Friday, January 27, 2006

Grayson Hall's Oscar-Nominated Performance Coming to DVD

Before she worked on Dark Shadows, actress Grayson Hall (Dr. Julia Hoffman), wife of Dark Shadows writer Sam Hall, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work in Night of the Iguana, a film adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play directed by John Huston. She portrayed Judith Fellowes. The cast included Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, and Deborah Kerr.

Night of the Iguana is scheduled to be released on DVD on May 2, 2006. To order a copy of this title and support the site through your purchase, please click here.



Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Reserve Your Room for the Dark Shadows 40th Anniversary Weekend Now

The following information comes from Shadowgram Update #146:

**** DARK SHADOWS 40th ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND

To commemorate 4 decades of DS, the DS Festival is presenting the show's official celebration August 25-27, 2006, at the newly-remodeled New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. Over a dozen of the original DS actors will participate in this extra-special occasion, featuring dramatic performances by the stars, autograph sessions, new DS memorabilia, banquet dinner, and many surprises. Membership rates and specific guests and activities still are being planned.

This SG Online Updates List and the upcoming SG #107 print issue will announce confirmed details when they are set. A Fest postal mailing should be sent soon, at which time fans can also receive updates via the website www.darkshadowsfestival.com . Persons who send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Festival address will receive earliest notification. Send your SASE to Dark Shadows Festival, P.O. Box 92, Maplewood, NJ 07040.

It is highly recommended that all fans who plan to attend the 40th Anniversary event make hotel reservations immediately before the hotel sells out of rooms, as is usually the case with the DS conventions. Please note: The cut-off date for this room block is July 31. If rooms are needed after this date, they will be handled on a 'first come, first served' basis, based upon the hotel's availability. So please make your reservations before the date indicated above.

You can receive the special, reduced DS sleeping room rate of $153 + tax per night (single-double occupancy) by making reservations online or by phone. The hotel provides the following information.

Online: Go to their website - www.brooklynmarriott.com - and follow these instructions:
- On the opening Home Page you will see an information box titled; Check Rates & Availability.
- Enter arrival/departure information, and number of occupants staying in the room.
- Just below you'll see a section for; Optional Information.
- There is where you can enter your Marriott Rewards Number, and if you do not have one, please let them know so they can sign you up to start earning points or miles for every dollar that you spend with Marriott.
- Just below that is an area for your Group Code. Please enter the following 7-character code: DARDARA
- Then follow all other prompts and instructions.

By phone: You may call the Brooklyn Marriott directly on the phone to make reservations at toll-free number (888)-436-3759. Ask to be connected with the reservations department.
- Have a credit card and Marriott Rewards Number in hand, and if you do not have one, let Marriott know so they can sign you up to start earning points or miles for every dollar that you spend with Marriott.
- Let the reservations person assisting you know that you would like to make a reservation for a group block, and give them the following information:
- Arrival/Departure information.
- Group Name: DARK SHADOWS
- Then answer all other questions pertaining to personal information.

Transportation: The Brooklyn Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is just a couple of minutes from lower Manhattan and is easily reached via subway, buses, taxis, car services, and rental cars. A parking garage is adjacent and the hotel is accessible from JFK and LaGuardia Airports.

All fans joining us at the coming Fest are invited and encouraged to please share their photos and reports with SG.
The Dark Shadows 40th Anniversary promises to be one of the biggest and best-ever DS conventions, so don't miss out!

Dark Shadows Gets Dolled Up

As reported in the recent Shadowgram email update, Majestic Studios will begin shipping their new series of Dark Shadows 12-inch figures in February 2006. Three figures will be offered: a 1960s Barnabas Collins, a 1795 Barnabas Collins, and an 1897 Quentin Collins.

The 1960s Barnabas Collins and the 1795 Barnabas Collins each comes with three interchangeable heads: regular, vampire, and aged. The 1897 Quentin Collins comes with two interchangeable heads and matching hands for his human and werewolf forms.

The figures are available online from Monsters in Motion. They currently sell for $39.99 each.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Criseyde's David Selby Site Updates

Over the course of the past few weeks, I've added several news items to my David Selby site. Some of the information has also appeared here, but here it is again in a single post. Updates include:
  • Information about the DVD release of the first season of Police Woman. David Selby appears as Nate Fesler in the episode "No Place to Hide." Screen captures are available on the site. (Lara Parker also appears in an episode in this collection.)
  • Information about the first Region 1 (U.S./Canada) DVD release of Raise the Titanic, the 1980 film based on the Clive Cussler novel starring Jason Robards, Richard Jordan, David Selby, Anne Archer, and Alec Guinness. Screen captures and production stills are available on the site.
  • Information about the DVD release of the third season of The Waltons. David Selby appears as art teacher Joshua Williams in the episode "The Romance." A link to screen captures from this episode is included. (Kathy Cody appeared in the following week's episode.)
  • A link to the official Spin web site. David Selby appears in this film as record company owner Rob Polan. Filming wrapped in December, and the final product should be ready by the spring. The site features images and a preliminary version of a trailer. David can be seen in both the images and the trailer.
  • Information about a couple of David Selby movies that are available for free online viewing from CinemaNow. One of these, King of the Olympics, is a rather hard to find title.
All new material is accessible via the "What's New" page of the site:

http://www.ldrweb.com/davidselby

Thursday, January 12, 2006

The Waltons: The Complete Third Season on DVD

In October 1974, David Selby (Quentin Collins) guest starred in an episode of the third season of The Waltons. In "The Romance," he portrays Joshua Williams, Olivia Walton's art teacher. Joshua Williams holds the dubious distinction of being the only character other than Olivia Walton's husband to have kissed her during the entire run of the series.

Images from this episode are located in the Photo Gallery of my David Selby web site.

David Selby would team up with Waltons creator Earl Hamner again in the 1980s when he appeared as Richard Channing in Falcon Crest, another Hamner series.

Kathy Cody (Hallie Stokes) made an appearance as Audrey Butler in "The Ring," the episode that aired the week following Selby's appearance.

The Waltons: The Complete Third Season will be released on DVD on April 25, 2006. To order this DVD from Amazon and support this site via your purchase, please use this link.




Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Raise the Titanic Surfaces on DVD

Raise the Titanic, which made its theatrical debut in 1980, will finally be released on DVD in the United States on January 24, 2006. The film has been out of print on VHS for some time, but it has been available on DVD outside the United States.

Raise the Titanic stars Richard Jordan, Jason Robards, David Selby (Quentin Collins), Anne Archer, and Alec Guinness. It is based on the bestselling novel by Clive Cussler. The American military races to raise the Titanic believing that the ship contains a rare material that could be critical to the Cold War.

Photos and screen grabs from Raise the Titanic are posted in the Photo Gallery of my David Selby site.

The new DVD release will be a double feature that includes Man Friday, a reworking of Robinson Crusoe starring Richard Roundtree and Peter O'Toole. To order this DVD from Amazon and support this site via your purchase, please use this link.


Monday, January 09, 2006

Donna McKechnie Cabaret Performance in NYC

Donna McKechnie (Amanda Harris) will appear alongside Brian Stokes Mitchell and Penny Fuller at the Rainbow Room in New York on Monday, January 23. Their cabaret-style program is titled An Intimate Night and is part of the Manhattan Theatre Club's annual Winter Benefit. For more details and a recent photo of McKechnie, see the complete article from Playbill Online.