04.10.07
Posted in Misc., NarniaFans.com
at 11:16 am
by Paul Martin
We’ve been working on finding all sorts of new ways to bring Narnia and C.S. Lewis movie news to more people around the world. We’ve started working on a few things, including launching NarniaFans profiles on some of the biggest and newest social networks out there. If you’re on any of these, add us as a friend. We won’t turn you down, I promise! In case you were wondering what networks we’ve joined, we’re going to tell you about each of them right here.
Bebo - We’ve added a new page to Bebo that has a lot of friends as well.
Facebook Fanpage - We’ve created a fast growing fanpage on Facebook that has nearly a thousand members already.
hi5 - This is a pretty good social network, but I wouldn’t say it’s the easiest to use. It has all of the features that you would expect of any network. It doesn’t seem very populated, and there isn’t a way to quickly find friends to add. I guess that’s both a strength and a weakness. Less spam, more actual members.. but there is still the random spam accounts that pop up. One thing that hi5 has over other networks is the ability to classify your friends into custom groups. For example, you can put all of the bands that you’ve befriended into a group called “Bands.” It makes it really easy to find what friends you’re looking for very quickly.
MySpace - Seriously, who hasn’t heard of MySpace. On this one, we’ve got some pretty famous friends, including the director of The Water Horse, and one of the actors that is actually appearing in the film. It is by far the largest network, and the easiest to add a ton of friends. The biggest problem, and I would say this is the worst of the social networks as a direct result of it, is the advertising. The website True.com is the generator of these ads, and it makes visiting the website a chore when you’re trying to avoid ads like that. And the ads are targeted so guys see only ads featuring girls and girls see ads featuring guys… it is sickening.
ShoutLife - Another new social network that recently came out of beta testing. It features a few main categories for accounts, and is very well organized. It is so easy to use and has a very clean interface that makes navigating easy. It is a Christian run social network that requests that you be respectful of that, and keep your profiles clean. Very cool, and recommended.
Xianz (Sign-Up Link) - I’ve only included a sign-up link because it gets me a referral if you use it to register for the website. As for the site itself, Xianz is trying to do it all. Some things they get very right, but other things, not so much. What they get right is the separation of your friends and bands. You can also become a fan of a band on the site without needing to request friendship, I think. Right on your profile, they’re separated into two areas. It also does YouTube style video uploading. They’re trying to be the everything website, but they do have a niche market that they’re going for: Christians. They call themselves the MySpace of Christians, and I wouldn’t argue with that. Advertising is everywhere and the navigation tends to get you lost from time to time (however, the ads are clean! A plus for that one!). The profiles can also be overly filled and appear very messy with guestbooks and chat rooms on nearly every page of the whole site.
Facebook Group - Finally, we have a group on Facebook and another on Friendster.
So, have a look around! We hope that you consider joining any of the above. Whatever your cup of tea, you can find a network for it these days.
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04.09.07
Posted in Misc., NarniaFans.com
at 12:11 pm
by Lady Chloe
Hello Everyone!
Okay people! Here’s the plan!! On the 28th of April, that’s a Saturday, we are going to Revitalize the Dancing Lawn!
Lots of us have been noticing that, recently, not so many of the old members have been coming on, and I’m sure we’ve all missed eachother. So, a small group of us DLers decided to do something that would bring us all together again, and, possibly, revitalize our DLerness!!
So! On the 28th of April, we ask that everyone, even the old DLers! The Duffers! The Dragons! The Pirates! EVERYONE! Come online! It’s an all day thing for those of us who live in different time zones, and so everyone to come and go as they please. Personally, I think it would be awesome if we could defeat the old record for the most people online, which was; 791, 11-03-2006 at 07:07 AM, but we need your help! Send this to all your friends on the DL through PMs, IMs, emails, phone calls, etc. and please come!
~The Revitalizers!
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02.28.07
Posted in NarniaFans.com
at 5:03 pm
by Paul Martin
I’m leaving on Friday night for Ireland (where I will be until next Thursday). I’m going to try to keep up with the news at least once per day while I’m there, but please be patient with me… I’ll be on vacation! I’m going to be blogging about the adventures in Ireland. I’m not sure if I’ll be blogging here, but I will be posting a bit at Punk Rock Catholic.
If anyone wants to be a part of NarniaFansCast (NFC), which is our (weekly) podcast, contact EveningStar in the Dancing Lawn forums.
What you need to join us
• Audacity (free)
• Microphone
• Headphones
and/or
• Headset (perhaps Logitech)
• Skype (free)
Volunteer to help out and you may become a regular on the show!
Many would agree that Ireland vacations make wonderful memories. If you do travel in Ireland make sure you plan ahead so your Ireland vacation is as successful as possible.
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02.21.07
Posted in NarniaFans.com
at 10:33 am
by Paul Martin
digmo.co.uk has created a Widget for us. For any of you that has a Mac, you can now get NarniaFans.com news updates right on your desktop!
Download the NarniaFans.com Widget!
Note: This widget is freeware, and we take no responsibility for it’s use.
[digmo.co.uk]
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01.06.07
Posted in NarniaFans.com
at 11:51 pm
by Paul Martin
Get ready to join a new social network! As I said last week, Disney.com has been hard at work creating a new website re-design. Taking inspiration from MySpace and Xbox Live, they have created a very large site that will allow for social networking.
Just as Walt Disney did with the entrance to the theme parks, Mr. Iger says, they wanted to create a “wow factor” when users first enter the site. Mr. Yanover’s team organized the home page by subject for adults and by character for kids. They also created six categories covering preschool; boys; girls; older kids and teens; families; and older Disney fans.
With this, Narnia fans will have yet another, albeit official Disney website, way to communicate. Rest assured, we’ll be there as soon as it’s ready to go! Watch for it! See also the Wall Street Journal for more on the new Disney.com!
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01.02.07
Posted in NarniaFans.com
at 3:49 am
by Paul Martin
Walden Media’s new website is currently online, and is a much improved design over the previous one, with a nicer forum software running on the site. It displays easier navigation, and is now up to date with most of their projects that are in the works. See their new site at walden.com
Disney is also going to be launching a completely new website design on January 8th at the Consumer Electronics Show. It will represent more than a year of work in designing a newer, more interactive website for Disney fans, that should make Disney.com a great place to be. Let’s hope that the navigation is much improved and that the site can bridge the gap between Disney and their fans even more than ever. When the site launches it will replace the current one at disney.com
Perhaps some Prince Caspian info will be available on each of these sites as production ramps up!
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01.01.07
Posted in NarniaFans.com
at 2:28 am
by Paul Martin
This year marks the filming of the second of potentially seven films in the Narnia series. Prince Caspian will be filming this year, and we’re going to be covering it as the news is released. We’re very excited about what this year will bring. Here’s what we’re expecting to happen throughout 2007:
The completion of filming for Prince Caspian.
Prince Caspian Teaser Posters/Artwork
Prince Caspian Teaser Trailer
Prince Caspian Video Blog from the set
New design layout for NarniaFans.com (possibly more with that)
And above all, more Narnia movie news than you can shake a stick at. We’ll be here to cover everything for you, in the news, this blog and the podcast.
You’ll love everything that we have planned for you, and we’re excited to share every discovery that we make with you!
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12.31.06
Posted in NarniaFans.com
at 3:15 pm
by Paul Martin
May 2008 is beginning to get very crowded, in terms of movies that are springing up to entice viewers. On the slate for the month are Iron Man (May 2, 2008), Speed Racer (May 23, 2008) and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (May 16, 2008). Recently another film has been added to an already crowded month: Indiana Jones 4.
Iron Man is going to be a live action superhero film featuring Robert Downey Jr. in the title role of Tony Stark/Iron Man. It is being directed by Jon Favreau (Elf, Zathura). This is a Marvel Comics character that is inflicted with very real problems. If done well, it could be the next Spider-Man.
Speed Racer is being written and directed by visionary directors The Wachowski Brothers. Now much is known about the film, but rumor has it that they’re going to use new technology to bring the cars to life, and new filming techniques that we’ve not yet seen (perhaps more advanced than the Bullet Time seen in the Matrix Trilogy). Based on the anime, it has the potential to be visually stunning.
Indiana Jones 4 is the long in development fourth film from legendary filmmakers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Featuring Harrison Ford returning to the title role, it looks like this winning team is actually going to come back together in 2007 to finally create the next and final chapter in the Indiana Jones saga. This project has had many writers attached over the years, including a favorite of mine: Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile); but the only recently finalized the script that they’re going to use.
Iron Man and Speed Racer aren’t really threats to Prince Caspian’s potential box office take (they’re all pretty spread out, and Speed Racer has a different audience, and even that is currently an unknown quantity). But Indiana Jones could pose a direct threat. The audience for Indiana Jones has grown up, and now has children about the same age that they were when the originals were released, if not a bit younger. If the filming plans go as they were saying a few years ago, Spielberg is going to capture this one in the same way that the first three were filmed: no digital computer effects. That would make this a breath of fresh air, and it’s one that holds quite a history of adventure.
However, Prince Caspian is following up one of the largest grossing films of 2005. It is also the next in a seven book series that is widely known throughout the world. However, it’s not the most well known of the Narnia books. It does have the promotional might of Disney again, plus another film leading into it, it is sure to hit the box office hard. But will it be enough? Only time will tell, and 2007 is bringing us the filming of Prince Caspian, as well as a teaser or so for the film. We’ll know soon enough.
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12.29.06
Posted in NarniaFans.com
at 6:10 pm
by Paul Martin
It has recently been reported the director Guillermo del Toro turned down the opportunity to direct The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. According to Yahoo News:
[He] was asked to direct “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” but he turned it down because, as a lapsed Catholic, he couldn’t see himself bringing Aslan the lion back to life.
Instead, he put his dark, fervid imagination to work on an original story, “Pan’s Labyrinth,” a bloody and harrowing fairy tale that incorporates elements from C.S. Lewis’ beloved Christian allegory and various other classics of children’s literature.
Set during the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, “Pan’s Labyrinth” shows why del Toro’s sensibility is somehow both perfectly suited and utterly alien to the gentle “Narnia.” He subjects his hero, an 11-year-old girl whose mother has married a captain in Gen. Francisco Franco’s army, to shocking violence and vexing moral quandaries.
“I’m not proselytizing anything about a lion resurrecting. I’m not trying to sell you into a point. I’m just doing a little parable about disobedience and choice,” del Toro said. “This is my version of that universe, not only `Narnia,’ but that universe of children’s literature.”
Guillermo del Toro certainly has a creative vision, having brought to life such comic book characters as “Hellboy” which is about a demon that was conjured up by Nazis, and then rescued from them, and who fights against the forces of darkness. He also directed “Blade II” and the aforementioned “Pan’s Layrinth.”
This leads us to wonder what del Toro’s Narnia would be like. How would the characters have been different? We’ll never really know, and having seen none of del Toro’s films, I have to ask, would he have been the right man for the job? Would it have been a film of fantastical wonder? After all, he has “never been interested in working in the real world or with real characters.”
What do you think? If you’ve seen any of his films, how would his Narnia have been in comparison to Adamson’s Narnia?
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12.25.06
Posted in NarniaFans.com
at 1:23 pm
by Andy Filipowich
I would like to wish everyone on Narniafans.com a Merry Christmas! Remember to spend the day with your family and friends, and keep safe.
With that said, I would like to tell you a little Christmas story. When shopping on Friday for my sister’s gift, I phoned home to ask her what she wanted. She, being a self-proclaimed bookworm, asked for two novels. When wrapping the Christmas gifts I did not want her to guess my present, so I wrapped the novels in such a way that it looked like a box for a mini baseball bat. I also asked my brother if I could borrow his belt, so when she picked up the “box” it would have irregular edges. Although she knew I bought her two books, she had doubts as to what the present was.
When she opened the gift, however, she was pleasantly surprised. Although she had the two books she wanted, she was disappointed that she had to give the belt back to my brother. Overall, it was a great Christmas.
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