Mehcad Brooks speaks about Fencewalker

Mehcad Brooks, an actor who plays a lead character in Chris Carter's Fencewalker, tells something about his character in the movie:

"The biggest challenge I’ve faced as an actor was a character named Salaam Alexander from an upcoming film entitled Fencewalker. He had an innocence about him that I lost years ago. He hadn’t seen or known the world to be quite as cold a place as it can be from time to time. Humans are so fragile. And he was hard to embody because he goes through so much in the duration of the film. Some of it was so devastating that I just had to accept the circumstances of what was happening to him and it was tough. Really tough."

Source

Bryan Cranston Brings Home Second Emmy

Bryan Cranston has done it again: Breaking Bad's Emmy-winning actor picked up his second consecutive trophy as Best Actor in a Drama Series at the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy awards Sunday night. "Lee Trevino was struck by lightning twice," Cranston said, accepting the award. "Now I know how he feels."

The veteran actor faced stiff competition for the honor: Dexter's Michael C. Hall, House's Hugh Laurie, In Treatment's Gabriel Byrne, The Mentalist's Simon Baker and AMC's own Jon Hamm of Mad Men. (Click here to read more about Mad Men's Emmy wins.)

The award was Breaking Bad's second of the year, the first of which went to Lynne Willingham, who picked up the best editing trophy -- her second consecutive as well -- at the Creative Arts Emmys last week.

Source

Back To Frank Black Campaign: Important News

Lance Henriksen has contacted the Back To Frank Black Campaign stuff members to inform them that he has been approached by independent investors interested in making a Millennium Movie.

There's no need to tell anyone how important this news is to us. And here's where you come in. We are so close we can almost touch this and we need to use this opportunity to generate as much publicity as we are able.

Do not stop pushing: take this news to the forums you frequent, add it to your social network profiles, share it with your friends on twitter and lets see if we can get this to go viral.

Source: BackToFrankBlack.com News

Frank Spotnitz' new projects

Source: Daily Variety

Frank Spotnitz is peering into the future for his next batch of TV projects.

The "X-Files" alum has pacted with HBO to develop two drama series, both with futuristic themes.

"Humanitas" is described as being set in a time when major advances in medicine have created dilemmas for doctors and fanned fears that a devastating pandemic is imminent. Spotnitz just turned in the first draft of a script that he is exec producing along with Gavin Polone.

HBO suggested it was interested in a show with a medical-thriller theme when Spotnitz met with execs there more than a year ago. That set him off on research about the cutting edge of medicine and the ethical and moral dilemmas raised by science's ever-advancing ability to manipulate genetics, which forms the heart of the show, Spotnitz told Daily Variety.

More than one option

• (Co) Daily Variety
  Filmography, Year, Role
• (Co) Daily Variety

"You don't have to invent much for this topic to be terrifying," he said.

The threat posed by infectious diseases -- organic and man-made -- is also staggering. "Viruses can mutate so quickly," he said. "This is a war without end."

He's also adapting for HBO a smallscreen rendition of Robert Silverberg's famed 1971 sci-fi novel "The World Inside." Book revolves around a grim vision of the future where overpopulation has run amok, and people live in carefully controlled urban centers where frustration and anger are eliminated, sex is rampant and fertility is the most prized human attribute.

Spotnitz is co-writing the "World Inside" script with Adam Rapp. Rapp and Spotnitz will exec produce along with Carolyn Strauss, Vince Gerardis and Ralph Vicinanza.

"I'm not usually attracted to dystopian stories, but the more I read this novel the more I saw its relevance to our world today."

Separately, Spotnitz is penning a pilot for FX, "Arc," based on the life of a real person involved in the covert ops world.

"It's sort of about what would happen if Jason Bourne decided to leave the spy game and try to fit into normal life," Spotnitz said. "It's a character piece and it's very reality-based."

Project hails from Tony and Ridley Scott's Scott Free Prods. and CBS Television Studios. Spotnitz is exec producing with Bazzel Baz.

Spotnitz, repped by WME, was Chris Carter's right-hand exec producer on "X-Files" for most of that show's nine-season run. More recently he's been focusing on feature projects, including a remake of 1983's "The Star Chamber" set up at 20th Century Fox. He also co-wrote last year's "X-Files: I Want to Believe" feature.

Spotnitz was the showrunner on ABC's redo of "The Night Stalker" in the 2005-06 season, and he worked alongside Michael Mann on the gritty CBS cop drama "Robbery Homicide Division" in 2002-03.

Six years ago, Spotnitz launched a website, www.biglight.com, that of late turned into a bustling social network for "X-Files" fans, among other sci-fi/fantasy fare, and a wiki about the various pics and TV series that he's worked on.

The genesis of 'Breaking Bad'

A pal mentioned a news story to Vince Gilligan. It's now 'Breaking Bad.'

By Josh Gajewski
August 3, 2009
Source: LA Times

The best person to tell this story may be the man to Vince Gilligan's right. His name is Tom Schnauz, but on this day he's known as "New Guy." That is, the new guy in the writers' room of "Breaking Bad," the Emmy-nominated AMC drama about a terminally ill schoolteacher who raises money for his family's future by cooking and selling crystal methamphetamine.

Gilligan created "Breaking Bad," the drama series nominee and critical darling that pulled in an average 1.3 million viewers this season. He also worked on the script of last summer's " Hancock," a film that grossed more than $600 million worldwide.

But Schnauz knew Gilligan when the two worked in the basement of the NYU film school in the late '80s, renting out cameras to fellow students. "Occasionally, he'd do some things that were strange, would do things just to try it out," Schnauz says. "I remember him bringing golf balls into the work-study place, and he wanted to know what was inside, so he started cutting them open. Once, this white powder shot up into his eyes."

That "inquisitive but semi-warped" mind, Schnauz says, is what made Gilligan successful. "I mean, what kind of mind would come up with a show about cooking crystal meth?"

Answer: the mind of a man who grew up in Virginia but had his eyes trained on Hollywood ever since he saw " Star Wars." Many years later -- after NYU, and after Gilligan and Schnauz both wrote for "The X-Files" -- the two spoke by phone. Schnauz had just read an article about mobile meth labs. Gilligan joked that when their respective writing careers dried up, perhaps they could do the same, drive around the Southwest in an RV with a meth lab in the back.

"He called me back a week later and said, 'Remember that idea? Mind if I use that?' " Schnauz recalls. "I said, 'Of course.' I mean, I'd never think to write a story, let alone a whole TV series around the idea of a mobile meth lab. But lo and behold. . . ."

Gilligan created Walter White, an ordinary man thrust into an end-life crisis, and now here we are: in Burbank on a Tuesday, having a hamburger with the bespectacled Gilligan just down the street from his writers' room. "Frankly, I don't know why we're here," he says. "I don't even know why I bothered to pitch this show, except that I was really inspired by the idea."

After lunch, he returns to his "dream," the nondescript writers' room where the key phrase is "What if . . . ," the key ingredient is caffeine and the key goal is to surprise. The talk always revolves around how a character might be expected to react and then, how that expectation might be turned on its head.

Several hours and maybe a hundred ideas later, Gilligan is ready to adjourn. "I feel like we're close to something, something that's right in front of us," he says to the room. "There's something we still haven't thought of that would change everything. Let's open up our minds."

And so will begin another round of what-ifs.

'Fringe' plans 'X-Files' homage

From Zap2It.com:

"The X-Files" is returning to the small screen.

No, don't freak out, the show isn't being remade a la "90210" or "Melrose Place." Instead, the season premiere of "Fringe" will simply include a wink -- or two -- to the show it so often gets compared to.

"Yes, it is true," showrunner Jeff Pinkner confirmed to Zap2it. "[There will be] an homage to 'X-Files.' In fact, there are at least two in the episode."

Jeff told us "Fringe" regularly pays homage to other things and people they love in more vague ways, but when it comes to "X-Files," there won't be any doubt about it. "It'll be obvious [to everyone]," he said. "Both of [the nods] are obvious."

While Jeff was hesitant to give us details on their little tributes, series star John Noble (Walter) shared that at least one of them is pictorial. Hmm...

X-Files Comics

According to BigLight.com, Frank Spotnitz is at work on another original “X-Files” comic book to be co-written by Gabe Rotter, director of development at Ten Thirteen Productions and author of the novel, “Duck Duck Wally.” Look for the book to hit the stands early next year. It’s Frank’s fourth comic book since Wildstorm launched a new series of “X-Files” comics in 2008.

Check out previous issues of Frank’s “X-Files” comics.

Source: BigLight.com

Dori Carter Gives Recording of the Blind & Dyslexic a Good Read

Author Dori Carter recorded her new book of short stories, We Are Rich, for Santa Barbara’s Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic. Her husband, television and film producer Chris Carter of The X-Files fame, and a group of six friends joined her in the studio to help her record the book, which will be made available to print-disabled students throughout the country.

Carter, a Montecito resident, is a former screenwriter and television producer. Her first novel, Beautiful Wasps Having Sex, published in 2000, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller.

“We’ve been anticipating doing this read for RFB&D since the book’s release in late April,” Carter said. “This is a wonderful organization that truly makes a difference in people’s lives. My friends, husband and I are pleased to help them.”

The Santa Barbara Unit of RFB&D was founded in 1976. Its 200 weekly volunteers spend more than 14,000 hours annually producing 220 audio books for students in all grades — kindergarten through graduate and professional schools. The books are then housed in the nation’s largest audio textbook library, which contains 55,000 digitally recorded titles, at the organization’s headquarters in Princeton, N.J. Audio books are available by download or CDs for schools and individuals.

You can read full article HERE.

Q&A with Michelle MacLaren

Michelle MacLaren (one of the key producers of The X-Files, Harsh Realm, Night Stalker and Fencewalker) directed episode 2.09 of Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad.

This is her interview for AMC.tv:

Q&A - Michelle MacLaren (Episode 9 Director)

The X-Files alum explains how Vince Gilligan's twisted mind transcends genre, discusses cooking meth in the big leagues and analyzes Episode 9's most important character -- the desert -- in AMCtv.com's exclusive interview.

Q: You worked with Vince Gilligan on The X-Files. Has his writing style changed much since then?

A: Not really, actually. On The X-Files, like in Breaking Bad, his episodes were always kind of out there. For example, one of the first X-Files episodes of his that I produced was called "Je Souhaite," which involved a devious genie. Another X-Files episode Vince did was filmed in a replica of the Brady Bunch house. Vince is sick and twisted, but I mean that with all the admiration in the world! If anyone else had told me what Breaking Bad was about, I would have been like, "What are you doing?" But with Vince, I was like, "Great."

Q: This episode was written as an homage to The Flight of the Phoenix. Did you try to mimic any elements from the movie in your direction?

A: I re-watched the movie to understand what the writers were going for. There was a grandiose-ness to it -- you really get the horrifying sense that they are stranded in the middle of nowhere, so I adopted that feeling. They did a nice job in the movie showing the gradual decline of the people physically, and the effect that decline has on their relationships. Will the crisis bring people together or tear them apart? The movie takes place over a longer period of time than our episode, so they were able to break the actors down dramatically. One of the guys actually freaks out and runs into the desert and dies. We weren't there long enough for that kind of drama, but we still accomplish the same thing.

Q: Your episode has a meth cooking montage -- as do several other Breaking Bad episodes. How do you keep that imagery fresh?

A: This montage was different because we wanted to show that Walt and Jesse have hit the big time. I wanted it to look impressive. I gave the montage a lot of movement because it covers several days, and it needed to show that their relationship is evolving. So the camera was constantly moving, almost like a dance. The message is that Walt and Jesse are getting really good at cooking meth, and the ultimate result is fantastic. The way we shot it gets that across. They could have been cooking apple pie! Luckily, meth is visually very interesting.

Q: How accurate is your depiction of the cooking process?

A: It's very accurate. We didn't actually make crystal, of course, but visually it's accurate. There are all these different stages to it, so we had these consultants we talked to about the right way to do it. There's the gray goo stage, the white smoke stage, the blue goo stage. We had a DEA consultant, and another consultant who I don't want to ask where he came from! I would ask him a question about how something was supposed to be done in the cooking process, and he'd say, "Hang on a second," and grab his cell and go around the corner and come back two minutes later with the answer.

Q: You once said that you've known you wanted to be a director since you were 13. What inspired that?

A: I always wanted to be in the movie business, but I didn't know exactly what I wanted to be. When I was producing on The X-Files, my grandmother passed away. My mom was going through old stuff and found a letter I'd written to my grandmother. I'd seen a movie I liked and I said, "I hope I can direct a movie like that one day." I wish I'd written down which movie! But that was my final push over edge into directing. I went out and took classes and really put myself out there. I like producing, but directing is my passion. When I direct, I finish the day and go, "that was awesome."

Q: Had you been to Albuquerque before shooting this episode?

A: I had never been to New Mexico before. I think it has some of the most beautiful light I've ever seen. I've shot a lot of deserts, but never lived in one. The desert, as beautiful as it is, helps the show's dark and depressing premise. It represents danger, death, fear, loneliness, remoteness. Walt is so alone in what he's going though, living this unbelievable lie. And that's all put in contrast to these beautiful vistas and sunsets.

Source

Book Signing in New York

For 'X-Files,' the truth is still out there ... but what about a third film?

SOURCE: LA Times Blog

Liver-eating contortionist Eugene Tooms wasn’t there. Neither were the Peacock Brothers. Extraterrestrials? Nope, not a one. But even without those memorable characters of any of the other paranormal beasties, shadow-government operatives or little green men from "The X-Files," fans of the spooky franchise turned out in force last week at The Grove in Los Angeles to question and cheer X-creator Chris Carter and key writer Frank Spotnitz.

The two longtime collaborators (or is that conspirators?) were joined by Matt Hurwitz, a co-author of the lavish new book “The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, Myths and the Movies” (Insight Editions, $49.95). The event was on the third floor of Barnes & Noble and a crowd that went into triple-digits was eager to get autographs and answers, many of which were delivered by Carter with his wry, mellow-surfer baritone.

Is Walter Skinner still infected with nanotechnology? “He’s been to the doctors a number of times.”

Is the Agent Dana Scully immortal? “It’s kind of true, if you think about it. I mean, she’ll never die. She beat cancer.”

Any plans to take "Millennium" to the big screen? “That seems to be the question all the fans want answered. Nothing has been discussed.”

Carter’s favorite episode? “Beyond the Sea” and “Home” make the short list, but, he insists, he has a lot of favorites.

When is the series going to be available on Blu-ray? “There’s a technical problem ... we just have to figure out how to solve it.”

But the pervading question of the night centered on one yearning hope: A third installment of “The X-Files” as a movie franchise, which would pick up where last year's "X-Files: I Want to Believe” left off. In an interview after the book signing, Carter was elusive ... but he did give fans a reason to believe.

Noting the lackluster commercial success of the second film, Carter said the venture was hurt by its timing. The U.S. release “was foolish, opening a week after the blockbuster hit “The Dark Knight ... it was really the worst weekend to open any movie.”

The film pulled in an anemic $21 million in the U.S., which fell short of expectations for a film that cost $30 million to make. It did go on, however, to make $47 in foreign markets. “The movie did a lot of business worldwide so, I think, it’s really up to Fox to decide,” he said.

Despite the lackluster grosses, there’s no denying the impact of the television series and its characters on pop culture. It demonstrated the potential of what the sci-fi genre could achieve on the small screen. And though recent sci-fi series like "Battlestar Galactica" (a show Carter “likes”) and "X-Files"-influenced "Fringe" have picked up the torch, Carter said crime dramas have handcuffed TV’s limited programming schedules for scripted dramas.

“When you look at what’s on television right now, there’s a little bit of science fiction, but there’s mostly cop procedurals,” said the 52-year-old Carter. “People see every episode of 'Law & Order,' and all its incarnations, so I don’t know … if you do science fiction on television it’s a little bit of a gamble sometimes.”

But, hey, if that doesn’t work, there’s always the Internet, right? "X-Files" fans have proven there’s an audience out there for all the fan content they’ve created. From fan-fiction to mash-up YouTube videos, people have taken notice. Even the actors that inspired the content, Spotnitz noted.

“You know, there’s a story that David [Duchovny] told when we were doing the movie last year,” Spotnitz said, “about how Gillian had seen a YouTube compilation of all their kisses and David saw that and said it actually affected his performance in the film because it was like reminder of the power of their relationship. So it just tells you how meaningful they are. It really is part of what the 'X-Files' is now. It’s just the way the fans re-interpret it.”

And with the release of the book -- practically an encyclopedia of “The X-Files” franchise -- fans will now have more to interpret, because as one fan said, “The truth will always be out there.”

-- Yvonne Villarreal