NEWS ARCHIVES - 1998

December 28th 1998
Live in the New York area, would like to see D.B. play hockey and give money to charity at the same time? Well now you have the chance! Thanks goes to Erin for providing me with this information. On January 8th '99, the New York Rangers will be holding the first SuperSkate, an all-star event to raise money for the NYR SKATE and Christopher Reeve Foundations. D.B., amongst other celebrities, is scheduled to appear and test his hockey skills. Tickets are already on sale. To find out more information and to order tickets, follow this link. If anyone knows if this event is televised, please send me an email so that I can let everyone else know!

December 23rd 1998

Yes, I'm back again for another update. Well, it is Christmas and I'm feeling extra generous! That and the fact I've got a lot to update with. Today's news is that while searching Amazon.co.uk for anything related to D.B., I came across another audio book that D.B. has supplied his voice to. It's called Malice Domestic 3, and is the third in a series of collections of original mystery stories in the style of Agatha Christie. It features the work of Dorothy Cannell, Wendy Hornsby, Joan Hess, and other contemporary authors, and is edited by Nancy Pickard. This particular edition also includes narration by Linda Hamilton. So I've picked up the URL for these books for both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (I've just started using it, and if any British people want to order it's cheaper than getting it shipped from the States). These links can be found on the front page. I look forward to any feedback from those who can either find it in the shops or order and receive it before I do!

December 22nd 1998

Now again, this isn't really news, but just some good links to go to. Once again, thank you to Lisa for providing me with them. The first, about Dinosaur, can be found over on the Links page. It's good, and has some information that I haven't included before. The second, although remotely related to D.B., is a nice story. It's great how everyone remembers The Cutting Edge, especially one of my favourite scenes. To read it, click here. Lastly, if my trivia question has left you pondering, here's the answer: D.B. appeared with the new star of NYPD Blue, Rick Shroder, in Lonesome Dove (Rick played Newt); and D.B. appeared with Gordon Clapp in Eight Men Out (Gordon played Ray).

December 21st 1998

Okay people, you may want to sit down when you read this update. Ready....? Over the weekend I received an email from D.B. himself!! Like some people would be, I was not sure if it was real or not. But he told me some things that no one else could. He gave me a new address for people to write to him (the one formerly posted is now defunct). He also told me about his current projects. Dorothy Dandridge is now called Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. And here's some new news. D.B. said that he is filming some episodes of NYPD Blue to be aired in January. Now I want all of you in the US to keep watch for these episodes because we won't get the new series in the UK until at least May! (Fun trivia question: D.B. has appeared previously with two of the stars of NYPD Blue. Who are they and what were they together in?). He mentioned that he would try and send me updates when he can, which not only would be very kind, but let us hear first hand what D.B.'s been doing. He wrote incredibly eloquently, and helped to clear up the height thing over on the discussion board - he is 6 foot tall! As you can imagine I am thrilled about this (talk about a great Christmas present!), and cannot say thank you enough to D.B. for taking the time to write.
So, don't forget to note down the new address. I do have some other things to update on, but I will do that tomorrow. I'm sure this is news enough for everyone!

December 15th 1998

Okay, so this isn't really news, it's just something fun to read. My regular help Lisa found an interesting link regarding The X-Men. As it occurs, there are people on other sites who regard D.B. as highly as we all do. Follow this link, and look who they would cast as Iceman in their dream X-Men cast...(and it makes for a good read too!)

November 27th 1998

Yes, I'm back from Florida and have finally got round to updating. Before I tell you what D.B. related things I saw there, let me fill you in on the other things. A big thank you goes to Lisa who filled my mailbox while I was away. First, here's some production info on Book of Stars:
Book of Stars
Shadow Catcher Entertainment Feature Film
Filming Dates: June - August, 1998
Executive Producers: David Skinner, Larry Estes
Producers: Scott Rosenfelt, Marie Cantin
Co-Producers: Roger Baerwolf, A.J. Cohen
Director: Michael Minor
Stars: Mary Stuart Masterson, Jena Malone, Delroy Lindo, D.B. Sweeney, Karl Geary
Synopsis: A moving tale of magical realism, two sister's love and the power of fantasy.
Locations: Seattle, Snoqualmie Falls

Second, here's some production info on The Weekend:
The Weekend
Genre: Feature Film
Producer: Ian Benson
Production Company: Granada Film 5225 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 604 Los Angeles, CA 90036
Start Date: Mid-July
Location: London/New York
Director: Brian Skeet
Cast: Gena Rowlands/Brooke Shields/D.B.Sweeney

This is the first I heard of it being filmed in London. I'll find it incredibly frustrating if any on location scenes were filmed there since I live on the outskirts of the city! Thirdly, here's another snippet from an interview with Halle Berry about Dorothy Dandridge from People Magazine November 23rd (D.B. isn't mentioned but it's still interesting):
Having beaten Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and Vanessa L. Williams in the race to play Dorothy Dandridge - the first African-American to win a Best Actress oscar nomination (for 1954's Carmen Jones - Halle Berry isn't worried about hard feelings. "If anybody, I should be the one who's mad," says Berry, 32, who is currently filming the HBO biopic Dorothy Dandridge. "I should be upset that they wanted to do it, because I wanted to do it well before they even thought about it." The actress says she is "scared to death" about the role's vocal challenges. "I'm taking singing classes right now," says Berry. "My final vocals will not be put down until the movie's over. I'm going to go into the studio and cheat every which way I can. But if my singing isn't up to snuff, someone else can sing, and I'll just lip-synch. If I can't provide Dorothy with the best sound, I'll get someone who will."

Ok, now onto my holiday. Obviously I went to all the usual tourist attractions, but MGM Studios was the one I was banking on for Dinosaur info, and they didn't disappoint. I went on the animation tour, where you are taken round to see where the cartoons are actually created (a lot of Mulan was made there, and they are currently working on Tarzan). Anyhow, the first thing I saw was when we were brought into a room to see someone create a character from scratch. But the part that caught my eye was a large picture of a dinosaur on the wall! I can't tell of course if it is the main character, but it looked amazing. The dinosaur itself almost seemed to stand out from the background. On another part of the tour there is a wall with picture of Disney films in production. Dinosaur had about a third of this wall. There were pictures (like stills) of pterydactyls (spelling?!), and other dinosaurs and backgrounds. They all looked majestic and breathtaking. But unfortunately I can't share any photos with you as there were no photos allowed for legal reasons. But I know this film is going to be amazing. Lisa also provided me with a link to a page created by Pau Perez concerning Dinosaur. Instead of copying what he has written, I've provided a link to it on the Links page.
But that's not all. There is a store in MGM which holds old and new movie props, and celebrity clothes etc. It's a really interesting shop to go in. I went in there just for a general look, and to my suprise on a rack found a plastic bag with a sticker saying Roommates on the top. Unfortunately it wasn't a prop, but contained original sheets of stills sent to magazines etc to use as pictures. Of course I bought a copy, and will scan it ASAP, and put it up for all to see. So all in all (along with everything else - including a copy of Heaven is a Playground which is unavailable over here), I had a great holiday!

November 8th 1998

Yet more news on Dorothy Dandridge. Lisa and Gail both informed me of a Variety article written on the set. The article disclosed some important information in that D.B. will be playing a bad guy! He plays one of Dorothy's former husbands, who beat her. Sounds like a meaty role. Anyway, Lisa provided me with the article and here's the link (kept in the Interviews page). Lisa also informed me that she found The Poetry of Walt Whitman audiobook at Barnes and Noble for $13.00. So any fans near one of these stores go out there and buy it! If anyone could provide me with a sound file I would be very grateful (until I find it myself!).

October 31st 1998
More news on Dorothy Dandridge. Thanks goes to Gail who informed me that the 10/27/98 edition of Access Hollywood (ABC) had an interview with Halle Berry with regards to the film. Apparently, HBO intends to air the movie in the summer of '99. Also, thanks goes to regular contributor Lisa, who found a piece on Mary Stuart Masterson which said that Book of Stars has now wrapped. She also found an interesting piece of information regarding audio books. D.B. has supplied his voice to the reading of Walt Whitman poems. The audio book is called 'The Poetry of Walt Whitman', and also features readings by Joan Allen, Roscoe Lee Browne, Jill Eikenberry, Bill Pullman, Roger Rees, Burt Reynolds, Blair Underwood, WilliamWindom, and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. This was up for an Audie Award (audio books) this year, and can be found through Dove Audio. If anyone finds this, please email me, and tell me what you think of it.

October 18th 1998
Thank you to Lisa who provided me with this information regarding the story of Dorothy Dandridge: "HBO has cast Klaus Maria Brandauer in the key role of Otto Preminger for its $8 million movie "Dorothy Dandridge," based on the tragic life of the actress. Dandridge, played by Halle Berry, was the celebrated black movie actress who reached her peak in the mid-'50s when Premingerdirected her in "Carmen Jones" and "Porgy & Bess." Her performance in "Carmen Jones" earned her a 1954 best actress Academy Award nomination. Dandridge and Preminger also had a disastrous love affair."

October 4th 1998
Firstly, here's some more pictures of Dinosaur. I find this whole process fascinating, and cannot wait for the finished result. It's going to be so different from Toy Story, Antz, A Bugs' Life et al in the fact that these dinosaurs are placed in a 'real' environment, not something that exists in a computer. We most recently saw this done to spectacular effect in Starship Troopers, but this was not through the entire film. Granted, they're not going to interact with humans, but the logistics of making something look realistic in a real environment i.e. shadows, reflections, camera angles, is not an easy job, so I'm really looking forward to seeing this film. Anyway, here's those pictures:

More on The Weekend. British film magazine Neon included a synopsis in its 'Incoming' section also mentioning that Deborah Kara Unger (Crash, The Game) is another star:
Director: Brian Skeet
Plot: With echoes of The Big Chill, Skeet's second film (after The Misadventures of Margaret, with Parker Posey) follows seven friends gathering on the anniversary of a friend's death to spend a weekend in an idyllic country retreat. Throughout the weekend, sexual and emotional tensions increase as the group tries to come to terms with feelings of loss and insecurity.

And finally, I recently found some interesting news on the internet that I had never seen before. I was just doing a regular search on D.B. when it came up with something I had never seen before. D.B. was the 'Screenwriter Salon Guest' at the 1996 Seattle International Film Festival. His script, "Flesheaters from Jersey", was read as a special presentation of the Script Read-Through Series at The Screenwriter's Salon. You can see a picture of D.B. at the event in the Miscellaneous Pictures page. So it's old news but something I felt was very interesting.


September 27th 1998
Thanks again goes to regular contributor Lisa for finding more about Dandridge on People Online:
"In other movie news, Brent Spiner, D.B. Sweeney, Loretta Devine and Cynda Williams have signed on for key roles in HBO's "Dorothy Dandridge," starring Halle Berry in the title role as the ill-fated 1950s movie actress."

September 25th 1998
Quite an update today. Seems that there has been a mix-up regarding the name of Dinosaur. Thanks goes to Lisa who provided me with information so we can be clear on the matter (found on a Disney animated features site):"I had originally heard that Dinosaurs had been renamed Expedition. On February 18, I found out that Dinosaurs had not been renamed Expedition and I was mis-informed about the info. The confusion came from back when Phil Tippett was attached to the project back in the late eighties.Since then Phil Tippet has left the project and is no longer involved.Recently, Phil has been giving interviews saying he's involved with a film called "Expedition" which is something he declines to talk about in detail. It is believed that people took old stories of his involvement in our production and his recent comments and put the two together to surmise, incorrectly, that Dinosaur is now called Expedition."
Next, more movie news. I received an anonymous email today informing me it had been reported in the New York Daily News (9/24/98) that D.B. has been cast in a HBO movie called Dandridge, with Halle Berry in the lead role, and Dianne Wiest co-starring.
Finally, thank you to Nick who received one of the first copies of The Cutting Edge soundtrack, and provided me with this snippet from the booklet:
". . .'The Cutting Edge' has accomplished what few films have done following its original release. Since that initial theatrical run, more and more viewers have discovered the movie and, in the process, have made it one of the romantic comedy genre's most entertaining and enduring entries of the past decade. It was one of those rare instances where all of a film's elements came together perfectly, from the witty script by Tony Gilroy to Paul M. Glaser's crisp direction and the performances of and chemistry between stars D.B. Sweeney and Moira Kelly.(emphasis supplied) The film has a certain sweetness and appeal that many contemporary comedies have lacked, evident especially in the way in which viewers have gravitated to the movie since its original release . . ." I couldn't agree more.

September 22nd
Thanks goes to Sandra who pointed me in the direction of this information. It regards Dinosaur, Goosed, and Spawn 2. Even though D.B.'s name hasn't been associated with this sequel, I thought it was worth a mention anyway. Dinosaur has a planned Fall 1999 release, whilst there is the slightly disappointing news that Goosed will have a limited release. Anyhow, read on:
Expedition: A combination live-action/computer animation/stop motion film about why the dinosaurs became extinct. D.B. Sweeney voices the main character, a dinosaur raised by lemurs. When a giant asteroid threatens, the lone dinosaur leads the lemurs to safety, while his fellow dinosaurs become extinct, thus ensuring the rise of the mammals. Kiefer Sutherland, D.B. Sweeney, Joan Plowright, Alfre Woodard, Samuel E. Wright and Juliana Margulies will provide voices. Previously titled Dinosaur.
Goosed: Aleta Helena Chappelle directs this romantic comedy starring Jennifer Tilly as a woman on a quest to marry the doctor (Antonio Sabato Jr) a psychic told her she was destined to marry. John Wolstenholme, Vincent Spano, Marilyn G. Haft, Danielle Harris, Robert Klein, D.B. Sweeney, Jennifer Tilly, Jackie Coppola, Elizabeth Shelton, Joan Rivers, Damon Wayans, and Thomas Haden Church also star. (Tradewinds).
Spawn 2: Michael Jai White is likely to return as the undead superhero with demonic abilities. The sequel is likely to be more serious and much grittier than the original. (New Line)

September 21st 1998
A lot of you will know this already, but I thought I'd better report it anyway. The Cutting Edge soundtrack is finally released September 29th! This just goes to show popular this film is, many years after its release.

>September 10th 1998
Thank you to Lisa who pointed out to me that Brooke Shields was in Cannes this year to promote The Weekend. If anyone has any further information on this I'd love to hear from you. Please feel free to email me.

August 30th 1998
The Weekend has been officially announced on the TNT Roughcut website: "Brooke Shields, Gena Rowlands, D.B. Sweeney and Jared Harris will co-star in The Weekend, about the reunion of three people on the anniversary of a friend's death." This sounds like it's going to be one of those really good, character-driven films. Thanks goes to regular contributor Lisa, for informing me of this information.

August 4th 1998
I recieved an anonymous email today about D.B. Sweeney that I thought I might share with everyone. Apparently, the sender had been able to watch him filming a new movie called The Weekend. It was filmed on location, and the cast and crew used the sender's house as a hang-out area. The film also stars Brooke Shields and Gena Rowlands. Today (August 4th), they are filming in Rhineback, New York. This is a very interesting piece of information, and I thank you, sender.

July 21st 1998
After searching for D.B. Sweeney on search engines, I came across some news with regards to a film he is shooting/has shot. It's called Goosed, and is a comedy from Tradewinds Entertainment with Francis Ford Coppola as executive producer. The film costars Vincent Spano, Robert Klein, Jennifer Tilly, Danielle Harris, Joan Rivers, Damon Wayans and Thomas Haden-Church. It's scheduled release is 1998. I am yet to see/read anything about Goosed, but with such an eclectic cast there's bound to be some news about it soon.

July 15th 1998
After searching for news at the Ain't It Cool News website, I came across some info regarding Dinosaur. Here goes:

Late last year D.B. Sweeney was interviewd on KROQ-FM in the US, where he told the listeners about Dinosaur. Apparently, the dino D.B. voices is the lead dinosaur. According to D.B., 'his' dino is raised by a pack of lemurs, and becomes a saviour to them (he referred to the dino as "the messiah of the lemurs"). The non-CG shots are being filmed in Kauai (I assume to make the background for the animated dinos). The article I read on the website was written on November 3rd 1997, in which D.B. also said that it will be a year-and-a-half to two years before the film is released. So I guess we're looking at a mid-to-late 1999 release - can we wait that long?!
Here's some exclusive pics of those dinosaurs:



Pictures and info courtesy of Disney and Ain't It Cool News

July 13 1998
Thank you to Lisa for this information:

According to the Action! Column of Lisa’s local newspaper, D.B. Sweeney, Mary Stuart Masterson (who played D.B.’s wife in Gardens of Stone), Jena Malone and Delroy Lindo have been cast in the movie “Book of Stars”. Delroy Lindo will play a “literature professor who deeply affects two sisters mourning their parents’ death.” The movie is being directed by Michael Miner, from a screenplay by Tasca Shadix.
(Renee Graham of the Boston Globe, the Hollywood Reporter and Variety contributes to this column.)

Sounds like a good film, doesn’t it?