The difference is what’s said and how... TM
www.decodemag.com Entertianment Lifestyle Magazine
Fall 2003
The WWE DIVA is back! Honda’s New Element TNT’s Transistor Microsoft’s
XBOX
VIVIAN GREEN PICK IT UP FOR
FREE For a Limit Time! ed
M O V I E S • M U S I C • G A M E S • A N I M E • C O M I C S • T E C H • R I D E S • FA S H I O N • & M O R E . . .
Plus: The Anime Network launches VOLTRON from the Old School Days and Marvel Comics The Pulse
GAMING
The hottest Interviews with today’s biggest stars.
TECHNU
Good ol' Ninja Magic By Ken Cross What red-blooded boy hasn't dreamed he was a ninja at one point or another? Sneaking in the shadows, throwing shuriken (throwing stars), and using those mystical arts. When the first Tenchu game came out in '97 the rooftop running, sword slashing spectacular became a hit instantly. The sequel (that was actually a prequel) didn't quite follow the same success, mostly because it was just too blasted hard!! Now the series has made the jump to PS2, but will the good ol' ninja magic come back for this one? The answer is a resounding YES! It's hard not to like a game that immerses you into your role like this one. In case you haven't played Tenchu before (and why wouldn't you have?) you can take control of Rikimaru or Ayame and guide them on missions where stealth takes precedence over hack n' slash. At the beginning of each mission you are allowed to select up to 5 ninja tools to help you complete your mission either peacefully or deadly.
At the end you're graded on how well you played your part as a ninja, the less you are seen or heard the better you do. The designers have really gone the extra mile to give you incentive to kill without being seen. If you fill up the kill meter above the health meter, you unlock special techniques that will help you throughout your missions. These abilites can be ninja vision which allows you to see across great distances, or clinging to ceilings. I must admit that this game has a detailed sword fighting and combo system. Swinging the analog joystick around gives you a 360 slash or hitting slash twice then pulling back on the analog will unleash a shoulder block. It takes time to learn them all but when you do you'll be slicing through hordes of enemies. The camera is improved, but still needs a little bit of work That's the only thing detracting from an overall great game, although it would seem to me that there is little else to explore in the stealth ninja genre. Tenchu: The Wrath of Heaven endeavors to make you a master of being a ninja, I say "Ninbu kanryou!" (Mission Accomplished!).
MOVIES DVD PREVIEW Matrix Reloaded By Flash Who: Keanu Reevesm, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss Directed by the Wachowski brothers, produced by Joe Silver What: The second mind bending installment of the Matrix Trilogy "The Matrix Reloaded" When: Release date 14th October, 2003. Decoded: Can you even ask if you need to get this? One of the top twenty grossing films of all time, worldwide. The film will be available in separate widecreen and fullscreen editions, Both widescreen and full screen editions of the film will arrive on two discs and will carry the following:
!Dolby Digital 5.1and 2.0 Tracks !Preload: Behind the scenes with the cast and the crew
!The Freeway Chase: Anatomy of the mind-blowing scene
!Enter The Matrix: Making of the groundbreaking video game
!What Is The Animatrix? !The Matrix Unfolds: A look at the Matrix phenomenon
!Get Me An Exit: Matrix-inspired design advertising
!The MTV Movie Awards Reloaded !DVD-ROM Features: Web links to the official Matrix website
Preview of The Matrix Reloaded DVD Menu Screens
DVD PREVIEW Indiana Jones Box Set By Flash Who: Harrison Ford Stars as Indiana Jones, Directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by George Lucas What: Indiana Jones Trilogy Raiders of the lost Ark, The Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade When: Release date 21st October, 2003. Decoded: One of the best action adventure series of all time. This is a must have for any serious DVD collector. Paramount Home Entertainment and Lucasfilm Ltd. have now released information for the upcoming region one release of the Indiana Jones Trilogy. The box set
will have 4 Discs. Behind-thescenes documentaries, cast and crew interviews and other special features will be presented on the fourth disc. "This collection explores every facet of how the films were made, from stunts to visual effects to the music and sound," said Jim Ward, a marketing executive for Lucasfilm. "We take viewers around the world to explore the history behind the Indiana Jones legends.� Did you know that the character Indiana Jones' was named after George Lucas's dog!
FEATURE ... TACKLING THE TWINS The Rayment Brothers AKA The Matrix Twins By Flash You might know them as "the Matrix Twins" but their real names are Adrian and Neil Rayment. Decode scooped an exclusive interview lining up the brothers for a little chat about their role in the Matrix Decode: Neil and Adrian are you guys fraternal or identical twins?
Decode: How did you get into acting I mean what made you both decide to become actors? Adrian: We didn't go through the traditional route, through stage school and stuff like that. Our uncle was an Alfred Hitchcock look alike for an agency and he said, “well, you know there is a couple of twins in the
Adrian: We are fraternal. Neil: Fraternal. Our actual classification is "Mirror Twins". Ye a h , s o f o r t h a t w e predominantly are turned left and right, or backward and forward, good and evil, yin and yang, yeah! Decode: Do twins run in the family? Neil: Yes, my father was a twin and my fathers' father was a twin, so yeah, generations of twins! Decode: Well you guys have some serious twin potential then? Neil: I don't know what the actual percentages are, but [may girlfriend] is quiet worried! Adrian: I'll take that! [taking the mic from Neil]
fam ily, would you like to see them?” We were about 16, you know wet behind the ears, didn't know the industry at all and we started doing extra work small movie parts, walk on parts like, hey “I'll be the tree in the corner!” No problem pop video's, cottage work (British for
Home Improvement show), and then we went to presenting and larger acting work. Decode: Do you think getting into acting in England was or is harder than in the US with Hollywood, NY, and off Broadway and all? Neil: Yeah it is still really hard, Adrian: It's all really, really hard! Neil: Hey who's got the mic? Who is the MC here? Adrian: Who's got the opinions? Neil: Yeah, who's the outspoken one? It's all really difficult, you know. It's a cottage industry in London. England is a very small place, so to be put on the map by doing a feature for somebody like Warner Brothers, a studio of that size, you can't help but get a real fueled lift into the big times. [Adrian takes the mic from Neil]
Did you know that the Rayment brothers are actually mirror twins. Exact opposites!
Decode: Seeing that you both are black belts who are some of your Kung-Fu influences?
Michele Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, I think she's cool! Adrian: You can see where he is going with that!
Neil: Well I think Bruce Lee is one of my biggest influences just for the stylization and the fact that he brought Chinese Boxing and Kung Fu to the western world. He was the innovator of 30 years ago. He set a precedent for all martial arts in cinema from then on. It also made a gateway for great choreographers like Young Woo Ping who has directed over 40 movies in Asia and is now one of the most wanted [fight] choreographers and wire works on the planet. People I respect today [are] Jet Li, I like
Decode: What did you think about the "Matrix Franchise" before you were actually in it? Adrian: It was a massive movie for me, you know as a fan, before I even had any concept of being in it. It was the concept of the film that got me. The philosophy and the cinematography that it generated was just an eye catcher. I mean it was my profession anyway. Just the whole thing, it was a whole new genre of Sci-fi. There aren't that
many that do that and Matrix is one. I mean Star Wars did it, Terminator extended it, Aliens did it. But there are very few films that produce trilogies that become Sci-Fi genres. Neil: Hey, let me get my penny's worth in! The thing with the Matrix is it has a lot of philosophical statement work going on there. [The Wachowski Brothers] took a lot of influences from Christianity, Buddhism, Scintoism, Catholicism all kinds of new science for sci-fi especially involved with martial arts. It's just a real piece of escapism for anybody. It's a possible reality. All humans get off on that $#!t right! Decode: How did you get the gig to act as the "Infamous Twins" in the Matrix franchise? Did you know that it took the Rayment brother 3 hrs everyday in make-up to attach the wigs and to paint on the ghost white skin!
FEATURE Adrian: Through our agency. We were working on another production and the casting call came up. It was in a casting studio in London that we had been to a hundred times before for other stuff. Yeah it was the Matrix, but it was the first stage of the casting tour, so [we thought] we'll go along, do our best and see what happens. We read some sites then we went back again and were penciled for another casting. Second time, possibilities are getting better. Then the third time they flew us out to LA and we cast in front of the Wachowski brothers and two weeks after that they said, “your in the Matrix.” Then we threw a big party! Decode: Were they looking for twins or just look-a-likes? Adrian: Yeah, but we didn't know that the time though. The first time we auditioned we read sites for the new agents. So we just thought that they wanted a couple of doods that looked similar to play the new agents. And it wasn't until we got to the final casting in LA and we sat down with Larry and Andy and they pulled out some hand rendered drawings and said “look, these are you guys.” We were both like $hhhaaaaayyyy man! What's going on? Can I carry that off?
Decode: What has it been like being a part of this whole Matrix thing, did you have any ideas that your characters would have been so big? Adrian: We had no idea, No idea at all! Neil: Mine1 (grabbing the mic from Adrian). You look at the script and you have a view of how big the character may be taken whether they will become iconic or not, because it is an iconic film. All the characters are iconic, especially from the first film. You do, you have dreams, but then again you put your head down 'cause work is work, but to us it's just another job even though it's a big movie. Decode: What can you tell us, if anything, as to your role in the upcoming Matrix Movie? Adrian: Nada nothing, But we can say this Revolutions That’s gonna rock!
RIDEZ STUDIO E CONCEPT The Honda Element Goes Urban By Flash The Honda Studio E concept vehicle, a panel-side version of the all-new Honda Element, transforms the outdoors-minded Element into the ultimate mobile entertainment platform geared for New York City nightlife and urban street performance. The Studio E is built around the needs and lifestyle of a club DJ. This thing is a rolling audio and video studio complete with an onboard personal audio computer for mixing tracks and a 42-inch high-definition plasma screen display. The upright and modular exterior styling remain true to the Element, while the panel sides conceal equipment and provide security for speakers and amplifiers inside. The exterior concept maximizes the utility of the Element platform by using solid panels at the rear of the vehicle, which helps add functional space and privacy. The rear cargo doors open from the
center for quick load-in and convenient access to the interior. The interior concept is built around industrial-strength utility with sporty accents throughout. Black nylon material and red Alcantera™ suede are used on the seating surfaces for durability and comfort. The front passenger area has builtin rubber floor mats with raised diamond plate cleats for traction. The rear cargo area, based on the interior of a cargo plane, combines a hard shell plastic base with aluminum rails so large, bulky objects can be efficiently loaded and unloaded. The instrument panel houses a precise 6-speed shifter for the transmission (rally style, in the center of the dash) and the gauges feature sporty red lettering against a black background. Additional panel-side Element applications include a compact race team transporter (for go-karts or motorcycles), an allpurpose cargo carrier and a concert tour bus for the aspiring rock star
Hip-Hop, R&B, Soul, Dance, Metal and everything in-between
Vivian Green
Sweet Soul Music By: DJ Kahuna
You may have seen her or you may have heard her, But do you know who Vivian Green is? No, Not “Who is Jill Scott?”, Vivian Green, well get ready cause she is going to the top and is going to blow your ears off. She’ll make your love for soul scream. People have seen her and mistaken her for MYA, NOT! People have seen her and mistaken her for Tamia, NOT! One thing that you cannot mistake though and that is her nightingale voice. The one reason she can send you on a love story is that it will make you wish that you were either married, in love, or just getting over that one that was the sh*t in the sack! None-the-less she will fill your heart full of love and soul. Vivian Green is the definitive
Stephen Lynch “Superhero” -WhatAreRecords By: Jim McFarlin between father and s o n , suddenly becomes the son's apology to dad for catching him masturbating the night before.
What we have in Stephen Lynch is the official balladeer for the Jackass generation. Like practical jokes set to music, almost all of the 15 tracks on Lynch's second comedy CD begin with an innocent title ("Country Love Song," "Grandfather") and sincere lyrics, floated aloft by his disarmingly sweet tenor and solo guitar. Ah, but beware: his tunes quickly disintegrate from boys' choir to Beavis and Butthead, taking outrageous and obscene twists with frequently hilarious results. Thus a song like "Talk to Me," which starts out like the story of a moment-of-truth encounter
While not every track is an out-andout scream, the hysterical title song, fuelled by some inventive audience participation, nearly made me drive off the freeway the first time I heard it. If you're hungry for some really big laughs, become a member of the Lynch mob.
MUSIC next love for American R&B. Imagine this in your head; Anita Baker and Tina Marie, that is what you have in Vivian Green all by herself. The history of Vivian Green starts out in Philadelphia and goes from being a accomplished song writer to singing back-up for Jill Scott. Look out for this nightingale to pierce your heart full of soul. Out of the 14 Trax’s o nthe album these are Kahuna’s Khoice Kutt’s , Trax#1 Wishful Thinking; Trax #2 24hour blue; Trax #6 Emotional Rollercoaster; Trax#10 Fanatic; Trax#14 K e e p it going. My favorite song of all the kutt’s is “Keep it Going”. Pick it up; play it loud and play it long. Rating 5.0! Worth Did you know that Vivian is an every dollar and then some, of the accomplished songwriter and sang back-up for Jill Scott. also sang $16.99 I had to shell out!
TNT
“Transistor”-Spitfire Records - By: FUBAR I gotta tell you all, of the indie l a b e l s Spitfire is got to be one of the best! My first visit to their website (years ago) got the ol' viens pumping full of fire. The new label (at that time) really impressed me with its lineup, and surprised the hell out of me when I saw TNT's Transistor as one of the cds available from the company. Since I hadn't seen anything from
TNT since Realized Fanatsies 92’. I was eager to see what the band was up to. With Transistor, TNT continue on the path they set with Tell No Tales; solid commercial rock songwriting. Though not as good as Realized Fanatsies, Transistor does have its share of standout tracks. 'Wide Awake', 'No Such Thing', 'Crashing Down', and 'Moustrap'. Sadly, this album has too many slower tracks. Still, Transistor is a hell of a lot better than most of the CRAP that is being passed off as rock nowadays. Good luck in finding this one folks!
QUICK TAKE ... There is no business in the world where the term “never say never” is more appropriate than in professional wrestling. Over the years we have seen the beloved Hulk Hogan go from uber-babyface to despicable, bearded heel; rival federations WCW and WWF merge into one company (actually, WWF bought WCW), and the wrestling industry admit publicly that wrestling matches are all staged. Though all of these things were huge events in wrestling, none of them were entirely secrets. The Internet has made it next to impossible to keep any surprises under wraps for long. However, Vince McMahon managed to pull one more shocker out of his legendary bag of tricks the return of the original WWE (formerly the WWF) diva, Sable. “I guess some secrets are meant to be kept,” the diva explains in a relaxed but commanding voice. “I only had my discussion with Vince McMahon and Jim Ross. And fortunately between the three of us I think we were able to keep it a secret not to mention the fact that I'm sure that most people thought I would never, in a million years, have the chance to come back.”
Return of the OD (Original Diva) By Andre McGarrity
A popular wrestler returning to the WWE is always an exciting thing, but a relatively normal occurrence. However, like most things surrounding the woman who was a cornerstone of the WWE's controversial (and successful) “attitude” period in the late '90s, this was anything but normal. Of all the performers who ever left the WWE on good or bad terms, Sable was the last person anyone would ever expect to see in the ring again. (Well, her and Bret Hart.) In 1995, Rena Mero (the real name of the woman who portrays Sable) left the WWE, and not on the best of terms. At the pinnacle of her popularity, she filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the company that generated mainstream headlines. By the
The hottest Interviews with today’s biggest stars. time it was all said and done, Rena could no longer use the name Sable or wrestle professionally and the WWE lost one of its greatest superstars. “I never wanted to leave in the first place,” she says from her Florida home. “I enjoyed working for the company. Unfortunately, we had some disagreements at the time, but everything has been taken care of. It's a wonderful company to work for and I'm just very proud and honored to be back and a part of it.” This unexpected reconciliation is great news for the fans. In true diva style, not only did Sable return to the WWE on Smackdown!, the WWE's primetime UPN show, but she also returned in a storyline co-starring Vince McMahon, the owner of the company she sued four years earlier. “I've always said Vince McMahon is one of the smartest men I've ever met,” Sable declares. “I think it's a great storyline to be involved in and I'm very happy to be a part of that. I'm very proud that they felt like I was capable of handling it and wanted to work with me as well.”
Did you know that Sable sued the WWE only four years ago!
The hottest Interviews with today’s biggest stars. Sable defined the word diva for the WWE when she soared to unheard-of heights of wrestling fame. At her peak she had as much mainstream celebrity as male superstars like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock. That is not as surprising as it sounds when you consider the core audience of the WWE: young men ages16-35. High flying action and smashing chairs are great entertainment, but a hot woman in a bikini contest/match is a sure
ratings boost. To up the ante, Sable took the WWE to a new level of shock when she participated in (and won) a bikini contest with only a painted-on bikini top. Despite her vixen-like persona, it was a long process to turn the shy Southern girl into a sex goddess who has the “grapefruits” to show her “puppies” to the world. Did you know that Reno Mero has her own comic book called the 10th muse!
QUICK TAKE ... “I think that over a period of time, your confidence builds,” she observes. “As a child, a teenager, a young woman, I was very shy. I think one of the reasons I started modeling and wanted to be involved in the entertainment business was because it was a way for me to come out of my shell. It was character portrayal that helped me to break the ice of being so shy and timid around other people. The confidence I have in my performance ability now is so much greater than when I started.” That shy girl is gone and Sable is back for her second round in the square circle. According to her, you can expect much more this time. “The four years I had off from the WWE was a great learning experience for me, just being on the set at the movies, learning about the entertainment business, doing the acting classes and voice lessons,” she remarks. “I think when I left the WWE, Sable was just begging to find her stride, her confidence and ability. Now that I have returned I think I have so much more to offer in a much more positive way.“ What can fans expect from Sable and other superstars at a live Smackdown! show? “The greatest show on earth.” Sable,
proclaims. “With the WWE you never know what you can expect. I don't think you can really appreciate the production value or the talent that goes into one of our shows until you see it live. There is so much energy, from not only the performers but from the fans as well, and it's so motivating to us to walk through the curtain at a live show and feel the energy from the fans.” For those who have never had the chance of going to a live WWE event, the WWE tours the country (and the world) non-stop all year long. So w h e n they roll into your town, make sure you check out Sable in action (or inaction she's w o r t h watching either way ) to experience “the greatest show on earth.”
Phones, Games, PDA’s, & More...
TECH TALK...
XBOX
Future Gaming System... By Flash Xbox is Microsoft's futuregeneration video game system that delivers the most powerful game experiences ever. Xbox empowers game artists by giving them the technology to fulfill their creative visions as never before, creating games that blur the lines between fantasy and reality. The Xbox console and controller are designed to capture the power and performance that Xbox delivers. The design is basedon the input of more than 5,000 gamers and games creators from around the world. Sleek and powerful in its look, in a rich shade of black, the Xbox console is emblazoned with a large X and a signature green Xbox 'jewel' positioned in its center. Most recently at E3 Microsoft showed off another 100 newgames coming for the Xbox system to add to the 70 that arein stores now. Talk about having something to play! Now Xboxis truly a global phenomenon it has changed the face of gaming foreverin all corners of our planet. Now there's just one thing missing‌Online Gaming! The gamers all around the world should beplaying each other.
Gamers from Japan, Europe, North and South America should be able to do battle to see who is truly the Ultimate XBox King Supreme Console Gaming Geek. This feature is coming! AWESOME! As of today the numbers related to the Xbox online gaming service are as follows: 350 computers in the central operations center (one of many around the globe),700 processors running at any given time, 500 Gigabytes of total RAM in use at any given time, 25 Terabytes of total disk space and over 50 Miles of cable run at the central Xbox online gaming facility. N o w t h a t ' s impressive Don't forget to get the DVD remote control so that you can watch some cool new movies
COMICS
Marvel, DC, Image, Indie’s and More...
THE PULSE
Exposing the secret lives of superheroes!. By Kenan Cross
Here's a somewhat exciting premise. Take one comic version of a struggling tabloid, (Daily Bugle) add a failed superhero turned private dick (Alias' Jessica Jones), throw in a respected beat writer with connections to a superhero, (Bugle writer Ben Urich, confidant of Daredevil) mix 'em together and create a new brand of journalism . . . P u b i s h e d Superhero Gossip. In an attempt to boost sagging sales, the evererascable J. Jonah Jameson (and this is proof that hell's about to get chilly!) actually says he may be WRONG about his stance on costumed heroes! So he gets his best writer (Urich) and the one woman he knows has connection in the superhero biz (Jones) and teams them up to give the people what they want . . . Superhero
Gossip and Expose's! There's a few surprising things in this book, the biggest being Luke Cage and Jessica Jones' revelation that she's pregnant! The only other being Jameson's changeof-heart which doesn't seem completely heartfelt. This first issue does little more than set the reader up for the later issues, but I'm somewhat interested to see what direction Marvel Superman Brian Michael Bendis takes this book. In the end, though, The Pulse is another promising debut from Bendis, with a lot of familiar Marvel characters who aren't really what you call primary players. Get it now . . . The Pulse may end up being special.
DECODING ...... DECODING Werewolf Slayer Kate ditches tea & crumpets for blood & guns! By André McGarrity If for some reason you would ever need to envision a gun-toting, leatherclad, kick-ass vampire/werewolf hunter, Kate Beckinsale is probably not the first person who would come to mind. She's probably not even the 20th person who would come to mind, but in her current turn in the action film Underworld, that exactly who she is. In a nutshell, Underworld is the upcoming Sony Pictures action-thriller about the centuries-old war between vampires and werewolves with a twist. When a vampire (Beckinsale) falls for a human-turned-werewolf (Felicity's Scott Speedman), the whole Romeo & Juliet theme gets tossed into the mix…and shredded to bits. Think Matrix meets Blade, then both going to see the 1957 classic Return of the Wolfman. It's a far cry from the refined roles we've come to expect from this Oxford educated British actress. Even she admits this isn't her normal cup of tea. “I got sent the script and I must say that I'm not a big vampirewerewolf kind of a gal normally,” the striking actress admits in her silky English accent. “I've been Did you know that on the set of Underworld, was the first time, that Kate handled and shot a gun!
Indepth 1-on-1 asked a lot why I have gone from tea parties in an English garden to killing people as much as I possibly can with guns. And really, I haven't found an action movie script where the female lead doesn't take a shower every five scenes.” possibly can with guns. And really, I haven't found an action movie script where the female lead doesn't take a shower every five scenes.” Perhaps that is why, until now, we have only seen her in such dramas as Pearl Harbor and The Golden Bowl. Though action roles for women have improved in Hollywood, they are still few
and far between. You can place the number of female action stars in the last 10 years on a tripod: Angelina Jolie as Lora Croft, Carrie-Ann Moss as Trinity, Jennifer Garner as Elektra in Daredevil. In Underworld, Beckinsale manages to snag a role that is not typical for a female lead in an action film. “It really could be a man, except that it's a woman and she's just as tough and just as cool,” she says. “And she doesn't have an emotional breakdown halfway through because she can't get the guns to work or she's PMSing or any of that stuff.” The visual architect behind the film is first-time director Les Wiseman. Coming from the world of art production (Men In Black, Independence Day) and, later, music videos (Static X, Quarashi), Wiseman is the type of director who possesses a great eye for style, but has an extra burden to prove that he can deliver some story substance. Even his leading lady had some reservations about this unknown video director.
The hottest Interviews with today’s biggest stars. “I think there is a little bit of prejudice against first time video directors,” she admits. “You do wonder if they can actually tell a whole story over an hour and a half rather than a couple of minutes. But I was really impressed when I first met him. What was so extraordinary about it was that he was in every department. He pretty much designed my costume…he pretty much designed everyone's costume, actually. Every single decision that was made on the movie, he was involved in. Fortunately we shared the exact same tastes, so that was kind of handy. It was a complete pleasure from start to finish.” With the chemistry of cast and crew clicking, it was only a matter of the actors getting their bodies into shape to perform some of the amazing action scenes that take place in the film. Beckinsale, who grew up attending private schools in London and and twice won the British bookseller W.H. Smith's Young Writers' Competition while in her teens, is better geared for creative pursuits than athletic prowess. “I don’t think I ever did one P.E. lesson at school,” she says. “I was always off smoking or something.” Her past ineptitude with hand-eyecoordination is almost comical considering the stunts she
convincingly pulls off in Underworld. “My most challenging thing in the movie was when someone throws me a bunch of keys and I had to catch them,” Beckinsale confesses. “I can't catch. I cannot catch a ball or throw anything. So that was really extraordinary in terms of training [for me]. I think my make-up artist helped me with that.” Don't worry: She does a lot more exciting things that catch a set of keys. Aside from her wire work and fisticuffs, she masters one of the hardest aspects of the film gun play. Recalls Wiseman, “She hadn't shot a gun. We had full automatic pistols and they're really hard to manage, really hard to [shoot] without blinking. I think like within two days she picked it up, which is frightening, but it worked out for us.” Kate and the cast picked up much more than handgun experience from this film. Their work schedule and training was intense. “We were working, like, six-day weeks, and then on a Sunday I had to learn how not to run like this (waving her hands daintily in the air),” says Beckinsale. “It was a really tough schedule and there was always a stunt to practice or something like that. We had so much fun doing it, at least I did. I got really bad 'summer camp
blues' at that end because every day was really good fun. And you get to shoot each other and everything.”
Underworld is poised to be a surprise blockbuster, like its predecessors The Matrix and Blade. Is Kate Beckinsale the new Sigourney Weaver, the queen
Though the schedule may have been grueling and the training difficult, the process brought the cast much closer, heightening the chances that all the original players will return for the inevitable sequel.
mother of all atypical female action stars? It's too early to tell, but there is already talk of a follow-up Underworld film (depending on how this one does) and a good chance that all the major players will return. If all goes right, Kate Beckinsale could be sitting on top of a howling good powerhouse franchise. Not a bad tradeoff for tea and crumpets.
Transforming oneself from a proper British actress to a superaction star can result in some unexpected benefits much more self-affecting than most might think. “I remember the year before [shooting Underworld], seeing Angelina Jolie doing an interview where she said how profoundly life-changing it was to push herself beyond what she really thought she could do, and it was really very much like that for me. This was a very extraordinary experience.”
ANIME ANIME NETWORK For the Otaku
The Anime Network Is Here! By Kenan Cross
As long as I can remember, at least since I became a full-fledged anime nut, I've wondered one thing . . . why is there no 24 hour Anime Network in the USA? Back then, the number of answers were great. 12 years ago the amount of anime available in America was a tenth of what it is today. The fanbase, while considerable, didn't create the demand that it does today. All we had back then are what is now considered the golden classics like Akira (The Streamline Pictures release not the superior Pioneer rerelease), Crying Freeman, Devil Hunter Yohko and a few others that were pounding on the door to mainstream success. But as time went on, much to the dismay of the liberals who perceived anime to be perverted sex-crazed Disney toons, anime eventually won the next generation over to become one of the bigger growing products of recent years. The time was right for America to gain it's own Anime Network... but who was going to take the plunge and do it? ADV Films announced in 2002 that they would be the ones to take that historic first step. Ever since then
All programming will be selected and delivered to the end user without commercials the otaku (devoted fans) have been salivating to get any details about this new venture. Then came the first press release detailing the initial operation of the network. The Anime Network (which will be available on Comcast Networks) will be a VideoOn-Demand service, which means that all programming will be selected and delivered to the end user without commercial interruption. While some fans were taken aback by this ADV feels as though it's a wise choice. "People want to watch what they want, when they want to and VOD is the best way to do it." says Ken Wiatrek, ADV's Marketing Coordinator. Fans will be glad to know that ADV does have plans to offer a regular programming schedule in conjunction with the VOD service in the future.
OLD SCHOOL
The hottest Interviews with today’s biggest stars. Taking U back 2 childhood!
VOLTRON It started the future of anime geekdom By Ken Cross Say what you will about the 80's. Say it was the lost decade, say the haircuts and styles of clothing were awful. (Which in retrospect was absolutely true.) One thing that's also true is that a lot of this hoopla about anime was born out of the 80's by 2 shows, and the one most fondly remembered is Vo l t r o n : D e f e n d e r o f t h e Universe. What made Voltron so special? Being a kid of 5-6 years old when if first came out, you tend to gloss over these things, but I'd have to say that it was the adventure aspect of it all. Plus it was the first time since Shogun Warriors (an 70's era attempt to bring anime stateside) you saw robots that came together to make a bigger robot. The 80's were chock-full of anime shows like Robotech, Tranzor Z, Saber Rider and the Star Sherriffs . . . the list goes on, but Voltron was, and still is, something special. Born out of a show that wasn't too popular in it's native land, Voltron became an instant smash in America. The story followed 5 space explorers from Earth's Galaxy Garrison (an intergalactic peace/police force) to infiltrate Planet Doom and stop
King Zarkon who's threatening to take over the galaxy. When it's all said and done, Voltron is definitely one of the most popular anime icons in recent history. The show's story has aged well and the future looks bright with a hot comic book series and new animated show in the works. (let's hope they stay away from CGI this time) One thing is certain, If you grew up in the 80's & you like anime right now, chances are it's partly because of Voltron: Defender of the Universe.