The Dallas Comic Con 7 celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark with special guest Karen Allen. As a bonus for the fans, the show is producing a collectible program book featuring two painted covers by the Lucasfilm artist guests.

The first is by Tom Hodges (artist of the StarWars.com webstrips) and Cat Staggs (Topps Star Wars trading card artist), which is a first-time collaboration for the two talented illustrators. It features Marion in the classic scene from Raiders, deciding between her father's medallion and Indy's money. I'm sure customers in the dealer room at the show will be faced with that same dilemma!

The second cover is by Dark Horse cover artist Dave Dorman. He painted this remarkable piece specifically for the program, which features an unusual pairing of Boba Fett and Marion in front of Jabba the Hutt's exploding sail barge. Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) is also a guest at the show, in case you're wondering what the inspiration was.

The interior of the program features comic book pin-ups by special show guests Bernie Wrightson and Howard Chaykin. These books are sure to be highly sought after by Indy fans, so do your best to make it to the show.

Dallas Comic Con 7 will be held at the Plano Centre (10 miles north of Dallas) on April 29th and 30th. For more information about the event, including a schedule of events and complete guest list, go to DallasComicCon.com.

Special thanks to Mark Walters for the Press Release and Program Book covers!

Next week it's time for Dallas Comic Con 7! And this year they seem to pay extra attention to Raiders of the Lost Ark as one of their special guests is Raiders' lead actress Karen Allen! And they are also producing a special program book to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Raiders.
The program book will feature two covers, one by Lucasfilm artist Dave Dorman, and a flip cover by Lucasfilm artists Tom Hodges and Cat Staggs.

Other Indy related guests at the Dallas Comic Con are comic artists Dave Dorman and Kerry Gammill. Dave Dorman is an Eisner award-winning artist popular for his cover paintings featured on Star Wars and Indiana Jones comics for Dark Horse. Kerry Gammill is the illustrator of multiple Superman, X-Men and Indiana Jones Marvel Comic adventures from the 80s.

Other Special guests are:
Thomas Jane (The Punisher), John Wesley Shipp (The Flash), Gates McFadden (Star Trek: Next Generation), Bernie Wrightson (creator of Swamp Thing), Howard Chaykin (writer of The Flash), Tim Bradstreet (cover/poster artist on The Punisher) and many more.

Dallas Comic Con 7 will be held at the Plano Centre (10 miles north of Dallas) on April 29th and 30th. General admission is $10 on Saturday and $5 on Sunday. Media guests do charge a fee for autographs. For all the latest details check out the official Dallas Comic Con site.

Fox announced on Thursday plans for On The Lot, a new competition reality show from Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg that will feature aspiring directors and filmmakers vying for a DreamWorks studio development deal.

Mr. Billion-Dollar Box Office is teaming with reality mastermind Mark Burnett for On the Lot, an American Idol-meets-The Apprentice-style Fox reality series that aims to find the next, well, Steven Spielberg.

According to the press release, 16 finalists will be divided into two teams and each group has to produce (and write, and direct, and cast…) a short film each week. Fox says that the contestants will be forced to deal with the pitfalls that any major player could face--creative differences, budgetary problems, deadlines, etc.--but that they will also have access to some high-caliber perks, such as the opportunity to collaborate with Industry insiders and big-name celebs.
On the Lot will unfold over two nights a week, with night number one featuring an hourlong "film premiere" episode to screen the teams' work, which will tackle a different genre each week. Night number two (now, where have we heard this one before) will be the "box office" results show. A team of judges will be on hand, but it will be viewers' votes that ultimately decide which Hollywood hopeful is sent back to the drawing board each week.

Fox says the team of judges will comprise a "high-ranking motion picture executive, a prominent film critic and a succession of well-respected guest judges." Fine, just so long as one is really nice another is really mean and speaks with a British accent.

The last aspiring Spielberg, Scorsese, Tarantino or Coppola standing will win a studio development deal with DreamWorks.

"For me, like any person who wants to be a filmmaker, the opportunity to work hand in hand with Steven Spielberg is a dream come true," Burnett said in a statement. "With the help of our partners at Fox… we're going to make an incredible show about looking for the next great filmmaker by mining the growing segment of the public making their own content, and giving them the chance."

"All through my career I've done what I can to discover new talent and give them a start," added the two-time Oscar-winning director, who will at least cameo on the show. "This opportunity with Mark Burnett, DreamWorks and Fox allows all of us to reach out directly to open a much wider door."

On the Lot is slated to premiere sometime next season, with an unnamed source close to the Fox deal telling Us Weekly that cameras will start rolling in the fall (both Fox's and the contestants', in this case) and that the show will be on the network's schedule in 2007.

Legendary fan film Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation will be screening in Alaska for two days in May!

Raiders: The Adaptation will be screened at the Downtown Coliseum Theater - in Sitka, Alaska - on Friday, May 5th at 6 pm and Saturday, May 6th at 1 pm.

Both Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala will be in attendance! A Q&A session with them will be held after the screening.

Visit the Sitka Film Society site for more information.

And a big thanks to Chris Strompolos for letting us know!

A new review of Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation has appeared online on a Cinephobia film reviews site. Here follows an except of the review written by Stephen Rowley.

"Some have suggested that the fuss about the Adaptation is misdirected, arguing that we should be saluting those who make original works on heroically low budgets, rather than elaborate derivatives of Hollywood blockbusters... Crucially, though, I have never seen the film criticised by someone who has seen it. When you actually see it, it’s impossible not to be impressed by the sheer determination and ingenuity of these kids."

And there's good news for the people living near Southern California! Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation will be screened there during the The Newport Beach International Film Festival on Monday April 24th, at 7:30 PM.
A very special occasion because the three makers - Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb - will all be in attendance for a Q&A after the show!

Click here for more information on the Raiders: Adaptation screening and to order your ticket.

Thanks to Matt for the review link, and to Chris, Eric and Jayson for the screening info!

Scotland Today published a fun article, and video interview, with Sir Sean Connery who took part in the annual Tartan Day celebrations in New York earlier this week. Looking healthy and happy after his recent operation, Sir Connery told reporter Grant Lauchlan that he has not actually quit making movies just yet! He is now supplying his voice in an animated film called Sir Billi the Vet.

Reporter Grant Launchlan also asked Sir Connery about the possibility of his involvement in Indiana Jones 4, he said: "I don't know, I think Harrison's too old for me now...He's borrowed my wig you know!"

This year Sir Connery is also going to be receiving an award from the American Film Institute. He will be the 34th recipient, and the first Scot to receive it as well!

Head over to the Scotland Today site and view their video interview with a happy and healthy looking Sir Sean Connery!

Thanks to Brett Hopkins for the article link.

UK tv-channel BBC ONE introduces a new interesting film programme tomorrow evening. The programme is called Hollywood Greats and for its first show it features on of the all-time greatest, Harrison Ford!
The programme, hosted by Jonathan Ross, is a mix of interview, documentary and movie clips and will look at the beginnings and continuation of Harrison's movie career. The programme blurb reads:

Jonathan Ross travels to Hollywood to meet Harrison Ford and chat about some of his classic movies. Looking back to his performance as Hans Solo in Star Wars through to his latest blockbuster, Firewall, Ford also looks forward to returning in a fourth Indiana Jones adventure later this year. George Lucas, Daryl Hannah, Helen Mirren and Tommy Lee Jones are among the contributors.

Hollywood Greats airs tomorrow evening at 10:35 pm GMT on BBC ONE.

In one newspaper over the weekend, it was said that Jonathan Ross may have actually got Harrison to lighten up - something of a rarity in interviews with Ford, they say!

A big thanks to Brian for letting us know.

The Raiders Guys have recently signed with the Lavin Agency, who books speakers at universities, colleges and corporations. The Lavin Agency reps other filmmakers such as Spike Lee, Joel Coen, authors such as John Updike & Isabel Allende, satirist Al Franken, uber-producer Lynda Obst, and legendary musician, Bob Geldof.

Chris and Eric have signed with the Lavin Agency to pursue speaking engagements and screenings of their film Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation world wide. Jayson is currently on sabbatical from screenings (although he does occasionally join Chris and Eric on ones that particularly interest him). Jayson’s focus is on his new business as a photographer and multi-media artist. Jayson's amazing work can be viewed online here.

The link on the Lavin Agency website features a clip of The Raiders Guys' very first Q&A in Austin, TX for their world wide premiere in June of 2003. The video is preceded by footage from The Today Show. Click here and then click on “View video sample."

A big thanks to Chris Strompolos for letting us know!