H2G2 on Blu-Ray disc the 23th January

he Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is one of the first Disney Buena Vista movies to be released on the new video format, Blu Ray, 50GB and dual-layer discs. It will be realeased on the 23th January 2007 along with other BVI titles like Chicago, The Guardian and Casanova. It will be released in US and Japan (I'm not sure about other countries).

Commenting on the announcement, an official from Buena Vista stated, "BVWHE is thrilled to kick off 2007 with this 50GB slate of Blu-ray releases. We're movingforward into an exciting future with these dual-layer discs, which offer the maximum capacity for bonus materials and expanded content. We continue to forge new frontiers with our Blu-ray discs and to further explore the seemingly limitless boundaries of creativity the format allows. We've just begun to cultivate the future growth of our industry with Blu-ray."

It is quite ironic because it seems that the Blu-Ray H2G2 disc will include no new material not even the "Don't crash" documentary which is still avalaible only on the UK 2 DVD set.

Some links :

More details CDJapan (with japanese cover) Amazon.com

Fifth Douglas Adams Memorial lecture on 15th March 2007

Gareth Suddes, from the excellent "Another chance to see" blog, had the new first.

"Details have been announced for the Fifth Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture. The presentation will be made by Dr Richard Leakey and is entitled "Wildlife management in East Africa – Is there a future?".

"Richard Leakey is a paleontologist, archaeologist, conservationist an author of several books including the acclaimed wildlife management book Wildlife Wars: My Battle to Save Kenya's Elephants. In this talk Dr Leakey will draw on his own experiences in Kenya as founder and Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service and as the Head of Kenya's Civil Service to reflect on the successes, current problems and future challenges facing wildlife management in East Africa. "

The lecture will take place at 7.30pm on Thursday 15 March 2007 at the Royal Geographic Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7. Tickets will be £12, with a pay bar before and after the Lecture, and they are available now from www.savetherhino.org or Zoe at Save the Rhino, Email: zoe_AT_savetherhino.org."

Full details here

Out of the trees in London the 2nd December !

A long-thought-lost comedy will be on show at National Film Theatre's (London, UK) : "Out of the Trees" (BBC 1976), Graham Chapman (from Monty Python's fame) and Douglas Adams' comedy pilot which features Maria Aitken and cast members from Adams' Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (Simon Jones and Mark Wing-Davey).

According the guys at Some of the corpses are amusing : "So what was Out Of The Trees? It was a comedy sketch show starring Graham Chapman and a team of semi-unknowns including Simon Jones and Mark Wing-Davey (later to play Arthur Dent and Zaphod Beeblebrox in Hitch Hiker's ) along with Roger Brierly, Tim Preece, Maggie Henderson, Jennifer Guy, Maria Aitkin and Marjie Lawrence. Sub-titled 'The End of the Road Show' , it was recorded in October 1975 and broadcast only once, at 10pm on January 1976. And if the show itself lives up to the script then we have a lost classic here, guys".

more infos about Out of the trees here

For more infos about the event, check right here

William (new voice of the guide) Franklyn has died aged 81

I'm deeply sorry I missed the info, but William Franklyn has passed away at the end of october from a prostate cancer. As the BBC says "His 50-year career encompassed TV, radio, film and stage, appearing in episodes of The Avengers and The Scarlet Pimpernel among many others. He also appeared in television shows such as Top Secret, Splitting Heirs and Ooh, You Are Awful".

He will be best remembered by us of couse for his work on the new Hitchhiker's radio series. He was the voice of the book in the Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential phases. He replaced his old friend Peter Jones who was of course the legendary voice of the book in the original radio series and in the BBC TV series.

H2G2 Tertiary phase Audio DVD launched!

Just a quick news to help you remember that the H2G2 tertiary pahse audio DVD is now avalaible on bbc shop or on amazon.co.uk or in any good shop in UK. No date for a US release yet and no indication about the release of audio DVDs for quandary and quintessential phases. Everything is possible if they sell enough DVDs of the tertiary phase in the UK market.

There was a press launch on Tuedsday 3rd October in London with Dirk Maggs and Geoffrey McGivern.

US premiere of DIRK tonight and on stage in LA till the 3rd December

The US premiere of Dirk, the play, will be staged tonight by Road Theatre in Los Angeles at 8 PM (local time).

DIRK will play September 29 to December 3, 2006, playing Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The production will be dark on November 24 for Thanksgiving.

Where? -

The Road Theatre Company 5108 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood CA 91601 (2 blocks South of Magnolia in the NoHo Arts District) Note: Listings should be under main heading of Road Theatre Company not Lankershim Arts Center

When? -

Previews: September 26th, 27th & 28th at 8 p.m. Opens:Friday, September 29th at 8 p.m. Runs: Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Closes: Sunday, December 3rd Dark: Friday, November 24th for Thanksgiving

TICKET RESERVATIONS: (866) 811-4111 OR BUY TICKETS ONLINE: www.roadtheatre.org PRESS RESERVATIONS: Call Marci Hill (310) 877-2868 LADCC, ADA, OVATION VOTER RESERVATIONS: Call (818) 761-8829

Preview Tickets: Opening Night Gala Tickets: Regular Tickets: $15 $35 $20

H&T just wrapped their new movie

Just got this mail from Garth Jennings, director of the H2G2 movie, and who is working with Nick Goldsmith on their new movie "son of Rambow : a home movie" : "All is well here. we wrapped the movie on Monday afternoon. The shoot was a very big success and the post production is already in full swing. ".

Great news. Can't wait to see the movie. Of course a lot of the guys who are part of the Hammer & Tongs family and worked on the H2G2 movie are also working on this new movie : composer Joby Talbot, Dominic Leung (film editor), Joel Collins (production designer),...

If you want to get more informations about Son of Rambow check the official movie website

Douglas Adams exclusive pics at douglasadams.se!

Some time ago, Duke already published some private photos of Doulgas Adams taken by his friend and neigbour Chris Ogle. We had the oportunity to see great pics of Douglas and his family on vacation (skiing in Telluride, March 2001 & celebrating Christmas in Fiji, 2000).

Now Duke has published nine new assorted private photos also taken by Chris Ogle. If you want to see Douglas in everyday life action, you can't miss these moving or funny pics.

Chris Ogle pictures of Douglas are here !

H2G2 tertiary phase DVD-A details and cover !

Finally the long wait is almost over. The H2G2 tertiary phase DVD-A is almost here with 5.1 surrond sound mix, behind the scene video, photo gallery, audio extras and a complete version of the Krikkit song.

According to the great Kevin Davies (H2G2 expert and who filmed the H2G2 new radio series recordings), the behind the scene videos will include :

"Online Trailer Arthur and Ford - Together Again Marvin and Zem The New Voice of the Guide Stereo Heads - Zaphod & Trillian

All featurettes are widescreen, including the trailer which was standard ratio 4:3 online. Approx 31 mins of video content altogether.

The "improbable speed" film on Above The Title's website showing the goings-on in studio during the recording of the Q-Phases is naturally being held back for that series DVD-A should this first one prove successful...

...Which it will!" (posted on douglasadams.se forum)

Well you can already pre-order the DVD at the BBC online shop. The official release date is the 2nd October.

South bank show & Hyperland on Guba.com

Two great items for Douglas Adams fans are now easily avalaible for free to download on guba.com. If you type Doulgas Adams, you will currently find two rare vids : Hyperland and the South bank show.
- Hyperland is "one-hour documentary produced by the BBC in 1990, Douglas falls asleep in front of a television and dreams about future time when he may be allowed to play a more active role in the information he chooses to digest. A software agent, Tom (played by Tom Baker), guides Douglas around a multimedia information landscape, examining (then) cuttting-edge research by the SF Multimedia Lab and NASA Ames research center, and encountering hypermedia visionaries such as Vannevar Bush and Ted Nelson. Looking back now, it's interesting to see how much he got right and how much he didn't: these days, no one's heard of the SF Multimedia Lab, and his super-high-tech portrayal of VR in 2005 could be outdone by a modern PC with a 3D card. However, these are just minor niggles when you consider how much more popular the technologies in question have become than anyone could have predicted - for while Douglas was creating Hyperland, a student at CERN in Switzerland was working on a little hypertext project he called the World Wide Web..." (source : douglasadams.com).
- The South bank show was aired in 1992 on ITV when "Mostly Harmless" was released. It features interviews with Douglas, Stephen Fry, Richard Dawkins, John Lloyd, Geoffrey Perkins... There are also some intercut dramatic scenes whith characters from Douglas Adams' books (Simon Jones & David Dixon are here of course but there is also Michael Bywater who plays Dirk Gently)

New audiobook versions of H2G2 read by Martin Freeman

In April 2005, Pan Macmillian published a new movie tie-in edition of The Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy audiobook read by Stephen Fry (who is also well known for being the UK voice for the Harry Potter books and who was of course the narrator in the H2G2 movie). Surprisingly, Pan Macmillan has decided to publish the other four books of the H2G2 trilogy in five parts… read this time by actor Martin Freeman (Arthur Dent in the movie).

“The restaurant at the end of the universe” is already available since the beginning of June. “Life, the universe and everything” will be there soon the 1st September. Other books will follow till the end of the year : “So long and thanks for all the fish” will be there the 6st October and “Mostly harmless” the 1st December.
These versions will be the third version of the Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy series audiobooks in English after the abridged reading of the four first books by Stephen Moore (Marvin in the radio series. These audiobooks were Published by Emi Listen For Pleasure on tapes at the begining of the eighties) and the unabridged version by Douglas Adams (this last version is still available in the BBC word for word collection in UK and New Millenium Audio in US).

A DIRK stage play in Southern California

DIRK GENTLY'S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY by Douglas Adams was adapted into a stage play by James Goss and Arvind Ethan David and is in production to open September 29th 2006 in Los Angeles, CA. It is the first profesionnal theatre production of Dirk Gently in the US.

I'll try to get soon an interview with the guys. Here is anyway their press release :
"Following on the success of smash hits such as NAPOLI MILIONARIA, THE WOMAN IN BLACK, OUROBOROS, and BUNBURY, the Ovation Award-winning Road Theatre Company will produce the professional US Premiere of DIRK, a quirky, witty and highly entertaining offering from the mind of Douglas Adams, directed by Jeff Griffith. A perfect way to begin the Road’s 16th season!
...
Director Jeff Griffith has been with the Road Theatre Company the past 3 years, where he has stage-managed the critically acclaimed and award winning productions of NAPOLI MILIONARIA and THE WOMAN IN BLACK. Jeff has also assistant directed with Deborah LaVine for SEVENTH MONARCH and Michael Michetti for OUROBOROS. DIRK marks Jeff’s Road Theatre debut as director.
The production is supported by producers Helen Harwell, Amy Buffington, Scot Burklin, and Julie Quinn with multimedia elements produced by Tye Beeby; digital scenography Anaitte Vaccaro; sound designer David B. Marling; publicist Marci Hill; and production stage manager and multimedia director Matt Kaiser. DIRK will play September 29 to December 3, 2006, playing Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The production will be dark on November 24 for Thanksgiving."
MORE INFOS ON THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE HERE

Another chance to see Blog : relaunch and fundraising for Save the Rhino

I got an email from Gareth Suddes who is webmaster of one of the best Douglas related websites. His blog keeps you updated with news from endangered species, one of Douglas favourite subjects. At the end of july, he heavilly improved his website.

"I relaunched my Another Chance To See website this morning - http://anotherchancetosee.blogspot.com
A couple of layout glitches that I hadn't anticipated but I think I just about got it now. I was able to improve the categories feature too.
I've started a fundraiser for Save The Rhino because Douglas Adams was a patron of this charity of course, and I hope to raise a good bit of money for it over the next year."

The boys are back : H&T are shooting their next movie

Hamer and Tongs (Garth Jennings and Nick Goldsmith) are begining the shooting of their next movie on monday 31st July. Of course it won't be the sequel of "The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" but a brand new and original project "Son of Rambow" they wrote before making the H2G2 movie.

"The stunts have been tested, the actors rehearsed, the locations discovered, the hair, make-up and wardrobe teams have loaded their trucks and after 3 months of pre-production at Elstree Studios Hammer & Tongs are all set to start shooting "Son of Rambow" on Monday 31st July. All we can do now is pray this glorious sunshine continues. Good luck everyone!"
Son of Rambow is "the name of a home movie made by two little boys with a big camera and even bigger ambitions. Set on a long summer in the early 80s, Son of Rambow is a comedy about friendship, faith and the weird business of growing up".
You can get more news on the movie website here

Babel fish is now on yahoo!

If Altavista was the first to put online a Babel fish to help internauts to translate web pages, they are no more the only ones. The all new Yahoo introduces now a translation tool, called... Babel fish. Well most of the Yahoos do anyway. The american, english or australian yahoos don't seem to have one. Well, they all speak english, so they don't need anything else ! At least the canadian yahoo have a babel fish tool, but a part of the canadians speak french.

On all the Yahoo Babel fish help pages, you can read : "The Babel Fish is a creature in the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. When placed in a person's ear, it allows him or her to understand any and all languages spoken"

Anyway here is : - the french Babel fish - the brazilian Babel fish - the italian Babel fish - the spanish Babel fish - the german Babel fish

Is Disney going to sharply reduce the release of live-action films?

Disney could reduce the release of live-action films. Of course they will still make movies like "Narnia" and "pirates of the caraibes", but according two seperate recent news accounts, they could stop or reduce the release of adult-oriented films. This is of course bad news for the H2G2 fans who still wait for the movie adaptation of The Restaurant at the end of the universe! The H2G2 movie came under Touchstone banner and was not the expected huge success even if it didn't lost any money.

Here are extracts from a good report on MarketWatch :

"This week, two separate news accounts reported Disney will announce plans for reductions at its Buena Vista studio operations. The trade publication Variety was first on Wednesday, saying the studio would reduce its annual film output to eight from 18. Then on Thursday, the Los Angeles Times followed up by saying hundreds of jobs would be lost in a mass layoff throughout Buena Vista, and its film output would be cut to 10 from a range of 14 to 21. Most films would come under the Walt Disney Pictures banner, which produced the company's latest hit, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," as well as the June animated release, "Cars," the Times said. Disney's animation operations and the newly acquired Pixar film group are likely to remain untouched. But Disney is looking at sharply reducing the live-action films released by its Touchstone division, in years past the company's primary source of such material and the group that catapulted Disney into adult-oriented films during the tenure of previous CEO Michael Eisner. Touchstone has had a hand in virtually all of Disney's major live-action hits of the past, including "Pearl Harbor," "Armageddon" and "Pretty Woman," but the list of breakout Touchstone hits is relatively short. That list has gotten shorter in recent years. Such films as "Annapolis," "Casanova" and "The Alamo" did not catch on with audiences as the production firm had only modest success with "Flightplan," "Ladder 49" and "The Ladykillers." Touchstone puts out about 10 films a year, roughly the amount that would be cut if news accounts prove accurate. If Disney cuts its film output by more than half, the studio will be the first (and could be the only) one to make such a drastic move in light of rapidly rising costs. "

H2G2 movie exhibition at Blackpool zoo (UK)

The H2G2 movie science museum exhibition is at the Blackpool zoo (UK) since last february. There have not been much informations about it. But this is good news for the guys who missed the science museum exhibition and are going to be in UK this summer. Don't miss the exhibition. You can see pictures of the event here (thanks to Ol' Peculier on douglasadams.se forums ).

There is also a merchandise shop online where you'll be able to buy some funny stuff (including some exclusive stuff i've seen nowhere else) HERE You can also buy there some Dian Fossey Gorilla merchandise (as you know Douglas Adams supported this association).

Stephen Fry involved in a Dirk Gently movie or LCTS TV series ???

here has been a nice chat with Stephen Fry on Douglasadams.se. Lot of nice questions and witty answers from Stephen Fry.
There was quite an interesting answer about a possible Dirk Gently movie :
"Well Robbie Stamp, an old mucker of DNA's who ran Digital Village with him and exec prodded HHGG wants to make it as a movie and has tentatively asked if I would be interested in either playing Dirk or writing-directing or all three, or both or any permutation thereof.... Am currently rereading DG with this in mind...."
Rumours about a Dirk Gently's movie or a DG TV series is no new stuff but it's still great news to know that it's still alive in the mind of such guys as Robbie Stamp whose implication was decisive to make the H2G2 movie after Douglas' death. Let's remember too that a Dirk Gently radio series is still being considered.
Another nice answer about a possible new implication of Stephen Fry with Douglas Adams' universe (Last Chance to See to be accurate) was this one :
In reply to "anotherchancetosee" question : "I am in discussions with Mark Carwardine about doing a TV series with your handle as its title. Using Douglas's audiobook version of ACTS as a guide for us as we investigate how the various species are doing nearly 20 years on. The Yangste River Dolphin now officially extinct, for example.... ".
It would be great to have Stephen Fry involved in such projects. Well we can still cross our fingers and hope... Meanwhile read the chat transcript HERE

Tertiary phase wins the "Audie award of the year"

Every year at this time the US Audio Publishers Association (APA) holds its annual Audie Awards. The awards, given in 29 categories, were announced May 19, 2006 at an awards ceremony held in Washington, DC. The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy Tertiary Phase won the 'biggie' - Audie Of The Year.

Congratulations to the crew, cast and of course Dirk Maggs, director of the new H2G2 radio series.
PS : the audio books market in US is huge. The APA estimates the size of the US audiobook market at $832 million in 2004 with 3,430 titles published.

H2G2 nominated at the Empire awards / news from the H2G2 movie staff and cast

As you already may know, “the hitchhiker’s guide” was not nominated at the Oscars this year. Sadly, even if « So long » was contender for the shortlist for 'Best Song', it was finally not nominated. Don’t know for you, but no need to say, I didn’t watch the Oscars!!
Anyway, Empire had a much better taste and they have nominated H2F2 for Best British Film and Best Comedy at their Empire Awards. Winners will be announces on March 13.
Meanwhile, it could be great to check what the guys who worked on the movie are all doing now.
Nick and Garth (aka Hammer & Tongs) are still very busy making commercials and music vids (Hot Chip, Beck,…). And they are still optimistic about making a new movie (in fact they were trying to find money for it when their agent send them the Hitchhiker’s script). As Garth wrote on H&T website some weeks ago : “French sales house Celluloid Dreams is to part-finance and our next film – Son of Rambow (working title.) We’re very excited and will keep this page updated with news as and when it happens...”
Martin Freeman (Arthur Dent) has just released a Motown songs collection CD : “Martin Freeman presents… Made to measure”. It includes 20 classic soul tracks. He also starred in some new movies : “Confetti” (a British improvised comedy), and mainly as the lead role in “The good night” (a US/UK movie with Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelop Cruz, Danny De Vito,…). He has also been back on stage last autumn in “Blue eyes and heels” at the Soho Theatre in London.
Mos Def (Ford Prefect) is starring in “16 blocks” which has been just released in the US. The movie, directed by Richard Donner (Lethal weapon series) also stars Bruce Willis. Mos Def will also star soon in “Journey to the end of the night” and “The Brazilian Job” (a follow up to The Italian job).
Zooey Deschanel (Trillian) is very busy and will work with former Hitchhiker’s staff and cast. In 2006, she will star in “Live free or die”, “flakes” (co-written by Karey Kirpatrick)”, “the go-better” and “the assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford” (with Sam Rockwell).
Sam Rockwell (Zaphod) is a lazy guy. He will only star in "the assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford” (with Zooey but also Brad Pitt) and also in a drama “Snow angels”.
Bill Nighy (Slartibartfast) will star in “Pirates of the Caribbean” 2 & 3, “Notes on a scandal”, “Stormbreaker” (a movie based on the famous best-selling series of Alex Rider novels by English writer Anthony Horowitz and also starring Stephen Fry) and the animation comedy “Flushed away”. He was of course in “Underworld Evolution” which have been released earlier this year and also in “The Constant Gardener” (a drama thriller with Ralph Fiennes).
In 2006, Warwick Davies and Alan Rickman (body and voice of Marvin) will star together in “Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix”. Both are attached to the Harry Potter movies from the start (Alan as Professor Severus and Warwick as Professor Filius Flitwick).

Douglas Adams memorial lecture will occur the 23th March

It's very good news for everybody. Professor Robert Winston will be the the guest for the fourth Douglas Adams memorial lecture : "Is the human an endangered species?".
Save the Rhino International and the Environmental Investigation Agency are co-hosting the Fourth Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture with a talk by Professor Robert Winston, on Thursday 23 March at the Royal Geographic Society in London SW7. In this talk, he will combine some of the apparently threatening aspects of technology and the trust, or lack of it, in science.

Lord Winston is one of the country’s best-known scientists. As Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, University of London, and Director of NHS Research and Development and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital, he has made advances in fertility medicine and been a leading voice in the debate on genetic engineering. His television series, including Your Life in Their Hands, Making Babies, The Human Body and The Human Mind and have made him a household name across Britain. He became a life peer in 1995.

The lecture is in aid of Save the Rhino International and the Environmental Investigation Agency, two charities supported by Douglas Adams. Douglas developed his deep-seated interest in wildlife conservation during a 1985 visit to Madagascar, which eventually resulted in a book (Last Chance to See) about the plight of species facing extinction. Douglas Adams died unexpectedly in 2001 at the age of 49. These Memorial Lectures continue to explore the themes in which Douglas was so interested.

Notes:
The lecture will take place at 7.30pm on Thursday 23 March 2006 at the Royal Geographic Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7. Tickets @ £10, with a pay bar before and after the Lecture, are available from www.savetherhino.org or Zoe at Save the Rhino, E: zoe@savetherhino.org.
Professor Winston’s recent books include: The Story of God (hardback, October 2005, Bantam Press, RRP £18.99); Body: An Amazing Tour of Human Anatomy (hardback, October 2005, Dorling Kindersley, RRP £12.99); Child of our Time (paperback, January 2005, Bantam Press, RRP £14.99); The Human Mind: And how to make the most of it (paperback, October 2004, Bantam Press, RRP £8.99); What Makes Me, Me? (hardback, July 2004, Dorling Kindersley, RRP £9.99); and Human Instinct (paperback, September 2003, Bantam Press, RRP £8.99). He is the editor of Human (hardback, September 2005, Dorling Kindersley, RRP £20)

Douglas Adams created all the various and contradictory manifestations of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: radio, novels, TV, film, computer games, stage adaptations, comic book and bath towel. For more information about Douglas Adams and his creations, please visit www.douglasadams.com For a tribute to Douglas by Save the Rhino’s Founder Director, David Stirling, read this.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) is an international campaigning organisation committed to investigating and exposing environmental crime. Since 1984, EIA has used pioneering investigative techniques all over the world to expose the impact of environmental crime and to seek lasting solutions. More info here.

Save the Rhino International works to conserve genetically viable populations of critically endangered rhinoceros species in the wild. We do this by fundraising for and making grants to rhino- and community-based conservation projects in Africa and Asia. More info at Save The Rhino official website.
Link to SRI shop page on which it gives details of the 4th Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture