Great find Simon! I especially like this:
It's great to read something in the news about the BDM and its history that doesn't fall into the trap of 'Universal greenlit the movie based on the huge DVD sales.' Joss himself has said before that that wasn't the case, that Mary Parent and others at Universal said it was "a no-brainer." Maybe they didn't necessarily mean that in regards to the fan response, but oh well, we still got our spaceship rebuilt!
Excellent article, very complimentary to the show and the fans.

gorramit | June 06, 01:31 CET

This is great. So far we have four mainstream media outlets covering the pre-screenings: Boston Herald, Miami Herald, and now Kansas City Star and Las Vegas City Life. All positive coverage, too. Bring 'em on!

gorramit, like you I read that Joss said that the DVD sales weren't what brought Universal to the table, although I bet they sweetened the deal. This makes Universal's pickup of the movie an even more amazing development. Mary Parent should get gobs of flowers or chocolates or whatever she likes sent to her in appreciation.

phlebotinin | June 06, 01:43 CET

I, too, liked the respectful tone of the piece. Instead of "These loser loonies who can't let go", fans are given their proper due. I can't even tell if the writer is a fan or not, so it may be genuinely objective reporting, all the better for our credibility. I am so hopeful I haven't built myself up too much about the wonderfulness of this movie that it will be a let down- I do that sometimes.

aver | June 06, 01:56 CET

Well, the Kansas City Star piece was *definitely* from a fan, and a pretty rabid one at that (she even got a "flan" mention in there). But I thought it was a fun piece, and nice to see the word "Whedonesque" make it into a mainstream paper. i wonder if she visits this site.
I'm not sure what I think of the one interviewee's use of "Heart of Gold" as a recruitment tool, though. That episode certainly wouldn't have been the one that hooked me.

acp | June 06, 03:43 CET

Funny, acp, Heart of Gold is maybe my least favorite Whedon episode (I still like it a lot, duh), but I guess everybody needs the right entree...I've been having some very good success at Whedonevangelizing lately...pulled up some very graphic dialogue--hands on the plough, etc....for a beloved and artsy cousin and his wife, some friends...all totally intrigued...have sent said artsy cousin a new set of Firefly DVDs...

...sigh...I want to see this movie time and again...

[ edited by Chris inVirginia on 2005-06-06 03:50 ]

[ edited by Chris inVirginia on 2005-06-06 17:03 ]

Chris inVirginia | June 06, 05:38 CET

I'm with you, Chris inVirgina, I want to see the movie again and again. In the meantime, I'm rewatching the DVDs and ordered 3 more copies from the Barnes & Noble sale (buy 2, get one free), so I'll have two "lending" copies.

Also, as I rewatched "The Message" the other day, I thought that might be a good one-hour introduction to the series for those who don't want to watch the two-hour pilot (best choice, IMO). "The Message", even though it's what should have been mid-season, shows each person's character, with some backstory on Mal and Zoe, plus River doesn't appear to be too crazy - other than lying on the coffin :) Just a thought.

samatwitch | June 06, 06:16 CET

I teach high school Spanish and German and I show "Firefly" in Spanish to my Spanish classes (and "Buffy" in German to my German classes) but I just couldn't show "Heart Of Gold" as much as they hate that I'm skipping an episode. The other episodes I can edit out things parents might call the principal over with a 3x5 card in front of the projector (like Captain Tightpants' "no-pants" scene, or Inara's sponge bath scene, etc.-Hey, they're 9th and 10th graders), but I just don't think I could show "Heart of Gold" at all without possible parental objection, not because of a scene, but because of the whole backdrop. I love the episode though. And unlike FOX, I've shown them in order. :) So I've now got about 50 little Browncoat-cadets. I wish they'd make it available in German now.
101010

Anna von Ovonov | June 07, 02:24 CET

Anna i really would like that too, but sadly they havent even shown the series here in Germany. At the moment a few fans of the german firefly board try to translate on their own to convert more people.

Kessie | June 07, 03:35 CET

Wouldn't that be great? I've noticed it advertized on Amazon.de now as a UK import, and I've read rumors somewhere about the possibility of it reaching German TV, but with the limited number of episodes, would any television network see it as worthwhile?
Well, I can hope, anyway. I'm staying with a colleage in Lueneburg this summer, and I'm wondering if bringing him an R2 copy would be worth it (German price is more than twice the price here for R1) if it comes on TV soon anyway.
101010

Anna von Ovonov | June 07, 03:55 CET

Just a little FYI...I was at this screening and the reporter was definitely NOT a fan and acted totally astonished that some people in the audience had come from long distances on airplanes to see the show!

SaltyGoodness | June 08, 21:23 CET