This is the news roundup from Nan Dibble and Helpers' Network. Call the Central Hotline at 513-961-3317 or the East Hotline at 201-779-6040.

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Cronos Premieres
Cronos premiered the end of March in New York and LA. People who've seen it have relayed to say it's a very watchable film, and Ron Perlman, who stars, is sardonic and entertaining as a guy whose one dream is to get a nose job, providing several of the movie's comic moments. Cronos has now gone into general release around the country. The hard copy of the April Gazette includes reviews, kindly supplied by assorted helpers, giving critics' reactions to the film.

Ron Perlman
Ron is currently in France, where he's working on a movie called City of Lost Children, in which he stars. The May issue of Fangoria (#132), a magazine devoted to horror films, has an interview with Guillermo del Toro, the director of Cronos. There are a couple of pictures of Ron, and talk about his role in Cronos, and mentions of a movie del Toro is writing specifically for Ron to star in. The current title is Meat Market: a Love Story, and it's about a disfigured man who falls in love with a beautiful woman. Does that sound familiar? No space for the article this month; we'll try to include it next time.

From Darlene Sullivan, this article [slightly condensed] from The Hollywood Reporter for 4/12/94:

Perlman Ready for "Children"
Ron Perlman has been set to star in Constellation Films' "The City of Lost Children" (La Cite des Enfants Perdu), being made by the production team responsible for the slapstick farce "Delicatessen." For Perlman, the casting means double duty until the second week in May. The actor is also working in MGM's "Fluke" currently shooting in Atlanta under the direction of Carlo Carlei. Perlman is known in France not only for his "Beauty and the Beast" TV series but for the two films he made with Jean-Jacques Anaud, "Quest for Fire" and "The Name of the Rose."

The story line for ""The City of Lost Children" concerns a carnival strong man whose little brother is kidnapped. He goes in search of his brother in the company of a street urchin. "The film occurs in no particular time or place but feels like a post-apocalyptic society," Perlman said. "There are elements of 'Oliver Twist' where children roam the streets and there is a low price on the preciousness of children. "The film is totally in French but the great thing about this character is that he is not the most verbal person and speaks only sporadically in an awkward, indeterminate foreign accent," Perlman continued. "That's the kind of accent I can do." Perlman begins principal photography on both films in two weeks.

"This is the career I once dreamed about~working with young, brilliant, cutting-edge film directors on predominately art films," Perlman said. Until the second week in May, when his work on "Fluke" is completed, working simultaneously on two films on two continents will be "dicey," Perlman admitted. "But I used to be a repertory actor in New York where I would come in and say, "What play is this tonight?" Perlman joked. "So it's going to be one of those."
~KirkHoneycutt

Linda Hamilton
From Liz Helm, who founded the Linda Hamilton International fan club, news that Linda's fine TV movie, Go Toward the Light, is now out on video, and that Linda is on the cover of the newest Ms. Fitness magazine, having apparently won that magazine's Most Fit Woman in America title. Liz also reports she has no current plans to revive the Linda Hamilton fan club, which was officially on hiatus during the time Linda's career had been put on hold for family concerns.

From Roz Levinson, this snippet from the NY Daily News, 3/24/94:

That Hamilton Woman
James Belushi, finishing work on the big-screen "Separate Lives" with Linda Hamilton, reports that, "Emotionally, it's been a very tough shoot~just because the nature of the story is very emotional, and you tend to take that on." The T2 and "Beauty and the Beast" actress plays a woman with a split personality; Belushi is the detective she asks to follow her. Belushi says that Linda's making the shoot easier for him. "Every day I come to the set, I get a big hug from her. And every day she leaves, I get a little kiss."

Jo Anderson
The last two weeks in April, Jo was featured in two episodes of the NBC series Sisters in a role that might be repeated next season. The hard copy of the April Gazette includes an article about this series and Jo's appearance.

The CBS TV movie about the Menendez brothers, Deadly Games, should air sometime in May, and it turns out to be a four-part miniseries, in which Jo is to play the prosecutor of the case.

A theatrical movie in which Jo has a leading role, Season of Change, has been released. We suspect it to be the movie originally entitled Nobody's Sweetheart Jo worked on about two years ago, unreleased until now. Thanks to Gloria Handley for the following article excerpted from Variety, April 25-May 1, 1994, which suggests why it's been unreleased for so long:

Season of Change
Season of Change is a tepid and slackly paced coming-of age-drama bound for quick homevid and pay TV playoff. Awkward direction, cliche-packed script and an ill-at-ease performance from the usually reliable Michael Madsen drag pic down like so much dead weight.

Set in rural Montana circa 1946, Season tells the story of 13-year-old Sally Mae Parker (Nicholle Tom of the "Beethoven" comedies), who can't help noticing the tension between her father (Madsen), a recently returned war vet, and her pregnant mother (Jo Anderson), a prudish Bible-thumper. Dad worries about finding a job to provide for his growing family. Sally worries about her blossoming womanhood and her growing attraction to a cocky teen mechanic (Ethan Randall). And mom worries whether both her daughter and her husband are hopelessly hell bound.

It doesn't take long for dad to seek comfort in the arms of a neighboring widow. And it takes only a little longer for Sally to become aware of her father's adultery. In one of the pic's more unfortunate sequences, Sally finds her father's shirt covered with lipstick stains only slightly smaller than the numbers on a football jersey. Pic is so ham-handedly obvious that it often becomes inadvertently funny.....Tom works hard at conveying sincerity and ebullience. Madsen spends most of his time looking like he wished he were elsewhere. Anderson is sporadically successful at conveying her character's inner anguish and vulnerability. But the most winning performance comes from Hoyt Axton as Sally's easygoing grandfather. Fine period flavor comes through on what was obviously a limited budget. Steve Slocomb's attractive lensing of the Montana landscapes is another plus.
Joe Leydon

Koslow Sells Pilot
From Darlene Sullivan, news that CBS has bought a pilot from a team consisting of Ron Koslow and the two writers responsible for both Northern Exposure and Going to Extremes. The pilot is called Sherwood Travels and deals with a newspaper writer and his wife who travel in Europe, and their experiences. Note that the fact a pilot is bought doesn't guarantee we'll ever see it. CBS bought 13 other pilots in this round of buying, and not all of them will be developed into new series. However, that important first step, the purchase of the pilot, HAS been taken.

Sagansky Resigns
Jeff Sagansky, the man who canceled B&B as one of his first actions as President of the Entertainment Division of CBS, is resigning. In all fairness, he did what he set out to do: took the network from last place in the ratings to first place, in about a year. He'll set up CBS's fall schedule before departing and leaving the job to his Exec. VP, one Peter Tortorici. That means Sagansky will be the one who'll decide whether Sherwood Travels (the pilot just mentioned above) will become a series. Keep your fingers crossed.

Cinemaker Update
Rhonda Collins' novel Legacy of Love has been approved by Republic. The person reviewing it said about Rhonda's novel what they never said about either of Nan Dibble's, that they LIKED it! Legacy of Love takes up with the series final two episodes, then goes beyond them with Diana trying to help Vincent finally come to terms with the fact he still doesn't remember anything about the Trilogy cave and Jacob's conception. Though it's a story of deep caring, it's not precisely a romantic story. It's very well written, with moments of joy and tenderness as Diana attempts to "lead Vincent through the dark" of inner pain and loss into renewed possibilities; all those who feel the series ended too soon and fought cancellation should enjoy it a lot. It should be published sometime this fall.

The best guess for the publication dates for the next books due from Cinemaker: Bright Spirit Descending by Nan Dibble should be out by the end of May or early June at the latest, The Official B&B Annotated Guidebook by Jana Ondrechen should be out by TunnelCon. Bright Spirit is $11.45 and the Guidebook's prepublication price of $22.45 still holds. You can preorder these, or Legacy of Love ($11.45) from Helpers Network. And Nan's still sorting out any back orders for books you haven't received: send details of the orders and copies of canceled checks or whatever to Nan at Helpers' Network, and she'll try to get the problem straightened out.

TunnelCon Update
From Betty Neiswender, an update on how things are going in preparation for TunnelCon III. Registration, says Betty, has been picking up since January. Star guests confirmed at this point include those who made Great Expectations such a hit: Roy Dotrice, Edward Albert, and David (the auctioneer) Schwartz. Betty is still attempting to contact or negotiating with other favorites, so there may be additional star guests announced at a later date.

Master of Ceremonies Myrrh will also be in attendance, and Phil Smith (of Helpers Above Tulsa), the videographer, will again be doing the video which, judging by the extraordinary job he did at Great Expectations, will definitely be something everybody will want to have, whether they can attend or not.

Paulette Edwards will be kicking off her official Edward Albert fan club at a special breakfast, and will have posters from Albert's well-known early film, "Butterflies Are Free." Gloria Handley, of the Jo Anderson fan club, is also planning a get-together for all-season fans, details to come. For information on the latter, send to Jo's Journal, 4195 Rolling Hills, Bettendorf IA 52722. Gloria needs to know no later than June 1st how many people are interested so that she'll know what arrangements to make (what size room, etc.). It's planned for Friday evening, July 6.

For convention info and membership forms, send SASE to Barbara Hix, 1521 Everett St., Las Vegas NV 89101. Convention dates are July 8-10, at the Stardust in Las Vegas.

Note: given the volume of stuff that came in for this Gazette, the promised continuation of Paula Vitaris' conversation with Jana Ondrechen will be given in a later Gazette.

NOTICES & FACTOIDS
For information on joining Helpers' Network or a copy of the Newcomer flyer giving an overview of the fandom, send to Helpers' Network and ask (address at the bottom of p. 1).

The Spring Q-fer (Helpers' Network Quarterly Fanzine Review) is available: $8 full, $5 update, from Helpers' Network.

The Disney B&B musical stage play is on stage in NYC..

From well-known fan artist Pam Tuck, news that $109,000 is needed to repair the bearings of the much beloved Central Park carousel. An article in the NY Daily News says that without the repair, the carousel will have to close in December and won't reopen in the spring. If you'd like to contribute or (better yet) organize some event to raise funds for this cause (do identify yourself as a B&B fan!) send to Central Park Conservency, 10 Columbus Circle, Suite 2155, NY NY 10019. Be sure to specify that your contribution is for the repair of the carousel.

You are invited to join the Official Roy Dotrice Fan Association for Great Britain (even if you live in the US, or wherever). Members get a signed photo, a certificate, stickers, notecards, Barb Gipson artwork of Roy, an acting bio, and other special items. Membership is $18.00 US, 8.00 UK, $22 EUR/PAC to Gwen Lord, 6 Meadow Lane, Leasingham, Sleaford, Lincs., NG34 8LL ENGLAND.

Laura's Cavern
Sue Haley, in Britain, is the coordinator for "Laura's Cavern," a group of about 50 B&B fans interested in sign language. There are members in Germany, Italy, and Malta, as well as the UK, and Jay and Fonda Acovone, David Greenlee, Ritch and Kathi Brinkley, and Armin and Kitty Shimerman are all members. Membership is free; there's a newsletter, and the group has interests other than sign: anyone is welcome to join. Write to Sue Haley, 11 Chester Hayes Court, 874 Chester Road, Erdington, Birmingham B24 0EL ENGLAND.

Note: the hard copy of the April Gazette also includes an article on how Terrylene's suit against Burger King was settled, stemming from an incident of needless rudeness to the deaf actress by Burger King employees. As part of the out-of-court settlement, Burger King has undertaken to make its outlets accessible and congenial for hearing-impaired customers.

From Kathy Bayne and OASIS, the Official Armin Shimerman Information Service, comes news that May 27-30, Armin will be appearing at SiliCon in Norfolk VA. For information, call convention organizers at (703) 642-2572. OASIS will be attending. However the planned July DreamWerks convention in Chicago has been canceled. And look for Mrs. Armin, Kitty Swink, as a Bajoran minister on the repeat of the DS9 episode the week of 6/5.

A relay from Joyce Clifford, in turn from Ritch Brinkley, who played, of course, the tunnel cook, William. Now he's a recurring character on a new ABC series, Thunder Alley, starring Ed Asner. From Ritch comes a request that B&B fandom give him a boost in the form of letters to the series producers, asking to see more of his character, Walter. To respond to Ritch's request, write a note saying you've enjoyed the character Walter and would like to see more of him in the series. You can mention Ritch Brinkley by name if you want, but you don't have to: it would probably be more convincing if you just comment on the character. The address to write is Thunder Alley c/o Touchstone Television, 500 South Buena Vista St., Burbank CA 91521. [Note: this is a different, and more precise, address than that first given on the Hotline. Thanks to Darlene Sullivan for supplying it.]

On a related matter, Paulette Edwards reports that there's been no decision, so far, on Edward Albert's bid to become "recurring" on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. We'll keep you posted as news reaches us.

A small factoid: David Greenlee, who played Mouse, was the star guest at Britain's Winterfest convention, last month. Helper Mary Tummon related that when she thanked him for coming, his comment was, "Here I am, where I want to be, surrounded by women who seem to like me, paid for, and you're thanking me!" Mary reports that David said he's now involved in script writing rather than acting, and that he read aloud the finalists in the convention's writing competition...which Mary's short-short story won.

Sad news: Ed Miles suddenly died in late April of complications of pneumonia. Anybody who's been to a B&B convention has met the Oklahoma couple at their dealer's table: tall Cat Miles with her streaming red hair, Ed with a twinkle in his eye and his handsome handlebar moustache. They'd been married about 25 years and were specially close to Jay and Fonda Acovone. Those wishing to drop a note of condolence and support can send to K. G. Miles, 2658 S. Yale Ave., Tulsa OK 74114.

Copies of the spring issue of Faces of Perlman has a transcript of Ron Perlman's recent interview about the premiere of Cronos on morning local NY TV, and you can have a copy for only $2. If you've never seen Faces, it's a chance to sample what that publication, devoted to Ron Perlman's career, has to offer. Normally it's only available by the year, but Pam Sondag has agreed, this once, to sell a single issue. Send to Pamela Sondag, PO Box 1144, Bellevue NE 68005-1144. Note: this is a new mailing address for Faces, so you may want to note it down on general principles.

Videotapes (the interview is about 5 minutes) are available for $8.50 from Helpers' Network (from abroad, $10.00). This interview can be combined with all interviews (same price) or anything else you'd like on the tape~Ron P's SF Channel Valentine's Day Marathon hosting, for instance. To discuss the various options, call Nan at 513-961-4813 any evening.

Note: The hard copy version of the April Gazette includes a copy of the official TunnelCon ballot for voting on best zine, best art, etc. Copies of this ballot are available for SASE to Helpers' Network, 379 Amazon Ave., Cincinnati OH 45220-1148. Cutoff date for sending completed ballots is June 1st.

CLASSIFIED
Free Classified ads, as space permits, for anything you can write on a 3x5 card. Send to Helpers' Network by the 15th of the month. Ads run once unless renewed.