Sources: eBay and Image Entertainment.
11/25/98
WHAT??! There is a rumor from The DVD File that The X-Files may be delayed--or even CANCELED--for release on DVD!! This is crazy. Why??? Well, let's hope for the best. Not that I have a DVD player, but still! Anyway, I got 3 new pictures. First, here is the film cel that comes with the collector's set. This particular picture is the back of Dr. Bronschweig's head right before he dies. Plus, two new promo items for the video: the shelf talker (I don't know where that name came from...) and the giant promo window cling. This is different than the other window cling/slick. Here's the info:
"This window cling/sticker was put out by a few video rental stores to advertise the release of the X-Files movie on video. It shows Scully & Mulder and has all the movie credits written at the bottom. The poster is made out of a heavy-duty vinyl. One side has a very sticky non-water based adhesive on it & the other side is smooth vinyl. But the image is printed on both sides. The cling comes in 4 pieces which are exactly 2'1/2" high by 3' wide, so when you display the whole thing it measures an impressive 4 feet and one inch by 6 feet."
I also added some spoilers, including some info on "Rain King," from SpoilerVille.
Sources: eBay and The DVD File.
11/23/98
I got pictures of a header card for the video, another one of the "film strip" of pictures from the movie (which was already listed in the Merchandise section), the ad for the Best Buy soundtrack with phone card, another one of the French movie poster, which looks a little different than the other pictures I have, and an ad for the movie from Hungary. I also found the official info page for the DVD release. Plus, I added some spoilers on "S.R. 819," "One Son," and I fixed up some dates and inconsistencies. IN OTHER NEWS...! Check it out: Chris Carter said that filming of the sequel to the movie may start this spring, not the summer, not in a few years!! Both actors have signed on already, but David Duchovny's upcoming Return to Me may cause a conflict. Another actor might be chosen, or his movie might rework its schedule around the sequel.
What did I think of "Triangle"? It was great! What a fun episode. The widescreen format, continuous style, beautiful acting, and the fact that it was in real time all contributed to the great atmosphere. Chris Carter certainly wanted this episode to stand out. The music was great, and we saw some great new aspects of the characters. Who knew that Scully would get so worried if Mulder disappeared?! This was not a plot-driven episode. That was just secondary to the great situations that it allowed: An alternate universe of X-Files characters. Kind of like on Star Trek. I'm just throwing out random things here, but I loved it!
Sources: eBay and Da Hellspawn's Homepage.
11/22/98
Sorry guys...for a few things. You'll be disappointed at what I'm about to say: The new opening credits won't be shown with "Triangle." More bad news: The release date for the LaserDisc was set back to December 8 for the Dolby Digital version, and January 19, 1999 for the DTS version. (The Image Entertainment Web site said December 31, 1999, but that's just a filler for the webmaster, who didn't have the information. Thanks Paul Rich!) Also, check out the Season 6 Spoilers page for some more updates.
Sources: Image Entertainment and X-Informant's Spoiler Conspiracy.
11/21/98
Here is a picture of poster D, but it's a promo version without the text. The only text on it is the credits. And here are images of three more posters, British quad-size versions of poster A, B, and C. I also added some season 6 spoilers on "S.R. 819" that sound pretty cool, and more on the "Two Fathers" 2-parter. Part 2 (6X12) is called "One Son," and damn, this will be one hell of a good duo. Covarrubias, Cassandra Spender, and Mrs. Mulder are in part 2. Also check out the spoiler page for updated air dates for the episodes, from GF2020 on SpoilerVille. Also, "Two Fathers" is, in fact, a two-parter. Also, just two more comments/words of advice on the collector's gift set: Get it now, because they are in limited production, and be careful with the script, because putting it in the box can fray the edges. Incidentally, the "numbered" script really means that all of them say "001013" on them.
Source: eBay
11/19/98
Second thoughts on the collector's set.... Before, I thought that a bunch of new scenes were added, but after watching it, I saw that only three (3) (III) scenes were enhanced: Obviously the car scene with the Well-Manicured Man had added footage about Samantha and the clones, everyone seems to know this. But I think that we see more of the alien in the opening scene, and in the building explosion scene, I thought the part with Mulder and Scully crashing into another car had a lot of added footage. Previously I thought that the scene with Mulder running down the street after the hospital scene was added to the video, but most of it was cut off, just like in theaters. Hopefully the DVD will have that scene, because from what we see in trailers A and C, it looked really cool. In fact, a bunch of stuff in the trailers weren't edited back into the video release. Kurtzweil saying "The truth is something you'd never guess. Never have predicted" isn't there, and the helicopter scene in the video still has a part cut off that we see in trailers A and C--the helicopters return when Mulder tries to start the car. And the thing I want to see the most--the original ending with CSM!!! wasn't edited back in. In short...most of the extra stuff wasn't added. Just the Samantha scene and two scene enhancements (it seemed to me). Anything else? Let me know. Anyway, the video, in addition to the interviews with Carter and Anderson, has trailers A and C. The making of video is basically interviews we've seen before put together into a nice presentation narrated by Mitch Pileggi. What else...the poster reprints are kind of squished and the box is hard to open. The making of book is exactly the same as the one sold in stores, except the text on the back that starts with "Whether you're an X-Files fan or a movie buff..." was removed, obviously, because everyone buying the collector's set is a fan...right? And just a few comments on the script...it has a really cool authentic look to it, and next to "Blackwood" on the top of every page is the text "(Salmon)." My guess is that that's the official name for the color of the paper it's printed on. But who knows?? (Literally!) And here is something really cool, the opening paragraph, and I quote: "A BLINDING WHITE SCREEN, under which we hear an ominous low end Dolby THX Big Screen rumble. We're not in 19" television land anymore, Toto...." Got all that off my back, it may seem like I hate the thing, but it's great. Just a few second-day quibbles.
All right, what would the day be without my eclectic mix of season 6 and merchandise news? CHECK IT OUT! Dark Horse Comics is releasing a third movie statue, and this one is the alien! It's different than Reel Images' alien maquette, which is already out. The alien statue comes out on...April 28, 1999. Enjoy the wait! Oh yeah, the date was pushed back again for the Mulder and Scully statues, which I guess still haven't been released yet. The date is December 9. ...OK, I ADMIT IT! There are only two (2) (II) posters for the video release, the "20 million X-Files fans" one and the one that looks like the box cover. That's it. There's no third poster. Misinformation is all over the place. It seems that the "S.R." in episode 10's name, "S.R. 819," stands for "state road." And soon, I should be getting pictures of the travel tumbler, some Oldsmobile Intrigue postcards I've never heard of, and some other stuff including flyers for the Mark Snow/Chris Carter signing event at the Virgin Megastore in Hollywood on the soundtrack premiere night and the Mark Snow signing event at Metro Comics in Santa Barbara. Thanks Guy Jackson!
Source: Diamond Comics
11/18/98
The collector's set is awesome! The making of video is hosted by Mitch Pileggi, so it's different than the special shown on Fox hosted by Martin Landau. The film cel is a strip of 5 consecutive frames. My scene was Scully being loaded onto the airplane. Also, the collector's card that comes with the videos is also in the box. The script is on thick red paper, and is an exact duplicate of the original: all the cut scenes are in it, and the title is "Blackwood."
Anyway, some news from SpoilerVille.... Episode 10 is called "S.R. 819," whatever that means. And the real name of episode 8 is "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas," an obvious take-off of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, not that it has anything to do with the episode. And here's some preliminary information on the movie's cable run: Fox will have the network premiere in 2000. In 2001, FX will have the first run of the movie. Then back to Fox for another run in 2002, and then FX will run the movie a bunch of times from 2003-2005. So unless you plan on using pay-per-view, get the video!!
11/17/98
I should be getting my collector's gift set today! I'm sure the extra wait will be worth it. Well, I forgot to give my impressions of "Drive" yesterday. I really enjoyed it, for its humor, Rob Bowman's cinematography is excellent, Mulder and Scully individually have some great moments, and the story is really cool. Kersh has turned out to be one hell of an A.D. I thought the part where Crump threw out Mulder's cell phone and Mulder cried, "That was so stupid!" was great. Also when Scully kicked out the person who just walked into the autopsy room. The lighting, camera angles, and everything were awesome, especially during the car chases. I especially liked the beginning with the newsflash. Did anyone see the little "X" at the upper left? Well, Mulder and Scully didn't have too much interaction, but it was a great episode overall.
And now, to a cool new item: another keychain, but it's different than the others. Evidently it's another promo for the video release. OK, I also found a picture of a promo poster featuring the poster D image for the Nokia 6160 cell phone. It was on display at an advance screening of the movie. Anyway, I'll check what the local Suncoast has in the way of freebies and promo materials when I go today (hopefully).
Sources: eBay and Fight the Future for Malaysia.
11/16/98
Just a bit of merchandise news today. There is an oversize video promo card, 14x9", with the same picture as the video cover. This is different than the promo card that comes in the box, and the lithograph (which has the poster D image).
Source: eBay
11/15/98
Episode 10 will be about Skinner. He is poisoned, I think he has 24 hours to live, and tries to find out who did it. Oh yeah, I got a picture of the 5-minute phone card given away free at Blockbuster stores as a promo. I've had the ad for it for a while in the Media section.
Source: eBay
11/14/98
Well, today's news consists solely of a few spoilers. First *sigh* it seems that episode 11 will also be a one-parter, but it is mythology. Remember yesterday's list of characters in it? Well, one of the people on the list will die. Hmm.... Also, Daniel Sackheim will direct episode 10.
So I lied. I also have the official info on the DVD release of the movie. The release date is confirmed as 2/9/99, as before. The features of the DVD version are as follows: It will be in letterbox (2.35:1) format and close-captioned, THX mastered, have Dolby Digital and Dolby Surround tracks, and be in Reverse Spiral Dual Layered format, allowing long films to be on one side of the DVD. There will be a French Dolby Surround dubbed track and Spanish subtitles. Like I said before, the DVD will have a secondary audio track that replaces the dialogue, featuring commentary by Rob Bowman and Chris Carter. All the extras (including the interviews) will be on the disc, plus even more cut scenes. The DVD will be made by Image Entertainment, like the LaserDisc.
Source: Image Entertainment
11/13/98
Well, I got a bunch of season 6 spoilers from SpoilerVille. Well, it seems that episodes 9 ("Tithonus") and 10 will indeed be stand-alones. "Tithonus" may be a sequel to "Folie a Deux." Episodes 11 and 12 will be the mythology two-parter, when Mulder and Scully should get back the X-Files. 6X11 is called "Two Fathers" and will have a slew of characters, including Skinner, both Spenders, CSM (both in the present and in the past), and also in the past will be Cassandra Spender, Mulder's parents, Mulder, and Samantha. Krycek may also be in the episodes. There will most likely be a lot of flashbacks in this episode. It seems like it might clear up CSM's relation to the Mulder and Spender families. Also, it will be revealed in the future that Kersh is under direct control of CSM.
Finally I found a picture of the movie clock! Apparently, only 250 were made.
Source: eBay
11/12/98
Today I found out about a promo t-shirt from Nokia and AT&T for the movie. As far as I know it just has the "X" logo on the front and the two companies' logos on a sleeve. I don't know about the back. I also found out about the movie cardboard header card. It is 18.5x18.5" and has the image of poster D. This is different from the album/score cardboard promo flat. Anyway, I got some more season 6 spoilers: Scully will get fired in "Dreamland II." That's about it for today.
Source: eBay
11/11/98
Well, here are some random spoilers from various sources, including SpoilerVille. Skinner will apparently be gone for 2 months after "Triangle." Cassandra Spender (in addition to Senator Matheson, which I mentioned yesterday) will return in the "Tithonus" (6x09) two-parter. I'm still getting conflicting reports that 9 and 10 are stand-alones. The season finale may be a 3-parter, and Mulder and Scully won't get the X-Files back in episode 9, as previously reported. So, here is a picture of the Sunday Times enhanced CD. I think the image behind the CD cover in the picture is either the packaging or a screen shot. And here is a picture of the video promo window slick.
Sources: eBay and X-Informant's Spoiler Conspiracy.
11/10/98
Here's some cool info from the Central Kentucky X-Files Clan about an exclusive X-Files movie t-shirt sold only at Suncoast. It has Mulder and Scully on the back and says "Fight the Future" on the front. It had a sticker on it saying "Exclusive to Us." Anyway, I got some season 6 spoilers from SpoilerVille.... X-Informant said that David Duchovny will show his butt in the season finale, for those disappointed fans who missed it in the movie. It seems unlikely that this was planned so far ahead, though. Also, the new opening credits, which weren't shown Sunday, may make their debut in "Triangle." That's a tentative *may*. And finally, the dialogue showing that Mulder is Jewish was cut out of "Drive" in such a way that it is still uncertain. We may see this come up later in the season. Plus, our good friend Senator Matheson will return from the 3rd season in episode 10!!! Cool! I swear, I was just thinking that he should come back when it came into my inbox. Anyway, there is a new contest that I found about yesterday, and is unfortunately just about done. The X-Files New Beginning Sweepstakes from TVGEN was the first contest to use audio technology. The object was to match audio clips with the episodes they were from. Of course, that part of the contest is over, so if you enter now you're not eligible to win at all. TVGEN just added the link to the contest today, so I don't see how anyone was supposed to know about it. Other news: The X-Files' Nielsen ratings are unfortunately down 27% from last season's premiere, but the episode has most likely raised Fox to tie NBC for the November 2-8 primetime sweeps for ages 18-49.
Source: Yahoo! News
11/9/98
Well, let's get this over with. *IMPENDING POSITIVE REVIEW ALERT* I thought it KICKED ASS! Way to go Chris Carter, actors, L.A. crew, and everyone for a job well done! Not only is it a fresh new look, but it kept the old dreary look that we all love while combining bright desert scenery. I have to say that the last scene tied everything since "The Erlenmeyer Flask" together beautifully. Not to mention the ingenious connection between Gibson and the aliens. The episode even tied into Roush from "Redux II" and seamlessly integrated with the movie and "The End" for a great way to start the season. (I updated the Mythology section with the new information from the episode.) The only disappointment was the old opening credits with the same tagline, but that's no problem! I know a lot of people are saying some very bad things about "The Beginning," and I'm sick of it. There was plenty of Scully, and even some shippy talk about the hallway scene. The humor was great too. Homer the nuclear technician, stupid scientist humor, and a reference to Men in Black!! So everyone should be satisfied. Don't say bad things about it just because your expectations are too high or you don't understand it. The Truth is, it was a high-quality episode and geared TOWARD THE FANS. So enough of that.
Anyway, with that over, I can go on to my normal news items. A second video TV spot aired right after the season premiere, with a really weird announcer's voice. If anyone was able to capture it, please let me know. There was also the 10th and final season 6 ad, starting out with Scully saying "Mulder? Mulder, it's me." I found out about two promo merchandise items: the shelf riders for the video (2 different sizes) and the mini movie press kit, which has a folder with the poster C cover, 3 stills, and a production booklet. And I got pictures of two items that I already had listed in the Merchandise section: the German lobby cards 1-4 and 1-8, two sets of different sizes. Oh yeah, that picture that I keep wondering about of the video cover but different, is actually just a previous design that was never implemented. No, it's not a poster like I thought. See the Merchandise section for details.
Source: eBay
11/7/98
Tomorrow's the day!! I can't wait! Nothing new really, but I'm just wondering about the existence of aliens...I mean, two items. They are the movie jacket (not the crew-only jacket) and the video promo t-shirt. If you know anything about these, e-mail me.
11/6/98
A 9th TV spot aired today during Millennium, featuring a countdown timer at the end. Just like the one for "Redux" last year. Anyway, I was reading the comic book versions of some season 1 episodes, and noticed an ad for the movie cards on the back covers. This seems to be the only ad I know of. Also in the comic books, there was an ad for movie merchandise, and the picture of the novelization had an old cover looking just like the old one from the Making of book! The picture said that the final cover was coming soon. And wow!, I never thought they'd do this, but a songbook of the songs from the soundtrack has been published. It has parts for the piano, guitar, etc. I wonder if they'll make one for the score.... Anyway, the spoilers from Access Hollywood yesterday are in the Season 6 Spoilers page.
Source: eBay
11/5/98
I posted a picture of the official French movie magazine on the Merchandise section a while ago, and now there's a second one. They're both from the French fan club. The second magazine comes with two special posters from the movie. Here's the first, here's the second. Nice!! Also, I added a ton of season six spoilers, thanks to the X-Files Information Complex.
Source: The X-Files Information Complex
11/4/98
There are two new ads, one with a voiceover: "The wait must be killing you." Another one had no voiceover, just a bunch of scenes including one with Scully saying: "Trust me." You can download those, the one with Skinner, and the 6th one at alt.binaries.x-files. And here's some info on the double-CD set sent out to radio stations featuring some songs and interviews with the musicians and actors from the movie. I'm pretty sure this is what was broadcasted online throughout June:
"X-Files soundtrack 2-CD radio show produced by the Album Network and hosted by album producer David Was. This RARE 2-CD set comes in a generic sleeve and was produced for radio airplay only. Bidding is on an original version, exactly what a radio programmer would receive. Each disc is approximately 1 hour long. Contains dialogue snippets from the movie, interviews with Chris Carter, Gillian Anderson, William B. Davis, Filter, the Foo Fighters, Better Than Ezra, X, The Cure, and others."
Here is the picture.
Source: eBay
11/3/98
According to SpoilerVille, "The Ghosts That Stole Christmas" will be reminiscent of "Humbug," and may have some similar scenes to ones in the latter. The story may be similar to the plot of hunting down a freak. And here is another contest where you can win the X-Files game.
Source: The Gillian Anderson Web Site
11/2/98
According to The Washington Post, The X-Files is #1 in national sales. According to the Billboard charts, however, it is #4 in national sales and #7 in rentals. In addition to the ads that will probably be aired during the premiere (see 10/29/98), expect an Apple ad or two. Macs are supposed to be popping up in occasional episodes, and Apple is in a partnership with Fox. Apple even posted the 4th ad at their Web site. A 6th ad for season 6 was aired yesterday during The Lost World. It featured the voiceover: "Next Sunday, nothing you've seen, nothing you've heard will prepare you for what's next." It had some clips of scenes we've never seen before, like Skinner saying something about not being able to make contact with Mulder and Scully. To download the 4th ad and get transcripts and pictures from the others, see the Season 6 Spoilers page for links. Anyway, this is a picture of a German movie flyer, just a promotional item. I also found a tiny picture of the collector's gift set, which can now be preordered at Reel.com. And there is another contest. The X-Files Secret Ballot Marathon enters you into a drawing when you vote for the episodes to be shown on Thanksgiving on FX. Oh yeah, the tagline for "Triangle" is "Die Wahrheit ist Irgendwo da Drauben."
Source: Yahoo! News
11/1/98
Check out the X2 Trivia Sweepstakes, an official contest run by TVGEN. About the new intro--X-Informant on SpoilerVille said that it *was* made, but Chris Carter is nervous about changing it. Also, the tagline will be German in "Triangle," possibly for "The Truth is Out There," which would be "Die Wahrheit Ist Aus Dort." And there is now a 5th ad for the 6th season, this one featuring the kiss Scully gives Skinner in "Triangle" (in real life, not 1939). It is on the lips in an elevator. Here is a summary of all 5 ads:
- A quick series of scenes from the first 3 episodes.
- One with a voiceover: "Their own government is shutting them down. Hiding the truth. But the truth has a way of getting out."
- Another one with a voiceover: "November 8. Trust no one. This season, the end is the beginning."
- Same voiceover, but more scenes.
- The one featuring the kiss.
Here is a picture of a postcard version of poster D from New Zealand.
Source: Haven for the FBI's Most Unwanted
10/30/98
There are now 4 ads for season 6. I have a bunch of spoilers from SpoilerVille. First, Extex posted that the title for episode 9 is "Tithonus." GF2020 had the cast list for "The Beginning," and it includes the Black-Haired Man. The strange thing is that the person playing him is different (Scott Eberlein) than the person who played him in "The End" and the movie (Michael Shamus Wiles). "Rain King" was written by another newcomer, Jeffrey Bell. "The Beginning" will be about Mulder and Scully trying to justify reopening the X-Files. The board of review, of course, doesn't believe the Antarctica story. A mutated alien is loose in Arizona, with the duo in pursuit from a tip by Skinner to try and get hard evidence. But of course, CSM and his men are also on the chase.
10/29/98
In addition to the new opening sequence, there are rumors on SpoilerVille of a new tagline to replace "The Truth is Out There," specifically, "The Truth Must Be Told." Ironic, because most of the truth was told in the movie.... Anyway, the video is #3 in VidTrac's list of top rentals, up to October 25, with a total of $7.53 million in earnings so far. It went down to #2 in sales at Blockbuster stores, up to the same date. The movie did well in its opening weekend in France with a #1 $4.1 million debut. The total international sales are up to $79.6 million, estimated to pass the $100 million mark after the movie premieres in Italy and Japan. Anyone wondering what kinds of ads will be showing for the season premiere can stop wondering: Intel will continue its Pentium II ad campaign with a TV spot featuring Homer Simpson turning into a professor after having one of the chips implanted in his brain. Also expect Volkswagen New Beetle ads, and probably ones for the Oldsmobile Intrigue also. Other sponsors of the show that may run ads are America Online, Nokia, and IBM.
Source: Yahoo! News
10/28/98
Thanks to Alice Farrell for the following info:
"I heard that a new character will be teamed with M&S. The character is
supposed to be there in a case review or even accounting capacity. But,
it is revealed that he is a spy. This scenario is almost identical to
Alex Krycek. As to why, the alien rebellion is going to escalate and the
test subjects i.e. Scully, are going to be targeted not only by the
aliens but by the Syndicate. However, the new character's real mission
is supposed to be to protect Scully. His orders come from a Syndicate
member, but obviously not one that wants the test subjects dead. This is
supposed to herald the return of the Well-Manicured Man. Personally, I doubt this to be true, the source I got this from has
proven to be unreliable in the past, plus I think the return of WMM
would be a bad move for CC."
10/27/98
Straight from the newsgroup:
"The new season of The X-Files will feature a totally re-edited title
sequence, utilizing the graphical look seen in the season premiere
teasers (slate gray background, clean black text). A montage of footage
(both moving shots and still frames) from the previous seasons are
included as well as footage from the feature film. The hallway scene
(ending before the bee sting) precedes Chris Carter's 'Created by'
credit and concludes with the mutated alien lunging toward the screen. Mark Snow has re-recorded and updated his music as well. It is visually stunning."
VERY cool if this is true. I launched my Season 6 Spoilers page yesterday, which is all of the spoilers from this section taken and organized. Here is the third keychain, the same as the others but with a different combination of black and silver. This, along with the second, is a promo item for the video release. And, the spoiler I posted yesterday about Kurtzweil and Strughold's appearances in episodes 9 and 10 is generating conflicting reports in SpoilerVille. It could happen, or it might not. Other reports say that the 2-parter has been delayed.
Source: eBay
