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GARBER ON BROADWAY
11/1: Victor Garber will perform at a benefit concert reading of "A Little Night Music" for New York's Roundabout Theatre Company on January 12. The event is scheduled to take place at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square in Manhattan.

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BUT THEY WERE FREE!
10/31: Some douchebags on ebay are selling our promotional postcards that we gave out at the Dallas Star Wars Fan Days recently. They were meant to promote our website, not to make someone money! Don't bid on these; if you want one, pick one up at the freebie table at Wizard World Texas. We'll have some there!

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY RON RIFKIN!
10/31: It's Halloween, which means it's Ron Rifkin's birthday! Sloane turns 69 today. Congrats!

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ROGUE ON PAY PER VIEW!
9/8: If you dare to watch an unrated movie about a killer crocodile, you can see Michael Vartan's movie Rogue on Pay Per View! I'll be watching it this week and hopefully will post my thoughts on the message board.

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JEN FIGHTS CANCER
9/8: I hope everyone watched and pledged to the Stand Up for Cancer benefit last week on TV. If not, you missed Jen's appearance, with a very noticeable baby bump! How did she hide that before now?

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VARTAN'S ROGUE ON DVD!
8/9: I've been wondering when Rogue would hit theaters, so imagine my surprise when I see that it was released this week on DVD! In case you forgot, Vartan plays an American reporter on a trip in the Australian Outback in search of a killer croc, and boy do they find it. I heard it hit screens overseas and in Australia, but not here. We'll see how it is - I've heard from someone who saw it that it was a pretty good horror flick. Here's a link to Amazon if you wish to order it!

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VARTAN'S DEMOTED
7/22: Michael Vartan will star opposite "Arrested Development's" David Cross in a new movie called "Demoted." Vartan plays a hot-shot tire salesman who picks on Cross' co-worker character, until he finds a way to get even. It shoots this fall in Michigan for release next year.

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VIOLET'S GETTING A PLAYMATE
7/21: Apparently, Victor Garber spilled the beans to US Magazine that Ben and Jen are expecting another baby! Although it hasn't been confirmed, you gotta trust what Spy Daddy says, right?

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IF SYD TORTURES SOMEONE, THEN THEY MUST HAVE IT COMING TO THEM
7/13: Human Rights Watch, a civil liberties group with apparently too much to do, is after Sydney Bristow and Jack Bauer for "torturing" bad guys. Seriously. The group has issued a report that was given to Hollywood execs telling them how bad it is when people watch scenes of torture in shows like "Alias" and "24" and has worked with some writers to provide more accurate portrayals of the practice. Sounds like a back door way to get into the business if you ask me. We all know how ticked off Iran got when Jack tortured CIA snitch Haladki.

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FRINGE PREVIEW! AND A COMIC BOOK!

6/16: Here you go, a preview of Fringe! In addition, it looks like Fringe will get a prequel comic to be released this summer. No word yet on who will do the comic or when it will release. The story, as you can see, involves an FBI agent (Anna Torv) investigating some mysterious deaths on an airline flight. John Noble, who you might remember as Denethor in Lord of the Rings, stars as a possibly insane doctor who is described as a modern day Einstein. I met Noble a few years ago at a con and found him to be an especially friendly, gracious actor. He actually ran into my nephew (a Lord of the Rings fan) and as he was leaving the con to fly back to Australia, sought us out to shake our hands and say goodbye. Very cool.

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CARL AT CANNES!
6/16: Carl Lumbly was at Cannes recently for their film festival, where his film "Namibia" premiered. Hope this means it will see a U.S. release soon.

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WHAT'S MIA MAESTRO UP TO?
6/1: Our little Nadia is starring in a new miniseries for ION Television. "The Summit" involves a terrorist biological attack on a G-8 Summit meeting. It is unclear what role Mia is playing in it, but it looks to have an all star cast (including Christopher Plummer) and a cool premise. It should be worth watching. Look for the two-night event beginning June 15 on your local ION television affiliate.

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J.J.'S FRINGE PREVIEWED!
5/31: SciFiWire.com has posted a review of a rough cut of J.J.'s new sci-fi show for Fox called "Fringe." According to the site, the show mixes elements of Alias and Lost with a heavy dose of sci-fi. We will post the review on our message board, to avoid posting spoilers here.

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CLOVERFIELD, HEROES, SLUSHO, AND COOPER ON THE TRAIN
2/19: Just some random Alias references from around TV and Hollywood. I hope everyone saw Cloverfield, and if so, you saw the characters running up stairs in a building. They stop long enough to show the floor: 47. There is also the infamous SLUSHO reference, which was first seen in a episode of Alias (in a convenience store, Syd and Vaughn talk in front of a Slusho machine) and even Heroes (Kristen Bell drinks it). Heroes, of course, has Jesse Alexander and a number of Alias alumni in the cast and crew. In Cloverfield, Slusho is where Rob is going to work in Japan, and his brother sports a Slusho T-shirt....Bradley Cooper fans will be happy to know he is back on the big screen in the horror flick called - wait for it - MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN. After I stopped laughing, I realized this may be the BEST MOVIE TITLE EVER. EVER!

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ANDERS, GRUNBERG GET HEROES FIGURES!

2/19: Fans of David Anders and Greg Grunberg will be happy to know that each will be getting actio figures in 2008, thanks to Mezco, the company doing HEROES figures. The figures were on display at Toy Fair in New York this week, and if you would like a better look at the line, CLICK HERE TO VISIT COOL TOY REVIEW, WHO PROVIDED THE PICS ABOVE!

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NICHOLS IS SCARLETT!
1/5: Well, after taking much of December off from the website, there is some news for Alias fans. Word is that Season 5 alum Rachel Nichols has been cast as Scarlett in the new G.I. Joe movie. All I can say is, OOOHHH YEAHH! Nichols really looks the part, and Alias fans know she has the acting chops. As a Joe fan, I am really getting excited about seeing her in it. My only problem is that the film is being directed by Stephen Sommers, who makes horrible summer movies like "The Mummy Returns." One can still hope....

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ALIAS & LOST AUTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE FROM THE KNIGHTS
11/12: We mentioned over at the FindingLost site that our friends Knights of The Realm has a selection of Lost autographs, but we should mention that they have some Alias actors as well, including Amy Acker and the ever-elusive Jennifer Garner on an Elektra photo. These would make great Christmas gifts, so click on the link above to see what they have!

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WOMAN OF THE YEAR!
11/1: Glamour Magazine has named Jennifer Woman of the Year! You can catch the announcement and Jennifer's cover photo in the latest issue.

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HEY RIFKIN, IT'S YOUR BURFDAY
10/31: Happy birthday to "Brothers & Sisters" star and ultimate Alias baddie Ron Rifkin, who turns 68 this Halloween! Celebrate with a glass of red wine tainted with a chemical that slows your vital functions down to simulate death.

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LUMBLY READY TO CONQUER
10/31: Carl Lumbly will be appearing with Natasha Henstridge in the live-action cutscenes of the new Command and Conquer 3 expansion pack video game coming out soon for the X-Box 360. Carl will play Brotherhood of Nod villian Marcion.

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DISCOVER RAMBALDI'S ARTIFACTS!

9/30: Well, we really have a lot of Alias stuff left over from our Marathons and in our searches to fill the Archive. We decided to list what we have and give the proceeds to our Marathon charity, the Pediatric Epilepsy Project. Click the logo above to visit and if you find something you need, you can pay by Paypal. We'll add more stuff in the future, as well as more Lost merchandise (which we call Sawyer's Stash).

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JEN IN TREK?!?!? IN AN ALIAS MOVIE?!?!? IT COULD HAPPEN!
9/15: You read that right. According to an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Jennifer Garner is in talks to play a Vulcan love interest for a young Spock in Star Trek XI. Young Spock will be played by Zachary Quinto (Sylar on Heroes). Her response to the news was "If J.J. asked, the answer would be yes."

In addition, she said she would do an Alias movie if asked! "If J.J. were writing and directing it, then absolutely. I mean, I think we would all sign on. He certainly hasn't mentioned that to me but I would be there." Give it another couple of years, and reassemble the cast, which would mean Vartan, Rifkin, Grunberg, and Anders would be even bigger stars (given their current work), tie the story to Jack's spy past (so we get a Garber/Olin flashback, a must) and it would be a hit. Give it a stand alone story, like MI:3 or Casino Royale (no complicated Rambaldi storyline), and it would be a hit.

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JEN'S GETTING READY FOR HER BROADWAY DEBUT
9/10: Jen is currently studying for her Broadway opening November 1, when "Cyrano de Bergerac" bows at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York. Jennifer will play Roxanne, and says she studies her lines under the covers at night with Violet. She says she can only study two pages at a time (by flashlight) becuase turning the pages wakes Violet up.

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EARLY WORD ON MIKE'S BIG SHOTS AIN'T GOOD
9/9: Some critics are weighing in on Vartan's new series BIG SHOTS - which premieres SEPTEMBER 17 - and the early word isn't very good for the ABC drama. It's only getting two or three stars out of five, and one critic even called it "Desperate CEOs." Let's hope later episodes get better. If not, at least you have "Rogue" coming out for Halloween.

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DON'T TOUCH THE BISCUITS
9/9 Apparently, in all the publicity leading up to the release of The Kingdom, comes a story that Jennifer Garner had to inform cast and crew to stop hitting her boobs. Jen was still nursing at the time, and all the stunts and fight scenes were getting a little too personal, and she was afraid it might affect her ability to feed little Violet. Long time readers will remember a story a while back that mentioned Jennifer refering to her breats as biscuits. Was this really news? Probably not, but I couldn't pass up not reporting it, sorry.

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THAT NEUTROGENA GIRL...AND MIKEY'S ON TV
7/23: In case you missed it, Jennifer Garner is the new spokeswoman for Neutrogena, and is now appearing in a new commercial. In other commercial news, if you heard a far-off collective shriek during primetime recently, that was just Vartan-Hos across the nation reacting to the new preview for "Big Shots" or the show previously known as "Perfect Gentlemen." It's hard to say from the commercial exactly what type of character Vartan will be, but I hope it's not the male "Sex In The City" it appears to be. Surely it's better than that!

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J.J. JOINING THE ACADEMY
7/9: No, not Starfleet Academy. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, aka the Oscar folks, have invited J.J. to join their membership and make him eligible to vote for the annual awards. Also invited to join are a diverse lot including Jennifer Aniston, Eddie Murphy, Steve Carrell, Christopher Plummer, Daniel Craig, and Jennifer Hudson. Congrats to J.J., but my question is how are guys like Murphy and especially a legend like Plummer NOT already in the Academy? No wonder Shakespeare in Love won Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan. Guys like Plummer and Murphy never got to vote while girly frou-frou actors like Alan Alda get to. I bet that's why Michael Giacchino lost the Oscar for The Incredibles: J.J. never got to vote!

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WHAT IS CLOVERFIELD?
7/4: Cloverfield is the codename for J.J.'s new, untitled, and very creepy film, which you got a glimpse of if you saw Transformers. All we know is that J.J. is producing, and for the latest rumors and news, including a link to the film's possible website, visit the message board. Remember, you don't have to register to read or post, but we'd like you to!

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IT"S TRUE! SARK IS A HERO!
6/20: HEROES begins shooting this week, and while we will have to wait and see if Greg Grunberg's Parkman will live, we know of another ALIAS alum joining the cast! DAVID ANDERS has been cast as legendary samurai Takezo Kensei, whose sword was much sought after by Hiro in season one. How can this be? I don't know, but I want my season premiere NOW!

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JEN BACK ON THE SMALL SCREEN?
6/20: Sorry for the lack of updates, folks; my work as editor of The North Texas High School Sports Report, a monthly publication here in the Dallas area, has kept me very busy, but I do plan on being a lttle more punctual with updates.

Well, with Vartan coming back to TV with "Perfect Gentlemen," could Jen be far behind? Word is she is producing a new "View" style talk show and may make occasional appearances. Assuming she doesn't hire any crazy-mad lesbians with 9/11 conspiracy theories, it might be a good show!

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WHAT'S VARTAN UP TO?
3/13: VARTAN-HO ALERT! Well, have you heard the latest about everyone's favorite French import? He's in negotiations to star in a new film as - get this - a serial killer. We've seen Evil Francie, Evil Sydney, and now we might have Evil Vaughn!

Vartan is also starring in a new untitled TV pilot with Dylan McDermott about four potential CEOs who hang out together. Nia Long just signed on as a character who plays Vartan's "work wife," or a woman who spends more time at work with a man than his real wife. The show (if picked up) will be on ABC, just like Victor Garber, who is starring in a new pilot called "Eli Stone." More news to come.

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BRING YOUR FRIENDS TO THE MARATHON!
3/12: Don't forget, the Marathon begins at All-Con this Saturday, so help get the word out! Post messages on boards and websites and bring a friend. Those of you who have attended Marathons before know what a great time it is. Don't forget to visit our message board and vote for your favorite episodes, and we may show it! Tickets to All-Con are $15 to $25 a person and you can get more info at All-Con.org. You can also pay for your ticket at the door. Don't forget, if you're going to bid on items like the Jennifer Garner signed script or J.J. signed poster, be sure to bring cash to pay for your auction bids. Be sure to bring your spare change to toss in the Bristow Bucket. Be sure to post your questions about the event on the Message Baor dor email us!

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WHAT'S JEN UP TO?
3/12: Some of you may have caught Jen on Martha Stewart recently, but she's also been busy lately. She was recently spotted having lunch with Victor Garber and Michael Vartan in LA. Wonder if they tossed around any reunion ideas? Jen said recently that she would rather jump off of a building in a movie than run down stairs in high heels. Yeah, I think she's missing Alias. She recently said Britney should start wearing her kinickers (her words) and tabloids shouldn't be so obsessed with star's kids. She is also taking an online course in politics to keep up with her politically active husband. Unfortunately, he's a liberal Democrat, who tend to look down on covert spying, unauthorized black ops, using Echelon to listen in on calls and emails (sorry Marshall) and torturing to get intelligence (bad, bad Jack!). Let's hope her politics don't turn her off to putting on the wig once again.

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JEN IN NEW MOVIES
1/19: We all will get our Jen fix when "Catch and Release" opens this month, but Jen's already moved on to her next project. Besides "The Kingdom," which has already finished production, she just signed on to star in "Juno," from director Jason Reitman ('Thank You For Smoking'). Jennifer will play a possible adoptive mother to a girl with an unplanned pregnancy. Production begins in February. She's also scheduled to appear in another film, "The Devil in the Junior League," after that.

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THE 2007 ALIAS MARATHON MARCH 17
1/9: Well after some much-needed time off we are gearing up for this year's Alias Marathon! This year we will once again hold the event at All-Con, a fan convention covering movies, TV, sci-fi (in our case, spy-fy) and comic books. Better yet, All-Con will be at a new hotel, so, unlike the last minute change that had us in a cramped room, the All-Con folks have us in a large meeting room this time. We're already readying things, and have requests out to a number of Alias actors for autographs.

All-Con will be held at the Crowne Plaza North Dallas, at 14315 Midway Rd., Addison, TX 75001. The event will be held from 9 am to 6 pm and here are more details from our press release:
The Alias Marathon will present the Top 10 Alias episodes from the series' five year run, as well as "extras" such as behind the scenes featurettes, bloopers, deleted scenes, music videos, home videos, and other surprises. Marathoners are asked to collect monetary donations from friends and family to turn in at the Marathon, and a silent auction of Alias autographs and memorabilia will be held at the event. Anyone is welcome to attend the marathon and stay as long as they want, no admission is required, but a donation is welcome. The Dallas/Ft. Worth Alias Marathon is one of several that have been held around the world over the years, and is the largest and most supported of the events.It has received donations of autographs and memorabilia from nearly every major Alias actor as well as ABC, Disney, and Bad Robot, the Alias production company. Among the items available for auction or raffle at the event are a script signed by Jennifer Garner and the cast, an Alias poster signed by creator J.J. Abrams (also the creator of Lost and the director of Mission Impossible 3 and the new Star Trek film), items signed by Michael Giacchino, composer for Alias, Lost, MI:3, and The Incredibles; and a number of signed photos.

More info to come!

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J.J. HAS A NEW SHOW ON HBO
1/9: J.J. has just signed a deal to produce a new show for HBO. It will be a medical drama that will feature the point of view of patients who have cancer. No word yet on casting or when it will debut.

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SEASON 5 DVD WATCH PARTY
12/5: Excelsior Comic Gallery in Cedar Hill is graciously hosting AliasConnection. com's Season 5 DVD Watch Party THIS SUNDAY, December 10 from 1 pm to 4 pm!

We'll watch a couple of episodes from the new set as well as some of the documentaries filmed here in Dallas at All-Con (in which some of us are featured). We'll also be holding a raffle for an autographed photo from HEROES and ALIAS star GREG GRUNBERG. Tickets are $1 and we'll draw at the party.

Even if you aren't a big Alias fan, use the time to come by and check out one of the nicest comic shops in the area. There's plenty of shopping and restaurants nearby as well.

Excelsior Comic Gallery is located in Cedar Hill at 617 Uptown Blvd., on the south side of Wal-Mart on FM 1382 (S. Belt Line Rd.). If you're coming into Cedar Hill from 67 (north) exit FM 1382 and turn left on Uptown at the light. You'll see Wal-Mart on the left at the light. You can call them with questions at 972-293-7230. Their site is www.ecomicgallery.com. We hope to see you there!

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THE ULTIMATE SET
11/23: Well, Season 5, and the Complete Collection, is now on DVD. In fact, you can find them at pretty good prices in stores and online. As many of you know, many of us here with AliasConnection were featured in documentaries available only in the Complete Collection's bonus disc. For more info on who was featured, visit the message board.

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VARTAN HANGING OUT DOWN UNDER
11/3: It seems like Michael Vartan wasn't joking when he said he liked Australia while filming "Rogue." The man with the wrinkled brow was in Melbourne for the city's Melbourne Cup Carnival, sort of like the Kentucky Derby of Australia. Vartan-Hos can now start checking PriceLine for Sydney tickets.

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AMY ACKER IN DALLAS OCTOBER 29!
10/26: As you may have read on the message board, Amy Acker will appear at the Dallas Comic Con on Sunday, October 29. The Comic Con will be held at the Plano Centre in Plano, just north of Dallas. Amy will have two photos from Alias to sign, and her autograph is available for a donation of $25 (or two for $40) to the Give Life Foundation. Visit DallasComicCon.com for ticket info and directions. See you there!

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MIA MAESTRO'S NEW CAUSE
10/10: Mia Maestro is lending her name to raise awareness of a disease that is not well known here, but affects more than 12 million people in Central and South America. The disease is called Chagas, and it is caused by a parasite that lives in substandard housing. It can cause swelling, fever, enlargment of the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes, and inflammation of the heart. It is called the "AIDS of the poor" and has spread because of lack of education. Mia is helping to promote a new documentary about the disease, and you can visit the website by clicking HERE.

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PAM BEESLEY IS SYDNEY BRISTOW?
10/4: Here's something you probably didn't know: Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam Beesley, the mousy secretary on the NBC hit show "The Office," auditioned for the role of Sydney Bristow. According to Jenna, the producers liked her reading of the character, but she did not get the role because she wasn't "hot" enough. She said she did not get the "super hot sexy fighting chick" side of Syd. She said she actually enjoys her role as Pam, which is not focused on her looks as much as her character. It worked out for the best anyway. Jenna IS Pam.

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NEWS ON VIC AND GREG AND RON AND BALTY
10/3: While we're waiting for the Season 5 DVD set to hit, there is some news on Alias alums. Did you catch Greg Grunberg on "Heroes?" What a great show. I really hope Greg gets more screen time as the story goes on. Over on Fox, don't be concerned about the announcement that "Justice" is on hiatus. It's just for the baseball playoffs. There's too much positive buzz about the show for Fox to bail on it now. Unfortunately, there's bad buzz around "Brothers and Sisters" despite some strong acting. It's nice to see Ron Rifkin PERIOD - the man's good in everything. Mr. Getty's not bad but his character need stime to develop. Be sure to post your thoughts about these shows on the message board and make sure your TIVOs are set!

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IT'S A GIRL FOR AMY ACKER
9/8: Amy Acker has given birth to her second child, a girl, named Ava Grace. Ava weighed in at 7 lbs. 4 oz., and was born on Friday, September 1st. Ava has an older brother, Jackson, who is 19 months old. Congrats to Amy and her husband, James Carpinello.

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A PIECE OF VARTAN

9/7: More Alias goodness from the land of ebay. This time, it's a charity auction for the Starlight Starbright Foundation, which held a celebrity hockey game a few weeks ago. Now, they are auctioning off signed items from those who played, including a Mr. Michael Vartan. You can bid on a signed jersey, puck, gloves, or a banner. To see all the items up for auction (act quick) click HERE TO SEE AND BID!

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AWESOME AUTHENTIC SCRIPTS ON EBAY
8/27: Don't think there's any good Alias memorabilia to be had? Think again! Up for auction right now are some authentic Alias scripts that you should check out. First, check out THESE AUCTIONS from a former Alias crew member. Up for auction are a number of season one, two, and three scripts used by the effects department. Better yet, each script has different extras, like storyboards, schedules, etc. I've never seen crew memorabilia like this auctioned off before, so be sure to check it out, it may be your only chance ever to get your hands on this kind of thing. They would make a very cool Christmas gift for that Alias fanatic in your house.

If you would like the script to the series finale, "All the Time in the World" that just so happened to be the personal script of Mr. Sark himself, David Anders, click HERE. David signed the script and it is in excellent condition.

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GARBER TO PRESENT AT EMMYS SUNDAY
8/26: Victor Garber was a last minute announcemnt as a presenter for the Emmy Awards to be shown on NBC Sunday. I'm sure his new show is a reason he's there, and apparently he's getting great reviews. For example, you can read this article about "Justice" and Victor's performance from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel RIGHT HERE.

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IS JEN THE BEST REGIS?
8/21: Live with Regis and Kelly has announced their annual Relly Awards, given to various guests over the past year in a series of categories. Well, Jennifer is up for, of all things, "Best Regis" for an appearance this year. You can vote for Jen starting August 28 at RellyAwards.com and winners will be announced on September 22.

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TRAGEDY IN THE 'KINGDOM'
8/16: An assistant prop master on the set of Jennifer's new movie "The Kingdom" was killed when he was thrown from the golf cart he was driving. According to reports, the 25 year old man was driving on a closed highway when he crashed into an SUV carrying the film's director. Production on the film shut down for several days. Our sympathies go out to the man's family, friends, and crew members.

The news comes just days after Jennifer collapsed due to the extreme heat on the set in the Arizona desert. Her husband Ben Affleck, who had just completed filming in the Boston area, flew out to be by her side, and reports that she is fine and back on the set.

"The Kingdom" stars Jennifer as an FBI agent fighting terrorists, and is directed by Peter Berg, who you may remember as SD-6 agent Noah Hicks, aka "The Snowman," in season one.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CARL LUMBLY
8/16: We missed mentioning Carl's birthday on Monday the 14th. The man we call Dixon turned 55. Hey Carl, are you ready to PAR-TAY?

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RON RIFKIN IN PULSE
8/14: In case you missed it, the new horror thriller "Pulse" has a familiar face: Ron Rifkin! Ron plays a doctor who theorizes with star Kristen Bell. I won't reveal his fate here, however, Rifkin fans should know that according to a review I read, his time on-screen is very limited and his relevance to the story seems a bit unclear, as if his part were edited down. Considering the film isn't getting good reviews, you may want to wait until this comes out on cable if you're curious about seeing Sloane do horror.

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THE FINAL ARTIFACT WILL SOON BE WITHIN YOUR GRASP



8/4: Thanks to a tip from resident Vaughn expert Cathy Cates, we were directed to TV Shows on DVD, which featured this exclusive look at the Season 5 set due November 21, and a special, limited edition set of all five seasons coming out the same day. Included in the standard DVD set will be extras about the 100th Episode, Rambaldi, the music of Alias, Rachel Nichols, bloopers, and deleted scenes.

The limited edition Rambaldi set will be limited to 40,000 pieces and will include all five seasons and extras packed in a Rambaldi-like box. An extra disc will be "hidden" in the box, and will feature interviews with stars past and present, as well as Jennifer Garner's first interview. A book about Alias and a letter from J.J. Abrams is also included. It will retail for $199.99, but you will be able to find better prices online and in stores. No word yet if the fan documentary that AliasConnection.com was filmed for will be included in either set.

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WETTIG LEAVING PRISON BREAK
7/24: Patricia Wettig, who tried to fix Syd and Jack as CIA shrink Dr. Barnett, made a real impression last season as a no-good U.S. Vice President who rises to the Presidency on the Fox hit "Prison Break." Unfortunately, she has decided to leave the show to reteam with her husband Ken Olin on his new show "Brothers and Sisters," with other Alias alumni Balthazar Getty and Ron Rifkin. No word on whether she will appear at any point as a guest on "Prison Break."

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J.J. JUMPS TOUCHSTONE'S SHIP FOR PARAMOUNT & WB
7/16: J.J. Abrams has officially signed new development deals with both Paramount and Warner Brothers, leaving behind Touchstone/Disney, the company that made him one of Hollywood's biggest TV producers. The five year movie deal with Paramount and six year deal with Warner Bros. would make him one of the highest paid directors in Hollywood. Bad Robot would move over to Warner, who would provide financing for future TV projects. All I have to say to Paramount is two words: ALIAS MOVIE.

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GREG GRUNBERG GETS MONKED AND TEAMS UP WITH...SARK?
7/10: I'm a big fan of Tony Shalhoub and his show MONK on the USA network. Well lo and behold, I'm watching the season premiere this weekend and Agent Weiss himself shows up and starts killing folks. Don't worry, I'm not giving anything away, this all happens as the show opens. It's Monk's job to find out why. The episode will play again this week and for those of you with digital cable, USA is offering it on-demand.

In other Grunberg news, a recent NY Times article detailed his charitable efforts on behalf of his son, who suffers from epilepsy. He formed a band called Battle of the Network Stars, who play gigs to raise money for charity. Among the band members (Greg plays drums) are House's Hugh Laurie, Desperate Housewives' James Denton, and Mr. Sark, David Anders, on lead vocals! If you're lucky enough to attend the post-Emmy party, you'll be able to see them play. That must be a sight. Pretty cool that these guys are doing all of this to find a cure for epilepsy. The article goes on to quote Greg saying his wife is his "rock" as they balance life and a child with epilepsy. We wish them the best and hope to hold another Marathon to help out with their efforts.

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DON'T FORGET TO ORDER YOUR SUMMER GLAU AUTOGRAPHS!
6/27: Dakota Hott of WHAT'S HOTT AUTOGRAPHS is offering AliasConnection readers a special rate for his private signing in July with Firefly/Serenity actress Summer Glau. You can get an 8X10 signed by Summer for only $30 plus shipping. You also get a Certificate of Authenticity and a photo of Summer isgning. If this signing goes well, Dakota plans to set up more signings, including the possibility of getting some ALIAS actors to sign! If you're interested in a Summer autograph, email Dakota at orderswhc@aol.com and get more info! Be sure to let Dakota know if you're interested in any Alias signings he may do in the future. He still has some David Anders autos from his appearance in Dallas last year, ask him for prices!

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AMY ACKER GETS A NOD
6/27: It looks like the Buffy fans banded together to score Amy Acker a SyFy Genre Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series for ALIAS. It was the only nomination for the show, which were dominated by shows like "Battlestar Galactica," "Firefly" (who had one unaired Fox episode qualify when the SciFi Channel showed it), and "Lost." Acker is up against three "Galactica" actresses, including Katie Sackhoff (Starbuck) and Grace Park (Boomer). Fans can vote in the awards beginning in July, and it would be great if Buffy and Alias fans banded together to push Amy over the top when Galactica fans find their vote split? We'll let you know when and where you can vote ASAP! J.J. is also nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award, but I think a lot of that goes to the popularity of Lost.

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GET TO KNOW GARBER, AGAIN
6/27: Anyone see the promos running on Fox lately for the new show Justice? It features Victor Garber acting quite different from the repressed frustration we usually saw in Jack Bristow. He's still forceful, but more animated, more lawyerish. I think fans who are used to only seeing Garber play Jack will see just what great range he has.

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NO NEWS ISN'T GOOD NEWS
6/27: It's been pretty dry out there news-wise for Alias fans, which is why we have a news bit with no news in it. In case folks were wondering, there still has been no confirmation from Buena Vista about the release of Season 5 on DVD. We would have thought something would be forthcoming, especially since there has been an announcement of Season 2 of LOST on DVD (September 5 by the way). Hopefully we'll see something soon.

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WIN VARTAN'S BIKE!

6/5: That's right, you could win Michael Vartan's bike right out from under him! He is donating his so-called "Alias Beach Cruiser" to be auctioned off for charity. Both he and Victor Garber signed the bike, which Vartan rode around the set on. You can also win Jennifer Garner's dress from Season 4's "The Orphan." To bid on either item, CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE EBAY LIVE AUCTION!

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THE ALIAS INDEX IS BACK!
5/25: The Index is back as we discuss the finale and the latest news. Click on the link in the left column to listen or download! We are also about to announce where you can listen to past episodes of the Index. We should have that announcement soon!

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BURK GOES TREKKING
5/24: In our first bit of post-Alias news (ouch, that hurts), Alias and Lost producer Bryan Burk has announced that he too will produce the new Star Trek movie. He revealed nothing new, only that they are keeping this on the down-low, between himself, J.J., and Damon Lindelof.

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I LIKE IT! I LIKE IT! TOO BAD NO ONE SAW IT. (SPOILERS)
5/24: I must admit, I really liked the finale. That also seems to be the consensus with fans on message boards and websites, as well as critics. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but there's no denying it was a heck of a tale. I think the line of the night has to be "You beat death, Arvin...but you couldn't beat me." AWESOME. I have an autograph from Brent Spiner (Data from Star Trek) which he signed with his famous line "Resistance is Futile." Should I ever get to meet Victor Garber, that's the line I'd like him to sign with his autograph. Even more than the airplane parts line. It's a great moment that only an actor like Garber can deliver. And who packed the Project Christmas puzzle?!?!

In related finale news, despite great reviews, the final Alias only pulled a 2.6 rating to finish fourth in the Neilsen ratings. In another brilliant ABC scheduling move, it could not compete with the over-hyped 24 finale (1st with a 5.9 rating despite lifting an ending right out of the Horizon episode), Trump's Apprentice with his ugly mutant daughter, and Two and a Half Men. Even the Julia Louis Dreyfuss sitcom pulled a 4.5 against Alias. Of course, every time I changed the channel a 24 actor was on some talk show. Jimmy Kimmel loves Jennifer and Alias, a Alias-themed Kimmel show that night would have been great. Are the Alias actors on vacation, or did ABC not want to pop for publicity? Lemme guess...

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JOIN US LIVE ONLINE AFTER THE FINALE FOR REACTIONS!
5/19: We invite to join us online live after the finale Monday to post your thoughts about THE END. Rather than open a chat room, I'd like for us to use the message board so our thoughts and opinions can be saved for those who cant join us right away. Sure, the ABC board may have more folks, but do you really want to read 100 more posts about how much better the season would have been with Vaughn? Neither would I! Let's make our first virtual get-together the best as we see Sydney hang up her wig for the final time. Invite your friends!

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A DAY WHICH WILL LIVE IN ALIAS INFAMY
5/18: According to Mia Maestro, Alias officially wrapped at 4:00 a.m. PST on April 25, 2006. That's a lot later than what we were told, but we did hear that shooting had been extended. According to Mia, a lot of "older characters" came back for the finale. Interesting, no?

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SERVER ISSUES RESOLVED
5/18: We have been unable to update the site recently due to technical issues. We finally got it fixed!

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TV GUIDE AT THE 100th EPISODE PARTY
5/6: Last week's TV Guide featured a one page spread on the party for Alias' 100th episode. There were some very cool pictures, and in case you missed it, Click here to see a scan!

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ALIAS SEASON 4 TRADING CARD SETS

5/5: We're considering ordering some Season 4 cards for those interested in getting sets. If you would like a set, they will be $10 shipped (all sets will come in a plastic case). We also picked up a number of Season 4 P-1 Promo Cards (pictured on the right). We'll include one free with each set, and additional cards are $1 each. We are also offering Lost Season One Sets as well as Promo Cards at FindingLost.com. You can add those to your Alias order if you wish. Email us if you are interested and we'll let you know when they are in and ready for purchase.

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WATCHED ALIAS ONLINE?
5/5: I gotta say, I'm impressed with ABC's online stream of Alias episodes. The quality isn't HDTV of course, but it is better than I expected, and despite the gripes some have, you can't argue with FREE. My only problem was that the computer I used had a smaller screen resolution and the video was formatted for larger screen and could not be adjusted. I hope everyone reading this watches at least some episodes, and shows ABC how much of a following Alias has. It would be great if it was watched online more than say, Desperate Housewives.

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THE DARKEST TURN EVER
5/3: What did you think about "30 Seconds?" I knew this thing would have to ramp up as the finale got closer, but...wow. I won't say any more. Go to the Message Board and post your thoughts about this incredible episode.

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PLOT DETAILS FOR THE FINALE!
5/1: It's here! ABC has released summaries for the final two episodes, "Reprisal" and "All The Time in the World." To read it, visit the MESSAGE BOARD. Of course, plot and guest star spoilers abound. All I have to say is one word: Rambaldi. RAMBALDI! RAMBALDI! RAMBALDI! RAMBALDI! RAMBALDI! RAMBALDI! YEE HAW!

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RATINGS DIP FOR "THERE'S ONLY ONE"
5/1: An average of 6.5 million viewers watched "There's Only One Sydney Bristow" last week, down from the the week before. Of course, Lost was a clip show, so there weren't many folks watching ABC to begin with. Here's hoping things turn around next week. As always, you can give us your opinion of th eepisode on the message board.

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J.J. CLARIFIES 'TREK' RUMORS
5/1: Apparently, J.J. didn't plan on the Star Trek news getting out already. He stated as much in several interview, and says details are being overblown, but did say he may direct the film, it's his decision.

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YEAH, BUT WILL GRUNBERG PLAY A VULCAN?
4/21: Paramount has announced that J.J. will direct the new Star Trek film, which will be set at Starfleet Academy and star a younger Kirk and Spock. Star Trek XI, which does not have a title, is an attempt to revive the franchise after the cancellation of the TV show "Enterprise" and the flop of the last two "Next Generation" films. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci will write the script, and Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk will co-produce. The film is set for a 2008 release. $10 says that if "Lost" slips while "Trek" is produced, people will blame J.J. for doing Star Trek instead of focusing on the castaways.

I am serious though, Grunberg BETTER be in this one. If he isn't, someone's getting a Vulcan Death Pinch!

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ALIAS RATINGS SOLID
4/21: While pulling in 8 million viewers for the final half hour, Alias was about where it had been in terms of viewers from the fall, but did much better in pulling in the key 18 - 49 demographic. Here's the story from ABC:

The two-hour return of "Alias" attracted 7.5 million viewers and a 2.7 rating, 8 share among Adults 18-49. Despite facing Fox's "American Idol" at 9:00 p.m., the Touchstone-produced drama posted its strongest performance of the season in the key adult sales demo while drawing the show's largest audience since its season premiere. In addition, "Alias" grew by 1.3 million viewers (6.9 million to 8.2 million) and by 35% among Adults 18-49 (2.3/7 to 3.1/8) from its first half-hour to its final half-hour.

In its regular 8:00-9:00 p.m. time period, "Alias" improved the hour in both Total Viewers (7.2 million vs. 6.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.4/7 vs. 2.3/6) compared to ABC's performance in the hour since Fox's "American Idol" returned on the night (1/25/06).

The two-hour return telecast of "Alias" was up by 7% in viewers (7.5 million vs. 7.0 million) and by 17% among young adults (2.7/8 vs. 2.3/6) versus its averages this season.

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WHO IS COMING BACK?
4/21: A certain someone has been confirmed as returning to Alias this season. To see who, check the message board.

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EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK (SPOILER!)
4/19: Oh. My. Goodness. If there was any doubt that Alias could still zing us like it used to, "SOS" and "Maternal Instincts" proved us wrong. Good Lord, look at what this 2-part episode gave us. An evil Irina. A lying, slithery Sloane. Dixon's cornrows. Rides on a car hood. Jack's School of Torture. Marshall making us laugh again. Thomas and the Cardinal. Rachel running into doors. His Greatness, Greg Grunberg. Evil OBGYNs. Bazookas and choppers. Syd's placenta. Grandpa Jack. The Horizon. Oh, and some guy in the far East named Vaughn. He's gonna be ticked his Hockey Times subscription was cancelled.

CLICK RIGHT HERE to post your thoughts about tonight's episodes on our message board!

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ALIAS ON ITUNES!
4/18: ITunes has announced that starting today, you can order both season 4 and 5 episodes for $1.99 each! Now you can take the Vaughnless season 5 wherever you go if you have a video IPod! You can also buy the entire set of season 4 episodes for $34.99.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MRS. AFFLECK!
4/17: Shame on me, I almost went the whole day without acknowledging that Jennifer's birthday was today. The perpetually perky actress was born in a Houston hospital (yee-haw, a fellow Texan, just like Amy Acker!) 34 years ago today. Many happy returns!

Her Jenniferness has been on most of the entertainment news shows recently promoting the return of Alias, and rumor has it that she is being considered for a role as the villian in the new Sailor Moon movie opposite Lindsay Lohan. I kinda doubt that, but it is fun to consider at least.

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SEE SEASON 5 FOR FREE ANYTIME
4/13: As you may have read in our forum, ABC and Disney will offer the entire Alias season 5 slate of episodes online for free. Commercials will be included in the episodes and they will be made available in May. Lost and Desperate Housewives are included in the offerings, and more details about the episodes are forthcoming.

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IT'S A GIRL FOR THE WEISMANS!
4/13: Congratulations to Kevin Weisman and his wife, who just gave birth recently to a little girl.

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THE BOX IS CLOSED!
4/2: PLEASE STOP SENDING YOUR EMAILS AND LETTERS! The deadline has passed and we have officially closed the Rambaldi box containing hundreds of thank yous and notes to the cast and crew. A big thank you back to everyone who wrote - I'm sure the cast and crew will love it. I can't believe how vast the response was. I stopped counting the number of countries we heard from at 13. Thank you again for your responses!

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FINAL DAYS TO SEND YOUR THANK YOUS TO ALIAS!
3/28: Just a reminder to everyone, it isn't too late to send your thank you notes for the "Rambaldi Box" we are sending to the Alias set. One thing I failed to mention here - but I have mentioned on our board and ABC's Alias board - is that you can email us your thank you note for inclusion in the box.

Just email us your thank you note to aliasdfw@sbcglobal.net and we'll print it out and put it in the box. Please use the Subject Line to address your thank you to a particular person or everyone in the cast and crew. Act quickly! We only have a few more days before we must send it off! The response so far has been great: thank yous from across the country and over a dozen other countries. Keep up the good work!

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MERRIN DUNGEY - ROCKET SCIENTIST! PLUS MORE PILOT NEWS
3/23: Merrin Dungey is on the move again. The former Ms. Francie Calfo has joined the cast of "Beyond," a pilot for Fox. The drama follows the story of scientists at NASA's jet propulsion laboratory. Brian Grazer and David Nevins of Imagine Entertainment will produce the show. I don't know how this will affect her character on King of Queens, a role she had recently returned to after leaving it for Alias and Summerland. I assume King of Queens is returning, but her character may not.

In other pilot news, we failed to mention before that "American Crime," the lawyer show whch Victor Garber has joined, will be produced by Hollywood super-producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Ken Olin's ABC drama "Brothers and Sisters" will also star Alias alum (and Ken's wife, if I'm not mistaken) Patricia Wettig. Ron Rifkin and Balthazar Getty are already in the cast. Tyrees Allen (Gordon Dean) is starring in "A House Divided" for NBC, a drama in which farmers fight the U.S. government. Melissa George will star opposite Gina Gershon in "Lipstick Jungle," from writer Candace Bushnell, about New York women who will do anything to get ahead and stay on top. Sounds like another annoying Sex and the City clone, but I'll give Melissa a chance.

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MORE SCHEDULING SHENANIGANS! A MONDAY FINALE? BRISTOW VS. BAUER?
3/22: Just when things were looking good for Alias, another twist. Apparently ABC stands for Another Brainless Change, because some idiot decided to move the Alias finale to MONDAY, MAY 22. Not only will that confuse viewers even more, there is also word that the finale could run up against either the Prison Break and 24 finales (if not both) on Fox! Both shows seem to share a lot of viewers with Alias, and Alias stands to lose the most since they have a lot less buzz. It isn't too late to change things, so let's hope ABC comes to their senses.

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MARATHON NEWS!
3/22: Well folks, sorry for the delay in getting a report to everyone, but I am happy to report that the Marathon this year went REALLY well. Considering a massive rainstorm hit during the weekend that flooded many parts of Dallas, a good crowd turned up at All-Con. The weather did affect attendance, and prevented some folks from coming, but the Marathon was still able to raise over $600 at last count, with more money expected to come in. In addition, many of our top silent auction items did not meet minimum bids (including the signed season 5 script), and will be auctioned off at later events. We may even do a mini-marathon in the near future to raise more money for charity.

The film crew working on the DVD set couldn't have been nicer. Even when the rain flooded one of the meeting rooms, forcing us to use one of the smaller rooms, they made the best of it. The interviews with those of us at the Marathon went very well; I don't think there was a subject left untouched. There's no word on the release date yet, but we should see an announcement by early summer. One of the crew members was wearing a special Alias sweatshirt celebrating the 100th episode. It sported the Rambaldi logo with a "100" inside the "O." Very cool. The crew had been interviewing the cast for the Season 5 set (and said they were all great people) as well as recording commentaries. One of the commentaries they recorded was mentioned in passing by the crew, and featured someone who had not participated in an Alias commentary before. We won't spoil it for you, but trust us, you'll love it.

More news on the Marathon and everything else will be on our MESSAGE BOARD.

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RON RIFKIN TO PERFORM AT ROUNDABOUT GALA
3/22: Ron Rifkin will perform in the 2006 Spring Gala of the Roundabout Theatre Company at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on April 3 at 7:00 p.m. The Gala benefits the nonprofit theatre company, of whom Rifkin is an alumnus. Other alumni scheduled to appear are Alan Cumming, Jane Krakowski, Martin Short, and Harry Connick, Jr. Tickets range from $1500 to $50,000.

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THE DALLAS MARATHON TO BE FILMED FOR THE SEASON 5 DVD SET! ATTEND AND YOU COULD BE INTERVIEWED!

3/16: It's true! The production company putting together the Season 5 DVD set is coming to Dallas to film the Marathon and interview fans for a documentary to be included on the DVD set! YOU COULD BE A PART OF ALIAS HISTORY BY BEING INCLUDED IN THE FINAL DVD SET!

The Season 5 DVD set will include a feature about the fans, including their thoughts on the current season. While the Marathon itself will be filmed, they are looking to interview some hard core fans. This can be your way of saying "Thank you" on behalf of all Alias fans everywhere.

PLEASE BE AWARE: if you attend the Marathon on Saturday, you are agreeing to being filmed by the crew if they are there at the time. If you are interviewed, you may have to sign a release. Anyone who may have a problem with being filmed and included on the DVD set may not want to attend. If you do have a problem, my question is, what's wrong with you!!?? Who WOULDN'T want to be a part of this? Tell all the Alias fans you know to be at All-Con this Saturday!

Visit All-Con.org for more information about All-Con. Don't forget to use this registration form at the con! When you turn it in at registration, part of your entry fee is donated to the Marathon!

SEE YOU SATURDAY!

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WEISMAN JOINS ABC PILOT
3/14: ABC has announced that Kevin Weisman has joined the cast of a new pilot called "Mr. Nice Guy" about a man whose good deeds never go unpunished. No word yet on Weisman's role in the show.

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WIN A SIGNED SEASON 5 SCRIPT AT THE DALLAS MARATHON!
3/10: The folks at Alias have always been generous to the Marathon, and we're proud to announce that they've made another great donation to this year's cause. For this year's silent auction they've donated the script to episode 5.1, "Prophet Five!" It's been personally signed by JENNIFER GARNER, VICTOR GARBER, RON RIFKIN, CARL LUMBLY, KEVIN WEISMAN, RACHEL NICHOLS, ELODIE BOUCHEZ, AND BALTHAZAR GETTY! You do not want to miss your chance at this piece of Alias memorabilia! In addition, they also donated t-shirts, pictures, magazines, cards, and more! Come by the Marathon March 18 and take home a piece of the show! Don't forget, the Marathon runs 9 am to 8 pm!

REMEMBER! If you want to attend the Marathon, you must purchase an admission pass to All-Con, the fandom convention hosting our event. Tickets are $20 for a three-day pass or $10 for a one-day pass, if you are only coming on Saturday for the Marathon. We suggest you print out the form inked below, fill it out, and bring it with you to All-Con (you can pay for tickets at the door.) Using this particular form with our name on it ensures a portion of your admission price is donated to the event!
Click here to get an All-Con registration form!

Besides hosting a full dealer room and a bunch of activities, All Con will have several actors as guests. From Star Wars Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith will be Jay Laga'aia, who played Captain Typho, and Nalini Krishan, who played Jedi Knight Bariss Offee. In addition, Bill Blair (Star Trek, Babylon 5), James Horan (Kate's father on Lost), and Ken Feinberg (Buffy and Alias) will sign.

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JACK LANDS ON HIS FEET
3/1: Count Victor Garber in as one soon-to-be Alias alum who has a new job already. The four time Emmy nominee is joining the cast of a new Fox pilot called "American Crime." He'll play a defense attorney. No other word on the pilot was made available. Garber had previously played an attorney who tried to put the moves on Reese Witherspoon in "Legally Blonde."

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THE END IS NEAR: ALIAS RETURNS APRIL 19
2/28: It's official: Alias will return to ABC April 19 in a special two hour event, at 7:00 central time, and will stay in that time slot for five more weeks as the lead off for LOST. That's the great news. The not so great news is that ABC has shortened Alias' season to 17 episodes instead of 22. That means only eight new episodes will be shot and aired. How this will affect the current storyline remains to be seen. It probably means the twists will come fast and furious as the final episode nears. It also means we won't have to suffer through more episodes of "Freddie" and "George Lopez," who are ending their seasons early to accomodate Alias. ABC also announced three returning actors to the show. To find out who they are, visit the MESSAGE BOARD.

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PICS FROM VARTAN'S "ROGUE"

2/19: BlackFilm.com has posted the first pictures from Michael Vartan's croc movie "Rogue." Links to the full-size pictures are below. The film is being distributed by Dimension and will open Christmas Day. It will be the feel-good man-eating crocodile holiday movie of the year!
PIC 1
PIC 2
PIC 3

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NEW MESSAGE BOARD, NOW INCLUDING LOST!
2/18: We've put up a new message board! This one has a few more features, and good news for you Lost fans. This board will also be used by folks on FindingLost.com, so there will be separate sections for both shows. We thought it would be much better to combine both shows from the JJ-Verse on one board. Note that the link in the masthead will point to the new board, but links in news to specific posts will continue to point to the old board, so be sure not to use that one for more posts. The link for the new board is:
RIGHT HERE!

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TNT ALIAS AIRINGS, & A NUMBER TO COMPLAIN
2/16: As you may have noticed, Alias is being shown on TNT only on Wednesday late nights, into early Thursday morning. This looks to be the plan for the near future, much like what TNT is doing with X-Files on Tuesdays. They didn't seem to give Alias much of a chance to catch on with viewers initially; they changed time slots before pulling it all together. I am a fan of Law & Order, but they show it TOO MUCH. They need a show like Alias to break the monotony. There is a phone number to TNT you can call to give your feedback and ask (nicely please) to give Alias a better time slot. The number is (404) 885-4339. While late night is nice for some folks, it allows for multiple episodes to be viewed at a time, showings during the day and in primetime will pay off if they give it a chance.

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VICTOR GARBER TO APPEAR AT LA BENEFIT
2/16: SpyDaddy himself will appear at the 14th Annual "A Night at Sardi's" Alzheimer's Association benefit March 8 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. The event, created to honor late playwright/director Abe Burrows, will feature selections from the musical Funny Girl. Also appearing will be Peter Gallagher, Jason Alexander, Michael Chiklis, Sharon Lawrence, Garry Marshall, and Lea Thompson.

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UPDATED: J.J. WILL NOT DIRECT ALIAS FINALE & MORE DETAILS
2/14: At an appearance at WonderCon in San Francisco this weekend, J.J. spent most of his time talking about Mission Impossible 3, but did say that he will be on an overseas promotional tour when the finale begins shooting, so he will not be directing it as he hoped. Contrary to what he had reported earlier, however, he will be involved in some way. He is unsure if he will be THE writer or a co-writer, but he will be involved in the process.

"I won't get to do that (direct), which is a very sort of heartbreaking idea that the show will end without me there," Abrams says. He also slips about a plot point to the finale. To find out what it is, CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE MESSAGE BOARD!

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GETTY JOINS "BROTHERS & SISTERS"
It didn't take Balthazar Getty to line up a new job: he's joining the cast of ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" with Ron Rifkin. I assume he's playing a brother. No other details are available yet.

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SOMEBODY IS TALKING ABOUT THE 100TH EPISODE
2/13: Someone gave away a major plot detail about episode #100. To find out who it is, and what this person said, CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE MESSAGE BOARD!

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GINA "ANNA ESPINOZA" TORRES SIGNS FOR THE MARATHON!
2/10: She's been a favorite villian of Alias fans for years, and she has a legion of Firefly and Serenity fans, and she just signed for the Dallas Alias Marathon! You will have the chance to bid on a Gina Torres autographed photo at the marathon this year. Start saving your money! A special thanks to Lili Ungar Public Relations for arranging the donation.

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GREG GRUNBERG: A NEW KIND OF HERO
2/9: Agent Weiss himself could be taking to the skies soon, as he has joined the cast of the NBC pilot "Heroes," a drama about average people who discover they have superpowers. No word yet on what Greg's exact role on the show will be, or if he will, in fact, fly.

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PINKNER DROPS BIG ALIAS NEWS
2/8: Jeff Pinkner has talked to TV GUIDE, and says ALIAS WILL BE BACK SOON, but probably not on Thursdays at its old time slot. That could be a very good thing, or a very bad thing. Kevin Weisman reportedly told Kristen at E! that it might return after Lost again, but that is not confirmed. It sounds like things are going on behind the scenes to give Alias a decent slot, we'll see.

There's even bigger news. The 100th episode of Alias will be titled "There's Only One Sydney Bristow" (what a great title) and will see no less than THREE characters from the past return. Word is one will appear briefly in episode 99, maybe in the final scene. To find out who is coming back, check the MESSAGE BOARD to find out who! MAJOR SPOILERS APPLY!

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ALIAS BACK ON TNT TONIGHT
Don't forget, tonight at midnight (check your local listings for exact time) will be the return of Alias to TNT for an all night marathon. Episode 1 "Truth Be Told" starts it off.

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ABC DROPS THE BALL AGAIN
2/6: After watching the Super Bowl, I was disappointed that ABC once again failed to promote Alias in any way. I wasn't totally surprised, after all why spend time promoting a show that has only a dozen or so episodes left, over a show that will be back next season. However, after seeing promo after promo for that Arrested Development ripoff Sons and Daughters and overblown promos for Housewives and Dancing With Has-Beens, it became clear to me that ABC had way too much time and no plan to promote anyone besides a handful of shows. For crying out loud, every show on ABC could have gotten 20-30 seconds of airtime and there still would have been time left over. It would have been awesome to see a promo of Sydney on the boat and then some new footage (by the way, if Vaughn is coming back, this would have been a great time to show that, what have you got to lose?). However, ABC still falls far behind Fox and CBS in hyping shows. Can you imagine what Fox would do with Alias? Their promos make every show look earth-shattering.

Is it just me, or has anyone noticed that with all of the hype over 24 this year, it did exactly what Alias did in the first hour (killed a major character), causing a lot of buzz and water cooler talk. However, since then, the shows haven't really been as thrilling as seasons past. The acting is great, but it seems kind of slow so far. Alias, on the other hand, had some great episodes, and I think made for better television. Am I biased? Maybe, but 24 last year was better than Alias last year, I'll admit that, and the fact that Alias is not getting it's due this year puzzles me. ABC could promo the return through the roof, after all, who doesn't want to talk to Jen about her baby? It could bring a ton of attention to the show, but it isn't happening. Shame on you, ABC!

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ALIAS DROPPED FROM MARCH SCHEDULE?
2/3: ABC has announced a number of mid-season shows to premiere in March, including a show called "American Inventors," produced by Simon Cowell, that is scheduled to air in Alias' Thursday slot in mid-March. What does this mean for Sydney and the gang? Well, ABC isn't talking, but it appears Alias doesn't have a place on the schedule, and may not air in March as previously announced. We'll find out what is going on and let you know if it's time to start bugging ABC again.

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ALIAS BACK MARCH 2
1/30: Word is Alias will be back on the schedule March 2, in its' usual Thursday time slot. The return will be marked with two new episodes. Let the countdown begin!

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LET JENNIFER AND VICTOR SING YOU TO SLEEP
1/28: No, I'm not kidding. Rhino Records is releasing a new CD called "Unexpected Dreams: Songs from the Stars," on March 28. The songs are geared for children and adults looking for some soothing music. Jennifer Garner sings "My Heart Is So Full of You" and Victor Garber sings "No One Is Alone." Also included on the CD are songs from Scarlett Johanssen and Teri Hatcher. Proceeds benefit musical education programs.

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ABC SAYS GOODBYE GARNER, HELLO RIFKIN
1/28: Well, Jennifer Garner may be leaving ABC, but Ron Rifkin may be sticking around. Mr. Sloane himself is starring in a pilot called "Brothers and Sisters," a drama about siblings. Rifkin will play their uncle. No other details are available including when ABC will announce if they will pick it up.

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TNT PULLS ALIAS DAYTIME RERUNS - COMING TO LATE NIGHTS FEB. 8
1/26: You may have noticed that TNT is not showing Alias this week. That's because the network has pulled the show. While TNT isn't talking, it appears Alias wasn't getting the ratings of Charmed or Law and Order. TNT will bring it back on February 8, with late night showings beginning at 11:00 p.m. central time, midnight eatern. On the 8th/9th, it will show continuously all night. TNT has not announced their schedule past this point (the NBA plays late on the 10th) so we don't know if this will continue. Personally, I like the idea. Late night may be a good time for Alias to pick up new viewers, and the show works best with continous episodes, so hopefully it will pick up a following and make it back to daytime soon. Don't bother trying to email TNT to complain; they NEVER respond to email.

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RACHEL NICHOLS TALKS ABOUT SEASON 5
1/25: In an interview during the recent TV Critics Winter Press Tour, Rachel Nichols revealed that she is a "huge Alias fan," and has never missed an episode, a fact she hid from producers while she auditioned because she was afraid they would think she was a "crazy, deranged fan." Welcome to the club, Rachel!

Nichols also revealed that major names will return for the final episodes. While she couldn't confirm anyone, she did drop some possibilities. Visit the MESSAGE BOARD for more details. Beware of spoilers!

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RUTGER HAUER SIGNS FOR THE MARATHON!
1/25: Geiger himself has lent his hand to the Marathon! Rutger Hauer sent us an autographed photo from his home in Italy, no less! You'll have your chance to bid on this great autograph at the Alias Marathon at ALL-CON on March 18. Make plans to attend now!

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JOAQUIN & BALTHAZAR TEAM UP
1/25: Joaquin Phoenix is helping out his pal Balthazar Getty and his band Ringside by directing one of their music videos. The Golden Globe winning actor has one other music video directing credit to his name, a short for the British band The People in the Planes.

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A SPECIAL GUEST FOR THE MARATHON!

1/15: All-Con has announced that Ken Feinberg will appear at the con as a celebrity guest! That's Ken above posing with some chick from the show. Ken has appeared on Buffy and Charmed and has appeared twice as Sark's driver, in the episodes "Page 47" and "Rendezvous." Plans are underway to have Ken stop by the Marathon March 18 and talk about his experiences on the set! Don't forget to make plans NOW to attend, we'll have some great autographs and memorabilia in our silent auction, and enjoy the best Alias episodes of all time with fellow fans! Remember, buying a ticket to All-Con is required to attend, and you can download a form by CLICKING HERE. Using this form when you mail in your registration ensures a portion of the ticket price is donated to the Marathon charities!

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FINDING LOST IS ONLINE!
1/13: We are happy to announce that we've started a sister site just for LOST fans. The site, FindingLost.com, will operate much like AliasConnection, with news and reviews, as well as a place to discuss the mysteries surrounding the show. All of the features will begin going online soon, so for now be sure to bookmark the site and be sure to visit as soon as you finish visiting here!

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GET A FREE ALIAS SEASON 4 PROMO CARD!

1/12: The new Alias Season 4 set is due out this month from Inkworks, and to celebrate, the card company is offering a special internet promotional card available only by mail. To get one, you must send a self addressed, stamped envelope (don't forget it's 39 cents now) to:

Inkworks Alias 4 Free Card Offer P-i
P. O. Box 1160
Morrisville, NC 27560-1160

One card per address. You must send your request by March 3rd. For more information on Inkworks, the Alias cards, and all their other offerings, visit Inkworks.com!

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2 PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS FOR JEN!
1/12: Congrats to Jennifer Garner for her wins in both the Favorite Female TV Star and Favorite Female Action Star categories at the People's Choice Awards. Jennifer was not there to accept the awards in person, but she appeared live via satellite, and she thanked the fans and promised a great finale to the series.

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NEW ALIAS COMIC INFO!

Agent Matthew, who jump started our discussion here about Alias comics, gets a promotion to the APO "A-Team" for coming across this great tidbit from this past fall about the new Alias comic shown above and mentioned in the Yearbook and Magazine #12. In an interview with Silver Bullet Comics.com (click here to see the full story and artwork) writer Pierluigi Cothran says the comic has already been published in Italy by an Italian division of Disney (the Italian cover is on the right above) and was due for US publication by the end of 2005. The story revolves around Rambaldi artifacts. COOOOOOL. Let's hope it's only a short delay now.

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THE ALIAS COMIC THAT NEVER WAS
Matthew emailed us recently to ask about the state of the Alias comic that was mentioned in the recent Yearbook and Magazine. While a publisher has not been announced (Matthew points out Dark Horse Comics was mentioned as a possibility), it made us remember about the aborted attempt at an Alias comic in 2002 by comic artist Rob Liefeld and his company Arcade Comics. Pictured above is Liefeld at ComicCon 2002 as well as the proposed cover for issue #1 of Alias: Agent Bristow that never made it to print. Too bad, as it was written by J.J. Abrams, and illustrated by Andy Park (a great artist whose work here is first rate), and while no official word for why it was not published was announced, word is that Liefeld did not meet publishing deadlines. We'll try to get more info on the new comic and a release date as well as what ever happened to the Arcade Comics version. Until then, you can see some of the incredible finished pages from the book at artist Andy Park's site by clicking HERE TO VISIT ANDY'S OFFICIAL SITE and enjoy this 2002 Liefeld interview with Ace McDonald, courtesy of ComiCon.com!

THE PULSE: How on earth did Arcade end up publishing ALIAS: AGENT BRISTOW? I understand you and JJ Abrams were friends, correct?

LIEFELD: It's funny how the ALIAS thing came about. I met with J.J. concerning SHRINK! the movie I'm producing with Sony and Jennifer Lopez. We share the same agent and he recommended that we get together and see if J.J. could contribute in any way to SHRINK! During our meeting, we hit it off and talked about comics and ALIAS extensively, (it's our favorite show in the Liefeld house) and he talked about how much he wanted to do an ALIAS comic project. I told him that the comics industry was pretty difficult at the moment, and directed him and everyone else at ABC to various web sites that posted comic circulation just to prepare them for the reality of our business. I just wanted him to realize the disparity between the 15 million viewers of his show and the decreased comic readership. He was undaunted, which was a relief and continued to pursue the idea that he would write the comic. I was really attracted to the notion that he would write the comic, because that doesn't happen too often, that the author of the series would write the comic as well. It's not like George Lucas pens any Star Wars comics, so that was a huge draw, the element that could really set the book apart from some of the others out there. J.J is an exceptional talent as the fans of ALIAS are well aware of and his first couple of scripts are fantastic. He's using the comic to enhance and expand the show, developing some character traits and motivations that have not made it on to the show, specifically, Sydney Bristow.

THE PULSE: How does he approach writing comics?

LIEFELD: Well, he writes them like episodes of the show. The same format and style of a TV script. So far it hasn't tripped up any artists that have worked from them. As I mentioned before, he's really using the comic to expand the show and tell stories with bigger budgets and in some cases darker storylines than on the show. He's a great storyteller.

THE PULSE: Did you have any trepidation about going into licensed comics again? Have you had any problems working with the network?

LIEFELD: I did have serious trepidations but J.J promised to run interference for me and has done just that. My fear was working with a big corporate monster that clearly sees the show as one of it's most important assets and that there would be a ridiculous amount of red tape to get through. But so far it's been very smooth. The network is very excited and enthusiastic about the comic.

THE PULSE: How many issues are you publishing?
LIEFELD: As many as we can. As many as J.J.'s time allows.
THE PULSE: What's the story about?

LIEFELD: Gotta read the comic!

THE PULSE: What's your participation in the book?

LIEFELD: Right now I'm tracking and producing it. My contract calls for me to illustrate some issues but other than short stories, my schedule won't allow for that until next year, so we've really been fortunate to get guys like Andy Park to jump in and do some issues.

THE PULSE: This is a bit more controversial, but I notice that you are doing many variant covers for ALIAS: AGENT BRISTOW. Do you feel like this is just continuing the bad practices of the past that led to the speculator bust?

LIEFELD: No I don't think it's a continuation of bad business practices. Variant covers never left the business, if anything they are part of the larger publishing institution now. Everything from TV Guide to Entertainment Weekly to Maxim offer variant covers which give the consumer a choice of which edition they would like to purchase. It's an option for fans, if you don't like them, don't buy them.

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RAZZIES TARGET JEN
1/9: Jennifer Garner has been nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress of the Year for Elektra. I may be biased, but the nomination seems unfair. Granted, Elektra wasn't a great film, but that was more the fault of the producers, writers, and director than it was with Jennifer's performance. Remember, she signed off on the film before a script was written, and they let her (and Elektra fans) down with below-average material. I think these Razzie guys are spoiled now that Halle Berry showed up last year to accept her Worst Actress for Catwoman, and nominated Jennifer and fellow nominees Jennifer Lopez and Orlando Bloom in hopes that they might show up. Believe me, there were far worse performances given last year than these folks.

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NEED SOME ALIAS CARDS?
1/7: As some of you may have discovered, Dakota Hott has closed What's Hott Cards and Collectibles, our recommended retailer for Alias trading cards, to pursue other interests. We wish Dakota well. In the meantime, we are buying up some Alias cards for our store inventory and considering becoming an official Inkworks dealer to get access to the new season 4 set and related items.

Our question for you is: would you need us to carry the Alias Season 4 cards so you can buy them? We will be able to offer sets, unopened boxes, card notebooks, and individual cards including autograph and costume cards. Let us know what you would be interested in, and we will decide if we can carry it. We have purchased a number of ALIAS season 3 and LOST season 1 cards, and will be offering those sets and individual cards soon.

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J.J.'S NEW DRAMA
1/7: No, not MI:3 - this one's a new ABC TV drama called "What About Brian," starring Barry Watson of "7th Heaven" fame. J.J. serves as executive producer and the only details we have on the premise is that it involves some married, and one unmarried, friends. Greg Grunberg plays the pilot....just kidding, although there is no word yet on his new show "Grand Union" so stay tuned.

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THAT'S MRS. AFFLECK TO YOU, & BEN KISSES FOR DIAPERS
1/6: Jennifer Garner has changed her name to Jennifer Affleck, taking her husband's name officially. No word on whether "Garner" will be added via hyphen or if her name will change on the ALIAS credits. Meanwhile hubby Ben was caught without a wallet at a LA area convenience store recently, and had to ask other shoppers to pay for his baby diapers, because "Jennifer would kill him" if he failed to return with them. While he refused to sell a fan his Red Sox cap, he did kiss a female fan who offered to pay for them.

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JEN'S "13 GOING ON 30" GETS "FUN & FLIRTY"
12/23: "13 Going On 30" will get a special edition makeover in time for Valentine's Day 2006. Although by my count, there have been two editions already, the "Fun & Flirty Edition" in stores February 7 will include extras like an alternative beginning and ending and a 1980s "Teen Fashion Flashback." The DVD even comes in bubblegum-scented packaging. No, I am not kidding. Surely the extras will include Jen's much-shown band picture when she was 13, glasses and all. Break out the Razzles!

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SPINOFFS? A MOVIE? WILL & EVIL FRANCIE? PINKNER SPEAKS! SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO MISSED LAST EPISODE!
12/22: Jeff Pinkner talked to TV Guide recently about the demise of Alias. Knowing that Bad Robot cannot live on Lost alone, ideas are being tossed about for future Alias projects. Here is the article by Shawna Malcom:
Shortly before Thanksgiving, ABC executives called Alias creator J.J. Abrams in China — where he was directing Mission: Impossible 3 — to break the news that his four-year-old spy drama would complete its final mission in May. A sober Abrams then placed calls to each of the drama's original cast members, beginning with star Jennifer Garner. While the cancellation news wasn't shocking, "it's sad nonetheless," says executive producer Jeff Pinkner. "When we met Sydney Bristow, she didn't know who she was. Now, at the end of this season, she may have a family. It's time for her to move on to the next phase. That's what life is about."

Viewership has suffered in the show's recent Thursdays-at-8 time slot, declining 31 percent from last season. And even back in August, Abrams hinted that this could be the show's swan song, telling TV Guide that "it certainly feels that way, like certain things do, that it's the end of a chapter."

But not, perhaps, the closing of the book. Producers are mulling ways to continue the franchise. "I would say we haven't seen the end of all things Alias," Pinkner teases. "There are versions of this show which could exist after this season. There are plenty of stories we'd love to tell."

Among the formats Pinkner and Abrams have discussed is a spin-off series revolving around villains Sark (David Anders), Peyton (Amy Acker), and Sloane (Ron Rifkin). "It's the triumvirate of evil!" Pinkner says. (No official discussions with ABC have taken place yet.) Producers have also toyed with the idea of a big-screen adaptation starring Garner.

Regardless, expect an explosive countdown to the series finale. The Dec. 14 episode — a special Wednesday airing and the last installment before the show's hiatus to accommodate Garner's maternity leave — featured the return of Sydney's true love, Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan), who was apparently killed in the season premiere. The reunion, not a dream sequence per se, left open the possibility that Syd and Vaughn could still ride off into the sunset together come May.

When the series returns this spring, expect to see familiar faces. Greg Grunberg has already filmed an episode as Eric Weiss, and producers have worked up a wish list that includes Syd's buddy Will (Bradley Cooper of the just-axed Kitchen Confidential), perhaps more appearances by spy mommy Irina (Lena Olin, who put in a "surprise" cameo in the Dec. 14 outing), and the evil Francinator (Merrin Dungey), who, as Pinkner points out, "cannot die."

Other long-running characters, though, may not be so lucky. "The good thing about getting the news now," Pinkner says, "is that we have 10 episodes left to really wrap things up. We can kill characters and not worry about what to do without them next year. We can tell the epic story that this deserves to be."

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THE TRUTH WILL TAKE A LITTLE LONGER
12/15: After watching last night's episode of "The Horizon," I must say it ranks with "Phase One" as one of the best mid-season shockers in the series's history. OK, technically it isn't the midway point episode wise, and yes, Dixon, Marshall and some of the others had little to do, but between Syd's storyline, Jack slicing off ears (I gotta learn that move), and finding out who is behind Prophet 5, you can't deny how great this episode was. The flashbacks to episodes all the way back to season one were a great touch. I can't believe I keep hearing about this final season limping to the end like so many other series. Obviously these folks aren't watching - this may not be the Alias they used to watch, but it's still one of the more enjoyable hours of drama on television. Sure, I may be biased, but I admit that I'm a fan of Lost, 24, CSI, and the Law & Order series, so I expect a lot. The episodes this year have refused to stick to a certain formula or frame, and the ensemble works together better than I thought it would. It's too bad viewers aren't giving this season a chance.

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SAVE 10% ON ALIAS GEAR AT ABC SITE
12/15: It's that time of year, and if you're looking for ways to save when you buy Alias stuff, we're here to help! When you buy anything (Alias included) at the ABC website, you can save 10% when you use the following code: ABCHoliday05. Buy away!

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INKWORKS ANNOUNCES AUTOGRAPHS FOR SEASON 4 CARD SET
12/14: Inkworks has announced the actors who have signed cards that will be randomly inserted into packs of the Season Four set. While none of the regulars are included (because they are in previous sets), this series will get you some fan favorites as well as some big name guest stars:
Gina Torres as Anna Espinosa
Sonia Braga as Elena Derevko
Elya Baskin as Dr. Joseph Vlachko
Robin Sachs as Hans Dietrich
Izabella Scorupco as Sabina
Anthony Cistaro as Michael Guinot
Joel Grey as Mr. Sloane II / Ned Bolger
Michael McKean as Dr. Atticus Liddell
Angus Scrimm as Calvin McCullough
A special DUAL AUTOGRAPH CARD featuring Ron Rifkin and Joel Grey as the Two Sloanes will also be included. Very cool.
The set is due to hit in January and packs will be $2.99 each. We hope to have more info about how you can order sets and binders very soon.

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MIA, SALMA, AND PRINCE
12/13: Here's a wierd news item. Prince is coming out with a new music video, and it is being directed by Salma Hayek and will feature an appearance by Mia Maestro. No word yet on where you can see it, but we'll let you know. You think Prince watches Alias? He looks like a Rambaldi disciple if you ask me.

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NEW INDEX COMING; WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS ON "BOB" AND "THE HORIZON"
12/13: Yes folks, it has been a while since we updated, but we are ready to gear up again, and we want to hear from you about last week's episode, "Bob" with the return of Sark, as well as "The Horizon" and the return of yet another former regular. I hope ratings for "Horizon" are better than "Bob" or ABC will have no good reason to keep Alias on Wednesdays (although it was a small chance to begin with). Even though "Bob" was a solid episode, fewer folks watched it than on the average Thursday. Too bad, because seeing Sark back in the Alias universe was great, although it doesn't seem as if he will be back anytime soon. At least I can report that ABC is promoting it more, better late than never.

I wonder why ABC isn't trying a little more to promote Michael Vartan's appearance. A few morning shows or late night rounds would be nice. The closest we got was Balthazar Getty on Jimmy Kimmell last week.

By the way, we decided to wait until after "Horizon" to post a new Index. We had a new Index in the can and ready at Thanksgiving when the news of the cancellation went down, so I decided to junk it as most of the conversation in it was now moot. This new Index should carry us through the new year (unless a slew of Alias news hits), so be sure to send us your thoughts.

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FANS TRYING TO SAVE ALIAS
12/4: Alias fans are making a pitch to save Alias. Specifically, it seems they are trying to rally support for a network move. Honestly, I don't know at this point if JJ and Jennifer want to continue, but if there's a chance, even with an Alias spinoff, I say do it. At worst, we show everyone just how many fans this show really had, and that may open the door for a future Alias movie as we saw this year with Firefly/Serenity.

The two websites rallying the agents are:
Save Alias and
AliasUndercover.com.
The first move is to hit ABC. Here are the details:
Dead-Drop Project (a project started by Eva Madison and aliasundercover47-both from ABC Boards)
All you need for this is a brown paper bag. We're keeping it simple. Just write "SAVE ALIAS" (save all your letters/comments for the second project) and mail it off to this address.

Stephen McPherson; President
ABC, Inc.
500 S. Buena Vista St.
Building 23, Room 26
Burbank, CA 91521

Use these dates depending on where you live:
California residents: December 20th
Other US residents: December 16th
All other countries: December 14th

In actuality, this is the address to the Alias production office, not ABC's president, but it will still work. The producers can see the response and pass it on to ABC. Grab a bag!

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JEN TALKS TO EW!
12/3: Just before she gave birth, Jennifer Garner gave an interview to Entertainemnt Weekly. She seems almost relieved that the show is ending. Makes me wonder if the cancellation was more of a mutual agreement between everyone. Read on:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How do you feel about ending the show now? Is the timing right?
GARNER: It feels like the right thing; it feels like we've told the story. But I can't really talk about it without getting sad. Obviously it's been such a huge force in my life. [But] we feel like we have done right by these characters, and we've done right by the story… [Creator] J.J. [Abrams] tells more story in an episode than most shows do in four. So we really feel like we've covered this ground. It feels incredibly respectful and not exploitative to let this end naturally.... It feels like a graduation. Graduation is hard. Imagine your life without these people. Well, this is a year longer than college, and a lot more happened to me during this show than it did during college.

EW: When the big book of TV history is written, what do you want it to say about Alias?
GARNER: I hope this show is included with all of the shows that have celebrated strong women. To me, what's mattered about this character is how much she's struggled to hold on to her humanity in the middle of this weird world that she lives in, and how incredibly hard she works at doing the right thing when that isn't always cut-and-dried.

EW: The show reinvented itself so many times. But did it disappoint you that it never quite broke out beyond its cult fanbase?
GARNER: We were just always amazed and grateful that we were coming back every year. We didn't know if people would grab onto it at all, particularly because it asks so much of the audience. We're proud that the people who got the show got it so much and have stuck by it through so many changes and have just gone right along with it. I love that the show has flip-flopped its own idea of itself. I love that J.J. never let us take it so seriously that we couldn't just turn it all on its head. I regret now that we're almost done that we never made Victor [Garber, who played Sydney's dad] and Ron [Rifkin, baddie Sloane] sing in an episode.

EW: Any intel on the big finale?
GARNER: If it's what I think it's going to be, it will be the most… Oh, gosh, I'm afraid to say anything. You know, one thing about not doing the show — I look forward to just being able to talk about what I'm doing and not always having to stop myself.... It won't be one of those finales where it ends, and you go, ''Oh, that was it? After all of this?'' We came in with a bang, we'll go out with a bang.

Hmmm...I wonder what the big finale will be. If it doesn't involve Syd and Rambaldi going head to head, I'll be disappointed. Maybe. Ok, I admit it: if Kristen with E Online is right and plans are underway to bring back everyone for the finale (Lena Olin, Merrin Dungey, Bradley Cooper, Isabella Rossellini) then they could play checkers and I'll be happy.

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HELLO, SPY-BABY VIOLET!
12/1: The rumor you read about on the message board is true! Publicists for Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have confirmed to AP that Jen gave birth to Violet Ann Affleck at 6:26 A.M. EST Thursday morning at an undisclosed LA-area hospital. Labor was induced on Wednesday. Mother and baby are said to be doing fine. Congrats to the Afflecks! Thanks to Kathy for giving us the initial heads up!

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GET YOUR TICKETS NOW FOR ALL-CON & THE ALIAS MARATHON 2006!
11/30: Mark your calendars! Saturday, March 18 is the date for the 2006 Alias Marathon! We're also happy to say that the event will be held at the Dallas All-Con convention that will be held that weekend (March 17-19). This will not only give the Marathon more exposure, but give our attendees a chance to have a weekend full of fun. All-Con will feature a large dealer room, as well as celebrities and comic artists. LOST fans will be able to meet and get autographs from James Horan, who plays Kate's father on the November 30 episode.

This year's marathon will feature the best episodes from seasons 1-4 as well as a silent auction of very cool Alias memorabilia. Admission to the marathon is free, with the purchase of a pass to All-Con. Saturday passes or three-day passes are available. Best of all, if you use the form below, All-Con will donate a portion of the admission price to the Marathon! The form below is in PDF Adobe acrobat format, so print it out and mail it in ASAP! Watch for more news about the marathon in weeks to come!

Click here to view or download the All-Con registration form! (PDF Format)

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BRADLEY COOPER TO STAR WITH JULIA ROBERTS ON BROADWAY
11/30: Bradley Cooper will star will Paul Rudd and Julia Roberts in a 2006 Broadway revival of Richard Greenberg's Three Days of Rain. The play will run from April 19 through June 18 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.

Rudd is probably best known as Phoebe's husband on Friends and Roberts, of course, is the most famous woman IN THE WORLD. Three Days of Rain features three actors portraying multiple characters, and concerns two interlocking stories taking place in different decades and how parents can affect the lives of their children.

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AND SO IT ENDS: ABC CANCELS ALIAS - FINAL EPISODE IN MAY
11/23: I should have known: ABC stands for Alias Being Cancelled. After leaving the show out to dry on Thursdays against juggernaut "Survivor," ABC has announced that season five will be the last. Here is an except from the announcement by ABC:

“Alias” will end its five-season run in May 2006, it was announced today by Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment.

The spy drama, which over the course of its run has garnered seven Emmy Awards, stars Jennifer Garner in her 2002 Golden Globe Award-winning role as CIA agent Sydney Bristow.

“Right out of the box, ‘Alias’ attracted a cult following of fans that were completely invested in the show,” Mr. McPherson said. “J.J. Abrams and his team developed characters that were compelling and storylines that were intricate and engaging, and Jennifer and the rest of the cast brought them to life. We owe both the storytellers and the fans a send-off worthy of a show that has been such a big part of the pop culture vernacular. J.J., Jeff Pinkner, Ken Olin, Jesse Alexander and Jeffrey Bell have an amazing story arc planned for the remainder of the season. ‘Alias’ is not going to wind down as it comes to an end, it’s going to rev up, and we’re going to make it the event it deserves to be.”

Added Mark Pedowitz, president, Touchstone Television: “’Alias’ has sustained its identity as a critical favorite because J.J. Abrams and everyone involved in this series set the bar for quality entertainment. We have been honored to work with them all, especially Jennifer Garner, who has our eternal admiration and appreciation for her dedication to the role and unarguably the best demeanor in the business.”

“Alias” executive producer Jeff Pinkner added: “This news, and its timing, is a mixed-blessing. Though we’re obviously very saddened to face the reality that ‘Alias’ is coming to an end, the lasting quality of every good story is determined by its conclusion—this news gives us the freedom to end the series in the climactic way it deserves.”

“Five years ago J.J. Abrams designed ‘Alias’ to encompass a unique and challenging blend of spy-adventure, family drama and love story that contained deeper mythological elements,” he continued. “The arc we have planned for the remainder of the season will honor all of these disparate elements, as we wrap up the story of Sydney Bristow in a surprising and, we think, thrilling way.”

“J.J., and all of us here feel blessed by our fans, the brilliant cast we’ve been fortunate to work with, our amazing crew and the support of Touchstone and ABC.”

AND SO IT ENDS. Since ABC has given up on Alias, perhaps Touchstone will wait a year or two and give us a movie. That is assuming, of course, that the finale is not as final as they make it out to be in the release. At least the writers and producers will have the ability to go all out from here on in, with no worries about future seasons. Let's hope it does go out with a bang.

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SAVE ALIAS! NEW LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN TO ABC!
11/20: Fans have started a new movement to save Alias from possible cancellation this year. They are calling for everyone to write ABC in January to ask that the show be given another season. If you want to join in, please write a courteous letter; don't complain about what happened to Vaughn or call ABC idiots. Just tell them you are a loyal fan and you hope hope ABC supports the show by renewing it, and even gives them a time slot on Wednesdays back. THE OFFICIAL DAY TO MAIL YOUR LETTER IS JANUARY 24 for US residents not in California, JANUARY 28 if you live in California, and JANUARY 20 for non-US countries. The address to send your letter will be posted soon. I'm not sure if they plan to send letters to the Alias set at the Disney Studios or direct to ABC: as soon as I know, I'll post it here.

The official discussion thread on the ABC Alias board for this campaign is:
AT THIS LINK! PLEASE READ THROUGH THE POSTS TO SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP!

More on this as it develops!

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THIS ISN'T THE SAME OLD ALIAS - IT'S BETTER!
11/19: Episode 5.7, "Fait Accompli" is now in the books, and it continues the Alias resurgence. Gone are the soap opera themes and focus on family matters, and espionage and intrigue have taken their place. Granted, there are touches of personal interaction - the crib scene at the end was great - but we have gotten so used to these characters that we really don't need to develop their characters anymore, do we? Hopefully there are no more major personal revelations for Syd, as she's had plenty for one life. The drama with Nadia should suffice for this season, and Sloane's reactions to it, but the missions, the goal of bringing down Prophet Five, is giving this show a focus it had lost. The idea that Prophet Five could be entangled in governments around the world is a nice touch. After the Alliance, the Covenant, the Trust, and all the Rambaldi Followers, basing a shadow organization within a government seems more sinister, and more believable, at this point.

Email or post your thoughts on the message board about the latest episode and we may read it on the next Index!

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COULD ABC BE LISTENING? ALIAS BACK ON WEDNESDAYS!
UPDATED 11/18: ABC did confrm that the next episode will indeed be December 7, and my guess is the title "Bob" refers to Mr. Sark's new alias. 11/16: Wonders never cease. ABC has officially announced that Alias will be shown on Wednesdays in December when the final two new episodes air. However, this announcement does not come via press release (at least not as of this posting) but rather on their schedule available to media. According to it, Alias will air on Wednesday, December 7th and Wednesday, December 14, but at 9:00 central, AFTER Lost. Alias is still listed as being shown on December 8th. We don't know if this is subject to change, but as of now, it appears ABC will show episodes of Alias on consecutive nights on the 7th and 8th. Could this be a two parter over two nights? Info on the episodes we've seen suggests no, so there is a good chance ABC will preempt the December 8th episode. Either way, this is great news. We've asked for a pairing of Alias with Lost again, and now we have it! Now, if only ABC will push Alias so viewers will stay tuned.

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WANT A FREE LOST TRADING CARD?

Inkworks, makers of the Alias trading cards, is coming out with a Lost Trading Card set this month, and you can get an exclusive trading card by sending an SASE to the address below. Requests must be mailed by January 3, 2006. Inkworks will also be offering an exclusive Alias Season 4 Card soon, so get your Lost card requests in now. Send your SASE to the following address:
Inkworks Lost 1 Free Card Offer L1-i
PO Box 1160
Morrisville, NC 27560-1160

You can find more information about the Lost and Alias cards at Inkworks.com.

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JEN GETS PEOPLE'S CHOICE NOMS
11/14: Everybody's favorite expectant mother is up for two People's Choice Awards, For Favorite Female Acion Star and Favorite Female TV Star. You can help choose the winner by voting at PCAVOTE.com and the awards will be handed out on January 10, 2006.

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KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL CANCELLED!
11/13: I thought ABC execs were incompetent. Fox execs seem to be giving them a run. They've cancelled Bradley Cooper's "Kitchen Confidential" and "Arrested Development." "Kitchen" will show their remaining episodes in December after returning from a two month hiatus (yeah, that will get folks to watch), but production has ceased. I'm sure Fox will now show something inferior like "The War at Home" or "Stacked." Sorry Bradley, we hardly knew ye. At least we get a few more episodes before Fox wins me back with "24" in January. Gee, I wonder, if Alias ends this season, will the CTU folks hire the APO guys? Sydney and the Two Jack B's (Bauer and Bristow)? That would be the BEST SHOW EVER.

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POST YOUR THOUGHTS ON 5.6 "SOLO"
11/13: You know why I'm so excited about this season? Because usually when new characters are introduced, a show takes time to find its bearings, and really connect with viewers. Alias had no such down time, these characters are really clicking, and we've had some great episodes, even though it is only on episode 6. It does concern me that Victor Garber and Kevin Weisman seem to be getting less screen time, but I hope that will change. Even though she has had some awkward lines, I'm really liking the Rachel Gibson character. The role reversal for Sydney doesn't seem forced, and Dixon is getting more attention, always a good thing. Thomas Grace is a solid character, serious but not boring. Getty could play this character over the top, but his portrayal is perfect.

"Solo" was another great outing for the APO team: another solid story well told. I only wish there was a "cliffhanger" ending for Rachel like they used to do with Sydney back in the day, but it's a minor gripe. I have to give my kudos to the producers and writers this season. I'm happy to say: Alias is having its best season in years. What are your thoughts? Let us know!

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ANDERS, PARKE ON CSI UPDATE
11/13: It looks like I was wrong about David Anders being on CSI:NY last week. He only appeared on the Miami episode, although the report I received indicated he was featured in both episodes. However, sharp-eyed viewers did catch another Alias alum on the NY show: Charlie! Francie's two timing boyfriend, played by Evan Parke, had a part as a potential suspect. Intentional or not, there was an Alias reference, when Parke's character was pulled up on a computer, the words "ALIAS: BIG AL" (I believe that was his nickname) flashed on the screen. Kinda funny. If you hear of any other Alias cameos on other shows, please let us know! By the way, word is Michael Vartan's guest spot on Kitchen Confidential will be shown in December.

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DAVID ANDERS ON CSI: MIAMI TONIGHT & CSI: NY WEDNESDAY!
11/7: We just got word from the newswire that David Anders, AKA Sark, will guest star on the big CSI crossover, which begins tonight! David will play a suspect in a crime that will begin tonight on CSI Miami with David Caruso (9 PM Central) and continue on CSI: NY with Gary Sinise on Wednesday. Looks like November will be David Anders month! For you "24" fans, James Badge Dale, who played Chase Edmonds in season 3, stars as a possible serial killer.

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VARTAN'S GONE ROUGE
11/5: Michael Vartan arrived in Australia this week to begin shooting Rogue, a story about a wild Australian crocodile and a U.S. journalist who follows it (Vartan). Radha Mitchell also stars in the film, budgeted at $20 million. If any of you are wondering if this means anything about his possible appearance on Alias, it doesn't. The shooting schedule will not greatly affect his ability to return to Alias, if he does in fact return.

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