The Power and the Glitter!

[vultan]

Newsday article, Friday, March 24th, 1994- Excerpt

SPIKE LEE BLASTS OSCARS FOR OVERTURE DIRECTOR SNUB

As much a maker of headlines for his bold declarations as his feature films, Hollywood director Spike Lee, famous for Do The Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, and Malcolm X, is gearing up for another sparring match with his colleagues in the movie industry. The reason? Danny Glover's lack of an Academy Award nomination for Best Director for his work on the historical epic Overture last year.

"Some of these studio heads want to, you know, try to ignore the real achievement of Overture. Sure, they'll put it up for Best Picture, and sure, they'll give Cheadle the nod", a reference to star Don Cheadle, who portrayed Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture in the movie, "but the real achievement was Danny Glover. The man's first try behind the camera [1], and he makes the best war movie since Patton."

Overture, released last November to considerable critical and commercial success, details the success of the Haitian War of Independence through the eyes of her founding leader, Toussaint Louverture (the title was taken from the English version of the revolutionary's last name). Made on a $20 million budget with a virtually unknown cast, the film's success surprised even director and producer Danny Glover. "This was just supposed to be a personal thing- a vanity project", the Lethal Weapon star mused with a faint smile. "It was supposed to be sort of a metaphor for all the difficulties blacks in America have gone through in history and still to this day. That general audiences would take to it as well as they did, I was just shocked, honestly."

However, it is Glover who Lee contends deserves recognition on Oscar night. "I wouldn't even be offended if Tarantino hadn't been nominated twice. Twice. Think about that, and you can even forget Overture for a minute. That's one other director who got completely shafted because Tarantino's the "new thing" right now, so of course Hollywood wants to spoil him." He went on to criticize Quentin Tarantino, who had been nominated for Best Director for both Natural Born Killers and Pulp Fiction, the latter of which is also being considered for Best Picture, for the excessive use of racial slurs in his movies.

"What does he want? To be made an honorary black man?" [2], Lee continued. A similar controversy arose several years ago when Clint Eastwood's western Unforgiven beat out Malcolm X for Best Picture...

...

[1] Historically, Glover's directorial debut was the 1994 short film Override.

[2] Real life quote from Spike Lee criticizing Tarantino.

---

That enough to tide you over, Brainbin?

In all seriousness, I'll probably do a couple of these little things, detailing all the mini-controversies surrounding the Oscars (and there's another big one...)

 

[Brainbin]

That enough to tide you over, Brainbin?

Yes, that should do very nicely, thank you I must remember that technique in future...

So Spike Lee is up to his old tricks, I see. I like this update a lot, because it blends OTL pop culture with TTL pop culture very effectively. And it's also an excellent shock wave from the original societal earthquake: a racial supremacist elected Governor of Louisiana, a state with a large African-American and a large Francophone population. From there it's just a stone's throw to Haiti. And obviously, this is a giant leap for Cheadle, a full decade ahead of Hotel Rwanda, and in what is obviously a higher-profile film.

I'm very interested to see where Danny Glover finds himself from here. Will he follow in the footsteps of Lee, though obviously in a less iconoclastic manner? Or will he become the next John Singleton, the "black Orson Welles"? Though, at this early juncture, Singleton's career can possibly be saved. I doubt Tarantino will pay Lee much mind, either way; the irony, of course, is that Tarantino has never been one to shy away from getting his name in the paper, either. Remember the run-up to Casino Royale IOTL?

 

[vultan]

So Spike Lee is up to his old tricks, I see. I like this update a lot, because it blends OTL pop culture with TTL pop culture very effectively. And it's also an excellent shock wave from the original societal earthquake: a racial supremacist elected Governor of Louisiana, a state with a large African-American and a large Francophone population. From there it's just a stone's throw to Haiti. And obviously, this is a giant leap for Cheadle, a full decade ahead of Hotel Rwanda, and in what is obviously a higher-profile film.

Pull one string, and a lot of things can happen. As I've said earlier, I'm cheating a little bit because Glover didn't get the idea to make his Louverture biopic until later on, but this would be the ideal time to make it happen, and it's at the height of his career.

And yes, the Franchophone nature of both Louisiana and Haiti would obviously help the intended analogy Glover is going for.

I'm very interested to see where Danny Glover finds himself from here. Will he follow in the footsteps of Lee, though obviously in a less iconoclastic manner? Or will he become the next John Singleton, the "black Orson Welles"? Though, at this early juncture, Singleton's career can possibly be saved. I doubt Tarantino will pay Lee much mind, either way; the irony, of course, is that Tarantino has never been one to shy away from getting his name in the paper, either. Remember the run-up to Casino Royale IOTL?

Spike Lee- for all his antics, and the fact that he's REALLY hit and miss... when he makes a good movie, he makes a GOOD FRIGGIN MOVIE. I can easily forgive him for anything else in his career because of Do The Right Thing alone. And he'll have the chance to make another really good movie in this timeline before the 90's are out.

Danny Glover- this will definitely help his career in the long run.

John Singleton- him and the Hughes Brothers should have a higher profile in this timeline. We'll see what they make of it.

Tarantino- oh you know I'm going to have a little spiel on him coming up.
Great director, but he had the potential to have a better 90's, actually...

 

[thekingsguard]

Wonder if Samuel L. Jackson is gonna stick up for Tarrintino like he did in OTL. Great update!

 

[Glen]

Wonder if Samuel L. Jackson is gonna stick up for Tarrintino like he did in OTL. Great update!

Jackson has always struck me as a stand-up guy, so my first instinct was that he would again here, though with the increased racial tension, perhaps it gives him pause?

 

[ArKhan]

Kurt Russell as Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II- Action star Kurt Russell was secured to star as mild-mannered Dan Dreiberg, who in the universe of Watchmen was the second man to assume the mantle of Nite Owl, a “superhero with owl-themed gadgets”. Joel Silver was inspired to approach Russell after reading a scribbled-in note on Sam Hamm’s iteration of the screenplay that said “DREIBERG=KURT RUSSELL?” (it had been rumored that the actor had been considered for the titular role in 1989’s Batman, which Hamm had also penned) [1]. Russell was initially skeptical of joining the production, because he was afraid it would just be a “Schwarzenegger movie”, therefore negating his own role (though he held nothing against the Austrian actor personally). However, after learning that Schwarzenegger had willingly consigned himself to a (relatively) small role, and it indeed would be a true ensemble production, he decided to accept (with a $6 million salary). For the role, Russell extensively worked out to gain a “superhero physique” for the flashback scenes, then gained eight pounds in fat and added glasses to portray a “superhero in decline” for the film’s “present” [2].

By accepting the role of Dan Dreiberg in Watchmen, however, Kurt Russell had to turn down a role in a science fiction movie director Roland Emmerich (who had been briefly considered as a candidate to direct Watchmen) and writer Dean Devlin were pitching, tentatively titled “Stargate” [3]. The decision had to be made due to scheduling concerns. Frustrated, the writer/director duo would have to look for another actor for their lead…

Bruce Campbell as Edward Blake/The Comedian- Initially, Joel Silver wanted another action movie superstar, such as Bruce Willis or Sylvester Stallone to play the “smooth-talking but utterly ruthless and amoral character that Blake was”. However, because Arnold Schwarzenegger was already on board, other big-name actors were in negotiations, and James Cameron was directing, Gordon and Silver privately agreed to look elsewhere to prevent a clash of personalities (there were also budgetary concerns with adding more big-name actors and providing them their salaries). Michael Keaton was briefly considered before he turned down their offer. Bruce Campbell only came on board due to a complicated series of events. When Gordon was discussing with potential director Sam Raimi on what actors he saw in each of the roles, Raimi stated he didn’t know how he would fit it in, but he would “love to give my buddy Bruce (Campbell) a spot” (Raimi and Campbell had collaborated on The Evil Dead series). Though Raimi was ultimately not chosen as the director, Gordon did promise him he would at least let the actor audition, though the producer had no initial intention of putting a “B-actor” in the movie. Things changed, however, when Campbell did give his audition on July 18th, with Gordon, Silver, and Cameron present. Silver and Gordon were impressed by the actor’s performance, agreeing that Campbell came off as sufficiently “cool” and “badass” for the role. Cameron did not object, and eventually accepted to the casting, admitting that “he (Campbell) is the best option we have”. For the majority of his scenes, the actor had to endure several hours in the makeup room to simulate advanced age, but it was generally agreed later on that Campbell gave one of the most memorable performances in Watchmen.

Sharon Stone as Laurie Juspeczyk/Silk Spectre II- Sharon Stone, of Total Recall and Basic Instinct fame, was cast in the role of Silk Spectre, the only active female superhero in the film. For her performance, she worked out several hours a day to get herself toned “almost to the point of not even being sexy and just really, really huge”, she would later point out, before Cameron told her such a routine was not necessary. Also, her hair color was changed to brunette for filming. Notably, she was the only actor with a major role in Watchmen who did not read the graphic novel in preparation for production.

Brent Spiner as Jon Osterman/Doctor Manhattan: Initially, James Cameron wanted either Jeff Goldblum or Gary Oldman for the role of the glowing blue, god-like superhero, but neither actor accepted the role. Eventually, Brent Spiner, known for his starring role as the android Data on television’s Star Trek: The Next Generation, due to his experience in portraying a character devoid of emotion. However, only a couple scenes with Spiner’s character were actually filmed physically with the actor. Instead, his likeness was used loosely for a computer-generated character, a character which he provided the voice for (see Special Effects for more details).

Mark Hamill as Walter Kovacs/Rorschach: Mark Hamill, the Star Wars actor who many regarded as past his prime, was a surprise addition to the cast. An avid comic book fan, he managed to secure an audition, before which James Cameron reportedly asked, “So, is he going to act like the Joker?” (a reference to the fact that Hamill voiced The Joker in the animated Batman television series, which Cameron must have noticed when glancing at the actor’s resume). However, Hamill’s audition was so strong- and menacing- that he left an impression on the filmmaker. After a week of negotiations, Hamill was cast as the menacing, possibly insane but very principled vigilante Rorschach. In fact, Joel Silver tentatively suggested that they the studio not announce in advance who was portraying Rorschach, so that when’s he’s unmasked, the audience at the premiere would find out to their shock that they’d been watching “Luke Skywalker” the whole time (Cameron ultimately nixed this suggestion). However, Hamill was widely touted by critics (even those who overall didn’t enjoy the film) as having given perhaps the best performance of his career.

In supporting roles, Charlton Heston was cast as Hollis Mason/Nite Owl (the first rendition) [4], Andreas Katsulas as Moloch the Mystic/Edgar Jacobi, and Kathleen Quinlan as Sally Jupiter/Silk Spectre.

Who plays Richard Nixon in this verison?

 

[vultan]

Who plays Richard Nixon in this verison?

An unknown actor who never actually had any prominent roles IOTL.

Aside from that, any other thoughts?

 

[Glen]

any updates?

 

[vultan]

any updates?

How about right now?

---

Stargate

After the casting debacle had been resolved with Jeff Goldblum and Richard Dean Anderson settled on as the leads, production on Stargate actually went relatively smoothly. The $60 million budget was more than enough for the production team to work with [1], and the crew had creative methods of saving money and stretching the cash further than it should have gone under normal circumstances (for instance, putting stick figures covered in cloth in the distant desert to appear as humans).

Jeff Kleiser and a special effects team of forty people created the look of the Stargate. They created their own software to develop many of the effects that went into the film, including the morphing helmets of Ra’s guards and the cityscape of Nagada, the town on the desert planet. The biggest challenge was rendering a realistic wormhole, though the production team was reportedly very happy with the final result. Patrick Tatapoulos, also known for his work of the seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation after the death of Michael Westmore [2], developed the animatronics for the alien creatures in the movie. These included the camel-like Mastadge, Ra’s original extraterrestrial form [3], and the antagonist’s cadre of alien warriors who raided the prehistoric Egyptian village toward the beginning of the film in search for a new host for their master [4].

Daniel Jackson’s lecture on his theories was filmed in a hotel room in Los Angeles. Originally, his “Ancient Aliens” speech was to be trimmed for timing concerns, but once the executives at MGM viewed the footage they found Jeff Goldblum extremely funny in the scene, so they requested it be kept. The specific part of the scene, where a college professor asks Jackson who he believed was responsible for building the pyramids, prompting the young Egyptologist to enthusiastically reply “Aliens!”, became something of a popular catchphrase in the 1990’s [5]. Academy-award winning composer David Arnold got his start in the American film industry with his work on the film.

Stargate was released on November 4, 1994 [6], in direct competition with the martial arts film Double Dragon, a video game adaptation, and the horror-drama movie Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The science fiction film exceeded expectations, raking in over $36 million in its opening weekend [7]. Positive word-of-mouth led to a mere 25% drop going into the next weekend, resulting in a further $27 million over the November 11th-13th weekend. When everything was tallied up, Stargate took in $320 million at the box office [8], with nearly 60% of that being international gross.

Reception for Stargate was generally positive. Today, Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 68% “fresh” aggregate rating [9]. Critics generally praised the chemistry between Jeff Goldblum and Richard Dean Anderson, as well the action, scope, and special effects of the story, even if criticism was meted out for the thin plot. Even Roger Ebert, who dissented from the critical consensus with a negative two-star (out of a possible four-star) rating for the film, grudgingly admitted that “the timing with the leads is perfect”. Jeff Kleiser and the special effects team were nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Stargate also did much to popularize the pseudohistorical “Ancient Astronaut” theory during the 1990’s, and also led to a minor resurgence in popularity for space opera and military science fiction films.

Needless to say, a sequel was quickly greenlit…

...

Oscar Nominations for Best Visual Effects (listed in alphabetical order) [10]:

Forrest Gump

Stargate

Watchmen

...

[1] Historically, the budget was slightly less, $55 million. However, the preproduction casting crises caused Emmerich to overcompensate in other areas. Dean Devlin claims that MGM offered them up to $100 million for the budget, and while generally I’d take what he says with a grain of salt, it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to spot the guys another couple million. This, of course, will have interesting effects.

[2] More on that… in a later update.

[3] For those who haven’t seen the movie, pretty much looks like your standard grey alien. Here’s a link.

[4] What’s that you say? You don’t remember that scene from Stargate? Well, that’s because it wasn’t there. Slightly higher budget means Emmerich and Devlin can play around more.

[5] Yes, Jeff Goldblum creates the Ancient Aliens Meme more than ten years before it existed historically (of course, without an extremely prominent internet, at least to begin with). You know how it goes, and if you don’t… why are you on the internet again?

[6] Historically, it opened a week earlier, on October 28th. Again, preproduction woes.

[7] In our timeline, it got a decent $16 million.

[8] In our timeline, it grossed $196 million overall.

[9] In real life, that number is 48%.

[10] At the 67th Academy Awards in our world, the nominees were Forrest Gump, The Mask, and True Lies (which was of course preempted by Watchmen in this timeline).

---

Well, that's my first update in a while. Granted, it wasn't very good (a lot got cherry-picked from Wikipedia), and I'd written most of two weeks ago, I just prettied it up and posted it. I had heavy academic commitments, then Spring Break, over the past several weeks, which is why I haven't committed to this timeline as much as I should have. I did keep up with the site through my phone, though, but that's about it.

(Brainbin, sorry about the lack of conclusion for your Oscars. I'll get right on that over the next couple days with more articles like the Spike Lee one, then the awards, in a single giant update. Other than that, I did give the special effects nominees!)

But yeah, that's what a different cast and slightly better production values did for Stargate: made it better, or at least more successful... all because of Watchmen! Could I get some feedback from hardcore SG fans?

Any other general comments, thoughts, and critiques?

 

[John Fredrick Parker]

A good update, but I'm mostly glad to see this back

 

[ANARCHY_4_ALL]

You been spying on me Vultan, I was watching Ancient Aliens all this morning. Lol. But a very good update. Does this mean that some of the evidence and research in the Ancient Astronaut theory is discovered earlier. Due to more interest in it due to the movie? I would find that interesting. Myself believing in aliens, alien contact, and other whack-job theories lol.

 

[vultan]

You been spying on me Vultan, I was watching Ancient Aliens all this morning. Lol. But a very good update. Does this mean that some of the evidence and research in the Ancient Astronaut theory is discovered earlier. Due to more interest in it due to the movie? I would find that interesting. Myself believing in aliens, alien contact, and other whack-job theories lol.

I'd imagine von Daniken shows up a lot on this timeline's version of The Jerry Springer Show.

 

[ANARCHY_4_ALL]

I'd imagine von Daniken shows up a lot on this timeline's version of The Jerry Springer Show.

If it was OTL Jerry Springer I'd be offended lol jk.

 

[vultan]

If it was OTL Jerry Springer I'd be offended lol jk.

Well, look back a page and decide for yourself.

 

[ANARCHY_4_ALL]

Well, look back a page and decide for yourself.

That's why I said OTL lol.

 

[Brainbin]

How about right now?

Glad to finally see this back! TWR was feeling pretty lonely, all by herself

Patrick Tatapoulos, also known for his work of the seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation after the death of Michael Westmore [2], developed the animatronics for the alien creatures in the movie.

Now that is a very intriguing development. A quick perusal at Memory Alpha reveals that Westmore is still with us IOTL; obviously you're using your powers for evil, as well as good. Speaking of which... Tatapoulos. Where have I heard that name before? Surely not in another, far inferior, Devlin/Emmerich picture? This is all very fishy. Or, in other words, that's a lot of fish!

These included the camel-like Mastadge, Ra’s original extraterrestrial form [3], and the antagonist’s cadre of alien warriors who raided the prehistoric Egyptian village toward the beginning of the film in search for a new host for their master [4].

Have you revealed who was cast in the role of Ra ITTL? A cursory search turned up nothing. Apparently, Jaye Davidson was the first choice, and, apparently uninterested in any role that did not involve surprise genitalia, demanded a $1 million salary; the demand was immediately accepted by the producers, which forced his hand. I see no real reason to change that course of events, unless the buzz about The Crying Game was so utterly subsumed by more pressing issues that it never really emerged ITTL.

The specific part of the scene, where a college professor asks Jackson who he believed was responsible for building the pyramids, prompting the young Egyptologist to enthusiastically reply “Aliens!”, became something of a popular catchphrase in the 1990’s [5].

Definitely one of those scenes that only a quirk like Goldblum could pull off. Reminds me of the "cheeseburger" exchange in The Fly.

Academy-award winning composer David Arnold got his start in the American film industry with his work on the film.

No Oscar IOTL to date. It obviously remains to be seen where his career will (or won't) go from here, but I doubt he'll win for anything having to do with a certain secret agent. John Barry never did, and let's be honest: if anyone deserved to win for Bond, it was him.

Stargate was released on November 4, 1994 [6], in direct competition with the martial arts film Double Dragon, a video game adaptation, and the horror-drama movie Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Poor Frankenstein. It can only be even worse for Branagh, whose career has only recently recovered from that disaster IOTL.

When everything was tallied up, Stargate took in $320 million at the box office [8], with nearly 60% of that being international gross.

So Devlin/Emmerich have themselves a smash hit ahead of schedule. Anticipation for their follow-up project will be massive.

Even Roger Ebert, who dissented from the critical consensus with a negative two-star (out of a possible four-star) rating for the film, grudgingly admitted that “the timing with the leads is perfect”.

But what did Siskel say?!

Stargate also did much to popularize the pseudohistorical “Ancient Astronaut” theory during the 1990’s, and also led to a minor resurgence in popularity for space opera and military science fiction films.

Which means that nerds everywhere will love them and hate them, all at the same time. Well done!

Needless to say, a sequel was quickly greenlit…

The plot thickens!

(Brainbin, sorry about the lack of conclusion for your Oscars. I'll get right on that over the next couple days with more articles like the Spike Lee one, then the awards, in a single giant update. Other than that, I did give the special effects nominees!)

That's all right; I'm just glad to see this back! And I know you'll get to it eventually, and do a terrific job to boot. But thanks for taking my thoughts into consideration Even if it is just because of the Battlestar Galactica blackmail...

Any other general comments, thoughts, and critiques?

A couple of random observations, which this update spurred me to make...

Though The Mask was not nominated for the Visual Effects Oscar (IMO, a nomination it richly deserved IOTL), 1994 was the year of Jim Carrey, as he starred in three hit films, all of which are well-remembered today (the other two being Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber). How were those received, in this more cynical and grim climate? Were they all made? Did he star in all of them?

I trust that you'll get to Star Trek Generations in due time. Allow me to lodge a formal request, on behalf of all Kirk fans everywhere, not to mention all those who have the slightest iota of reverence for pop culture history: If Kirk must die, make sure he dies on the bridge; and, most importantly, if he dies on the bridge, make sure it's the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Thank you

Looking forward to your next update, as always! A couple of days sounds great to me!

 

[vultan]

Glad to finally see this back! TWR was feeling pretty lonely, all by herself

No longer! Though it would be nice to be at the point with pop culture timelines that we were this time last month...

Have you revealed who was cast in the role of Ra ITTL? A cursory search turned up nothing. Apparently, Jaye Davidson was the first choice, and, apparently uninterested in any role that did not involve surprise genitalia, demanded a $1 million salary; the demand was immediately accepted by the producers, which forced his hand. I see no real reason to change that course of events, unless the buzz about The Crying Game was so utterly subsumed by more pressing issues that it never really emerged ITTL.

Yes, Jaye Davidson was our Ra, and yes, The Crying Game did about as well as it did in our timeline.

No Oscar IOTL to date. It obviously remains to be seen where his career will (or won't) go from here, but I doubt he'll win for anything having to do with a certain secret agent. John Barry never did, and let's be honest: if anyone deserved to win for Bond, it was him.

Now who said it was going to be for Bond?

So Devlin/Emmerich have themselves a smash hit ahead of schedule. Anticipation for their follow-up project will be massive.

Bear in mind, though, Emmerich has never himself made a sequel, even for his smash hits.

That's all right; I'm just glad to see this back! And I know you'll get to it eventually, and do a terrific job to boot. But thanks for taking my thoughts into consideration

You're certainly welcome! You know, BSG could be the Babylon 5 to the Original Series' TNG!

Though The Mask was not nominated for the Visual Effects Oscar (IMO, a nomination it richly deserved IOTL), 1994 was the year of Jim Carrey, as he starred in three hit films, all of which are well-remembered today (the other two being Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber). How were those received, in this more cynical and grim climate? Were they all made? Did he star in all of them?

If there is enough demand, how about this? After the Oscars, if enough people give submissions, I'll do a "Where Are They Now?" to wrap up this timeline's formative years. I'll do, say, no more than 75% entertainment figures, no more than 20% politics, and 5% miscellaneous. Although to be honest, before 1994 there shouldn't be too many differences at all, and even in 1994 it's not huge (that is, in entertainment. In politics of course it's huge, but I think I've gotten the basics down there). In 1995, though...

I trust that you'll get to Star Trek Generations in due time. Allow me to lodge a formal request, on behalf of all Kirk fans everywhere, not to mention all those who have the slightest iota of reverence for pop culture history: If Kirk must die, make sure he dies on the bridge; and, most importantly, if he dies on the bridge, make sure it's the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Thank you

I'll certainly take that into consideration...

Looking forward to your next update, as always! A couple of days sounds great to me!

Thank you!

 

[vultan]

I made some edits to the Jerry Springer/1994 midterms elections update a page back, and I have an important question to make: in the Republican Revolution part of it, is the present-tense format annoying, or should I keep it?

 

[thekingsguard]

Glad to see this back! I'm eager for an update on the Crow/Brandon Lee

 

[Brainbin]

I made some edits to the Jerry Springer/1994 midterms elections update a page back, and I have an important question to make: in the Republican Revolution part of it, is the present-tense format annoying, or should I keep it?

I think the formatting and the tense are both just fine. One minor point of confusion would be the overall tally. Do you have the number of House/Senate/Gubernatorial seats held by each party after the elections handy? We can look up the OTL results ourselves, of course.

And also, congratulations on 300 posts! Very well-deserved