HIGHLIGHTS, OF YESTERDAY'S NEWS"Off the record, on the Q.T. & very ...."
"Off the record, on the Q.T. & very ...."
2004
THE LATEST
ELLROY: DIGITAL DOG? (11/14/04): More news emerging on James Ellroy’s and Kansas City filmmaker Benjamin Meade’s plans for a Destination: Morgue! L.A. Tales TV series. According to a Nov. 14 report in The Kansas City Star, "The two will shoot a one-hour pilot episode in January in Los Angeles and Kansas City, then shop it to cable television," Robert W. Butler reports. Ellroy tells the Star, "It will be a weekly TV magazine about crime. I'll address a different crime issue every week: hate crimes, prowling, capital punishment, expanding the DNA database. And I'll have a computer-generated dog who'll be my sidekick. We'll have conversations." Ellroy plans on writing the script for the pilot himself.
ELLROY ON CONAN'S SHOW (10/19/04): Rumor has it Ellroy will make an apperance on Late Night With Conan tonight, Tuesday, October 19.
THE EXCLUSIVE ELLROY'S WORLD INTERVIEW POSTED (10/9/04): It's finished: Ellroy, the exclusive interview, circa October 2004, conducted just days before James Ellroy launched his new tour. See it HERE.
COMING SOON: JAMES ELLROY, AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW (10/6/04): We recently spoke with James Ellroy as he prepared for his October/November 2004 tour. We'll have the interview posted soon...keep checking back.
BAZAAR BIZARRE: OUR REVIEW (9/12/04): We opine on Benjamin Meade's new film about deceased Kansas City serial killer Bob Berdella. The film, which boasts James Ellroy as executive producer and host/commentator, is entitled Bazaar Bizarre. Check it out HERE.
THE BIG DESTINATION: MORGUE! UPDATE (9/11/04): We've updated the Morgue! page with content details, including teases regarding the three new novellas, narrated by an "in-our-time" L.A. cop. Also, because several visitors have complained the official Vintage site wasn't allowing them to see the tour dates, we have posted them directly on the Morgue! page. See it all HERE.
ELLROY 2004 U.S. TOUR DATES!!! (8/25/04): The new cover for the American edition of Destination: Morgue has been posted, as well as the author's American tour dates. The tour kicks off in early October. Details HERE.
BAZAAR BIZARRE OFFICIAL SITE LAUNCHES (8/11/04): The official site for Bazaar Bizarre has launched. The film documents the case of Kansas City serial killer Bob Berdella. Ellroy serves as executive producer and on camera as host. We will be receiving a review copy and will share our thoughts on the film soon. In the meantime, more details HERE, or jump straight to the official site HERE.
SPIKE LEE TO DIRECT NIGHT WATCHMAN? (7/31/04): The Hollywood Reporter, and several other industry sources, are reporting that Spike Lee is in negotiations to direct The Night Watchman, an original Ellroy screenplay. Night Watchman is set in the 1990s. Filming could begin in early 2005 if a deal is reached.
ELLROY, LIVE FROM VEGAS ON JUNE 13 (5/28/04): James Ellroy will be appearing at the Las Vegas film festival that runs June 11-19, 2004. As part of the festival, James Ellroy will be participating in a live discussion about his work with Bruce Wagner on Sunday, June 13 at noon. More information can be found at the Festival's official site..
NEWS ON THE ELLROY/DOCUMENTARY FRONT (5/25/04): Director Benjamin Meade has revealed that The Sundance Channel has agreed to purchase the broadcast rights to DAS BUS featuring James Ellroy. The film will air beginning spring 2005. Also, the official site is now up for BAZAAR BIZARRE. The Ellroy narrated documentary on Kansas City serial killer Bob Berdella will have its premier on Sept. 16, 2004. Details to follow.....
ELLROY PENS FORWARD FOR DAHLIA AVENGER PAPERBACK (5/24/04): In a somewhat surprising development, James Ellroy has written an introduction for Steve Hodel's forthcoming paperback account explaining his assertion that his own father murdered Elizabeth Short. Despite Ellroy's earlier endorsement of a different theory put forth in the film James Ellroy's Feast of Death, and despite some reservations with Hodel's case — not the least of which being the inclusion of photos of women who are clearly not Elizabeth Short but are asserted as being so — Ellroy told the L.A. Times recently that he believes Hodel may have cracked the case of the 1947 murder. DESTINATION: MORGUE ORDERS BEING TAKEN AT AMAZON.COM (3/3/04): Destination: Morgue
ELLROY TO PEN SCRIPT FOR NEW BIO-PIC (2/3/04): Variety is reporting James Ellroy will write The Man Who Kept Secrets, based on the life of Hollywood lawyer Sidney Korshak. The film will be produced by Robert Evans and Brian Grazer and directed by William Friedkin. Variety reports that Korshak, from "his arrival from Chicago in the 1940s until his death in the 1990s," was "a Hollywood powerbroker." According to Variety, Korshak had "the ability to serve as a liaison between corporate titans and underworld chieftains."
SCARLETT JOHANNSON JOINS DAHLIA CAST (2/3/04): Scarlett Johansson, age 19, will join Josh Hartnett and Mark Wahlberg for Brian De Palma’s adaptation of The Black Dahlia. The film is expected to begin filming in L.A. in May.
ELLROY TO SERVE AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF NEW FILM (1/28/04): In August 2003, we were the first to announce that Benjamin Meade, who made the excellent film Vakvagany which featured James Ellroy, was planning a new project, Bazaar Bizarre about deceased, Kansas City-based serial killer Bob Berdella. Meade has some new news about the film: "I thought I would let you know that James has signed on as executive producer of the new film (besides being the voice of reason in the film). There is also a band we put together for part of the soundtrack called the Demon Dogs."
WAHLBERG JOINS THE BLACK DAHLIA CAST.... (1/8/04): Mark Wahlberg is the lastest actor to be signed for The BLACK DAHLIA film. More on his casting, and the film, HERE.
ON THE BLACK DAHLIA FRONT.... (1/3/04): As we await further word on Brian DePalma's alleged adaptation of Ellroy's novel The Black Dahlia, it's worth noting a couple of items on the Elizabeth Short front. John Gregory Dunne, the novelist whose book True Confessions inspired Ellroy's own novel about Elizabeth Short's murder, died at age 71. Read more about him HERE. Also, after a couple of years of dormancy, the most comprehensive site devoted to Elizabeth Short and her unsolved murder has been reactivated....
ELLROY: THE LATEST ON THE NEXT NOVEL.... (1/3/04): While publication of Destination Morgue — the newest collection of GQ articles has been delayed in the U.S. and U.K. until later this year, Ellroy's Italian publishers have gone forward and released their edition a few weeks ago (see cover HERE). Ellroy recently granted an interview (see article — untranslated — HERE) in which he discussed the last volume of The Underworld USA Trilogy. The author indicates the book will likely end with the death of J. Edgar Hoover. He also predicts a publication date of ....2006....
COMING SOON: CLANDESTINE, THE FILM (12/11/03): Variety is reporting that James Ellroy’s Clandestine — the novel that introduced Dudley Smith and Ellroy’s first book set in the 1950s — is being developed as an original movie for TNT by William Petersen (CSI). Petersen will act in the film, and serve as executive producer of the adaptation. According to Variety: "We identified a number of people who make sense for TNT when I came aboard. Billy just has a weight to his work that I've been a fan of for a long time," Michael Wright said. "I'd read Ellroy's L.A. Confidential, and I think the combination of Billy and one of Ellroy's signature urban crime dramas will do very well for us."
THE TICKET OUT COMING IN PAPERBACK (12/08/03): Any misers who missed buying Helen Knode's first novel in hardcover can now do so in paperback HERE.
DESTINATION MORGUE DELAYED (12/07/03): Amazon.Uk has officially announced it is cancelling orders for Destination Morgue, the second Ellroy collection of GQ pieces that was to have been released several weeks ago in Europe. The book has been pushed back to Autumn 2004. (Several of the pieces to appear in the collection were to be published in GQ, but did not appear when Ellroy and several other authors were ousted following the ousting — and subsequent death — of GQ editor Art Cooper earlier this year.)
ELLROY FEATURED IN NEW PHOTO COLLECTION (12/07/03): Marion Ettlinger, who shoots most of the most striking author photos gracing dust jackets these days, has released a collection of author portraits. The Ellroy completionist will want to check it out for the depiction of Ellroy and the late, lamented Barko....
BLACK DAHLIA CHARACTER LIST (12/07/03): Some brave souls have put together a character index of all of the players mentioned in James Ellroy's The Black Dahlia. About a year ago, we completed our own comprehensive list of Ellroy's characters — from every novel and short story — for a still to be disclosed project. We, therefore, appreciate the nightmare effort involved....
HARTNETT TO STAR IN DAHLIA FILM? (11/11/03): Reports are that the long-languishing Black Dahlia film project is moving ahead with Josh Hartnett possibly starring, and Brian De Palma directing. More HERE.
