November 11, 2000
A DreamWorks come true
There are only 10 days until Gladiator
hits streets! DreamWorks expects the $158 million epic to be the
biggest selling DVD of the year. To ensure this, the studio is launching
its biggest single campaign ever. The multi-million dollar ad campaign will
primarily focus on the DVD, that features: more than four hours of supplemental
enhancements including 11 deleted scenes, a one-hour history of gladiators
from TLC , and more.
November 6, 2000
Rematch for Gladiator
Proximo will soon return to the screen,
albeit your TV, with the November 21st release of Gladiator on VHS
and DVD. The latter features four extra hours of gladiator history, ranging
from the ancient world to more recent, behind the scenes, folly. Included
is a tribute to the late Oliver Reed. The four-minute montage, cut together
from outtakes of the hell-raising actor, is set to Sid Vicious' rendition
of "My Way" The only barrier to the plan is the music rights,
which are owned by Sid's old band, the Sex Pistols. Director Ridely Scott
says, "I would like to think the Sex Pistols would say, 'Oh f*** it,
let's give it to Ollie...', but it may come down to whether we have to pay
for performing rights and whether DreamWorks say it's worth it. It's very
amusing and very emotional and moving because right at the end Ollie says,
'That's enough for now...'"
November 3, 2000
A Howling Success
It was a great Halloween this year in the
States since cable stations set the scary season into action, showing two
of Ollie's classics. TNT aired The Curse of the Werewolf, while the
science fiction channel showed The Brood--all in one night!
October 31, 2000
Hallowscreen
Just in time for Halloween is a frightening
past appearance by Oliver Reed on ITV's special It Shouldn't Happen to
a Chat Show Host. Although the holiday of Halloween may elude British
viewers, the program doesn't.
August 24, 2000
Must-sea TV, from across the pond and back
Americans and Brits can both celebrate
Reed with upcoming television broadcasts. In the states, a program called
Jeremiah is set for PAX TV, Sunday August 27th at 9:00 ET. It stars
a Patrick Dempsey as the prophet and..."the late Oliver Reed opts for
low-key deviousness as Shapan, a power behind the Hebrew throne."
While in England, the spirit of Ollie surfaces in Saturday August 26th (9.00 p.m.) when Channel Four begins their Hellraisers series. Described as an 'affectionate look at celebrities who are as famous for their wild behavior as they are for their work, it features Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Keith Moon and others. The documentary which follows The Real Keith Moon will also be of interest to Reed fans, as they were friends.
August 15, 2000
For the record
With the rediscovery of a 20-year-old recording
by Oliver Reed, EnterCor Entertainment will release it as an Internet download.
The recording, The Man That You Have Made, will become available
at www.entercor.com/ente/proowtbup.htm in mid-August "We recently found
a copy of the recording which we believed had been lost,'' Lee Johnson,
the president of EnterCor, who worked with Reed two decades ago, said. ``After
getting permission from Reed's family, the tape was cleaned up digitally
and a music bed was composed by Robert Schroder of Johannesburg and Mark
Stang of Vancouver.'' The recording was made in London when Reed was performing
in a rock opera called The Ancient Mariner that was based on the
classic poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Reed's daughter Sarah has endorsed
the release of the lost recording. ``Not only is it a tribute to him, but
it is a project that he would have wholeheartedly backed,'' she recently
said.
August 14, 2000
Winning the Crowd!
According to the Hollywood Reporter (July
25-31 issue) Gladiator is the first film of 2000 to make the exclusive
Top 50 Box Office Champs of All-Time roster. With $378.9 million
and still climbing, the film is currently ranked at the number 39 spot.
However, it is likely Oliver Reed's last film will move up more notches
since it is still collecting tickets worldwide and is retaining a top 20
rank in domestic markets.
August 2, 2000
Haunted by Evil Spirits
The Daily Mail (UK) published an extract
from a new Oliver Reed biography. Author Cliff Goodwin apparently focuses
on Ollie's supposed deep-seated misogyny. Entitled Evil Spirits and
published by Virgin, the book is due out on September 7th.
June 29, 2000
Fizzed out
Looks as though Britain's Channel 4 has
rescheduled the airing time for The Good, The Bad and The Bubbly
. It was not telecast last Saturday, as announced.
June 20, 2000
The Good, The Bad and The Bubbly
Apparently, tales of Ollie (along with
his old mate Keith Moon) will appear in a program The Good, The Bad
and The Bubbly to be shown on Channel 4 this Saturday, June 24th,
at 9:00 pm. Bottom's up!
June 1, 2000
All 
robes lead to Rome
Congrats to the lucky bidder who won the
Proximo robe fromGladiator. The black cordoroy and
white cotton costume worn by Oliver Reed in his last performance sold for
$4,050.00. Although this auction has closed, additional auctions selling
Oliver Reed items (tapes, etc.) can be accessed by pressing the amazon.com
icon and typing "Oliver Reed" into the search.
May 25, 2000
Examining Gladiator
If the PEOPLE article listed
below is not enough for youGladiator fans, the May 16th issue
of The Examiner also focuses on how director Ridley Scott spent $3 million
using high-tech trickery to master Oliver Reed's appearance in scenes that
could not be reshot or rerecorded after his death. Information on how they
used a body double for Reed is also included, as well as two photos of him
from the film.
May 15, 2000
From mags to riches
While Gladiator is bringing
in millions (it's been number one at the box office), this week's issue
of PEOPLE magazine (dated May 15, 2000) reveals how Oliver Reed's
last scenes in the film were made. In addition to the cinematic secrets,
the scoop sports a great color photo of Reed as Proximo in Gladiator.
Get your copy and immediately check page 18!
May 8, 2000
Deadication
Instead of saying "in memory of Oliver
Reed", the critically-successful film Gladiator
runs the line "dedicated to our
friend Oliver Reed" with the end credits. The tribute is modest, yet
very moving.
April 25, 2000
FYI on HBO
With the emergence of the blockbuster-bound Gladiator , HBO will be airing The Making of
Gladiator on a daily basis, starting
April 27th. This show will be part of the DVD package of Gladiator,
but Dreamworks isn't planning on releasing the DVD until the fall of 2001.
April 18, 2000
Gladiator is packed with power
The word on Gladiator is
out! Inside Hollywood sources who have seen sneak previews of the Ridley
Scott epic say the film is powerful. They confess a few script revisions
were made to accommodate Oliver Reed's real-life death, resulting in his
reel-life death. Reed's major speech (that was never shot with him) has
apparently been given to co-star Derek Jacobi. Sources also reveal producer
Steven Speilberg intends to dedicate the movie "in memory of Oliver
Reed."
March 30, 2000
Award-Winning Eulogy
As predicted, Oliver Reed's image was internationally
broadcast during the 72nd Academy Awards Telecast on March 26th in their
homage to stars who have recently passed on. Introduced by Edward Norton,
the segment included clips of Reed from Oscar-acknowledged films Women
in Love and Oliver! The piece was among the show's
highlights. For more news on the Oscar telecast, go to http://geocities.datacellar.net/movias/on3.html and http://geocities.datacellar.net/movias/c3.html.
March 23, 2000
Memorable Memorial Montage
For those watching the SAG awards,
there were more surprises than seeing Michael Caine win best supporting
actor. Yes, the posthumous appearance of Oliver Reed in Women in Love
could be seen for seconds during the show's montage of actors who died in
1999. For more of the same, check out this Sunday's international telecast
of The Academy Awards. No doubt Reed will be seen as Athos
or Bill Sikes during their film farewell.
March 8, 2000
Make room on the shelf!
A new book on Oliver Reed is in the works.
Written by the son of Reed's friend, this text promises to offer a personal
view of the man behind-the-scenes. Because the book is still in the early
stages, there is an opportunity to get involved. If you have any personal
or candid photographs of Reed during the 1960s, please contact Grant Scott.
January 16, 2000
Entertainment Yearly
Entertainment Weekly's 2000 Year Book covering events
in 1999 (including a half page farewell to Oliver Reed) is on bookstands
in the U.S.
January
9, 2000
Get Ready, Set VCRs, and Go...
..to channel four for the long awaited Oliver Reed documentary.
The Real Oliver Reed will air Thursday night, January 13th.,
exactly one month before Ollie's birthday.
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