Planet Magrathea is now closed. There will be no more updates. 17th April 2005
Martin Freeman interview
As previously noted, and as heavily plugged on TV in recent days, today's Observer has a free copy of The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (with a film tie-in cover) and an offer for free movie tickets. There is also a lengthy interview with Martin Freeman. ("I've checked with Hitchhiker geeks," writes interviewer Miranda Sawyer showing all the usual prejudice one expects from the Observer, "and everything that should be in the film is present and correct." Hmmm... She then adds to the newspaper's fine reputation for accurate journalism by claiming that "Douglas Adams co-wrote the screenplay before he died." But apart from that, it's quite a good interview.) 17th April 2005
Guide catches spammers
According to this story in the LA Times (registration required) a couple of spammers were traced because they used quotes from Hitchhiker's Guide in the bits of text in their spam e-mails. I don't quite see how that worked, myself. Computer geeks who love Hitchhiker's and have too much time on their hands - doesn't really narrow it down very mucch, does it? (Thanks to Joey Lindstrom.) 16th April 2005
Win a private screening!
This is a bit better than a poster or a T-shirt. STA travel are offering a private screening of the Hitchhiker's movie for 15 people, including an open bar, free food, free entry to a nightclub afterwards and 500 quid of travel vouchers to get there in the first place! But check this out in the small print: 'Buena Vista reserve the right to substitute the film for another appropriate title if necessary.' So you and 14 pals could all end up watching Pooh's Heffalump Movie instead. Some might say that would be an even better prize... (Thanks to Lucy Zinkiewicz.) 16th April 2005
Interactive desktop
Mof Ster reports: “At Buena Vista's Australian website there's an interactive desktop for download which basically puts the information from the official websites on your desktop and promises to be regularly updated. It also has a countdown clock, presumably counting down to the Australian release date. Fun anyway.” 16th April 2005
Top catchphrase
The current issue of Word magazine has a list of the 30 best (and 30 worst) catchphrases, albeit solely as determined by the mag's editorial staff. 'Don't panic' is included in the unnumbered 'best' list for its use in both Hitchhiker's and Dad's Army. 16th April 2005
Blimey! A detailed review
Kudos to Scott Andrews at Film Focus for being the first reviewer of this film (apart from myself) to actually address what works and what doesn't in a balanced, but ultimately very positive, review. If I quote any of his comments I'll just be slagged off by the no-lifes on certain discussion boards for not being selective, so read it for yourself. It's pretty much spoiler-free and it's less than 10,000 words long. 16th April 2005
Press coverage round-up
The Eye, one of the supplements with today's Times, has a three-page cover story on the movie. There is also a feature in today's Scotsman, written by someone not terribly familiar with the story. The Guardian's film website has a guide to the main characters in the film. 16th April 2005
Sight & Sound cover story
Arthur and Marvin are on the cover of the new Sight & Sound. Inside is a four-page feature by Andrew Osmond (who was at the same screening as me) including box-out interviews with Nick and Garth and Warwick Davis. In one of the most well-written, well-considered and balanced pieces yet written about the movie, Osmond calls it "intermittently funny and/or charming and sometimes genuinely strange." However he cautions that: "When it comes to presentation, some moments offer interesting angles on the material. The shame is that they're few and far between, glimpsed among literal recaps of the original and wodges of lamer new material (such as a long and pointless sequence involving John Malkovich)." As with other magazines, Sight & Sound is unable to carry an actual review until after the film has opened in cinemas. Nick James' editorial actually tackles this subject directly, though he refers to Kingdom of Heaven rather than Hitchhiker's: "Major blockbuster movies are now so critic-proof that distributors lack the incentive to show them to monthly magazines in time. ... Indeed, it's arguably this lack of early access to such films that encourages ... ill-informed sensationalist early press coverage." 16th April 2005
Birmingham event banned by Disney!
At the invitation of my mate Tom, who runs the Electric Cinema in Birmingham, I was scheduled to do a Q&A and book signing at a screening of the film on opening night. BVI have now informed Tom that he will not be allowed to screen the film if my Q&A goes ahead. I was invited in order to boost the opening weekend take and, let's face it, I wasn't going to stand there and criticise the audience for liking the film, was I? In any case, by that point the Electric would have the ticket money and BVI would have their rental fee. Still, it's Disney's football and they get to say who plays with it. There will still be a Q&A on 28th April at the Electric but the speaker will be Robbie Stamp. Robbie is a good guy, knows his stuff and will give a good talk. I hope that the Brummie Hitchhiker fans will still go along and support Tom and the staff of the Electric who have put a lot of effort into organising this event. It's just sad that BVI feel so threatened by one person's review of the film. 16th April 2005
Wanna buy a POV gun?
If you have money to burn, how about blowing 200 bucks on a Point of View gun? From the same people who brought us those stylish and tasteful replica Vogon props comes a 32"-long, ten-pound replica of the POV gun. They have only made 275 of these so order today to avoid disappointment (or ensure it, depending on - hey - your point of view). Really, NECA are going to have to try harder if they are going to beat that Stephen Fry remix album for the title of Least Necessary Merchandising Tie-in. How about an authentic replica of a rock from the Welsh quarry where the Vogsphere scenes were filmed? Call it a limited edition, slap a hundred-dollar price tag on it - bingo! (Thanks to Tim Wells for letting know about this.) 15th April 2005
TV repeats from 3rd May
The BBC2 repeat of the TV series will start on 3rd May, the same day that the Quandary Phase debuts on Radio 4. 15th April 2005
Quand/Quint feature
The latest BBC Programme Information has a three-page feature on the Quand/Quint Phases including an interview with Simon Jones and quotes from William Franklyn, Geoff McGivern, Jane Horrocks and Martin Freeman. It's on pages 8-10 of this PDF, and further coverage is promised in next week's PI. (Thanks to Dave Haddock.) 15th April 2005
Telegraph feature
Today's Daily Telegraph has a feature on the film including interview quotes from Nick, Garth, Robbie, Martin and Zooey. "Above all," says writer David Gritten, "the sense of wonder and joy that Adams imparted in his book and radio series, along with his light but intelligent wit, have transferred successfully." - although he acknowledges the fears of "H2G2 anoraks". (Registration required. It's in the 'Film on Friday' section.) 15th April 2005
Hotdog, SFX and the lack of reviews
The new issue of Hotdog has a six-page feature on the Hitchhiker's movie, including box-out interviews with Freeman and Rockwell. The new SFX is also out, though I haven't got a copy yet, and includes my interviews with Garth, Karey, Martin, Shynola and Henson's, plus a retrospective feature (not by me) on the original 1978 radio series. What neither magazine has is a review because of the unusual lateness of the press screening (which would normally take place at least four weeks before release). Hotdog, which reviews several films released in May, actually has a 'slackers' section for films not shown to the press in time, lumping Hitchhiker's in with such must-see pictures as the Amityville Horror remake and Clifford's Really Big Movie. I don't know how Hotdog will rate the film, but I have seen the review that will be appearing in SFX in four wweeks and it is very negative - but by then everyone will have made up their own minds. I have also seen the review which will appear in Film Review and that too is damning but looks like it might just sneak out before the film as the mag evidently found someone who saw one of the earlier, incomplete previews. I'm told by my contacts that the Starburst review will also be bad but once again it won't be read by anyone until a week or two after the film comes out. Those who choose to put their own interpretations on my comments will no doubt dismiss this as snide, but this is clearly a deliberate calculation on BVI's part to keep pre-release coverage in the specialist film press along the lines of 'it looks like it will be great'. When I worked in magazine editorial, any film that didn't provide press screenings in time for the monthlies was usually one that the distributors had little faith in. 15th April 2005
Miscellaneous press coverage
Here is an article in the Chicago Tribune about film trailers, looking in particular at the one for Hitchhiker's. Meanwhile Media Week has a piece about the Observer's give-away of free books and tickets this weekend. 15th April 2005
Competitions galore
Plenty of competitions are now offering various Hitchhiker-y goodies. You can win: - some unspecified 'merchandise' with XFM (closes 30th April)
- posters signed by Nick and Garth with FilmFour (closes 5th May)
- two tickets to the premiere with MyMovies.net (closes 18th April)
- or two other two tickets to the premiere with FHM (this says it closes at 4.09pm on 20th April but that’s obviously not true because it’s only a couple of hours before the film starts! I think it actually closes today...)
15th April 2005
Another review on AICN
AICN has a very positive review from someone with no prior knowledge of Hitchhiker's Guide. 15th April 2005
eBaywatch: Premiere tickets for charity
Buena Vista have donated a pair of tickets to the premiere on Wednesday to be auctioned on eBay, with money raised split between Douglas' two favourite charities, Save the Rhino and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Apparently more auctions of this ilk are on their way, but this one has a very swift closing date for obvious reasons. Get your bids in by 12.45pm on Monday; last time I checked, the bidding stood at £156. (There's a scan of one of the tickets. It says 'Dress code: Out of this world.' Hmmm... ) 15th April 2005
Interactive TV ads
Starting today, the movie publicity machine are running interactive TV ads. If you have one of those new-fangled 'press the red button' TVs, pressing said button when you see the ad will take you to a bunch of clips and other stuff. Here is a press release explaining it all. 15th April 2005
Fry monologues on iTunes
Grant reports: "iTunes has a few new items: 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to Deadlines', 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to Blogging', and 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to Technology'. They're all Stephen Fry delivering Guide-style monologues over Joby Talbot background music." I'm not sure why anyone would want something like this, but I suppose anything is preferable to another bloody remix of 'Reasons to be Miserable'. 15th April 2005
Whale clip on Maxim site
Men's mag Maxim has the whale monologue (introduced by Mos Def) as a video clip on its site. It's a very heavily truncated version and I honestly can't recall if it is that short in the film or whether part of the middle has been cut to keep this clip down to a reasonable length. (Thanks to Sam.) 15th April 2005
Sam Rockwell interview
This New Zealand site has a fairly lengthy interview with Sam Rockwell, conducted during the filming of the ‘arrival on Vogsphere’ scene in Wales. 15th April 2005
Slashdot seeking Qs for Robbie Stamp
Slashdot is soliciting questions for an interview with Robbie Stamp. Considering the enormous amount of debate on that site which was stirred up by my review, that could prove interesting. (Spotted by ReggieUW on the DAC.) 15th April 2005
Premiere on Paul O'Grady Show
According to Muncy on the DAC, there is going to be some coverage of the premiere (or rather, the after-premiere party) on The Paul O’Grady Show. I don’t think I’ll be watching that... 14th April 2005
BBC movie site loves the film
The reviewer on the BBC films website gives the movie four out of five and says: "Thumbs (and towels) at the ready: this adaptation of the late Douglas Adams' sci-fi classic is more than just 'mostly harmless', it's bloomin' brilliant." Those of you who have read my list of 'things that aren't in the film' will realise how ironic this is. 14th April 2005
Zooey not on Letterman
Apparently Zooey wasn't on Letterman this week, but Martin Freeman is lined up as a guest on 25th April, and Zooey should be on Conan O'Brien's show on 28th April. Letterman is shown in the UK on ITV2 apparently. (Thanks to Marc Melanson for pointing me at this site which has this sort of info.) 14th April 2005
Here come the reviews (updated)
Responses to last night's multimedia screening are starting to appear. Here are some that have turned up on the IMDB board. There's the good - “though it's not faultless, I enjoyed it very much!!!”; the bad - “What IS in the movie is done quite poorly at times. What isn't in the movie would have improved it greatly if it was there, and I'm including such necessities as good direction and performances”; the very bad - “the film is an insult to adams and everything he believed in”; and the well considered - “The bottom line is, it's not very good and judging by the muted reaction of the majority of the rest of the audience, that wasn't just my opinion.” Update: And here's a to the point one from someone on Popbitch: "Saw it last night and was really really disappointed. No story, too many yanks and not enough weird space shit." 14th April 2005
News to me
The internet, as we know, carries a lot of incorrect information. Here is a story that has started turning up on some discussion boards. The first sentence may or may not be true. The second is complete fiction. "MJ Simpson is an idiotic twat. The only reason he's pissed off is because he was helping to write the tie-in book, which subsequently got cancelled for a re-issue of the original novel with a movie poster cover."
I don't know what this 'tie-in book' is. The only tie-in books that I know of are the Making Of and the novel with the film cover. Both were planned from the start and are in shops now. It is true that, more than a year ago, I had indicated (to Robbie Stamp) my willingness to write the Making Of if the gig was available. Then, several months ago, Disney realised that they had screwed up their schedules and the whole book needed writing and designing in three weeks, so the publisher called in a jobbing writer (who had done other Making Of books) to throw it together. I don't know if he did a good job or whether he is even credited. And, the money aside (which wouldn't have been much), I'm not too sad about not getting the job. I don't know if this story is the basis for this rumour, but it's the closest that reality gets to what is being said. 14th April 2005
C4 gives it 8/10
The Channel 4 film website gives the movie 8 out of 10. The reviewer notes several problems, including the Humma Kavula scenes and the omission of “crucial exposition, rendering some sequences confusing” but concludes: “If you are new to Douglas Adams, this is like a British Fifth Element*. If not, this is about as close to a faithful adaptation of his vision as the conventions of mainstream cinema allow. Flawed, loveable and a little bit silly - in other words, very British.” * Inasmuch as the film sacrifices any semblance of story or characterisation for special effects and production design, he's got this right. 14th April 2005
Tie-in paperback makes the charts
USA Today lists SF/fantasy books in the lower three-quarters of the top 200 US bestsellers - the Hitchhiker's film tie-in edition is at number 76. Just a shame that they have illustrated it with a picture of an old omnibus edition... 14th April 2005
HHGG on fewer screens than XXX2
According to Box Office Mojo, Buena Vista plan to open the Hitchhiker’s Guide movie on 3,000+ screens across the USA, while Sony are planning to release XXX: State of the Union* the same weekend on 3,400+ screens. I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. * Or XXX 2: The Next Level as it is known in the UK. 14th April 2005
Review in Student Guardian
David Anthony reports: "Inside today's Student Guardian there is a two-page review of the film (possibly taken from another issue of the normal Guardian). It has a large picture of Marvin, Arthur, Zaphod and Ford on Magrathea, and a smaller (new?) picture of Arthur and Marvin inside a small spacecraft." 14th April 2005
Freeman interviewed in Indie
Martin Freeman answers some readers' questions in today's Independent. 14th April 2005
Win premiere tickets
h2g2 has 20 tickets for next week's gala premiere to give away to the 20 best suggestions for what the Ultimate Question might actually be. You don't have to be an h2g2 user to enter, but you do need to be a UK resident over 18. Travel and accommodation not included and you don't get to go to the party either, but a freebie is a freebie and you might get to sit next to some D-list celebrity. 14th April 2005
A Christian perspective
This article, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and God, is extraordinary for so many reasons that I don't want to start discussing it or we'll be here all day. 14th April 2005
Tertiary Phase on iTunes
Thanks to Mike Yenco for pointing out that as well as being released on CD in the USA this week, the Tertiary Phase is now available on iTunes. Presumably this is the version with the re-recorded theme tune, though of course the whole point was that the new version should be as close as possible to the old one. The Primary and Secondary Phases aren't available, either on iTunes or on CD in the USA. Remember that they were recorded under very different circumstances, by a different company and, in the case of the Primary Phase, incorporate a lot of copyrighted music by other artists. I wouldn't hold your breath for a US release for them - you might as well stump up the extra postage and order the UK versions (here and here). Here is a press release about the US CD, including a great review quote from Publisher's Weekly which is cited in full on the Amazon page. Update: Tony Jolley points out that the Tertiary Phase is also available on audible.com. 14th April 2005
And - dear Lord! - The Marvin Mixes
Mike Yenco also spotted something else on iTunes - a whole album of that awful Stephen Fry version of 'Reasons to be Miserable' that is tagged onto the end of the soundtrack album proper. Quite why anyone would want eight versions of the same song is beyond me, especially a novelty number like this. Five of the versions sound identical on the preview but presumably diverge from each other later on; there is also a rock version, an electro-pop version and a rave version. Rather inconveniently, iTunes gives them all the same generic title. The album also include a version of another of the old Marvin songs, 'Marvin' plus 'Marvin (instrumental)' which is the same backing track used for 'Reasons to be Miserable.' I believe, ladies and gentlemen, that we have found the nadir of Hitchhiker's Guide marketing. 13th April 2005
Great Nick and Garth interview
Time Out has an excellent interview with Nick and Garth including a look at some sketches and photos from their production scrapbook. Apparently the Vogons were modelled to some extent on Northern Irish politician Ian Paisley! (Spotted by DarthBastard.) 13th April 2005
Another review on AICN
AICN posted links to my reviews yesterday and received a contrasting review from someone who was at Sunday's cast and crew screening. Unfortunately, this is yet another 'reviewer' whose only arguments are (a) he liked it and so did the people around him, and (b) it's ridiculous to expect the film to be exactly like the book (yes it is, which is why I never suggested that it should be). I actually find it very funny that 'Pseudo Simon' and others are descending to calling me a 'fanboy' and painting me as some obsessive Douglas worshipper because if they had read my book they would know how deeply critical of Douglas it is. And I would have thought that my reviews of the movie were proof enough that I'm not one of those people who just loves anything with the name 'Douglas Adams' on it. But of course, this guy hasn't actually read my reviews. (And doesn't seem to have liked the movie for any reason other than it has Douglas' name on it.) I don't get it. What is wrong with all the people who like the movie (their prerogative, no problem with that) that they are unable or unwilling to present any cogent argument about why it's good. Justify the changes in story, characterisation and dialogue, folks. That is, don't justify why changes were made but justify why these changes were made. Let's get some critical debate going here! There is also a review on the IMDB forum from someone who claims to have been at the 'media premiere' last night. Which is curious because the UK multimedia screening is tonight. It's a very positive review from someone who is either very dyslexic or about seven years old (or at pains to make their spelling appear bad), and who has never posted on any IMDB board before. Could the rumours be true...? 13th April 2005
Watch the flyswatter scene
AOL Movies has the complete flyswatter scene (set on Vogsphere but filmed in a Welsh quarry) in both AOL Player and Quicktime formats. (Thanks to Chris Casino.) 12th April 2005
Character posters revealed (updated)
ComingSoon has the designs for a set of eight posters each depicting a different character, with some info about them. They seem to be based on the 'Guide to the Guide' that we have seen on other sites. Updated: Someone questioned whether these actually are posters or just screenshots from the 'Guide to the Guide'. I see their point but I can't imagine what else ComingSoon could mean by describing them as 'sheets'. Incidentally, this is the 14th story I have posted today, which I think is a new record. 12th April 2005
Movie editor interviewed
This industry site has a rather tech-heavy interview with the movie's editor, Niven Howie. 12th April 2005
Tertiary Phase nominated for award
The Tertiary Phase has been nominated for the Best Comedy category in the prestigious Sony Radio Academy Awards, against The 99p Challenge, Clare in the Community, The Complete and Utter History of the Mona Lisa and The Museum of Everything. The awards will be presented in 9th May. (Thanks to Dave Haddock for the link.) 12th April 2005
Free DVD with Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is planning to carry a free DVD of interviews and clips from the movie, probably the sort of stuff that is turning up on iFilm. 24th April looks like the most likely date for this, but we should probably check this week's paper just in case. 12th April 2005
Radio 4 newsletter
The new Radio 4 Hitchhiker's e-mail newsletter is out, with the latest production diary update. The Radio 4 site now has the complete cast list for the new series - complete that is, except for that mysterious Hollywood star. 12th April 2005
Robbie Stamp on-line chat
The transcript of tonight's on-line chat with Robbie Stamp is now up at the Douglas Adams Continuum. Nellodee jumped right in there and asked: "Have you read MJ Simpson's negative review and if yes, how do answer?" Robbie's reply was: "Yes I have read (some) of Mike's review. I am genuinely sad that he feels that way, genuinely. I know how much he cares about HHGG and I am sure that he took no pleasure in writing that review. Having said that, I would be looking for a log cabin somewhere in Western Alaska if his was the only fan voice that I respect who has pronounced on the movie. But he isn't. In fact his is not the majority opinion. There are many fans whose opinions I respect just as much who loved the movie, genuinely loved it." It's never nice writing bad reviews of work by one's friends and it's good to know that Robbie hasn't taken this personally or with any animosity. No-one has worked harder at promoting this picture than Robbie Stamp and, my personal critical opinions notwithstanding, I wish him and his colleagues all the very best of luck. 12th April 2005
Radio and TV coverage
Dave Haddock reports that the previously mentioned Hitchhiker's documentary on BBC Radio One will be part of the Lamacq Live programme which runs from 9pm to 1am BST. After broadcast it should be available on listen-again here. The blurb says: "weekly documentary, which this week is called Space Oddity. It looks at The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the cult book by Douglas Adams which as of Friday will be released in the cinema. Don't panic!" Dave also notes that the ITV2 premiere coverage is repeated at 6pm on Saturday 23rd April and 9.25am on Sunday 24th. Meanwhile I have been approached about possibly contributing to a piece on Hitchhiker's Guide on Radio 4's Today programme, possibly this Thursday after the press screening, possibly next Thursday after the premiere. 12th April 2005
Radio Times ticket offer
The new Radio Times (for next week's TV schedule) has a 'Free pair of tickets' offer similar to the one in Empire but at different cinemas and on the morning of Sunday 24th April. Thanks to Jonny for spotting that. Taking into account this offer and the ones in Empire and the Observer, it makes you wonder if anyone in the UK will have to actually pay for a ticket... 12th April 2005
HHGG TV series was a 'top '80s moment'
Darren Rees reports: "On Channel 5 last night they showed the Top 50 TV Moments of the '80s and the TV series of HHGTTG came in at number 15. There was a short interview with Simon Jones and they showed some clips." 12th April 2005
Three more micro-features on iFilm
Following the brief look at 'The Guide' which surfaced on iFilm on Sunday, three more micro-featurettes have been located on the same site. 'The Aliens', 'The Universe' and 'The Robot' include some great behind-the-scenes footage and comments from Nick, Garth, Robbie, Sam, Martin, Warwick, Zooey, Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum. The last one also has that hilarious 'refrigerator' joke. (These would appear to be items from the Electronic Press Kit or EPK so expect them to turn up, in whole or in part, in a lot of TV shows over the next couple of weeks.) 12th April 2005
Brazilian fans - you can be at the UK premiere!
Wowbagger reports: "The MTV Brasil TV channel has a contest where the winner will go to the premiere on the 20th. The contest ends April 14th. Also, they have a link to the official Brazilian website, which seems to be pathetically dull but we do have a look at the Brazilian poster, which is the UK one with a translated title." For more on Hitchhiker's Brazilian-style, check out Wowbagger's website Milliways. 12th April 2005
Bizarre rumour: fake reviews
On several forums yesterday I saw rumours - none of which suggested a source - that 'Disney are so incensed by Planet Magrathea's negative review that they are planning to flood the net with fake positive reviews.' This is one of the more ridiculous things I have ever heard. There is likely to be a flood of reviews later this week - but that is because several hundred journos, media types and assorted hangers-on will be at the main UK press screening tomorrow night. 12th April 2005
Blimey! A balanced review
At last, an interesting review highlighting what someone thinks works and doesn't work. Though we don't agree on everything by any means - he rates Rockwell but dislikes Zooey - at least this is a reasoned critical argument rathet than just more vague hagiographic praise, so kudos to 'butnut'. (Follow the thread if you want to read some extraordinarily libellous and untrue things about me!) 12th April 2005
Gala premiere press release
Yahoo business has a press release about next week's gala premiere, including a list of the cast and crew who will be in attendance. The minor celebs who always attend these things will arrive from 6pm so if you're autograph hunting or just curious to see who's there, stake your pitch in Leicester Square before that. (The release date is given as 29th April but I guess that's because official UK release dates are always on a Friday. Some cinemas will have the film on Thursday. Check, as they say, local press for details.) 11th April 2005
BBC: PDA h2g2
Just before the original version of h2g2 went under in early 2001, it was briefly available on WAP-compatible mobile phones. Now the BBC, who now own h2g2 of course, have announced that it is being made available to mobiles and PDAs. The press release also makes reference to the new radio series which has its own press release too, listing some of the casting but remaining schtumm on the 'Hollywood star' in the cast. (Thanks to Dave Haddock.) 11th April 2005
Zooey on Letterman
Zooey Deschanel will be a guest on David Letterman's show on Wednesday, according to a post on the IMDB board. 11th April 2005
Jim Lynn reviews the film
Former TDV-er Jim Lynn has posted an extraordinarily laudatory review of the film on h2g2: "This is a beautiful, astonishing, hugely funny, sometimes moving and infinitely cherishable movie. I love it." (Naturally I don't agree with his assessment of the picture, but that's not going to stop me linking to the review. As for the rather pathetic comments being posted below the review - well, we can't hold Jim responsible for them but some people really do need to get out more.) 11th April 2005
Robbie Stamp on-line chat tomorrow
The Douglas Adams Continuum reports that Robbie Stamp will be taking part in a moderated on-line chat on the site tomorrow at 7.30pm BST. 11th April 2005
BBFC okays the movie's 'mild language'
Dave Haddock reports: "The British Board of Film Classification have rated The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as a PG with the content advice 'Contains mild language and moderate fantasy horror.' They list the running time as 108m 43s. It is described as 'Comedy, Science Fiction.' 11th April 2005
BBC2 documentary confirmed for 7th May
This afternoon I filmed my contribution to the forthcoming BBC2 documentary about Hitchhiker's Guide. It has the working title Inside the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and will be broadcast on 7th May. Other interviewees include the film cast and crew, people involved with both old and new radio series, and some celebrity fans. God knows how they will fit us all into half an hour. 11th April 2005
Quand/Quint trailer and gallery
An excellent audio trailer for the new radio series is now up on the Radio 4 site, along with a great gallery of photos from the recordings of all three new phases. (Dirk Maggs is actually clean shaven in some of the pictures but he tells me that he has now regrown his facial fungus.) Several new snippets of casting news can be found in the gallery captions although the identity of the 'Hollywood star' is still under wraps. There is also an article about the new series on the BBC news site. 11th April 2005
Free book and tickets in the Observer
Red reports: ""In today's Guardian there is an advert for this Sunday's Observer. Sunday's paper will contain a free copy of The Restaurant at the End of the Universe with a film-tie in cover. Plus there are also 10,000 free preview tickets to the HHGG film." 11th April 2005
Slashdotted!
My reviews of the movie have sparked a lot of discussions on various sites including the infamous slashdot which, not unexpectedly, crashed the site within a few hours. Normally Planet Magrathea receives a fairly steady 1,500 visitors a day but yesterday there were 65,000 of you - blimey! Enormous thanks to Arran Smith of AZco Services for getting the site back on-line so swiftly; I heartily recommend AZco for swift, friendly, cost-effective site hosting. If the site ever disappears again, keep an eye on the Stop Press page which is on a different server. The only serious casualty of all this seems to be my counter, which has exploded. I don't plan to reply to all the various discussions about my reviews. Frankly, one of the reasons that the long review ended up being 10,000 words was because I was trying to make every point I could and answer any conceivable question. But I will just say that some people, including some people who have seen the film and therefore should be able to argue from an informed position, have accused me of wanting the film to exactly replicate the book (or the TV series, though clearly it couldn't do both). This suggests that not only have these people never read anything that I have written about Hitchhiker's Guide, they haven't even bothered to read the review that they're criticising. Let me, for one time only, spell out my principal complaint in simple terms for the hard of understanding. It's not that there have been changes - you expect changes in an adaptation, especially with source material as fluid as Hitchhiker's Guide. (Just to remind you: not only have I written two books on Hitchhiker's but I have also been reviewing both films and books professionally for the past ten years. So not only did I never say that the film should copy the book or TV show, but why the hell would I?) I expected changes, but I expected them to make the story better, and most of the changes that have been made do not make the story better, in fact some of them make it worse. Clearly most of the people who have seen the film so far have enjoyed it; that is their prerogative and I'm sure there are films that I love which they would dislike. But I was rather hoping that some of them might be able to provide some reasoned critical counter-arguments because I think that critical debate is A Good Thing. Sadly, so far the only counter-arguments have been either the above rejoinder to something I never said, or a valid but unhelpful, 'Well, I enjoyed it and so did everyone I saw it with.' Perhaps things will perk up when more people have seen the movie. In the meantime I would like to thank everyone who chose to discuss the merits of my reviews around the web after having read one or the other, whether you were pro or con. And special thanks to everyone who e-mailed me or posted in my guestbook. I did receive several e-mails from other people who have seen the film and agree with me so it looks like this will be a love-it-or-hate-it film. I am genuinely looking forward to reading more people's opinions and although I expect my view of it to improve slightly on 28th April when I see the finished version with a paying audience, I find it difficult to see how the basic problems of structure, characters and dialogue could be fixed. 10th April 2005
Gargleblaster makes final cut
I have now spoken with Kevin Jon Davies and he confirms that the Guide entry on the Pan Galactic Gargleblaster is in the finished version which he saw this morning. Stephen Fry's narration plays over the scene of Zaphod mixing drinks for himself and Ford (using his third hand) which was briefly seen in the trailer. This narration was not in the version that I saw. 10th April 2005
Article in Variety (updated)
There is an article about the Hitchhiker's movie in today's Daily Variety: 'Comic vision picks up 'Hitchhiker': Cult classic puts less hi-fi in its sci fi to keep quirky Brit tone'. Unfortunately the website is subscription only. Can anyone with a Variety sub let me know what it says? Update: The editor of Variety.com no less has very kindly supplied this link to the story which bypasses the subscription doodad. The article has quotes from Garth Jennings, Nina Jacobson and Roger Birnbaum, and correctly points out that the project stalled before Douglas Adams died, not because of his death. "The Hitchhiker book may be on the high school curriculum in Iceland but it isn't widely read in Idaho," says writer Adam Dawtrey. "It remains to be seen how Adams' unrepentant atheism will play in the US. 'God and religion don't do well in this film,' Jennings admits." 10th April 2005
Crew screening this morning
Kevin Jon Davies reports that he was invited along to a crew screening of the film this morning and that he loved it. So far, I'm the only person to have posted a stinging negative review of the film (although I have received several e-mails from people who have seen it and agree with me) so it looks like it's going to be a love-it-or-hate-it movie. My reviews have stirred up a massive amount of debate across the net and it is going to be interesting to see what other people's opinions are when more detailed comments start being posted after the film opens. 10th April 2005
Young Picador edition on sale
I just spotted the Young Picador edition of Hitchhiker's Guide in my local Waterstone's. Apart from the child-friendly cover it appears to be identical to the regular edition (it's not a film tie-in) but it is notable as the first ever mass-market edition aimed specifically at young readers. This makes a total of five mass-market editions of this book published in the UK in the four years since Douglas Adams died, the same number of editions that were published in the 22 years before his death. 10th April 2005
Guide graphics micro-feature on iFilm
There is a two-minute look at the Guide graphics on iFilm, including interview comments from Robbie Stamp, Garth Jennings and Martin Freeman but no mention of Shynola. The Guide's description of itself and the entry on Vogons are shown; the former has an edit in it and is missing the references to Oolon Colluphid and the Encyclopaedia Galactica, but they are in the film. 9th April 2005
Mobile phone games reviewed at IGN
IGN Wireless has reviews of two games for mobile phones which are being launched along with the film: Vogon Planet Destructor and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Adventure Game. Click on the titles for detailed reviews, then click on 'images' to see screenshots, some of which are animated. It looks like there won't actually be a PC or console game based on the film, probably because the rights to such a thing are still tied up with the version that was abandoned in 2001. (Thanks to Neil Aspinall.) 9th April 2005
My review of the film - it's not good news
At the end of March I was very kindly invited by Buena Vista International to a preview screening of the Hitchhiker's Guide movie. There were about ten journalists in the screening room at the BVI offices, plus Stephen Fry. I went into that room with an open mind, having been an enthusiastic but not uncritical supporter of this film. The version that we saw was almost complete, lacking only a final sound mix (at least I hope so!), possibly one or two special effects and - bizarrely - quite a few clips of stock footage. Over the course of 110 minutes my jaw dropped lower and lower as I watched the movie unfold. At the end, when one would normally expect the journalists to start comparing notes - "What did you think?" - there was an uncomfortable silence as we collected our hats, coats and bags and left the building. No-one spoke, not to each other and not to Stephen Fry (I didn't see what happened to him). Something, somewhere has gone horribly, horribly wrong with this film. It's not great, it's not even good, frankly it's not even bad. It's awful. It is staggeringly unfunny and almost unrecognisable as Hitchhiker's Guide. I hated it. I made copious notes on the train journey home and have spent the past week or so writing these up into an epic 10,000-word review-cum-analysis, which details precisely what the film does wrong and acknowledges the few things that it gets right. This review is, naturally, absolutely packed with spoilers - in fact it details the film's whole plot (or what passes for a plot) - so I have also written a version which is much shorter and spoiler-free but, I'm sorry to say, no less negative. I don't know whether the omission of something that one would expect to see in a particular movie might require a spoiler warning; I suppose that depends on your definition of what a spoiler actually is. Anyway, for those who are curious about such things, here is a list of memorable elements from previous versions of the story which are missing from the film. It makes grim reading. 8th April 2005
Sydney Morning Herald gets a tad mixed up
A short interview with Robbie Stamp in today's Sydney Morning Herald has been written by someone not entirely familiar with Hitchhiker's Guide. According to 'AAP' the story started as a series of books before it was adapted for radio, there are four books in the series and they are (gasp) "children's books." Where do they find these people? 8th April 2005
Official Polish site on-line
Everything you ever wwanted to know about Autostopem Przez Galaktyke can now be found here. (Thanks to Poland's premiere Hitchhiker's fan, Grzeg at Nie Panikuj.) 8th April 2005
UK movie site 'fun' section
Although it still says 'coming soon' if you click on it, the 'Fun' section of the official UK site is now up and running, with assorted games, screensavers etc. (Thanks to Emily.) 8th April 2005
Press coverage: Starburst
The new issue of Starburst has a fairly long interview with Robbie Stamp, including box-out chats with Nick, Garth and production designer Joel Collins. 8th April 2005
ITV2 planning premiere coverage
The ever-observant Dave Haddock spotted this in the listing for 21st April: 22:00 to 22:30 Thursday 21st April on ITV2
Jenni Falconer reports from the Empire, Leicester Square, of the premiere of a new version of cult comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, starring Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman and John Malkovich. Including cast interviews, excerpts from the film and the arrivals of all the celebrity guests.
The premiere is still on Wednesday 20th - this show goes out 24 hours later. Bear in mind that 'celebrity' is a very loosely applied term and in this context usually means children's TV presenters and former Big Brother contestants. Although given the nature of the film I would imagine we will see a sprinkling of Pythons and Pink Floyds too. 8th April 2005
Guardian article
Today's Guardian has an article about the movie, including quotes from Nick Goldsmith, Garth Jennings, Roger Birnbaum and Jane Belson. It's pretty good and mostly accurate, although the impression is given that the film ground to a halt in 2001 just after Douglas died, whereas those two things actually happened in the other order. Belson unfortunately perpetuates the myth that the TV series had cheap, crappy effects: "he was never terribly happy with the BBC television version, where the special effects were mostly done by some bloke waving a piece of cardboard." (This sort of thing, from someone who wasn't involved or even there at the time, frankly annoys me. The Hitchhiker's TV series, for those who bother to check such things, had the most advanced and expensive special effects of any British TV production up to that time and if you compare them with the crap that was being peddled on US TV in 1980, with much larger budgets, they stand up extremely well.) 7th April 2005
Orange competition
If your mobile phone company is Orange then you stand a chance of winning tickets to a preview of Hitchhiker's Guide. The Orange previews are on 27th April so it's only one day early, but it is free. And there are runners-up prizes of goody bags containing a towel, a T-shirt, a mouse-mat and some badges. (Spotted by Chanticleer on the DAC forum.) 7th April 2005
Radio 1 seeking young Hitchhiker's fans
Are you a Hitchhiker's Guide fan aged under 25 who would like to discuss your love of the story on radio? Then BBC Radio 1 wants you. here is the e-mail which I received today: I'm making a documentary for BBC Radio 1 about the new Hitchhikers film, and hoped you could help? I'm looking for young-ish Hitchhikers fans, under 25, to talk about why they like it, how they discovered it, and about the Hitchhikers fan community.
The programme goes out on Monday April 25th, and I'm looking for a few fans to talk about Hitchhikers for maybe 20 minutes, sometime in the next two weeks, the sooner the better. As we're based in London, it'd be best if they lived or were visiting London too, though if they have a good story to tell we can get them into a local radio studio just about anywhere.
Contact simon.barnard@bbc.co.uk if you can help. 7th April 2005
More Quand/Quint casting
More cast names confirmed for the Qundary and Quintessential Phases, from the BBC Cult site: Several actors connected with the Hitchhiker's Guide from its other incarnations, both on stage and television, take lead and supporting roles, including Bill Paterson, Sandra Dickinson, Jonathan Pryce, Rula Lenska and David Dixon. Supporting stars include Jane Horrocks, Jackie Mason, June Whitfield, Stephen Fry, Arthur Smith, Saeed Jaffrey, Miriam Margolyes and a surprise Hollywood star guest appearanceå
7th April 2005
Quand/Quint trailer coming on Monday
The Radio 4 Hitchhiker's site says that an 'extended trailer' for the new radio series will appear there on Monday. 7th April 2005
LA Weekly reviews Hitchhiker's trailer
Not everyone likes the 'Guide entry' trailer for the movie. Nikki Finke of the LA Weekly has written a column comparing the trailers for this summer's movies. She says of Hitchhiker's: "The arch British humor isn’t of Monty Python quality. Sure, sci-fi geeks know about Douglas Adams’ classic book, but the rest of the audience won’t have a clue what this incoherent trailer is hawking. It’s like a dog’s whistle that someone heard, but not me." 6th April 2005
Ter/Quand/Quint scripts book cover
The Amazon page for the new scripts book, containing all 14 episodes from the Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phases, now has the book cover. It uses similar fonts and layout to the 25th anniversary edition of the original scripts book. Although Douglas Adams' name is understandably prominent, Dirk Maggs gets an 'as dramatised and directed by' credit and there is an introduction by Simon Jones. I believe that there will also be extensive notes on all three series by Dirk. The book will be published on 1st July for £12.99 although Amazon has it for £7.79. (Spotted by Dave Haddock.) 6th April 2005
Garth/Karey interview
Paste Magazine has a great (spoiler-free) feature on the film on their website incorporating interview quotes from both Garth Jennings and Karey Kirkpatrick. (Thanks to Dylan Johnson for this.) 6th April 2005
Duke of Dunstable reviews the film
Jenz Kjellberg aka The Duke of Dunstable, Swedish superfan and proprietor of the Douglas Adams Continuum, has posted a short, spoiler-free review of the movie. On a scale of 0-5 he gives it three and half, bordering on four. "There are one or two details that I thought did not come across or should have been reconsidered in the movie," he says, " and that's a bit sad." 6th April 2005
Robbie Stamp video interview
Robbie Stamp's status as the most interviewed executive producer in film history seems assured. The latest to come to my attention is this video interview recorded at WonderCon in San Francisco a few months back. 5th April 2005
One hundred countries!
A recent visit by someone in Trinidad and Tobago (and you know, if I lived in Trindad I'd be on the beach or in a bar, not stuck behind a computer) means that Planet Magrathea has now received visitors from one hundred different countries. Well, technically Hong Kong, Gibraltar, Guam and French Polynesia are sovereign territories rather than countries, but anything with its own flag and internet code counts as far as I'm concerned. Check the full list on the front page. 5th April 2005
Competitions
I often receive complaints that the only competitions out there seem to be for UK residents only. Well, here's one for all of you in the Netherlands. 'A Suffusion of Yellow' has posted details on the DAC forum of a competition organised by Dutch magazine Veronica to win tickets to the gala premiere in London on 20th April. Meanwhile, back on this side of the North Sea, UGC Cinemas is giving a free scratchcard to anyone who buys a large drink or large popcorn, starting this Saturday. Prizes on offer include 'premiere tickets, signed film posters and books, DVDs, T-shirts and much more.' (Spotted by Chanticleer on the DAC forum.) 5th April 2005
Gushing review on Floor 42
Floor 42, which was once a thriving fan community but now seems to be a rather odd place where Hitchhiker's Guide is almost never mentioned, nevertheless has a review of the movie by someone called 'Beeline' who was at the same preview screening attended by Nicolas Botti, Jenz Kjellberg and Jim Lynn. It is almost terrifying in its enthusiasm: "It was simply mind-blowing! I can honestly say that I have never seen a movie that is anything even remotely approaching a similarity to Hitchhiker's." However he cuations that "many people (most probably hardcore fans) will hate it because they'll say it's too differnet." (Thanks to Bistro.) 5th April 2005
Zaphod, Arthur, Marvin blogs
Zaphod, Marvin and Arthur have all been given blogs by the movie marketing people. At the moment it's just lots of other people going 'Woo! Yeah! Great!' but presumably there will be some stuff posted there in the character styles over the next four weeks. 5th April 2005
Stephen Fry promo CD
Neil Carruthers reports that his local branch of Ottakars (in Dumfries, but presumably this applies to all their branches) had some free promo CDs with the first 20 minutes or so of the new Stephen Fry-read audiobook. 5th April 2005
Nicolas Botti reviews the film
Now that the embargo has been lifted, Nicolas Botti (France's premiere Hitchhiker's fan) has posted an on-line review of the movie. There are no spoilers, and he likes it a lot: "I would have difficulties to understand someone who says that he's a Hitchhiker's fan and hates the movie. This is certainly the best movie we could hope for." Meanwhile, over at the DAC Jenz Kjellberg, who was at the same screening, has been answering specific questions about the film in a forum thread which does contain plenty of spoilers, naturally, so beware. I'm still working on my epic review of the film which I hope to post here in a few days. 5th April 2005
New stills at IGN Filmforce
I have now lost track of what stills have been seen where, but IGN Filmforce have three new ones which either haven't been seen or haven't been very clear in the past, including the shot of the Magrathean factory floor which was obscured in the Daily Mail. The same pictures are up on Hollywood News too. 5th April 2005
TV spot on TV (updated)
Several people have reported that CBS broadcast a 30-second TV spot during last night's NCAA College Basketball Championship. This is the first actual paid TV advertising for the movie that I have heard about. Presumably it was the same TV spot that appeared on-line on ComingSoon a couple of weeks ago. Update: Scott Wilkinson and Stu C both report seeing the TV spot on UK Channel 5 during an episode of Joey, while Richard Porter saw the spot at half time during Sky Sports' coverage of the West Brom vs Everton match on Sunday. 4th April 2005
Six greatest fans chosen
A reader of Planet Magrathea who wishes to remain anonymous tells me that he/she has received notification from Buena Vista of being a winner in the search for the world's biggest fans of Hitchhiker's Guide. It's not clear what happens now, but no doubt he/she - and we - will be told. 4th April 2005
Anthology at the End of the Universe on sale, details
Book publication dates being very loose concepts, The Anthology at the End of the Universe - which was supposed to be on sale from 28th April - is already available. The Gonzo Lager has very kindly listed the contents in a post on the DAC. 4th April 2005
Arthur figure packaging
The packaging for the Arthur figure is now available to view by clicking on the tiny wee picture on this page. I notice that NECA are still trying to flog those replica Vogon props, although I hear tell that some people have actually received them now. Has anybody seen any of this stuff yet in the Disney Store or any other shops? Movie opens in three aand a half weeks, guys... (Thanks to Chris Cummins.) 4th April 2005
Hitchhiker's makes cover of Starlog (updated)
It's not on sale round here yet and the mag's website hasn't updated it's 'current issue' page, but the Gonzo Lager has seen the new issue of Starlog and reports that the Hitchhiker's movie is on the cover. Nick and Garth, Robbie Stamp and production designer Joel Collins are all interviewed inside. Update: Here is a scan of the cover, courtesy of the Gonz'. 4th April 2005
Robbie Stamp on Aussie radio
Matt Smith reports: "Robbie Stamp will apparently be talking up the movie on Australia's national 'Youth' radio station JJJ tomorrow morning 6am-9am Aust EST (I think 9pm - midnight GMT). He's said to be a guest on the Jay and the Doctor breakfast program. No mention of it on their website as yet, but this may be updated during the next 24 hours." Robbie is now back in the UK, but he has been jaunting around the world so much that he is probably still on Australian time... 4th April 2005
Reviews embargo lifted today
The reviews embargo willenta havenbe lifted today at 9.00am (UK time). There have been various screenings over the past few weeks, although the main British media preview isn't until the 13th April. If you have been lucky enough to see the film - legitimately! - you arebe willion now free to discuss it. (Thanks to Dr Dan Streetmentioner for grammatical advice.) However, please bear in mind that most people haven't seen the film, so either mark your forum posts clearly as having spoilers or keep your discussion within the Movie Spoiler Forum over on the DAC. And when reading comments bear in mind that, as of today, there still haven't been any previews of a completely finished print with all effects and a proper sound mix. Though hopefully that will all be sorted out by a week on Wednesday! For the record, yes I have seen the film and no I am not at the moment prepared to discuss it, even with the reviews embargo lifted. I am preparing a very long, very detailed critique of precisely what does or doesn't work in the movie and until I have posted that there is no point asking me anything about it because I won't tell you. Be patient. 3rd April 2005
Vogon poetry clip on Parkinson and on-line
Stephen Fry's appearance on the BBC chat show Parkinson last night included the longest single clip which we have seen so far from the movie: Jeltz reading his poem to Arthur and Ford, with Fry's narration about Vogon poetry over the top. This meant, of course, that while we were being told how bad the poetry was, we couldn't actually hear the poetry... Naturally it didn't take long for this clip to make it onto the web. You can see a 7.5MB Quicktime version of it here, thanks to the always diligent DarthBastard. 2nd April 2005
Robbie Stamp interview on AOL
You would think he would be all interviewed out by now, but the DAC news page reports a new chat with Robbie Stamp on AOL. Unfortunately I don't know what Robbie says because the page is unviewable in either IE or this new-fangled Safari thing that I've been recommended. 2nd April 2005
US site problem - and a possible solution
Mike Yenco e-mailed me to say: "I thought it might just be me, but I was talking to another Mac OS X software developer today and mentioned that the 'Mice Maze' screen saver crashes my System Preferences and he said it did the same thing to him. So I'm guessing the screen saver either has a bug, or has been corrupted in some way. I looked through the US site and there doesn't seem to be any place to contact anyone about this... which probably explains why no fix has been posted (hard to fix something if you don't have any feedback about it being broken in the first place)." A few hours later, Caleb e-mailed me to say: "the 'guide to the guide' and a 'feedback' link (at the bottom of the animation) are now up on the US site." So Mike, that looks like your best bet. 2nd April 2005
Movie prop display leaflet
Here is a scan of the leaflet promoting the display of props that will be in LA's El Capitan cinema. I don't know what everything is in this artist's impression, but the thing at the top of the first display case is a Vogon gun and the next case along looks to have the miniature planets display from Slartibartfast's workshop. Many thanks to John Bryant for scanning this and to Steve Hauk for sending it over to me. 2nd April 2005
Movie soundtrack album on iTunes
Although the CD is not due for release until 26th April, and although the film soundtrack itself is still awaiting a final mix-down, nevertheless the Original Soundtrack album is already available on iTunes. There are 33 tracks of which 26 are orchestral pieces credited to Joby Talbot, including a cover version of 'Journey of the Sorcerer'. There are two vocal versions of the 'So Long and Thanks for All the Fish' song plus songs by Betty Wright, Al Green and Perry Como ('Magic Moments'!). Most bizarre of all is a cover version of the old Marvin single 'Reasons to be Miserable' (with the lyrics rewritten from first person to third person) performed by Stephen Fry. 1st April 2005
Apple planning iPod promotion
My thanks to Angus Kidman for alerting me to this article which he has written outlining Apple's plan for a big iPod promotion on the back of the Hitchhiker's movie. 1st April 2005
Douglas Adams doc on movie DVD?
According to the Douglas Adams Continuum, there is a strong and fairly credible rumour that the movie's DVD package, which will be pretty full to start with, will also include the feature-length documentary Life, the Universe and Douglaas Adams. Up to now, the documentary has only been available on VHS from DouglasAdams.com. 1st April 2005
New Yorkers, you can see the film on 28th!
WABC Radio is organising screenings of the movie for 'loyal listeners' at the Ziegfeld Centre in Manhattan on 28th April, the day before the official US release. Find out how you can get to see the film a day early here. (Many thanks to Homsar for spotting this.) Back here in the UK, details of the Empire readers' screenings on 26th are now on-line. 1st April 2005
Marvin and Deep Thought swap voices (updated)
Just when it seemed that all the voice-overs were locked down and sorted comes one of the most bizarre casting decisions you are ever likely to hear. Test screening results have indicated that, while Alan Rickman and Helen Mirren are generally popular with audiences, there are nevertheless some problems with the voices assigned to Marvin and Deep Thought. The mighty computer, it is felt, does not adequately express the boredom of millions of years spent calculating a number, while Marvin needs to get in touch with his feminine side. Consequently both Rickman and Mirren have been back into the studio to record each other's lines. As the end credits have already been designed, the guys from Shynola have been employed to animate little arrows going from each actor's name to the now-correct character name. Update: Just in case anyone is still unsure about this, check today's date. My thanks to everyone who took the jape in such good spirits, especially the poster on the IMDB board who ranted at this idea and then was big enough to admit that they had been fooled. 1st April 2005
Info overload approaching
Can Planet Magrathea withstand much more of this information overload? Last month I ran a massive 105 news stories - and that's not including all the ones that I updated later the same day. Can we beat | 
