The Crow: Final

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

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

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

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!

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

(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

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

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

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!!

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

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!

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"

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

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

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

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!!!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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!!

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

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

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!

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?

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

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

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"

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

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

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

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" ?

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

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

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

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

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!!!!

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.....