New Dark Shadows Novel from Lara Parker

Lara Parker (Angelique) has written a new Dark Shadows novel, The Salem Branch, which will be released in July 2006. Here's the text from the back cover as posted on LaraParker.com:

As the original Dark Shadows storyline ended, Barnabas Collins had escaped the curse of the witch Angelique and found his way back to humanity after two hundred years as a ravenous vampire. Now actress Lara Parker, Angelique herself, reveals the next dark twist in this saga of love and cruelty.

Barnabas Collins is ready to embark on a new life and marriage with his savior, the virtuous Dr. Julia Hoffman. But when Antoinette, a beautiful '60s flower child with a shocking resemblance to the immortal witch Angelique, rebuilds the Old House, his past returns to haunt him. Discovering a grisly corpse in the basement -- where his own casket once lay -- Barnabas realizes another vampire has invaded his domain.

Did Antionette summon the vampire or is she as innocent as she is beautiful? And what of her daughter, Jacqueline, confined for delusions of witchcraft, to the local sanitarium?

The roots of the Collins family's power and wealth go deep.... Back to the corrupt witch trials of of Salem itself...

Barnabas's fight to protect his family from this new threat will take him back through time to an evil moment in America's history. Two hundred years ago, Jacqueline's previous incarnation was tried and condemned to hang as a witch in Salem. Desperate, she spilled the blood of her newborn babe to curse the greedy and corrupt judges --including a Collins. How powerful is her malevolent curse, and how much of her fate and her witchcraft does present-day Jacqueline remember?

After a wait of thirty years, the next chapter in the Dark Shadows saga finally unfolds with the full measure of eroticism and spellbinding suspense, and gripping storytelling that made the original television series a timeless hit.

To order Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch by Lara Parker and support this site and Criseyde's David Selby Site with your purchase, click here or use the link below.

Lara Parker and David Selby in Police Woman on DVD

Police Woman - The Complete First Season will be released on DVD in March 2006. The series starred Angie Dickinson as Sgt. Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson of the Los Angeles Police Department and originally aired from 1974-1978.

David Selby (Quentin Collins) made a guest appearance as Nate Fesler during the first season of the series in an episode titled "No Place to Hide." I have some screen grabs from this episode on my David Selby site. Lara Parker (Angelique) appeared as Charlene in the episode titled "Sidewinder."

To pre-order this DVD set from Amazon and support the site through your purchase, click here.

Donna McKechnie to Participate in "A Dancer's Life" Discussion

Donna McKechnie (Amanda Harris) is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion titled "A Dancer's Life" as part of the New York Times' Fifth Annual Arts and Leisure Weekend to be held January 6-8 at the CUNY Graduate Center. Bebe Neuwirth and Kathleen Marshall will also participate. The event will be held January 8 between 12:00 pm and 1:15 pm.

For additional details, please read the news item from Playbill Online.

News on David Selby in End Game

I've just added some information about David Selby's (Quentin Collins) appearance in the movie End Game to my David Selby site. Included is a review of the film from the Hollywood Reporter that refers specifically to David's performance as Shakey.

Check it out:

http://www.ldrweb.com/davidselby

New David Selby Film Project: Spin

Reports on various web sites, including the California Film Industry site, indicate that David Selby (Quentin Collins) is currently filming Spin, an independent feature film about the Latin music industry in America.

David Selby on Inside Appalachia radio program

David Selby (Quentin Collins) was interviewed about his new book, A Better Place, on this weekend's episode of Inside Appalachia, a radio program produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting. The show is now archived on the IA web site:

http://www.wvpubcast.org/radio/insideapp/112605.asp

The interview with Selby begins approximately 35 minutes into the program. This interview will be available online for about a week before it is removed.

Dark Shadows DVD Collection 23

Dark Shadows DVD Collection 23 will be released on March 28, 2006. It will include episodes 2002-2041 featuring Barnabas' and Julia's arrival in 1840. The set includes interviews with television critic Mark Dawidziak, cameraman Nick Besink, Kate Jackson (Daphne Harridge), and writer Sam Hall (husband of actress Grayson Hall).

To pre-order this DVD set from Amazon and support this site through your purchase, click here. To see other Dark Shadows DVD offerings, visit the DVD section of my Dark Shadows Store.

Dark Shadows DVD Collection 22

Dark Shadows DVD Collection 22, containing episodes 1062-2001, will be released on January 31, 2006. This 4-disc set features Barnabas and Julia's strange visit to 1995, their return to 1970, and the events leading up to the 1840 storyline, including the appearance of the ghost of Daphne Harridge. This set features bonus interviews with Kate Jackson (Daphne Harridge), John Karlen (Willie Loomis), James Storm (Gerard Stiles), and cameraman Nick Besink.

To pre-order this DVD set from Amazon and support this site through your purchase, click here. To see other Dark Shadows DVD offerings, visit the DVD section of my Dark Shadows Store.

AOL and Warner Brothers Launch In2TV

Today, America Online and Warner Brothers announced a new broadband service called In2TV that will offer classic Warner Brothers television series on demand with limited commercials. Among the series to be offered when the service debuts in January 2006 are Falcon Crest, featuring David Selby (Quentin Collins) as Richard Channing, and Scarecrow and Mrs. King, starring Kate Jackson (Daphne Harridge).

Complete details are contained in the AOL press release.

James Storm on Stage in California

As recently reported by Shadowgram, James Storm (Gerard Stiles) is currently appearing on stage as Baylor in the Athena Theatre's production of Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind at the Flight Theatre at the Complex at 6472 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood. The play opened on October 27 and will continue through November 20. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm.

A Lie of the Mind received the New York Drama Critics Award for Best Play of the Year when it was first presented at the Promenade Theater in New York City in December 1985. The play tells the story of two families torn apart when a husband brutally beats his wife. James Gammon portrayed Baylor in the original Broadway production.

For additional information, please visit the Athena Theatre's web site. The site includes a video trailer for the production with images of James Storm.

Jamison Selby Movies

For years, Dark Shadows fans have tossed around the name of David Selby's (Quentin Collins) son as an interesting bit of trivia. Jamison Selby was named after the young boy played by David Henesy in the show's 1897 storyline. In 2003, however, Jamison Selby earned his own spot in the Dark Shadows world by writing Return to Collinwood, a radio drama styled sequel to the original series that was performed at the Dark Shadows Festival in Brooklyn. He penned a sequel to it, Vengeance at Collinwood, which was performed at the 2005 Dark Shadows Hollywood Weekend.

Selby was not the first child of a Dark Shadows actor to be involved in a later incarnation of the show. Matthew Hall, son of actress Grayson Hall (Dr. Julia Hoffman) and writer Sam Hall, was one of the writers for the 1991 Dark Shadows series, which was recently released on DVD.

In addition to his writing, Jamison Selby has done some work as an actor. One of his films, Puddle Cruiser, will debut on DVD in early December. The film stars Jay Chandrasekhar as a college student trying to woo another student whose ex-boyfriend is a rugby player named Traci Shannon, portrayed by Jamison Selby in a supporting role.

If you would prefer to see Jamison Selby in a lead role, then check out One Take. The film focuses on his character's journey after mysteriously receiving a photo in the mail of himself with his dead girlfriend.

David Selby Movies Coming to DVD in November

A couple of David Selby's (Quentin Collins) movies will be released on DVD in November.

Girl in Blue, which is also known by the title U-Turn, stars David Selby and Maud Adams. This Canadian film was originally released in 1973. Here's how the film is described:

Scott Laithem (David Selby) is a successful corporate attorney who seems to have it all: money, a nice apartment and a devoted girlfriend, Bonnie (Gay Rowan). However, what he doesn't have is the beautiful blonde woman (Maud Adams) he saw four years earlier, but never knew. Feeling the pressure of Bonnie's need for commitment, Scott decides one morning to search for the "one that got away"...the Girl In Blue. His search is romantic, funny, exciting and passionate. This is a story of love and desire - of dreams and memories. It is unguarded ardor, both emotional and sensual, smoldering in the wake of a moment.

The Affair was originally released on DVD in 2004. David Selby has a very brief appearance in this film which has been repackaged for sale at a lower price. Here's how it's described:

Trapped within the modernist confines of her remote canyon home and stifling marriage to her uptight architect husband Paul (Horatio LeDon), lonely housewife Jean (Kelsey Oldershaw) finds liberation and comfort in the arms of Viggo (Andy Mackenzie), her free-wheeling and decidedly bohemian lover. Somewhere between the extremes of her new-found freedom and the ordered structure of her marriage lies the path to true happiness... if only she can find the way.

Click on either film's title above or use the links below to purchase them from Amazon and a portion of the proceeds will help to support my web sites. Thanks!

New Book by David Selby

A Better Place, the latest book by David Selby (Quentin Collins), was released in October 2005. Here's how the publisher describes the book:

A Better Place is a loving tribute to West Virginia. The book is part memoir and part social commentary by native West Virginian David Selby, who has had a long, distinguished acting career. He is probably best known for his roles as Quentin Collins on the TV series Dark Shadows and Richard Channing on Falcon Crest.

In A Better Place, Selby re-visits the West Virginia of his youth and examines the lasting effects of an Appalachian upbringing. He voices concerns about current problems facing West Virginia, concerns he feels compelled to face in the wake of 9-11.

Some chapters are touchingly devoted to family members, such as "The Carpenter," his hard-working father’s story, and "A West Virginia Doctor," about his father-in-law who founded a hospital in Mullens. He writes with reverence about his mother who grew up in a coal camp, but upon leaving it, never looked back.

Selby discusses the state’s absentee landlords, pollution, and chronic appearance at the bottom of most national indicators of health and well-being. He compares out-of-work Latinos in L.A. to unemployed coal miners in West Virginia. Selby examines the pride and prejudice of mountaineers. He quotes his favorite authors as he tries to make sense of a chaotic world but looks toward a hopeful future for West Virginia.

A heartfelt and genuine look at West Virginia and its people.

The book is available from The West Virginia Book Company.

New Look for News Page

In order to make the News page of the site a little bit easier to update, I've moved it to Blogger. Hopefully, this will make for more frequent site updates.

Dark Shadows Alumni on Rockford Files First Season

The first season of The Rockford Files comes to DVD on December 6, 2005. A number of Dark Shadows cast members made appearances on The Rockford Files during this season, which originally aired in 1974-1975.

Roger Davis (Peter Bradford) and Abe Vigoda (Ezra Braithwaite) appear in "The Kirkoff Case." George DiCenzo, who was Dark Shadows' associate producer but went on to an acting career, appears in "Tall Woman in Red Wagon." Lara Parker (Angelique) appears in "Sleight of Hand." Thayer David (Prof. Stokes) appears in "Say Goodbye to Jennifer."

If you're interested in purchasing this DVD set, please use this Amazon link so that your purchase will help support my web site. Thanks!

Dark Shadows' Hannah Stokes Dies

Paula Laurence (Hannah Stokes) died on October 29 at the age of 89. Laurence appeared in the 1970 parallel time storyline as the aunt of twin sisters Angelique and Alexis Stokes. Interviews with Laurence appear on Dark Shadows DVD Collection 20.

Though her role on Dark Shadows was brief, Laurence was far more familiar to Broadway audiences for a career that spanned almost 70 years. To learn about her stage career, read her obituary on the Playbill web site.

Dark Shadows DVD Collection 21

Dark Shadows DVD Collection 21 will be released on November 22, 2005. This 4-disc set features episodes 1022-1061, which occur during the 1970 parallel time storyline. To pre-order this DVD from Amazon and support this site through your purchase, click here. To see other Dark Shadows DVD offerings, visit the DVD section of my Dark Shadows Store.