New Pics!
Check out these new very high quality stills from the film, from our friends at Universal Studios! More coming soon:

Jim Mitchell Talks JP3
'Horribly_Mauled' over at the inGenNET message boards has posted the short conversation Empire Magazine had with ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Jim Mitchell (from this month's issue), probably one of the most important members of the crew and one we really haven't heard from yet. Some excerpts:

"We're Scramblin'," says a laid back Jim Mitchell, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor, about the remaining JP/// schedule. "We have two and a half weeks left."

Amind the roster of 450 effects shots, high on the ILM list is a pteranodon aviary ("it was tricky. We've got all these creatures flying around this huge canyon that we created in the computer.") the creation of lizard king Spinosaurus ("It's a great creature man. He's out in the water. He catches flames on him. I think a lot of these sequences were planned for the original movies, but were maybe a little too hard.") and the Spino vs. T-Rex dust up. "It was brought in much later than we would have liked. You've just got to search for the progression in how these guys battle it out."

How have ILM tried to up the ante on the previous JP movies? "One of the things we tried to do was make the dinosaurs more interactive with their environment. We'd add CGI vines, trees and leaves that the creatures could run trhough and knock over. Before, we used to rely a lot on the live action special effects unit, which would throw your timing off. Now we go off the performance of the Dinosaurs."

Bozeman Premiere Invitation
People attending the Bozeman, MT premiere of JP3 at the Museum of the Rockies on July 17th get this fancy-schmancy invititation in the mail, accoring to Nate, who says it comes in an oversized envelope with a pteranodon on the outside. This premiere is open to the public as well -- if you live in the area (or are up for a long drive), call Sandy at 1-406-994-5283 for more information. Tickets are $75 for the film and reception or $25 ($20 for museum members) for just the film.

Hollywood Premiere Announced
We've known that the Los Angeles premiere of JP3 will take place July 16th for quite some time, but Universal makes it official with a press release, announcing that the screening will begin at 7:30pm at the Universal Amphitheatre following a "light supper reception". Word is that one of our JP community may actually be attending the premiere, stay tuned for details... ;)

July 2, 2001

Commercial #6 (4.7mb ZIP, mpeg format) "On this remote island... they have come.. to rescue their son. Now they will discover.. it will take all their courage.. just to survive."

Interview With Don Davis
There's an interesting interview with Don Davis at Tracksounds.com, where the JP3 composer talks about the film ("I think it is a really good movie."), the challenge of living up to Williams ("John Williams sets a pretty high standard and I knew that I’d be judged against that, so it was very difficult.") and what he plans on doing next ("You’ll find me in Acapulco!"). Tracksounds.com has also posted their positive review of the CD, you can read that here. Thanks 'Embryo' and Ricard.

DVD Dec 11th
We've heard this date before, but video store employee 'Lynx629' confirms it: According to a release date chart direct from Universal, JP3 is due out on DVD on December 11th, 2001. "No word as of yet what will be included on the disk(s)," 'Lynx629' said.

July 1, 2001

"I’ve been on three digs with (paleontologist) Jack Horner," said director Joe Johnston. "On the last one, I saw something on the ground that I thought might be a bone -- turned out to be a rock but next to it, something was sticking out of the ground, about a quarter inch. I started scraping it out and it was a T-rex tooth, poking out of the ground where it had fallen maybe 65 million years ago, and no human being had ever touched it. Just the thought of that is amazing."

Oscar® winning dinosaur designer Stan Winston agreed. "We’ve been in love with and curious about dinosaurs for as long as I can remember. They’ve been important to filmmaking since King Kong in 1933 and they’re also an important part of our museums. Every child grows up wanting to know about these creatures that roamed the earth before we did."

More Criticisms of the JP3 Score
Soundtrackcinema.com has also posted their thoughts on the JP3 cd, calling it another mixed bag. "I'm here to tell you that, while [the JP3 score] doesn't quite live up to Williams' original score, it is still an enjoyable work that I can recommend to the fans of the first two." (Thanks Ricard of JWFan.net)

JP3 Theater Promos
Several promos for JP3 have been spotted at movie theaters across the US -- some are running promotions where if you buy a large soda for about, oh, 9 bucks, you have the opportunity to get a FREE JP3 popcorn tub (at right) for only $5. Tara also reports her local General Cinemas has a peel-off-the-sticker contest where you can win one of 1,000 Tiger DinoDex toys. And 'Veloci-rex' says his theater is giving away a free cd-rom with previews for the three Knowledge Adventure JP3 games. In other promo news, popular west coast store Fry's Electronics is doing one where you can receive 4 tickets to JP3, plus a t-shirt "with any Panasonic purchase over $99" (Thanks 'Sinorsis' and 'NR1')

Another JP3 Score Review
The folks over at Filmtracks.com posted their comments on Don Davis' JP3 score, giving it a mixed review. "The raptor theme, brachiosaurus motif, opening brass call, and other snippets of Williams chomping action music are littered throughout the score," the reviewer says. "The downside of these thematic statements, however, is the seemingly poorer performances of the themes... The first two scores, recorded on the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City, had a resounding sound quality, with echoing mixing that enchanced the epic proportion of the scores. Jurassic Park 3 often sounds flat in those performances. Overall, the music will be a joy to hear in the theatre, but on album, a somewhat flat performance and mixing of the music causes Davis' hard work to lag behind that of Williams in terms of majesty and excitement." (Thanks 'TheJesus')

June 30, 2001

Johnston in Empire Magazine
'EvilGrinch' sends in a quick report about the Joe Johnston interview in the new issue of Empire Magazine (UK), where Joe comments on some of the stranger Internet rumors (Certainly not spread by this site!): "I have repsonded to a few of the more outlandish rumours and most of them are just that," Joe said. "The thing about William Goldman doing a draft of the script. I don't know where that stuff even comes from." Joe also talked about one of the original drafts for JP3, saying it was about "A planeload of teenagers on a vacation who crash-land on the island. It really did look like an episode of Friends!" Finally, 'Evil Grinch' says that the accopanying article "pretty much confirmed that the 'comedy dinosaur' [in JP3] is not a Carnotaur, but a 12 foot tall Ceratsaurus."

Spino On Display At Universal
A new report from our ol' Universal informant 'Scififann', who says that a "full scale spinosaurus [from JP3]" has been placed along Main Street at Universal Studios Hollywood, "just past The Mummy attraction". In addition, near the Back to the Future ride is a display case showcasing some of the props from JP3 ("tazer, gun, carrying case, maps, money, etc.").

Actors Strike Deadline Nears
Personally, I thought this was all settled, but this AP story says otherwise, that the 12:01am Sunday deadline is still in place for an actors walk-out, which would effect not only movies and TV shows in production, but press tours as well -- including the upcoming appearances of JP3 stars on various talk shows. However, talks to resolve the strike are underway, though "the state of the talks isn't publicly known."

E! Behind The Scenes Special
I added it to the "upcoming events", but I also wanted to specifically mention that E! TV will premiere a new "making of" special, featuring JP3, on Friday, July 13th from 7:30-8:00pm. (Thanks Yvonne.)

'Cheesy' JP3 Promo
Ok, sorry, that was really bad. 'Darth Maui' spotted this box of JP3 Cheese Nips from Kraft/Nabisco, featuring crackers with different dino shapes. Here's a shot of the back, with some "collector's trading cards" (Collect all 6!)

Vote Early And Often
'Packhunter' noticed IGN FilmForce is doing a poll about "What big July release do you most want to see?", and JP3 does not seem to be winning! You know what you have to do.

June 29, 2001

NYC Tickets Going Fast
Tickets for the July 17th New York City premiere to benefit the Atlantic Theater Company are going very fast, according to an email sent to 'jurassiraptor'. "They also said ... they are not reserving non-paid for tickets, so anyone interested better jump on it right away." Tickets cost $50 for the screening or $200 for the screening and VIP party. For more information, call 212-691-5919 (ext. 104) or email jp3nyc@hotmail.com.

Macy On Leno
If you didn't see William H. Macy on Leno tonight -- what the heck were you thinking? Didn't you see it in the "upcoming events"?? Anyway, here are some pictures of the new JP3 segment Macy brought with him to the show, thanks to 'Juttson':

JP3 Soundtrack Clips Online
Sound clips from the upcoming JP3 soundtrack (due out July 10th) are now online at two different websites: Moviemusic.com has several bits from most of the tracks in mp3 format, while the DreamWorks SKG Fansite has every clip in mp3 and RealAudio format. Jawad is also running a contest where you can win one of 20 JP3 soundtrack cds, so head over there and enter! (Thanks 'Dr. Alan Grant' and 'Malcolm')

More Contests
Even more JP3 contests for your entering pleasure: Residents of Wisconsin, Illinois or Minnesota (only) can enter to win a trip to the JP3 premiere in Hollywood on July 16th from Marcus Theaters. JP3HQ is running a contest where you can win one of five sets of the JP3 trading cards from inkWorks!. And don't forget the Official JP3 site, there you can win a four day VIP trip to Islands of Adventure in Florida. (Thanks Matt)

JP3 Articles
A couple upcoming articles with JP3's cast + crew you might want to take note of: The current issue of Empire Magazine (UK) features a big set of JP3 articles, including a chat with director Joe Johnston, ILM, and Stan Winston. Next month's issue will also have an interview with William H. Macy. Also, 'Reisusy' reports this month's issue of Starlog Magazine sits down with Joe Johnston in an article entitled "Jurassic Sky".

June 28, 2001

"I had gone to an earlier screening for the cast members who were involved in the junket. They loved it, of course, they ARE the cast. But they seemed genuinely overjoyed. Much backslapping and hand shaking afterward. I have yet to see it with an audience of people that I don't know. Hopefully that's coming soon. What I'd really like to experience is a screening audience made up entirely of fans of Dan's JP3 page. THAT screening would rock!"

Exclusive JP3 Premiere in NYC Announced
An advanced screening of JP3 in New York City on July 17th will benefit the Atlantic Theater Company, the off-Broadway theater co-founded by William H. Macy in 1985. The screening, which will be attended by William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, David Duchovny, Sam Neill, Alessandro Nivola and Michael Jeter, is also open to the public ($50 for the screening, $200 for the screening and VIP party). It will begin at 7pm at the Sony Lincoln Center in the heart of NYC. For more information, call 212-691-5919 (ext. 104) or email jp3nyc@hotmail.com.

Another JP3 CD Review, Running Time
The folks over at Scoremania! have taken a listen to the new Don Davis JP3 CD, and seem to like what they hear. "Many times action cues are repetitive and boring and I lose my interest quickly, but that is not the case here," says the reviewer. "Davis also employs the skills of a chorus that, though used sparingly, adds much to the score. The chorus in conjunction with Williams' original theme is quite cool." The review also included the list of tracks with running times: (highlight to read)

1. 1. Isla Sorna Sailing Situation (4:23)
2. 2. The Dinosaur Fly-By (2:15)
3. 3. Cooper's Last Stand (2:02)
4. 4. The Raptor Room (2:36)
5. 5. Raptor Repartee (3:06)
6. 6. Tree People (2:04)
7. 7. Pteranodon Habitat (3:05)
8. 8. Tiny Pecking Pteranodons (3:38)
9. 9. Billy Oblivion (2:57)
10. 10. Brachiosaurus On The Bank (2:07)
11. 11. Nash Calling (3:39)
12. 12. Bone Man Ben (7:20)
13. 13. Frenzy Fuselage (4:02)
14. 14. Clash of Extinction (1:42)
15. 15. The Hat Returns/End Credits (5:11)
16. 16. Big Hat, No Cattle (4:24) - Randy Newman
Total: 54 minutes

[News from June 21nd through June 27th]