Issue #32--July 30, 1995
"It wasn't Jimmy, was it?"
"It wasn't Jimmy, was it?"
Welcome to the new, somewhat improved (hopefully) Krypton Club Newsletter. Thanks for waiting out the week while we had our Road Trip, and thanks to everyone for participating in the survey (for results, see KC Newsletter #33, which will be sent out Thursday). Welcome to all new members (thanks for waiting so long!) and you are all invited to participate with article submissions, top ten lists, profiles, and whatever else that would strike your fancy.
Inside this issue you will be able to find several interesting things. First-off is the story of our Krypton Club Road Trip that ClarkXX, Mr. Fiz, Azriel Cat, Azriel's mom, Pontellier, Marc (one of ClarkXX's friends), Soundsquaw, and of course, Dan and Craig went on. You'll be able to hear some "inside info" on what the set looks like, and you'll hear how Teri waved to Craig. [Okay, so she was waving to EVERYONE in the tram.... -Craig]
Also, you'll find a report from the San Diego Comic Convention, and an interview with the group editor of the Superman comics himself, Mike Carlin (no relation to Ariana ;^) ). You'll also hear about the upcoming SUPERMAN ANIMATED SERIES, done in Batman style!
Finally, you'll get to see all the fun stuff like news and trivia that you've begun to enjoy. Fasten your seat belts... here we go!
On Tuesday, July 25, and Wednesday, July 26, the Krypton Club hit the road! Several of us met in Burbank on Tuesday night before heading off on the tour this morning. That night we got to play such games together as Taboo and Scattergories, and we went off to see "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." (JBecky's favorite show!!!) Some of us were luckier than others as far as seating went, but the whole experience was a lot of fun (although the band played WAY too loud). Guests that night were Dennis Miller, George Will, and Curtis Stigers. One thing that we'd like to point out is that bananas were mentioned at least once in the Leno/Miller conversation. Here's what we did on the rest of the trip.....
Wednesday Morning--Dressed in white Superman t-shirts, we walked over to Priscilla's to eat a quick breakfast. This is the place where the cast of Lois and Clark sends for their beloved ice cappucinos. It was very fun watching all of the people stare us and wonder why the heck we were all wearing Superman t-shirts.
Wednesday Afternoon--Azriel Cat, Pontellier, Soundsquaw, and Azriel Cat's mom joined the group as we went on our Warner Brothers VIP tour. When we first arrived we were shown a brief video on the history of WB. This video started off with the Superman movie theme song and we all cheered. There were a few clips from the Superman movies as well. When Craig saw these he yelled "Imposters!" We all got a good laugh out of that. Then the tour guide told us we could not take cameras, so we didn't get any pictures on the tour. =^(
Next it was onto the tour of the sets. We all rode in a WB tram, just like the one seen in Vatman of season one. Our tour guide didn't know much about L&C, but one of our members and friends knew everything possible. So she explained everything while the tour guide sat idley by. Here is a summary of what we saw:
**Daily Planet Outside Set: From a distance we saw the outside of the DP. Also from the street corner we stood on we could see the theater used in "That Old Gang of Mine" and the many hot dog stands and coffee stands that have been used in many L & C episodes.
**Daily Planet Set(inside): On our way to this set we passed by several make-up trailors and joked about how Teri and Dean could be there. Then Soundsquaw said, "You could have just seen Teri's head, she walked into that trailor." We were shocked! Next to the trailors were Dean's Black Bronco and Teri's car. They were parked next to each other. We entered the Daily Planet building. Everything was smaller than it appears on TV. We walked around to the various desks. Although we werent' suppose to touch anything, many of us couldn't resist.
--Lois's Desk--saw the Weekly Planner, cheap looking computer, her plant, and her telephone.
--Clark's Desk--we picked up the picture of Ma and Pa Kent and noticed that a key on his keyboard was missing.
--Jimmy's Desk--the only noticable thing on his desk photographs piled on it.
--Perry's Office!--By far larger than it appears on TV. All of his Elvis photos were there. We also enjoyed looking at all of his awards on the wall. Clark XX sat on the sofa that Lois and Clark sit on when they talk to Perry quite often. And of course we saw that chair the Chief always sits in.
--Other things--we walked up the ramps and to the elevators. Craig felt like Jimmy Olsen running down the ramp. We also saw the reception desk that is rarely seen on the the show and also the monitors used for news briefs and also the nature show in Whine, Whine, Whine. Mounted above us were the clocks with all the world times (and they actually DO run!)
**Lois's Apartment--We first walked down her hallway and saw the many doors and the little security system. Unfortunately all the furniture was covered in sheets. We saw the windows that Superman flies in and they are right next to the kitchen. The windows are also very close to the floor and could easily be walked in and out of. SoundSquaw pointed out her fishtank which makes it very hard to feed the fish. The cabinet was there with her Kerth awards in it, although this one wasn't the one with the special rising platform. The light does make them look bigger.
**Clark's Apartment--there were no sheets on the furniture here. Marc and Clark XX sat on his sofa, while many of us were content to just touch everything. A few of us picked up Clark's telephone(not the one he crushes, but the one on the wall.) Many artifacts from around the world were hung on his wall. His sink was filled with some garbage. On his back steps where Lois and Clark talk in ATAI, the set was rather strange. Next to the steps and very close to them was the balcony that L & C stand on in "I'm Looking Through You" where the question "Would you rather be invisible or fly?" is asked. Pontellier opened CK's mailbox but there was no mail. On Clark's kitchen table you could find plastic fruit, including (would you believe it) bananas!
--Something New!!! Clark no longer will be using the closet with the fake front to hide his Superman costumes. He now has a revolving wall. On one side it is brick, and on the other it looks like a high tech silver shower stall with a bar for hanging the suits.
**SEEING TERI HATCHER!!!!--After we left CK's apartment, we went by Teri Hatcher's trailor again. This time the door was open. Although warned to be quiet, Marc yelled "HEY TERI!" As we drove by quickly in the tram we got a brief glimpse of her talking on her telephone just inside the door and waved. She yelled back "Hi guys!"
She waved back and was smiling and possibly laughing a little. After all, we were all in Superman t-shirts.
**Other sets--Next on the tour we drove over to the western set and saw the Asylum where Tempus was locked up. On the way to this set we passed by the park from ATAI but the fountain wasn't there. We went into the saloon where Jonathan and Martha were found by Clark in Tempus Fugitive. This saloon was also used in the fight scene at the end of Vatman when Superman throws the clone out the window. Next we proceeded to see the Kent's farmhouse exterior sets and the courthouse where Mayson was blown up and where Lois and Clark kissed. We drove by an area where they were filming a Budweiser commercial.
The green pond they were using looked exactly like the one Trask and Clark fought in the Green, Green, Glow of Home. And we also saw Lois's Jeep Cherokee with the "Metropolis" license plate, newspaper bins with the DP, the cabs and the house that Diana Stride fires at in Top Copy.
**KT & SOUNDSQUAW SEE DEAN--we headed back over to Teri's trailor but the door was shut. But SoundSquaw and KT(Azriel Cat) saw Dean shaving in his trailor through an open door. No one else saw him though. When we went back by again the doors were shut. A man told us he'd be out on the set soon.
**Getting Ready for Filming--We drove back over to the outside of the Daily Planet building. The stand-ins for Teri and Dean were practicing the scene and setting up the camera shots. The stand-ins were on a platform that was rising up into the air. They were in an embrace as they "floated up." We were anxiously awaiting Teri and Dean to come out and take their places when the tour guide drove us back. Although we did get to see a lot and had a ton of fun! We all enjoyed meeting each other. Some of us came a long ways to get there. Dan flew in from Northern CA, and Craig flew all the way from Maryland to join in on the fun!
The number for the Warner Brothers tour office is (818) 954-1744. There are no guarantees you will see Lois and Clark sets, but it helps if you have a group and call in advance. We were very fortunate to see what we did, especially since they were in the middle of filming. Warner Brothers is located in Burbank California. The cost is $27 per person for a 2 hour tour.
When the name "Carlin" is mentioned to a "Lois & Clark" fan, one might think you were referring to Ariana Carlin, ex-wife of Lex Luthor who appeared in "Madame Ex." To more die-hard fans of "L&C" who have also been reading the Superman comics for the last few years, one would easily think of Mike Carlin, who has served as editor of the Superman comics for the last nine years and has won several awards for them as a result.
Upon interviewing him, I found out that the "Ariana Carlin" name wasn't the only Carlin reference ever found on "Lois & Clark." As early as the pilot episode, Perry White makes a comment about ordering food from "Carlini's." Carlin himself appeared at the beginning of "I'm Looking Through You" alongside several other noted creators of the Superman comics.
Carlin's first entry into the comics field came from the Marvel Comics humor magazine CRAZY (which was somewhat like MAD or Cracked), where he met editor Larry Hama, who let him do "Mike Carlin's Page O' Stuff" for several years. This led to an assistant editor's job at Marvel (one of the many things Carlin did during his time as an assistant editor at the company was send the super-hero team the Avengers to "Late Night With David Letterman," during a month called "Assistant Editor's Month" when the assistants were put in charge). Carlin also wrote several comics, including Ka-Zar and The Thing for Marvel and the Star Trek series for DC, before becoming an editor of the Superman comics for DC.
Carlin and the rest of the Superman comics staff were all "totally stunned" by the hype surrounding the "Death of Superman" in 1992. "Characters die and come back all the time," Carlin said, noting that all they had planned to do is write a "cool story" about a "return to greatness."
When asked what he thought about the TV series "Lois & Clark," Carlin responded that the show is "80% on the mark." He said that he is always disappointed by the scenes with Superman, and that the show "needs a good menace." He also would like to see the show follow the show more closely--for example, for an episode with a clone (like "Vatman") they should call the clone "Bizarro." I asked Carlin if Super-menaces such as Kenny Braverman (Conduit) were allowed on the show, and he said they were. There would, however, be problems with using villians such as Mr. Freeze and the Joker, since they are "Batman villians." But as far as DC Comics is concerned, there seems to be no problem with using the villians from the comics.
The people at DC Comics get to read all of the scripts for "L&C" in advance, and they can make any comments that they wish. Even if the DC Comics people do not approve, the people at Warner Brothers can go ahead and do things their way anyway.
Carlin is proud of the good continuity found between the different Superman titles, even though you "can't expect to be perfect." "Everyone is aware of what the others are doing," says Carlin, who oversees them all.
Since Mr. Carlin has worked on so many Superman comics in the past few years, it would be hard for him to pick one of which he is the most proud. However, the "wife-beating" story that was done in 1992 and the "Death/Funeral/Reign" storyline are just a few of the storylines of which Carlin is proud.
Coming up in the Superman titles (on sale every week) is an "intergalactic trial" where Superman is accused of being the murderer of the Kryptonians by association.
The story will tie in with the upcoming SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL #50. Wedding plans are still being held off, as the comic would like to be simultaneous with the TV series. Carlin is very pleased with the new paper used on the Superman comics, which he says is "getting better with every issue," citing the ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN issue that came out the previous week as being the best use of the new paper yet.
Carlin has announced that he will no longer be editing the Superman titles soon, as KC Carlson will be taking over his position. Carlin will soon be overseeing the entire DC Universe line of titles. Good luck, Mike!
You can find the Superman comics at any comic book store or newsstand. There are five core Superman titles--the monthly ACTION COMICS by David Michelinie and Kieron Dwyer, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN by Karl Kesel and Stuart Immonen, SUPERMAN by Dan Jurgens and Ron Frenz, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove, and the quarterly SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW by Roger Stern and Tom Grummett. There are also several Superman tie-in comics such as SUPERBOY and STEEL. All of thse comics have a cover price of $1.95 each. Try them, you'll like them!
Thanks again Mr. Carlin for taking the time to do this interview.
At a Superman panel at the San Diego Comic Con, the writers of the Superman comics (who have seen the scripts for the first two episodes of the season) said that, like the Metropolis reference in "Batman Forever," there is a Gotham City reference in the premiere episode for this year, "We Have A Lot To Talk About."
Batman may not be the only DC Comics super-hero to have his own critically-acclaimed cartoon soon. Warner Brothers and Paul Dini announced at the San Diego Comic Convention that a Superman cartoon will be featured on the new WB Network's cartoon schedule in the fall of 1996.
Several factors dealing with the cartoon have not yet been decided. It has not been decided yet whether Superman will have long hair like in the comics, or the traditional short-haired look that Dean Cain has. No actors or actresses have been chosen for the voices as of yet, either.
Already in the works for the Superman cartoon are at least 4 guest appearances by Batman (out of 65 episodes), and guest appearances by other super-heroes throughout the cartoon's run (will the Wonder Twins be far behind, and if so, will Gleek the Super-Monkey be with them?). Darkseid will play an important role in the series, as will the staples of the Superman legend such as Lois, Clark, Perry, Jimmy, and Lex Luthor.
Those who were surprised by a younger Jimmy at the beginning of Season 2 of "L&C" will be even MORE surprised to find that plans are for the Jimmy of the cartoons to be even younger, about 15 years old. Apparently, this Jimmy also has quite an attitude (Jack haters, beware.... could this "Jimmy" be the Second Coming of Jack?)
Expect to hear more information as it becomes available.
One of the very interesting things that was seen at the San Diego Comic Convention was a comic book with panels that were actually photos taken from "L&C." The "issue" they had at the Con was an adaptation from the pilot episode (with the REAL Jimmy and Cat Grant). Apparently, this will be released in another country, but hopefully perhaps it will be released in the USA as well.
The second episode of Season 3 will involve Lois and Clark meeting a talking decapitated head. Word has it that this episode is fairly weak compared to the premiere. The name of the episode is "Ordinary People," and if we hear any more about it, we'll tell you.
"L&C" has been nominated for two Emmy Awards this year--one for Best Sound Mixing for "Wall of Sound," and another for Best Costuming for "That Old Gang of Mine." Good luck, L&C people!
Our last Krypton Club poll asked if you thought Lois should find out that Clark is Superman. 95% of you said "yes." Hopefully, someone from ABC is reading this right now, of course you never know what they have up their sleeves....
Dean Cain will be on "Regis & Kathie Lee" on Monday morning. Check your listings for time and channel.
Dean will also be on Good Morning America on Monday morning, as he talks about his first ABC primetime special, "Off Camera With Dean Cain."
Remember not to miss Dean (this is turning into a "Dean Sightings" column =^p) in "Off Camera" on Monday night at 8PM ET!
Dean--oops, I mean Teri was on the 7/24 episode of EXTRA, and they showed a clip from Season 3! Thanks to Christie68 for that info!
Eddie Jones appears in the new HBO movie "Body Language."
By popular demand, the Top Ten List is back! And here they are, the Top Ten Things We Saw on the Krypton Club Road Trip....
#10. Dean Cain shaving. Well, we didn't see it, but Azriel Cat and Soundsquaw did.
#9. A L&C poster that lights up that was at the DC table at the San Diego Comic Con. Mom, can I have one for Christmas?
#8. The Daily Planet Building. Makes you feel like you really ARE in Metropolis.
#7. Lois's window. You'd expect her apartment to be really high up, but really her window is about 1 1/2 feet off the ground and all Dean has to do when "flying" in is step right in.
#6. The newsstand across the street from the Daily Planet building that didn't have a single copy of the Planet. Where are their priorities?
#5. The Kerth Awards. The light makes them look bigger....
#4. Perry's office. It looks a LOT bigger on TV.
#3. The infamous ramp that Jimmy Olsen walks down whenever he has something to say. Walking down that ramp really made you feel like a dork--er, I mean Jimmy.
#2. Bananas on Clark's kitchen table. Makes you wonder if he's read the famous banana story.....
Teri Hatcher. She's real and she's spectacular. And she WAVED TO US!!!! =^)
Every newsletter, we try to spotlight a different member of the Krypton Club, by requesting that people send in profiles so us FOLCs can get to know each other better. Today the spotlight falls on KLV13....
Screen Name: KLV13
Real Name: Korey
Birthday:10/13/72
Hometown:Clearwater,FL
Occupation:Television Production
Hobbies:Watching L&C, Reading, Singing, Going out with friends, chatting on-line, reading fanfic
Favorite Episodes:Honeymoon in Metropolis, Pheromone,My Lovely, The Phoenix, Tempus Fugitive, Whine Whine Whine, And The Answer Is...
Favorite Quotes: <"You like chocolate, right?" "How come everybody knows that?"> <"What?" "Nothing. I didn't say nothing."> <"I guess I'm not attracted to you." "Liar, you are so attracted to me!"> <"Jimmy, did you hear something?" "Like what?" "Sounded a little like my name, you didn't say my name, did you?" "No, Clark did." "Clark who?" "Lois." "There it is again."> <"Are you serious?" "As a bear claw.">
Send your profiles to Krypton@clark.net, Krypton92@aol.com or KryptonFX@aol.com!
Since this newsletter is already WAY long and still, no one has sent us anything, there is no fanfiction in this newsletter either. So write, write, write!
Here is the trivia question for today.....
What was the name of the character who died in the helicopter in the pilot episode of "L&C?"
The answer to Sunday's trivia question: Clark's Kryptonian parents' names were Jor-El and Lara. LDMECO, CFind1955, Lt JrG Tok, Brearley, Karen 7, Krypto29, Katie7729, Nancy Lemieux, Lara-Elaine Koch, and GordNBarb got it right.
Send your answers and trivia guesses via e-mail to Krypton@clark.net, KryptonFX@aol.com or Krypton92@aol.com! You've got a whole week!
The Krypton Club now has its very own letters column for you! Send all correspondence to Krypton@clark.net, Krypton92@aol.com, or KryptonFX@aol.com! If you write us a letter and wish for it to NOT be printed in the newsletter, please say so. Remember, we get so much mail that it is impossible to run every single thing, but your responses are heard!
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From: Fizzbin@eworld.com To: Krypton@clark.net
Thank you for the articles from TV Guide. We don't have the same edition in Canada. Keep up the good work, this newsletter is pretty darn good! :-) I can't wait for what you will see at the Studio. And also I don't mind the spoilers. B.T.W. the premiere is on my birthday, nice gift don't you think! ;-)
See you around! Fizzbin
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Subj: Re: #31 "I win, you lose, we're...." From: Brearley@aol.com To: Krypton@clark.net
Today's trivia question answer: His parents were Lara and Jor-El. I also have an interesting theory on this. I think Clark is suffering from an Oedipal complex. Clark, who never really knew his mother is striving for any piece of her he can get. Is it just coincidece that every girl he's ever really been in love with was a double L? Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris?? I think not......
Love, as always, Karen (P.S. Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
AOLers may have to open their mail window to its full extent to see more even lines in the L&C newsletter. If they don't feel like doing that, they can always print this up =^)
