for miss chastaine it looks like it turned out to be something of a blessing in disguise that the 04 series was not picked up by the network.

if it had and she was tied to the show via contract she could not have gone on to what is looking like a very successful film career.

amazingly i still see the occasional "announcement" about the depp/burton film from DS fans on facebook and the surprised replies they start.

a coin purse?

you're lucky you didn't get a pair of underpants or the 1997 christmas ornament.

and once the film goes into post-production in the studio there will probably be several months when we don't see or hear anything.

i'm in concordance with much of what claude north said about the event....

the mass walkout as kathy cody introduced "the crucible" was unforgivable. even if one wasn't interested in the film itself they could have showed ms.cody some courtesy and remained seated for the two minutes it took to introduce the piece. as for the group talking in the back during the 2004 showing i asked them to please stop and they looked at me like i was from outer space. i thought not speaking during a movie or performance was manners 101 but i guess i'm wrong. at least they eventually got up and left.

as interesting as i found "the crucible" i will say that perhaps a two hour non-DS presentation was a bit long for that block of prime-time. an early morning showing might have gone over better.

i know i've been slagging KLS a bit of late but she's just SUCH an operator. when i approached her friday evening to have her autograph my program she INSTANTLY tried to sell me her book "murder in primetime"(remember that other fiction work she wrote before her "first" work of fiction "dark passages"?)assuring me of "how much i'd like it". i honestly don't think she remembered me from her book signing at barnes and noble 48 hours earlier when i purchased DP.

amazingly i managed to get most of the actors autographs easily...as claude mentioned david selby sitting around by himself friday evening(!). marie, kathy, pennock, sharon and miss woronko were readily available all weekend. i only waited for a chilly lara parker. i couldn't be bothered to wait in lengthy lines for donna wandrey, jerry lacy and certainly not mr.davis. hearing his ridiculous real estate stories was more than enough for me.

having already purchased "dark passages" earlier in the week there wasn't much i wanted by way of purchases. i picked up some pictures and the big finish CD "the doll house" which marie autographed. i wanted the bound copy of the gold key comics but they apparently sold out the first day because sunday the dealer wasn't even around. as for the rest of the cast members offerings(marie and lara's books for instance)i already have them. i felt bad not buying anything from them but when you've got the same things to sell year after year you run that risk.

one of the overwhelming impression that i walked away from this event was...and i really do not mean for this to sound unkind...is that i wonder how much longer it will continue in it's present incarnation. the cast is starting to get quite elderly. i don't know how much longer they're going to have the energy for all this. 45 years was a long time ago. KLS and donna wandrey looked remarkably spry but the rest of the cast are starting to show the years. when i first attended in 2003 everyone still looked "middle aged" to me but 8 years in a long time when one starts to get into their 60's and 70's. as it was frid simply came down for his appearance then i presume returned to his room. diana millay and john karlen were not in attendance and there were reports of other castmembers being "unwell" in recent years.

again i don't mean for this to sound unkind but i left with that concern.

oh and last night they did a showing of a 1967 CBS presentation of "the crucible". sort of a televised play that had a very DS "feel".

it starred tuesday weld but featured several DS actors including clarice blackburn, thayer david and kathy cody. it was very interesting. blackburn was as usual brilliant. very much the puritan witch crazed zealot we saw her portray later as abigail collins during the 1795 storyline. her performance there had to have been at least partially inspired by this.

oops,

above when i refered to "craig" i of course meant jim pierson.

craig did briefly discuss the new film...and showed a few slides of jonathan and david in the wardrobe trailer having their hair and makeup done.

true he could not and did not reveal much but he did speak two words that have been on my mind since this film was announced: MRS. JOHNSON.

apparently the unnamed actress playing her was in hair and makeup at the same times as selby and frid and while she's no doubt a very small part in the film i'm so pleased that she will be a presence.

more deets to come.