As Dreamers Do: American Magic Redux

[OldNavy1988]

Entertainment News for Late-May 1997

After years in legal limbo, Turner's acquisition of the Funtime-Tierco chain of theme parks is approved by the Department of Justice.
- CNN

"Weird Al" Yankovic will undergo LASIK eye surgery to correct his near-sightedness.
- The Los Angeles Times

New Line gives the greenlight to a sequel to the successful Austin Powers.
- Variety

The Sports Page
Citing mounting criticism, Fox will retire the infamous glowing puck after this year's Stanley Cup Finals.
- The Hockey News

As the NBA agrees to an extension of TBS and TNT's weeknight cable package through the 2001-02 season, SBC, Fox and CBS will each bid for the weekend afternoon package currently held by NBC. NBC's current deal expires at the conclusion of next season.
- SportsCenter

 

[OldNavy1988]

Justice League 3: Born on a Monday

Released by Columbia Pictures on June 6, 1997

Written and directed by
Joss Whedon

Executive Producers
Benjamin Melniker
Michael E. Uslan

Music by
Elliot Goldenthal

Main Cast
Richard Kiel as Solomon Grundy
Robert Englund as Dr. Hugo Strange
Venus Terzo as Zatanna
Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Billy Zane as Superman/Clark Kent
Lynda Carter as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen/The Flash
Cary Elwes as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow
Nathan Fillion as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern
Demi Moore as Lois Lane
Ilan Mitchell-Smith as Jimmy Olsen
Lane Smith as Perry White
Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth

Notes
- The use of Grundy and Dr. Strange as the chief villains is similar to the OTL Bruce Timm short Strange Days [LINK].
- Dr. Strange: "Be careful you fool! I need every drop of her precious blood for my experiment!"​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Avengers: Endgame
Released by 20th Century-Fox on June 13, 1997

Directed by
Michael Lehmann

Written by
Michael Lehmann
Daniel Waters

Music by
Alan Silvestri

Main Cast
Alec Baldwin as Tony Stark/Iron Man
Miles O'Keefe as Thor
Brad Pitt as Steve Rogers/Captain America
Tom Hanks as Dr. Bruce Banner
Lou Ferrigno as the Incredible Hulk
Leonardo DiCaprio as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Michelle Pfeiffer as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
Denzel Washington as the Black Panther
Fairuza Balk as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
Michael Biehn as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
Donald Fullilove as Sam Wilson/Falcon
Christian Slater as Vision
Keanu Reeves as Dr. Stephen Strange
Robin Wright as Carol Danvers/Miss Marvel
Ving Rhames as Thanos​

 

[OldNavy1988]

On July 2, 1997, two major film releases went head to head, ahead of the 4th of July holiday.

Men in Black
Released by Warner Bros. under the Carolco label.

Cast and Crew
Same as OTL

Wild America
Released by Touchstone Pictures

Cast and Crew
Same as OTL

Notes
- Men in Black proved to be the more successful of the two, but was unable to unseat Endgame from the #1 spot at the box office, instead charting no higher than second.
- IOTL, Siskel and Ebert were extremely harsh in their negative review of Wild America.
- A special episode of Muppets Tonight was produced to promote Wild America. One segment featured Statler and Waldorf referring to one of the film's co-stars interchangeably as "Dijon Salami" or "Divine Swami." And of course, Fozzie misspells Scott Bairstow's last name as "Bearstow" for some reason.
- TimeWarner successfully made a bid to acquire Malibu Comics in 1995. The deal closed with only a month to spare before Men in Black's release. Now, TW's comic division will be known as Malibu Pacific or Pacific Malibu, whichever sounds better off the tongue.
- Mario Kassar stepped down from Carolco to join Frank Giustra at a new studio being formed in Vancouver. Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald have been appointed by Warner Bros. chief Richard Donner to head Carolco going forward.
- Instead of the WB shield, Men in Black opens with the Carolco "Laser-Light C."​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Avengers: Endgame on pace to become the biggest box office hit since the first Jurassic Park.
- Variety

How long can WCW stay ahead of the WWA in TV ratings? Buy rates for this year's Bash at the Beach indicates WCW is just getting started.
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Fox reports that the force is strong with early sales of the Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition on VHS and Laserdisc. As for the original theatrical versions, Fox has lowered the price on box sets released two years ago with updated cover artwork.
- Billboard

Paramount Comics celebrates the 45th birthday of Mad Magazine with a new, italicized logo, added color features and a revamp of Spy vs. Spy.
- Wizard

 

[OldNavy1988]

Well since Beast Machines is right around the corner ITTL @OldNavy1988 what will you be doing with that show

I have to admit that I am not too familiar with Beast Machines, but I do remember Beast Wars: Transformers.

Entertainment News for Mid July 1997.

Columbia-TriStar plans to relaunch the Theo and Gretchen property under the Strange Magic title. The series ran for one year on CBS in 1988 before becoming a bigger hit on cable as part of the USA Network's Cartoon Express.
- Variety

20th Century-Fox Records says preorders of the Backstreet Boys' second album "Everybody" have completely blown the group's own debut album out of the water. "Everybody" will arrive on store shelves August 11th.
- Billboard

Stephanie MacDonald and her older brother Joe will interview with Warner Bros. on the first Monday in August to discuss the possibility of directing Looney Tunes: Back in Action, a crossover tentpole film that will pair the classic cartoon characters with WB recording group NSYNC.
- Animation Magazine

The Prevue Channel will rebrand as the TV Guide Channel starting in January of 1999.
- TV Guide

A new tell all book claims Gus St. Pierre "...cried for three days straight when he first learned what happened to Colette."
- Access Hollywood

 

[OldNavy1988]

Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
Released by Walt Disney Pictures on August 8, 1997

Directed by
Ron Clements
Jon Musker

Produced at
Walt Disney Classic Animation (Orlando)

Music by
James Horner

Songs by
Richard M. Sherman
Robert B. Sherman

Voices
Eric Idle as the Narrator
Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh
Paul Winchell as Tigger
John Fiedler as Piglet
Gregg Berger as Eeyore
Ken Sansom as Rabbit
David Ogden Stiers as Owl
Joe Alaskey as Gopher
Ann Jillian as Kanga
Haley Joel Osment as Roo
Lane Toran as Christopher Robin​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Everybody
Studio album by the Backstreet Boys

Released by 20th Century-Fox Records on August 11, 1997

Tracklisting
1) Everybody (Backstreet's Back) [1]
2) As Long as You Love Me
3) All I Have to Give
4) If You Stay [2]
5) Missing You
6) 10,000 Promises
7) Like a Child
8) Hey Mr DJ (Keep Playin' This Song)
9) Set Adrift on Memory Bliss
10) That's What She Said
11) If I Don't Have You
12) If You Want it to Be Good Girl (Get Yourself a Bad Boy) [3]
13) All I Have to Give (Conversation Mix)

[1] ITTL, this song combines the radio edit with Nick's bridge from the radio version.
[2] IOTL, this song was featured on the soundtrack to Booty Call.
[3] This song would later be used in a Deadpool adaptation.

OTL Covers​

IOTL, the US debut album (above) combined the group's favorite songs from their first two international releases.​

IOTL, this was the second international album (above).​

 

[OldNavy1988]

South Park

Launched August 13, 1997 on Comedy Central.

Produced by
Braniff (Now South Park Studios)
Comedy Partners

Distributed by
Hollywood Pictures Television

Created by
Matt Stone
Trey Parker

Voices
Same as OTL​

 

[OldNavy1988]

1997-98 Saturday Morning Schedule
New shows in BOLD.

ABC
Preview special includes a new rendition of Rainbow Connection featuring Gus St. Pierre and Kermit the Frog.
8:00 The Big Comfy Couch (Radical Sheep)
8:30 Fraggle Rock (Jim Henson; Reruns)
9:00 Mummies Alive! (DiC; Golden Harvest)
9:30 Hey Arnold! (Hanna-Barbera)
10:00 Mina and the Count (Hanna-Barbera)
10:30 The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show (Warner Bros.; Theatrical shorts)
12:30 Science Court (Hanna-Barbera)

CBS
8:00 Beakman's World (Columbia-TriStar)
8:30 Extreme Dinosaurs (DiC; Golden Harvest)
9:00 Ned's Newt (Nelvana; Columbia-TriStar Television)
9:30 The New Batman and Superman Adventures (Screen Gems; Columbia-TriStar Television)
10:30 The New Ghostwriter Mysteries (Columbia-TriStar Television)
11:00 The Green Lantern/Green Arrow Hour (Screen Gems; Columbia-TriStar Television)
12:00 CBS Storybreak

NBC
8:00 C-Bear and Jamal (Film Roman)
8:30 Saved by the Bell: The New Class (RKO Television)
9:00 Toonsylvania (DreamWorks SKG)
9:30 Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension (RKO Television)
10:00 The Weird Al Show (RKO Television)
10:30 The Little Lulu Show (Ruby-Spears; United Artists)
11:00 Kenzo (RKO Television)

SBC
8:30 Wheel 2000 (Warner Bros.; Merv Griffin)
9:00 Men in Black: The Series (Carolco)
9:30 Ultimate Goosebumps (New Line Cinema)
10:00 Power Rangers in Space (Golden Harvest)
10:30 Animaniacs (Warner Bros.)
11:00 Ultraforce (Warner Bros.)
11:30 Road Rovers (Warner Bros.)

Fox (Fall 1997)
8:00 101 Dalmatians: The Series (Disney)
8:30 The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Disney; reruns)
9:00 Recess (Disney)
9:30 Pepper Ann (Disney)
10:00 Power Pack (Grantray-Lawrence)
10:30 The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper (Grantray-Lawrence; reruns)
11:00 Jungle Cubs (Disney)
11:30 Silver Surfer (Grantray-Lawrence)

Fox (Spring 1998)
8:00 101 Dalmatians: The Series (Disney)
8:30 The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Disney; reruns)
9:00 Recess (Disney)
9:30 Pepper Ann (Disney)
10:00 Power Pack (Grantray-Lawrence)
10:30 The Backstreet Project (Grantray-Lawrence)
11:00 Jungle Cubs (Disney)
11:30 Silver Surfer (Grantray-Lawrence)

UPN
8:00 Arthur (Rankin Bass/Paramount)
8:30 Sonic the Hedgehog (Paramount; Sega)
9:00 Earthworm Jim (Universal Cartoon Studios)
9:30 Extreme Ghostbusters (Paramount)
10:00 Space Goofs (Gaumont; Golden Harvest)
10:30 Sam and Max: Freelance Police (Universal)
11:00 Samurai Pizza Cats (Golden Harvest)
11:30 Walter Melon (Golden Harvest)
12:00 Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House (Paramount)

Let me know which Saturday Morning shows you're looking forward to this season.

 

[OldNavy1988]

The Invisible Man
Released by Universal Pictures on September 26, 1997.

A remake of the 1933 film directed by
James Whale

Based on the novel by
HG Wells

Produced and Directed by
Tony Scott

Main Cast
Tom Baker as the voice of Jack Griffin
Margot Kidder as Flora Cranley
Dennis Hopper as Dorian Grey
Anthony Ainley as Dr. Arthur Kemp
Clive Revill as Sir Danvers Carew
Jim Broadbent as Dr. Cranley
Hugo Weaving as Dracula
Daniel Day-Lewis as Adam

Notes
- The next entry in Universal's Monsterverse will be The Creature from the Black Lagoon in 1998.
- Unlike the book, Jack Griffin is on the side of the Defenders of Humanity.
- Dracula is officially confirmed as leader of the Iron Grip.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Good Burger
Released by Touchstone Pictures on October 17, 1997

Produced by
Nickelodeon Movies

Cast and Crew
- Same as OTL, except Dan Schneider is nowhere to be seen.
- Gus St. Pierre as Ferguson Darling (cameo)

Notes
- Touchstone moved Good Burger from summer to fall to prevent the film from getting crushed by Justice League 3, Avengers: Endgame and Men in Black at the box office.
- By rescheduling the release date, Good Burger's production wasn't rushed like it was IOTL.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Flubber
Released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 21, 1997

Cast and Crew
Same as OTL

Anastasia
Released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 21, 1997

Produced at
Walt Disney Classic Animation (Burbank)

Directed by
Don Bluth

Screenplay by
Daniel Abbott
Linda Woolverton
Bob Tzudiker
Noni White

Executive Producers
Gary Goldman
John Pomeroy
Roy E. Disney

Music
David Newman

Songs
Lynn Ahrens
Stephen Flaherty

TTL's Synopsis
A dark shadow descends on the fictional kingdom of Proguba. The demented wizard Milgroth has put a hex on the Karrutha royal family and the youngest daughter Anastasia somehow slips through the fingers of Milgroth's secret police puppet Treoris. When Anastasia reaches adulthood, two con-artists with a heart of gold - Darrien Crowley and Saul Fitz - bring her to Savalon in exchange for a reward from Dowager Empress Budora.

Notes
- The name Saul Fitz (Vlad IOTL) comes from a recent atmospheric addition to Orlando's Main Street Confectionery [LINK].
- ITTL, Daniel Abbott changed the names of most of the characters and settings to avoid the controversy over the source material.
- Savalon serves as the Paris of TTL's story, except it is closer to London. Likewise, Proguba stands in for Tsarist Russia.
- The film serves as the inspiration for the Wesley Willis song "Anastasia" from his 1998 album Harmony Joy Bus Ride.

Voice Talents
Lacey Chabert as the speaking and singing voice of 10 year old Anastasia Karrutha
Molly Ringwald as the speaking voice of 20 year old Anastasia Karrutha
Liz Callaway as the singing voice of Anastasia
Christian Bale as the speaking voice of Darrien Crowley
Jonathan Dukochitz as the singing voice of Darrien Crowley
Kelsey Grammer as Saul Fitz
Christopher Lloyd as the speaking voice of Milgroth
Jim Cummings as the singing voice of Milgroth
Peter Stormare as Treoris
Angela Lansbury as Dowager Empress Budora
Hank Azaria as Bartok
Frank Welker as Pooka
Alan Oppenheimer as King Alexander Karrutha
June Foray as Queen Catherine Karrutha
Bernadette Peters as Leonia, Budora's lady in waiting​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Titanic
Released by TriStar Pictures on December 19, 1997

Cast and Crew
Same as OTL

Notes
- Titanic would go on to win most of the same Oscars it won IOTL.
- As of 1997 ITTL, Leonardo DiCaprio has now appeared in TWO of the highest grossing films of all time, Titanic and Avengers: Endgame.
- Titanic will headline Columbia-TriStar Home Video's entry into the DVD market in the fall of 1998.

Highest Grossing Films of All Time as of 1997
1) Avengers: Endgame (1997; 20th Century-Fox)
2) Jurassic Park (1993; Universal)
3) Titanic (1997; TriStar)
4) ET: The Extra Terrestrial (1982; Walt Disney)
5) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988; 20th Century-Fox)
6) Star Wars: A New Hope (1977; 20th Century-Fox)
7) Back to the Future: Part I (1985; Universal)
8) The Lion King (1994; Walt Disney)
9) Batman (1989; Columbia)
10) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981; 20th Century-Fox)
11) Jaws (1975; Universal)
12) The Godfather (1972; Paramount)​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Jackie Brown
Released Christmas Day 1997 by Golden Harvest

Written and Directed by
Quentin Tarantino

Produced by
Lawrence Bender

Executive Producers
Haim Saban
Shuki Levy
Raymond Chow

Notes
At the Hollywood premiere of Jackie Brown, a Golden Harvest spokesperson let slip that a Fox Force Five project was in the works with the Spice Girls.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Set your VCR's! The Backstreet Project is set for a February 1998 debut on Fox.
- MTV News

Mouse Hunt debuts in theatres as the very first release for DreamWorks SKG.
- Variety

UPN renews Sabrina the Teenage Witch for the next two years.
- TV Guide

Columbia-TriStar holds a press conference for Michael Keaton's retirement from the Batman role. Keaton told reporters that age was beginning to catch up to him.
- CBS News

The USA Network was fined $5 million USD by the FCC over a profane on air rant by WWA commentator Jim Cornette during an October episode of Monday Night Raw. During his tirade, an unbleeped Cornette unleashes his fury on WCW superstars Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, claiming the two wrestling veterans are hogging the spotlight at the expense of younger talent.
- Entertainment Tonight

 

[OldNavy1988]

MouseHunt
The first release from DreamWorks SKG

Balto
Released by Universal Pictures
Produced by Universal Cartoon Studios

The Postman
Released by Warner Bros.

Amistad
Released by Universal Pictures.

Tomorrow Never Dies
Released by Turner under the United Artists label.

Xenomorph: Resurrection
Released by Carolco
After this film was released, Veronica Cartwright announced her retirement from the Ellen Ripley role.

Good Will Hunting
Released by Golden Harvest
When this film premiered in Boston, Ben Affleck let slip that he was already talking to Columbia-TriStar about playing a younger Dark Knight.

Scream 2
Released by Golden Harvest​

 

[OldNavy1988]

AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys performing "Quit Playing Games (with my Heart)"

A Magical Walt Disney World Christmas
Aired December 25, 1997 on Fox

Taped in November for Christmas Day airing.

Hosts [1]
Molly Ringwald
Greg Rhodes
Sean Astin

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Medley
(At the Theatre of the Stars at Disney-Fox Studios)
- The combined Disney and Fox fanfares, first arranged by John DuPrez for the 1990 TMNT film.
- Yoda's theme from The Empire Strikes Back.
- The Raiders March from the Indiana Jones franchise.
- The Flying Theme from ET.
- A mashup of Tchaikovsky's Trepak and Making the Plane from Home Alone.
- The Nutcracker Suite from Fantasia
- Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid

Performances (Different locations around the resort)
The Backstreet Boys (Disney-Fox Studios; Pico Boulevard)
Gus St. Pierre with the Jambalaya Jazz Band (New Orleans Square; Magic Kingdom)
Jodi Benson (Main Street; Magic Kingdom)
The Harlem Globetrotters (Fox Sports World)
Downtown Julie Brown (Main Street; Magic Kingdom)
"Weird Al" Yankovic (Disney-Fox Studios; Dopey Drive)

[1] Invited by Disney to host this year's special in anticipation of the 15th Anniversary of Huck's Landing, which will be getting a Masterpiece Collection VHS/Laserdisc re-release this coming spring.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Entertainment News for December 1997 and January 1998

After a three year hiatus, Paramount will bring Tales from the Crypt back to cable on Odyssey next fall.
- TV Guide

Disney, Turner, Paramount and Golden Harvest will each enter the DVD market this spring.
- Billboard

Jerry Jarrett hired to helm ECW.
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Daniel Abbott will appear on Larry King Live to discuss the Backstreet Series on January 30.
- CNN

The Sports Page

NFL TV Contract Musical Chairs
- SBC intercepts the AFC package from NBC.
- CBS retains the NFC for the next eight seasons.
- Fox retains the Sunday Night package.
- Monday Night Football stays at ABC, also for the next eight years.
- ESPN will carry Thursday night games in November and December.
Super Bowls
Fox: XXIII (1999), XXVII (2003)
ABC: XXIV (2000), XXVIII (2004)
SBC: XXV (2001), XXIX (2005)
CBS: XXVI (2002), XXX (2006)

As consolation, NBC reaches an agreement to bring the Canadian Football League to American TV viewers.
- SportsCenter

 

[OldNavy1988]

Neon Genesis Evangelion
Launched on January 6, 1998 on Showtime

English dub produced and distributed by
20th Television

Main Voices
Matthew Lillard as Shinji Ikari
Ming-Na Wen as Rei Ayanami
Melissa Joan Hart as Asuka Langley Soryu
Sandra Oh as Misato Kurasagi
Sue Ulu as Ritsuko Akagi
Brent Spiner as Kozo Fuyutzuki
Tristan MacAvery as Gendo Ikari
Joaquin Phoenix as Ryoji Kaji

Let me know which anime Fox should dub next.​