Web News Archives


	Is Stan Lee Media Alive? 05-02-01 Will Stan Lee Media rise from the dead? Inside.com reported that Texas venture capital firm Interfase Capital announced that it will provide debtor-in-possession financing of the company as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and will take a majority interest in the online animation site, founded by the Marvel Comics legend. Stan Lee Media fired most of its staff in mid-December, had trading in its stock halted days later, and filed for bankruptcy in mid-February, Inside.com reported. There are no fewer than four separate class-action suits proceeding against the company, in addition to various other suits claiming unpaid bills, a stolen series idea and the like. Interfase said it plans to "facilitate long-term business relationships between Stan Lee Media and other Interfase Capital portfolio companies."

	Fandom Sites Still Live 04-03-01 Fandom's 21 "Fan Domains"--Web sites for everything from X-Men to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Pokemon--will remain live for the time being, despite Fandom's announcement that it will cease all online operations, a spokesman told SCI FI Wire. Fandom announced April 2 that it will shut down its online operations, but will continue to operate its offline companies, magazine publisher Cinescape and convention producer Creation Entertainment. "The Web sites are not going to go dark," the Fandom spokesman said in an interview. "Fan sites will remain on the Web, and Cinescape Online will continue to operate" while the company seeks an investor or buyer to acquire the online properties. As of April 4, however, SCI FI Wire was unable to connect to the Cinescape Web site. If none can be found, the main Fandom portal will go dark, the spokesman said. The fate of the fan-run sites is less certain. "I am assuming some of those fan sites will continue to exist, especially if they are hosted elsewhere," he said. Fandom had acquired Another Universe--now FandomShop--in the first quarter of 2000 and Cinescape and Creation Entertainment in the fourth quarter of the year. Debra Streicker-Fine, Fandom's chief executive, said in a statement, "For the last three months, we have had productive meetings and a series of opportunities to take Fandom to the next level, but the depressed marketplace has forced many companies to close, especially affecting online companies." Fandom was started in 1999 as a catalog publisher and has grown into a company that sells licensed merchandise, publishes magazines, operates fan clubs, mounts fan conventions and conducts collectibles auctions.

	Star Wars Site Makes Fun 04-02-01 The official Star Wars Web site went back in time to 1979 for an April Fools joke, transforming the site to one promoting The Empire Strikes Back. The site parodied itself, offering tidbits on the production of Episode V, cast lists, preview photos and even questions from fans. A question even made fun of the obsession with proposed Star Wars DVDs, translating it into 1979 terms: "Why hasn't Lucasfilm released Star Wars for the Betamax?" The answer: "We understand the desire to watch Star Wars in the comfort of your own home on the best home video format available. However, George Lucas is very busy now, overseeing the production of The Empire Strikes Back. Lucasfilm will release Star Wars on Beta when we have the time to devote to it. We have something special planned for its release. As Obi-Wan said to Luke, 'Be patient.' Until then, keep on truckin'!"

	Web Hugo To Be Awarded 03-26-01 ConJose, the 2002 World Science Fiction Convention, announced that it will present a special Hugo Award for best Web site. The award will be open to any Web site primarily related to the fields of science fiction, fantasy or fandom and will be given for material displayed on the World Wide Web during the calendar year 2001. The Hugo Awards are presented for achievement in the fields of science fiction and fantasy literature, both to professionals and fans. They are given by the World Science Fiction Society and are presented at the society's annual convention (Worldcon). The 2002 Worldcon, known as ConJose, will take place in San Jose, Calif., from August 29 through Sept. 2, 2002.

	Lycos Claims Site Wipe Was Error 03-20-01 Lycos told the Associated Press that it would restore fan sites mistakenly wiped out on its Tripod Web hosting service over the weekend. More than 100 fans sites for everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to The X-Files disappeared from Tripod, spurring protests from fans. But Lycos spokeswoman Dorianne Almann told the AP that--while the company regularly shuts down sites for prohibited member conduct--a number of sites that did not violate its member agreement were also mistakenly shut down and would be restored within 24 to 48 hours. Almann added that sites operated through Lycos' Angelfire site may also have been affected. She said she did not know how many sites were affected.

	Tripod Wipes Fan Sites 03-19-01 Lycos network's Tripod hosting service deleted more than 100 fan and fan-fiction Web sites on March 18, apparently out of concern that the sites contained copyrighted material. The deletions--which came without warning--included dozens of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The X-Files and Star Trek sites, including some of the most popular ones on the Web. In some cases, fans lost hundreds of pages of material. A report of the mass deletion appears on the Bringers site, originally created to protest censorship by Fox against material on Buffy and X-Files sites. A protest site has also been set up, which proposes a boycott against Lycos, Tripod and Angelfire.

	Del Rey Revives Web Workshop 03-16-01 Del Rey Books launched the newly enhanced Del Rey Digital Writing Workshop, an online service to nurture new writers of fantasy and science fiction. Growing out of its first online workshop, which ran from March 1999 to September 2000, the new workshop offers a new interface and more resources for aspiring writers and reviewers. The free service offers writers a place to receive constructive feedback and a venue to post original works, to which they will retain their rights. Once a month, the Del Rey Digital Editorial Board--made up of Del Rey editors and writers--will select the most promising three submissions from the categories of science fiction novel, fantasy novel and short story, and highlight them as editors' choices. Twice a year, the editors' choices in the categories of science fiction and fantasy novel will be showcased on the site. Readers will be invited to vote for their favorites, and winners in each category will be offered the chance to have their novels published as original Del Rey e-Books.

	SFX Site To Close 03-02-01 The British company Future Publishing told SCI FI Wire that it will suspend its SFX Network Web site due to "tough market conditions." "The decision has been made as part of a worldwide rationalization to improve profitability," SFX assistant publisher Andy Ford told SCI FI Wire. Suspension of SFX "is one of a number of worldwide changes in the company's structure, made necessary by incredibly tough market conditions," Ford said. "We are now considering the future of our online sci-fi content. We have entered a 30-day period of consultation with all the staff involved. That consultation will include discussions on every aspect of the site and their employment with Future Publishing. Only after that consultation process is complete will any final decisions be made." Iain Hepburn and Tom Mayo are the editors who provide SFX's Web content. Ford added that Future's SFX Magazine is unaffected by the decision. "I'm proud of the Web site Iain Hepburn and Tom Mayo have built, which is both one of the world's hottest entertainment news sites and a busy meeting place for thousands of sci-fi fans," Ford said. On Feb. 16, Future announced that it would close or sell 20 money-losing magazines out of a total portfolio of 134 titles, close five Web sites and reduce its Internet development costs.

	New Potter Site Unveiled 02-16-01 Warner Brothers announced that it will debut the updated official Web site on Feb. 16 for its upcoming feature-film version of J.K. Rowling's best-selling Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The new site will offer interactive features, games, bulletin boards and news updates on the production of the movie, the studio announced. Perhaps stung by criticism of its handling of fan Web sites, the studio is also inviting fan-managed Harry Potter sites to link through the official Harrypotter.com hub, in exchange for official images and icons. The new Web site will welcome visitors with an animated short of the Hogwarts Express train, which whisks Harry and his classmates from Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross station to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Once inside the site, fans can apply to be "students" at Hogwarts, take turns answering riddles from the "Sorting Hat," and visit Diagon Alley and "The Owl Post," where fans can send customized e-postcards. The Daily Prophet will offer information about the film.

	British Potter Site Debuts 02-15-01 The official British Web site for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone movie will open on Feb. 16, according to Empire Online. Fans will be welcomed into the site by the Golden Snitch, which leads to a Flash animation sequence of Hogwart's Express in action, Empire reported. The official Potter site will also allow visitors to find out which house the Sorting Hat assigns them, visit the shops in Diagon Alley or check out cast information via The Daily Prophet.

	Spielberg, Howard Do Web Shorts 01-31-01 Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard will create animated short films for DreamWorks' CountingDown.com Web site, part of the site's new theater section, the site announced. The first pair of shorts--part of a series of Dreams created exclusively for the Web by Howard--will feature Howard and Spielberg each explaining a personal dream. Both shorts will premiere on CountingDown.com on Feb. 5. PDI DreamWorks (Antz) animated the shorts using Flash animation technology. "This will be the first time that either Steven Spielberg or Ron Howard have created content specifically for the Web, and we are extremely pleased to have this opportunity to display their work to their millions of fans online," CountingDown.com co-founder Tim Doyle said in a statement.

	Warner Swats Potter Fans 01-31-01 Internet fans of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books are running afoul of Warner Brothers, which is producing a feature film based on the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The studio has issued letters to fans who have registered domain names featuring what Warner claims are trademarks. The fans include teen-age girls, such as Claire Field, a British fan who registered the domain harrypotterguide.co.uk, and Singapore fan Catherine Chang, who registered HarryPotterNetwork.net. As a result, British fan Alastair Alexander has created a Web site called PotterWar to protest Warner's heavy hand. For its part, Warner seems to be backing off. "We've been naive," Warner senior vice president Diane Nelson told Entertainment-Rewired Magazine. "The studio's letter is an act of miscommunication. We never intended to shut down any Web sites. In some cases, we just wanted those we contacted to transfer the domain name over to us. In no way is our goal to shut down the Web sites."