New commercials! Check these out, from Chris:

Here are some pics from various commercials, thanks to Chris):

Apparently, the Lost World Soundtrack may be out in stores near you! A few people have said they found it at Blockbuster Video.

If you saw Discovery News last night, you would have seen Jack Horner talking to an ABC news corespondent about his role in JP2, among other things. Here is most of the segment, converted into .RA format. (1 minute long)

Apparently Access Hollywood had a short segment on TLW yesterday. Philip Neumann saw it, and sent along some highlights:

• There is scene where Jeff Goldblum and Vince Vaughn are talking and Vince says something like, "I can't believe I'm going on a wild goose chase." Then Jeff says, "Where you're going the geese will chase YOU!"
• Another scene is where Jeff and Julianne Moore are in the trailer talking. She says,"It's OK I'll be back in 5 or 6 days." Jeff says, "No you'll be back in 5 or 6 pieces."

Here's an interesting bit of info: according to Bill Warren, one of Starlog/Fangoria's senior writers, look for JP2 screenwriter David Koepp will be eaten by a T-Rex in the movie. (info thanks to BrentLynch)

The new "Official Souvenir Magazine" by Topps should also be out now. You know how I know? 'Cause Donald Rees sent me some pics! They're pretty big, so I made them they're own page, Here. A sample:

The new issue of Entertainment Weekly has just hit newsstands, with a cover story on The Lost World, featuring an interview with Jeff Goldblum. Here's an excerpt from the article, entitled "The Lizard King": (thanks to "DaBomb")

Endearingly quirky, sexily neurotic, with a semiautomatic delivery that makes every line of dialogue sound like it's been fired from a jammed Uzi, Jeff Goldblum, 44, manages to turn even his straightest parts into off-kilter acting adventures. In The Lost World, Steven Spielberg's $80 million sequel to Jurassic Park, opening May 23, he reprises his role as Dr. Ian Malcolm, the slightly chaotic chaos-theory expert who once again finds himself potential snack food for a pack of Jeep-stomping T. rexes. Turns out there's another dino-infested island--Site B, which somehow got overlooked in the first film--and two rival human groups are claiming dibs. The bad guys, led by Arliss Howard (To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar), want to trap and exploit the dinosaurs. The good guys--Goldblum, along with Julianne Moore (Nine Months) and Vince Vaughn (Swingers)--want to protect and study them.

The only thing bigger and more powerful on a Jurassic set is the director--and at times he could be pretty scary, too. "With Spielberg, there are no rehearsals," Goldblum says. "None. In Lost World, I had an eight-page scene with Richard Attenborough--no rehearsal. Even when you're blocking for the camera, he's like, 'Okay, that's enough, let's shoot.'" Explains Spielberg: "You want to capture the actors when they taste the words for the first time, when they look at each other for the first time--that's the sort of magic you can only get on a first or second take." Besides, he adds, "on a movie like Lost World, what's to rehearse?"



For Goldblum, the role of Ian Malcolm was actually slightly more challenging the second time around. Along with under-rehearsed and potentially lethal animatronic costars, he had to deal with some pretty heavy changes in his character. He's now a more somber Malcolm, with an estranged stepdaughter (who, amazingly enough, also ends up at Site B) and a wrecked career (go figure--his colleagues didn't buy his dinosaurs-that-got-away stories). Even the film's look is darker this time out, with cinematography by Janusz Kaminski, who shot Spielberg's Schindler's List. "Almost all sequels--Batman Returns, Aliens, The Godfather Part II--are darker than the originals," says Lost World screenwriter David Koepp, whose script takes some out-of-the-way detours from Crichton's book, including unleashing killer dinos on the streets of San Diego. "You can't use the same old tricks--the audience has already seen people being eaten by dinosaurs, so you have to try harder-edged stuff."

(pics thanks to Kyle)

The Dreamworks Interactive webpage has been updated with lots of cool new info and pictures on the upcoming JP2 game for the Sony Playstation..

A special issue of Dinosaurs! Illustrated should now be available on news stands everywhere for all those dinosaur enthusiasts. The article includes a look at the dinosaurs and character in JP2. Here's a picture of the cover, thanks to Gremlin)

Eric has made some animated .GIFs based on the Lost World Trailers. You can download them here (470kb)

I added/changed a few things with the calendar. Jeff Goldblum will be guest hosting Saturday Night Live tonight.

I'm very excited about the new Chat Room, which I just put up late last night. Basically this improves over the old java chat in many ways--it's faster, supports channel operators, and other basic IRC modes. What's more, if you have any IRC chat program (like Mirc), you can use it to chat, instead of using the java app. Special thanks to Net Access, my ISP, for permission to use their chat server.

• Depending on where you live, you may be able to pre-order tickets for JP2 starting today, by simply typing in your 5-digit zip code into the box on the main page. At the least, it will tell you when and where the movie is playing. If your theater doesn't support online ordering, you can either call the box office, or your local MovieFone (usually 777-FILM) number.

• Also, starting next Thursday, there will be a new area on this page, called "Review JP2". It's where you'll be able to submit your review of the movie, and give it a rating. However, if are one of the lucky people seeing it on Wednesday, I will gladly be accepting early reviews via e-mail, for incluson on my page.

Last night during the second-best show on television, E.R., there was a long, 1 minute and 30 second preview for The Lost World. I think someone on the message board put it best when they said "it's like a combination of all the other trailers". Have a listen:

Also, on the Sci-Fi channel's show, Sci-Fi Buzz, there was an in-depth segment on JP2, along with interviews with Vince Vaughn, Jeff Goldblum, and Julianne Moore. It's around 4 minutes long.

Jeff Golblum will be on The Late Show with David Letterman tonight. Also, check out Discovery News tonight at 9pm for a JP2 segment.

If you're wondering, the new Junior Novilization of the movie has now been spotted in stores. However, if I were you, I'd wait until you saw the movie before buying it, because, according to AMCDave, it gives away major plot points. Beware!

Here's a new JP2 contest, from Canteen Vending, where you can win a trip for four to Universal Studios Hollywood or a JP2 poster. Click here to enter!

(Click an image to enlarge)

Well, it looks like Harry's crack team of spies were at the exclusive JP2 Press Screening last Friday, and they gave their reports. Excerpts:

• Gwangi [a Harry Spy] confirmed that Lost World is indeed a scarier and meaner film than the original, but the violence is completely bloodless. More people do get killed in this one, though almost without exception they are all minor characters.
• It was confirmed that there will be a scene where a guy will get torn in half by two T-Rexs. Also, someone will get stomped by a T-Rex, and get stuck to the dino's foot like a piece of chewing gum. The result is that he gets squashed over and over again.
• The sequence [in San Diego] is about 10-15 minutes long at the very end of the movie, and leaves you wanting more.
• Gwangi's biggest problem with the film is that the characters are even less developed than in the first film, and the plotting is quite dull in comparison to the first film. Of course that's Gwangi's impressions, ours may be different as will be mine.
• The spy did say that the "trailer attack" has got to be, "one of the best things Spielberg has ever directed.
• And then the ultimate in "Hey Spielberg That's Cool!!" things in the film is that the boat that brings the T-Rex to California is named the "VENTURE" in honor of the ship in King Kong!

Kodak has started their JP2 promotion, the largest in the companies history. Thomas, sent this pic, which states that you can get a free LW poster when you order Kodak Premium Processing. He also adds that they are selling a special Kodak PhotoFrame which has JP2 graphics on it.

Check out the Sci-Fi Channel's Sci-Fi Buzz tonight at 10:00pm (EDT) for all the "behind-the-scenes stuff that you want to know about the first true block-buster of the Summer!" (thanks to Stephen Horan)

Also at 10:00pm, check out ER on NBC (the second best show on television), which is reported to have a "sneak peek at The Lost World" (I'm not exactly sure if this will be during ER, or after it. I think the latter is the case).

Check out the new Calendar page for the complete run-down on what stars will appear on which shows and what specials will appear when on which channels.

Max Szoc sent along a press release which announces the start of the anticipated JP2 museum tour, now entitled "The Lost World: The Life and Death of Dinosaurs:

Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment announced today the launch of The Lost World: The Life and Death of Dinosaurs museum tour, scheduled to open May 24 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where it will be on exhibit through September 30. The tour will continue to Houston's Museum of Natural Science, and then on to major natural history and science museums across North America, including Philadelphia, Cleveland and Toronto, for a minimum of three years.

All of Universal Studios' and Amblin's proceeds from The Lost World: The Life And Death of Dinosaurs museum tour will be donated to various scientific organizations to fund on-going dinosaur research, including site digs, education and other related research activities. A previous dinosaur museum tour, based on the original Jurassic Park movie, also raised a significant amount of money for dinosaur research, placing Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment among the largest contributors to dinosaur science in the world.

A few people e-mailed me and said they were having trouble hearing the Real Audio clip on the MovieTunes site, mentioned yesterday. If you're having problems, make sure you have the newest version of the Real Player. If the audio breaks up while you're playing it, download the entire clip first, by clicking here.

Here's the cover of the CD:

Here's the track list (total time: 68min 58sec)

1. The Lost World (3:33)
2. The Island Prologue (5:03)
3. Malcolm's Journey (5:44)
4. The Hunt (3:30)
5. The Trek (5:23)
6. Finding Camp Jurassic (3:03)
7. Rescuing Sarah (4:01)
8. Hammond's Plan (4:30)
9. The Raptors Appear (3:43)
10. The Compys Dine (5:07)
11. The Stegosaurus (5:20)
12. Ludlow's Demise (4:27)
13. Visitor in San Diego (7:37)
14. Finale and Jurassic Park Theme (7:54)

Check out the Jp2 Movietunes page to hear the first track. Just to remind you, the soundtrack is scheduled to come out on May 20th.

I've added and updated some things over in The Shop, including a brand-new book entitled "The Science of Jurassic Park and The Lost World", and the ability to order the JP2 Scrapbook and Posterbook online! If you haven't checked out The Shop, it's the place where you can buy discounted JP and JP2 merchandise online! (thanks to Gard)

Those Aussie's are on the ball, publishing the first "review" of JP2 I have seen, and it's a good one. This is from the June issue of "TV Hits" (thanks to Troy:

THE LOST WORLD [M]
More dinosaurs! Yey! Four years after those menacing dinosaurs got up to some mischief at Jurassic Park, Dr. Ian Malcolm (Independence Day's Jeff Goldblum) and other scientific types - Eddie (Richard Schiff), Sarah (Julianne Moore) and Nick (hunky Vince Vaughn) - check out whether "something has survived" on another island. If scary dinosaurs get you going and you thrive on awsome special effects, it's time to hop on the queue to buy your ticket. Cool! **** (out of 5)

This Friday at 9:00pm (EDT), check out the Discovery Channel's psuedo-news program, "Discovery News" -- According to "Surfer", there will be a segment on The Lost World. Then, starting Sunday night, Discovery will start their "Dino Week" -- more info here

According to Gatsby's LW Page, the one-hour Entertaiment Tonight special on The Lost World is scheduled to air this weekend!

Here's the cover of this week's Time Magazine, thanks to Mulcyber. Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention yesterday that you can read the text of the short article about JP2 (the other article is mostly about Spielberg) here. (thanks to The Steven Spielberg webpage)

According to this report from Variety Magazine, The Lost World is already gaining in popularity, and it's still more than a week before the release: (thanks to Max Szoc)

It's a monster and it's coming to a theater near you May 23. Anticipation for Universal's "The Lost World" is palpable. Studio tracking is through the roof, with the film listed as the first choice among moviegoers weeks before its opening.

On Friday, the picture was added to MovieFone's listings and ranked third behind debuting pics "The Fifth Element" and "Fathers' Day" in the number of caller requests and sales. "We definitely wanted to get the word out as soon as possible," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said. "We provided MovieFone with a list of theaters in the 26 markets where the service is available and encouraged exhibitors to set times right away. It's really advantageous for everyone."

Pundits believe "Lost World's" placement on the schedule could well translate into a record opening weekend of more than $60 million and $250 million in its first month of release. However, more difficult to predict is whether it will expand regular filmgoing this summer.

Lots of merchandise info today. You know what that calls for, kids! That's right--A bulleted list!

• Here's some JP2 merchandise from this weekend's Toys 'R' Us Flier. Notice the two JP2 LCD Games, "Raptor Run" and "Final Flight".
  
• James Nicholson sends word of a new JP2 product for the kids: The "I dig dinosaurs" Excavation Kit ($12.99). There are six different kits, each comes with a different dinosaur "skulls" encased in a block of sand. Using the included chisel and safety goggles, kids have to get to the skull, just like real dinosaur hunters! Pretty cool idea, if you ask me.
• Sears will soon begin to sell various JP2 stuffed toys including a dinosaur "plush" ($6.99), "plush hand puppet" ($4.99), "beanie plush" ($3.99), a 6-piece "Dinosaur Set" ($8.99) and a "dome dinosaur playset" ($8.99). (Thanks to "Velociraptor")
• "Aussiyar" wanted to let everyone know that at the Movielink Store, you can order all kinds of Lost World merchandise online, including t-shirts, posters, and key chains.
• Baryonyx ("Mr. JP Merchandise") has spotted more JP2 Hand-puppets, some Remote Controlled JP2 dinosaurs (they roar and walk at a push of a button), and the ever-popular JP2 Tattoo maker--fun for the entire family!

On specially marked boxes of Cheerios and Honey-Nut Cheerios, you can order a special Lost World Kodak Fun-Saver camera. What's cool about it is that it's a 14 exposure camera, but comes with a 15th exposure which is actually a picture of a scene from the movie! (thanks to Christopher Baker)

Last Week's Poll Results. Well, this is what I was expecting when I asked "Who is your favorite character from The Lost World (the novel)". The answer was a resounding Ian Malcolm, with 49% of the vote. Doc Thorne edged out Sarah Harding as the second and third favorite (with around 15% each). Richard Levine came in forth, with only 1% of the vote. For the record, Ed James (the evil private investigator who stalks Kelly, Arby, and Thorne early in the book) came in last place, with only one vote.

This week's poll - "How many times have you seen Jurassic Park?" (try to be honest). Idea thanks to Scott.

I'm running out of ideas for polls! If you've got a good one, e-mail it to me at splat@nac.net

Chris has turned his video capture hardware in the direction of Jim Cameron's epic new flick, Titanic, creating an excellent .MOV of the theatrical trailer for this upcoming movie. Download all 22.4mb of it here. By the way, I just heard that Titanic will be the most expensive movie of all time, surpassing the 250 million dollar mark. For Cameron's sake, this movie better be very good....

Baryonyx spotted some JP2 Keychains at his local 7-11. They are described as "dinosaurs that 'magically' show their bones when you apply heat from your hand". They cost 3 bucks.

Burger King has reportedly started their promotion, according to Mike. Look for black JP2 French-fry containers, JP2 collectable cups, and the Lost World watches that have been mentioned before.

Chris Kerr has spotted the JP2 Koosh Balls in his local Spencer Gifts, as well as JP2 hologram pictures.

According to the Topps Official Website, today is the day that the JP2 Trading Cards will shipped to stores across the country! Let me know if you spot them!

Here's an article on JP2 from this Sunday's LA Times entitled "Building a Better Dino". Excerpts:

Though the cast and crew were never in any actual danger of being eaten by giant reptiles, the sheer size of Winston's creatures and the effects around them made for a perilous set. "The big T. rex robot can pull two Gs of force when it's moving from right to left," says [Michael] Lantieri [special effects supervisor]. "If you hit someone with that, you'd kill them. So, in a sense, we did treat the dinosaurs as living, dangerous creatures."

Colin Wilson, Producer: "I knew we couldn't just show dinosaurs in this film, and we couldn't just show more dinosaurs--there had to be something keeping you on the edge of your seat. There's a roundup sequence early on where some of the humans are out to capture one of each kind of dinosaur. You see herds of them going across a meadow--seven or eight different kinds of dinosaurs in this wild chase, running in all kinds of different directions with all kinds of vehicles chasing them. The camera's moving, there's dust in the air, it's a wilder feel than the first film. 'Jurassic Park' had a herd scene, but it was just humans standing still as a herd ran by. This is absolute chaos, and it's just stunning. I knew we had it then, because I was on the edge of my seat."

You can read the entire text of the May 16th Time Magazine article on Steven Spielberg, entitled "Peter Pan Grows Up: But can he still fly?", here. It's a great article--not really about JP2, but how amazing Spielberg really is. (thanks to Apollo)

Looking for more pictures on the official site? Check this page out, if you haven't already. (thanks to "Cyberjoe95")

By the way, I keep forgetting to mention that the official site update a few days ago did clarify one thing: The character of Dr. Robert Burke will definitely be played by Thomas Duffy.

Attention Nascar fans! According to a press release on the Nascar Website, Jeff Gorden and Universal will team up to promote JP2, with a new "pre-historic" look for Jeff's No. 24 vehicle. The new look will premier at the May 17th race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (thanks to "Steeler24")

Okay, here is the ultimate piece of Jurassic Park memorabilia for the ultimate JP Freak who has a lot of disposable income: Bob Jasper, of "Hawaii Movie Tours" is offering to sell an original vehicle that was seen in Jurassic Park. In the scene with Nedry and Dodgson in Costa Rica, look in the background at the bright hand-painted vehicle--that's it. Bob is asking $5,000 bucks, so if you're interested, send him an e-mail.