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ROSWELL
ON DVD?
31 JUL 2003
According
to TV
SHOWS ON DVD, ROSWELL
is heading to DVD next year:
After
a couple of people emailed us about an interview with William
Sadler where a ROSWELL DVD release was mentioned, we
made a few calls. Well, we found out that the information is
correct, and the first season should be released in early 2004.
Please keep in mind this is a tentative time period and may
change, but it looks like Fox has worked out the music licensing
issues with the show.
This
is all the news there is at present, and it's unclear exactly
how Fox have worked out the supposedly problematic music licensing
- have they managed to get the licence holders onside or are
they simply planning on replacing problem tracks? BACK
TO THE TOP
MORE
BOOK NEWS
ADDED: 23.02.03
 Despite
the television series having ended, Pocket Books are pushing
ahead with their series of Roswell novels.
The
first four - Loose Ends, No Good Deed, Little Green Men
and Shades - have already been reviewed on this site,
and a review of Skeletons in the Closet should be up
soon.
From
Shades onwards, Pocket Books are terming this a "re-launch",
with the books having a different formatting, different spine/covers
and a different kind of promotional push. Actually, I think
I preferred the style used on the first three novels!
Forthcoming
novels in the series are:
Dreamwalk
by Paul Ruditis
 Quarantine
by Laura Burns (March 2003)
Shades
through to Quarantine take place between seasons two
and three, and see the introductions of Jesse and Michael's
co-workers.
After
these, the novels are set after the television series, starting
immediately after Graduation:
A
New Beginning
by Kevin Ryan (May 2003)
Nightscape
by Kevin Ryan (Jun 2003)
According
to Andy Mangels, both of these books feature all six of the
main characters, as well as a returning guest star or two from
the TV series. Author Kevin Ryan is also a Roswell fan
apparently.
Pursuit
by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin (Aug 2003)
Turnabout
by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin (Oct 2003)
Spoilers
follow:
These
two also feature the six main characters, their parents, Jesse,
Brody Davis, the Dupes, the Special Unit, Langley and other
returning characters from the series. Andy Mangels also promises
plenty of continuity references to the television series as
well as answers to questions the series left hanging. Let's
hope these are justified by the plots rather than being thrown
in just to please the fans. BACK
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NEW
BOOK NEWS
ADDED: 15.08.02
 As
a television series, Roswell
might be no more, but Pocket Books' novels offer more adventures
for the Pod Squad, at least for now.
Forthcoming
novels due out later this year are September's Shades
by Mel Odom, and Skeletons in the Closet by Andy Mangels
and Michael A. Martin, which is published on 1 November.
Andy
Mangels' website
describes the novel thus:
IT'S
ALL IN THE PAST...OR IS IT?
 After
Michael gets inspired by the photo of Charles Dupress, Max "borrows"
some files from the UFO museum, and Liz surfs the Net, the "Czechoslovakians"
are hot on the trail of one of their human DNA donors. Could
the donor give them some clue to their past - and their future?
But Michael gets held up when he suddenly becomes the prime
suspect in his foster father's murder. Good thing Jesse Ramirez,
the new lawyer in Mr. Evans's firm - and a close, personal friend
of Isabel's - is there to help Michael out. But Sheriff Hanson
is watching them all more closely than ever, and trails that
once burned hot have suddenly gone cold. How are the aliens
supposed to find their destiny when for every door that cracks
open, another gets slammed in their faces? BACK
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ROSWELL
ON DVD?
ADDED: 09.06.02
A
boxed video or DVD set of Roswell may be on its way.
Blackstar
has a date of November 2002 for Roswell High (grrr...),
although it does say that there is "No DVD or VHS release
date currently known for this title"
Accompanied
by a season two cast photo (in includes Tess), the series is
described thus:
1947
in the New Mexico desert, an object falls from the sky and crashes
on a remote ranch owned by WW Brazel. Reports detailing the
mysterious even[t] soon being to appear in newspapers across
the country as a possible UFO crash but are quickly denounced
by the [US] government.
Years
later Philip and Diane Evans find two six-year-old children
wandering around in the desert outside Roswell. They pick up
the pair - not seeing a third more wary child hiding from the
strangers - and wind up adopting them. The third child is later
discovered by the local authorities and endures an unhappy childhood
in various foster homes around the area.
As
they grow, the three once again find each other and begin to
discover they have special powers that other humans do not share.
This and their shared search for knowledge about their true
origin bonds the trio in secrecy, ever mindful of the constant
threat of their discovery and exposure by forces not inclined
to favour them. Their true identity is kept strictly confidential
until Max is a witness to the accidental shooting of Liz Parker.
Having been secretly in love with his classmate for many years
he impulsively saves her life using his secret powers, and the
truth is out - setting off a chain of events which is still
unfolding...
When Fox began releasing Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the
VHS sets came before (and still do) the DVD sets. However, since
the DVD market has grown over the last three years, hopefully
Roswell will at least get a simultaneous DVD release
(as 24 appears to be getting) - not least because many
of us have no intention of buying the series twice and if a
DVD release depends on the success of a VHS one then we could
be in trouble... BACK
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NEW
POCKET BOOKS SERIES
ADDED 11.04.02
Despite
today's news about Roswell's cancellation, the franchise
isn't totally dead and buried just yet.
According
to author Andy Mangels,
Pocket Books will be relaunching Roswell this autumn
for at least eight bi-monthly paperbacks.
The
second of these will be Skeletons in the Closet by Andy
Mangels and Michael A. Martin and will be set between seasons
two and three of the TV series.
Additionally,
although no deals have been finalised, there has been talk of
the books shifting to post-Season Three, continuing the characters
from the end of the TV series. Doctor Who fans will certainly
recognise this scenario, and it has also been employed in Pocket
Books' Deep Space Nine series, which is currently running
its "eighth season". BACK
TO THE TOP
LITTLE
GREEN MEN
 19.02.01
- After a couple of pretty good spin-off novels, the blurb for
Little Green Men sounds more than a little lame in my
opinion - and surely the reference to Scandinavians should be
Czechoslovakians?
At
first it seems amusing when Kyle Valenti's skin takes on a lime-colored
hue. But within hours, the hospital has become a disaster
area, full of humans who look more like aliens than the real
"Scandinavian" occupants of Roswell. Soon, Maria
and Alex have joined the club, and Max decides to use his powers
to return them to normal. Except his healing touch apparently
doesn't work when the trouble is cosmetic, and not life-threatening.
While
the military forces the colored population into top secret quarantine
camps, Liz searches for a scientific explanation and finds a
familiar culprit - and a new sense of urgency. Within
forty-eight hours, this alien contaminant will change the humans'
skin permanently, leaving the humans green...and Max, Michael,
and Isabel unveiled. BACK
TO THE TOP
MERCHANDISE
UPDATE
 01.02.01
- Although Roswell's status as a TV series is once again
in jeopardy, merchandise continues to trickle out.
The
soundtrack CD, due out on 26 February, will be released in the
cover on the left - UK viewers will note that Katherine Heigl
in particular is sporting a new hairstyle.
Meanwhile,
the third Roswell novel is due out in April. Dean
Wesley Smith pens his second novel in the series, Little
Green Men. I'll add the cover when it's released.
BACK TO THE TOP
MORE
SOUNDTRACK DETAILS
02.12.01
- The Roswell soundtrack is due for release on 26 February
2002, with a slightly disappointing line-up. Whilst hoping
for the likes of Radiohead always seemed a bit of a long shot,
surely we could have got I Want an Alien for Christmas or
Save Ferris' Let Me In? And why only 12 tracks,
including two versions of Here With Me (especially since
the remix was on the UK single anyway)?
Anyway,
here's the full track listing: Dido Here With Me, Sense
Field Save Yourself, Ivy Edge of the Ocean (remix),
Coldplay Brothers and Sisters, Ash Shining Light,
Sarah McLachlan Fear (remix edit), Zero 7 Destiny
(edit), Travis More Than Us, Sheryl Crow I Shall
Believe, Doves Blackbird, Stereophonics Have a
Nice Day, Dido Here With Me (Chillin' With the Family
Mix) BACK
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SOUNDTRACK
IN THE OFFING?
18.11.01
- Roswell merchandise is rather thin on the ground -
mostly limited to the original book series, a couple of more
recent spin-offs and the rather poor Virgin episode guide.
However, more good be on the horizon if a post on the website
for the band Ivy (who featured in To Have and to Hold)
is to believed.
Asked
why the band aren't on the Shallow Hal soundtrack, they
replied that "We're not on the Shallow Hal soundtrack
[because], at the time, only Edge of [The Ocean] was
in the film. And we had licensed it already to be released
on the Roswell soundtrack (coming out in Jan [2002]),
which we thought was better for us anyway, to spread ourselves
out. Neither wanted it on their soundtrack if it was on
the other's as well...so it had to be 'exclusive.' We
had to pick which one. The movie trailer for Shallow
Hal was made months before much of the film's music was
decided on so that's why there's no familiar music in the trailer."
BACK TO THE TOP
NO
GOOD DEED COVER
 16.07.01
- After a thumbs up on this site for the first Roswell
novel, the second one is published by Pocket Books at the end
of August.
According
to the blurb, No Good Deed is "the second in a sequence
of adult science-fiction thrillers based on the cult TV series
Roswell. Michael is kidnapped in mistake for Max,
by a frantic father who wants him to use his healing powers
to use his healing powers on his desperately ill daughter."
BACK TO THE TOP
HIGH
TIMES? UNLIKELY...
 16.07.01
- With Roswell now widely known in the UK by its correct
title, it seems strange that Virgin's unofficial guide refers
to it by the Roswell High name the series was lumbered
with for season one.
Speaking
of being lumbered, the guide has certainly been lumbered with
a lame title and cover. As for content, no doubt it'll
be the same format that we know and don't love from the likes
of Slayer (5/10 on Planet Buffy) which will probably
be reissued in a year's time to cover season three so if you're
planning on buying it, don't bother buying the first edition.
BACK TO THE TOP
NO
GOOD DEED
27.05.2001
- I hope to have the review of Loose Ends (see below)
up in the next week to ten days, but in the meantime, I just
thought I'd update this page with the news that the second Roswell
novel, No Good Deed by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine
Kathryn Rusch, is due out at the end of August.
Incidentally,
Rusch's Fey series and vampire novel Sins of the Blood
are worth picking up, especially if you can find them in any
store selling remaindered books where they tend to go for just
a couple of pounds each. BACK
TO THE TOP
ROSWELL
NOVEL CONFIRMED
 15.01.01
- As enjoyable as they are, Melinda Metz's Roswell High
novels aren't really anything to do with the TV series that
they spawned. They might feature characters with (mostly)
the same names and be set in the same town, but that's about
as far as the similarity goes.
Good
news then, that Pocket Books will be releasing an original Roswell
novel based on the TV series in around June this year.
Posting
on the alt.tv.roswell newsgroup, author Greg Cox had this to
say about the novel back in December: "Yay! It's
finally official. I signed the contracts today to write
the first adult novel based on the Roswell TV series.
The novel, Roswell: Loose Ends, is currently scheduled
to be published by Pocket Books sometime around June 2001.
"To
be honest, the book is already written and is currently being
reviewed by Fox just in case any final corrections or revisions
are needed. The basic idea: while vacationing at Carlsbad
Caverns, Liz and the gang run afoul of the guy who shot Liz
way back in Episode One. Now what do they do, especially
since Liz was never "officially" shot at all?"
Posting
on 11 January, he added the following:
"Just
got word today that the TV people have approved the manuscript
for Loose Ends which is a tremendous load off my mind.
Now the book is officially ready to go...!" BACK
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