WB ORDERS FILMING OF NEW DS PILOT

[Nelson Collins]

Like, is the cast too young?? 

hmm, not necessarily.  I mean, how old were the characters on the original DS?  Victoria, Caroylyn, Maggie, Joe, Chris, Willie, etc, were all late teen or early twenty-somethings, weren't they?  Granted Alec Newman seems a bit young for Barnabas, but it makes more sense from a story point of view.  Frid was 42 when he joined the cast (and frankly, he looked it) but when you think about it, 42 was pretty old in the 1790s when Barnabas was alive.  In reality (if such a thing applies  )He probably would have been much younger.  Years ago when I first started watching DS, it occurred to me that the gulf between Barnabas' and Sarah's ages is very large.  It seems unlikely that Naomi would have had only two children 30 odd years apart.  One could argue that she bore many more children that were stillborn or died crib deaths (maybe that was why she started drinking so much).

[jimbo]

Unsubstantiated, anonymous rumours should be ignored.  Discussing them is the reaction the instigators are looking for.  I think we can find more worthwhile topics to discuss.

That was exactly the point of my post. I felt that once this rumor was posted on a major website, it is my opinion that the people in the know here had an obligation to immediately report to the members here IF they knew it to be factually false before it further ignited. For example, I believe there are some people here who are in contact with Jim Pierson. I am sure there are things that he would not be allowed to comment on but I am sure he would have been able to reveal if the pilot had been shown or not as this  was the week networks were screening its pilots. This rumor could have been nipped in the bud if we were told for example that the pilot had not been screened at the time barnabasundead received those emails which started this rumor craze which has now spread to the mediasharx website.

I also agree that we should move on from this topic which I attempted to do also in my last post. I had asked what the people here thought of the pilot's Barnabas portrait that was refelected in Shadowgram. I also requested to know where the Old House was filmed in the pilot. So I am moving away from this rumor nonsense but it should have been immediately negated.

[Nelson Collins]

I also requested to know where the Old House was filmed in the pilot.

Do you happen to know if that photo or any others can be seen online (I have seen the pic of John Karlen on collinwood.net)

Thanks!

[Midnite]

That was exactly the point of my post. I felt that once this rumor was posted on a major website, it is my opinion that the people in the know here had an obligation to immediately report to the members here IF they knew it to be factually false before it further ignited. For example, I believe there are some people here who are in contact with Jim Pierson. I am sure there are things that he would not be allowed to comment on but I am sure he would have been able to reveal if the pilot had been shown or not as this  was the week networks were screening its pilots. This rumor could have been nipped in the bud if we were told for example that the pilot had not been screened at the time barnabasundead received those emails which started this rumor craze which has now spread to the mediasharx website.

First off, let me please state that no such obligation is required of our posters.  Of course I can't speak for other sites, but it's always been our policy here, and it's even stated in the forum guidelines, that the responsibility of verifying sources and/or insuring the accuracy of information reported lies with the poster.  Moderators have the right to remove or address unsubstantiated rumors that are made on these forums, but it's not our responsibility to verify information posted here nor is it expected of our members, and it certainly isn't the responsibility of our members to address information stated elsewhere, even on a popular site such as BarnabasUndead's.  It is also not our policy to declare a rumor made here or elsewhere accurate simply because no one *in the loop* has offered a rebuttal.

And speaking unofficially , discretion is a quality that I admire in others anyway.  It's just a guess, but I would imagine that Pierson (who is not unaware of what is reported on this site) probably does too.

Also, it's just my opinion, but I can't help but wonder if your theory (that false rumors reported in fandom require a rebuttal from a DS official) has the potential to become a manipulative way of obtaining desired information.

it should have been immediately negated.

I respectfully disagree with that statement.  As fans, naturally we're anxious to read every tidbit of information provided about a possible new show, but I dont feel we're entitled to have every rumor either challenged or confirmed, and since this is a delicate time in the decision-making process for a potential new DS I think I can understand the need for discretion.

If a fan comes across a rumor in fandom that they feel is inaccurate, they can make the choice to challenge it or to ignore it, but I personally feel that the best way to handle rumors is to refrain from repeating them.

[Philippe Cordier]

Granted Alec Newman seems a bit young for Barnabas, but it makes more sense from a story point of view.  Frid was 42 when he joined the cast (and frankly, he looked it) but when you think about it, 42 was pretty old in the 1790s when Barnabas was alive.  In reality (if such a thing applies  )He probably would have been much younger.  Years ago when I first started watching DS, it occurred to me that the gulf between Barnabas' and Sarah's ages is very large.

I agree, a younger Barnabas seems to fit the "facts" better.  Not that I am in any way sorry that Frid played the original Barnabas!

The question of actors being "too old" to play certain roles is an interesting one -- but other examples that come to mind go too far astray.  Personally, I'm willing to "suspend my disbelief" if the performance is a good one, and Frid's work definitely falls in that category.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how Newman is in the role!

[Philippe Cordier]

I had asked what the people here thought of the pilot's Barnabas portrait that was refelected in Shadowgram. I also requested to know where the Old House was filmed in the pilot.

This is the first I've heard about such a portrait.  I haven't received Shadowgram.  Do you mean that there's a picture of the "Barnabas portrait" as completed for the new series, with Alec Newman as Barnabas?

I guess no one knows anything about where the Old House locations were filmed -- I'm dying to know that too!

[jimbo]

Midnite it was not my intention to have placed you into a defensive position and I do apologize if I have unwittingly done that. I only desired to have this rumor squashed before it ignited any further and that I had hoped someone here could have done that if they were able to. I thought I made that point very clearly in my last post. You seem to have taken my word "obligation" and placed that into a quasi- legal context pertaining to your rules and regulations. Again my point was and is that it would have been appreciated if someone here took the initiative and definitively denied the possibility of this rumor to be true. This is an informal discussion board and I was merely exercising my right to state an opinion on what I would have liked to have happened. I do agree that posters are under no obligation to refute every rumor. I am saying that in this paricular situation and because of the seriousness and sensitive allegation, it would have been nice to have it refuted to us members.

I do have to say that I am offended by your statement of theory that I am attempting to manipulate this board to obtain information. I simply ASKED if anyone here had certain information pertaining to this rumor and it was my opinion that the people in the know should come forward to its members with the desired information IF they were able to. I also support your position about Jim Pierson. It just seems to me that you are putting words in my mouth and making assumptions as to my state of mind when I posted my inquiry regarding the rumor. That is simply not fair and totally uncalled for.

 You are right in that we are at a very critical juncture in the WB's decision making process. This rumor has fueled bad publicity on DS and I hope that it has no negative implications on its decision making process.

[Midnite]

jimbo,

You seem to have taken my word "obligation" and placed that into a quasi- legal context pertaining to your rules and regulations. Again my point was and is that it would have been appreciated if someone here took the initiative and definitively denied the possibility of this rumor to be true. This is an informal discussion board and I was merely exercising my right to state an opinion on what I would have liked to have happened. I do agree that posters are under no obligation to refute every rumor. I am saying that in this paricular situation and because of the seriousness and sensitive allegation, it would have been nice to have it refuted to us members.

Thank you for the clarification.  You originally stated that you felt that our members in the know had an obligation to address the rumor immediately if it was false.  It's my job to respond by explaining that it's forum policy that no one is under any obligation to refute any rumor.  If the way I said it sounded like legal mumbo jumbo, then I apologize.  I talk funny sometimes. 

I do have to say that I am offended by your statement of theory that I am attempting to manipulate this board to obtain information. ... That is simply not fair and totally uncalled for.

I didn't call you manipulative, and no offense was intended.  I said that it occurred to me that the practice could become that way; sorry if that wasn't clear.  In other words, I'm thinking that if DC's office were to officially rebut this last rumor, should it resurface before WB makes their announcement after the 17th would the absence of another official rebuttal lead fans to say, "They officially denied the last rumor but they didn't this time so it must be true"?  You said in an earlier post:

I had thought for a second that  the insiders here were very silent on this issue which may mean that the rumor(s) is true.

If you could think that for a moment, then I believe it's logical that someone else might also, particularly following one official denial.  But if there's never one to begin with, perhaps fewer fans will infer that silence equals confirmation.  I think an analogy would be blackmail; there's usually a possibility that the payee will have to keep playing along indefinitely.  Do you get what I'm saying?

[jimbo]

After I carefully read your response, I believe we are almost on the same page now. I see your point about the pros and cons of rebuting a rumor with an official announcement by the producers for consistency purposes. I guess it is a tough call for a studio to make, rebuting a rumor and not do the same on a future rumor which may lead to have a person arrive at a false conclusion. Actually I just do not know what the right answer is here. It's an incredibly difficult balance to achieve. I guess the bottom line for me is to simply not want this rumor to be true and if someone here in the know had stated that it was not true, I would have felt much better. I felt at the time of my post that this was the right time for someone in the know to immediately refute this particular rumor as I anticipated how potentially dangerous it would become causing bad p.r. for DS. Prior to the rumor, DS enjoyed a strong positive buzz in the media. Now at least three websites are reporting that the DS pilot is dead in the water and that is very, very unfortunate.

So thank you for your explanation and I hope our future discussions will be on a more positive note and on more positive news. I am still remaining optimistic about the DS pilot making it to series on the WB.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I agree, a younger Barnabas seems to fit the "facts" better.  Not that I am in any way sorry that Frid played the original Barnabas!

The question of actors being "too old" to play certain roles is an interesting one -- but other examples that come to mind go too far astray.

A short while ago we had a discussion (a tangent in the Focus Groups topic) about actors' vs. characters' ages. For example, we pointed out that, although Frid was in his 40s, the show established that Barnabas had supposedly been born in 1770, which would have meant that he wasn't more than 25 when he was cursed.

If you (or anyone else) missed it, use the following link to check out the discussion:

... I think we're adverse to the idea of THESE characters and performers being younger. ...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I felt at the time of my post that this was the right time for someone in the know to immediately refute this particular rumor as I anticipated how potentially dangerous it would become causing bad p.r. for DS. Prior to the rumor, DS enjoyed a strong positive buzz in the media. Now at least three websites are reporting that the DS pilot is dead in the water and that is very, very unfortunate.

Well, as the excerpt I posted from that recent Variety article stated: "what's "dead" today could be "the next 'Friends' " a week from now."    And frankly, it doesn't really matter what those three Web sites are reporting. The articles/web sites that have given the impression that a new DS series is already in production could be said to contradict them (and we know for a fact that the info purporting that the show is in production is not true). The sad fact is that often writers and Web sites don't confirm their supposed facts - one writer/site writes/posts something and then others pick it up without question. Misinformation is an epidmic on the Internet. 

I hate to keep sounding like a broken record, however, fans should be preparing themselves for the very real possibility that the pilot will not get picked up. The simple fact is that the ratio of passes to pick ups is basically 4 to 1 - meaning for every 1 pilot that gets picked up, 4 are passed on. Those are the facts. Yet I can pretty much guarantee that at some point in their development process every one of those passed pilots had some sort of positve buzz. I'm not trying to be pessimistic toward a WB DS' chances of being picked up. I truly hope that it will be, and it probably has as good a chance as any of the WB's remaining drama pilots. But fans should be realistic. And given the realities of the business, the big surprise will not be if the pilot doesn't get picked up - it will be if it does.

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and try to wait patiently for the 18th because the news that comes out on that day is really all that's important. 

[Nelson Collins]

I guess no one knows anything about where the Old House locations were filmed -- I'm dying to know that too!

According to Dark Shadows Journal Online, the exteriors and interiors for Collinwood and the Old House were the same as those used for the Revival Series,  the Beverly Hills Mansion Greystone.  The story includes some pics of the estate. Here is the link:

http://www.collinwood.net/news/news04-04.htm#begins

Look for the April 10 entry

[Midnite]

According to Dark Shadows Journal Online, the exteriors and interiors for Collinwood and the Old House were the same as those used for the Revival Series,  the Beverly Hills Mansion Greystone.

Actually, the site states that Greystone is being used to represent Collinwood in the new production and goes on to say that the mansion was used to represent both in the '91 revival.  There's been no announcement about the location of the mansion that's being used as the Old House in the new series.

[Mary]

What does the people here think about the Barnabas portrait in Shadowgram.

Well, let me be the first to volunteer to be his Eternal Bride of the Undead!  LOL!  I like the long, wavy hair!  (Hee hee!)  But where is the wolf's head cane???! 

[Mary]

This is the first I've heard about such a portrait.  I haven't received Shadowgram.  Do you mean that there's a picture of the "Barnabas portrait" as completed for the new series, with Alec Newman as Barnabas?

Yes, there is a picture of the new Barnabas portrait with Alec Newman in Shadowgram.  It's a full-body portrait.  He's dressed in his 18th century clothes, which are different than what we've seen Barnabas wear before: no ruffled shirt, no medals.  A little more casual-type clothes.  He is wearing a cape, though.  He has shoulder-length wavy hair -- sigh...drool...  LOL!