, jpeg, png, gif, bmp.
• Keep them reasonably sized (less than 1MB). If it's so big it kills our email, we won't open it.
• Please don't put a copyright image on or across the photos. If your photograph is chosen full credit will be given.
• By submitting your photograph you are agreeing to the display and use of your photograph on the JMLive.com website.
• Please put the name you would like us to use on the website should you win.
• Winners will be notified by email. Should you win we will ask you for your name and address to send your prize. This information will remain strictly confidential and will not be used or submitted to third parties.

17/07/06
JMLive: Message from James
From: http://www.jamesmarsterslive.com/

16 July - Message from James

Hey everybody, I'm looking forward to seeing all of you that can make it to the Queen Mary event. I'm really excited about all the great guests, I hope you are too. I think the play we're performing extracts from will really kick ass and that you'll really like it.
I can't wait to see everyone dressed up - I'm dusting off my tux! I'm auditioning a fair amount and hopefully will have something to announce soon.

James

17/07/06
JMLive: New-Look Website
From: JMLive Mailing List

CHECK OUT THE NEW-LOOK WEBSITE AND WIN A PRIZE

The JMLive website has been given a summer makeover and is now packed with the latest news, images, icons, event information and details about James.

To celebrate the new-look website there's the chance to win a goodie bag, which includes a signed European copy of the album Civilized Man. The prize will be awarded to the best personal photograph of James. The closing date is 12 August and photographs must be images you have taken yourself. Full details available on the website.

Also included are the latest updates about the eagerly awaited Queen Mary event in Los Angeles in September and details about guests and attractions to watch out for over the weekend. Further information will be added over the coming weeks.

And finally we've got a message from James for all of you. Details on the website.

http://www.jamesmarsterslive.com

16/07/06
Spike: Asylum (comic) Preview Pages
From: http://www.idwpublishing.com/news/dujour.shtml

07/14/06

Today we have a look at Spike: Asylum #1 by Brian Lynch and Franco Urru, stalking its way into stores this September. If you're dying to get your hands on a copy, pre-order ITEM CODE JUL063217 through your favorite retailer now.

Click on the image to preview:

From: http://www.idwpublishing.com/previews.shtml

Spike Asylum #1
Click on the images to preview:

16/07/06
David Messina 'Secret Project' Comic Art
From: http://www.idwpublishing.com/news/dujour.shtml

07/11/06

Today we have a look at an as yet unannounced Secret Project by David Messina.

Click on the image to preview:

16/07/06
JM.com: July Q&A
From: http://www.jamesmarsters.com/qa.html

July

How did you get that little scar on your chin?

The truth is I don’t remember. Someone probably hit me with something between 1985 – 1988 and he probably won the fight and hit me really hard. I don’t remember.

What is your least favorite:

Color - I love all color
Sight - Human cruelty
Smell or scent - Rotten meat
Taste or flavor or spice - The piece of candy corn that pushes me over the mountain of sugar rush into the chasm of nausea; worse than that is the 40 I eat after that!
Food - Boiled lima beans. I ate too many before the age of 18. I’ve never had one since.
Thing to feel (touch) - A chalk board
Thing to feel (emotion) - Fear
Time of day - Morning! Morning! Morning!
Month - There are only twelve of them so I can’t be that picky. I love them all.
Word or expression - “for your information” and “didn’t you get the memo”
Chore, thing to do which has to be done anyway - Watching the President’s speeches

How would you describe your character in Shadow Puppets? Is this movie based on a novel?

He is intelligent, terrified and although you wouldn’t first suspect, love-struck. It is an original concept.

Now that some time has passed, what do you miss about Buffy and Angel?

I miss the way I walk in a long, black coat. If you walk that way without a long, black coat you look a little silly.

What would the music be like for the Macbeth movie you are planning?

Hmmm, ummmm, uhhh... low orchestral, traditional Celtic war music and synthesized screeching in the chilly parts. It would be a horror film - I think one of the best horror stories ever told. Make no mistake, it is a slasher film.

What song(s), artist(s), or both get you in that place where you can just close your eyes, put your head back, and let the world fall away -- when you let yourself be totally absorbed by the music?

I don’t listen repeatedly to music unless it can cast a spell like that. I’ve mentioned in the past Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits - to that I would add, in a very different way, Ry Cooder, and especially recommend an album he produced in Cuba called Buena Vista Social Club. It’s not a new album, but widely available and absolute magic.

Next session: August 15

16/07/06
More of James' "Winding Roads" on Showtime (US)
From: http://www.tv-now.com/stars/marsterj.html

Winding Roads

Directed by Ted Melfi. Starring Kimberly Quinn, Katrina Bronson, Rachel Hunter, James Marsters, Adam Scott, Michael Weatherly.

Three best friends have trouble with the men in their lives. 90 minutes- NR, 1998, (CC), Stereo, SAP

• Mon Jul 10 12:45A on Showtime Women
• Wed Jul 12 01:00P on Showtime Showcase
• Fri Jul 14 01:45P on Showtime
• Sat Jul 15 02:55P on Showtime #2
• Mon Jul 17 10:40P on Showtime Women
• Tue Jul 18 11:00A on Showtime #2
• Wed Jul 19 12:00P on Showtime
• Sat Jul 22 01:45P on Showtime Showcase
• Thu Jul 27 04:45P on Showtime Showcase
• Sun Jul 30 11:05P on Showtime Women

16/07/06
2006 KryptonSite Awards: Vote for the Best Death Scene! (SPOILERS)
From: http://www.kryptonsite.com/news.htm

News Posted July 13, 2006

2006 KryptonSite Awards: Vote For The Best Death Scene! An annual tradition here at K-Site is the KryptonSite Awards - where fans are invited to vote for their favorite (and least favorite) episodes, guest stars, and more from the previous season. The current category to vote on is for the Lewis & Laura Lang Award For Best Death Scene. PLEASE NOTE: If you've already voted prior to 4pm Pacific time on 7/13, PLEASE VOTE AGAIN. We forgot to include a very important "death" and have added it to the choices, so we're starting all over again! Some more 2006 KryptonSite Awards nominations will be posted here shortly.

13/07/06
James Marsters & Friends: Class Act
From: JMLive Mailing List

CLASS ACT

James is heading back to the classroom with a hilarious comedy looking back on the highs and lows of school life.

He and two other actors will be performing extracts from John Godber's hit show Teechers and will play every role - teachers, school caretakers, schoolgirls and schoolboys.

The one-off performance offers a fast-paced, fun-filled finale to the James Marsters & Friends weekend aboard the Queen Mary in September.

The poignant comedy evokes memories of exams, homework and growing up and sees James return to his stage roots.

Entry to the performance will be open to all ticket holders for this event.

To guy Gold tickets for this event please go to http://www.jamesmarsters.com and http://www.jamesmarsterslive.com

_________________________________________________

James Marsters and Friends
8-10 September 2006
The Queen Mary, Long Beach, California

13/07/06
James' "Winding Roads" on Showtime (US)
From: http://www.sho.com/site/schedules/product_page.do?seriesid=0&episodeid=126368

HU Faith @ Five by Five

WINDING ROADS

RATING: TV14 - L
SHOWTIME ADVISORIES: Adult Language, Adult Content
Stereo / CC
1 h 30 m

SYNOPSIS:
Kimberly Quinn, Katrina Holden Bronson and Rachel Hunter star as three very different women at three very different emotional crossroads in their personal lives - one from the loss of a child, one from the return of an absent lover, and one wrestling with the decision to marry while hiding the secret that she's pregnant. James Marsters, Michael Weatherly and Adam Scott co-star in this drama from co-writer and director Ted Melfi.

UPCOMING AIRDATES:

All times ET/PT.

• Showtime Showcase Tomorrow 1:00 PM
• Showtime Friday 2:15 PM
• Showtime Too Saturday 2:55 PM
• Showtime Women Monday 10:40 PM
• Showtime Too Jul 18 11:00 AM

10/07/06
"Summer Knight" Audio Book Confirmation
From: http://www.jamesmarsters.com/home.html

Wizards and Faeries and Bob! Oh My!

James will soon be back in the recording studio to narrate "Summer Knight", the fourth book in the popular Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. James is pleased to once again be associated with the Buzzy Multimedia team and looks forward to the project and for whatever Harry might have up his sleeve. Details to follow.

10/07/06
James Marsters to Read "Summer Knight" Audio Book
From: http://www.jim-butcher.com/bb/index.php/topic,455.0.html

Topic: James Marsters to read SUMMER KNIGHT Audio Book

Shannon
White Council
Apprentice
Offline
Posts: 17

James Marsters to read SUMMER KNIGHT Audio Book
« on: July 06, 2006, 02:23:13 PM »

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We just got word from the ladies at Buzzy that James Marsters has agreed to read SUMMER KNIGHT! He's done such a great job with the first three books and we're thrilled they were able to get him again.

I'm not sure when the audio will be avalailable for preorder, but when it is, you can get it here: www.mediafans.com

10/07/06
James Marsters & Friends: Friday Night
From: JMLive Mailing List

FRIDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT FOR ... COCKTAILS, GOOD FOOD AND GHOSTS

Toast the start of the James Marsters And Friends weekend with some cocktail delights aboard the Queen Mary.

The beautiful Art Deco Observation Bar will be selling some unique cocktails on Friday night to kick off the weekend in style.

Among the liquid treats on offer will be the Marsters Martini - shaken, not stirred - the Cool Money Cosmo, A Vampire Kiss (a Bloody Mary with bite) and the Smallville Margarita, which comes in a variety of flavours.

The cocktails will only be available on Friday night .. drink them if you dare.

Or you can enjoy some ghostly encounters as part of the Queen Mary's tours and shows programme.

There is plenty to choose from including the Ghosts & Legends tour, the Paranormal Shipwalk Tour and the Haunted Encounters Tour, which introduces guests to a few of the Queen Mary's resident ghosts.

Reservations can be made in advance by calling Queen Mary Attraction Group Sales at (562) 499-1775.

Walk-ups are also welcome the evening of the tour (on a space-available basis) at the Attractions At Night desk in the Hotel Queen Mary Lobby on A Deck. The desk is open tour nights only from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Alternatively you can kick off the weekend at one of the Queen Mary's many restaurants and bars on board or take in a show like Those Fabulous Forties in Tibbies Dinner Cabaret, which offers a song and dance tribute to the swinging era, or pay a visit to the adults-only Laugh is Hope Comedy Club. For full details go to http://www.queenmary.com

10/07/06
The Amy Awards Winners
From: http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-tvgal0703thewinners,0,2713563.story?coll=zap-rotator-coll

TV Gal Reveals the Winners
By Amy Amatangelo

July 2 2006

It's not the Emmys or even the Golden Globes, but like Reese Witherspoon said, we're just trying to matter.

So thank you so much for voting in the 2006 Amy Awards. I have so much fun doing this every year because you pick the categories, you pick the nominees and you pick the winners.

Well, you certainly hope to see James Marsters back on TV next year (I'm thinking he could be somebody Earl wronged on "My Name is Earl"). And you continue to be in an uproar about "7th Heaven." It is the show we love to hate and hate to love. And let's hope the Emmys share your "Veronica Mars" love.

And now, the winners of the 2006 Amy Awards. Each winner is linked to its own discussion forum.

Resurrect Me (a.k.a. Character/Actor You Would Most Like to See Brought Back on Another Show Next Season)
James Marsters (Professor Milton Fine/Brainiac on "Smallville")

More detail from http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-tvgal0710emmynominations,0,3860085.story

Resurrect Me (a.k.a. Character/Actor You Would Most Like to See Brought Back on Another Show Next Season)

James Marsters (Professor Milton Fine/Brainiac on "Smallville") -- 27% of the vote
Michael Vartan (Vaughn on "Alias") -- 23%
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Denny on "Grey's Anatomy," John on "Supernatural") -- 22%
Carlos Bernard (Tony on "24") -- 16%
Janel Moloney (Donna on "The West Wing") -- 12%

01/07/06
Special Preview: Smallville: The Visual Guide
From: http://www.kryptonsite.com/news.htm

Special Preview: Smallville: The Visual Guide

KryptonSite has been provided with a preview peek at a 2-page spread and the final cover from Smallville: The Visual Guide, heading to bookstores in late August. The preview pages contain a look at the Fortress of Solitude.

As mentioned in a previous site posting, the book features a complete look at the show's first five seasons with character bios, maps, locations, story details, and more. It's the perfect primer for new fans coming in after seeing the new Superman movie, and for those of you who've been watching for the past few years, it's a chance to get caught up and look at what's come before.

The book is a particular joy for KryptonSite's webmaster Craig Byrne as he was the author of the book, working with folks from DC Comics and Smallville's production team to make this the ultimate Smallville book resource. Pages were designed and laid out by DK's excellent staff (the same folks responsible for books like the Batman Begins Visual Guide) and they include hundreds of photos from Smallville's first five years.

Click here to take a larger look at the Fortress of Solitude spread!

Click here to take a larger look at the final version of the cover!

Click here to pre-order your copy

01/07/06
Ask Matt: Spike TV/Spike Series
From: http://www.tvguide.com/tv/roush/askmatt

HU MLG Moore @ SupportSpike

Question: Regarding Blade: The Series, if Spike TV really wanted a vampire series that the fans would love, why didn't it just give us "Spike" the movie or series? No one does better justice to a black duster than James Marsters! — Kathy

Matt Roush: Surely you're not looking for an argument here. And wouldn't Spike the vamp have been a perfect poster bad boy for Spike the network? I'm just ashamed I didn't think of that when I wrote my review, in which I was more fixated on comparing how Buffy the Vampire Slayer improved from movie to TV show while Blade, to be generous, doesn't. At least not yet.