tagged w/ Michael Crichton
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The men who brought dinosaurs back to life in Jurassic Park are teaming up again, though it's a bittersweet reunion since one of them is no longer here.
Steven Spielberg is developing a film out of a posthumously published novel by the late Michael Crichton—Pirate Latitudes, an adventure story set off the coast of Jamaica in 1665.
Screenwriter David Koepp, who adapted Crichton's novels for Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, also has signed on to create the script. Spielberg plans to produce and is considering directing.
DreamWorks Studios describes the novel, set for release Nov. 24, as the story of "a daring plan to infiltrate Port Royal, one of the world's richest and most notorious cities, and raid a Spanish galleon filled with treasure."
"It's a mission movie, and we see it through the prism of what it might have been like to live on the island during that time," says Stacey Snider, Spielberg's partner in DreamWorks and the company's co-chair and CEO.
"Anything that Michael wrote, Steven would be keenly interested to read. But without Michael knowing it, or even me knowing it, it turns out Steven always wanted to direct his own pirate film."
Coincidentally, DreamWorks is beginning a new distribution deal with The Walt Disney Co., which rejuvenated this genre with Johnny Depp and the Pirates of the Caribbean films, another of which is planned for 2011.
Snider says these swashbuckling movies won't clash because Pirate Latitudes will be more grounded in reality, as opposed to the supernatural fantasy of the Disney films. "We would only pursue this if it was wonderful in its own way, and didn't interfere with their films," she says.
DreamWorks plans to wait for Koepp's script before setting any formal schedule for the project. "This is a reunion movie that taps into all three of them, and their love of high adventure. Just like old times," Snider says.
When Crichton died last November from cancer, Spielberg noted that their friendship went back to the early '70s, when both were new to Hollywood, just beginning their careers. Along with Jurassic Park, they developed TV's ER together and the tornado movie Twister.
"Michael wrote a real page-turner that already seems suited for the big screen," Spielberg said of Pirate Latitudes. "Michael and I have had almost two decades of solid collaborations. Whenever I made a film from a Michael Crichton book or screenplay, I knew I was in good hands. Michael felt the same, and we like to think he still does."
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I didn't realize they had known each other for so long!The men who brought dinosaurs back to life in Jurassic Park are teaming up again,... more
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The cast and crew reflect on 15 years in the ER. From the pilot to the finale the stories from Country General have impacted audiences all around the world. Now, the most recognized drama bids farewell.The cast and crew reflect on 15 years in the ER. From the pilot to the finale the... more
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After 15 seasons and over 300 episodes, this landmark series comes to an end in this 90 minute episode full of people from the past.
ER earned 122 Emmy nominations during its 15 year run. The show's creator, Michael Crichton, died just this past year.After 15 seasons and over 300 episodes, this landmark series comes to an end in this... more
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John Michael Crichton was an American author, film producer, film director, and television producer best known for his sci-fi and technology driven novels, films, and television programs. His books have sold over 150 million copies worldwide. He was also the creator of ER, but most famous for being the author of Jurassic Park.John Michael Crichton was an American author, film producer, film director, and... more
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Michael Crichton, 66, a writer and filmmaker whose enormously popular and entertaining novels such as "Jurassic Park" and "The Andromeda Strain" explored the limits and consequences of science, and who also created the long-running television medical drama "E.R.," died of cancer Nov. 4 in Los Angeles...
Michael Crichton, 66, a writer and filmmaker whose enormously popular and entertaining... more
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Prolific novelist and "ER" creator Michael Crichton has passed away. He was 66.
Perhaps best known for being the author of Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, which were turned into a hugely successful movie franchise, his numerous books have sold over 150 million copies worldwide.
In what his family calls an unexpected death, it was revealed that he was waging a private battle against cancer.
"While the world knew him as a great storyteller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us -- and entertained us all while doing so -- his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes," his family tells ET. "He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget."Prolific novelist and "ER" creator Michael Crichton has passed away. He was... more
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By Jack Shafer// Slate Magazine
(Excerpt from main article)
"The biggest change is that contemporary media has shifted from fact to opinion and speculation. You can watch cable news all day and never hear anything except questions like, 'How much will the Rev. Wright hurt Obama's chances?' 'Is Hillary now looking toward 2012?' 'How will McCain overcome the age argument?' These are questions for which there are endless answers. Contentious hosts on cable shows keep the arguments rolling," he says.
Crichton believes that we live in an age of conformity much more confining than the 1950s in which he grew up. Instead of showing news consumers how to approach controversy coolly and intelligently, the media partake of the zealotry and intolerance of many of the advocates they cover. He attributes the public's interest in Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul, and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright to its hunger for a wider range of viewpoints than the mass media provide.
He tosses out a basket of questions he'd like to see the press tackle, some of which I've seen covered. "What happened at Bear Stearns?" got major play this week, after Crichton answered my questions, in a Wall Street Journal series. And I know I've seen "How much of the current price of gas can be attributed to the weak dollar?" answered a couple of times but can't remember where. (Answer: a lot.) But such Crichton questions as "Why have hedge funds evaded government regulation?" and what specific lifestyle changes will every American have to make "to reduce CO2 emissions by 60 percent?" would be great assignments for news desks.
"I want a news service that tells me what no one knows but is true nonetheless," he says.
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Full story at link.
http://www.slate.com/id/2192382/pagenum/all/
By Jack Shafer// Slate Magazine
(Excerpt from main article)
"The biggest... more
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"The alleged mastermind of a kidney transplant scheme in India has admitted to his involvement in about 300 transplants over the last 12 to 13 years, police said Friday....Amit Kumar is accused of coercing, stealing or buying kidneys from healthy Indians and then selling them to foreigners for transplant.....Police in India have said that as many as 500 people may have each lost a kidney to the ring. Some told CNN they were forced to do so and not compensated."
This guy had over $250,000 in mixed currency on him and he had the nerve to declare his innocence.
I find it ironic that this happens, while I'm in the middle of reading Michael Crichton's book, NEXT. It's mostly about the world of genetics, but it touches on illegal harvesting of body parts.
http://www.crichton-official.com/books-next-history.html"The alleged mastermind of a kidney transplant scheme in India has admitted to... more
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