DB Sweeney Online

December 16th 1999

Could our dreams come true, and Harsh Realm make a comeback? According to an article on Cinescape Online (12-15-99), this could be the case - or at least we could see the rest of the eight filmed episodes (thanks goes to Lisa and Cynthia for the news):

Though it doesn’t seem possible, there appears to be a new, slim hope that Harsh Realm could return anew. According to the VFXPro website, the effects for program’s run of eight episodes have been finished by the Pixel Envy f/x house. Now, plans are for the series to run in its entirety on the FX cable network starting in March. VFX reports on an unnamed source revealing that even though production has ceased on the program, FX is "considering a possible continuation" of the series should ratings warrant such.
Having said that, one can’t help but wonder if Fox would truly consider bringing back the series with a still active lawsuit over its head by the original comic’s creators, James Hudnall and Andrew Paquette. In addition, if Fox was likely to give the series a chance, wouldn’t they do it on the Fox network rather than their cable outlet? Beyond that, even if Fox gave it a thumbs up again, could they get the cast to return? This one doesn’t seem likely, even if Fox is trying to make nice with Carter.

We can only wait and see. There could be the slim possibility that the cast could return, only if it were the principal characters. Maybe even the writers could take a leaf out of soap opera's book and explain why one of the characters is missing. But I do fear that it's too little, too late...

December 14th 1999

Thanks goes to Lisa for sending me the link to purchase Introducing Dorothy Dandridge at Amazon.com. At the moment it's priced at $79.99 because it's not for retail yet, but this should mean that it is available to rent soon so that's good news for all of you that couldn't see it on HBO. DB is only in it for a very short time, but it is still an intense performance in a very good film.

I'd also like to go back to Harsh Realm for a moment. I've just had the chance to see the three aired episodes (thank you to Nick and Cynthia who were kind enough to send me copies), and, like the rest of you, am thoroughly disappointed and irritated that I cannot see what will happen to these characters. By the third episode I didn't want it to end, I was itching to know more about the relationship between Inga Fossa and Waters, and what had happened between Inga and Pinocchio in the past. We were just getting to understand more of Hobbes and Sophie, and getting to see more of how Harsh Realm worked and who the people were who lived there. Who was shocked when they saw the burn marks on Pinocchio in the real world? I am so annoyed that we can't see more of Pinocchio. He was really a great character, and I'm sure a joy to play. He was unlike anything DB has played before, and a joy to watch too. I loved the sarcasm and the twisted humour. My only hope is that the rest of the eight filmed episodes do get aired, but even then there won't be a conclusion. An ideal for me, if no more episodes were filmed, would be for Chris Carter (or an elected writer) to write a novel that would continue with the story, and conclude it. No doubt there are scripts lying about that reveal much more of the story. This seems to work well for Star Trek, Star Wars et al. But in reality, this is only a pipedream as Chris Carter seems to have already moved on. Has anyone seen any fan fiction on the internet regarding Harsh Realm? If you have, please email me so I can share it with other fans.

December 4th 1999

As Tracey mentioned on the Discussion Board, the trailer for Dinosaur can be seen before Toy Story 2. So if you haven't downloaded the trailer, now's your chance to see it (plus I hear Toy Story 2 is very good :)

November 16th 1999

Thanks goes to Lisa for finding some more information on The Book of Stars, and a small graphic of the poster. More insight is given into what happens during the film, according to the Imdb, DB plays the prisoner:

Director, screenwriter, and IFTW instructor Michael Miner discovered the screenplay for "The Book of Stars" while at The Workshops during the Summer of 1996. Likening the visual language of "The Book of Stars" to "magical realism," Miner recalls as equally magical the moment he discovered the film’s script. "I was teaching a screenwriting class at the Rockport Workshops in Maine and one of the students, Tasca Shadix, brought the script as her writing sample," he remembers. "I immediately fell in love with it." In Shadix’s words "a rumination on loneliness and the need for human contact," the script so impressed Miner that he shared it with longtime partner, Marie Cantin. She found similar inspiration in the story of a dying girl who teaches her older sister how to live, and soon they brought the script to the attention of ShadowCatcher Entertainment.
Fulfilling its mission to mentor new writers as well as directors, ShadowCatcher worked closely with Shadix and Miner on developing the script. "As a ‘writer-sensitive’ company, our rule is to amplify the writer’s own writing rather than impose our ideas," explains Roger Baerwolf, VP of Development for ShadowCatcher. As an extension of that rule, ShadowCatcher flew Shadix to Seattle to be on the set during production.

The film was shot in five weeks in the Pacific Northwest. The film stars Mary Stuart Masterson and Jena Malone as the sisters Penny and Mary, with Delroy Lindo, Karl Geary, and D.B. Sweeney in supporting roles.

Synopsis of the Film
Every day, Mary discovers magic. She finds it in candlelight and memories of the ocean. She sees it in the images that play through her mind and hears it in her sister’s laughter. Despite the illness that has plagued her since childhood, 16-year-old Mary savors every moment. For her older sister, Penny, home is a refuge. In their tenement apartment dappled with color, she can retreat into Mary’s world, away from the streets until nightfall. At one time Penny could sense the same magic that her sister does. But now she can’t believe in anything. Instead, it’s up to Mary to believe for both of them, giving shape to their dreams in the beautiful and mystical volume she keeps — her "Book of Stars and Lovely Things." In the "Book of Stars" Mary traces their years, and when a mysterious young man moves in next door, he, too, appears in the Book. As Mary’s health grows weaker, she hopes that he can touch Penny’s heart — or if not, then their friend, the Professor, or perhaps the prisoner, who writes to Penny, inspired by the poetry she wrote as a girl. People like these, Mary thinks, might form a bridge from Penny’s past to her future because although the "Book of Stars" chronicles the sisters’ life together, Penny must be the one to live out the ending.

November 10th 1999

I have a couple of articles regarding Harsh Realm and its cancellation. I'm glad to see so many of you are writing to Fox to let them know what you think about it. I have even sent a letter to tell them that that there are other people in the world i.e. Britain who were looking forward to watching HR. But while we are out of an excellent TV series, the harsh (no pun intended) reality is that some people are out of a job due to the cancellation. I picked this up from the Fox Harsh Realm forum, and shows how sad this all is:

Hi, all. This is Morgan from Vancouver. I was 2nd Assistant Director on Harsh Realm Episodes 1,3,5,7, and 9. I'm saddened (and, needless to say, unemployed) by Fox's decision to cancel Harsh Realm. We were officially given our notice today at 0930 Pacific Time, and, as I was in prep mode for Episode 9, I was no longer needed at all. I cleaned out my desk and headed to set around noon to visit the even episodes shooting crew, who were still giving 110% to filming Episode 8, despite the fact that they'll all be unemployed by next Wednesday. The mood was somber, but the crew are outstanding, and continued to shoot with their usual skill, enthusiasm and professionalism. Episode 8 is based in post-nuclear attack New York City, and the sets and prosthetic make-up were our best yet. The hardest part of this turn of events is Fox's decision to no longer air Harsh Realm at all, despite the fact that there are eight completed episodes (8 will be finish shooting on Friday). Episode 3 was the last episode you'll see on Fox. I have heard, however, that that the eight complete episodes may be sold to another network, possibly the Sci-Fi Channel or Space, so don't touch that dial!
We all worked so hard, putting in 12-20 hour days every day since July to deliver an exceptional tv adventure, only to have our work discarded by invisible money-counters in LA, who would rather give you voyeuristic 'reality' programming which costs pennies to produce (plus the cost of the dignity of people injured, killed, or made homeless to be used as objects of cheap entertainment for half-witted viewers), than exercise any creativity or take any risks at all. I became a film-maker to tell stories, and Harsh Realm was a very good story, indeed. We had our share of development and script problems, and a few birthing pains, but we made, for you, an adventure. We gave our time, ingenuity, blood, sweat, and tears to entertain you, and it's very comforting right now to see you enjoyed it so much. I'm sorry we'll never be able to see our friends Hobbes, Pinnochio and Florence escape from the Realm (of course, everybody knows Pinocchio preferred life in the Realm anyway), or to see Santiago, Waters and Inga get their due, but that's showbiz. What happens next to the characters is limited only by your imaginations. I hope someone out there with more creativity than I have decides to carry on where we left off. How about a graphic novel series? Get doodling!
Thank you all for your support. See you on the next one.
Morgan
And now back to "America's Scariest Police Chases IV", on NonStop Fox

Gives you all the more reason to write, doesn't it? Next is a piece from Cinescape Online (provided by Lisa), featuring Chris Carter's comments on the cancellation:

X-Files creator Chris Carter seems to have a theory on why his Harsh Realm series was abruptly canceled and he’s becoming steadily more vocal about it. While talking to the NY Post, the producer/director took another shot at Fox entertainment prez Doug Herzog, saying, "I don't think that the man who is running the network now got the show or even watched it. Someone over there made the decision [to yank it]. [Herzog] was the one that delivered the message - so I blame the messenger."
When asked about the program’s progressively lower ratings, Carter responded, "The ratings weren't great, but Harsh Realm was never considered on any other merit."
Carter further suggests that Fox had "decided to put all their eggs into other baskets. The viewer awareness, which had been very high early in the summer, had slipped to a pathetically low number - people just didn't know the show was on. I guess [canceling it] was a quick way of trying to stop the bleeding of a much larger wound."
The Post also contacted Herzog who simply answered Carter’s accusations by saying, "I have enormous respect for Chris Carter's work, and I regret as much as he does the failure of Harsh Realm. But I do believe our ongoing discussions with Chris are best conducted in private, not in the press."
In addition to talking about Harsh Realm, Carter also dropped another hint of what we can expect in the seventh, and possibly final, season of The X-Files. Carter revealed, "We know where we're headed. We're talking about a pivotal two-part episode arc that would air in February that would lead us to the end."

And finally, a more upbeat article that mentions Harsh Realm (from Ken Tucker, writer for Entertainment Weekly). I just wish that the critics had more power to keep HR on the air. The majority of reviews I read were positive (once again, thanks for this article goes to Lisa):

Fans have not been so entranced by other Carter creations. His Millennium - a sort of X-Files with Twin Peaks-style non sequiturs -died a slow three-season ratings death. A Fox press release does list Millennium's Frank Black (Lance Henriksen), however, as making a Files guest ppearance Nov. 28 - can't wait to see who wins the dour-look competition between him, Mulder, and Scully. And Carter's new show, Harsh Realm, featuring Scott Bairstow trapped in a virtual-reality world, was zapped by the Fox network after three episodes. I thought Harsh was nifty; I admired the way Carter and Bairstow made the hero a grungy dope who had to be clued in to every plot twist by a sardonic D.B. Sweeney, and Millennium's Terry O'Quinn made a fine, sneering dictator of the Realm. Realm was pulled way too soon, a victim of Fox's disaster of a new season, with shows launched late and underpromoted. But even had their show been given a chance, Carter and Co. may have underestimated the adolescentization of prime time, something former X-Files producer David Nutter has capitalized on with Roswell, The WB's smart, sleek new series that might have been called My So-Called Alien.

October 28th 1999

Shock. Horror. Dismay. Anger. I come home from a three day break, and this is the news I come back to. I cannot believe it! I should imagine they could hear me screaming in Scotland! How can this happen?! How can those dumb-dumbs at FOX take a show like this off the air in only three episodes?! You can't establish a show well in three weeks! It takes a lot longer than that, especially in shows of this calibre where the characters have more than one dimension. I just don't understand how FOX feels this is a good decision. They've taken a top quality show, with high-calibre actors, high production values, with a tremendous creator and various screenwriters off the air, to replace it with 'The World's Scariest Police Chases #5'. Yes, you read that right. Can't get more of a kick in the face than that, can you? Once more, television is dumbed down. If I was feeling fair, I could see how you could get some kind of entertainment value out of a show like that, but does it make you *think* like Harsh Realm does?

And for Pete's sake, they scheduled the show on a FRIDAY night! *Any* show would have a hard time getting good ratings on this night! How can you compare its ratings to say, a show aired on a Tuesday? It's like comparing apples and oranges. A show like HR has the potential to be aired all over the world, so universal are its themes. And to be frank, how does FOX justify the money it has put into the show, only to take it off the air? That's like buying a £ million house, and not living in it. You may as well get your money's worth out of it. I think about all the hours that the cast and crew have put into creating this show. DB mentioned that he had been working 16+ hours a day. What a waste.

But this doesn't have to be the end. We can rally together, 'troops', and make our voices heard. It may work, as in the case of Party of Five, it may not. But at least we'll know we tried our darndest. Write, phone, fax, email FOX. Let them know how we enjoyed HR. Hey, even if they don't make any more episodes we'd still like to see the eight we know have been filmed. They don't even have to show them primetime. Perhaps they should air them before The X-Files like they should have done in the first place.
You can use these addresses:

Email: askfox@foxinc.com

Write: HARSH REALM
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Bldg. 41 Suite 100
Attn: Harsh Realm
Los Angeles, CA 90035

or:

20TH TELEVISION (Production)
P.O. BOX 900
BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90213-0900

We need to have our voices heard. We've waited too long for this show, only for it to disappear before it's even started. I'll update regularly on this on the coming days. I've got a lot of emails to sift through, and I will add more info when I get it. I am just so disappointed.

October 24th 1999

According to Ultimate TV, The Weekend will be screened at the Hampton's International Film Festival today. Hopefully that means it will be on its way to cinema screens soon! (Thanks goes to Lisa for the info).

October 17th 1999

Attention all chat fans! DB will be taking part in another chat, this time at Yahoo. A huge thank you goes to Megan for telling me about it. It will take place tomorrow (October 18th) at 7pm/ET. You can use this link to visit the page where the link will be held. I think this chat may be easier to access than the TV Guide one, since when a chat is taking place there is an 'Enter' link to another page at Yahoo. But you do need to load some sort of Yahoo software so it might be a wise thing to do this ASAP rather when the chat has started! I apologise for the lateness in this announcement, but I only just found out myself!

October 13th 1999

Despite the unfortunately poor first night ratings of Harsh Realm, it appears that Fox have picked up the series for a total of 24 episodes. Maybe they have more faith in the series than the scheduling reflects. ;)

October 10th 1999

Well, the pilot of Harsh Realm has aired, and as it was to be expected all the feedback I've had from fans is positive. But how has it rated with the rest of the US? According to Harsh Realm Unplugged, it didn't rate too highly on Friday night (now what did Fox expect? Do the people in the scheduling department actually have a clue? Obviously HR deserves more than that? Why couldn't they have placed it before or after The X-Files in a regular slot?). But hopefully it will get the audience it deserves tonight as it airs in The X-Files' usual spot.

More news is that Fox now has its official HR website up and running properly. It has some good info, and features pictures from the second episode of the series. It also has three mini interviews with DB (you will need Real Player to view them). You can visit the website using this link.

October 6th 1999

Just a quick note to say that the time of DB's chat at TV Guide Online has been moved forward to 7pm/ET.

October 2nd 1999

Thanks goes to Dianazz on the Discussion Board for posting a message regarding an online chat with DB. TV Guide Online confirm this as taking place on October 7th at 8pm Eastern time. I assume there will be a link to the chat on the TV Guide website, but if anyone knows any different please let me know. You can send in your questions for the chat to TV Guide by using this link.

September 25th 1999

According to the NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brian website, DB Sweeney is scheduled to be Conan's guest on Thursday October 7th. This should be a really amusing interview since I know that Conan is hilarious (we used to get this show in the UK on cable channel NBC Europe until they decided to merge with National Geographic - meaning no more Conan!)

September 19th 1999

Thanks goes to Lisa for emailing me with news of a release date for Goosed. All you lucky Americans can rent this film exclusively at Blockbuster from September 28th! Hopefully it won't be too long until the film reaches other shores. Lisa also sent me details from the Blockbuster website about this film:

GOOSED - ONLY AT BLOCKBUSTER

Jennifer Tilly
Joan Rivers
Antonio Sabato Jr.
Damon Wayans

Category: Funny
Rated: Youth Restricted
Running time: 83
Released: 1999

Plot: Sexy Jennifer Tilly just wants to get her life started! Her mother insists she marry a doctor, her psychic tells her the dream man is named "Stephen"...So the hunt for "Dr. Stephen" begins. Our heroine must go through boyfriend after boyfriend, trying to find the right combination.

August 29th 1999

You can now find on this website the first picture (well, at least that I've seen) from The Weekend. Italian fan Daniela kindly sent it to me, as well as her spoiler free thoughts on the film. Apparently, DB appears only in blue and white flashbacks and that the film centres around his character. She tells me he gives a very genuine performance. Daniela should be putting more of her thoughts up on the Discussion Board, so if you want to know more about the movie I suggest you read them, especially since it doesn't have a release date in any other country yet. You can view the picture using this link.

August 22nd 1999

Thanks goes to regular contributor Lisa for sending me some news articles regarding the progress of Spawn 2, and other cast members of After Sex:

Cinescape Online (8-17-99). The Spawn 2 screenplay is still being written, but Todd McFarlane Prods. Rep Terry Fitzgerald is sounding positive about a potential film. While talking to the Detroit News Comic Book Continuum, Fitzgerald revealed, "We turn in the script, I believe, next week. Barring New Line thinking the stuff is garbage, we're hoping to start shooting fourth quarter of '99 and get it out third or fourth quarter of 2000."Fitzgerald adds, "It lends itself beautifully to a Halloween-type release. Anyone who was disappointed in the first one because it was too young or too whatever should be pleasantly surprised."

Ultimate TV News. Cortese Joins Shields in "After Sex". Dan Cortese, the "Veronica's Closet" star who got his start on MTV as the host of "MTV Sports," will join Brooke Shields ("Suddenly Susan"), Johnathon Schaech ("Houdini"), Virginia Madsen, D.B. Sweeney ("Eight Men Out") and Maria Pittilo ("House Rules") in the indie comedy "After Sex." Cameron Thor ("Shaded Places") will direct the romantic comedy revolving around the escapades of the characters during wild weekend in Palm Springs.

More news is that Fox has started to develop the Harsh Realm website. At the moment there is only a teaser trailer, but it's worth downloading if you haven't seen any footage yet. The URL is http://www.fox.com/harsh_realm/. Speaking of downloads, if any of you are bursting to see footage from Dinosaur, a trailer has been released to whet your appetite. It took me two hours to download (it's 24 Meg, so make sure you download off-peak!), but it's well worth the wait. No voices are heard, but the footage is amazing. Of course I'm going to be biased, but I think this is definitely a front-runner for the biggest film of Summer 2000. From the way the trailer is designed, it looks like Disney are trying to reach a broad audience with this picture. If you want to download the trailer, you can follow this link, or if you just want to see some stills you can look at the new Dinosaur page on this website by clicking here.

July 26th 1999

I'm really hoping the updates works this time! So I'm going to try and keep it as short as possible, but still give you all the tantalising details!

Firstly, all you Italian DB Sweeney fans better keep your eyes and ears open for any news you may hear on The Weekend, especially because it is due to open on 20th August in Italy (thanks goes to Lisa for drawing my attention to it).

Secondly, the pilot episode of Harsh Realm is now airing later than originally intended. October 8th is the day to set your VCR!

Last, but by certainly no means least, here is the news about After Sex I've been trying to tell you. While I was away from home, a wonderful family member was watching my old faithful(!) Showbiz Today on CNN when they had an article on Brooke Shields. Thinking they may mention The Weekend, she quickly recorded it. No mention of The Weekend, but it was nearly all about After Sex. The piece had some behind the scenes footage of the film. One featured DB and Brooke Shields on a street corner. They hugged, then appeared to turn around and look at something (a car or a motorbike it sounded like). Later, a clip of the film which I assume was supposed to be around the same time as the aforementioned scene featured Brooke Shields crying hysterically towards DB. I will try and transcribe what was said about the film to place here another time. Personally, I was really (pleasantly) suprised to see footage already, since I didn't think anything would appear for a long time yet.

June 26th 1999

A little more news regarding Spawn 2 from Cinescape Online (thanks to Lisa). Even though there's no certainty that DB will appear in the sequel, I still want to keep track of the production in case he is.

White Returning As Spawn?
Michael Jai White, the man who played undead title hero of 1997's Spawn, is saying that he's willing to return to play comics' most popular dead man. While talking to the Mania website, White revealed he he knows about the current status of the film, saying, "There's talk back and forth, but I don't really link on to it until it's more of a reality. I've heard and I'm also hoping that the sequel will be a lot more like the animated series and how the comic series is now, and really focus on the urban horror elements of the character. All I can say is that once they get it together, I'm rarin' to go."

June 22nd 1999

Sometimes I think I'm as blind as the proverbial bat. As Lisa kindly pointed out to me, the majority of the credited male characters are called Steve in Goosed. So you can just ignore the last item of news... ;)

June 17th 1999

A quick piece of news regarding Goosed. The Imdb has changed the listing of DB's character name to Steve Steven, and added the following line about the film: "Jennifer Tilly plays a woman who's told by her psychic that the man of her dreams is a doctor named Steve. Guess who the doctor is?" Hmmm, that's a tough one!
I'd also like to mention that this website has officially been on the internet for over a year now! Doesn't time fly? Anyhow, I'd like to thank all the fans who help make this website what it is, and appreciate the talent that DB has to offer.

June 13th 1999

*Another* new film for DB? Thanks goes to Heather for posting the news about After Sex on the Discussion Board:-

Tuesday June 1, 8:54 am Eastern Time Company Press Release First Miracle Group, Inc. and Emmett/Furla Films Commence Production on 'After Sex' Starring Brooke Shields LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 1999--First Miracle Group, Inc. (OTC BB:MVEE) and Emmett/Furla Films announced today the commencement of principle photography on After Sex. The project, to be filmed in Los Angeles, will be produced by Randall Emmett, George Furla, and Jeff Rice (producers of Speedway Junky), with Executive Producers Tony Cataldo, Menahem Golan, David Glasser and Adam Stone. The film will be distributed internationally through Cutting Edge Entertainment as part of a previously announced multi-picture distribution agreement. After Sex is the sophomore directorial effort of Cameron Thor, director of Shaded Places starring Christina Applegate and Molly Ringwald. The project, based on an original screenplay by Thomas M. Kostigen, stars Dan Cortese (NBC's Veronica's Closet), Virginia Madsen (The Rainmaker), Maria Pittilo (Godzilla), Johnathon Schaech (That Thing You Do), Brooke Shields (NBC's Suddenly Susan), and DB Sweeney (Eight Men Out). After Sex is a touching romantic comedy which examines sex and the "modern relationship" through the eyes of seven young adults. The four men and three women are each forced to deal with the personal turmoil which ensues following a wild weekend in Palm Springs. First Miracle is an independent film production company focused on the development of full-length features in a number of popular genres, including comedy, action, and drama.

And if this does go to plan, it will be the second time DB will be acting with Brooke Shields (The Weekend), and Virginia Madsen (Fire with Fire).

June 6th 1999

More news on Harsh Realm. I found a picture of some of the cast training at Stunt Grunts Training Camp. Top row, left, I can make out as Scott Bairstow, and second from the right looks to me like DB! Stunt Grunts appears to be a company that help the film industry in depicting realistic stunts - to find out more visit their website. I have also found a screen grab of Scott Bairstow from one of the clips I mentioned in the last news item. Both these pictures can be found on my Harsh Realm page.

Important news for those of you with access to HBO - Introducing Dorothy Dandridge will be airing August 21st. Thanks goes to Lisa for informing me and for providing these two brief articles:

June 5-11 issue of TV Guide: (HBO, Aug. 21, 9 p.m./ET) Many actresses vied to depict the tragic life of Dandridge, the first African American to win an Oscar nomination for best actress. Halle Berry got the job. Also starring Klaus-Maria Brandauer, Obba Babatunde and Loretta Devine.

USA Today: "HBO's Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (9 p.m. ET/PT) stars Halle Berry as the first black woman nominated for a best actress Oscar (for her role in 1954's Carmen Jones). Brent Spiner (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and D.B. Sweeney (Strange Luck) co-star. (Aug.21)"

May 26th 1999

Now I don't know if this is old news to you in the US or other places around the world, but I just got my first glimpse of Harsh Realm. I have noticed on the Discussion Board that there have been some commercials screened, but I am unsure as to what these entailed. The excerpts I saw were inluded in the CNN (US) daily entertainment programme Showbiz. A voiceover took over the sound, but what I saw included Scott Bairstow running in front of an aircraft hangar which then explodes; Scott being chased by soldiers whilst carrying a VR character which disappears; and Bairstow confronting DB Sweeney in a bar holding a gun to his head! If anyone could tell me if this is what was shown on the commercials I would greatly appreciate it.

May 12th 1999

The great piece of news I had to mention is that I got another email from DB! He was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to give me some news on what he's been doing. He also helped to set the record straight with regards to characters in Harsh Realm. DB will be playing Mike Pinocchio, Scott Bairstow plays Thomas Hobbes and Max Martini is Mel Waters. So there's a bit of a scoop! To visit the Harsh Realm page, click here. DB says we won't be disppointed with the show, and that it is one of the best roles he's had in a long time. In his opinion, the story is action-packed and romantic, so there's something for everyone. DB also told me that The Weekend is finished, and is now being screened for distributors. Finally, he said that Dinosaur is set for a Memorial Day Weekend opening in 2000. So that's nice news to keep us going, isn't it?!

You may have noticed that my email address has changed to hannah@db-sweeney.com. I had wanted to get a domain name for a long while, so recently I took the plunge and now you can find this website at www.db-sweeney.com. Accordingly, my email address has changed. I will still read mail sent to my old address (since it's a 'vanity' address), but it saves you typing out the old long address every time! So please re-direct your browsers to the new, snazzy address!

May 1st 1999

Have you ever heard of "Lofty's Roach Souffle"? Well I hadn't until Ricci provided me with this very interesting piece of trivia. Lofty's Roach Souffle is the title of one of Harry Connick Jr's albums. Can you guess where I'm going with this? A very odd title one might think, but not so much when you've read Harry's explanation:

In case you're curious about the title 'Lofty's Roach Souffle': Last summer I was in England filming 'Memphis Belle', which is a World War II movie about a B-17. The actors were sent to boot camp at an SAS training ground where we met Lofty. Lofty was introduced to us as the premier survivalist in the world and he showed us one survival tip after another. D.B. Sweeney, who played the navigator in the movie, and I became friends during the shoot. D.B. also happens to be a fine chef, and he quickly noticed that Lofty could make food out of almost anything. Lofty was the master of outdoor cuisine! D.B. figured that Lofty might even be able to make roach souffle. I wrote a song to remind me of this experience.

So D.B. was the inspiration for the title for an album! That must be quite an honour, and definitely something cool to tell your friends! If you want to buy a copy of this album, or just listen to some samples of the songs, use this link to go to the appropriate page at Amazon.com.

Just another small piece of info on The Book of Stars. Someone got to see it at the South By Southwest film festival, and had this praise about it (posted on the Imdb): "This is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen! The music is simply astounding! I firmly believe that Mary Stuart Masterson's performance is her BEST. If you get a chance to see this, DO! Hmmm... I don't think he need to tell us to see it!

Finally, just a note about this website. It's coming up to a year that I have been running it, and I have a couple of changes in mind. So over the next couple of weeks (my free time allowing!), you should see some major changes. I would really like some feedback when it happens, as I don't want to change it for the worst.

April 25th 1999

The 'buzz' continues about Harsh Realm. Thanks goes to Lisa for providing me with this snippet from Entertainment Weekly (April 30th issue, On The Air column):

"And in keeping with Fox's traditionally dark Fridays, Chris Carter's Harsh Realm and the alien-themed Roswell High could make a great end-of-the-week pairing. Of course, that's what some thought about Brimstone and Millennium."

Yes, but Millenium is still on the air. And from what I've read on the story of Harsh Realm, it seems incomparable to the aforementioned show or The X-Files for that matter. To read more on Harsh Realm, use this link.

April 22nd 1999

Thanks goes to Lisa for providing me with news of Spawn 2 from Cinescape Online. Although it doesn't mention D.B. Sweeney, it's good to keep an eye on projects he could possibly be involved in:

No word if it has been given the greenlight, but New Line Cinema now has the first draft of the screenplay for the Spawn sequel in its hands, according to the Detroit News Comic Book Continuum. Scripted by Spawn creator Todd McFarlane and Kindred: The Embraced's John Leekley,the movie is targeting a possible summer 2000 release date.

More movie news. The Imdb has once again placed Goosed on D.B.'s list of credits for which he has a character name, Mel. So that's another one to look out for. The Imdb also features the good tagline for The Weekend in it's listing: There's no future in holding on to the past.. If you want to know more about this film, please refer to April 13th's addition.

April 13th 1999

Thanks goes to Gail with providing me with two reviews, one for The Weekend, the other for The Book of Stars. Now, these are very interesting reviews but be warned! The Weekend review gives something away with regards to D.B.'s character. It's something that would become obvious very quickly, but is still something that I hadn't considered. So if you don't want to know anything about his character, I suggest you don't read it. Click on the above titles to see the pages.

More news on Harsh Realm, kindly provided by Lisa. Both these excerpts are taken from the Daily Buzz website:

The X-Files creator Chris Carter isn't positive his new comic-book based series, Harsh Realm, will be a success. "As I always say, there are a million ways to fail," Carter told Jam!Showbiz. Harsh Realm's debut carries a $6.5 million price tag and is set to air this fall. Stars D.B. Sweeney, Samantha Mathis and Scott Bairstow are shooting the series in Vancouver now. "You put together a cast and you don't have a chance to do anything but hope they have chemistry," Carter said. "You hope that the idea is a catchy one," said Carter. "You pray people will come to watch it and like it, or feel confident there is going to be something to tune back into next week." The storyline focuses on a private eye who searches virtual reality for a missing teenager.

Rachel Hayward and Sarah-Jane Redmond are the latest to join the cast of Chris Carter's new Fox series, Harsh Realm. Both have appeared on Carter's Millennium in the past; Hayward starred in the episode "The Mikado," and Redmond played Frank Black's nemesis Lucy Butler.

You can also read two more new articles on this series (thanks to Cynthia) by clicking here.

Lisa also provided me with a press release from Dorothy Dandridge. To read it, click here.

March 30th 1999

The Imdb has added more cast members to its listing for The Weekend. The film now includes Jared Harris (Richard Harris' son, last seen playing the 'elder version' of William Hurt's son in Lost in Space), and James Duval (mainstream audiences will recognise him as Randy Quaid's son in Independence Day). It also reveals D.B.'s character name as Tony.
It appears that the reason no one knows who's playing who in Harsh Realm is because Chris Carter wants it to stay that way (according to an article published in the April 3-9th TV Guide (kindly provided by Lisa)):

Tired of seeing his X-Files story lines and scripts turn up on the Internet and in tabloids, executive producer Chris Carter is going to extremes to keep details of his next Fox show, Harsh Realm, hush-hush. As production got under way in Vancouver recently, even his own network was in the dark. "I had to find out about casting from someone else," says one Fox source. "We know nothing. He wouldn't even give us a one-liner for the advertisers. Those are the people who buy the show." We can tell you that Harsh Realm is an adventure series about a war-simulation computer program used by the military, starring D.B.Sweeney ("The Cutting Edge") and Scott Bairstow (Party of Five).

You can click here to read two more articles on the series, provided by Cynthia.

March 19th 1999

I'm confused now! The who's who of characters in Harsh Realm may have changed - click here for more details.

March 18th 1999

Well, the front page says it all really, doesn't it?! Officially, D.B. Sweeney will be playing Mike, a soldier sent into a war simulation game five years prior to Hobbes (Scott Bairstow's character). To read what Variety say about Harsh Realm, click here. So if anyone sees or reads any more news about this, please don't hesitate to contact me with it. I would be more than grateful. Considering Chris Carter's track record, this will be a highly publicised show so hopefully soon there will be many articles etc appearing. If you would like to know more about Chris Carter, please visit Cynthia's site 'The Carter File', which is also covering news on Harsh Realm.

March 15th 1999

Exciting news! I'd like to say thanks to Katie for first drawing my attention to this news from her post on the Discussion Board, and to James Hudnall for contacting me. It looks like D.B. is set to star in a new TV Series called Harsh Realm. It will be a futuristic science-fiction show based on James Hudnall's comic book. Here's a snippet of the casting news from the official site:

3/14/99: Fox will make official casting announcements on Wednesday 3/17/99. But according to the Vancouver Province, Harsh Realm's main cast is already in place: DB Sweeney, Scott Bairstow, Max Martinini, and Samantha Mathis. DB Sweeney and Scott Bairstow will play military officers while Max Martinini is Scott Bairstow's character's friend. It didn't say whether Bairstow or Sweeney is Dex.

DB Sweeney was in Strange Luck, Lonesome Dove, Spawn. Scott Bairstow was in Party of Five, Lonesome Dove: The Series, The Postman and was on an X-Files 1st Season episode where he played a preacher's son who could heal people. Samantha Mathis was in Broken Arrow, The American President, Pump up the Volume, and That Thing Called Love. Max Martini was in Saving Private Ryan and Contact.

This is such a great cast too, all with excellent acting backgrounds. I think this is something we can all look forward to with great anticipation. Plus it's being created by Chris Carter who, as all X-Files fans know (including me!), has an amazing imagination and skill in creating interesting and intelligent shows. So it's baited breath until Wednesday when we will know for certain...but in the mean time please visit Harsh Realm's official site for more info that I haven't put here. They've also linked to this site via D.B.'s name which is nice!

March 7th 1999

Thanks to Lisa for sending this little piece on Introducing Dorothy Dandridge:
Q I've heard that Halle Berry will portray the late Dorothy Dandridge in a film about the star, who died mysteriously in 1965 at age 42. But why was Halle Berry chosen over Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston, who also were interested in the project?
A Berry, 30, wasn't "chosen." She got her own production up and running before Jackson and Houston, who'd optioned different versions of the Dandridge story. "Halle desperately wanted to play this role,because she couldn't believe so many people, including herself, were unfamiliar with the life of the first black star to be nominated for anOscar as Best Actress (for Carmen Jones, 1954)," says Vincent Cirrincione, Berry's co-producer and longtime manager. After being turned down by several studios, Berry and Cirrincione reached a deal with HBO, which will air the biopic next summer. Martha Coolidge (Rambling Rose) is directing.
Thanks also so Sue who told me that whilst watching HBO they said that this film would be aired in August.
Also, I realised today that The Book of Stars is still just that, not Books. I guess someone at the Imdb made a typo, and wanting to be as accurate as possible, I reported it as truth!

February 28th 1999

Thanks to Lisa for sending me a piece on the possible Spawn 2. Follow this link to read it. It doesn't mention D.B. directly, but Todd McFarlane says that he would like the original cast to return for the sequel. For those of you who enjoyed Spawn it's a good read on where the story will go next.

February 19th 1999

A brief piece of news on The Book of Stars. I would like to say thanks to Janet for drawing my attention to the fact that it is now called The Books of Stars. It is listed as such on the Imdb. Janet would also like to share that she runs a dove release business in the Greater Seattle/Tacoma area and her birds were used in the filming of this movie last spring. She uses white homing pigeons for the releases. In this instance the birds were taken Crystal Mountain (a ski resort) and released from there. In case you're wondering, the birds all returned safely and have continued to do weddings! Thank you Janet for sharing this with us.

February 14th 1999

More good 'buzz' on Dinosaur. While visiting the Ain't It Cool News website, I came across more news about Dinosaur. Someone had been to a Disney fair and was treated to footage of upcoming films. Here his what the reporter saw of Dinosaur:

They kicked off the presentation by showing what's presumably the first five minutes of the movie, a sequence (coincidentally) similar to the beginning of PRINCE OF EGYPT--an egg that will eventually hatch into the movie's dinosaur hero is punted around like a football by numerous dinosaurs, swept over a waterfall, etc., escaping what looks like certain destruction about 20 times. The dinosaurs themselves look a little plastic, but that doesn't mean the footage wasn't beautiful. The backgrounds look like a combination of CGI and real-world nature footage of rainforests and such with the CGI dinosaurs superimposed on top. Really beautiful--except for the egg-punting, it looked like it could have come off of the Discovery Channel (or a 1950s Disney nature film) if they had time travel at their disposal. From the clip, it was impossible to tell if the dinosaurs will talk or if it's going to be done entirely as a faux "nature film". The release date is set for Memorial Day 2000, making it, if I'm not mistaken, the first 2000 movie to claim a summer release date.

February 7th 1999

Thank you very much to Lisa for sending in the following two pieces of news. One involves A Man is Mostly Water, and the other The Book of Stars:

(LOS ANGELES) - Mark Curry, best known as the star of the long-running sitcom "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper," has been cast as a lead in indie feature "A Man Is Mostly Water." Written and directed by Fred Parnes, the romantic buddy comedy is about three couples in danger of breaking up. Each pair must resolve their issues in order to keep the unions together. Curry plays a successful commercial actor who questions his work and relationship. Parnes, Bill Pullman, Mark Rydell ("For the Boys") and D.B. Sweeney ("Spawn") also star. (The Hollywood Reporter)

This small piece of news is from an interview with Jena Malone. Audiences may know her as the talented young actress who played the younger version of Ellie in Contact, or most recently as Susan Sarandon's daughter in Stepmom. Here she reveals a release date for Stars (say it ain't so!):

Steph says: What are you coming out with after 'Stepmom'?
Jena: I just finished a film called 'For the Love of the Game,' with KEVIN COSTNER and KELLY PRESTON. And before I did an independent film called 'Book of Stars' with MARY STUART MASTERSON, which should be coming out in November.

And finally, here is a brief excerpt on Dinosaur found in 'The Outer Limits' article, February issue of Premiere magazine:

"More recently, Cyra [Technologies] surveyed a hillside in Lone Pine, California, for animators working on Disney's Dinosaur, a film that some say will have more than 1,400 shots of CG dinosaurs roaming in live-action environments. Using Cyra's 3-D Lone Pine model instead of drawing backgrounds, Dinosaur's artists will be able to concentrate on the real stars of the film-the prehistoric beasts."

January 23rd 1999

On the 19th January, the Imdb reported a small piece on Dinosaur (given to me by Lisa). It doesn't say much, but does report on what kind of scale this movie is on:
DISNEY PRODUCING MOVIE BIGGER THAN TITANIC? Disney is planning to produce the most expensive film in its history -- and perhaps in Hollywood history, a $200 million dinosaur movie, created from beginning to end with "groundbreaking" photo-realistic special-effects technology, the London Express reported Monday, without citing sources. Although it was known that Disney had set up a special unit at the former Lockheed Martin aircraft plant in Burbank to work on the film, titled Dinosaurs, the scale of the project had not been previously reported. Unlike Jurassic Park (1993) and other special-effects films, the newspaper said, the entire Disney movie will be computer generated, including scenery. According to the Express, the film is being directed by Eric Leighton (The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)) and is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.

One thing I came across that's not exactly news, but something I wasn't aware of, is that there is a Roommates soundtrack available to buy. Please follow this link to purchase a copy on-line from iMusic.

Last, but certainly not least, I received another email from D.B. Sweeney, telling me that the episode of NYPD Blue he will be appearing in airs February 9th in the US. So I ask all you American fans to please report back on what the episode was about, and what his character was like - but keep it spoiler free!

January 14th 1999

The first news of the year, and it's great news! Seems like D.B. likes working so much that he has yet another film due this year! Thanks to Lisa for drawing my attention to it. So along with the NYPD Blue appearance, we have Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, Book of Stars, The Weekend, and now A Man Is Mostly Water. This peculiarly titled film also stars Bill Pullman and Mark Curry (Mark Cooper on the TV series Hangin' With Mr Cooper). I have so far not found any description of the plot, but it does sound very interesting.
Also, a little news on SUPERSKATE '99. Gerald from New Jersey wrote me an email to say that he saw a brief clip of the game on the 10 o' clock news, and that D.B. appeared in the clip. According to Gerald, he played like a real pro. I think we would expect that now, wouldn't we?!