The Northwest Rocky Horror News is designed to keep Rocky fans and cast members informed about what's happening in Rocky Horror throughout the Pacific Northwest, and around the country.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- Talk about doing the time warp again -- Fox Broadcasting Co. will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" with "The Rocky Horror Birthday Show," a two-hour movie to be produced by Fox TV Studios.

Fox plans to air "Birthday" in February -- 30 years after Richard O'Brien first penned "Rocky Horror" as a play that ran in London. O'Brien is on board the TV project as a consultant and will contribute at least one new original song.

Lou Adler, who executive produced the 1975 feature with Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick, will executive produce "Birthday." Marius De Vries, who worked with Baz Luhrmann as musical director on "Moulin Rouge" and "Romeo + Juliet," is in negotiations to join the project.

The 2002 version of "Rocky Horror" will be faithful to O'Brien's original lyrics but with a new concept conceived by the project's director, Stephan Elliott ("The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert").

In the new version, Doctor Frank-N-Furter, who originally was an eccentric scientist living in a Transylvania castle on a quest to concoct the perfect man, will be a successful plastic surgeon who lives in a posh penthouse.

"The general theme we're going for is, in the year 2002, we live in a world where conspicuous consumption has become the lifestyle to be envied," said David Madden, executive vp at Fox TV Studios' made-for-TV unit, Fox TV Pictures, which oversees the project with Fox TV Pictures director Eric Poticha.

Madden said that doing some sort of a remake of "Rocky Horror," a prominent 20th Century Fox movie title, has been at the top of his wish list of projects since he joined Fox TV Pictures two years ago.

Adler has been approached numerous times to do a TV version, but he was hesitant because of his respect for the fans of the original movie -- a dedicated group that has made "Rocky Horror" one of the longest-running movies on the art house circuit. Two years ago, VH1 carried a 25th anniversary concert salute to "Rocky Horror," and the 2000 Broadway revival earned four Tony nominations.

But before he agreed to do a new 30th anniversary production, Adler floated the idea by the fans on "Rocky Horror's" official Web site, where it received an overwhelming thumbs-up.

"When we decided not to do it shot for shot (remake), the difficult part was how to do the same dialogue and the same music and yet not do the same picture," Adler said. "I think that Stephan Elliott came up with a brilliant concept and settings and images that allows us to use the same music and the same dialogue and yet we're making a different movie."

Production on the movie is scheduled to begin in September in Elliott's native Australia. Producers are confident that they will get well-known actors involved with the project, given the legion of fans as well as the roster of stars who have passed through the "Rocky Horror" milieu during the past three decades. Russell Crowe was part of the 1986-88 touring production of the show in Australia. Tracey Ullman had a role in the original London production toward the end of its run in the 1970s.

Madden noted that there's an added benefit for actors who are game for the part of the cross-dressing Frank-N-Furter.

"If somebody is looking to break their image, what better way is there than for a guy to put on a dress?" Madden said.

Fox Broadcasting Co. has a long history with "Rocky Horror." The network carried the TV premiere of the 1975 feature in 1993, and in 1994, the Fox Movie Channel cable service bowed on Halloween night with a run of the movie.

"I've been a fan of 'Rocky Horror' since I was a teenager, and I'm huge fan of Stephan Elliott," Fox entertainment president Gail Berman said. "Other networks may be able to do a musical, but only Fox could present 'Rocky Horror.' "

Zorianna Kit contributed to this report.

The British show "Rock Follies" is coming to DVD.  Right now your asking yourself, why you should care.  Well,  Julie Covington, the very first RHS Janet is in it, as well as David Toguri, the choreographer from RHPS, Tim Curry makes an appearance in season 2, as well as Nell Campbell (as a blonde!).  The first season should be out as I write this, with season 2 scheduled for an August release.  

At present it is only being released in UK format, but if you have a region free player (or know someone who does) you're in luck.

RAMA, Ont. -- He took the words right out of my mouth. But it wasn't while he was kissing me.
     Meat Loaf, the iconic rocker and sometime actor who has sold 50 million albums and appeared in 42 films, was downright chatty during a Canadian newspaper exclusive with The Sun yesterday afternoon between breaks in rehearsals for his tour which launches at Casino Rama tonight.
     Tanned and dressed in a black Hawaiian shirt, black sweat pants and black sneakers, the Dallas-born performer greeted me with a friendly "How are you, dear?" as we settled in for a 20-minute chat in the green room backstage at the casino's entertainment centre.
     Meat Loaf, 54, said he didn't know exactly how he ended up in the Toronto area to rehearse, but he was glad he did.
     "I always want someplace to rehearse before we put up the show," he said.  "Like we always have some venue where we can hang the lights and test everything and get it set up and this was here and available and the casino let us have it, so what the heck.
     "It really is great here," he continued.  "It's really kind of first class.  Dressing rooms are great. Stage is great.  People are nice.  Food in the restaurant was pretty good.  And the hostess was a standup comedian."
     Meat Loaf explained that he only arrived here on Monday night after playing in a golf tournament.  Thus, his tan.
     "I don't consider this a tour. I consider this an outing," he said, chewing on a candy.  "A tour is a hundred shows or more.  Anything less than 100 shows is an outing.  It's like leaving home for the weekend."
     So what can fans expect during this "outing" then, which is being billed as "Meat Loaf and Friends Just Having Fun For The Summer Tour?"  It wraps up on July 21 in the U.S. midwest before he heads over to England for shows.
     Meat Loaf said he appears after two short sets by bassist Kasim Sulton (on acoustic guitar) and backup singer Patti Russo.
     "And then we all come out," he said.  "And I do like an hour and fifteen minutes, and then we all sit around the piano like in your kitchen."
     The Sun was later invited to watch a bit of the rehearsals as Meat Loaf and his seven-piece band -- including his 27-year-old daughter Pearl on backup vocals -- ran through the new song Tear Me Down and the older chestnut I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That).
     Meat Loaf hoped to have a new duet with Pearl called Man Of Steel ready to go later in the road trip.
     "This is like six, seven years, she's gone (out)," he said of her being on the road with him.  "At first, when she was in high school, she went out in the summertime and sang and then I put her back in school, and then she's just been doing it whenever I go out.  She's like part of the band."
     Meat Loaf's next album, Testify, which he's currently working on with 30-year-old Toronto- born, L.A.-based producer Peter Mokran (Prince, NSYNC, Christina Aguilera), won't be in stores for another eight months.  He said he's recorded ten songs, has two more to go and will follow its release with a 150-date, year-long tour.
     "It's really a good album," said Meat Loaf.  "It sounds like me only it's like a little more updated.  People have gone, 'Oh, that's a different kind of rhythm for you,' so there you go.  That's the only way I can describe it.  There are two or three things that you wouldn't have necessarily heard me do before but they sound like me and they feel like me."
     Interestingly though, Meat Loaf -- who is looking forward to making at least two more movies in August and September -- described the recording process as torturous.
     "In the studio, that's work.  That's like having the Spanish Inquisition.  Singing in the studio is torture.  I mean just absolute torture to me.  I might has well get things shoved under my fingernails.  It hurts, it's painful, I don't want to be there any longer than I have to.  I love film.  I could sit on a movie set forever."

Kelly has been a fixture in the NW RHPS scene for longer than she'd probably like to remember.  She has been the driving force of the VTC for years.  In fact, she was integral in resurrecting the Seattle cast under that name.  She has been our webmaster, cast historian, Head Trannie, Frank, facilitator, and kickass costumer.  But now she's moving on to be with her sweetheart (and her own personal Rocky) in California.  She'll still go to Rocky, but plans on being much more in the background.  Who can blame her?  She's served her time well and will be missed by performers and audience alike.  Parting words from her bio page: "I revel in the joy of knowing that the makers of hairspray and makeup love me only for my money.  The best things in life are shiny.  TRANNIES ROCK!"