ShadowGram Update #152 / New Fest guests, LP book signings & more

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Marcy Robin's Cyberspace "Dark Shadows" News Update List
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Number 152. June 26, 2006.

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Hello, Dark Shadows Fan,

ShadowGram (SG), The Official Newsletter & News Source for Dark Shadows (DS), announces the following breaking news.

**** DARK SHADOWS 40TH ANNIVERSARY - NEW GUESTS & MORE

Tomorrow - June 27, 2006 - marks the exact 40th Anniversary of the broadcast of the debut of "Dark Shadows": On June 27, 1966, ABC-TV aired Episode #1, showing Victoria Winters' arrival in Collinsport and introducing viewers to Collinwood and the Collins Family.

SG here updates the latest news for the official DS 40th Anniversary Celebration at the Marriott Hotel at the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn, NY, August 25-27 (exactly 2 months from now). The hotel is located at 333 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. 1-718-246-7000.

See SG #107 and SG #108 print issues and recent SG Online Updates for more details about Fest guests and programming.

---- SG Premiere Announcement:
New guests: Actors LISA RICHARDS (Sabrina Stuart) and CONARD FOWKES (Frank Garner), plus the original ABC-TV publicists for DS, LES SCHECTER and JAMES BUTLER. More guests to be announced. All guests are subject to professional and personal commitments. Fest proceeds benefit the UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Center.

Previously-announced Festival guests: DAVID SELBY, LARA PARKER, JOHN KARLEN, NANCY BARRETT, JERRY LACY, KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT, MARIE WALLACE, DIANA MILLAY, DONNA McKECHNIE, BETSY DURKIN MATTHES, CHRIS PENNOCK, STUART GOODMAN, and MARILYN ROSS.

The Dark Shadows Festival reports its website - www.darkshadowsfestival.com - now has been updated to include 40th Anniversary information. It is recommended that fans pay for their memberships in advance to ensure attendance at the gathering.

SG previously reported the Brooklyn Marriott has sold out of discounted DS rate sleeping rooms - although they do have rooms available at a higher rate. The nearby NY Marriott Financial Center in lower Manhattan, just 2 subway stops or a 5-minute taxi drive from the Brooklyn Marriott, now is offering discounted sleeping rooms for Fest attendees. Call 212-385-4900and mention Dark Shadows to receive the special reduced room rate.

**** NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS - DS PERSONNEL

--- LARA PARKER'S NEW DS NOVEL
SG print issues and Online Updates have reported Lara's new novel "Dark Shadows - The Salem Branch" will be published on July 11 by Tor Books. Lara shares these upcoming personal appearances and more are being planned. Scheduled appearances are:

Book signing at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego on Fri., July 14, at 7:00 pm. The store is located at 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite 302, San Diego, CA 92111. 858-268-4747.

Comic Con - San Diego: Panel appearance 12:30-1:30 and book signing 1:30-2:30 on Sat., July 22. The world-famous convention at the San Diego Convention Center draws approximately 100,000 exhibitors, guests, artists, vendors, and attendees spanning virtually every science fiction/fantasy/horror/entertainment industry interest.

Book signing at Dark Delicacies Bookstore in Burbank, CA, on Sat., July 29, at 2:00 pm. The store is located at 4213 W Burbank Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505. 818-556-6660.

--- DONNA McKECHNIE'S NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY
The book about this award-winning international actress, dancer, and singer is in production and due to be released Aug. 29.

--- ALEXANDRA MOLTKE ISLES NEW DOCUMENTARY
Over the years, SG has shared about filmmaker Alexandra's documentary movies. Her new documentary, "The Healing Gardens of New York City," is slated for broadcast on PBS on July 27. Syndicated columnist Liz
Smith says the film is "so incredibly lovely that it gives a person hope for the human race.... Who knew that NYC is dotted with plots of deserted land from Harlem to Rikers Island, from the Conservancy to the Labyrinth downtown, and that all sorts of citizens, high and low (some actually still incarcerated for crimes), have come to love and tend these gardens. There is even a small garden in Times Square, lovingly taken care of in the midst of car exhaust and noisy traffic. This is an unusually tranquil film experience with wonderful music. It will take your mind off a lot of nasty things. Don't miss it!"

*** "KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER" TV SERIES ON SCI FI CHANNEL

Published SG newsletters detailed the late DAN CURTIS' last project as Consulting Producer on the 2005 ABC series that was based in part on his original cult favorite films "The Night Stalker" and the sequel "The Night Strangler." The network cancelled the series in Nov. and Sci Fi Channel plans to show all episodes - including those not aired by ABC - starting Fri., July 28.

*** NEW DS MERCHANDISE TO DEBUT AT 40th ANNIVERSARY SG has announced and reported about the following new DS collectibles and keepsakes expected to make their first appearance at the Fest convention in August.

--- DARK SHADOWS AUDIO DRAMAS #1 - House of Despair and #2 - The Book of Temptation will debut at the Fest. These original CD stories from Big Finish Productions feature original cast members re-creating theirTV roles: David Selby, Lara Parker, John Karlen, and Kathryn Leigh Scott. Portraying the new character "Ed Griffin" is newly-announced guest actor Jamison Selby, David's son. He was the playwright/director of the first DS sequel audiodrama, "Return to Collinwood," recorded live onstage with 11 original cast members at the 2003 DS Festival.

Note: "Return to Collinwood" CDs are available from MPI and Jamison's actual script is available exclusively from Marcy Robin/ShadowGram.

To note tomorrow's actual 40th Anniversary date, Big Finish Productions will post the cover image for CD #1 on the official CD website - www.darkshadowsreborn.com It shows Quentin and Angelique flanking a mysterious silhouetted figure who is set against a darkly-eerie backdrop of the Collinwood tower.

--- DARK SHADOWS BLOOPERS & TREASURES DVD, new from MPI, will premiere at the Fest. It features a collection of the inadvertent mistakes that occurred when the original DS episodes were "produced live in sequence." There are "dozens of...hilarious mishaps" and "several outtakes." MPI will post information about the DVD later on its website -www.darkshadowsdvds.com - and the DVD should be available in stores in September.

--- DARK SHADOWS - The FIRST YEAR and the DARK SHADOWS 2007 CALENDAR
are slated to be available at the Fest. The book summarizes each individual pre-Barnabas episode and the Calendar features specific photos for each month. SG will update more about these releases as details are confirmed.

--- SG previously announced and now notes other new releases due for the Fest: Books by Kathryn Leigh Scott, Donna McKechnie, and Betsy Durkin Matthes, plus titles by DSOnline writer Craig Hamrick and a Grayson Hall biography by Rebecca Jamison.

*** SG invites all fans attending the Fest and Lara's signings to please share their photos and reports with SG so all SG readers worldwide can enjoy the events with you. Please also send all articles, reviews, and publicity material you may find about the different book, DVD, and CD releases. A Contributor's Copy SG print issue is given in thanks for major sharing.

Thank you.
Marcy Robin

ShadowGram Editor / Publisher
Marcy Robin, P.O. Box 1766, Temple City, CA 91780-7766

New guests: Actors LISA RICHARDS (Sabrina Stuart) and CONARD FOWKES (Frank Garner)

Cool!

The more the merrier, but what about the legendary 'holdouts' (Henesy, Jackson, Moltke) and Jonathan??  After all, it IS the 40th Anniversary!!

ShadowGram wrote:

It is recommended that fans pay for their memberships in advance to ensure attendance at the gathering.

Seriously, don't wait to send your payment.  Attendance for Saturday and/or Sunday may reach the event room's maximum occupancy (since, quoting Charles, "it IS the 40th Anniversary!!"  ), so ticket sales could be cut off for specific days, and only a limited number of banquet tickets are sold each year.

One more thing... 

ShadowGram wrote:

To note tomorrow's actual 40th Anniversary date, Big Finish Productions will post the cover image for CD #1 on the official CD website - www.darkshadowsreborn.com It shows Quentin and Angelique flanking a mysterious silhouetted figure who is set against a darkly-eerie backdrop of the Collinwood tower.

Really looking forward to that! 

The more the merrier, but what about the legendary 'holdouts' (Henesy, Jackson, Moltke) and Jonathan??  After all, it IS the 40th Anniversary!!

I suspect that if they do manage to get any of those four to attend, they won't announce it until the Fest weekend.

New guests: Actors LISA RICHARDS (Sabrina Stuart) and CONARD FOWKES (Frank Garner)

Cool!

Very cool, indeed.  I've always had a soft spot for Lisa Richards, and it will be fun to see dreamy "Frank Garner" make his first Fest appearance,

Actually, it's his second- a very nice man indeed.  It'll be interesting to see both "Frank Garner" and fellow Collinsport lawyer "Tony Peterson" together- Conard had already left the show by the time Jerry Lacy first appeared.

I get more excited about the Festival every day!!!    I've been trying to get Lisa Richards in my book and on a photo I have been taking to festivals for years. I either miss her or she get work, lol. By the way, I hope you do mean Conrad Fowkes. Conrad Brooks shows up at pretty much every convention.  He's a friend of logtime DS fan John Link. Anyway, other than that, he wasn't on the show. (Okay, inside humor for people who know Conrad Brooks.)    Can Elizabeth Eis be next?

Michael   

wow this is great news!!

jennifer

CryrusL, it's spelled Conard Fowkes- actually, he is a descendant of the notorious Guy Fawkes who plottted to kill King James I by blowing up Parliament in the Gunpowder Plot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_fawkes

As to the late Conrad Brooks, here's another DS factoid- he was briefly a brother-in-law to Grayson Hall!

CryrusL, it's spelled Conard Fowkes- actually, he is a descendant of the notorious Guy Fawkes who plottted to kill King James I by blowing up Parliament in the Gunpowder Plot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_fawkes

As to the late Conrad Brooks, here's another DS factoid- he was briefly a brother-in-law to Grayson Hall!

And its spelled Cyrusl like, well, Dr. Longworth. Anyway...
You are correct on Conard. I was afraid I might spell canard.
Now, more importantly, when did Conrad Brooks pass away? I never new him to be late to lunch, much less dearly departed?
And now, please tell, when was he brother-in-law to our dear Grayson?  Inquiring minds want to know!

Michael

The more the merrier, but what about the legendary 'holdouts' (Henesy, Jackson, Moltke) and Jonathan??  After all, it IS the 40th Anniversary!!

Would be fantastic if any or ALL of these ppl showed up, but I ain't holdin' MY breath!    Conrad Fowkes btw is VERY sweet!  Met him at his first Fest which I *believe* was 1997.  He was a very nice and cool gentleman so it will be nice to see him again. 

To note tomorrow's actual 40th Anniversary date, Big Finish Productions will post the cover image for CD #1 on the official CD website - www.darkshadowsreborn.com It shows Quentin and Angelique flanking a mysterious silhouetted figure who is set against a darkly-eerie backdrop of the Collinwood tower.

Really looking forward to that! 

Well, while I'm not all that interested in the audio dramas, I must say that the picture IS very cool!  Wonder who drew it.

The more the merrier, but what about the legendary 'holdouts' (Henesy, Jackson, Moltke) and Jonathan??  After all, it IS the 40th Anniversary!!

I suspect that if they do manage to get any of those four to attend, they won't announce it until the Fest weekend.

For real!  Hey, that's what they did in 1994 when Selby attended HIS first Fest.