This is an FYI for webmasters of Dark Shadows web sites and also for those who buy products via Amazon and MPI Affliate Program links from the web sites you like.

Let me explain this briefly, for those who are unaware of what affiliate programs are and what they do. MPI Home Video offers an affiliate program to webmasters. In exchange for linking to the MPI site, the webmaster receives 15% of the revenue generated from sales via his/her link. This 15% is given to the webmaster in credit to be used to purchase items on the MPI site. Amazon.com offers a similar program, paying 5% in cash for referral sales.

So, for someone such as me on a very limited budget, these affiliate programs would be a great way to make enough cash or credit to purchase the DS DVDs for myself. In fact, I generated about $15 in MPI store credit in advance sales of the DVDs.

Then MPI decided to create the new Dark Shadows DVD site. Because this is a separate web site, members of the MPI Affiliates program do not receive credit for DVD sales. In other words, if someone clicks the MPI link on my web site, they are taken to the MPI Home Video page, from which I can earn referral fees. However, clicking on the link there for the DS DVD info takes that person off the MPI Home Video site to the new DS DVD site. I earn absolutely nothing for generating sales for MPI when this happens. This is a hell of a note considering the barrage of press releases MPI has sent me over the past few weeks. The phrase bait and switch comes to mind.  

Therefore, I would strongly encourage anyone who aims to support their favorite web site and/or webmaster via online purchases to buy the DS DVDs through that site's Amazon.com Associates link so that the referring webmaster can earn a referral fee. That is, of course, unless you are just mesmerized by the thought of that plastic key chain MPI is offering.

I have the links to the Amazon.com pages for the DVDs on my Dark Shadows Alumni Movies site:

http://members.aol.com/mscriseyde/news.htm

I know that there are several other Dark Shadows webmasters, such as Stuart Manning, who are members of both affiliates programs. If you are purchasing DVDs via links on any Dark Shadows site in order to support that site, please be aware that webmasters receive absolutely no credit for Dark Shadows DVD sales from MPI Home Video.  The fine folks at MPI confirmed this for me via e-mail this morning.

Donna McKechnie (Amanda Harris) will be appearing in a new off Broadway musical entitled Rockwell. As the title suggests, the musical is based on the life of Norman Rockwell (not the 80's one-hit-wonder Rockwell  ).

The show will run May 17 through June 2 at the Blue Heron Arts Center. Tickets are $19.

For more detailed information, consult Playbill Online, which was my source for this information:

http://www.playbill.com/cgi-bin/plb/news?cmd=show&code=109571

Donna McKechnie will be an artist in residence at the University of Richmond in Virginia this coming fall. She will also appear in a production of Gypsy at the university. More detailed information is available on the Playbill Online web site:

http://www.playbill.com/cgi-bin/plb/news?cmd=show&code=109149

McKechnie's album of music from her recent one-woman show, Inside the Music, is set to be released on April 19.

The Griffin and the Minor Canon, the half-hour animated special for which David Selby provided the voice of the Griffin, premeired this evening on West Virginia Public Television. David attended two events to mark the premiere. We've already heard on this board from someone who attended the premiere at Fairmont State College. An account of the premiere this evening in Charleston has been posted on the SoapNet Falcon Crest message board by janetmorris50. Janet is involved with the Girl Scouts, and David spent a little time talking to her scouts. You can access her report via the link below:

http://boards.go.com/cgi/soapnet/Request.dll?LIST&room=falconcrest

Currently, the program will only air on West Virginia Public Television stations. However, a videotape can be purchased from West Virgina Public Broadcasting. I've added information about this to my David Selby site. Just follow the link under the What's New section of the main page:

http://members.aol.com/davidselbysite/index.htm


Criseyde

West Virginia Public Television's web site for The Griffin and the Minor Canon is now active:

http://www.griffin-minorcanon.org

This is a half-hour animated program based on the short story by Frank Stockton. David Selby provides the voice of The Griffin, and he will be attending a couple of premiere events for the program this month in West Virginia.

The web site is designed for educators interested in incorporating the program in the classroom. They have all sorts of stuff online about the making of the program. I've not had time to get through it myself, but it looks quite interesting.

If you've not had all the Selby you can stand, you can also check out my David Selby web site:

http://members.aol.com/davidselbysite

Criseyde

Originally posted by Criseyde on the Dark Shadows: General Discussion Forum on February 12, 2002 at 08:16:19:

For anyone who's interested in seeing a few screen grabs of David Selby's 1975 appearance in an episode of Police Woman, thanks to a generous donation, I've added some to my site.

Everybody knows the drill. Click the link under this message and go to the What's New section of the site.

Enjoy!
Criseyde

Originally posted by Criseyde on the Dark Shadows: General Discussion Forum on February 09, 2002 at 09:18:43:

In 1999, David Selby recorded a voice track for an animated version of Frank Stockton's short story, "The Griffin and the Minor Canon." David played the part of the Griffin. Other prominent West Virginians such as Soupy Sales, Chris Sarandon, and Kathy Mattea also lent their voices to the project. Though it was beset with various production delays, the program will finally premiere on West Virginia Public Television in March.

To mark the event, David is scheduled to make two public appearances in the Charleston area. He also gave a brief telephone interview for an article about the production that appeared this week in the Charleston Gazette. This article also appeared online. West Virginia Public Television will also create a resource site with materials related to the show for students and educators.

The links to the Gazette article and the West Virginia Public Television site along with more specific information about the appearances can be found by following the link from the What's New section of my David Selby site. The link to the site appears below this message.

Criseyde

Originally posted by Criseyde on the Dark Shadows: General Discussion Forum on February 03, 2002 at 20:45:08:

Donna McKechnie's recent cabaret engagement at Arci's Place in NYC has won her a Back Stage Bistro Award. Click the link below to Playbill Online for more info.

http://www5.playbill.com/cgi-bin/plb/news?cmd=show&code=108250