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DISAPPEARING INK
The "I-Maniacs Fan Club" Newsletter
Issue #11
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<*><*><*><*><*><*> TABLE OF CONTENTS <*><*><*><*><*><*>
1. A Word from the Publisher
2. A Word from the Club President
3. Spotlight on: "IGN Sci-fi"
4. Sound Off!
5. What Happens Next?
6. Interview with Mike McCafferty
7. Important Addresses
<*><*><*><*><*><*> A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER <*><*><*><*><*><*>
Hi Fellow I-Maniacs & welcome to all our new members!
You know the saying "when it rains, it pours"? Unlike Darien, I have no idea who
may have coined that phrase, but I find it very appropriate for the newsletter recently
(in a good way). In the last issue, we had an interview with JoshProps and recently both
Paul Ben-Victor and Mike McCafferty graciously took the time to answer my interview
questions on the exact same day! I contemplated putting half of each interview in this
newsletter and the second half of each in the next one. However, I decided that no one
likes cliffhangers, so I'm not going to do that to you. Therefore, since Mike responded
first (by mere hours), I have included his interview this time and will save Paul's for
the next newsletter.
On another great newsletter note, I received a number of incredibly good chapters for the
"What Happens Next?" section this time and had the most difficult time choosing
just one. In the end, I had to go with tried and true "eeny, meeny, miney, mo"
method of deciding which one to include.
As always, I have a list of "missing members" I'd like to make you all aware of.
The current list of fan club members whose email addresses are not working are:
LuvnVinVin, CanadianNational, and Slave2chiana. If you see any of them in the chat room or
on the bboard, please do me a favor and send them my way at imannewsletter@yahoo.com so I can get things
straightened out and make sure they don't miss out on anything!
We welcome any feedback, not only for this newsletter, but also for the fan club web site
at http://www.geocities.com/imanfanclub as well. Please
send your comments and suggestions to imannewsletter@yahoo.com.
Gina
<*><*><*><*><*><*> A WORD FROM THE CLUB PRESIDENT <*><*><*><*><*><*>
Agenda
* Greetings & Welcome
* Prey Extension
* Voting
* Pen Sale
* Comic Con
* Contest
**Greetings & Welcome**
Hello my fellow fully QSM Imaniacs!
Has it really been 2 weeks already? Where does the time go, I ask you? It seems that with
each passing week the interest in our club continues to grow. You will be happy -- nay,
THRILLED -- to know that we have reached the 200 mark!! That's right boys and girls, we
now have 200 members in the Imaniacs Fan Club!! *R2 pauses to dance her Darien dance of
joy* Our newest newbies are : Spooky, Makita988, Moze, PreyPartisan, Shikari, reddevil59,
The_Invisible_Man, Jae_em_Tea, Jdeanfan, Erin, Keridwen_Ashton, Justfound, Tomoman,
Quicksilvr, Christine, Rose, Elizabeth, The_Mad_Fangirl, CounterAgent and lastly ...
Mardel!! Let's give them all a great big HUGE Imaniac welcome! *R2 blows her trumpet of
joy* I certainly am glad you're all here! A big family is a great family! Now, let's get
down to business
**Prey Extension**
To all of you writing in to SciFi to try and convince them to make a 2-hour mini movie
that ties up all the loose ends, thank you! You are making a HUGE difference. Since we
just had a glorious Chain Reaction this past weekend (yummy) the folks over at the
PreyforUs campaign have issued an extension. We/I will now be accepting letters of support
to SciFi until February 16th. I'm going to make life a LOT easier for all of you. Instead
of writing a letter and using 2 stamps, just email me the letter you want to send to
Bonnie Hammer at SciFi. I'll print it out and send it over to the headquarters. Boom.
Done. Simple. And that's what life should be, my friends, simple. So -- get your thoughts
in order, open up your email and send me the letter to send to Bonnie. I'll make sure she
gets it because face facts, we'd want this kind of support for Iman!
**Voting**
Okay, not sure how many of you are signed up for one or all of the e-group fan stuff.
However, all of us involved have gotten a little challenge going. VV and PBV are listed in
the running for "Hottest Sci Fi Male Actor in the Universe". We've all be voting
like mad and we'd like to get the rest of you on board. Currently, VV is in 2nd place but
PBV is down in 8th, I believe. Totally unacceptable! These guys need to be #1 and #2!!
They're the dynamic duo of the Underfunded Five! It really is fun and terribly simple!
Go to: http://www.freevote.com/booth/hotscifimale
There you will find both VV and PBV listed. To vote, click on the "vote" icon
once. When you get to the "success" page, hit the "back" button on
your browser. Then, when you go to click on the "vote" icon again, hold down
your "enter" key. This will allow you to vote hundres of times and save you from
killing your finger.
Go! Vote! Our boys need you, and you could be part of something fun!
**Pen Sale**
The Counteragent Pens continue to be a hot seller. I have fallen a bit behind in shipping
(sorry) but with the mass orders I've been getting and the fact that RL does demand my
attention, orders may take a few days longer to get to you. Have no fear, though, if you
sent me a payment you WILL get your pens.
For those of you who have not yet ordered, I still have more in stock and thanks to Beth I
can get more if I need to. Don't feel you're being greedy or whatever because you want
more than one. These things are way cool and you can give them to friends as advertising
for this show! As soon as the sale of these pens are over, I'll try and have some new hot
item for you guys. Just trying to keep things interesting!
**Comic Con**
Currently, no further news as to our bash being planned for Comic Con in July. Helena,
KatrynSedai, MrsSpooky, Maltese Hobbes, and GinaS headed on down to sunny San Diego to do
some scoping for us. As soon as they return with news, we'll pass it on to you guys. Don't
forget to pre-register. I'm getting my hands on the registration form from the comic con
web site. If you need one, email me and I'll forward it to you so you can fill it out and
get the best price. I'll take as many of you as I can get!
**Contest**
As I'm sure you are all aware, there is a new fic contest of sorts in our midst. I thank
Beth (LoganLover) for coming up with this one. It's called THE DEATH OF THE EVIL WATER
SPITTING WOMAN FROM HELL and the rules are simple.
You must creatively write the demise of La Llorona .. or whatever you want to call her. It
doesn't have to be long, just tell us how she dies. Be creative, but keep it in the realm
of the feasible (no aliens, please).
Send entries to: LoganLover at quicksilver_theagency@hotmail.com
or to me at stacey_meyer@hotmail.com
The contest will run until March 1st at which time Beth & I will send the fics over to
our judges and they will pick the winner. There will be a first, second and third place.
We look forward to seeing your creativity at work! Good luck everyone.
Stacey
<*><*><*><*><*><*> SPOTLIGHT ON: IGN Sci-fi <*><*><*><*><*><*>
Normally, we spotlight web sites dedicated strictly to "The Invisible Man".
However, I thought that IGN at http://scifi.ign.com/,
which deals with all things science fiction (including TV, movies, toys and comics), is
definitely worth mentioning. Not only have they included some really good and slightly
off-beat interviews with the cast, but they also review each episode in depth.
Often, reviews of television shows are done with haste and by people completely
disinterested in the subject matter. However, refreshingly at IGN, not only do they have
the same reviewer for each episode, Heather McLatchie, so that she can understand the
intricacies of the episodes and how they relate to previous episodes, she actually appears
to enjoy the show and therefore puts more effort into the review than most would.
Along with a synopsis and some observations about each episode, the review contains a
rating (out of five), its air date and a few tidbits on the side (for example, one from
diseased is that Arnaud has a swanky pad!).
So, go on, check it out… and remember, no one will know if you wander into non-I-Man
territory while you're there, just don't stray too long:) It's a great site!
Got a great Invisible Man web site? Tell us about it. Send e-mail to imannewsletter@yahoo.com
<*><*><*><*><*><*> SOUND OFF! <*><*><*><*><*><*>
In this section of the newsletter we offer all of you the opportunity to give us your
opinion on various Invisible Man subjects.
Before we get into the new topic, let's check out the results of the last "Sound
Off". If you remember, I asked you to choose your favorite I-Man vehicle, the
off-white beat up van, the stolen red taxi from the pilot, the compact silver car where
Darien gets to be his own airbag, Claire's Jeep Grand Cherokee or Hobbes' black sedan. I
did not include many vehicles used in the show and many of you had favorites not on the
list and some even preferred vehicles in episodes that aired after I sent the newsletter
(like Arnaud's ice cream truck). But I couldn't list every vehicle ever used (I apologize
to those who's favorite was not there) and although it would be a cool super power, I
can't see into the future :) So, I had to go with the list I had. Of those, the favorite,
but not nearly by the margin I expected, was the beat up, but ever-reliable van!
New Topic:
What is your favorite Arnaud disguise? Is it the loved-by-children-everywhere ice cream
man? Perhaps you like his faux-innocence as the "Swiss Doogie Howser" from the
pilot? Maybe you prefer the brainy look as a Fort Leavitt Hospital surgeon in scrubs? Do
you perchance love his voice-altered portrayal as the recently deceased Kevin Fawkes? Or
do you have a soft spot for his having to work a bit to carry off his disguise by lugging
suit cases in limo driver garb?
You can Sound Off by sending your choice (as difficult as it may be, please choose only
one) to imannewsletter@yahoo.com by February
26th and be sure to put the words "Sound Off" in the subject of your email.
<*><*><*><*><*><*> WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? <*><*><*><*><*><*>
In this section of the newsletter you get the chance to get your creative juices
flowing and write the next part of an ongoing story. Below, you'll find the story so far.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it (unlike The Official, we give you the choice
:), is to write the next part of the story in about 125 words or less. It'll be a tough
choice, but I will pick one submission and post it in the next newsletter and continue
from there. Ready? Here goes!
The teaser:
Darien was a happy guy. He had just gotten a shot of counteragent and wouldn't need a new
one for a while, things were quiet at the agency, and most importantly, he was going to
spend a nice relaxing evening at home with a home-made meal and his favorite book
"The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World's Greatest
Philosophers". "It doesn't get any better than this", he thought as he
headed toward his apartment with a bag of groceries in one arm.
As he unlocked the door, the scene inside made him stop in his tracks. "Aw
crap!" he said as the smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by a look of
dismay. His apartment had been ransacked and very thoroughly at that. After taking a
moment to digest the situation, he walked cautiously into the apartment careful not to
step on anything breakable, which had not already been broken, and checked to make sure
that whoever made the mess wasn't still there.
Part 2 by R2:
Glass crunched under Darien's feet as he made his way through his destroyed apartment.
Nothing had been spared and Darien felt violated. Unknown hands had rifled through his
possessions, going over his personal affects. The intruder, or intruders, had been quite
thorough. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his small abode abnormally quiet.
With a deep breath, Darien allowed the quicksilver to coat his body, neatly rendering him
invisible. If whoever had done this was still here, he saw no need to give them the
advantage. There was a small noise from inside the bathroom, Darien's head snapped around
at the sound as he began to make his way toward the closed door.
Part 3 by R2
Slowly, Darien reached out and grasped the cold handle in his equally cold hand. Fear and
anger were vying for attention, whoever had ransacked his home was still stupid enough to
be here. Big mistake.
He flung the door open and blindly launched himself inside, grabbing a stunned individual
around their waist. There was a startled shout as he and the intruder fell to the ground
in a tangle of arms and legs, Darien could feel them struggling to get out from under him
and he knew that he had the upper hand.
Darien gripped a flailing hand tightly as he glanced down at the person who had destroyed
his apartment. His breath left him in a horrified gasp as he recognized the man,
"Hobbes?"
Part 4 by Kathy Czechowski, a.k.a. Hei_Mao
Hobbes snorted, jerking from Darien's grip and standing. "Thanks for the hospitality.
Love what
you've done with the place," he said, brushing broken glass from his sleeves.
"What do you mean by that? I didn't do this." Darien's brow furrowed as he let
the quicksilver fall
away.
"What, and I did? You called me here."
"No, I didn't." His voice trailed off as he stared at the mess.
"Yeah, you did. You said you wanted to talk to me about something, the door would be
unlocked, I
should just walk in. I walked in, and POW! I woke up in here. Then you came barreling
in...."
Darien paused, shaking his head. "I didn't call you. This doesn't make sense."
"Right. If someone wanted to frame me for tossing your apartment, why call me
here?" Hobbes rubbed the back of his head. A large bruise was rapidly purpling
beneath a dozen small cuts. He winced,
mumbling curses.
"Somebody wanted us here at the same time. The mess is just a distraction. Someone
wanted us out of the
way," Darien declared.
Hobbes nodded, his expression grim. "I was thinking the same thing."
Part 5 by FawkesFox
Hobbes' cell phone began to ring. He took it out of his pocket and answered it,
"Hobbes... What?... Where are you?... Stay there, we're on our way." He hung the
phone up and turned to Darien. "There's trouble partner." Hobbes started for the
door, Darien following closely behind him. Within minutes they arrived at the Agency. Once
they got there, they knocked on the door of Charlie's office. There was no answer so
Darien kicked the door in. Inside, Charlie was tied to the chair, a gag in his mouth.
"Hello, Darien." A familiar voice said from behind the door. Darien turned to
see the man who was responsible for his brother's death.
Part 6 by Allison Riley
Darien's couldn't speak. He never, in his wildest dreams, thought that Arnaud would come
back for a third time. Then, the memories of Kevin dying in his arms came back to him. His
speechlessness disappeared. Darien tried to punch Arnaud, but he wasn't quick enough.
Arnaud grabbed his fist and squeezed it tightly. Pain rushed through Darien's arm. Then he
let go. The pain vanished. Darien ran to the center of the room and quicksilvered. Arnaud
just laughed. Darien tried again to punch him, thinking that he couldn't stop his fist
this time. But he did. Hobbes had been standing there staring. Now he could see Arnaud
holding something in midair. Arnaud squeezed Darien's fist even harder than before.
Forcing him to become visible again. Arnaud laughed. "How did he do that?"
Darien, Hobbes, and Charlie all said quietly to themselves.
Part 8 by jakgirl
"Are you selling me out?" cried Darien.
Arnaud perched on the Official's desk. "I think we should tell him, don't you?
Otherwise he will waste his time and my patience trying to discover the answers." He
quirked an eyebrow at the Official and continued,
"The explanation is simple. Using nanotechnology, I've perfected special contact
lenses with tiny viewers, which enable me to see quicksilver: a superior version of the
Agency's viewers. I have proven to your employer that they work. Now he knows I can find
and kill you anywhere, at any time, and he has agreed to let me…borrow you for a
little job I have. Otherwise, I shoot you and harvest the gland. Don't think I won't do
it."
"What's the job?" asked Darien warily.
Part 9 by FawkesFox
"My neice has been kidnapped by some very ruthless people." Arnaud said.
"More ruthless than you?" Darien quipped.
Arnaud ignored him and continued, "I can't stand seeing my sister so upset."
"Well, well... Never would have figured you for a softie." Darien said.
Part 10 by Sasscat
"Ordinarily no," Arnaud said smoothly, "but Jessica shows a lot of promise.
Her mother is right to worry."
Darien froze, barely hearing Arnaud's next words. He knew he was being stupid - it wasn't
exactly the most uncommon of names - but somehow he had a feeling, low in his gut, that he
was about to hear some unpleasant news. "Your niece is called Jessica?"
"Jessica Semplar. She's in grade three at Heatherfield Elementary. If you'll come
along I'll give you all the information you need."
"My god," Darien said softly. "Jess." He stumbled backwards until he
found the wall, and clung to it for support. Jess had been kidnapped. Jess was related to
*Arnaud*. And that was something even her
invisible best friend Ralph couldn't save her from.
But he could try. Darien lifted his eyes to Arnaud's, coldly determined. "I'll do
it."
Your turn! Send your version of What Happens Next to imannewsletter@yahoo.com by February 26th and
be sure to put the words "What Happens Next" in the subject of your email.
<*><*><*><*><*><*> INTERVIEW WITH MIKE McCAFFERTY <*><*><*><*><*><*>
We all know that poor Eberts is relegated to being The Official's lackey and he does
seem to have a certain knack for that sort of work but there's got to be more to him than
meets the eye. Well, we'll just have to wait to see if new episodes will reveal more about
Eberts, but we no longer have to wait to find out more about the incredible talent behind
this intriguing character! Mike McCafferty has graciously taken time out of his very busy
schedule to answer some questions for "Disappearing Ink", for which I'd like to
say a great big thank you! So, let's get to know Mike McCafferty, the man behind the man
who stands behind The Official :)
*Disappearing Ink: How is the atmosphere on the set for the filming of season 2?
Did everyone get right back into the same flow? Is it more relaxed? More energetic?
*Mike McCafferty: I just had my first day back. It's been the 7th day of actual
shooting so the excitement is a bit muted by now. It seems like everyone got right back
into the flow of things. Also there is more of a shorthand for how to accomplish shooting
scenes between the directors, writers actors and crew.
*DI: We've heard plenty about Paul's penchant for adlibbing. Is it difficult to
adjust to that when playing a scene with him?
*MM: I've had a lot of improvisational experience so it usually doesn't throw me.
Basically I wait for him to stop or tire out then I jump in with my line. My character is
so straight-laced that it's hard to throw in an adlib and be in character. Vince seems to
really roll with Paul and that's their chemistry. Eddie gets a little flustered
occasionally, but he simply uses it to add to the energy and consternation he has towards
Hobbes.
*DI: We know you're a musical buff. What are your favorite musicals to watch and
which would be your dream choice to star in?
*MM: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown is a play I just finished and it is
definitely in the top two to play. As a musical theatre guy, my tastes get a little more
selective. A favorite musical is "Closer Than Ever"
*DI: What do you do to relax/for entertainment during your off hours (any hobbies)?
*MM: Video Games (Unreal Tournament online), Ping-Pong.
*DI: What is the best part of your job on "The Invisible Man"? What's the
most frustrating part?
*MM: The best part of I-man is getting the chance to be on a sci-fi television
show, which is the next best thing to actually being in outer space. The worst part is the
waiting around until they're ready to shoot the next scene. Boring! That and having to
stand in almost all the scenes.
*DI: Besides "The Invisible Man", what are your favorite tv shows
currently (assuming you have any time to watch tv)? How about as a kid (besides Star Trek,
of course :)?
*MM: Right now it's Survivor, West Wing (second best show on TV), Real World,
Simpsons with occasional Farscape, Futurama, ER, and Star Trek. As a child: re-runs of
Star Trek, Lost in Space, Twilight Zone, Happy Days (I'm really dating myself now.).
During college I really tuned out to focus on
acting.
*DI: What was the audition process for "The Invisible Man" like for you?
*MM: I originally auditioned for the part of one of the scientists in the pilot
(The one that takes an axe to the computers). After I read for the part on a whim they
asked me to read for Eberts. This was in San Diego and they pretty much decided on casting
a better known actor in LA. Never-the-less, they put me on tape and that was the end of
that. Six weeks later I discovered that the actor they had cast changed his mind and the
deal fell through. With less than three days until they shot the scene (First of the
shooting schedule), Matt Greenberg watched the tapes of the other actors. Two days before
they shot I learned they offered me the part. I turned down a commercial that shot that
day and did the one day shoot. Five months later I was looping my lines for the pilot.
Since they often change parts and actors in them after the pilot I was sure that they'd
recast me with someone else. As I finished, Breck Eisner (Pilot director) said to me
"By the way, Matt really wants to talk to you." I hadn't heard anything from him
since that day on the set so I figured it would be a "Well, we really loved you but
the networks wanted to go a different direction...". Instead, what I got was
"Dude, you were fudging (except like in "A Christmas Story" it wasn't
'fudging') awesome! lost your number and have been trying to get a hold of you. I'd love
to have you in the show if you want." Needless to say I did, and here we are.
*DI: If you could change one thing about Eberts, what would it be?
*MM: I'd like him get out a little more. He obviously needs a social life.
*DI: Eberts is a card-carrying believer in the suit and tie wardrobe. What clothing
do you prefer to wear?
*MM: I always wear a full tuxedo wherever I go. Always.
*DI: What odd jobs did you have while working on starting an acting career?
*MM: I worked at a variety of amusement parks. I worked at Sea World in San Diego,
Legoland, Cedar point in Ohio, Club Disney in West Covina, CA and turned down jobs at
Opryland, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Knotts berry farms in Anaheim. The weirdest was
doing the Sea Lion and Otter pre-show at Sea World. A couple of times it was me and a 500
pound sea lion on stage and the sea lion wasn't listening to its trainer. A little scary.
That and the fish smell.
*DI: When you receive your "Invisible Man" scripts, do you sift through
looking for your scenes, or do you read them from start to finish?
*MM: Well do you want the honest answer or the one that makes me look good? Okay, I
admit that at first I read the script through and now I see where my scenes are. Part of
this behavior is due to not knowing if I was even in the next script. Also I'm sort of the
Basil Exposition of the show. Me and the Official Brief the boys at the beginning of the
Episode, then De-brief them at the conclusion. We're the plot minus the action. Plus, it's
fun being surprised when I see them on the air. I am starting to read them again (Now that
you've shamed me into it!!)
-- (Gina feels bad for shaming Mike into anything :)
*DI: What is your drink of choice and what is Eberts' (does he abstain from alcohol
or does he need a stiff drink to get past all the insults :)
*MM: I gave up caffeine about 8 months ago (And I'm suffering!) so it's caffeine
free diet coke for me! Eberts drinks Tabs, but occasionally has a snifter of Brandy after
a tough day with Hobbes.
*DI: Which actors do you look up to?
*MM: Vince, because he's tall. Bad joke.
*DI: What was your first paid acting gig?
*MM: Me and a buddy sang a version of "anything you can do, I can do
better" for some guy's retirement. We were terrible and got paid $40.
*DI: What sort of home do you picture Eberts living in (or do you think he lives at
the Agency)?
*MM: You find out soon enough....
*DI: What advice would you give to any budding actors/actresses in the I-Maniac
bunch?
*MM: This is the hardest business in the world! Always be honest about who you are
and have a thick skin that can take landing one job out of every 75 auditions.
Again I'd like to thank Mike profusely for graciously taking his valuable time to answer
these questions for us. We very much appreciate the opportunity to get to know the man
behind Eberts and hope to see even more of him in future episodes!
<*><*><*><*><*><*> IMPORTANT ADDRESSES <*><*><*><*><*><*>
To join the fan club:
stacey_meyer@hotmail.com
For newsletter comments or suggestions:
imannewsletter@yahoo.com
Suggestions or comments about Sci-Fi's on-air programming:
program@www.scifi.com
Suggestions or comments about Sci-Fi's bboard:
bboard@www.scifi.com
Fan mail for the cast and crew:
Cast or Crew Member's Name
c/o Stu Segall Productions
4705 Ruffin Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123
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