Original items from TV series graphics on ebay : Gargle Blaster package

Rod Lord, the genius who made the computer graphics, has put on ebay some original artwork and you really shouldn't miss it. End of auction : 17 Jan, 2010

"H2G2_ AW_003 : Gargle Blaster package

This package is made up of :

1 - The photographic lith film that was back-lit under the rostrum camera.
2 - The rostrum camera set-up key that has the rostrum track calibrations stuck on it.
3 - The camera dope sheet in Rod Lord's hand writing.

This will come with an accompanying authenticating letter and description embossed withthe Pearce Studios Ltd seal.

I will sign each item - including the letter of course !

This is the first item I came to in the first box I opened. The hand writing on the camera key and dope sheet is definitely mine but my memory does not deliver who designed this and put together the original black on clear from which the camera artwork was made. This may be somewhere among the huge quantity of stuff in one of the other boxes - if I stumble across it at some point I will make that available.

It is entirely possible that Kevin Davies did this. Kev - if this is so you'll get a %age of whatever this raises ... if anything !

Kevin very probably did the dark room work, registered it with punched 35mm film, and did the black paint spotting on the film.

I'm vaguely surprised that the calibrations on the tape from the camera track stuck onto the key do not show farings or "easing in and out". That would normally have been the practice.

But perhaps it was decided that a sudden start and finish looked more "electronic".

Who did the camera work ? Who knows ? Could have been me - or Kevin - or John Percy? To determine that we would need to still have the camera sheet which went with the can to Rank's film labs for processing. Sadly that is long lost with all the other camera sheets from that time.

I will continue to dig my way gradually through the pile and list on eBay anything that looks viable - ie not just wadges of lith film welded together !"

The auction is here 

UPDATE : the item was sold 120,00 GPB

What to expect in 2010?

In 2009, we got a fast-paced year with the 30th years anniversary of the first book and the publication of “And another thing”, both celebrated with Hitchcon 09, which was the biggest hitchhiker event for a long time.  We were lucky enough also to enjoy the publication of a sequel to  “Last chance to see”  with a new book and  a BBC TV series thanks to Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine.

So what can we expect in 2010? Well I probably forgot some events and I will edit the post if necessary but there are just two events listed right now :

- Thursday March 11th.  Eighth Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture. Marcus du Sautoy, the mathematician, Oxford professor and host of BBC TV series "The Story of Maths", talking about 42

- "The Doctor and Douglas", a radio documentary about Douglas Adams and Doctor Who (see previous news) in March or April.

What we could hope for :

- The official announcement of a Dirk Gently TV series (at Hitchcon 09,  Douglas Adams agent Ed Victor have confirmed that talks are now in progress with the BBC about a TV-show based on the Dirk Gently novels).

- The announcement of a radio adaptation of "And another thing" by Dirk Maggs (this would be a great idea even if you don’t like Colfer's book).

- “Hitchhiker live” (as seen at the Hitchcon) could become a real show touring across the UK – and why not the world???

- Well, I don’t know if it’s a hope or a fear here, but maybe Penguin will announce a new Hitchhiker book by Eoin Colfer or another writer (Colfer said it would be a great idea to ask some other writers to pen Hitchhiker books – he said Iain Banks, Neil Gaiman and M Atwood could do it). But were the sale figures of “And another thing” that impressive? I don’t think so. And the readers’ reactions to Colfer effort were not that enthusiastic (even if I was not against the project in the first place, I must admit that my  own copy gather dust on my bookshelves, my bookmark stuck on page 190).

- Disney won’t make a second movie,  so it would be cool if they return the rights of Hitchhiker, so we can have again some new stuff and big projects in the Hitchhiker universe (plays, TV series, a second movie but not produced by Disney). Let’s remember that for all the Hitchhiker events in the recent years (the new radio series, Hitchhiker live,…),  there is a big discussion with Disney lawyers.

- ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha (the official H2G2 and Douglas Adams fan club) announces that they will organize their own Hitchcon in 2011 (come on dear ZZ9, you now you want it!)

Upcoming Douglas Adams & DrWho doc on Radio4

Simon Barnard of Wise Buddah productions is currently working on a documentary "The Doctor and Douglas" about Douglas Adams and his relationship with Doctor Who. It should be broadcast in March/April on BBC Radio 4.

He will probably talk to most of the people who worked with him on Who, but also other figures from Douglas Adams' life including his former teacher Frank Halford

Douglas Adams' bath sold for 1,592.42 pounds sterling

Douglas Adams' bath, kindly donated to Save The Rhino by Jane Belson and Polly Adams, has been sold on ebay for £1,592.42. Did they add "42" at the end on purpose? A funny coincidence anyway and a nice price for this bath which was shown at the Hitchcon 09.

The Vogon Commander Kwaltz in bronze created for the Hitchhiker movie was sold on ebay at £500.

Buy a Vogon!

Thanks to Save the Rhino, you can also buy Vogon Commander Kwaltz in bronze on ebay. This Vogon model was created specially for the film adaptation of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Sculpted by Jamie Courtier for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, it is a scale representation of Vogon Commander Kwaltz.The start price is 500 pounds but it is an exeptional item and can be sent worldwide (contrary to the bath)!
The acution ends 02 Dec, 200920:45:09 GMT.

Click here to see the auction on ebay

Buy Douglas Adams’ Bath and think like a genius!

Save the Rhino has put Douglas Adams' bath on ebay. Auction finishes the 02 Dec, 2009. The start price is 100 pounds. Of course, you'll have to go in London to take the bath and bring it home.

If you were at the Hitchcon, the bath was on display and the fans had the opportunity to take a picture of themselves in the bath.

• Many people ask writers where they get their ideas from
• Douglas Adams always maintained that when he ran out of ideas he took a long bath. This is that bath
• Here's your opportunity to lie where genius lay, to soak up some of the inspiration that created the galaxy's favourite science-fiction comedy series, in a beautiful wrought-iron bath!
• Recently removed during a bathroom refit
• Douglas’s widow Jane Belson kindly donated this bath to be part of Hitchcon’09 at London’s Royal Festival Hall, in celebration of 30 years of the great man’s most famous creation: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and the publication of And Another Thing – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Part Six of Three by Eoin Colfer
• Think like a genius - take a bath!
• Kindly donated by Jane Belson and Polly Adams
• Collection only
  
  
  
  Here is the link to the ebay auction
  
  

An unexpected H2G2-tribute by the NASA

It was probably one of the best tribute to Hitchhiker for its 30th anniversary. While the LCROSS spacecraft crashed towards the moon on 9 October, its twitter feed quoted the words of the spermwhale that fell towards its death on the planet of Magrathea:

“And what's this thing coming toward me very fast? So big and flat and round,
4:34 AM Oct 9th from web

it needs a big wide sounding name like 'Ow', 'Ownge', 'Round', 'Ground'!”
4:34 AM Oct 9th from web

“That's it! Ground! Ha! I wonder if it'll be friends with me?”
4:34 AM Oct 9th from web

How cool is that? Thanks NASA! (and thanks to Jan for the info)

Here is LCROSS's twitter page
And here is LCROSS's website