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Topics - Midnite

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1516
Calendar Events / Announcements '03 II / Site with Fest Photos
« on: October 04, 2003, 06:02:55 PM »
dMike's Dark Shadows Festival Experience

Click on Erfette's Photos

Some nice pics of the DS actors, and a few DS Forums cousins...

1517
Testing. 1, 2, 3... / For members with AOL, Compuserve, and Road Runner
« on: September 16, 2003, 05:12:34 PM »
Good news!

During registrations we were asking all cousins to not use aol.com, cs.com, or rr.com addresses in their profile.  This was because the forums were unable to get mail through to providers that used AOL servers.  As a result, several members were forced to open yahoo or hotmail accounts, and their cooperation in continuing to list those addresses in their profile has been much appreciated.  But I'm happy to report that the problem no longer exists and these cousins are now free, if they wish, to begin using their AOL, Compuserve or Road Runner addresses here.

Please note that ANYTIME you change the email address in your profile, a new password is generated by the system, so you may want to make that change only after finishing the session on the boards because as soon as the change is made you'll be returned to the login page and must log in with your new password in order to access your account again.

Please do keep your address current.  There's an option within your profile to keep it hidden from the public.  Here's the procedure for changing the email address in your profile:

Click "profile" in the horizontal menu at the top or bottom of any forum page
In the top section titled "Required Information", enter your preferred email address.  It's very important that it be correct and complete.
Enter your current password on the next line.  You are asked to enter it only once.
Click "Change profile"
Your new password should arrive shortly in the [new] mailbox.  If it's not received in a reasonable period of time, please contact an administrator at mysteriousb@dsboards.com or midnite@dsboards.com.  You probably want to note those somewhere in the event you find yourself in this position.

The password that the forums give out is hard enough to remember, but you can change your pw back to the one you had before or to one you've made up yourself by following this procedure:

Log onto the forum, if necessary, using your current password
Open your profile
In the top section titled "Required Information", enter your current password
Scroll down to the section titled "Preferences" and enter your desired password twice (next to "Choose password" and "Verify password")
Click "Change profile"

Many thanks to Cassandra for volunteering to act as our tester.[92c5]Without her help, we wouldn't have been able to pass this info along.  :D

1518
Calendar Events / Announcements '03 II / New publication: "Dark Shadows: A View of Collinsport"
« on: September 04, 2003, 03:39:50 AM »
The following is from dslosty@pipeline.com:

Just to let you know that I have finally received the books from the book
binder. I took some to the recent DS NYC fest and they were a hugh
success! If you still wish a book, please send the following monies by
money order or check (if by check allow for 10 days to clear).

Book: 19.95
S/H 3.80
----------
23.75
1.30 (insurance--optional )
-----------
25.05

Please send selected amount to the following address:

Bethany Press, LLC
P.O. Box 151
Bethany, CT 06524

Thanks for your interest. (P.S. if you want the book autographed, please
let me know in your letter)
FYI - The book is an illustrated guide to locations from the movies and series, with proceeds benefitting the restoration of some of these places.

1519
Current Talk '03 II / How bizarre!-- SciFi repeated an episode
« on: September 02, 2003, 03:22:27 PM »
Did anyone else watching DS on SciFi this morning see a repeat of last week's final episode?

1520
Current Talk '03 II / Reminder: No DS on Monday, Sept. 1
« on: August 30, 2003, 05:30:46 PM »
DS is pre-empted for the Labor Holiday, but you probably knew that. ;)  SciFi is airing an Outer Limits marathon instead.

None of the DS actors ever did OL, right?  I can't recall a single one, anyway.

1521
Calendar Events / Announcements '03 II / 2003 Fest pics
« on: August 29, 2003, 11:38:51 PM »
The 1st photo taken and sent via PCS Vision phone...

Josette's portrait from the '91 series, on display before it's sold during one of the weekend's charity auctions

1522
Testing. 1, 2, 3... / Using multiple YABB tags
« on: August 19, 2003, 05:57:07 PM »
Adding a single YABB tag to text or image is pretty easy (I hope you've all tried it in your posts!), but it gets a bit more involved when you want to apply more than one effect to the same text or image.  To add more effects, you need to add more tags to the existing tag, which is referred to as nesting tags.

For example, if you have text you want to italicize, you would wrap your text with an italics tag, like this:
Code: [Select]
[i]TEXT[/i]
But let's say you also want to bold and underline that same text.  To get those additional effects you'd add more tags:
Code: [Select]
[i][b][u]TEXT[/u][/b][/i]
The opening tags could have been entered in any order, but the closing tags were added in the exact opposite order, like this:
Code: [Select]
[tag1][tag2][tag3]TEXT[/tag3][/tag2][/tag1]
Overlapping tags is never a good idea; they can confuse your browser and produce undesirable results in your posts.  Here's an example of overlapped tags:
Code: [Select]
[i][b][u]TEXT[/b][/i][/u]
So for the best results, the rule of thumb is to close your tags in the opposite order you opened them.  And on behalf of all the mods, thank you!  :D

1523
Calendar Events / Announcements '03 II / Happy Birthday to The_Ghost_of_Sarah_Collins
« on: July 19, 2003, 05:38:11 AM »

Happy Birthday
to
Ghost of Sarah Collins


Hope you have a lovely day!

1524
Current Talk '03 II / Angelique Stokes Collins (de Winter)
« on: July 13, 2003, 01:17:38 AM »
Though it's debatable whether RT Angelique genuinely loved Barnabas, we know why she never put a spell on him to force him to love her (she wanted him to come to her willingly, blah blah) and so she used his little sister, etc., to get to him.  But I can't recall similar discussions about PT Angelique.  So...

Do you think PT Angelique really feels anything for Quentin?  Do you think she ever did?

Instead of risking his life (see Raineypark's post about Ange's incompetence) to get Maggie to return to Collinwood just so she could toy with her, why didn't Angelique put a spell on Quentin to make him fall for her instead?

These questions have been discussed here before, but since we have many new members...

Do you think Angie's other men-- Bruno, Cyrus, Will, Dameon, Trask, Roger-- were once her lovers?

How would you explain a 30 year old woman (according to her gravestone) being mother to Daniel (who was played by a 13 year old actor)?

If you think it's necessary, please use spoiler code:
Code: [Select]
[spoiler]spoiler goes here[/spoiler] out of respect for our newbies. :D

1525
Calendar Events / Announcements '03 II / Thursday's birthday
« on: July 03, 2003, 06:20:35 AM »
Happy Birthday

Cassandra Blair!

Hope your special day is wonderful

1526
Calendar Events / Announcements '03 II / 2003 DS Festival news
« on: July 03, 2003, 04:52:23 AM »
From pansyfaye@darkshadowsfestival.com


The Brooklyn Marriott Hotel, location of this year's 20th Annual DS Festival convention, has sold out of sleeping rooms for the Festival weekend, August 29-31, Labor Day weekend.

However, arrangements for Festival overnight sleeping rooms have been made at the neighboring Marriott Financial Center Hotel, 85 West Street, NYC 10006, located just two subway stops away in nearby lower Manhattan.  Festival attendees will receive the same special discounted room rate of only $135 per room + tax (1-4 people per room) at the Marriott Financial Center Hotel.

You must mention Dark Shadows to obtain this reduced room rate.  Call the Marriott Reservation line at 1-800-242-8685 or the Marriott Financial Center Hotel directly at 1-212-385-4900. The special Dark Shadows rate may also be obtained by going to the Marriott website at www.marriott.com, clicking on the New York Finacial Center Marriott, and entering the following special code: DWSDWSA.

Hotel rooms at the Financial Center Marriott are limited, so fans who have not already reserved a room at the Brooklyn Marriott are encouraged to do so at the Financial Center Marriott as soon as possible.

As previously announced, the new play,"Return to Collinwood," will premiere at the Festival.  The original DS actors will recreate their characters onstage in this dramatic sequel to the TV series, which will be performed one time only on Sunday afternoon, August 31.

The Festival is changing its format from a full-scale, three-day convention after this 2003 gathering.  Different events are planned for the future, where guests and fans can still enjoy DS together.  For additional Festival information, go to www.darkshadowsfestival.com

1527
Testing. 1, 2, 3... / Glow, Shadow
« on: July 01, 2003, 05:47:03 PM »
I'm playing around with the codes for shadow and glow, but will let the codes display to hopefully help someone else learn to use these features...


SHADOW

Code: [Select]
[shadow=lime green,2,4]TEST[/shadow][shadow=lime green,2,4]TEST[/shadow]
this is how the Help file says to do it [shadow=color,glow width,#characters wide], but I think it looks darn ugly and not at all like the demonstration shown there


Code: [Select]
[shadow=purple,left]TEST[/shadow]TEST


Code: [Select]
[shadow=red,right]TEST[/shadow]TEST


Code: [Select]
[shadow=yellow, left]TEST[/shadow][shadow=yellow, left]TEST[/shadow]
to space or not to space after the commas?-- apparently it doesn't matter


GLOW

Code: [Select]
[glow=color,glow width,#characters wide]text goes here[/glow]also in Help file under Posting, YABBC


Code: [Select]
[glow=red,2,4]TEST[/glow]TEST


Code: [Select]
[size=5][glow=red,2,4]TEST[/glow][/size]TEST
size tags don't work on the outside of glow tags (which proves that size matters only if you know where to put it, heh)


Code: [Select]
[glow=red,2,4][size=5]TEST[/size][/glow]TEST


Code: [Select]
[glow=red,5,4][size=5]TEST[/size][/glow]TEST


Code: [Select]
[glow=green, 2, 4]TEST[/glow][glow=green, 2, 4]TEST[/glow]

Code: [Select]
[glow=green,2,300]TEST[/glow]TEST


Code: [Select]
[move][glow=yellow,5,300][color=red][b][size=5]TEST[/size][/b][/color][/glow][/move]TESTPLEASE note that to insure your multiple codes will work in SE, place your codes as mirror images of each other on the different sides of the text.


Feel free to reply to practice or ask questions.  BTW, "glow" and "shadow" do not work in Netscape, and "move" doesn't work in the Netscape versions that are compatible with the forum.

1528
Calendar Events / Announcements '03 I / DC DVD Review #2 - "The Turn of the Screw"
« on: June 14, 2003, 09:54:19 PM »
Here's the 2nd review of a Dan Curtis movie coming to DVD that will appear in Filmfax #97 (available next week).  The issue, which can be ordered at www.filmfax.com or found at Borders, Barnes & Noble, Tower Records, and other comic/sci-fi shops, will also feature interviews with DC as well as KLS and Lara Parker.  This is posted here with permission of the author, David Nahmod.  Many thanks, David!


"The Turn of the Screw" (1973) MPI Home Video. 118 minutes. $14.98.
118 minutes. Written by William F. Nolan, from the Henry James story.
Music by Robert Cobert. Produced and Directed by Dan Curtis.                                                                                           
What is considered by many to be the greatest Victorian ghost story
ever written is given a decidedly tame treatment by Dan Curtis, the
creator/producer of Dark Shadows.
The tale of a repressed Victorian governess battling the spirits
possessing her young charges was considered quite shocking when it was
first published in the late 1800s. The ghosts of Peter Quint, the
handyman, and Miss Jessell, the former governess, were involved in all
manner of "sinful" behavior that seemed to continue after their deaths.
Throughout the story, it is hinted that the children, Myles & Flora, are
not only possessed, but may be involved in Quint's & Jessell's perverse
behavior. In her battle to drive the spirits out of the house & free the
children, the new governess is forced to deal with her own sexual
repression.
Daring material indeed for the Victorian age. In some circles, this
story would be considered too strong even today. The book was superbly
adapted for the big screen by Jack Clayton in 1960, as "The Innocents",
and was also done as a theatre piece and an opera. I'm afraid those
versions are far superior to this one.
What's missing from this version is atmosphere. Dan Curtis made the
fatal mistake of shooting on video. Video's clarity of image can work in
a controlled studio setting, as it did on Dark Shadows. But Curtis took
his cast and crew to an English country manor house. Shot on location in
often natural lighting, the film looks and feels more like a Jane Austen
romantic comedy than a ghost story. Worse, Curtis chose, for some
unexplained reason, to shoot select outdoor scenes on a grainy film
stock. This might have worked if Curtis had done this with the ghostly
scenes only, as a way of setting them apart from the rest of the film.
But the switch from video to film seems almost random.
When Miss Cubberly (Lynn Redgrave) drives up to Bligh House in her
carriage, it's film. When she steps out of the carriage in front of the
house, it's video. When she and the children leave church on Sunday
morning, it's film. When they visit Peter Quint's grave in the
churchyard one minute later, it's video. The effect is pointless,
distracting, and annoying. Curtis needed to decide which medium he was
shooting in.
The film is not without merit. The script, by William F. Nolan, is quite
well written, and captures the nuances of Victorian language and
sensibilities. The chats between Miss Cuberly and Mrs. Grose, the
housekeeper, do much to develop both characters. When Cuberly realizes
what Quint and Jessell are up to, and that they're involving the
children, her shocked reaction is absolutely believable, in part because
the dialogue reveals the depths of her repression. Lynn Redgrave, of
course, is a superb actress in total control of her craft.
Megs Jenkins in equally wonderful as Mrs. Grose, the same role she
played in "The Innocents". Curtis was so enchanted by her performance in
the earlier film that he could see no one else in the role. Megs
Jenkins, who passed away in the late 1990s, was a superb old school
British character actress. Though never a household name, she worked
steadily in British film & theatre, and could always be counted on to
give a flawless performance.
Young Jasper Jacob is brilliant as Myles, the possessed child. About 13
here, Jacob is amazing in scenes where he presents himself as a boy
respectful of his elders. Yet seething beneath the surface of his good
manners is Peter Quint's raging evil and sexuality. The scene where he
says "let me kiss you goodnight, my dear", as Miss Cuberly turns away
from his lips will have you cringing in discomfort.
Sadly, too many of Dan Curtis' choices spoil the effect. The brightly
lit, shot on video interiors create no mood at all. The sets desperately
needed some of the "Dark Shadows" that Curtis employed on his famed TV
show. And after awhile, the jarring jumps from video to film make you
want to scream!
There are also two shots where the microphone is in full view of the
camera. These kinds of flubs were cute and charming on Dark Shadows, and
in fact became part of that show's appeal. But here it's amateurish.
Dark Shadows fans will love Robert Cobert's familiar score, which is
well suited to stories of this type. And look for Dark Shadows' Kathryn
Leigh Scott, seen briefly and silently as the ghost of Miss Jessell in
exactly six shots. Scott was doing a play in London when Turn of the
Screw was shot. She and Curtis met for dinner to discuss old times. She
did her cameo for her old friend for fun.
MPI's DVD presentation of Turn of The Screw is quite good. The full
frame picture is clear and sharp, as is the sound. Extras include an
English subtitles option, and interviews with Redgrave and Curtis. The
interviews, shot recently, are very well done. The two obviously like
each other, which is always nice to see. The interviews, shot
separately, cut back and forth between the two as they underscore each
other's points, and provides a lot of background information not only on
the production, but what led Curtis to it. I do wish he had talked about
the Quentin Collins character on Dark Shadows. Quentin was introduced as
a ghost on the show in late 1968, in a story loosely adapted from The
Turn of The Screw. Though the source material was not credited, it was
very obvious that Quentin was a stand in for Quint. The show even
recreated two scenes from James' story, albeit with different
characters.
All in all, Dan Curtis' Turn of the Screw is a decidedly mixed bag. In
spite of it's good points, I'm not sure it's worth two hours of your
time.

                                   -------David Nahmod

1529
Calendar Events / Announcements '03 I / DC DVD Review #1 - "The Picture of Dorian Gray"
« on: June 14, 2003, 09:40:15 PM »
Here is the first of 2 reviews of Dan Curtis movies coming to DVD, both to appear in Filmfax #97 which will be available next week.  The issue, which can be ordered at www.filmfax.com or found at Borders, Barnes & Noble, Tower Records, and other comic/sci-fi shops, will also feature interviews with DC as well as KLS and Lara Parker.  The review is posted here with permission of the author, David Nahmod.


"The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1974) MPI Home Video, $14.98. 111 minutes.
This 1974 production, shot on video for TV, is the latest of several
post Dark Shadows projects of Dan Curtis to be released on DVD.
Dorian Gray is perhaps the most famous book written by the legendary
author/actor/humorist Oscar Wilde. Wilde, who did jail time in the 1890s
for the "crime" of being gay, often wrote of that era's hypocrisy,
usually in a humorous vein. Dorian was a far cry from his usual
lightheartedness.
Now considered a "horror classic", Gray is in fact a morality fable.
It's a tale Dan Curtis was most familiar with. In 1969 he did a loose
adaptation of it on Dark Shadows. Werewolf Quentin Collins (David Selby)
was cured of his lycanthropy through a magical portrait that turned into
a werewolf in his place. The portrait did double duty. Like Dorian Gray,
Quentin did not age, the portrait did. But unlike the Gray story,
Quentin Collins went from being a cad to a sexy, 100 year old anti-hero.
This production returns to the specifics of the Wilde tale. It is the
best of the three classic tales that Curtis produced for late night TV
in the 1970s.
As he usually does when presenting a classic horror tale, Curtis relies
exclusively on Robert Cobert's famed Dark Shadows score. This always
works well. Cobert's orchestrations are richly eerie. Curtis' tradition
of featuring former Dark Shadows cast members in small roles is in
evidence here with the presence of the wonderful character actor John
Karlen. Karlen has made a splash twice in the horror genre, as Dark
Shadows' Willie Loomis, and in the unusual, highly regarded cult film
"Daughters of Darkness" (1971).
Being shot on video, Dorian Gray cannot escape it's made for TV roots.
Having said that, let me also say that it is very well done. Cast
primarily with highly recognizable British character actors, it is
flawlessly performed. Nigel Davenport is wonderfully menacing as the
manipulative, sarcastic Lord Henry Wotton, possibly an alter ego to
Wilde. He greatly enjoys making witty quips about society's hypocrisies.
He also takes great pride in having influenced young Dorian to live a
life of sin and sleaze.
Shane Briant as Dorian is well cast. A 1970s "pretty boy", Briant's
full, sensual lips, wavy blonde hair and bedroom eyes succeeds in
convincing that his beauty and demeanor could first enchant, then repel
everyone he meets. Briant, who starred in several Hammer films,
continues to act in British theatre and television to this day. He's
more than just a pretty face. He can act. When Dorian watches his
portrait both age in his place and reveal the sins of his soul, his fear
is convincing.
This Dorian Gray is able to touch upon themes considered taboo when MGM
filmed the story in 1945. That production, though well made and acted,
could not show Dorian sinking to the depths of the depravity he sinks to
in the Curtis version. Nor could a 1945 film allude to Dorian's sexual
escapades with men. Though in 2002 many may take offense to the newer
film's implication that merely indulging in gay sex indicates depravity.
Shot both in studio and at several English townhouses, the sets and
costumes are authentic and well appointed. The lighting is imaginative,
creating a "dark shadowy" atmosphere that makes the production feel more
like a horror film than a morality fable. Though slow and talky in
parts, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a well made piece that fans of
Dan Curtis' work and Oscar Wilde's story will enjoy.
Being a made for TV film, this is of course a full screen presentation.
Color, sound and print quality are clear and sharp. The only extras
beyond chapter search are a Spanish language track and English
subtitles.
One final historical footnote: When the 1945 version was screened on TCM
recently, host Robert Osborne pointed out that it was the publication of
this story that set Oscar Wilde's legal troubles in motion. All the
"sexual depravity" in the story tipped Victorian audiences off that
Wilde might not have been adhering to the era's code of conduct.

--------David Nahmod

1530
Current Talk '03 I / Best and Worst of Leviathans
« on: June 14, 2003, 08:52:26 PM »
Now that "Leviathans" is a not-so-distant memory and we're packing away our snake jewelry and getting over our fear of funhouses, I thought it might be fun to read how others would respond to these questions.  Answer any or all, and feel free to expound if you wish.

Don't forget-- this is for the Leviathans storyline only.  Does anybody need an explanation of how to copy and paste the questions into their reply, or how to get them there using the quote feature?


Most welcome character (the one you were happiest to see)?

Your favorite character in Leviathans, period.

Favorite duo (non-romantic)?

Favorite romantic pairing?

Favorite minor character?

Most irritating character?

Scene(s) you can watch over and over and over and...?

Most wasted opportunity?

Best plot twist?

Creepiest moment or event?

Which scene had you yelling at your TV screen the loudest?

What moment made you cheer the loudest?

Moment in which you most wondered, "What were the writers smoking?"

Event or revelation that made you ask, "What were the writers smoking?"

Favorite quote?

Favorite prop?

Favorite special effect?

Least favorite special effect?

Favorite outfit?

Ugliest outfit?

Stupidest continuity error (the most horrendous job of retconning in this storyline)?

What scene had you closest to tears (because it was so touching)?

What scene had you closest to tears (from laughing)?

Moment or event that made your jaw drop the farthest?

What nagging question were you left with?  (Uh, try to narrow it down, please. :))

Finally, what was your reaction to the storyline the very first time you watched it?

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