Criseyde's David Selby Site Update 4/29/06

A few odds and ends:

• Information about David's possible participation in a touring version of L.A. Theatre Works' Caine Mutiny Court-Martial has been added to the Upcoming Appearances section of the News page.
• The premiere date for Black Hole has been added to the Events Calendar on the What's New? page and to the News page.
• Information about a second book signing in Morgantown held this past week has been added to the Recent Appearances section of the News page. Anyone who attended is invited to share photos on the site.
• The oft imitated and sometimes flat-out duplicated Biography page has been updated to include recent projects.

http://www.ldrweb.com/davidselby

New Book by the "Other" Victoria Winters

When Alexandra Moltke (Victoria Winters) left the cast of Dark Shadows due to her pregnancy, a couple of other actresses took a stab at playing the part. One of them was Betsy Durkin, who now goes by the name Betsy Durkin Matthes.

Matthes has written a new book, Dressing the Man You Love: A Woman's Guide to Purchasing, Coordinating and Caring for His Classic Wardrobe. It is scheduled to be released on June 1, 2006. You can read more about Matthes and her book on the book's official web site.

Special thanks to Craig Hamrick who first posted about Betsy Durkin Matthes and her new book on his Dark Shadows Online site.

Use the link below to purchase a copy of the book from Amazon. Sales generated through this link will help to support this web site at no additional cost to you.

New Dark Shadows Audio Dramas

On April 10, 2006, Shadowgram Update #149 announced that new Dark Shadows audio dramas will be produced by Big Finish Productions, a British company who is also behind a Dr. Who audio drama series.

Dark Shadows cast members first reunited to produce an audio drama continuation of the series at the 2003 Dark Shadows Festival in Brooklyn. Return to Collinwood, written by Jamison Selby, son of David Selby (Quentin Collins), was performed live at the Festival and then recorded in a studio for release on compact disc from MPI Home Video, the company behind the Dark Shadows video releases.

Jamison Selby penned a sequel, Vengeance at Collinwood, which was performed at the 2005 Dark Shadows Hollywood Weekend. It has not been released on compact disc.

On April 15, 2006, Big Finish Productions announced the new Dark Shadows audio drama series on their web site. Four single-disc audio dramas are slated to be produced, and the first two will debut at the 2006 Dark Shadows 40th Anniversary Celebration in Brooklyn in August. You can read the complete release here. The official web site for the new audio series is www.darkshadowsreborn.com. It will launch on June 5, 2006.

Diana Millay in The Man from UNCLE

The first season of The Man from UNCLE, starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, is scheduled to be released on DVD in July 2006.

Diana Millay (Laura Collins) appeared on the first season of The Man from UNCLE as Ernestine Pepper in an episode titled "The King of Knaves Affair." This episode originally aired in December 1964, a few years before Dark Shadows debuted on ABC.

To order the first season of The Man from UNCLE on DVD and support this site through your purchase, click here.

Update: This title has been removed from Amazon due to a dispute over the DVD rights. If and when the matter is resolved and the set is made available, an update will be posted on the site.

Dark Shadows Meets The King of Queens

Dark Shadows and its fan conventions were mentioned on a March 2003 episode of the CBS series The King of Queens. The main plot of the episode involves Doug's machinations to get out of attending the opera with Carrie. A subplot focuses on Spence's girlfriend's objection to his attending a Dark Shadows convention. The episode is titled "Cowardly Lyin'," and it is featured on The King of Queens: The Complete Fifth Season, scheduled to be released on DVD in June 2006.

Watch Dana Elcar in Falcon Crest Online

Dana Elcar (Sheriff George Patterson) appeared in three episodes of Falcon Crest as vintner Carl Reed. One of those episodes, "The Tangled Vines," is currently available for online viewing through AOL's In2TV service. In2TV is a free broadband television service.

Click here to access Elcar's episode.

Click here to read the AOL In2TV system requirements.

Donna McKechnie to Participate in Summer Music Theater Immersion Experience

Donna McKechnie (Amanda Harris), who won a Tony for her performance as Cassie in A Chorus Line, will participate in the Summer Music Theater Immersion Experience at the New School for Drama in New York. The three-week program features master classes taught by visiting artists including McKechnie.

For more information, visit Playbill Online.

Dan Curtis Obituary and Guest Book

A paid obituary for Dan Curtis, Dark Shadows creator and producer, appeared in the Los Angeles Times today. The obituary includes a link to a guest book to post condolences.

Thanks to Midnite who first posted this information on the Dark Shadows Forums site.

Dark Shadows Creator/Producer Dan Curtis Dies

Dan Curtis, the creator and producer behind Dark Shadows, passed away this morning at his home in California. For additional details, please see the AP Wire story, available on the San Luis Obispo Tribune web site.

Donna McKechnie to Appear in Baltimore

Donna McKechnie (Amanda Harris), who received a Tony Award for her performance as Cassie in A Chorus Line, will perform as part of Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway at the Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center in Baltimore, Maryland. The event will take place on Friday, April 7, at 7:00 PM.

For ticket information and a recent photo of McKechnie, read the article from BroadwayWorld.com.