As in past years, you know you can change the theme in your profile, right? 

SHADOWGRAM NEWS UPDATE   # 337
 
November 25, 2014
 
Hello, Dark Shadows Fan,
 
ShadowGram (SG), The Official Newsletter & News Source for Dark Shadows (DS), announces the following key breaking news in this Official DS News Online Update "bulletin."
 
 
**** KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT: “AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.” & HER NEW NOVEL
**** BIG FINISH PRODUCTIONS – “BLOODLUST” NEW DS AUDIO DRAMA SERIES
 
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KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT TELLS SG ABOUT “S.H.I.E.L.D” EPISODE & HER “BEVERLY HEELS” SEQUEL
 
SG Update # 336 (11-23) announced Kathryn (Maggie, Josette, Kitty, Rachel) is in an upcoming episode of TV’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” She now adds the following.
 
“I filmed several scenes in a new episode of ‘Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ The show is so secretive that I was never given a script, only my dialogue! I am going to respect their desire to keep the story a surprise. Besides, I can't provide a synopsis because I have no idea what the story is. My episode will air mid-season and I will supply more information as I get it.
 
“I'd also like to announce my sequel to ‘Down and Out in Beverly Heels,’ (titled) ‘Jinxed.’ It is available on Amazon for preorder and will be published 2-7-15.”
 
Kathryn here shares the “Jinxed” synopsis with SG:
 
“JINXED – A Jinx Fogarty Mystery
 
Back on the comeback trail, actress Meg Barnes, beloved for her role as amateur sleuth Jinx Fogarty in a renowned detective show, assumes she’ll star as Jinx in the revamped TV series, only to discover that a young ingénue has been cast instead. Meg swallows her pride for a paycheck to coach Chelsea Horne—until temperamental Chelsea goes missing before filming begins. Meg ignores the warnings from Jack, her FBI-agent boyfriend, not to do her “Jinx thing.” But when a threatening secret exposes a dark chapter in Meg’s past, it’s clear her life—and more—is in jeopardy.”
 
 
**** NEW AUDIO DRAMA SERIES WITH LARGE ENSEMBLE CAST DUE IN JANUARY, 2015
 
At the August 2006 Brooklyn, NY, DS Festival, Big Finish Productions (BFP) of England launched its first of its 40+ DS audio dramas. These new stories are based on the original show and star many original DS cast members re-creating their TV characters or portraying new ones. They are joined by talented actors from England and America, with music and sound effects. Each professionally-recorded drama presents its own original story set within the established DS time periods as well as in the decades between.
 
“Bloodlust” is a major new audio drama in 13 episodes, to be available as a series of downloads and then on CD in boxed sets, starting in January.
 
SG greatly thanks Joe Lidster and David Darlington of BFP for sharing the Official Press Release and the Cast List.
 
BLOODLUST – A Multi-Chapter Original Dark Shadows Audio Drama
 
“Some describe it as the town at the edge of the world.
 
“When Melody and Michael Devereux come to Collinsport on their honeymoon, they don't know the secrets that are hidden behind closed doors. But those secrets will be unearthed when an innocent is viciously murdered.
 
“Collinsport will be a town divided. One woman's rise to power will lead to further death and destruction. Families will be ripped apart. Blood will be spilt.
 
“And the dark forces that wait in the shadows will wait no more. For in Collinsport, death is never the end…,”
 
Jerry Lacy, Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott, David Selby and Marie Wallace star in the new audio series from Big Finish Productions. A 13-episode serial, Bloodlust sees the town of Collinsport ripped apart by a brutal murder. The series will be launched in January 2015 both as a series of downloads and in two CD boxsets.
 
“Big Finish has been producing Dark Shadows audios since 2006,” says writer and series co-producer Joseph Lidster. “Over the years, we've brought back most of the original cast and told stories featuring so many of those fantastic characters Dan Curtis created but we knew, with Bloodlust, we wanted to go even bigger.”
 
“For me, the appeal of Dark Shadows is the soap opera format,” continues co-producer David Darlington. “It's hard to re-create that in a series of audio dramas but, over the last couple of years, we've experimented with ongoing storylines and character arcs. And now, with Bloodlust, we're really going for it.”
 
“We want the listener to be able to close their eyes and see Collinsport,” says Lidster. “These are absolutely 13 episodes of Dark Shadows and, although the murder mystery has a beginning, middle and end, there's so much more going on. Relationships develop across the series and there are a few surprises along the way.”
 
Fans of the audio dramas will know that 2010's Kingdom of the Dead ended on a cliffhanger. Bloodlust will continue on from that but will also act as a perfect jumping-on point for new listeners. As well as original series actors, the series also features Alec Newman (the 2004 Dark Shadows pilot) and Matthew Waterhouse (Doctor Who).
 
“We're really very proud of Bloodlust,” continues Lidster. “We're huge fans of the original television series and it's a genuine honour to be continuing the legacy of Dan Curtis.”
 
BLOODLUST CAST LIST:
 
Julius Bishop - Ross McNamara
Angelique Bouchard - Lara Parker
Barnabas Collins - Andrew Collins
David Collins - Alec Newman (“Barnabas” - 2004 WB DS pilot)
Quentin Collins - David Selby
Amy Cunningham - Stephanie Ellyne
Andrew Cunningham - Matthew Waterhouse
Harry Cunningham - Scott Haran
Melody Devereux - Daisy Tormé
Michael Devereux - Jeff Harding
Maggie Evans - Kathryn Leigh Scott
Benjamin Franklin - Roger Carvalho
Ed Griffin - Jamison Selby
Jessica Griffin - Marie Wallace
Eric Hanley - Daniel Collard
Cody Hill - Walles Hamonde
Edgar McBride - Wallace McBride
Kate Ripperton - Asta Parry
Jacqueline Tate - Alexandra Donnachie
Rhonda Tate - Lachele Carl
Isaiah Trask  - Jerry Lacy
 
The “Bloodlust” audio drama series now is available to pre-order at http://www.bigfinish.com/ranges/v/dark-shadows---bloodlust.
 
You can hear the various townsfolk – including Quentin, Maggie and Angelique –introducing themselves, for free, at https://soundcloud.com/darkshadowsbfp/sets/dark-shadows-bloodlust.
 
For further information, visit the Big Finish website or follow us on Twitter @darkshadowsbfp.
 
---- PLEASE NOTE: Pre-orders are for downloads only, or for a Bundle of all 13 episodes in two CD boxed sets, which will be sent after the finish of the series.
 
The boxed sets also will be available separately via the BFP website. They cannot be pre-ordered at this time. Orders for boxed sets placed via the BFP website will be shipped from BFP’s location in England. This will require additional postage and longer shipping time.
 
The ShadowGram Official DS News Online Updates will announce when the actual boxed sets are available for purchase. Exact mail-order prices are being finalized. SG will announce those details as they are confirmed.
 
The DS Festival/Official DS Fan Club will be the only American-based source for the “Bloodlust” audio drama series boxed sets, as of their release in early 2015.
 
To be notified when the boxed sets are available for purchase, please email pansyfaye@darkshadowsfestival.com  Please include your full name and postal-mail address.
 
---- Also: previous DS Big Finish audio drama CDs are currently for sale directly from the DS Festival/Official Fan Club. These include some that are autographed by the DS stars.  For more information, please go to www.darkshadowsfestival.com
 
After the “Bloodlust” boxed sets are released, they also will be available via the BFP website. Those orders will be shipped from BFP’s location in England. This will require additional postage and longer shipping / delivery time.

Marcy Robin

SHADOWGRAM NEWS UPDATE   # 335
November 22, 2014
 
Hello, Dark Shadows Fan,
 
ShadowGram (SG), The Official Newsletter & News Source for Dark Shadows (DS), announces the following key breaking news in this Official DS News Online Update "bulletin."
 
 
 **** JONATHAN FRID’S READERS THEATRE SHOW PERFORMANCES ON DVD
**** SG PREMIERE ANNOUNCEMENT: 2 NEW DS AUDIO DRAMAS – CASTING NEWS
 
 
**** JONATHAN FRID: ONE-MAN READERS THEATRE PERFORMANCE DVDS
 
The DS Festival / Official DS Fan Club asks SG to please share about the “EXCLUSIVE LIMITED EDITION OFFICIAL JONATHAN FRID DVDs.”
 
The late Jonathan Frid thrilled millions as vampire Barnabas Collins. In his later years, he entertained with his live, wonderfully dramatic one-man Readers Theatre presentations. Mystery, suspense, commentary, and his own special brand of humor were expressed through literary selections from the Bible, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, Groucho Marx, James Thurber, and other authors and sources – including Jonathan himself.
 
From the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, Jonathan performed before audiences in venues large and small across the U.S. and in eastern Canada. He used no costumes, props, or sound / special effects. Only his voice talents, body language, facial expressions, and the written words themselves created the myriad characters, settings, and moods.
 
Before and after DS, Jonathan enjoyed a long career on stage in roles ranging from Caliban and Richard III to a comic turn as Jonathan Brewster in the classic play “Arsenic and Old Lace” (on Broadway and national tour 1986-87). His various Readers Theater live programs showcased all his talents as an actor, storyteller, director, and observer of life itself.
 
To benefit Jonathan's special charity in his Canadian hometown – the Hamilton Community Foundation – a very limited number of DVDs are offered. Each features videos of Jonathan in performance. These are available only by mail-order from the Dark Shadows Festival / Dark Shadows Official Fan Club.

FOOLS AND FIENDS presents Jonathan in a live Readers Theater production recorded in September, 1992, at the Mid-Manhattan Library in New York City.
 
FRID – EVIL presents Jonathan on stage with his “Shakespearean Odyssey” program, celebrating his fascination of Shakespeare. It was performed and recorded live in 1990 in New York City.
 
JONATHAN FRID – AGAIN! “Presents all-new readings by Jonathan of an assortment of poetry, prose and musings to amuse and, we hope, delight.
“
Each DVD is $12.00.
Two or three DVDs are $10.00 each.
Check or Money Order only, payable to: Dark Shadows Festival. Sorry, credit card and PayPal can not be accepted.
 
Please send your order and payment to:
 
Dark Shadows Festival
P. O. Box 92
Maplewood, NJ 07040
 
 
**** SG PREMIERE ANNOUNCEMENT: 2 DS STARS IN 2 NEW SEPARATE AUDIO DRAMAS IN 2015
 
England-based Big Finish Productions’ (BFP) first DS audio drama debuted at the DS Festival in Brooklyn 8-2006. A range of these original “Stories on CD” have been released throughout the years and will continue in 2015.
 
These stories are based in the 1966-71 DS and performed by many of the actual DS cast members as their TV or as new characters. Each DS cast member – plus other actors from America and England – has been recorded live in professional studios in LA, NYC, Denver, Florida, and England. Sound effects and music enhance the atmospheres and characterizations.
 
SG here premiere-announces that each of 2 new releases in 2015 stars a DS actor participating for the first time.
 
--- One release will star MITCHELL RYAN (Burke Devlin) in his first DS audio drama, along with KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT (Maggie).
 
-- One CD release will star SUSAN SULLIVAN (Ghost) in her first DS audio drama, along with DAVID SELBY (Quentin).
 
SG Online Updates and the upcoming SG #124 published newsletter will report more confirmed developments on these and future DS audio dramas from BFP.
 
Also, very soon SG will announce more details for BFP’s “Bloodlust,” a major new multi-CD release with a large cast and a riveting, complex story spanning 13 episodes.

I know you're all creative and hope that one of you can come up with a replacement for Reply #954 that uses the initials QMJ (other than Quentin Married Jenny, natch) so all the subsequent posts won't be removed?  If so, the mods will waive Lydia's no-poster-can-play-twice-in-a-row rule this one time.  Thanks!

QMJ  Quentin Married Jenny

MJ_

Quentin Married Jenny

MJ_

Once someone posts it, the following response will be for GG_ because:

GGD

Gabriel Gets Drunk

GD_

GGD

Gabriel Gets Drunk

GD_

Need another CC_  This is from last month:

CCS

Carolyn Collins Stoddard

CS_

how do YOU know these things?

Because of Dark Shadows.