What's New

2-10-97

Sorry, no update today--expect some large changes to the page tomorrow, though. For those of you with slower Internet connections, you'll be happy with the new layout.

2-9-97

Hrm..not much going on today, news-wise. Jason and James Bouquet both sent an e-mail to let me know that the JP2 trailer is being shown before the new Universal movie, Dante's Peak.

A limited number of official JP2 posters are reportedly being sold at Suncoast Motion Picture Stores around the country. At Gatsby's Lost World Page, someone said they bought it for 15 dollars.

Also at Gatsby's Page, he mentions that the Playstation JP2 game will feature dinos not even seen inthe movie including Leptoceratops, Orodromeus, Dimorphodon and the Allosaurus.

By popular demand, I've typed up a list of my Jurassic Park memorabilia. If you've got more, e-mail me your list and you can get your name listed on my page!

2-8-97

Well, it looks like Universal is dishing out the JP2 licenses as fast as their lawyers can write up the papers. Today, I heard that no less than three companies will be doing JP2 related toys. Tyco will be making remote-controlled cars (R.C. Mercedes 'M' Class? Cool...), Hasbro will be making action figures and the like, and Equity Toys will also be producing JP2 merchandise in the U.S. as well as over-seas. For pictures, check out the Media Gallery

Unfortunately, I have learned that my new mailing list does not go out until 3AM EST. That's not really great, considering I usually update my page during the day. Anyway, if anyone knows of a similar mailing list system that I could use, please let me know. I'm also talking with my Internet provider to see what they can do. But don't let this stop you from joining the mailing list--it's still very convenient, in my opinion, to get the latest JP2 news in your mail box every day. To sign up, click here and enter your e-mail address.

2-7-97

Thanks to www.fxweb.com (the same people who do the WebTracker service), I've added a mailing list to my page! From now on, I'll send a brief e-mail to everyone on the list whenever I update my webpage, which will contain the latest news and rumors about The Lost World: Jurassic Park. So what are you waiting for? Get on the list by clicking here and entering your e-mail address.

Trespasser: Jurassic Park is on the cover of the March '97 issue of Computer Gaming Magazine. Inside is an informative three page article on the upcoming PC game. Excerpts:

"Trespasser: Jurassic Park may be as revolutionary in its genre as the original Jurassic Park film was in its genre...Every object in the game is defined in such a way that it acts and can be used realistically...In short, Trespasser is so real it's fantastic"

[About the dinosaurs:] "For each object encountered, the dinosaur will have a number of options/activities to accomplish and will always choose the most pressing...The computer will perform rapid calculations and..decide what the animal will do."

[About the sound effects:] "Whenever there is a collision in the game world, the program's physics engine sends out location information, data on the intensity of the collision, and information about the materials involved..[and] decides upon the appropriate sound, volume, pitch, and location cues."

[About the plot of the game:] "[After The Lost World] a plane from a cost-cutting Central American airline crashes on the way to Costa Rica. One survive named Anne..washes up on the island...As she discovers the ruins of the island, bit by bit, she not only hears Hammond's memoirs, but..realizes that she [must] get off the island."

The article also includes some very-cool looking pictures of amazingly rendered Raptors as well as other objects from the game. Other pictures: check out The Media Gallery

About the potential "R" rating: Speilberg has been quoted as saying that he wanted Schindler's List to be his first and only "R" rated movie, which leads me to believe that he would cut whatever scenes were necessary to get The Lost World down to a "PG-13" rating. Besides, an "R" rating would be horrible for the merchandise business--kids don't go to see movies rated "R", so they wouldn't buy the toy dinos or action figures. (Thanks to Dan Block)

Michael Crichton was on Oprah yesterday to promote his new novel, Airframe (a very awesome book--in my opinion, one of Crichton's best). Unfortunately, nothing news-worthy was said about The Lost World. Oprah mentioned that she was on the set for the last day of filming, but she couldn't say anything else.

2-5-97

Internal Universal Information!: An e-mail from an anonymous source shared some memo's that were being passed around the Universal offices:
First, "a memo made reference to the 'Dreyfuss/Sheider' cameos....". Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Sheider? This is probably a reference to the similarities between Jaws and JP2, and not the possibility of the two stars having cameos in the movie. But you never know...

Another memo stated that: "the horrific violence in the San Diego sequence could threaten us with an R rating....or worse". See yesterday's news.
Another possible scene from Gatsby's Page: "Everybody is hiding in a little shack near the deserted installations and the Carnosaurs (the chameleon-like dinos) are stalking the place." [Note from Dan: This is very similar to a scene from the book].

2-4-97

I was reading an article on Usenet where someone reported that he noticed an "R" rating flashed on the screen before the JP2 trailer. You will remember that many people felt that the first movie was way to violent to deserve a PG-13 rating (although I disagree). Could it be that Speilberg is opting for the higher rating to avoid potential controversy? Until I find out for sure, this one's going in the rumors section.
In this month's issue of Next Generation Magazine there is a three page article on the upcoming JP2 Playstation video game. According to Peter Dakoulas, "It has lots of pictures and sketches of what the dinosaurs will look like in the game...[you will play] first a compy, then as a human, then as a raptor, then as a T-Rex." Anyone have a copy and is willing to scan in a few screenshots?
Two new JP2 pages have appeared! The Lost URL: Jurassic Park gives a good overview of the upcoming movie, as does This JP2 webpage.
I've been meaning to give credit to Chris Boudreau for doing some advertising for my page. Thanks Chris! If you like this page, you can do me a favor and advertise by posting a message on your favorite on-line service or newsgroup!

2-2-97

"Special Effects Invade U.S. Movie Industry in 1997", according to a Reuter's article on Yahoo. The article states that "Volcanoes erupt, the Titanic sinks and dinosaurs roam the earth as Hollywood blasts into its biggest year ever for special effects films with the release of as many as 10 blockbusters with budgets of $100 million or more." Specifically about JP2, the article states that "ILM used computers to generate animated dinosaurs as well as digital technology to enhance motions of puppets made at an animatronics studio. One special effects artist close to the project said one dinosaur model cost as much as $8 million." Patti Blau, an employee at ILM, says Steven Spielberg "certainly is not holding back."
The Merchandise is coming! The Merchandise is coming! Kyle has received some information about the onslaught of JP2 products that are coming down the line, on a collision course for us consumers. Here's the starting line-up (Kenner will be handling all the toys):

The following action figures/vehicles:

Hunter w/ Dirtbike, Ian Malcolm w/ "Flight Pack" (?), Van Owen w/ High Hide (the Mercedes trailer), Eddie Carr w/ 3 wheel ATV
"Kenner may put out a San Diego Disaster set with a special addition Rhino."

Dinosaurs:

Giant "Packy" w/ Head-butt action, Stegosaurus w/ Whip tail, Carnotaurus w/ Chomping attack, T-Rex

Models ("snap-tite"):

T-Rex, Raptors, Mercedes AAV, Hummer
Kyle also sent along two pictures, one of the Stegosaurus and another of some character on a motorcycle. They're in the Media Gallery.

Steve is still selling his Official leather JP2 crew jacket for only $500. Here's a close-up of the JP2 emblem: (Click the image to see a larger version)

The Official Lost World webpage has mysteriously disappeared for the moment. This is probably a temporary problem, but in the meantime, you can access the page here (thanks to Matt Boudreau)
I saw Star Wars SE last night--amazing! They improved the sound and video quality so much, it looks like the movie was just released. The "4.5 minutes of new footage" is noticeable, but not so much as to take away from the feel of the movie. The new CGI Mos Eidley (sp?) is simply amazing. All-in-all, a great movie--I will never watch Star Wars on television again : )

2-1-97

The offical JP2 webpage at http://www.lost-world.com has been updated (Thanks to Wolfie for letting me know). There's not much new, but it's an improvement over what used to be on the page. Here are the highlights:

Another JP2 trailer, which is the same as the one on my page, except it has higher quality sound and runs at 10fps. It's also substantially bigger, so I'm going to keep my version around for awhile. It's in the Media Gallery
There's the beginnings to a contest of some kind, where you have to find "hidden dinosaur footprints". The site reads: "Stay tuned for more details - including entry form and prize information - about the online contest in future installments of.. [the] official website for The Lost World: Jurassic Park."
There's not much to hint at the plot of the movie, except for a letter from John Hammond. It reads:
"From the Desk of John Hammond
Dear Ian,
You were right- and I was wrong. Did you ever think you'd hear me say such a thing? Spectacularly wrong. Instead of observing those animals, I tried to control them. I squandered an opportunity and we still know next to nothing about their lives. Not their lives as man would have them, behind electric fences, but their behavior in the wild, the impossible dream of any palentologist.

Thank God for Site B. I've organized an expedition.."

There was a short segment about JP2 during the news in Tampa Bay, Florida, according to Brian. Several scenes from The Lost World were shown, including one that showed Goldblum entering a trailer with Moore, and another with Harding and Malcolm holding onto a rope on the side of a cliff.
I added a link to the Official Jurassic Park Page, which I never knew about. It's a great site, where you can download pictures, videos, etc. from the first movie.
New! Java Chat. Try it out and tell me what you think.

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