A Boy and His Bird: The Crow News

Walhberg hasn't totally said "no" to The Crow.

2010-11-29T19:03:00.001-08:00

In a recent interview with MTV for his new film "The Fighter", Walhberg was asked about any truth to his "The Crow" involvement, to which he replied he was interested in the director, but there was no working script and no real development going on with it. So he didn't say he had passed on it, but from the comments made, it doesn't sound like the project has any momentum currently. Thanks to criggins for the heads up on the interview.

It sounds to me like the last two years of work on the project/script has yielded nothing, which is never a good sign. Though Walhberg hasn't officially said "no" as we were led to believe, his comments seemed to indicate the project was in limbo, though still on his radar, was not anything he was pressing forward aggressively on.

I will say again; I think it is time to put this reboot/remake/re-imagining to bed. I personally think they need to wait another decade or so for interest to actually be there for the project by those making it and most importantly, interest from fans. I don't see anyone clamoring for the franchise to be "re" anything right now.

Wahlberg says "no thanks" to the new Crow film

2010-11-23T12:07:00.001-08:00

In a move that doesn't come as much of a surprise, Mark Wahlberg, speaking to the folks at Cinematical says the latest Crow film script did reach his eyes. He considered it, liked the director, but after careful thought, decided to pass. His comments make it clear he was not the actor who led to Norrington leaving the project as he mentions he liked the director, but they (the director) was no longer with the film.

So we are now back to square one; no director, no lead and no script that everyone seems to like. Sometimes it is best to leave well enough alone. I think in this case, that time has been reached for The Crow.

Good vibrations are short lived. The Crow has no director

2010-10-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday we had good news (or bad depending on your taste), with word that Mark Wahlberg had been offered the lead in the new The Crow film. Now comes word that Norrington has left as writer and director, seemingly, due to demands of a script overhaul by an actor associated with the film. Is it the previously reported Wahlberg, flexing some clout? Check out the news here at Mania.com.

This is really turning into one cluster....

Is it "good vibrations" for the new Crow film???

2010-10-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

The folks over at Bloody Disgusting report none other than Mark Wahlberg, has been offered the lead role in the remake being directed by Norrington from a re-written Nick Cave script. Already folks are making Marky Mark jokes and such. I am kind of intrigued by Wahlberg being offered the role. This is the first bit of news from this that has peaked my interest. Not enough to change my thoughts on this being a bad idea. But there is still a sense intrigue that comes with this. Something to note, as the report indicates, he has been offered the role. No word on whether he has accepted. Interesting news indeed.

Abashed the devil saw how ironic it is....

2010-09-16T14:10:00.001-07:00

Reports have come out today at Comingsoon.net saying THE CROW director Alex Proyas is set to direct the feature film version of Milton's epic poem PARADISE LOST. Fans who are up on their Crow trivia should know that the character T-Bird is seen reading from PARADISE LOST during the rape scene of Shelly and one of his famous lines is a quote from the book, "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is.". In fact, we hear it twice in the movie, once during the rape and then SPOILER ALERT as he is headed off to his demise he starts quoting that line over and over.

Talk about ironic twists of fate, pretty cool stuff.

Disney sells Miramax and its catalog titles.

2010-08-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

Folks may have seen that Disney recently sold Miramax, along with all of its catalog titles. You may be wondering what this means for The Crow titles. In a word, nothing. Buena Vista Home Video still owns the rights to the Crow catalog titles and those were not part of the sale of Miramax or Dimension. I have checked and as of right now, there is no plans to bring any of The Crow titles to Blu-ray any time soon. Hopefully when plans are put into motion, they take the time to get EVERYONE involved with the first film coming to Blu-ray and we get a complete package which was denied us in the Collectors Series DVD release.

Pressman wants Nick Cave to rewrite new Crow film

2010-07-28T03:27:00.000-07:00

The folks over at TheWrap spoke to Pressman recently. Seems there is a rewrite of the Norrington script for the new Crow film being done. None other than Nick Cave has been asked to complete said rewrite. Those that know Pressman are familiar with rewrites (for some reason he didn't commission any rewrites for Salvation which could have used a few more passes before going before cameras). Not sure if this means the Norrington script was not working, or they wanted a different voice to see how it stirred up the pot. The same was done with the first film's script where you had Jeff Most and John Shirley writing the initial drafts and then David Schow coming in to add his flurishes. One thing for sure this does mean, it will be that much longer before cameras start rolling on the film.

All indicators point to theatrical release for Norrington's Crow film

2010-06-08T05:03:00.001-07:00

With it appearing that Dimension is out of the way and Relativity taking over distribution, one would think that the new Crow film by Norrington might stand a greater chance at a theatrical release. All indications are that is the route being pursued. Of course, we have heard that before and have seen the last two films go the direct to video route. We shall see if all good intentions do lead to a theatrical release. That would be a bit of good news in what so far hasn't been anything to "crow" about with this latest effort. I stand cautious at this point, not cautiously optimistic as I am still not sold the route being taken is the best. However, for now, I will stand cautious and hope my fears are disproved.

Word on the reboot.....or is it?

2010-06-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

MTV Splash Page has posted this bit:

The screenplay for a new The Crow film is finished and production will begin this year, Producer Edward Pressman told MTV today.

The new film will, according to Pressman, be set in both a small Southwest town and a larger city. The action will move from the town to the city and back again.

Though a star is not currently attached, Pressman claims that an offer has gone out to "a major actor".

The new film will attempt to reboot the franchise with a number of alterations. One Pressman talks about is the nature of the actual Crow itself, describing it as "a creature... it's not just a bird. It's got a personality and a character. Not like Godzilla exactly, but it's very different [and has] a more active role in the story."

All I can say is this looks like another rehash, recycled, reheated attempt at the original movie. This sounds nothing like a reboot. The more I hear, the further I feel this is going down the road of just another sequel. I want to be wrong, I really do.

Oh yeah, one more thing......

2010-05-08T07:02:00.001-07:00

Seems they have paid up the rent on www.thecrow.com . If you go to it you see the famous eyes/crow wings symbol from the first movie. I assume this is to secure the site for when and if the reboot gets done.

Long time no post!

2010-05-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Yep, it has been a year and a half since my last post here. Probably no one has noticed and the same will read this. But for my own satisfaction, I am getting active again.

So what has been going on via the Crow front, not a whole lot. The reboot of the films is still in pre-production, though they claim to be closer to bringing things all together. I have still not heard directly from anyone on this and have no idea what we can expect.

Frank over at Crowfans wrapped up the latest Croween contest with winners announced.

O'Barr continues to make appearances. He recently announced progress on the LONG in the works re-edit of the original Crow graphic novel with panels originally deleted from it.

I have not heard anything on the Blu-ray front in regard to the movies. Surely there are plans to bring them to Blu-ray. I would love for them to get Proyas' involvement and put out a Blu-ray that is the ultimate version of the film. Also would love for Tim Pope to be allowed to assemble his true vision for COA on Blu-ray. They could really make the Blu-ray release of these an event.

Man, I see so much false information on the first movie's events being posted around the net. People totally confused as to what scene Brandon was shot during, how much of his performance is in the film, etc. I think that is what has drawn me back out amongst the mess. Someone has to set the story straight. It seems since ABaHB stopped being active, the Crow world has lost focus on our past.

Well, that is enough random rambling for the time being. I will be hunting down information and posting it.

Norrington to write & direct The Crow reboot?

2008-12-15T15:23:00.000-08:00

So says this story reported in Variety (click on link).

Not sure what I think about this folks. I still think a SinCity style of film done, with an emphasis on being a faithful adaptation of the graphic novel, is to me, the logical and ONLY way to restart the franchise. I am going to see if I can dig into this a bit more.

Rochelle Davis confirmed for Scarefest08 and Croween 2K8 News

2008-07-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

Reminder that Croween2K8 ramps up the 1st of August. Go to the Crowfans website or MySpace site for details.

Rochelle Davis (Sarah from the first Crow film) will be part of a panel during Scarefest08 in Orlando (image above from last year's program). Check out the site later in the year for details as they are added. In the mean time, click here for list of known guests.

Thanks to Frank for the heads up on Rochelle. We are pulling together all the questions sent in for her and will get those forwarded on.

A "murder" of Crow related news

2008-07-22T06:13:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, hope your summer has been a good one so far. As you can tell by the lack of updates, I have been busy. But not too busy to catch THE best ever comic to film of all time, The Dark Knight. You gotta check out this movie, it is fantastic.

OK, on to Crow news. I mostly have fan-related stuff to report. Since the official creative forces have gone to sleep for The Crow, we, the fans, have carried forward creating some great stuff. David J. from over at Crowcoll has alerted me to some really cool fan-based stuff.

First off, A.J. has created another fantastic Crow-inspired video on his site. You need to check out the latest entitled "The Crow: Descent", way too cool!

Are you into Crow art? Here is a link to a site that is doing some crazy sick stuff with movie posters, to include The Crow.

Finally the folks over at Maximummetal.com have taken the 1994 movie "The Crow" and synched it with Queensryche's "Rage for Order" (1986). This is some wild stuff that you have got to read to believe.

Thanks again to David J. for heads up on all the above stuff. As I said, it is the fanbase which is keeping the flame going for The Crow. I still hold out hope that franchise we all love is brought back to life much like Batman and Halloween have over the last few years.

Our good friend Jamie Christopherson (composer of the score for The Crow: Wicked Prayer), has a lot of updates on his site. He has been a busy man, check out some of his latest work.

Finally, don't forget that Frank is gathering the troops and pulling together Croween 2k8. Start working on those ideas right now. I have been asked to be a judge once again and this year, I am going to really be looking for some originality. The thing I hear most from fellow fans about the official projects is "I can do better than that." Well prove it! Lets see how creative you can get this year.

I hope everyone is doing well. Take care & God bless.

View THE CROW: STAIRWAY to HEAVEN online!

2008-05-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

All of the episodes of THE CROW: STAIRWAY to HEAVEN are availabe on Hulu! Huge thanks to Kelley B. for getting these up. The quality is excellent. The episodes are easy to access, with episode synopsis and feedback area. Thanks to Frank for the alert on this. If you were not able to find the boxed set (it was never in Wal-Mart) this is a great opportunity to be able to revisit the series whenever you want.

The Wicked Prayer revisited

2008-03-27T12:56:00.001-07:00

This is what I said then (condensed as this was my longest review ever).............

Well, after much waiting and build up, the film delivered the goods for me. Having followed the film for so long, reading all the scripts, etc, I had built up this image of the film in my head which frankly, I thought couldn't be matched. That image was not only met, it was surpassed. This is a more than worthy addition to the Crow franchise and one I feel a majority of the fan base will embrace. My only regret about the film is that it will not see a much deserved full fledged theatrical release. It is high quality work and it is a shame that a film like this is not given its just due, especially in light of the films that HAVE been given a theatrical releases of late that absolutely tanked at the box office.

4 Crows

What I say now................

Boy was I wrong when I said that "one I feel a majority of the fan base will embrace". I should have said this was a Crow film that like-minded fans would embrace. This is the film that basically soured me on the franchise as a whole. Not the film itself, but the absolute mean-spirited nature of the reviews from print/net critics and, to me at the time, the absolute short sightedness of fans. Some time has passed since my bitterness toward the fan base boiled over. I have come to the realization that I was too close to this project. I had insight that many didn't and wouldn't ever have. There was a good amount of emotional context that didn't make it from the script to the film, but unlike the average fan, I had insight to so was able to put the pieces together easier. There is no way I can view this film without all of that context therefore have no way of being able to see it as someone who totally disdains it sees it. I do think the film proved that the fan base as a whole was stuck on one thing; the first movie. For better or worse everything from the first film is burned into fan's consciousness and can't be removed. I will go down with my guns blazing defending Wicked Prayer. It has a few hiccups, such as some of the worse dialog ever created for a character (El Nino, played by Dennis Hopper). But all in all, in my opinion, this film hit the core of what O'Barr's comic featured. Not only that, it featured a storyline I could all too identify with. I thought the blurring of lines between good and evil as well as having two righting of wrongs missions going on, parallel and in conflict, were a fantastic new element. I just watched this again recently and still feel it is the best film since the first one. I rated it 4 Crows originally and I stick by that rating.

The DVD release of Wicked Prayer was and is, for me, the best Crow DVD release of the 4 films. We have 4 commentary tracks from the director, producer, star and composer of the film. We have a comprehensive making of feature, deleted scenes, composer profile, etc. The film may have been a direct to video venture, but the quality of the images and sounds as well as extras gives the buyer their money's worth and then some. Unlike the previous 3 film's DVD's, I have no complaints here. My only complaint is that Jamie Christopherson's excellent score was never released. It is haunting and beautiful.

To see my full review of the film go here.

Rochelle Davis interview

2008-03-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

As you know, Frank has kept up contact with Rochelle Davis since we learned of all the legal issues she was going through last year. As we reported last week, she is on the road to getting her life back on track. Frank contacted Rochelle recently about doing an interview. She has agreed! We want to solicit questions from fellow fans to ask her (to be approved by her manager of course). So we need you to get those questions in to me at aboyandhisbird@gmail.com . We will use as many questions as we can. This is going to be a great opportunity for fans to catch up with one of the most beloved actors/actresses from the first film.

The Crow: Salvation revisited

2008-03-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

Here we are with our 3rd revisit, The Crow: Salvation

What I said then..........

We first see Alex in his cell, playing chess with his lawyer and awaiting the walk to the execution chamber. Eric Mabius does a great job conveying the emotions of his impending doom and his frustration in not apprehending the real killer of his girlfriend. His focus is more on this failure than his impending execution. This establishes his love for Erin Randall and shows us his motivation for coming back while creating a connection with the audience before his death. This is a new twist for "The Crow" movies. Previously, we were not introduced to the title character before his death. Eric Mabius neither looks nor acts like his predecessors. There is much irony and wry glee in what Eric's character is doing. Mabius' intense eyes add to the unsettling image of his Irony scared face smiling at his enemies (Alex's face is burned by the helmet he wears during his execution, giving him the famous "clown from hell" look). I found Kirsten Dunst believable and genuine. Fred Ward is his usual feisty self. One observation I had was that the characters in this film are more realistic than the cartoon figures of previous Crow movies. The characters in "Salvation" are more identifiable with people with which we have everyday contact. Even the title character is not decked out in the "gothic" attire of the past. All of the soundtrack songs are appropriately placed in the movie. A prime example of this is the song "Antihistamine" by Tricky. It perfectly enhances the tone of the scene it is in. The ending is a vast improvement over that of COA's and is very satisfying. The new director, Baharat Nalluri, brings some innovative visual elements to Salvation, such as a new Crow-vision style, as well as other personal touches. All of these changes, as well as the previously discussed story elements, helped to make Salvation a very enjoyable viewing experience for me.

Overall rating 3 1/2 Crows

What I say today...........

This film has kind of been an up and down enjoyment for me. We were pretty active in the promotion of the film back in 1999/2000. So there was a personal connection to the film. This film had an air of controversy in that Dimension strung Pressman and Most along making them think it would get a theatrical release. It received only one release, in Spokane, Washington. Hardly a true testing ground for the film especially given the very minimal promotion it was given. The star and producers had to literally walk the streets handing out posters since no real promotion was being done by the studio. In the end, there was no intent for this film to be released theatrical. It's sole purpose was to be shot so they would have a 3rd film for a boxed DVD set. The cast and crew, despite all of that, rose above that and gave us a worthy addition to the Crow franchise. I have gone through periods where my enjoyment of Salvation has waned. But today I can say it is definitely a fun movie to watch. It is different from the first two in that it has a "normal" element about it. They tried to get away from a lot of the otherworldly aspects of the first two and they do that successfully. The score is my least favorite of the 4 films, but it works for what it is intended to be. The soundtrack is packed with some very good songs, though at times it seems they are trying to get every single one of the songs into the movie and it hops from soundtrack or score and never seems to have any quiet moments. The movie brought in a new element of mystery to the franchise and that was a welcome change. I think the mystery is a bit deluded though in that every step is easy to figure out. Were it me, I would have gone a different route and pointed to the Capt as the main bad guy but then pulled a switch on the audience and revealed it was Alex's lawyer that was pulling the strings. Mabius put a lot into this film, especially post production. He made himself available for every possible promotional venture. The film was shown at the 2000 Dragon Con and received overall positive responses. It ended up going on to be the highest selling action direct to video title of 2000.

I would say 3 1/2 Crows is still a spot on opinion today.

The Collector's DVD release of the film gave us a very good commentary track with the director, star, composer, producer and production design lead chiming in. It was the most complete commentary of the first 3 films. The other extras are short, but informative (the "making of" is disappointingly very short). As with the other two films that are part of the boxed set, there is a script DVD rom feature that is very nice. Would be great to see this on Blu Ray when/if that happens. You can read my full review of the DVD here.

The Crow: City of Angels revisted

2008-03-10T08:41:00.001-07:00

Here is another review from the past, The Crow: City of Angels (or COA as most fans refer to it as).

What I said then...........

I make no apologies for saying that I enjoyed this movie. However, I feel that production was rushed and important elements were not examined thoroughly enough. The theater run-time of only 84 minutes speaks loudly to this. The filmmakers never explored the Sarah/Ashe relationship in detail. Expansion of that element would have set COA apart from the first movie and given it more emotion. A better use of the flashback scenes between Ashe and his son Danny would also have improved the film. The majority of flashbacks concentrated on their murder, not their love. I thought Vincent Perez did an excellent job in his portrayal of Ashe, as did Mia Kirshner who played Sarah. In my opinion, fans that could not distinguish between the fact that Perez's Ashe Corvin was a totally different character from Brandon's Eric Draven, judged Perez too harshly. There is so much about COA that is very good. The yellow/green tint, used throughout the movie, was both original and effective. It gave the feeling of a barren, dry, dream-like Los Angeles. The premise of an avatar falling in love, after coming back, was very intriguing. The attempt to make a different movie was there, but somewhere along the way, originality was compromised for the sake of staying with a known successful formula. The following quote is from Frieda Noone who does reviews for Cinescape. I saw this quote on the site "A Dead Man Visits You", and I think it sums up COA perfectly: "If you accept that the CROW: City of Angels is not really a movie, then it's quite possible to enjoy it. More a visually intense tone poem than a film, City of Angels resembles a lavish picture book - which is the medium from which the CROW films sprang." Very well said indeed.

Rating - 3 Crows

What I say now...............

Again, like the first film, this one has not lost any luster with me over the years. If anything, I have grown to appreciate it even more for what was attempted, but ultimately damaged by too many fingers in the post production cookie jar. Looking back, I think they should have made the Sarah character a person who had a connection to the dead, not a connection to the Crow or the previous film. COA, more so than any of the other sequels, has grown in legend for what was NOT featured on screen. Fans have long pined for the deleted footage to be put back in and the film assembled in the original form and context that Pope had intended. Would this change the minds of those that to this day have to reach for the Pepto at the mere mention of COA? Personally, no. I think if you hated the film then you would hate it with the deleted footage restored and the context Pope intended. I think it would win over some fans that didn't necessarily hate it, but all in all, if you hated it in 1996, you would hate it today even restored to what it was intended to be. I have personally seen 4 or 5 cuts of this film and I just don't think there is enough that would bring the masses of haters over to our side. I think all in all this film came out too soon after the original and the concept was lost on many fans and for that matter, lost on the suits in the production offices. Tim Pope had a vision of a truly tragic and Gothic romance and unfortunately the ghosts from the previous film had not been laid to rest and many fans saw it as an inferior clone of the first film, no doubt helped along by post production tinkering by producers that all but ripped the guts out of the film and laid it out in the sun to rot. The one thing I think the deleted footage would help fans appreciate more is the excellent performance from Vincent Perez. There was some absolutely great stuff deleted, such as his self-destructive moment with Spider Monkey and the original intended tragic ending. To this day I cringe when I see the pseudo happy/sad ending that made it to the final cut. I will say that one required re-shoot was a wise decision and that was the original Kali/Ashe fight which in it's original form was very week. The re-shoot is one of my favorite scenes from the film, though the deleted confrontation on the street after the fight between the mortally wounded Kali and Ashe is deeply missed. I have found that with the passing of time, more and more people are coming to appreciate COA more than they did back when it first came out.

Still a solid "3 Crow" rating in my book, maybe even 3 1/2 Crows.

The Collectors DVD release of this film is good, but like the first film, lacks some important features. The "making of" is VERY informative. The commentary track is frank and open. Alex McDowell (production designer for the first two Crow films) all but spells out the butchering that the producers did to the film, commenting many times about how their vision and Tim Pope's vision were worlds apart and ultimately the film lost its soul in the editing. The DVD-rom features a rare find for many fans, the full Chet Williamson novelization of the film, which is very hard to find in any stores. Of course the omitting of deleted scenes as well as none of the music videos featured on the VHS release make this DVD, like the film, a great concept but in the end lacking everything to make it a full viewing experience. Hopefully when this makes it to Blu Ray these omissions can be taken care of and maybe even some righting of wrongs and allowing Tim Pope to put together a TRUE director's cut, not the supposed Director's Cut that the DVD box claims it is today.

Cast updates

2008-03-07T04:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Frank for this update on Bai Ling. Here is the latest. Let's hope this is the last we see of her in trouble.

Also an update from Frank on the latest with Rochelle Davis (Sarah from the first film). She is doing well with plans to marry. She has gone through a lot of stuff over the last year but it appears things are on the right track. I spoke with Robert Zuckerman and let him know about the issues Rochelle was having last year. He was able to make contact and I know he reached out with a lot of love to her. Our personal wishes and prayers are with Rochelle and hope for nothing but the best for her and her son and the new life they are about to have.

Let the reviews begin!

2008-03-05T06:10:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. As I mentioned the other day, while things are slow on the news front, we thought it would be interesting to revisit our reviews from years back and see how opinions may have changed (good or bad) or not even at all, over the years. One thing you will notice about these reviews, they are pretentious free! I am absolutely tired of these 3 and 4 page reviews that spend the majority of the review giving you the background of why the reviewer has the opinion they have, explaining their love or admiration for the source material or for like-movies or just simply go on some rant about this and that and finally by page 3 you get the review and by then could care less. We setup the reviews in a very basic format with a quick synopsis of the story and then my review. I am not posting the original synopsis, because, well, you more than likely wouldn't be here if you didn't already know about what I am talking about :)

Below is an explanation of the rating system I use. It isn’t high-tech by no means, but works for me:

1 Crow: Bad, can't recommend it.
2 Crows: Not the worst, but boarding on a total waste of time
3 Crows: Average, check it out but don’t pay full price
4 Crows: Excellent, highly recommend you check it out
5 Crows: Outstanding, perfection personified!

If you see something that has a ½ added to it that means it is a notch above the whole number rating, but not quit the next higher number. So if something is rated 3 ½ crows, that means I rate it higher than a "good" project, but not quit excellent.

So let’s get to it. The first film we will look at is what started the franchise in the first place, the original film from 1994, “The Crow”.

What I said then:

This is one of the best movies based on a comic I have seen. The performances, across the board, were excellent. Alex Proyas, acting as director and visionary, was able to recreate the look of O'Barr's alternative and gothic Detroit. Brandon Lee was elevated to God-like status for his portrayal of Eric Draven, but even more so because of his real-life death while making the film. The film was not shown until a year after his death. I remember being hesitant about watching the movie. I felt that it would be an almost sick voyeuristic peek at the life and death of Brandon Lee. I was finally able to overcome my initial reluctance to see the film. The story, which calls upon the basic premise of setting the wrong things right, touched a chord within me. I have long enjoyed movies that played on the revenge theme. However, I did not expect to ever see a movie filled with violence to be so poetic and beautiful. What sets this movie apart from other movies of this genre is the concentration on love and the extremes it takes us to. It is what continues to bring new fans to it even after 7 years. 4-Crows

My thoughts today:

Nothing much has changed about my feelings for the film 14 years later. I would say it probably isn’t the best comic to film adaptation I have seen, especially given films like Spiderman 2 and Sin City, but all in all, the film has held up for me. I don’t watch it as much anymore as I used to, but when I do, it still has a great affect on me. There are some films that you look back on and wonder how you ever thought you enjoyed it as much as you thought you did. There are many films I remember from when I was a teenager that I thought were just absolutely great and now, MANY years later, I watch them and go “meh, it is OK”. Not this one. It still remains one of my top 10 favorite films of all time and probably will stay that way. 4-Crows all the way.

We did a full-length review of the Collector's Series DVD release for this film back in 2000/2001, you can read it here. All in all, I was pleased with the release, but the politics that led to the release missing many items and contributors, mainly Proyas, still remains a sore spot with many fans. However, for all of its faults, you can not get a better edition of the film. They did a great job restoring the sound and images. I can not wait to see this film on Blu Ray. The O'Barr feature is still the definitive interview done with O'Barr. Some items missed by most fans on the DVD, such as the text commentary and script/view option only available via DVD-Rom, with the new technology could be made available via the player rather than having to be a DVD-Rom feature. Like I said back when my original review was posted, I hope that we can get a release of the film on Blu Ray that has all the players involved contributing. I'm not one of those that is clamouring for a director's cut, I would just like to have the fantastic making of "Crow Chronicles" finally seen by everyone, all the deleted footage brought together and for us to get a director's commentary. Not a lot to wish for :) I can not even imagine what this film will look and sound like in High-def, it will be great! As of today, no word on when that day will come.
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Take Care.....Come what may

Greetings!

2008-02-29T14:34:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. Sorry for the absence. Over the last 7 months I have been helping my wife take care of her parents who have suffered a variety of illnesses. The sad ending to all this, both have passed on; father in-law on Christmas day and mother in-law just last Thursday. They were both in their early sixties, way too young, but they are in a much better place, free of the pain that they were suffering.

Now that things are getting back to "normal" (if there ever will be such a thing) I am getting back into the update game. There has not been a lot happening, though seems our girl Bai Ling got into a little trouble at an airport recently when she fancied something other than the "pretty lights" and failed to pay. You guys of course saw the update on Statham talking a possible Crow remake (please oh please say it isn't so!!).

I will be reposting reviews of previous Crow works with a current spin on them. I think it is high time we take a look back and see what all has transpired in the Crow world. I am still working on that mega Crow article I promised that speaks to where it all started and where things ended up.

Take care & God bless

Re-Make of The Crow?

2008-01-24T00:31:00.000-08:00

Looks like Jeff Most needs a new extension on his house - there are rumours of a Crow remake! And we thought that's what the 3 sequels were (how many times can they milk the same concept? Try something new!).

Via Moviehole, Jason Statham told IESB:

"You know, there’s talk of them redoing The Crow. That was a good movie with Brandon Lee, although that was years ago. So if that one comes my way, bang!"

What do you think, Crow Fans? Can you see Jason Statham as Eric Draven? No? Us either.

If anyone has heard any rumblings about a remake, please let us know. Add some comments and feel free to vent your thoughts...

The Crow: Final

2007-10-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

3 NIGHTS, 5 BUCKS, 1 BADASS SHOW

Detroit, October 2012.

Six years ago, at the age of 19, Rachel Storm was brutally murdered on a bus en route from Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio to Somewhere Not Here, USA. Guided by her predecessor, Eric Draven, and the mysterious Skull Cowboy, Rachel returned to the world of the living to avenge her death and the deaths of her fellow passengers. Rachel has killed three out of the four men responsible for the murders. For unknown reasons, Rachel has let the Fourth Man, Edmund Wiley, live.

Rachel Storm, The Skull Cowboy and Eric Draven will soon learn the dark consequences of this act of mercy, this defying of the rules and traditions of the legend, the myth, and the story of
The Crow...

THE CROW: FINAL

Written and Directed by Bryan Enk
Inspired by the work of James O'Barr
Fight Choreography by Qui Nguyen

Monday, 10/29 @8PM
Tuesday, 10/30 @8PM
Wednesday, 10/31 @8PM

with:

Jessica Savage, Adam Swiderski, Britton Lafield,
Jessi Gotta, Dan Maccarone, Marguerite French,
Robert Pinnock, Sarah Jane Bunker, Carrie Johnson,
Roger Nasser, Fred Backus, and Jeff Lewonczyk

Suggested Donation: $5
100 minutes. No intermission.

The Brick Theater
575 Metropolitan Ave
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
L to Lorimer / G to Metropolitan

Click here to visit their site.

Latest photo and muse from Robert Zuckerman

2007-10-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

If you haven't picked up Robert's "Kindsight" book, get your tail off the couch and do so! It is a wonderful book. It has managed to move beyond the shelf and become a living example of how to live and view life.

Here is the latest photo and muse from Robert. Click on the image to read the story behind the photo. Fantastic stuff......enjoy

Back in the saddle

2007-10-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, long time no post! Been an absolutely crazy time the last few months. Would like to say it was crazy as in crazy fun, but alas, it hasn't been. Suffice to say the "really real world" has been kicking my arse. But enough of that, on to a cool update.

There is a new Crow project about to be released by some fans that looks to be pretty cool. It is called "The Crow: Devil's Night". Give it a look come October 30th. Here is their MySpace with all the details and a sneak preview. Thanks to Deaderman for the heads up on this.

I am working on a multi-part piece that chronicles the franchise. Where it started, where it has been and where it is going. Look for it very soon.

Finally, don't forget to get registered for the Crowfans STH contest. Click here to register. Some really great prizes for the STH fans.

Take care.....

A review of THE CROW: STAIRWAY to HEAVEN set

2007-07-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

With great pleasure I sat down and took in on DVD one of my favorite TV series of all time, THE CROW: STAIRWAY to HEAVEN. Released on region 1 DVD, Tuesday, July 24th, for the first time, THE CROW: STAIRWAY to HEAVEN (or STH as we fans like to call it), brought back a flood of memories for me.

I will start off with a technical look at the set and then go into my personal thoughts on the series as a whole and extras.

Packaging & Menus

Each of the 5 disks is housed in a thin plastic DVD case, which all slip into a protective outer cover that has Mark on the cover, with an overall series synopsis on the back along with special features listing. Each of the individual cases has a different picture from the series on the front with an episode listing, synopsis and air date on the back. The spine contains an easily readable title and disk number. When you open the individual cases the left-side contains a listing of each episode accompanied with a screenshot from the episode as well as the original air date. The disk is housed on the right-side of the case. Each disk has the cover art from their individual cases emblazoned on them.

The main menu for each disk is nicely done with an active background playing. The extras menu on disk 5 is easily navigated.

My overall thoughts on the packaging and menus is; “job well done”. There was a reservation by many, to include me, about the large TV Guide logo on the cover art. But after you get used to it being there, it really is not that distracting. The cover art keeps with the overall image theme that the series presented, which is appreciated. Too many times the cover art for these sets utilize images and a style that is in contrast to what the series itself represented. Not here, they kept the image themes that many of the promotional art for the series had.

Video Quality

I was surprised how well the show looks. Given that the series was not shot in HD and this is a standard transfer, the colors and overall clarity are a pleasant surprise. The day time scenes are especially sharp, though the night scenes are a little grainy at times, however there is hardly any aging that can be detected. Very nice transfer; a whole lot better than the VHS copy I have of the episodes that I taped when they originally aired 98-99.

Sound Quality

The sound is Dolby 2.0, it is good. Better than a mono track for sure, but if there is any aspect of the release that I wish more time and money could have been spent on it is the sound. Being an action series and one that music played a large part in, a Dolby 5.1 mix would have really been a welcomed addition. I hate to appear greedy in that respect, as I said the overall sound is good, but man how this could have really flourished with a Dolby 5.1 mix.

Episodes

It is no secret to the fan base that knows me, I loved the series when it was on and watching the episodes again I was reminded why. The entire regularly featured cast did an excellent job and the guest stars from Donnie Most (Ralph Malph for you Happy Days fans) to Anthony Michael Hall, were a welcome addition. I can't say enough about Mark Dacascos. He had some hefty boots to fill and he did it with class, respect and furthered the character of Eric Draven. Each episode is presented in its entirety with all of the original score and soundtrack music in tact as well as the segments at the end which identified the groups who had songs featured in the episode (not all the episodes had this at the end, but those that originally did have that ported over here). This was a worry of mine that we wouldn’t get the original music and the synopsis for those bands. The series featured some really good music and it is great that the music was not replaced as can happen sometimes when rights are an issue.

In my opinion, the action in this series was some of the best on TV at the time. Mark Dacascos’ skill was put to tremendous use here. There are some kicks and moves that are absolutely mind blowing that I had forgotten about. Again, I hate to keep sounding like a Mark Dacascos fan boy, but to have someone of physical talent AND acting talent, it gave the series that extra something it would have lacked if someone of lesser physical or acting talent had been cast as Draven.

Beyond the action though, this series had a lot of heart and soul. That was a key element to making this either a success or failure. They could alter the mythos all they wanted to fit within the story they were telling, but had the series lacked any heart and soul, it would not have made it past 6 episodes. The overall theme of love and family, be it a dysfunctional family, still, a family none the less, were the key points of the series. The relationship that Mark Dacascos and Marc Gomes built between Draven and Albrecht is one of the highlights and what made the series worth watching.

What makes the set a must purchase is having all 22 episodes laid out, commercial free, in their correct order. Being a syndicated show, a lot of markets would get the show out of order and or the times would be changed up from week to week and fans would miss episodes. Now you can sit down and follow the character arc of all the principles in the series.

Extras

Episode Commentary

We get a great commentary on "The Soul Can't Rest" and "Souled Out".
The commentary is THE most important and entertaining extra on the set. Bryce Zabel (creator, exec producer & writer) along with series star Mark Dacascos (Eric Draven/Crow) sit down and give fans a lively discussion over the first two episodes. Their participation adds a huge amount of legitimacy to this release.

The first thing you come away from the commentary with is how much of a classy, appreciative person that Mark Dacascos is. On several occasions he singles out the fans and thanks us for our loyalty to the show. When he is praised by Bryce he is humble and you just know that this guy is genuine and we could not have had a better person to carry the mantle of Eric Draven. Bryce is to be praised for his candor and his appreciation of the fans too, as with Mark, we fans could not have asked for a better, more dedicated person to take the mythos as seriously and carefully as Bryce did. All in all, the commentary, a long with just having the 22 episodes a lone is worth the purchase of this set.

Gag Reel - 10mins

I have watched many gag reels over the years and I have to say, my love for the series aside, this has to be one of the funniest and well thought out reels I have seen. Clocking in at a robust 10mins, we get a lot of great footage of the cast and crew in their not so glorious moments. We even get let in on the inside joke of the "love doctor", Marc Gomes. This was great to watch.

Production Dailies - 5min each

We are presented with 3 production dailies, one each from "Death Wish”, "Dead to Rights" and "A Gathering Storm". These show us the blocking and acting out of a scene from each episode as well as the multiple shots which are captured to create one scene. For the technical aficionados out there, a must watch. Or, for an extras junky like me, a great chance to see folks you enjoy working.

Original Score - range from 1min to 5mins

We get 7 selected pieces from the Peter Manning Robinson score. These are a very nice edition to the DVD, especially given that no official soundtrack is available for the series.

Inside Kung Fu Magazine Articles - 7 & 8 pages respectively

These are articles taken directly from Kung Fu magazine articles printed in Feb 1999 and Jun 2002. They are in Adobe Acrobat format (accessed via DVD-Rom) and are a great read for the Mark Dacascos fans.
He made the cover both times and those are presented here as well.

Pilot and Episode Scripts

We are given all of the scripts for the show on Adobe Acrobat, accessed via DVD-rom. These are a great read for the hardcore fan that wants to see how the shows were originally script. Something I found interesting was how the scripts were formatted different than movie scripts. They have 4 headers on each page: Continuity, Title No, Start/Stop and Title/Dialogue. The entire dialog is on the far right side of the pages, with all the other information on the left and middle. Call me a geek, but I just found these very interesting to read through.

Series "bible" & episode descriptions

We have access to the extensive "bible" created for the series that details how Bryce and Co. were setting out to do the series. This is a very interesting read for those that have not already seen this on Bryce's blog. Both the bible and episode descriptions are available in easily printable Adobe Acrobat format accessed via the DVD-rom.

Mark Dacascos Biography

This is a two screen mini-biography on Mark. Quite honestly, this is pretty much a throwaway feature. The Kung-Fun articles give you much more information on Mark and though the effort is appreciated here, none the less, nothing much to "crow" about with this feature.

Images – 17 photos

We are given 17 photos from the production of the series. Most of these have been seen before, so it isn’t a bad inclusion here, but more of the same.

Crossword Puzzles

Via the DVD-rom, you can access a crossword puzzle inspired by the series as well as 12 other themed crossword puzzles. These seem to be a standard feature on “TV Guide Presents” releases. The STH themed puzzle has about 10 or so questions specific to the series, the rest are a hodge podge of TV series and movie questions. The other 12 puzzles are a mixture of TV and movie questions. All in all, a nice feature, though basically for the crossword puzzle fan out there that just happens to be a TV and movie buff. Puzzles are available in printable Adobe Acrobat format.

My overall thoughts on the extras is that they add a very nice icing to the cake. That said, it would have been nice to see a new “making of” segment done, but the commentary from Mark and Bryce pretty much covers everything that would have been included in that. I would have loved to hear commentary from Mark Gomes and Katie Stewart (Albrecht and Sarah) on some of the other episodes. Outside of those two omissions, I am very pleased with what we are given here.

Final Thoughts

This is probably my all-time favorite series ever. To finally have it on region 1 DVD is great. I would like to say “thanks” to Joe Amodei and Tim Maggiani for everything they did to make this a better than average release. They could have just put this out with the episodes and a few throwaway extras. But they listened to what we had to say about what would make this a worthwhile release for fans of the show. Getting the involvement of Bryce and Mark was paramount in making this a must have for fans.

Oh by the way......Mark and Bryce elude to the possibility of there being a true finale show/movie done for the series. It all depends on how this set does. I can't think of anything better than this release leading to us fans getting the true end to the series we were robbed of when the series was prematurely let go by Universal. Fans of the show, this is our time to let our voices be heard by purchasing this set and showing them the fan base is still alive and strong for the series. Who knows, as they mention in the commentary, we could get another season if the response is VERY good :)

You can purchase your set through Amazon here.

STH details, Comic Con 2007 and a contest!

2007-07-17T06:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, do not forget, Bryce Zabel and Mark Dacascos will appear at San Diego Comic Con on Friday July 27th between 2 and 4 pm in the autograph section of the convention. This is perfect timing because the box set for STH comes out Tuesday, July 24th (next week!!). You can purchase a copy of the set and then take it to the convention and get it signed by Mark and Bryce.

To go a long with the release of STH on DVD, Arts Alliance America and Bryce Zabel have provided some nice items for a contest that Crowfans.com is running. Details are still being worked out. The prize list has been finalized and is listed below.

So you are asking “How do I enter?”. Easy, by being a member of the Crowfans forum and/or being a member of the Yahoo groups mailing list. There will be 11 winners of some very nice items. The prize list includes:

3 Autographed DVD Box Sets & The Crow: Stairway To Heaven soundtracks
1 DVD Box Set & The Crow: Stairway To Heaven soundtrack
1 The Crow: Stairway To Heaven soundtrack
4 DVD Box Sets
2 Emmy Nomination Video

As I said, contest details are being worked out, so as soon as the site is made available by Frank, we will give you all the details.

Here is the final list of DVD extras that will be included in the 5-disk set:

Commentary with Bryce and Mark on the first 2 episodes - “The Soul Can’t Rest” and “Souled Out”, gag reel, Production Dailies from: “A Gathering Storm”, “Death Wish” and “Dead to Rights”, script & original episode descriptions for ALL 22 episodes, Photo Gallery, Mark Dacascos Filmography, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven Original Score by Peter Manning Robinson and reprints from Kung Fu Magazine story about Mark and The Crow.

The majority of the extras will be included on the 5th disk a long with the final two episodes of the series. The commentary track with Bryce and Mark will be on the 1st disk.

THE CROW: STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN complete series is available July 24th. You can pre-order the set from Amazon.

Proyas is "sinking" his teeth into a new film

2007-07-11T05:21:00.000-07:00

(photo originally posted on Darkhorizons)

Garth over at DarkHorizons ran this story today:

Alex Proyas ("The Crow," "I, Robot") will direct "Dracula Year Zero," Universal's origins tale about Vlad the Impaler and one of several films about the Romanian royal who inspired Bram Stoker's vampire tale.

Scribes Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless tell Variety that the goal was to show Vlad when he was still vital and to explore the fact that he's considered a hero in Romania for fending off the Turks.

The aim was too play off the horror and the sympathy you have for a character that "sells his soul to the Devil to save his kingdom and family." Michael De Luca produces.

STH Disk 5 Cover Art

2007-06-29T11:07:00.001-07:00

Here is the cover art for dis 5 of the STH set. Disk 5 will house the lions share of the bonus material (disk 1 will have the commentary on the first two episodes).

Again, thanks to Tim and Frank for the images.

The Crow: STH menu

2007-06-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic of the menu for THE CROW: STAIRWAY to HEAVEN set coming out next month (click on picture to see larger view). The set is going to be 5 disks! We have also learned that Mark will be attending Comic Con, so anyone attending this year look for Mark there.

Thanks to Tim and Frank for the images.

More information on STH extras

2007-06-18T14:11:00.001-07:00

We have talked about what will be on the DVD boxed set for THE CROW: STAIRWAY to HEAVEN, here is an update on what will not as well as an update on two of the features that will be present.

There will not be a behind the scenes featurette. According to Bryce Zabel, exec Producer and writer for STH let us know there was never anything shot for this kind of feature when STH was in production. Beyond that, usually "making of" type features tend to be a rights nightmare. For those who don't remember, the Crow collectors series DVD box set was minus Alex Proyas and David Schow due to them not signing off on anything that used their likeness or voice (the reason behind that changes depending on which person involved you ask). It would cost Arts Alliance more than what they probably are willing to invest if they were to try and do a new making of/behind the scenes featurette.

According to Arts Alliance they are still ironing out the details on
how the instrumental score will be embedded on the disk. There has been a push for this to be available via IPod/Mp3 compatible files on the DVD-ROM portion of the disk. We will see how that turns out.

As far as the audio commentary track recorded for the show, Bryce Zabel had the following to say.....

"The way the commentary works is Mark and I were in an audio booth with earphones and microphones. They show the first two episodes and you talk as you see them. So, yes, your comments are tied to what you see, but you are also free to "roam" based on your inspiration. It came out very nicely everyone says."

This sounds like it will be one of the gems on the set.

Stay tuned to ABaHB and CrowFans.com for more information on The Crow: Stairway To Heaven Box Set.

THE CROW: STH extras looking EXTRA great!!

2007-06-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, sorry that I have been quiet for a bit. Doing some duty for Uncle Sam so have been a bit busy. I have word today on the extras that are going to be part of the THE CROW: STAIRWAY to HEAVEN box set. Some really good news, all of Peter Manning Robinson's original score for the series will be available on the release! This is going to be one fantastic release for fans. They are really putting a lot of extras on this that we might not otherwise have gotten. Here is the list:

1. Gag Reel

2. Production Dailies from: “A Gathering Storm”, “Death Wish” and “Dead to Rights”

3. The Pilot Script

4. Original Episode Descriptions

5. Photo Gallery

6. Mark Dacascos Filmography

7. Commentary with Bryce and Mark on the first 2 episodes - “The Soul Can’t Rest” and “Souled Out”

8. The Crow: Stairway to Heaven Original Score by Peter Manning Robinson: “Main Title”, “101 Opening”, “Sonya Says See Ya”, “How to Fix it”, “Albrecht’s Map”, “Telling a Story”, “When I was Twenty”, “See, Land, Asylum” and “End Credits”

2 additional possibilities:

All episode scripts
Reprints from Kung Fu Magazine story about Mark and The Crow

These are some great looking extras. This is really turning into a treat for fans! We will keep you posted.

Arts Alliance America has opened up a MySpace page to help promote The Crow: Stairway To Heaven DVD Box Set.

To purchase The Crow: Stairway To Heaven DVD Box Set click here.

New James O'Barr interview & Jeff Cadiente interview

2007-06-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

Cuervo Muerto from over at CrowColl alerted us to a new James O'Barr interview caught on video over at Fanboy.tv. It is short, but a really cool listen for fans as James speaks to the new project that is coming out from him.

Another item was sent to us from David Jefers, also from CrowColl. He sent us over an interview from 2006 with stuntman and friend to Brandon, Jeff Cadiente. That name should sound familiar as he was the main body double for Brandon in THE CROW. He a long with Chad Stahelski (body double for Keanu Reeves in all three Matrix movies) were stunt doubles for Brandon.

Here is the interview with Jeff.

STH will be even more EXTRA special!

2007-05-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

Recently heard from a representative from Hart Sharp Video and a long with the previously mentioned commentary from Bryce and Mark on the first two episodes and a "making of", we can also look forward to a gag reel (supposed to be pretty funny), a large amount of dailies and more photos and possible other extras. They are also trying to get permission to reprint some articles on Mark that appeared over the past few years.

All in all, this is shaping up to be an excellent release for fans of the show. This is great news. In the past, THE CROW and DVD have been synonymous with disappointment. Perhaps that tide is turning.

Petition for The Crow "Author's Edition"

2007-05-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, some news NOT related to the upcoming STH release on DVD for you. Fellow fan John Thomas has put together a petition to get O'Barr to finish the long rumored, but never realized THE CROW "AUTHOR'S EDITION" graphic novel completed. This has long been mentioned by O'Barr himself as a work in progress but there has never seemed to be much in the way of progress. We have featured extra pages on ABaHB that would encompass such a re-release of the original graphic novel. Go out to the petition and sign it. Perhaps if O'Barr sees the interest is there he can find a publisher for it.

Commentary completed for STH

2007-05-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

Bryce Zabel reports in his latest blog that the commentary track featuring he and Mark Dacasos has been completed. We are looking foward to hearing this commentary when the THE CROW: STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN complete series is available July 24th. You can pre-order the set from Amazon.

STH update

2007-05-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

After a bit of touch and go there, all is going forward with Bryce Zabel and Mark Dacascos' involvement with the upcoming region 1 release of THE CROW: STAIRWAY to HEAVEN boxed set. Yesterday, Bryce and Mark got together for a commentary track that will be featured on the set. Thanks to everyone that voiced their support for this to Hart Sharp Video, who as I said, are all about giving us a quality product. I can't wait to get the set and hear the commentary track. Bryce is also supplying a behind the scenes feature for the release.

You can go here to read Bryce's latest blog entry and you can go here for the updated advertisement from Hart Sharp Video.

Rochelle Davis update

2007-05-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

As you know, we have followed the recent troubles that Rochelle Davis (real name Andrea Ruano) has endured since Oct 26th, 2006. The upshot of everything, given all of the charges that were being leveled at her (I saw the transcript and it read like a laundry list from hell), she ended up only being charged with conspiracy and child endangerment. These were far lessor charges than what she could have seen thrown at her.

Recently, Frank spoke to Rochelle's manager Jaine Flanagan. By her own account, Jaine has been more of a friend than a manager to Rochelle over the last 10 years. Jaine reports that Rochelle suffered a great deal after Brandon's death. They had become close friends and Rochelle described herself as one of Brandon's biggest fans. According to Jaine, Rochelle had a hard time after the accident auditioning for other parts. Her heart just was not into it. Though things came to a head on October 26th of last year with her arrest, Rochelle had other challenges that she had endured since her last acting job on The Crow. Finally, it was a lack in judgement which cost her dearly when the people whom she had become friends with turned out to be some pretty unsavory characters. She has learned a valuable lesson through the course of the events that have transpired over the last 8 months.

Will she act ever again? Who knows. Right now, she is just trying to get her life back on track for her and her son Destin. We hope that she will feel up to talking with fans in the coming months. I know that she is loved by the fan base and everyone is pulling for her to get back on her feet. When I was visiting with Robert Zuckerman he mentioned how much he would love to reach out to her now. I hope she knows how much she is loved, by those who know her and by those who have never met her. We are all a family and when one of your family hurts, everyone hurts.

I pray for nothing but the best for Rochelle and Destin.

Take care & God bless

Hold those negative DVD reports for STH!!!!!

2007-05-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

Great news to report. After speaking with reps from Hart Sharp Video, the door has not been totally closed on the extras and who will be involved with the set. If all works out, Bryce and Mark will be participating in the DVD release of THE CROW: STAIRWAY to HEAVEN. This is great news for fans as we know how much Bryce put into the series and how much he was open to the fans. I think it speaks volumes that a DVD company is interested in a quality product first and I feel very confident that Hart Sharp Video is dedicated to giving us the best possible release of STH on DVD.

At any rate, we will keep you updated on the release.

Frank took a trip today that I know everyone is going to be interested in hearing about. We will have his report and pictures soon, so be looking forward to that.

DVD release of STH going to be less than stellar

2007-05-03T04:23:00.000-07:00

Folks, I got word from Bryce Zabel that neither he or Mark have been contacted about their involvement with the DVD. Whats more, it would seem Bryce will not have any input to the DVD and we will be given a less than stellar release. I can't begin to put into words my disappointment in this news. The franchise as a whole just seems to be getting crapped on at every turn. I will not go down without a fight however. The director of marketing for the dvd, Marylou Bono, needs to be contacted by us and told how we feel about them releasing the series on DVD in this fashion. We need to be intelligent in our emails to her, don't send her a mindless rant. We need to let her know what this series means to us and the lack of involvement of Bryce and Mark is inconceivable. Here is the email address: marylou.bono@hartsharpvideo.com .

Here is an article that Bryce has posted. He goes on to talk about how the latest promotion article by Hart Sharp Video makes several typographical and content blunders, the most telling, the misspelling of Mark's first and last name as well as a ludicrous synopsis that totally misses the point of the series all together. This screams loudly that they don't care about this release and are basically throwing it out there. If they can't get the basics right, how are we to trust them with the most important content of all, the episodes themself?

Time to wake up folks, I have been saying we need to get more involved in this franchise. Now is the time for fans of the series to not sit back and take what we are given.

Various updates

2007-04-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not getting updates out to you. I was involved in a one car accident on Friday the 13th (still don't buy into the whole bad karma thing for that day). I ended up with a crushed left leg, arms cut to ribbons, slight concusion and a whole body of hurts :) All in all though, the Lord was watching out for me as nothing broken in my left leg, no major head damage, just major bruising and contusions. Guess my leg is as hard as my head! I'm hobbling around, but none the less, back to my normal self. The cuts on my arms are very Crow-esque, just needed some black electrical tape!

Here is a tid bit of news on the DVD release of STH. It doesn't mention anything about the commentary Bryce mentioned, but does give some detail as to what will be on the release.

Also, the Crow has been getting a lot of play on Encore action here lately. Also, Frank tells me it will be offered via HD channel soon. This will be the first time fans can see it in HD. Will get you more details on that. Speaking of, waiting to see when we will see the Crow films on HD DVD and/or Blue Ray.

Finally, The Crow got a lot of mentions, or to be more exact, compared to the recent hoax photos put out of a supposed makeup test photo of Heath Ledger as Joker from The Dark Knight. A lot of people were comparing it to The Crow. Of course the photo turned out to be a hoax, but it is good to know that the iconic look of The Crow is still well known.

Take care & God bless

Some news on the STH video/DVD producers

2007-04-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

Here is an article sent in from Frank that gives you a little detail on the video/DVD producers Hart Sharp, who will be putting out the complete series DVD of THE CROW: STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN.

I am in the process of putting together an update on Andrea (Drea) Ruano, otherwise known as "Sarah" from the first CROW film (her professional name that most CROW fans know her as is Rochelle Davis). She has been released with time served. Frank has been trying to reach her via her manager. He obtained a copy of the court docket that details everything that went on and continues to transpire in regard to her case. We will give you a synopsis of that, but will not go into major detail out of respect for Andrea's privacy. The important thing now is that she be allowed to move forward and hopefully put all this stuff behind her. I will have that article up by this weekend.

Take care & God bless

The Crow: Stairway To Heaven preorder info

2007-04-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

Frank has let us know that Amazon.com has The Crow: Stairway To Heaven box set available for pre-order now. No word on features as the set is still being developed, but the tentative release date is July 24, 2007. Click here to pre-order The Crow: Stairway To Heaven box set.

More news on the DVD release of STH in the states

2007-03-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, I am about to head off to Disney World with my family and youth group. Before I go, Frank shot me an update on the fantastic news we received a few weeks back that the series "The Crow: Stairway to Heaven" would get a region 1 release. Bryce Zabel has come back to give us more information, to include the concept cover art. Bryce mentions how serious the video house which is putting out the DVD (Hart Sharp Video) is taking this release. One of the confirmed extras will be a new commentary available on the first two episodes of the series with Bryce and series star Mark Dacascos. Other extras have yet to be determined. Bryce wants to know what extras we would like to see as well as our opinion of the cover art. Go to his blog and give your input. We have provided the cover art here.

I will be back on the hunt for Crow news next Friday, so until then, take care & God bless.

Where does the Crow rank in comics to film history?

2007-03-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

P>According to Boxoffice Mojo, THE CROW ranks 38th out of 70 feature films that have been based on comics/graphic novels. THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS ranks 55th. For a while, THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS had the largest weekend opening for a late August release with 9 million 787 thousand. THE CROW opened to over 11 million on May 13th, 1994. It ended up making just over 50 million domestically.

The Crow: Stairway to Heaven gets Region 1 DVD release!!

2007-03-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

This coming July THE CROW: STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, will be released on Region 1 DVD in a 4-disk box set. No details if there will be extras. This is great news for fans of the TV series. Check out Bryce Zabel's blog for a lot more details (Bryce was the creator/executive producer of the series).

Bryce's blog has three great PDF's. First is the pilot episode script, a 25 page "bible" of how the show was pitched and how it would be presented and finally an episodes summary. This is some great information for the STH fans out there.

HUGE thanks to Frank for the update on this.

Rochelle Davis sentencing comes down

2007-03-05T05:56:00.000-08:00

Frank forwarded me this information that was posted by the The Intelligencer (Doylestown, PA). For those that have not kept up with this story, Rochelle Davis, real name Andrea "Drea" Ruano, was arrested a long with a number of gang members for basically running a drug house. Drea (Rochelle) contends she was a part of this out of fear for her own safety and that of her daughter. The sentencing has been handed down in the case and Drea received time served to 23 months in the county prison. We pray that she is able to get the time served and does not have to leave her daughter. It is just very ironic how this whole situation mirrors that of her character's mom Darla from THE CROW.

We hope and pray that Drea can use this as a way to get herself straightened out. While Robert Zuckerman was visiting with me in January I told him about Drea's problems and he was dismayed. He would like to speak with her.

Thanks again to Frank here is the full story:

Intelligencer, The (Doylestown, PA)

February 13, 2007
Section: LOCAL
Page: B4

9 Bloods sentenced for selling heroin
Members of the "Sex, Money, Murder" faction of the street gang pleaded guilty to drugs and weapons charges.
Laurie Mason

THE INTELLIGENCER

They set up shop in Bucks County because the prices were better and the customers plentiful. Now nine people linked to the infamous Bloods street gang are in prison for selling heroin at a Penndel apartment complex.

"This was a sophisticated operation and they were growing," said Senior Deputy District Attorney Robert James. "They sold their product here because their customers were here."

The defendants, all members or associates of the Trenton-based "Sex, Money, Murder" faction of the Bloods, pleaded guilty to drugs and weapons charges in Bucks County Court in Doylestown.

Their arrests were the result of a two-month undercover sting at the Oxford Grant apartments that showed that the Bloods were raking in at least $12,250 a week selling heroin to a steady stream of customers coming and going from a vacant apartment.

During the sting, the gang members became suspicious of an undercover police detective who had infiltrated their operation and searched his clothes. Had they found anything that identified him as a cop, he could have been killed, James said.

Sentenced Monday by county Judge Albert Cepparulo were:

* Taquan "Skeeno/Blaze/Sparks" Owens, 22, of Trenton; four to eight years in a state prison.

* Rashawn "S" Biggs, 28, of Trenton; six to 15 years.

* David "Dip" Owens, 19, of Penndel; 71/2 to 20 years.

* Terrell "Mack" Owens, 21, of Penndel; four to 20 years.

* James "Hood" Harris, 27, of Trenton; two to five years.

* Darryl Martin, 28, of Bristol Township; 21/2 to five years.

* William "Jerzy" Murphy, 27, Trenton; 11/2 to five years.

* Oscar "Yorel" Holland, 26, of Trenton; six to 23 months in Bucks County Prison.

* Andrea "Drea" Ruano, 26, of Penndel; time served to 23 months in the county prison.

The defendants' sentences varied depending on their prior criminal record and level of involvement in the operation.

According to court records, the gang began selling heroin, crack, powder cocaine and marijuana at Oxford Grant in June. Confidential informants tipped off police to the Bloods' presence soon after, and the investigation began.

The gang kept a strict hierarchy, with the leaders rarely interacting with the "fiends," or customers, leaving that work to the "goonies," or underlings, in the organization.

The same bag of heroin that fetches between $5 to $7 on a Trenton street corner sells for at least $10 in Bucks, James said. That's why the Bloods are eager to establish their turf here, and often scope out neighborhoods with small police departments like Penndel and Morrisville to base their operations.

O'Barr in Dallas on Saturday

2007-02-23T04:59:00.000-08:00

O'Barr will be featured with other artists this coming Saturday, Feb 24th, in Dallas at the Art Love Project . If you are in the area, be sure and swing by and give it a look.

Thanks to Frank and jamesobarr.com for the information.

Welcome back Corvus!

2007-02-19T05:40:00.000-08:00

With the resurrection of CrowFans and ABaHB, our good friend Corvus has opened up the halls of his Crow site Deadman Visits You. This is an excited time folks. I look forward to what 2007 has in store for the online community.

What do you think?

2007-02-19T05:24:00.000-08:00

Hey, anyone out there? Read my rant from the 16th and let me know what your thoughts are. Does anyone out there give a damn about the franchise? Do you want to see it resurrected and pulsing with life?

The Halloween franchise should have been dead and buried after the abysmal part 5 and 6, but through the fan base, and in no short order the online community, the pulse has been kept going. The 9th film in that franchise is being shot now. It is a re-imagining of the first film. Though, as you will read below, I don't think we need to do that for THE CROW, but I do agree with going back to the basics, to what got things started.

I think if the CROW franchise were given a literal interpretation of the graphic novel like SIN CITY, we would see this franchise breath again. But we gotta make some noise people. So come on, what the blazes do you think?

Send your thoughts to aboyandhisbird@gmail.com

CrowFans Officially Relaunced & my Crow wish list

2007-02-16T04:59:00.000-08:00

Frank has fully resurrected CrowFans as of this past Wednesday. This is the first step in the old Crow gang getting things back together. I look forward to what CrowFans, Deadman Visits You, CrowColl, ChambeRoom and ABaHB can do in putting this franchise back on track.

You want to know my wish list for this franchise? I would love for the franchise to take a Sin City turn. I know some fans would like to see a female Crow film. But folks, the time is just not right for that. Catwoman, Elektra, Tomb Raider, Blood Rayne etc, the female genre action movie is dead right now. Now is not the time to put a female led Crow film out in the market. The time IS ripe for us to go back to the beginning.

You ask, what do I mean by going back to the beginning? I don't mean a prequel or a re imagining of the first film. I am so sick of the attempts at redoing the original story. I mean the original O'Barr graphic novel needs to be put to film in a literal sense. With the success of SIN CITY, it has been shown that a faithful and literal interpretation of graphic novels can be done right and successfully. The film 300, another Frank Miller graphic novel, is coming to life. The time is right for one of the best graphic novels ever, THE CROW, to be brought to life in a b/w literal interpretation.

I say they get a director that knows the medium of comics and digital technology, pull in O'Barr as a consultant and you film the graphic novel in black & white and you tone down nothing about the themes in it. Once that has been done successfully, then they should go directly to the Kitchen Sink Press archives and do film versions of DEAD TIME, FLESH & BLOOD, WILD JUSTICE & WAKING NIGHTMARES.

Why the KSP comics? To be honest, they are, to date, some of the most original stories that I have read in the Crow universe. No slight against all the fan fiction out there, but none of those or the official movies in the franchise, have offered as varying degree of story line and originality as the KSP series did. The KSP comic series kept to the crow resurrecting mytho of love, death, revenge. However, everything else from the avatar's look, demeanor and abilities/weaknesses were totally different. I think that is exactly what the movies need to be; in the same family but each a totally different take on the mythos. Fans wanting the female lead story would get their wish with the graphic novel FLESH & BLOOD, while the other graphic novels in the series would give us story lines that fall within the same concept of love, death and revenge, but offer up variations to those themes.

Will this ever happen? I don't know, but if we make a loud enough noise, "the god's will notice us again." We have become a weak and silent bunch. The time is ripe that we make some noise and be heard. The technology has caught up now that literal interpretations can be done of graphic novels. The interest by the public is there. All that is needed is some person to grab this franchise by the balls and do with it what needs to be done with it.

Pressman, Dimension, anyone from those offices, are you listening? The franchise isn't dead, it is just time to bury the old way of doing things. Let the franchise flourish as it should.

What are YOUR thoughts? Let me know.

Take care.....

Jamie Christopherson Update

2007-02-16T04:53:00.000-08:00

Jamie was the creator of, in my opinion, one of the best scores in the franchise with his THE CROW: WICKED PRAYER soundtrack. He recently sent out a newsletter and I figured we would reprint it here for all those that are not on his list:

Dear friends and music fans,

A while has gone by since my last newsletter to everyone, so I wanted to reach out and let you in on a few of the current happenings. A lot of the projects that I am working on are under tight wraps for the time being, so I’ll keep this letter pretty brief. Rest assured, I’m working very hard on a handful of exciting, cool projects!

With awards season upon us, I’ve been very fortunate to have been nominated for (and sometimes won) several awards this year. I’m glad that my music is being recognized, and it encourages me to work even harder on present and future projects.

Here are some notable nominations/awards:

5th ANNUAL GANG AWARDS NOMINATIONS (to be held at GDC in March 2007) -

Best Arrangement of a Non-Original Score
Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

Best Original Vocal – Choral
Elven Morning from Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II

Music of the Year (wow!)
Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II

Best Cinematic/Cut-Scene Audio (including music)
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition

*if you are a GANG member, don’t forget to vote!

Park City Film Music Festival (2007)

Best Impact of Music in a Documentary:
Silver Medal for Artistic Excellence
Goal Keepers (aka Children of Jordon Valley)

--------
If you have an interest in reading videogame interviews, I did a series of them recently. They are viewable here:

TRACKSOUNDS INTERVIEW

MUSIC4GAMES INTERVIEW

GAMESPOT INTERVIEW

GAME MUSIC RADIO

GAME ALMIGHTY--------

Lastly, I’ve also been trying to give back to the film, game and TV music community as much as possible between projects, and feel very blessed to have the opportunity to do so. There are so many talented young composers out there, and anything that I can do to help out the truly gifted (and dedicated) ones among them will hopefully help our profession to maintain a high level of craftsmanship into the future.

Aside from being on panels and doing interviews, I have recently accepted a tutor position for an online film, game and TV music course called MUSIC FOR THE MEDIA (http://www.musicforthemedia.com/mftm). The course is especially great at providing real world knowledge and assigning realistic projects to students.

Best wishes to everyone, and thanks for the continues interest in my music!

Cheers,

Jamie Christopherson

Music for Film, Games and TV
Soundelux Design Music Group
www.jamiechristopherson.com
Studio: 323-603-5102
Mobile: 310-927-1769

Robert Zuckerman "Between the Lines"

2007-02-09T07:43:00.000-08:00

Crow still photographer Robert Zuckerman can be seen in a taped episode of BETWEEN THE LINES. See update below.

It's a big week for KINDSIGHT on Barry Kibrick's great BETWEEN THE LINES - the number 1 tv show for book lovers everywhere! Please tune in and/or pass this along to friends. THANK YOU BARRY!!

NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, CONNECTICUT
Thirteen WORLD (Cablevision 132, Time Warner 715, Comcast 24, Patriot Media 156)
Friday morning and afternoon, February 9, at 7:30 AM and 1:30 PM

BOSTON, MA
WGBH-WORLD (Comcast 209)
Friday morning and afternoon, February 9, at 7:30 AM and 1:30 PM

NEW ENGLAND (check for local channel)
WGBY-WORLD
Friday morning and afternoon, February 9, at 7:30 AM and 1:30 PM

WASHINGTON, D.C.
WETA-WORLD
Friday morning and afternoon, February 9, at 7:30 AM and 1:30 PM

MT. PLEASANT, MICHIGAN
WCMU
Sunday night, February 11, at 11:30 PM

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA & SAN FRANCISCO
KRCB-TV and "On Demand" at: www.krcb.org
Sunday morning, February 11, at 10:30 AM

CrowFans coming back & Robert Zuckerman

2007-01-30T13:10:00.000-08:00

Myself, Frank of Crowfans and Corvus of Deadman Visits You have all decided to get off our tail feathers and get this online fanbase active again. Go to the Crowfans front page to read the announcement.

I had the privilage last week to personally meet Crow 1 and 2 still photographer Robert Zuckerman. We didn't get to talk too much about The Crow as he was here to visit with my youth group about his latest book Kindsight. But I did get to hear some fantastic memories from the production of the first Crow film. Something I did not know, Robert was in the room the night Brandon was shot. He was taking pictures of the scene and actually snapped a few shots before and after the fatal shot. Those pictures were of course confiscated for the investigation. It was an event that he would never forget. I will post some pictures of Robert with my youth for everyone to see. It was a fantastic meeting, all too soon over. He is making plans to come back. He had to head back to L.A. as work on the film, "Transformers" beckoned his return.

Rochelle Davis Update

2007-01-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

CrowTV alerted us to an update on Crow alum Rochelle Davis, real name Andrea "Drea" Ruano. This is a follow up story to the one posted on the net back in October that detailed her arrest. Things are not looking good for her. We offer our thoughts and prayers that she is able to come out of all this in as positive a way as can be expected. We really hope for the sake of her daughter that she can get away from the people she has been hanging out with and start over.

Crow alum Eric Mabius has a big night

2007-01-16T05:52:00.000-08:00

Those of you that have followed the whole Crow franchise remember Eric Mabius. He played Alex Corvis in the 3rd Crow film, The Crow: Salvation. Congratulations go out to him and the rest of the cast of his new series, "Ugly Betty". They were named best TV Series, Comedy or Musical during the Golden Globes last night. They beat out Desperate House Wives, The Office, Entourage & Weeds.

Eric has been VERY busy since he starred in Salvation. Give his IMDB page a look and you will see he has kept up a steady career since being in Salvation.

"The Crow" morphs into "El Muerto" ?

2007-01-11T05:15:00.000-08:00

Vampire Mike from the UK sent us a link to a movie that came out in 2005 and is based on a little known indie comic "El Muerto". Some of you have probably seen this. This was my first time to hear about it and check out the trailer. Dang folks, this looks just like a Crow film. I have to say I am VERY intrigued to see this film. You can go to the official site to get info about the film and comic or you can check out the trailer here on YouTube

From what I can gather, it may be available in some non-U.S. markets on DVD. It looks like they are trying to find a distributor for a theatrical release, but I don't see anything up to date to confirm if that is happening. I checked out IMDB and there are 21 folks that rated it and only 2 that gave comments. The comments are polar extremes. One says it is garbage, the other says it is very good. So who knows.

Thanks again to Vampire Mike for the heads up on this.

**UPDATE** El Muerto creator Javier Hernandez has left a message, make sure to check it out.

Brandon Lee Tribute song

2007-01-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

Fellow Crow fan Buddy Kelly invites all Brandon Lee fan's to his blog to hear a tribute song he wrote for Brandon several years ago called "Sayeth The Crow".

His hope is to get a big name band to take it on someday and to have it featured on a Crow movie soundtrack. His ultimate dream would be for it to be part of an adaptation of the Crow comic "Flesh & Blood".

I listened to the song, not bad at all. Has a very southern/folk rock sound to it.

Take care

Eyes and ears out for Crow info

2007-01-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder, I scouer the net and get information from my resources. But one of the greatest resources we have had over the years is regular visitors keying us to information. If you see anything Crow related, send it on. Full credit will be given to the source. send it to aboyandhisbird@gmail.com .

Anyone check out the latest from Zombie's prequel to Halloween? Seems they are keeping with the same original movie mask design. Thank goodness! The crap they came up with for the 4th-7th films left much to be desired. Though a subpar film, Resurrection at least came the closest to giving us a suitable mask. IMHO of course.

What are your thoughts of the Crow franchise going the same route? Prequel that is. Going back to the original film sort of, but taking it in a different angle?

Shoot me your thoughts.

Take care.....

Robert Zuckerman in Santa Monica

2007-01-03T06:51:00.000-08:00

Robert Zuckerman's book "Kindsight" continues to sweep the nation. Folks, if you have not picked this book up, you should. You can find it at any book chain as well as online at Amazon.com and other online book outlets. See the above picture for where Robert will be next.

Misc updates

2007-01-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some updates that I wanted to pass on from CuervoMuerto over at Crowcoll. These were posted late November, so they are fairly recent.

James O'Barr has a MySpace now. Give it a look.

Speaking of James, his official site sponsored the annual Croween contest in 2006. I have not seen any updates on it, but keep checking there for announcement of winners.

Finally, for those that have not been able to find the CD for Trust/Obey's "Fear and Bullets" (the soundtrack created to go a long with the original graphic novel) it's on iTunes. Just search "Fear and Bullets" and you should find it pretty fast. If you search on Trust Obey you will have to wade through other non-related items.

I trust everyone has recovered from the New Years Eve hangovers and gotten back into the groove of things. Talk 2 ya later

Take care.....

Happy New Year!!!!

2007-01-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

As you can see from the updates below, we are back in action here in a major way. Unless I'm sick or away from a computer, there should be an update every day on something going on. As noted, some of this stuff will be a bit dated, but not everyone is aware of everything going on so I will be catching folks up on some of the major items that went on in 2006.

I rang in the New Year with 20 of my youth. Was up all night supervising movies, Dance Dance Revolution, Karaoke Revolution, Guitar Hero (1 and 2) and Halo. We always have a good time with food, games and movies with some serious reflection time thrown in at the middle when midnight hits.

At any rate, it is good to be back in action. I hope you had a safe ringing in of the New Year. And here is a toast for a prosperous New Year.

Take care.....

James O'Barr......whats he up to?

2006-12-31T17:28:00.000-08:00

Want to know what James has been up to? James contributed to "The Ride". It looks to be a variation on the work he was doing for a new Crow story that featured a man and wife returning.

Go here to read the full story:

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=75357

Rochell Davis' real life imitating art

2006-12-31T06:19:00.000-08:00

Getting everyone caught up on some old news here. This was first brought to my attention by CrowTV and was posted on the Chamberoom by Dark Soul back on 1 November. Rochelle Davis (real name Andrea Ruano) has fallen on some bad times. Read the story below. It almost reads like something from an alternative sequel from the first Crow film. Very ironic. We hope for the best for Rochell/Andrea.

Mom says daughter helped Bloods out of fear

By MATT COUGHLIN
Bucks County Courier Times

DRUG BUST IN PENNDEL

The woman who let a group of Bloods street gang members deal drugs out of her apartment once played a little girl who needed protection from a superhero in the 1994 movie “The Crow.”

But when Andrea Ruano feared getting robbed this summer, she didn't turn to a superhero.

Ruano's mother, Maun Flanagan, says her daughter had actually let the “Sex, Money, Murder” gang members live in the apartment because she was afraid of getting robbed.

The 26-year-old Penndel woman and four alleged members of the Bloods street gang — Oscar “Leroy” Holland, 26, also known as Yorrel; William Elon Murphy, 27, aka Jerzy; and brothers Darryl Dwain Owens, 21, known as D, and David Lamar Owens, 19, known as Dip — were arraigned Friday on charges that they were involved in a corrupt organization dealing heroin and cocaine out of Ruano's Oxford Grant Apartment following a two-month undercover investigation.

Ruano also faces child endangerment charges for allegedly keeping her 3-year-old son in the apartment during drug deals and at least one robbery — the very thing her mother said Ruano thought the Bloods would prevent.

“It's quite a fall,” Flanagan said outside the courtroom Friday morning. “We knew something, nothing good was going on over there because she had a gun to her head a couple weeks ago.”

The apartment, where police said as much as $2,500 worth of heroin was sold daily, was robbed the night of Sept. 19. A group of men from another gang armed with an assault rifle and a shotgun broke into the apartment, tied one gang member up and stole at least $1,000 worth of “rent money,” police said.

In a taped copy of the 911 call that night one gang member's voice can be heard whispering. But the dispatcher could barely hear the man and asked him to repeat himself. He whispered again, slightly louder, “Help. We're being robbed.” But when police showed up to investigate the incident, the victims could only describe the robbers as “black males.”

Police said Ruano's 3-year-old son Destin was in the apartment that night.

“Everyone was telling her she was hanging out with these guys who weren't really her friends,” Flanagan said.

Police investigated the alleged drug deals out of Apartment 146 for two months before raiding it Thursday. They seized a cell phone used for drug deals, a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol, heroin, cocaine and several pieces of gang paraphernalia. They also found pictures of Ruano with actor Brandon Lee and Ruano's film resume under the stage name Rochelle Davis.

Flanagan said her daughter was traumatized when Lee was accidentally killed on the set when he was hit by a round from a prop gun during an action scene. Ruano had to go back and film the final scene with a body double replacing Lee. Flanagan said she's never been in a film since.

Flanagan said Destin is staying with her and his father at their Middletown house.

Ruano and the Bloods are each in Bucks County prison on $1 million bail.

NECA releases classic cult series

2006-12-31T05:51:00.000-08:00

The folks at NECA released back in October a single figure from their previous two-pack that contained Eric Draven and Top Dollar in battle. Now they just have Draven, holding the steeple piece.

Check it out here: http://www.necaonline.com/product/detail/42041

My personal opinion is "meh". But if you don't have the 2-figure set this might be worth a purchase for you.

ABaHB Returns!!!

2006-12-30T05:41:00.000-08:00

Welcome everyone. Irony and I celebrated 10 years of service to the Crow community this year. It was a quiet one, but given the current state of non-activity on the Crow front, it offered us a time to rest and recharge the batteries. The time has come to get back to work :)

Crowfans has opened their doors again, and we hope other old friends will be getting back into the game. The plan is to get our fan base active again. I have sat back and watched online communities such as Halloweenmovies.com keep their franchise not only alive, but prospering. I want to do the same for The Crow.

The future of The Crow lies in our hands. Who knows what the "industry" has in mind for the future. All I know is that WE can take the franchise under our wing and give it new life.

At any rate, with the new year will come a new energy and dedication to this franchise. I am excited about the prospect of once again communicating with friends and meeting new fans of the franchise.

Take care.....

LLcruize
aboyandhisbird@gmail.com

A Boy and His Bird Returns

2006-12-29T18:49:00.000-08:00

Now in new blog form!