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Club News - 2005
This is the Fanfare news of 2005 in the order it
appeared.
Note:
Offsite links may no longer be valid.
Please click
here to go to the current
Club News
Question for you
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What is the
name of that aristocratic, handsome male who (occasionally) answers to the name
"Phileas" – once renown for his long dark hair and green eyes?
Click the link above to discover the answer. |
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New website!
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Well, er, no, actually this is a renewed website.
Chimera has had a website for exclusively for Michael Praed for a while
now, but it has been
recently revamped and renamed.
She has a lot of Michael-goodies you'll enjoy. Click
here
and take a look
or type http://chimerasrealm.com/michaelpraed/ in the address bar of
your browser. |
A Note to Fanfare from Caroline Lawrence
Michael Praed
narrates the Roman Mysteries, the children's series written by Caroline
Lawrence. He's recorded volumes 1 and 2, skipped the next 4, and
done the last 3 volumes.
Recently, Orion informed Caroline that many of their audiobooks are not selling as well
as they'd hoped, including hers.
"Orion aren't planning any more Roman Mysteries
audiobooks in the immediate future due to sluggish sales" she told me.
Alexa Dalby,
Orion audiobooks publicist, agreed. "I'm afraid we don't have any plans for this one at the moment."
It's a shame because it is a exciting series of books read with great
expression by
Michael in that velvet voice you know and love.
Need a suggestion for holiday and birthday
presents this year for the older children in your life?
Would you like to find something to keep the kids entertained while
driving? For your rush-hour commute? While you work out?
Hint! Hint!
If we increase the demand, maybe we can change Orion's mind.
Check on the audiobooks available
here on our
Merchandise page. |
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'Beyond the Deepwoods'
Audiobook Released
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'In the Deepwoods', the initial installment of Paul Stewart's
The Edge Chronicles for children, recorded by Michael, is now
available on CD. It is the story of Twig, a youngster who
leaves home to find his place in the world.
Note:
The US version of this audiobook will not
have Michael Praed as the narrator, so make sure you get the UK edition
if you order without following the links on the 'Merchandise' page of this website.
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© 2005 Popular Productions Limited / Photo New Vic Theatre,
Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire |
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Michael to star onstage in 'Misery' |
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Michael will be starring in the
Simon Moore adaptation of Stephen King's 'Misery' at the King's Head
Theatre, Islington. 'Misery' also stars Susan Penhaligon and is directed by Alan Cohen. The
play will be running for a limited time only. Booking dates are
September 28 - October 30. Call the King's Head Theatre for tickets (020
7226 1916) or order tickets online at
www.ticketweb.co.uk.
Visit the website at
www.miserytheplay.com for
more details, or click here for collected information gathered by Fanfare.
One of best stories by the master of horror
Stephen King, 'Misery' is a taut claustrophobic
thriller which probes the disturbing elements of fame.
The author of an extremely popular romance series called
"Misery", Paul Sheldon is seriously injured when he has a car
accident in the wilds of Colorado. Along comes Annie
Wilkes, a local nurse who is also a fan of the "Misery" series.
Annie takes Paul home to give him loving care. All is well... until she discovers that Paul has killed off Misery
in his latest book. In a rage, the fanatical Annie demands that the bedridden Paul rewrite the story to her liking.
If he doesn't, he'll suffer heavy "editing" to himself, via
Annie's axe.
'Misery' was adapted for the stage by
Simon Moore, who wrote the screenplays 'Under Suspicion' (which he also
directed) and 'The Quick and the Dead', as well as several plays, including
the musical 'Up on the Roof'. Television miniseries written by Moore
include 'The 10th Kingdom', 'Dinotopia', and the acclaimed BBC
miniseries 'Traffik'. The latter was later made into an Oscar-winning
movie directed by Steven Soderbergh. |
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'Son of Darkness: To
Die For 2' with Rosalind Allen
©1991 Vidmark Entertainment |
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'Son of Darkness: To
Die For 2'
to air
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The Horror Channel on
Sky Digital will be showing 'Son of
Darkness: To Die For 2', a 1991 film with Michael Praed. It will be broadcast twice, first on the 26th
October at
23:00 and again on 28th October at 21:30.
New fans will enjoy the chance to catch a glimpse of this
picture while old fans reminisce.
This was a rare sequel was considered better than its predecessor. Max Schreck (Count Dracula in disguise) has moved to a small town in the hills, working as an emergency room
physician on the night shift.
He is sustaining himself (and some of his extended vampire "family") on plasma from the hospital
while he tries to locate his half-human infant son.
One night, Nina Black, a single mother who has an adopted baby
with peculiar problems, drops in. Max realizes this child is his son who
is in need of fresh blood. Nina
and Max are attracted to one another and Max decides they should become
a family. However, Max's vicious brother Tom is out to
take control of the vampire colony by eliminating Nina and
little Tyler. Meanwhile, the baby's human uncle is out to
destroy Max for seducing and unhinging his sister.
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Susan Penhaligon and
Michael Praed in 'Misery'
© 2005 Popular Productions Limited
'Misery' Underway
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Michael Praed (Paul
Sheldon) and Susan Penhaligon (Annie Wilkes) rehearse a scene in
the upcoming Popular Productions drama
'Misery'. Funny,
suspenseful and horrifying by turns, 'Misery' is shaping up to
become another hit for the highly-regarded King's
Head Theatre, Islington,
this October.
Paul Sheldon, world famous author of the "Misery Chastain" romance novels, is crippled in a car wreck. Instead of waking up in hospital, he comes to in a filthy, dilapidated farmhouse, isolated from the outside world and occupied by the schizophrenic Annie, his "Number One Fan". When Annie reads his new novel where her beloved Misery is killed during childbirth, she forces him to destroy the manuscript and write another. Paul
realizes she isn't the angel of mercy she first appeared to be and finds that he has entered a new kind of hell beyond anything he might have dreamt up for his fictional heroine.
Susan Penhaligon was one of the most notable British television actresses of the 1970s and continues to make an impact on
the British stage and screen today. Her most notable television appearances have been the controversial 'Bouquet of Barbed Wire', 'Teenage Health Freak',
'A Kind of Living', 'A Fine Romance' and as Bianca in a 1980 TV adaptation of
'The Taming of the Shrew'. Other television appearances include
'Doctors', 'Casualty', 'A Touch of Frost',
'Bergerac', 'Remington Steele', 'Tales of the Unexpected',
'Return of the Saint', 'Doctor Who' and 'Upstairs, Downstairs'. Susan is a prolific stage actress, having starred most recently as
Lady Windermere in the UK tour of Oscar Wilde’s 'Lord Arthur Saville’s Crime'.
'Deathtrap' (UK Tour), 'Dangerous Corner' (West End),
'Mysterious Mr Love' (West End); 'The Three Sisters'
(West End), 'Of Mice and Men' (West End); 'The Real Thing' (West End) and many more.
Apart from her many
appearances onstage and on screen Susan Penhaligon's
name should sound familiar to Michael Praed fans. The two
toured the UK together in 'The Constant Wife' in 2003.
This Simon Moore adaptation of Stephen King's thriller looks
like another winner for the pair. Get tickets while you
can.
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Michael Praed with
Julianne White and John Bowler
© 2005
FremantleMedia |
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Michael to appear in
'The Bill'
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Michael
Praed will be appearing on British television in
'The Bill'.
He plays a character
named Rick who is assaulted in his pub. Rick is the
new boyfriend and business partner of PC Roger Valentine's estranged wife, Sandra. Is there
more to Rick than meets the eye, or is PC Valentine letting his feelings
get the better of him? Discover the answer on Thursday, 15th September
at 8pm on ITV1.
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Setting hearts aflutter in 'Doctors'
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Michael
surprised many fans by showing up in an episode of the BBC1 soap
'Doctors'
on 26 September 2005. He portrayed a well-known illusionist
named James French.
In an effort to pay off his debts,
French tried to charm one of the female
doctors, Helen (Corrinne Wicks), into signing his fraudulent insurance claim.
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'Crazy Hot' by Tara
Janzen
© 2005 Dell Books |
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Michael-inspired book released
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September 27, 2005
marks the release date for 'Crazy Hot', a suspenseful thriller
which is the first of a new series by
Tara Janzen (a.k.a. Glenna
McReynolds).
Some reviewers have
asserted Janzen's non-stop action story resembles the breathless
pacing of an Indiana Jones movie. Adventure and high-octane
romance keep the pages turning.
Paleontologist Regan McKinney's grandfather
is missing and the Boulder police are ignoring her pleas to look
for him. She sets off to a Colorado ghost town, seeking
an acquaintance from her youth (special defense force agent Quinn Younger) whom Regan believes knows what happened to her grandfather.
Diamonds, priceless dinosaur fossils, avaricious thugs, and passion keep the
characters leaping from one escapade to another.
If the man's profile on the cover rings a bell, there is a good
reason. Writer Janzen based
several of her male characters on Michael Praed, including
the protagonist, agent Quinn Younger.
You can read the
first chapter at Tara's website.
Also of special note
to many Michael Praed fans: This book is dedicated to the
creator of
Chest Hair Moments, Loralee Thompson, a friend of the
author who passed away in 2003.
Amazon
US:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553586106/
Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553586106/
Amazon DE:
http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553586106/
Click
here to go to ordering
information for the second in the series, 'Crazy Cool'.
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Michael Praed as Paul
Sheldon, Susan Penhaligon as Annie Wilkes |
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'Misery' performances in
progress
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Michael Praed and Susan
Penhaligon star in the Simon Moore adaptation of Stephen King's 'Misery'
at the King's Head Theatre, Islington (London). The
play will be running for a limited time only. Performance dates are
September 28 - October 30. Call the King's Head Theatre for tickets (020
7226 1916) or order tickets online at
www.ticketweb.co.uk.
Visit the website at
www.miserytheplay.com for
more details, or click
here for collected information gathered by Fanfare
on area transportation, restaurants, and hotels.
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© 2005 Popular Productions Limited / Photo New Vic Theatre,
Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire |
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Win an autographed 'Misery'
poster!
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Did you attend
'Misery'? What worked? What didn't? If you can
answer these questions, write up a review of the play. The
person who writes the best critique will have their evaluation
posted on Fanfare. As a very special prize, the winner
will also receive a 'Misery' poster signed by both Michael Praed
and Susan Penhaligon, courtesy of Popular Productions. The
contest will end Saturday, 5 November 2005, giving everyone who
attends a chance to participate. Since the account will be
posted after the play closes, spoilers are not a problem.
The winner will be announced Saturday, 12 November 2005. Briefly explain the plot, name the main characters,
then explain how well the story was
presented and what the actors did to convey their characters. Feel free to use
scene examples to make your point on what you found good and bad about
the performance. Criteria is objectivity, thoroughness and expression. Give
it a try and win! To enter, send your review by email to
submissions
(submissions@michael-praed.com).
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Michael Praed as Paul
Sheldon
© 2005 Popular Productions Limited |
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'Misery' extended
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The run of Michael's most recent venture, Simon Moore's
adaptation of Stephen King's 'Misery', has recently been
extended by a week.
Closing date has been moved from 30 October to 6 November.
Call the King's Head Theatre for tickets (020 7226 1916) or
order tickets online at
www.ticketweb.co.uk.
Visit the website at
www.miserytheplay.com for
more details, or click here for collected information gathered by Fanfare
on area transportation, restaurants, and hotels.
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© 2005 Popular Productions Limited / Photo New Vic Theatre,
Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire |
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'Misery'
Poster Contest extended
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The 'Misery' Poster Contest has
been extended by a week to allow people who
saw the play during the last week to participate.
The contest now closes Saturday, 12 November with the winner to be
announced Monday, 14 November.
The final performance of the
Popular Productions play was changed from 30 October to 6
November after the contest started. The winner of
the contest will receive a 'Misery' poster autographed by
Michael Praed and Susan Penhaligon, courtesy of Popular
Productions, and have their critique posted in the Review
section of Fanfare.
If you would like to take part,
simply tell us the plot, explain
how well the story was presented, and what the actors did to
convey their characters. Feel free to use scene examples to make
your point on what you found good and bad about the performance. To enter, send your review by email to
submissions
(submissions@michael-praed.com).
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'Jilly
Cooper's Riders' to air
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On
Thursday 17 November BBC AMERICA will be running
'Jilly Cooper's Riders' with Michael Praed as Jake Lovell
9 pm EST - 6 pm PST
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'Riders' tells the story of two rival showjumpers who
compete for prizes, horses, prestige and the same woman. Marcus
Gilbert plays the cynical aristocrat Rupert Campbell-Black while
Michael plays the gypsy who has a way with horses.
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Eve attends 'Misery' © 2005 Photo by Geraline James |
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Winner
of the 'Misery'
Poster Contest announced
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Eve Pelletier traveled eastward across the
Atlantic Ocean to see Michael Praed in 'Misery'.
She saw the
play several times during her weekend stay in London and wrote
up a wonderful review. Please take a look at it (either go
to Reviews or
click
here). I'm sure you'll agree she did an
outstanding job.
Eve
is the winner of
the 'Misery' Poster Contest and will receive an poster autographed by
Michael and Susan Penhaligon, courtesy of Popular
Productions, and have her critique posted in the Review
section of Fanfare.
Congratulations, Evie!
Many thanks to those who sent in
their reviews. Please accept my gratitude for sharing a
special event.
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'Crazy Cool' by Tara Janzen
© 2005 Dell Books |
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Another Michael-inspired book released
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'Crazy Cool', the second
in a
thrilling new suspense series by
Tara Janzen (a.k.a. Glenna
McReynolds)
was released
25 October
2005. Janzen's non-stop action story resembles the breathless
pacing of an Indiana Jones movie. Adventure and high-octane
romance keep the pages turning.
Socialite Katya Dekker has never
forgotten her sizzling summer nights with Christian Hawkins, an
intense youth operating on the wrong side of the law. He
saved her from a handful of rowdy spoiled brats on her prom
night before being framed for the murder of one of them.
The daughter
of a powerful senator, Kat is the target of the real killer a
decade later. Her appointed bodyguard is none other than
the exonerated Hawkins, now an agent with an elite US task
force. Will luck change for "Bad Luck" Dekker and her paramour,
or will their unknown enemy succeed in putting them both away
for good?
Sexy,
forceful Christian Hawkins is based on none other than Michael
Praed. You can read the
first chapter at Tara's website:
http://www.tarajanzen.com.
Amazon
US:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553586114/
Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553586114/
Amazon DE:
http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553586114/
Click
here to go to
ordering information for the first in the series, 'Crazy Hot'.
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Launch party for the Theatregoers Choice Awards
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Michael Praed attended a party on
30 November 2005 at Planet Hollywood. The purpose of the
celebration was to announce the nominations for the 2005/6 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers Choice Awards. The awards are decided by poll amongst theatregoers in the UK and sponsored by Whatsonstage.com
held December through January. Winners will be announced at noon
31 January 2006.
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~~~
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