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==June 7, 2014: The 2014 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award==
==November 13, 2025: ''The Baum Bugle'' Autumn 2025 Issue==
Tonight, the International Wizard of Oz Club bestowed its highest honor, [http://ozclub.org/about-us/l-frank-baum-memorial-award-winners/ the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award], to Gregory Maguire. Maguire's new vision of Oz, from his ''Wicked Years'' cycles of books, has brought a new vision to Oz and brought in many new readers. The first book in the series, ''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', is the basis for the award-winning and popular musical ''Wicked''. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Website extends its congratulations to Maguire for a well-deserved award.
[[file:Bbautumn25.jpg|right]] The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of oz Club, is making its way to members now. This issue celebrates forty years of ''Return to Oz'', and includes a comprehensive checklist of collectibles from the 1985 Disney movie. Keep an eye on this space for future updates.
 
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==June 3, 2014: Jerry V. Tobias==
==''Wicked'' and ''Wicked: For Good'' Accolades and Awards==
Jerry Tobias, an early member of the International Wizard of Oz Club and Oz collector and researcher, passed away today after a grief illness. Born in 1929, he was a lifelong Oz fan who attended some of the Oz Club's earliest Oz conventions and contributed to the auctions. He served as editor-in-chief of ''The Baum Bugle'' from 1973 to 1977 and oversaw some of its biggest changes, including staples, typesetting, and a table of contents.
With high profile movie releases, naturally ''Wicked'' and ''Wicked: For Good'' will receive acclaim during the film award seasons. Here, then, we will keep track of awards presented to the ''Wicked'' movies and their cast and crew, plus nominations for awards to be given later. Keep an eye on this list or the Wikipedia pages for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accolades_received_by_Wicked_(2024_film) ''Wicked''] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked%3A_For_Good#Accolades ''Wicked: For Good''] as more news comes in.


(Information courtesty [http://ozclub.org/about-us/l-frank-baum-memorial-award-winners/jerry-v-tobias/ the International Wizard of Oz Club].)
The awards are presented here in the chronological order they were presented:
* September 27, 2024: International Cinematographers "Manaki Brothers" Film Festival, SUMOLIGHT Creative Energy Award: Alice Brooks (Cinematographer) and Dave Smith (Gaffer)
* November 18, 2024: Heartland Film Festival, Truly Moving Picture Award: ''Wicked''
* November 23, 2024: The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage, Production Designer Award: Nathan Crowley
* December 4, 2024: National Board of Review
** Best Film: ''Wicked''
** Best Director: Jon M. Chu
** Spotlight Award: the creative collaboration of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
* December 5, 2024: American Film Institute Awards, Top 10 Films of the Year: ''Wicked'' (alongside nine other movies)
* December 8, 2024: Washington DC Area Film Critics Film Critics Association
** Best Feature: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
* December 8, 2024: Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards
** Best Picture: ''Wicked''
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande (tied with Zoe Saldaña for ''Emilia Pérez'')
** Best Director: Jon M. Chu
** Best Casting: Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
** Best Marketing Campaign: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
* December 9, 2024: Celebration of Black Cinema and Television, Actress Award—Film: Cynthia Erivo
* December 9, 2024: Michigan Movie Critics Guild, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* December 9, 2024: Atlanta Film Critics Circle, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* December 9, 2024: San Diego Film Critics Society
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* December 13, 2024: African-American Film Critics Association, Innovator Award: Paul Tazewell
* December 13, 2024: Las Vegas Film Critics Society
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
** Best Family Film: ''Wicked''
* December 15, 2024: St. Louis Film Critics Association, Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* December 16, 2024: Phoenix Film Critics Society
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
* December 16, 2024: Seattle Film Critics Society, Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* December 16, 2024: Iowa Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande (tied with Isabella Rossellini in ''Conclave'')
* December 16, 2024: Southeastern Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* December 21, 2024: Nevada Film Critics Society
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Visual Effects: Pablo Helman
* December 28, 2024: Digital Spy Readers Awards, Most Anticipated Movie of 2025: ''Wicked: For Good''
* December 30, 2024: TiBS Editors Choice Awards:
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Director: Jon M. Chu
** Best Ensemble: ''Wicked''
* January 2, 2025: Capri Hollywood-International Film Festival Award, Best Sound: ''Wicked''
* January 2, 2025: Critics Association of Central Florida
** Best Cast: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Sound Design: ''Wicked''
* January 3, 2025: Palm Springs International Film Festival
** Creative Impact in Acting Award: Cynthia Erivo
** Rising Star Award: Ariana Grande
* January 3, 2025: Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* January 4, 2025: DiscussingFilm Global Critic Award, Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
* January 5, 2025: Golden Globe Awards, Cinematic and Box Office Achievement: ''Wicked''
* January 10, 2025: Music City Film Critics Association, Best Music Film: ''Wicked''
* January 10, 2025: Minnesota Film Critics Association, Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
* January 12, 2025: Puerto Rico Critics Association
** Best Comedy/Musical: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
* January 13, 2025: North Dakota Film Society, Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* January 13, 2025: Hawaii Film Critics Society
** Best Art Direction: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Visual Effects: ''Wicked''
* January 14, 2025: Portland Critics Association, Best Supporting Performance (Female): Ariana Grande
* January 16, 2025: North American Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* January 24, 2025: Denver Film Critics Society, Best Supporting Performance by an Actor, Female: Ariana Grande
* January 26, 2025: Satellite Awards
** Best Supporting Actress—Motion Picture: Ariana Grande
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Sound: ''Wicked''
** Make-Up Award: ''Wicked''
* January 27, 2025: Online Film Critics Society, Technical Achievement Award — Choreography: ''Wicked''
* February 6, 2025: Costume Designers Guild Awards, Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film: Paul Tazewell
* February 7, 2025: Set Decorators Society of America, Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film: Lee Sandales and Nathan Crowley
* February 7, 2025: Critics' Choice Movie Awards
** Best Director: Jon M. Chu
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
* February 7, 2025: AACTA Awards, Audience Choice Award for Favourite Film: ''Wicked''
* February 9, 2025: Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Virtuoso Award: Ariana Grande
* February 9, 2025: AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Best Screenwriter: Winnie Holzman
* February 12, 2025: Artios Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature (Comedy): Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, Ryan Bernard Tymensky, Tamsyn Manson
* February 13, 2025: Dorian Awards
** Supporting Film Performance of the Year: Ariana Grande
** "We're Wilde About You" Rising Star Award: Jonathan Bailey
** Galeca LGBTQIA+ Film Trailblazer: Cynthia Erivo
* February 15, 2025: Art Directors Guild Awards, Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Film: Nathan Crowley
* February 15, 2025: Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild
** Best Period and/or Character Make-Up in a Feature-Length Motion Picture: Frances Hannon, Alice Jones, Nuria Mbornio, Johanna Nielsen, Branka Vorkapic
** Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling in a Feature-Length Motion Picture: Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, Sim Camps, Gabor Kerekes
* February 16, 2025: BAFTA Film Awards
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
* February 17, 2025: Black Reel Awards
** Outstanding Soundtrack: ''Wicked''
** Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* February 17, 2025: Latino Entertainment Journalists Society
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* February 22, 2025: NAACP Image Awards
** Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
** Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album: ''Wicked: The Soundtrack''
* February 23, 2025: Online Film and Television Association
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Adapted Song: "Defying Gravity"
* February 23, 2025: Golden Reel Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing–Feature Motion Picture: Catherine Wilson, Robin Baynton
* February 28, 2025: International Cinematographers Guild Publicists Awards, Maxwell Weinberg Award for Motion Picture Publicity Campaign: ''Wicked''
* March 2, 2025: Academy Awards
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
* March 11, 2025: Queerties
** Drama Movie: ''Wicked''
** Film Performance: Jonathan Bailey
** Next Big Thing: ''Wicked: For Good''
* March 14, 2025: American Cinema Editors Awards, Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical: Myron Kerstein
* March 17, 2025: iHeartRadio Music Awards, Favorite Soundtrack: ''Wicked: The Soundtrack''
* April 22, 2025: Webby Awards, Variety and Reality, General Video and Film: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Inn_IA-MA&ab_channel=Variety ''Wicked'' Stars Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo Break Down Viral "Holding Space" Interview]
* June 9, 2025: The BET Awards, Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
* June 21, 2025: Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards:
** Favorite Movie: ''Wicked''
** Favorite Movie Actress: Ariana Grande as Glinda
** Favorite Song from a Movie: "Defying Gravity"
* July 3, 2025: Astra Midseason Movie Awards, Most Anticipated Film: ''Wicked: For Good''
* August 5, 2025: Las Culturista Culture Awards, Harshest Truth About ''Wicked'': Phannee not realized, we don't get into his gay story (What was that like? Was it hard coming out or was Pfannee born wealthy? Prequel idea about this.)
* October 19, 2025: Middleburg Film Festival, Creative Collaborators Award: Alice Brooks (cinematographer) and Myron Kerstein (editor), ''Wicked: For Good''
* October 26, 2025: Savannah Film Festival, Vanguard Director Award: Jon M. Chu
* November 3, 2025: ''People'' Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive: Jonathan Bailey
* November 4, 2025: Media Access Awards, Christopher Reeve Acting Award: Marissa Bode
* November 19, 2025: Hollywood Music in Media Awards, Music Themed Film, Biopic, or Musical: ''Wicked: For Good'', Jon M. Chu
 
''Wicked'' and ''Wicked: For Good'' have the following nominations for forthcoming awards:
* February 1, 2026: The Grammy Awards
** Best Compilation Album for Visual Media: ''Wicked'' soundtrack
** Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: ''Wicked'', John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
** Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, "Defying Gravity"
** Best Instrumental Composition: John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, "Train to the Emerald City"


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==May 17, 2014: ''The Baum Bugle'', Spring 2014==
==October 8, 2025: Robert A. Baum, 1942-2025==
Yes, it's on its way at last to members of the International Wizard of Oz Club who have paid their dues for 2014. We're talking, of course, about the spring 2014 issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the Club's triannual journal of all things Ozzy.
[[file:Robert_A_Baum_Jr.webp|300 px|center]] Robert A. "Bob" Baum, great-grandson of L. Frank Baum and an important Oz scholar in his own right, passed away today at the age of 83. His generosity in sharing his family's collection and history has been a boon to Oz in many ways. Museums, documentaries, and Oz festivals and conventions have all been enhanced by Bob's donations. He was a consultant on the 1990 television movie ''The Dreamer of Oz'', a biopic of his great-grandfather, and even recreated Frank's home office on set using items from his own collection. He served the International Wizard of Oz Club as a director and contributor to ''The Baum Bugle'', as well as frequent convention guest. The [https://www.lulu.com/shop/bob-baum-and-don-abbott-and-rob-lauer-and-autumn-rose-frodelius/oziana-2022/paperback/product-pv4dmd.html?q=oziana+2022&page=1&pageSize=4 2022 issue of ''Oziana''], the Club's literary magazine, was a collection of Bob Baum's fanciful stories about his family history. He and his wife, Claire, would sometimes appear at events as L. Frank and Maud Baum to tell stories about their lives. For his many contributions, he was awarded the Oz Club's highest honor, named after his great-grandfather, in 2002.


In this issue:
(Information courtesy Jane Albright on Facebook. Photo courtesy [https://oz.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_A._Baum_Jr. The Oz Wiki].)
* The front cover reproduces Frederick Richardson's illustration of Fluff receiving the Magic Cloak from ''Queen Zixi of Ix'', which was included in the November 1905 issue of ''The Printing Art'' magazine with a tissue guard. (The back cover reproduces the text on the tissue guard.) This was an example of the length the publishers of ''St. Nicholas'' magazine went to for their serialization of ''Queen Zixi of Ix''.
* Craig Noble's "Letter from the Editor'" looks at this issue's theme of how Oz books are made.
* The results of the latest Club election are in! Carrie Hedges has retained her position as President, Jane Albright is the Club's new Vice President, and Ryan Bunch, Freddy Fogarty, and Stephen Teller were elected to the Board of Directors.
* Speaking of the President, Mme. Hedges talks about the coming year in Oz and the Club in her "OZervations" column.
* "Ozma's Honor Roll for 2013" acknowledges those members of the Club who have given above and beyond basic dues during the past year.
* In "Oz and Ends":
** With the publication of the collected edition of [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0785183884/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Emerald City of Oz''], Marvel's adaptations of the Oz books has come to their logical end.
** [http://youtu.be/RuTufHRxEts Pink's performance of "Over the Rainbow"] and other celebrations of the seventy-fifth anniversary of ''The Wizard of Oz'' at the Oscars get a mention (as well as the lack of acknowledgement of the Munchkin actors).
** Bert Lahr's script for ''The Wizard of Oz'' appears on [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/201301A34.html ''The Antiques Roadshow''] (with [http://youtu.be/o3CCIcruo1Q an exclusive web extra]).
** The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda come to ABC's [http://abc.go.com/shows/once-upon-a-time ''One Upon a Time''].
** Crowdfunding website Kickstarter is used to fund a new documentary, [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/75328422/who-stole-the-ruby-slippers ''Who Stole the Ruby Slippers?"], about the 2005 theft of a pair of Ruby Slippers used in The Movie from a museum in Minnesota.
** Coincidentally, about the same time, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/27/ruby-red-slippers-theft-_n_5045217.html a replica pair of Ruby Slippers was stolen from a hotel in Staten Island].
** More crowdfunding, as others turned to Kickstarter to fund [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/291042787/the-tik-tok-man-of-oz-stage-musical a production of ''The Tik-Tok Man of Oz''] at [http://www.ozconinternational.com/ this summer's Winkie Convention in San Diego], [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/illogicalassociates/the-shadow-of-oz-a-tarot-deck an Oz-themed tarot deck], and [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/420370544/polychrome-an-oz-based-novel a new novel about Polychrome].
** New Oz collectibles, many celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of The Movie, including new dolls from Madame Alexander, Tonner, and Mattel (more Oz Barbie dolls); new dog costumes from Rubie's; and color-changing mugs.
** New OZ exhibits at the University of Kansas, the West Bridgewater (Massachusetts) Library, and [http://www.sdc-arts.org/buell_current.html the Buell Children's Museum] in Pueblo, Colorado; plus a talk entitled "If I Only Had a Brain: Disability and Difference in the Oz Narrative" by [http://josheyler.wordpress.com/ Joshua R. Eyler] at Shippenburg University in Pennsylvania.
* Peter Hanff looks at the serialization of ''Queen Zixi of Ix'' in ''St. Nicholas'' magazine in "''St. Nicholas'' Magazine and ''Queen Zixi of Ix'': The Transofrmation of American Fantasy", and also provides a checklist of the ''Queen Zixi'' (and some select other) content of Volume XXXII of ''St. Nicholas''.
* Marc Berezin discovers a book that may have been influenced by the Oz books in "The Sincerest Form of Flattery: ''The Amazing Land of Wew'' and the Land of Oz".
* Another book that may have been influenced by Oz is examined by Holly Dennis-Lucas in "From Oz to the Moon: ''The Magical Land of Noom''" (writen by Johnny Gruelle, famous for creating Raggedy Ann and Andy).
* Michael O. Riley looks back on his adventures as an Oz short story publisher in part one of "The Story of the Pamami Press".
* Sophia Siobahn Wolohan Bogle presents another in her series about dealing with old books in need of repair in "Broken Book Options: Repair, Conserve, or Restore?"
* Kim McFarland recounts her adventures illustrating [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sherwood-smith/sky-pyrates-over-oz/hardcover/product-21394853.html ''Sky Pyrates Over Oz'', Sherwood Smith's conclusion to her Oz trilogy, in "The Oz Illustrator".
* Nate Barlow examines the latest Oz story to reach the big screen, ''The Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return'' in "Dorothy's Return to the Big Screen: An Animated Oz Story".
* A recently rediscovered newspaper publication of "Joan of Arc", illustrated by John R. Neill and possibly meant to be published as part of Reilly and Britton's "Children's Stories That Neve Grow Old" series, is reproduced.
* In "Oz in the Spotlight", David Moyer reviews a recent drama about the story of Nick Chopper in ''The Woodsman''.
* Reviewed in "The Oz Bookshelf":
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1608932575/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wonderful World of Oz'' by John Fricke], reviewed by Alan Wise.
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062278010/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wizard of Oz: The Official 75th Anniversary Companion'' by Jay Scarfone and William Stillman], reviewed by Mark Griffin.
** ''The Patchwork Girl of Oz: A Musical Wonderment in Two Acts and Five Scenes'' by L. Frank Baum, a proposal for a stage dramatization of Baum's new Oz book of 1913 that was never produced, published by the Pamami Press and reviewed by Paul R. Bienvenue.
** Two more volumes in Peter Blystone's translations of Sergei Sukhinov's epic continuation of the Russian Magic Land ''Emerald City'' series, [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sergei-sukhinov/parcelius-the-alchemist/paperback/product-20947644.html ''Paracelius the Alchemist''] and [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sergei-sukhinov/battle-in-underground-land/paperback/product-20992472.html ''Battle in Underground Land''], reviewed by Alan Wise.
** [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sherwood-smith/sky-pyrates-over-oz/hardcover/product-21394853.html ''Sky Pyrates Over Oz'' by Sherwood Smith], the long-missing conclusion to her trilogy about Dori and Em in Oz, reviewed by Atticus Gannaway.
** Richard R. Rutter makes note of two new Korean editions of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
** Marcus Mébès has published a new edition of his poem, ''Sail Away to Oz'', which can be ordered [[mailto:baringer@gmail.com directly from the author].
* In a sadly extended look at those who have contributed to Oz and recently passed away, "In Memoriam" remembers Ruth Duccini, Shirley Temple Black, Arthur Rankin, Jr., and Lou Scheimer.
* This issue's "Ozmusements" presents a word search based on ''Tik-Tok of Oz''.


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==April 13, 2014: Mila Kunis wins at MTV Movie Awards==
==September 21, 2025: Elaine Merk Binder, 1930-2025==
Tonight, the MTV Movie Awards presented a box of golden popcorn to Mila Kunis, for her performance of Theodora, the Wicked Witch of the West, in ''Oz the Great and Powerful''. She won in the category of [http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2014/best-villain/ Best Villain], and she beat out four men in the category. (Check out her acceptance speech [http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/1030678/mila-kunis-wins-best-villain-for-oz-the-great-and-powerful.jhtml right here].)
Elaine Merk Binder, one of the last remaining actors who played a Munchkin in ''The Wizard of Oz'', passed away today at the age of 94. Born in Colorado, she appeared as an extra in several movies in the '30s, including an ''Our Gang'' short. She was one of a dozen young girls who filled in the ranks of background female Munchkins after Judy Garland's Dorothy arrives in Oz. But after 1940 she left show business, and went on to earn degrees in education and music. She appeared in the 2024 documentary series ''Memories of Oz'', reminiscing about making the movie.
 
(Information courtesy [https://variety.com/2025/film/news/elaine-merk-binder-dead-munchkin-wizard-of-oz-1236525749/ ''Variety''] and [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5285756/ IMDB].)


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==April 6, 2014: Mickey Rooney==
==August 8, 2025: ''The Baum Bugle'' Spring 2025==
[[File:jbto_scarecrow.jpg|frame|left|alt=Mickey Rooney as the Scarecrow|The Scarecrow, voiced by Mickey Rooney, in ''Journey Back to Oz'']] [[File:Mickey Rooney Wizard.jpg|frame|right|alt=Mickey Rooney on stage as Professor Marvel|Mickey Rooney as Professor Marvel, with Jessica Grové as Dorothy, in the 1998-99 touring stage show production of ''The Wizard of Oz'']] Mickey Rooney, one of Hollywood's greatest actors, whose career spanned more than eight decades, passed away today. Born Joseph Yule, Jr. on September 23, 1920, he debuted in his parents' vaudeville show as a toddler. He eventually made it to Hollywood, where he became one of the biggest box office stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. He appeared in many films with his pal "Joots", Judy Garland, and the pair worked together on stage during the original New York showing of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in 1939 at the Capitol Theater. Rooney would become more closely associated with Oz twice, first as the voice of the Scarecrow in the 1974 animated movie ''Journey Back to Oz'', opposite Joots' daughter, Liza Minnelli. He later played both the Wizard and Professor Marvel in a touring stage version of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in 1998 and 1999, which included an extended run at Madison Square Garden. Mickey Rooney is survived by his eighth wife, Jan Chamberlin Rooney, eight children, two stepchildren, nineteen grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren.
[[file:Bbspring25.png|400 px|right]] The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now making its way to members. This issue celebrates the release of ''Wicked'' (Part 1).
 
In this issue:
* The front cover reprints the publicity shot of ''Wicked'' stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande recreating the original poster design for the ''Wicked'' stage show.
* The inside covers reprint Anton Loeb's endpaper design for the 1950 book adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
* The table of contents includes Mark Manley's ''Wicked'' tribute painting, "The Melting Occurred at the Thirteenth Hour".
* In "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch looks back at how the ''Bugle'' covered the path ''Wicked'' has taken from page to stage to screen, and ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Crotzer looks at how this issue's features came about.
* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
** The National Library Service (NLS) has [https://www.loc.gov/nls/new-materials/book-lists/wicked-and-the-wizard-of-oz/ a large collection of Oz materials] for the blind and print disabled.
** "Beyond the Shifting Sands" remembers recently passed Oz contributors Jean Marsh, Stephen J. Teller, Jack Van Camp, and Sally Roesch Wagner.
* Sarah K. Crotzer reacts to the ''Wicked'' film in "What Is This Feeling?"
* "What the Papers Said" looks at a number of reviews of ''Wicked'' from around the world.
* "Wicked Wares: Toys, Plushes, and Cinema Exclusives" by Jane Albright looks at a variety of ''Wicked'' movie collectibles.
* David Diket looks at the history and evolution of Wicked Witch of the West dolls in "My Beautiful Wickedness" and "David's Timeline of Beautifully Wicked Dolls".
* Karyl Carlson looks back at how she started creating [https://karylsozdolls.com/ custom Oz dolls] in "The Dollmaker of Oz".
* It's been twenty-five years since the last installment, but Carl Rexroad continues his look at political cartoons themed around ''The Wizard of Oz'' in "The Editorial Cartoons of Oz, Part 1: 125 Years Later, ''The Wizard of Oz'' Still Drives Political Debate".
* William STillman looks at the history of one of the bestselling Oz adaptations in "75 Years of Anton Loeb's ''The Wizard of Oz''".
* In "Oz in the Arts", Robert Lamont reviews [https://wizmusical.com/ the recent Broadway revival of ''The Wiz''] (now on tour).
* In "The Bugle Review":
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0063377012/thewonderwizardo/ ''Elphie: A Wicked Childhood'' by Gregory Maguire], reviewed by Alan Wise.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0DNKY21JB/thewonderwizardo/ The blu-ray release of ''Wicked''], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
** [https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/21442/double-critical-llc ''Adventules in Oz: Campaign Setting'' and ''Beasts & Beings'' role-playing campaign books], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CSYB4B12/thewonderwizardo/ ''Wicked: The Game'' by Spin Master], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
* Michael Gessel remembers a recently deceased long-time Oz fan in "The Lifelong Scholar: Stephen J. Teller's Journey from Kansas to Oz".
* The back cover shows the Tonner Doll versions of Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West.


(Information courtesy [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Rooney Wikipedia] and [http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-mickey-rooney-20140407,0,7494293,full.story#axzz2y6xMQNkx the Los Angeles Times].)
Also included with this issue:
* This issue's Oz craft is a miniature version of the Emerald City Express train from the ''Wicked'' movie.
* And in the final (for now?) issue of ''The Emerald City Gazette'', the newspaper for younger Oz fans (of all ages), Bungle and Toto stroll through the Emerald Palace to ensure that those pesky nomes are finally gone for good.


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==February 12, 2014: Sid Caesar==
==July 19, 2025: Crotzer Wins L. Frank Baum Memorial Award==
[[File:Sid Caesar.jpg|frame|alt=Sid Caesar as the Wizard|An animated Sid Caesar as the Wizard in ''Dorothy in the Land of Oz'']] Sid Caesar, one of the earliest of American television stars and considered by many to be one of the funniest comedians of all time, died today at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 91. Best known in the 1950s for ''Your Show of Shows'' and ''Caesar's Hour'', he would later portray the Wizard, who narrated the animated television special ''Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz'' (later released on home video as ''Dorothy in the Land of Oz''). He would use his affinity for dialects and accents to voice a second character, the mince pie U. N. Crust, which was brought to life by the Powder of Life.
This evening, Sarah K. Crotzer was presented the L. Frank Bam Memorial Award for her contributions to Oz. She has been a tireless Oz researcher and writer, with a special interest in the history of Oz games. She is also the current editor of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, and recently became the longest-serving editor in Club history.


(Detailed information of Caesar's life can be found at [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/13/arts/television/sid-caesar-comic-who-blazed-tv-trail-dies-at-91.html ''The New York Times''].)
Also presented tonight were the Club's annual prizes for writing and art. This year's winners are:
 
* The Fred Otto Prize for Fiction:
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** First place, Jesse Jury for "Four Friends of Oz"
** Second place, J. L. Bell for "Who's Got the Button?"
* The C. Warren Hollister Prize for Non-Fiction:
** First place, Rachel Graham for "An Essential Quickening: John R. Neill and the Art of Oz"
** Second place, Cynthia Ragni for "Project Ozma"
* The Rob Roy MacVeigh Prize for Art:
** First place, Jime Wimmer for "Dorothy and the Cyclone"
** Second place, Rob Lauer for "Ruth and Her Friends in Oz"


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==February 10, 2014: Shirley Temple Black==
==June 21, 2025: The Winkie Award==
[[File:Temple.jpg|center|frame|Shirley Temple in her room in 1937. Note the row of Oz books behind her on the bottom shelf.]]
Tonight, OzCon International gave its highest honor, the Winkie Award, to Sam Milazzo. The award recognizes all of the contributions Sam has made to the convention over the past few years, with presentations, panels, and generally helping out.
Shirley Temple Black, the Depression's biggest box office draw, died today at her home in Woodside, California, at the age of 85. Although a lifelong fan of the Oz books, she was passed over for the part of Dorothy in the famous 1939 film version of ''The Wizard of Oz'' when her studio, 20th Century Fox, would not loan her out to MGM. (Assistant Producer Arthur Freed was not impressed with her singing, anyway, and was still pushing for Judy Garland to play the part.) This was fine with Temple, as she didn't want to play Dorothy, she wanted to ''meet'' Dorothy! Although she retired from acting at age 22, she would return to the profession in the 1950s as host and star of the television series ''Shirley Temple's Storybook'', adapting fairy tales and other classic stories. She finally got to appear in an Oz story with the show's 1961 version of ''The Land of Oz'', in which Temple played both Ozma and Tip.
 
(Detailed information of Temple's life can be found at [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/arts/shirley-temple-black-screen-star-dies-at-85.html?_r=0 ''The New York Times'']. More information about Shirley Temple and ''The Wizard of Oz'' can be found at [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-scarfone/the-truth-about-shirley-t_b_4779364.html ''The Huffington Post''].)


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==February 1, 2014: ''The Baum Bugle'' Winter 2013==
==May 6, 2025: ''The Baum Bugle'' Winter 2024==
[[File:Bbuglewinter13.jpg|right]] The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, has been released, and is on its way to members. As this is the final issue for 2013, Club members who wish to keep receiving it and other Club benefits now need to renew.
[[File:Bbwinter24.png|400 px|right]]
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It may be slipping back in the calendar a bit, but the latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is making its way to members' mailboxes now.


In this issue:
In this issue:
* The front cover features a portrait of illustrator and Oz researcher Dick Martin, surrounded by portraits of some of the characters he drew for ''Merry Go Round in Oz'', ''Yankee in Oz'', ''The Enchanted Island of Oz'', ''The Forbidden Fountain of Oz'', and his own ''The Ozmapolitan of Oz''.
* All four covers celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of ''The Wiz'':
* Craig Noble looks back on his first year as Editor in Chief of the ''Bugle'' in his "Letter from the Editor".
** The front cover features Stephanie Mills and Hinton Battle in [https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/0599e600-5cf5-0130-4cf7-58d385a7b928 a 1974 publicity shot for the musical].
* Oz Club President Carrie L. Hedges writes about two other Club publications, the calendar and [http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=Oziana&categoryId=100501 ''Oziana''], in "OZervations".
** The inside front cover shows several costumes from the play on exhibit at [https://www.si.edu/museums/african-american-museum the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture].
* Noted in "Oz and Ends":
** The inside back cover features production art for the play by Tom John.
** The large number of Oz-themed television projects now in development, including ''Warriors of Oz'' at Syfy, medical drama ''Dorothy'' at CBS, ''Emerald City'' at NBC, and ''Red Brick Road'' at Lifetime. The recent Oz episode of ''Supernatural'' on the CW was also noted.
** The back cover reproduces a new work, [https://artsofimagination.org/the-wiz-at-50/ ''The Journey from Home: Revisiting ''The Wiz'' at 50''], also by Tom John.
** Jeremiah Boehr's [http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/43978 ''The Road to Oz'' LEGO set] and the attempt to get it made and put on the market. (Sadly, after this issue went to press, LEGO announced that they would not be releasing this set.)
* In "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch reflects on fifty years of ''The Wiz'' and invites members to [the 2025 edition of the Club's annual convention in Aberdeen, South Dakota], while ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Crotzer also looks back at ''The Wiz'', as well as other anniversaries celebrated in this issue.
** The box office take (and, in many markets, extended run) of the 3-D IMAX theatrical screening of the famous movie version of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
* News items highlighted in "The Bugle Bulletin":
** The lawsuit filed by the estate of Jack Haley, Jr., against Warner Bros. for excluding the previous documentary, produced by Haley, on the new home video release in favor of a new, derivative work.
** ''Wicked'' wins two Academy Awards, with [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZtKj5-xE1I&ab_channel=Oscars Paul Tazewell becoming the first Black man to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design].
** Profiles of Oz fans Billy Ferguson on a [http://www.reelz.com/trailer-clips/71901/fan-addicts-bonus-webisode/ bonus webisode of the Reelz channel show ''FanAddicts!''], and [http://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=61576 Dick Rutter in ''Stanford Magazine''] for members of the Stanford Alumni Association.
** The latest auction of a pair of Ruby Slippers shatters all records for the price paid for any kind of movie memorabilia.
** [http://www.farnsworthmuseum.org/exhibition/wonderful-world-oz-selections-willard-carrolltom-wilhite-collection The Oz exhibit currently on exhibit at the Farnsworth Art Museum] in Maine, and the whirlwind publicity tour Oz researcher and former ''Bugle'' editor and Club President John Fricke undertook publicizing his new book, [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1608932575/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wonderful World of Oz''] (which in part ties in to the exhibit).
** Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande team up to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eedVl_LGwE4&ab_channel=PhVolleyball open the Oscars telecast with a medley of music from Oz movies].
** Another Oz exhibit, [http://www.buffalolib.org/content/now-display/rare-book-room/baum-exhibit this one at the Buffalo Library].
** Recently passed Oz contributors remembered in "Beyond the Shifting Sands":
** The auction of a dress worn by Judy Garland in the early days of making The Movie, but ultimately not seen in the finished movie when the first few weeks' filming was scrapped. The dress was expected to sell for about $80,000, but finally sold for $300,000!
*** [https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Baum&cm_sp=SearchF-_-home-_-Results&kn=Greg%20Hildebrandt&ref_=search_f_hp&sts=t&tn=The%20Wizard%20of%20Oz Greg Hildebrandt] and [https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Baum&cm_sp=SearchF-_-home-_-Results&kn=Graham%20Rawle&ref_=search_f_hp&sts=t&tn=The%20Wizard%20of%20Oz Graham Rawle], both of whom illustrated ''The Wizard of Oz''.
** The announcement of [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sherwood-smith/sky-pyrates-over-oz/hardcover/product-21394853.html ''Sky Pyrates over Oz'' by Sherwood Smith], completing her trilogy of Oz books after poor sales and editorial decisions originally scrapped it. (The first two books were [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060296070/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Emerald Wand of Oz''] and [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060296097/thewonderwizardo/ ''Trouble under Oz''].)
*** Legendary composer and arranger Quincy Jones, who was an instrumental part of how ''The Wiz'' sounded in movie theaters.
** [http://bigstrawberry.com/product/the-wizard-of-oz-by-l-frank-baum/ A tablet/e-reader cover that looks like the first British edition of ''The Wizard of Oz''].
* "Awards and Honors" announces Oz Club President Ryan Bunch as the recipient of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, the Club's highest honor, for 2024.
** [http://www.eventbrite.com/e/50-year-collection-of-judy-garland-wizard-of-oz-auction-march-29-2014-tickets-9491729017 The forthcoming auction of the collection of Elaine Willingham], who has been collecting Oz and Judy Garland memorabilia for over fifty years.
* "They Call My Name: An Interview with George Faison" looks at the life and career of the choreographer. His credits include the original Broadway production of ''The Wiz''.
* Atticus Gannaway presents a biography and appreciation of the cover subject in "A Quiet Artist: The Life and Work of Dick Martin".
* "The ''Wiz'' That Wasn't" by Sarah K. Crotzer digs into the casting process for the original company of ''The Wiz'' and reveals who else tried out, or was at least considered, for the major rolls. (There are some definite surprises!)
* David Maxine examines the papers of Eloise Jarvis McGraw, the late Royal Historian, and how she came to write the fortieth Oz book in "Grabbing the Brass Ring: The Writing of ''Merry Go Round in Oz''".
* "The ''Wiz'' That Was" by Sarah K. Crotzer looks at ''The Wiz'' costumes held by the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" looks at reviews of ''Merry Go Round in Oz'' upon its original publication in 1963.
* Crotzer also considers Grampa's game leg and the game you play with it in "A Few Inessential Thoughts About the Game of Scrum".
* In "Oz in the Spotlight":
* "Coming and Going" looks at a few short thoughts about ''Grampa in Oz''.
** Freddy Fogarty reviews the 3-D IMAX theatrical release of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
* "Oz Under Scrutiny", once again compiled by Scott Cummings, looks at what the press of 1924 thought of ''Grampa in Oz''.
** Ryan Jay looks at what it was like to cover the premiere of the 3-D IMAX ''Wizard of Oz".
* In part two of the interview "Journey to the ''Annotated Wizard'' with Michael Patrick Hearn", the author of ''The Annotated Wizard of Oz'' recounts the aftermath of the book's original 1973 publication.
** David Moyer reviews ''The Wonderful Remix of Oz'', a recent reimagined state production in New York City; and the revue [http://www.thewonderfulwizardofsong.com/ ''The Wonderful Wizard of Song: The Music of Harold Arlen''].
* L. Frank Baum's great-granddaughter, Gita Dorothy Morena, solves the mystery of a Baum family treasure in "A Letter to Oz Enthusiasts from a Forgotten Baum Illustration".
** Bill Campbell reviews a circus-themed production of ''The Wizard of Oz'', presented by Circus Juventus of St. Paul, Minnesota.
* "Guaranteed For a Thousand Years", a wrap-up of recent Oz events, reports on the 2024 editions of OzCon International and Oz, The National Convention.
* In "The Oz Illustrator", Anna-Maria Cool recounts her adventures in illustrating Oz characters in both comics and books, and in particular her favorite character, the Sawhorse.
* New products presented in "The Bugle Review":
* In "Adventures in Oz", Walter Krueger writes the "Diary of a FanAddict", telling what happened when he [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx-gnZzfG48&feature=youtu.be appeared on the Reelz collecting show].  
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0DVQSJLLX/thewonderwizardo/ ''After Oz'' by Gordon McAlpine], reviewed by Mike Penick
* Friends, colleagues and fans remember Margaret Pellegrini, the Munchkin actress who passed away in August in "Margaret: The Magical Munchkin".
** [https://hungrytigerpress.store/product/all-wound-up-the-making-of-the-tik-tok-man-of-oz/ ''All Wound Up: The Making of ''The Tik-Tok Man of Oz by Eric Shanower], [https://hungrytigerpress.store/product/the-tik-tok-man-of-oz-performance-script/ ''The Tik-Tok Man of Oz Performance Script'' by L. Frank Baum], and [https://hungrytigerpress.store/product/the-tik-tok-man-of-oz-piano-vocal-score/ ''The Tik-Tok Man of Oz Piano-Vocal Score'' by Louis F. Gottschalk and L. Frank Baum], reviewed by Atticus Gannaway.
* "Multi-MediOz" sees Ryan Jay reviewing the home video releases of the seventy-fifth anniversary edition of ''The Wizard of Oz'' movie.
** [https://joetunes.ca/ ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'', and ''Ozma of Oz'' complete audio books by the Toronto Civic Light Opera Company], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
* Reviewed in "The Oz Bookshelf":
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CST87Z4J/thewonderwizardo/ The ''Wicked'' edition of ''Monopoly''], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1611099048/thewonderwizardo/ ''Oz Reimagined'', edited by John Joseph Adams and Douglas Cohen], reviewed by Joe Bongiorno.
** A quartet of ''Wicked'' tie-in books ([https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0593896866/thewonderwizardo/ ''I Am Elphaba''], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0593896882/thewonderwizardo/ ''I Am Glinda''], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CZJQXCQY/thewonderwizardo/ ''Defying Gravity: The Illustrated Lyrics''] and a replica of [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CZJRSY9M/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Story of Oz & the Wonderful Wizard'']), reviewed by Atticus Gannaway.
** [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sergei-sukhinov/the-sorceress-villinas-secret/paperback/product-20714205.html ''The Sorceress Villina's Secret''], [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sergei-sukhinov/the-sorcerers-sword/paperback/product-20714222.html ''The Sorcerer's Sword''], and [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sergei-sukhinov/eternally-youthful-stella/paperback/product-20947627.html ''Eternally Youthful Stella''], all by Sergei Sukhinov and translated by Peter L. Blystone, volumes three, four, and five of Sukhinov's epic continuation of the Magic Land series, reviewed by Alan Wise.
* "Adventures in Oz" sees Brady Schwind interviewing Tom John, the original scenic designer for ''The Wiz''.
** [http://wonderfulbooksofoz.com/shop/wizard-of-oz-books/nelebels-fairyland-pamami-press-l-frank-baum-2013-hand-bound-book/ ''Nelebel's Fairyland'' by L. Frank Baum], the second edition of this book published by Pamami Press, reviewed by Paul R. Bienvenue.
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0578124459/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Law of Oz and Other Stories'' by Paul Dana], reviewed by Mari Ness.
** A new edition of [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1605436828/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, with new illustrations by Gavin L. O'Keefe], reviewed by Dennis Anfuso.
* David L. Greene remembers Oz writer Hugh Pendexter III in "In Memoriam".
* The back cover is a portrait of Margaret Pellegrini, with a dedication of the issue to her.


Also included as an insert is an announcement of the 2014 Oz Club Research Table, to be judged at the National Convention in Chittenango, in June. For more information or how to enter, write to [mailto:research@winkies.org research@winkies.org].
Also included with this issue:
* A registration form for [https://www.ozclub.org/oz-in-aberdeen-a-convention-to-remember/ the 2025 editino of Oz, the National Convention] in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
* A flyer for one of the Club's latest publications, [https://www.ozclub.org/product/bibliographia-baumiana/ ''Bibliographia Baumiana''].
* This issue's craft is a melting Evillene, based on the original Broadway run of ''The Wiz''.
* And in the latest issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger Oz fans (of all ages):
** Editor-in-Chief Katie Jones, with assistance from the Head of Security the Gump, updates readers on the hunt for Nomes and the Glass Cat.
** The Scarecrow's book column looks at other books puplished in 1924, like ''Grampa in Oz''.
** Based off of the article speculating what scrum might be like in ''The Baum Bugle'', the Patchwork Girl presents the board, pieces, and rules for Camette, a simplified (for space reasons) version of the game Camelot.
** Finally, a little bit of verse from…the Glass Cat?


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==January 30, 2014: Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Hal Sutherland==
==May 5, 2025: Mattydale, New York, to Honor L. Frank Baum==
The world of animation recently lost two of its biggest names, both of whom had connections with Oz.
Mattydale, New York, will honor native son L. Frank Baum and his greatest work, ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', on May 17. Mattydale was the site of Baum's childhood home, Roselawn, and the city will commemorate Baum's birth and the 125th anniversary of the publication of the first Oz book with a historical marker at the site. The marker will be at 2601 Brewerton Road, which will soon be the site of a community center.A reception will be held from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at the Kreuger Funeral Home.
* Arthur Rankin, Jr., died today at his home in Bermuda. He was 89. He is best remembered, alongside his associate Jules Bass, for ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' and numerous other animated holiday specials. They also made theatrical films (most notably ''The Last Unicorn'') and television series. One of their earliest shows was the 1960-61 series ''Tales of the Wizard of Oz'', which became the basis for the 1964 television special ''Return to Oz''. Rankin/Bass would return to the world of Oz for one of their last animated holiday specials, ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'', based on the book of the same name by Oz creator L. Frank Baum. (Information courtesy Marc Berezin and [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/05/business/arthur-rankin-jr-who-brought-rudolph-and-santa-to-tv-dies-at-89.html ''The Los Angeles Times''].)


* Hal Sutherland died January 16 of gallbladder disease. He was 85. With his partner, the late Lou Scheimer, Sutherland founded Filmation Studios in 1962 to produce animated series for television, which included such characters as Superman, Aquaman, Archie, Fat Albert, Lassie, and the Hardy Boys, as well as animated spinoffs of television series such as ''Gilligan's Island'' and ''Star Trek''. One of Filmations' few theatrical ventures was ''Journey Back to Oz'', released in the United States in 1974. (Information courtesy [http://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/hal-sutherland-filmation-co-founder-and-director-rip-95357.html Cartoon Brew].)
(Information courtesy [https://cnycentral.com/news/local/mattydale-celebrates-125-years-of-the-wonderful-wizard-of-oz-with-historical-marker CNYCentral].)


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==January 16, 2014: Ruth Robinson Duccini==
==April 13, 2025: Jean Marsh, 1934-2025==
Ruth Robinson Duccini, one of the last two living Munchkin actors from the famous 1939 film version of ''The Wizard of Oz'', passed away to day after a brief illness. She was ninety-five. Born in Rush City, Minnesota on July 23, 1918, Ruth Robinsin was working as a telephone operator and entertainer in Minneapolis when word got out about the casting call for ''The Wizard of Oz'', and her troupe drove to Culver City and all were hired. During production, she met Fred Duccini, another little person who had a good job at a nearby hotel and decided not to be in the movie, at the restaurant where the Munchkin actors regularly ate. After production wrapped up, she moved back to Minneapolis, but the outbreak of World War II saw her moving back to California to work as a riveter at Douglas Aircraft. Her size allowed her to work on the wings from the inside. There, she reunited with Fred, and they were married in 1943. They had two children, and when Ruth and Fred retired, the Oz circuit found them, and they made many appearances at Oz events around the country. Ruth only other movie was the 1981 movie, ''Under the Rainbow'', a satire of the making of ''The Wizard of Oz''. Ruth Duccini was predeceased by her husband in 1994, and is survived by her son, daughter, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The sole remaining little person to have played a Munchkin in ''The Wizard of Oz'' is now Jerry Maren.
[[File:Jean_Marsh.jpeg|left]]
 
Jean Marsh, OBE, the lauded British actor, passed away today from complications of dementia. She was 90. Born July 1, 1934 in Stoke Newington, London, she studied dance, singing, and acting before beginning her professional career in the 1950s. Among her movies were ''Cleopatra'', ''Jane Eyre'' (1972), ''Frenzy'', ''The Eagle Has Landed'', and ''Willow''. She was probably best known for her television work, however, in shows in both the United States and the United Kingdom, including appearances in ''The Twilight Zone'', ''The Saint'', ''Doctor Who'', ''I Spy'', ''Adam Adamant Lives!'', ''UFO'', ''The Waltons'', ''Hawaii Five-O'', the ''9 to 5'' series, ''The Love Boat'', ''Murder, She Wrote'', and the 1990s revival of ''The Tomorrow People''. But she is best known for co-creating, with Eileen Atkins, the period drama ''Upstairs, Downstairs'', about the servants in a great house. Marsh also starred in the show as maid Rose Buck, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1975 as well as other awards. When the BBC revived the show in 2010, Marsh was the only actor to return. Marsh and Atkins also created the series ''House of Elliott'' in 1991, which she did not appear in. For her services to drama, Marsh was made a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. For Oz fans, however, as well as many movie-going kids in the 1980s, she will always be known for her dual role as Nurse Wilson and Princess Mombi in the 1985 Disney film ''Return to Oz''.
(Information courtesy the [http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-ruth-robinson-duccini-20140117,0,2097250.story#axzz2qbpZQihn ''Los Angeles Times''] and [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1581822693/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Munchkins of Oz'' by Stephen Cox].)
 
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==November 23, 2013: ''Oziana'' 2013==
(Information courtesy [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c045dk29xqqo the BBC] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Marsh Wikipedia].)
[[File:Oziana2013.jpeg|left]] The 2013 edition of ''Oziana'', the annual literary publication of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now available to order. Editor Marcus Mébès has collected six stories with the theme of "Traditional Oz" for this issue.


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The stories are:


* "Foiled by the Iffin: Another Adventure of the Computer Wizard of Oz" by Phyllis Ann Karr, illustrated by Dennis Anfuso. Karr continues her series of adventures from previous years' issues about the Computer Wizard, a very nice Oz villain who uses computers in his attempts to conquer Oz. He never succeeds, but this year he is trying to recruit the Reddies from ''Jack Pumpkinhead in Oz''. The story revisits many characters and places from that book.
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* "The Harvest Ball" by Gina Wickwar, illustrated by Luciano Vecchio and Marcus Mébès (Vecchio's full page illustration of the characters dancing has been colored and reused as the front cover). During the annual Harvest Ball, Jack Pumpkinhead comes up with a way to harmlessly enchant the corn maze to make it more challenging and interesting. But when it turns out that Glinda's away, one of her apprentices tries to do the job in her place, with problematic results.
==March 18, 2025: Saliterman, Ruby Slipper Thief, Dies==
Charges against Jerry Hal Saliterman, who had pled guilty to playing a part in the 2005 theft of the Ruby Slippers from the Judy Garland Museum, have been dismissed when prosecutors informed the court that he had died the day before. Saliterman's defense attorney, John Brink, confirmed the passing. The 77-year-old Saliterman had been hospitalized with lung disease and other ailments, and his most recent court appearance, in January, had been a remote feed from his hospital room. At that time, he changed his initial plea to guilty of charges of theft of a major artwork and witness tampering.


* "Jinnicky Saves Christmas" by Nathan M. DeHoff, illustrated by Shawn Maldonado. While flying about in his jinnrickasha on Christmas Eve, the Red Jinn stumbles across a plot by some disgruntled elves to sabotage Santa's annual trip to deliver presents. Well, Jinnicky can't just sit by and do nothing, can he?
(Information courtesy [https://apnews.com/article/stolen-ruby-slippers-wizard-of-oz-death-b82e6ed5049d2f11cf9a38b38e5eb463 The Associated Press].)


* "The Love-Bug of Oz", written and illustrated by Ed McCray. Mombi and the Nome King are both searching the Wicked Witch of the West's old castle for some overlooked magic that hasn't already been collected. When the Nome King finds a love bug in a jar, he decided to go to the Emerald City and cause some mischief. Mombi follows him, hoping to get in on things as well.
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* "The Way of a Lion" by Jared Davis, illustrated by Sam Milazzo. A young lion cub hopes to grow up and become like his father. But when a disaster takes away both of his parents, he must grow up quickly without any guidance, and worries that he will never be as good as other lions. Winner of the 2013 Fred Otto Award for fiction at this year's Winkie Convention.
==January 3, 2025: Saliterman to Plead Guilty to Hiding Ruby Slippers==
Jerry Hal Saliterman, accused of theft of a major artwork and witness tampering in connection with the 2005 theft of the Ruby Slippers in Minnesota, now plans to plead guilty to the charges in a court appearance on January 10. It is not currently known how Saliterman is connected to Terry John Martin, who pled guilty to stealing the slippers in 2023. Saliterman originally pled not guilty when first charged in March of 2024, but his age (77) and poor health may have resulted in a deal that allows him to stay out of jail like Martin.


* "Witches of the West" by Darrell Spradlyn and Marcus Mébès, illustrated by Spradlyn. The Wicked Witch of the West, in an effort to consolidate and expand her power, pays a visit to Gloma, the ruler of the Black Forest (as seen in ''The Wishing Horse of Oz''). As Gloma is a good witch and wants to be left alone, it does not go well. One of Spradlyn's illustrations is colored and used as the back cover.
(Information courtesy [https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/minnesota/articles/2025-01-03/man-accused-of-hiding-stolen-wizard-of-oz-ruby-slippers-plans-to-plead-guilty-attorney-says ''U. S. News and World Reports''].)
 
''Oziana 2013'' can be ordered from [http://www.lulu.com/shop/gina-wickwar/oziana-2013/paperback/product-21313902.html Lulu.com].


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==October 18, 2013: Lou Scheimer==
==December 13, 2024: The Baum Bugle's Celebratory 200th Issue==
Lou Scheimer, the former producer and main driving force at the Filmation animation studio, passed away today after a brief illness. He was just shy of his eighty-fifth birthday. His studio was responsible for such Saturday morning cartoon shows as ''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'', the animated ''Star Trek'', ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' and its spin-off, ''She-Ra, Princess of Power'', and series featuring DC Comics heroes Superman, Batman, and Aquaman. Filmation also made movies, however, one of which was the animated sequel ''Journey Back to Oz''.
[[File:Bbautumn24.jpg|center|800 px]]
 
The Autumn 2024 issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz, has come back from the printers and is on its way to members' mailboxes. This is the two hundredth issue of the ''Bugle'', so the journal celebrates itself, for once.
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==September 30, 2013: ''The Baum Bugle'', Autumn 2013 issue==
[[File:bbautumn13.jpg|right]] The latest issue of [https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Baum-Bugle-a-journal-of-Oz/204803745304 ''The Baum Bugle''], the tri-annual journal of [http://www.ozclub.org/The_International_Wizard_of_Oz_Club.html the International Wizard of Oz Club], has made it back from the printers and should be on its way to members now. This issue celebrates one hundred years of one of the most beloved books in the series, ''The Patchwork Girl of Oz''.


In this issue:
In this issue:
* The wraparound cover pays tribute to the first illustrated cover of the ''Bugle'' (for the May 1959 issue), showing many different illustrators' versions of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman
* The inside front cover reproduces Maxfield Parrish's cover for the January 1917 issue of ''Metropolitan''.
* In "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch reflects on winning the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award during a hurricane, while ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Krotzer looks at the production of this issue within the overall history of the journal.
* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
** The Club opens its archive with reprints of selected articles from past issues of [https://www.ozclub.org/publications/the-baum-bugle/ ''The Baum Bugle''].
** The town of Salina, New York breaks ground on a new community center at the site of Rose Lawn, the Baum family estate. The center will include a Baum-themed museum.
** Gregory Maguire's writing another book set in his version of Oz. [https://bookshop.org/p/books/elphie-a-wicked-childhood-gregory-maguire/21025444 ''Elphie''], coming out March 25, 2025, will recount tales of the childhood of Elphaba, who will later become the Wicked Witch of the West.
** The stolen pair of Ruby Slippers, now recovered, are on tour and will go up for auction in December.
** The latest revival of ''The Wiz'' surpasses one hundred performances on Broadway.
** The release of the first ''Wicked'' movie is moved up to November 22, 2024.
** ''Marvelous: A Musical Opera'' based on ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'' premieres in Sisterville, West Virginia on April 5, 2025
** "Beyond the Shifting Sands" recognizes the passing of Ken Page, who understudied for Ted Ross in the original Broadway production of ''The Wiz'' before taking over the role himself.
* One of the original charter members of the International Wizard of Oz Club, Ruth Berman, looks back on how it all started in "A Gleam in Justin's Eye: Oz Club Origins".
* In "In Search of Snow White: The Unrealized Dream of Maxfield Parrish and L. Frank Baum", Scott Cummings looks at a second Parrish-Baum collaboration that ultimately never came to be, a book and stage play of ''Snow White'' in the late 1910s.
* Peter E. Hanff looks at how one man changed the ''Bugle'' from a humble newsletter to a comprehensive journal in "Martin's Marvels: Dick Martin's Graphical Contributions to the History of ''The Baum Bugle''". Accompanying this article is a color supplement of ''Bugle'' covers Martin contributed to, including examples of color separations; and "A Checklist of Cover Art for ''The Baum Bugle'' by Dick Martin".
* J. L. Bell examines the development of cartography in the Oz books in the award-winning "The Inspiring Maps of Oz".
* "Keepers of the Record" presents reminiscences of three previous ''Bugle'' editors:
** "A Brief Reminiscence of My ''Bugle'' Editorship, 1996-2000" by William Stillman.
** "Notes from an Old ''Bugle'' Editor" by Michael Gessel.
** "The Call of a ''Bugle''—and Where It Led" by John Fricke.
* "How It Began (Again)" looks at some mocked-up dummy pages, created by Dick Martin, for the Spring 1979 issue of the ''Bugle''.
* The inside back cover reproduces the earliest known map of Oz, a slide from the 1908 multimedia show ''The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays''.


* The front cover features an original illustration of Scraps, Ojo, and Bungle by [http://www.ldiehl.com/ Laura Diehl].
Also included with this issue:
* "Letter from the Editor" by Craig Noble previews what's to come in this issue.
* The craft project is a map of Oz to color.
* "OZervations" by Club President Carrie L. Hedges touches on the forthcoming redesign of the Club's website, a holiday card contest, the 2014 Club Research Table, and [http://www.oz-stravaganza.com/home/history-of-l-frank-baum/all-things-oz/l-frank-baum-munchkin-memorial the L. Frank Baum Munchkin Memorial] (a flyer was included in this issue to solicit donations).
* In Issue No. 20 of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger Oz fans (of all ages):
* Margaret Williams Pellegrini is remembered.
** Editor-in-Chief Katie Jones and Number Nine outline efforts to clean up the Emerald City after the Nome King's recent occupation, and reveal the Gump as the new Head of Security.
* In "Oz and Ends":
** Polychrome reveals a puzzle where weather-related clues help you to unscramble Oz place names.
** New Oz comic books, [http://www.carpetbombcomics.com/oz/ ''The Steam Engines of Oz''] from Arcana, and ''Oz'' from [http://www.zenescope.com/ Zenescope].
** Scraps opines on issues of writing Oz poetry.
** "Ding! Dong! The Witch Is Dead" making it into the [http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/22093181 British Top Ten] after the death of Margaret Thatcher.
** The Scarecrow gives story recommendations:
** The ''Temple Run: Oz'' game app, tied in with the ''Oz the Great and Pwerful'' movie.
*** [https://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Meg-McLaren-illustrator-Sam/dp/1405286296/ ''The Wizard of Oz'', adapted by Meg McLaren and Sam Hay]
** An animated movie version of [http://www.examiner.com/article/christmas-cannes ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus''], set to be released for the 2014 holiday season.
*** "Dorothy and the Mushroom People" by Eric Shanower, from [https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/salt-sorcerer-stories/author/shanower-eric/used/ ''The Salt Sorcerer of Oz and Other Stories].
** ''Groove on Down the Road'', a hip-hop inspired version of ''The Wizard of Oz'' with influence from ''The Wiz'', which debuted in London this past summer.
*** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/snow-queen-hb-hans-christian-andersen/6431554?ean=9780062209504 ''The Snow Queen'' by Hans Christian Andersen].
** The [http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=oz.htm final box office numbers] and [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00C7JGDBW/thewonderwizardo/ home video release] of ''Oz the Great and Powerful''.
** And throughout the issue, mysterious figures seem to be scouting out the country for nefarious purposes. But is someone scouting them out in turn?
** The IMAX theatrical release of [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00CNW9Z6I/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wizard of Oz'' in 3-D] (that's the famous 1939 movie version with Judy Garland).
** A [http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/362653 ''Wizard of Oz'' LEGO display], complete with spinning tornado, at the Brickworld convention in Chicago.
** ''Oz'', this year's summer show by the [http://www.circusjuventas.org/ Circus Juventas] youth circus in Minnesota.
** ''Wizard of Oz: Unscripted'' at [http://www.comedysportzhouston.com/index.jsp ComedySportz Houston].
** The FBI's investigation into [http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/victim_assistance/seeking-victim-information/gigapix-studios-inc-and-oz3d-llc Gigapix Studios] and its attempt to produce a 3-D computer animated version of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
** L. Frank Baum's induction into [http://chicagoliteraryhof.org/PersonDetail.aspx?PersonID=57 the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame].
* Marcus Mébès looks back at one hundred years of Scraps' history in "Patching Together History".
* Anita Schmaltz compares the novel to early twentieth century entertainment in "A Calico Chaos: L. Frank Baum Parades a Fantastical Circus in ''The Patchwork Girl of Oz''".
* "Piecing Together the ''Patchwork Girl'' Art: A Conjectural Study" by J. L. Bell examines John R. Neill's art in ''The Patchwork Girl of Oz'', and why so much of it is so repetitive.
* "Oz Under Scrutiny", edited and annotated by Craig J. Noble, looks at contemporary reviews of ''The Patchwork Girl of Oz''.
* Andre De Shields, who originated the title role in ''The Wiz'' on Broadway, looks back at his life and the influence Oz has had on it in "Easin' On Down the Yellow Brick Road: A Black Man's Journey to Oz".
* The ''Bugle'''s series on the collecting and care of Oz books presents "Four Common Repairs for Cloth-Bound Books: Inner Hinges, Tipping-In Plates, Cleaning Cloth Covers, and Dust Jacket Repiars" by Sophia Siobhan Wolohan Bogle.
* Michael O. Riley presents "A New Bibliographic Description of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''".
* In "Adventures in Oz", Tom Lavelle explains "How I Collected the Oz Books…Twice".
* In "The Oz Illustrator", Eric Shanower explains how he draws the Patchwork Girl.
* In "Multi-MediOz", Ryan Jay pulls back the curtain on the extras on the various home video releases of ''Oz the Great and Powerful''.
* Reviewed in "The Oz Bookshelf":
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0785155546/thewonderwizardo/ ''Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz''] and [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0785164049/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Road to Oz''], graphic novel adaptations written by Eric Shanower, illustrated by Skottie Young, reviewed by Ken Cope.
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593932928/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wizard of MGM: Memoirs of A. Arnold Gillespie (Art Director/HEad of Special Effects from 1924-1965)''], edited by Philip J. Riley and Robert A. Welch, reviewed by Mark Griffin.
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1484974980/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Complete, Incomplete Adventures of Donald Gardner and the Silver Shoes: Two Novels, Revised Editions''] by Paul Miles Schneider (a collection and revision of his two earlier novels, ''Silver Shoes'' and ''The Powder of Life''), reviewed by Mari Ness.
* Craig J. Noble presents a crossword puzzle over ''The Patchwork Girl of Oz'' in "Ozmusements.
* And the back cover presents an illustration of Scraps by Nei Ruffino, as seen on the cover of issue nine of the comic book ''The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West''.
 
Also included with this issue are [http://shop.ozclub.org/category.sc?categoryId=8 a membership renewal form] for 2014, and [http://ozconinternational.com/registration.html a registration form for the 2014 Winkie Convention] in San Diego.
 
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==August 7, 2013: Margaret Williams Pellegrini==
==December 7, 2024: Ruby Slippers Auction Sets New Movie Memorabilia Record==
[[File:Margaret 1939.gif|left|frame|Margaret Williams as the Flowerpot Munchkin]] [[File:Margaret 2013.jpg|right|frame|Margaret Pellegrini in recent years]]Margaret Williams Pellegrini, one of the last surviving cast members of ''The Wizard of Oz'', died this morning of complications of a stroke she suffered earlier this year. She was 89. Born in Sheffield, Alabama on September 23, 1923, Margaret Williams was discovered while helping out her brother-in-law sell potato chips at the Tennessee State Fair. Members of Henry Kramer's Midgets spotted her and encouraged her to join their troupe. She gave them her address, and was eventually contacted by a booking agent to come to Hollywood and make ''The Wizard of Oz''. Because there were so few female Munchkin actors, and she was one of the smallest, Williams ended up playing a number of different roles in the Munchkin scenes, including a Flowerpot Munchkin and a Sleepyhead. After making ''Oz'', she traveled with some midget troupes, but left show business when she married ex-fighter Willie Pellegrini. They had two children, plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Margaret would make one other film appearance, in 1971's ''Johnny Got His Gun''. When Oz festivals and events started popping up, she was one of the most visible guests, usually appearing in a reproduction of her Flowerpot Munchkin costume. She had some of the clearest memories and largest collections of materials of her time in Oz, which made her especially popular. She was awarded the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, the highest honor of the International Wizard of Oz Club, in 2011.
[[File:Ruby_Slippers_2024.jpeg|right|400 px]]
The most notorious pair of Ruby Slippers used during production of the famous 1939 film version of ''The Wizard of Oz'' went up for auction today, and the final price shattered all records for the price paid for a piece of movie memorabilia. Of the four pairs of Ruby Slippers known to still exist, this pair, "The Traveling Shoes", were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and recovered in 2018, when they acquired a new nickname, "The Stolen Pair". They were ultimately returned to owner Michael Shaw who decided it was time to sell them. Estimated to go for at least $3,000,000, online bidding reached $1,550,000 before live bidding on site at Heritage Auctions began. The estimate was quickly surpassed, and when bidding ended, the final bid was $28,000,000, far outpacing any previous price for movie memorabilia. With commission and other fees, the total final price paid was $32,500,000. The Ruby Slippers alone surpassed the previous record for an entire movie memorabilia auction, the $22,800,000 that Debbie Reynolds' collection was sold for in 2011.


Margaret Pellegrini was preceded in death by her husband and two children; she is survived by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her autobiography is due to be published later this year.
Other Oz items available in the auction:
* One of Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West hats, and the only one known to carry Hamilton's name inside, earned the second highest price for an item from ''The Wizard of Oz'', $2,930,000
* Producer Mervyn LeRoy's script from the MGM art department, $50,000
* The screen door from the Gale farmhouse, $37,500
* Judy Garland's blonde wig from the first week of shooting, $30,000
* The MGM contract for songwriters Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, $23,125


(Information courtesy ''The Munchkins of Oz'' by Stephen Cox, and [http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-margaret-pellegrini-20130808,0,3512643.story the ''Los Angeles Times''].)
Other items of interest at the auction included a sceen-used Jumanji board game from the eponymous movie; a crate used to hold bombs in the original 1933 version of ''King Kong''; a hoverboard from ''Back to the Future II''; Kevin's scarf, coat, hat, and mittens from ''Home Alone''; Wilson, Tom Hanks' volleyball co-star in ''Castaway''; and a screen-used golden ticket from '' Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory''.


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(Information and image courtesy [https://www.ha.com/heritage-auctions-press-releases-and-news/dorothy-s-ruby-slippers-from-the-wizard-of-oz-sell-for-32.5-million-at-heritage-auctions-to-become-world-s-most-valuable-movie-memorabilia.s?releaseId=5122&ic=hero-www-dorothyRubySlippers-resultsLearnMore-7388-120724 Heritage Auctions].)


==June 25, 2013: ''The Baum Bugle'', Spring 2013 issue==
[[File:bbspring13.jpg|left]]The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the [http://www.ozclub.org/The_International_Wizard_of_Oz_Club.html International Wizard of Oz Club], has been sent out and is making its way to members. Although some Club leaders have expressed regret over how late it was, it's only a few days into summer. Considering the checkered past of the ''Bugle'' getting to members in a timely manner, long-time members probably don't mind much at all!
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In this issue:
*The front cover shows Oz and Theodora traversing the Ozian landscape in a scene from the new movie ''Oz the Great and Powerful''.
*"Letter from the Editor" introduces the new editor, Craig Noble, and his connections and history with Oz.
*President Carrie Hedges delivers some "OZervations" on how members can assist the Club in its mission, including how to become a member of "Ozma's Honor Roll".
*In "Oz and Ends":
**Legendary animator Don Bluth's Ozzy background for a live stage adaptation he produced, and the attempt to sell it on ebay.
**Peter Blystone's translations of [http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?contributorId=1165735 Sergei Sukhinov's epic ten-volume epic about Magic Land], Russia's version of Oz.
**The forthcoming [http://www.rte.ie/ten/news/2013/0124/442936-wicked/ Irish premiere of ''Wicked''], scheduled to start November 27.
**[http://www.flickr.com/photos/65323335@N02/sets/72157633268958876/ A display of Oz dolls] in Columbus, Ohio, during the April conference of Artistic Figures in Cloth and Clay.
**The attempt to sell [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wizard-ozs-original-cowardly-lion-418025 one of the original Cowardly Lion costumes] from The Movie to the forthcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
**A new short film, [http://www.monstersculptor.com/films.htm ''The Green Ruby Pumpkin''], which include some familiar-looking trick-or-treaters on Halloween.
**''The Wizard of Oz'' topping the list of [http://www.scholastic.com/100movies/ Scholastic Magazine's 100 Greatest Movies for Kids].
**''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' interactive children's museum exhibit at [http://www.slpl.org/slpl/library/wizardofoz.asp the St. Louis Central Library].
**New versions of classic games, coming soon for The Movie's seventy-fifth anniversary. They include ''Monopoly'', ''The Game of Life'', and ''Memory Challenge''.
**Long-time Oz collector Maureen Stapleton donating her collection to the Oconomowoc Historical Society and Museum in Wisconsin.
**Recent Oz exhibits and events, such as:
***The "Returning to Oz: The Afterlife of Dorothy" conference in Machester, England, in February.
***"Visions of Oz: A Celebration of Art from Over the Rainbow" in Los Angeles, in March.
***The Oz-themed play area and garden at EPCOT during its annual International Flower and Garden Festival, at Walt Disney World this past spring.
**The possibly forthcoming ''The Wizard of Oz'' meets ''Game of Thrones'' television series ''Red Brick Road''.
**The demise and possible forthcoming resurrection of [https://www.facebook.com/OzFestival the Chesterton Oz Festival] in Indiana.
*A round-up of coverage of ''Oz the Great and Powerful'':
**Ryan Jay gives a personal account of covering the movie in "My Road to ''Oz the Great and Powerful'': A TV Journalist's Behind the Curtain at Disney's PR Machine".
**Freddy Fogarty reviews the movie in "''Oz the Great and Powerful'': A Fresh Take on an Old Tale".
**Scott Hedley presents the "''Oz the Great and Powerful'' Movie Merchandise and Collectibles Checklist".
*In the first part of a new series on the collecting and care of Oz books, Mochael O. Riley ponders the question of "Collecting Oz Books: Repair, Restore, or Conserve?"
*J. L. Bell looks at one of the most controversial chapters in the Oz books in "The Troublesome Tottenhots: The Long History Behind Baum's 'Little Brown Folks'".
*In response to ''Oz the Great and Powerful'', Jared Davis looks at earlier ''Wizard of Oz'' prequels in "Imagining Oz Before Dorothy".
*Robert Baum meets family history in "L. Frank Baum LIVE or How I Spent an Hour with My Great Grandfather".
*Greg Hunter presents a previously unknown story illustrated by Jon R. Neill in "Children's Stories That Never Grow Old: Lincoln the Boy".
*Isabelle Melançon shows how to draw the [http://namesakecomic.com/ ''Namesake''] version of Ozma as her collaborator, Megan Lavey-Heaton, looks behind the curtain at the creation of the webcomic.
*In "The Oz Bookshelf", books reviewed include:
**[http://www.lulu.com/shop/sergei-sukhinov/gingemas-daughter/paperback/product-20664255.html ''Gingemma's Daughter''] and [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sergei-sukhinov/the-fairy-of-the-emerald-city/paperback/product-20675744.html ''The Fairy of the Emerald City''], the first two volumes of Sergei Sukhinov's story of Magic Land, newly translated by Peter Blystone and reviewed by Alan Wise.
**[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1423170911/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Art of Oz the Great and Powerful'' by Grant Curtis with photographs by Merie Wallace], reviewed by Atticus Gannaway.
**[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1613748108/thewonderwizardo/ ''Everything Oz: Make Munchkin Placecards, Over the Rainbow Cake, "I'm Melting" Witch Candles, and Much More'' by Christine Leech and Hannah Read-Baldrey], reviewed by Mari Ness.
**[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1457515644/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Hackers of Oz'' by Tom Mula], reviewed by Wise.
*"In Memoriam" by David Moyer remembers the life of long-time Oz Club Munchkin Evan McCord
*Craig Noble contributes a crossword puzzle based on ''Oz the Great and Powerful'' in "Ozmusements".
*And the back cover features Ozma and Dorothy as drawn by Isabelle Melançon.


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==June 23, 2013: Richard Matheson==
==Rumor Control==
One of the most prolific and influential of modern science-fictions writers, Richard Matheson, died today. His career spanned over fifty years, and included acclaimed novels (''I Am Legend'', ''Stir of Echoes'', ''The Shrinking Man'', ''What Dreams May Come'' and ''Hell House'', with his most recent, ''Generations'', coming out just last year), short stories ("Button, Button" and "Real Steel", both of which were adapted not only as movies, but also episodes of ''The Twilight Zone''; and "Duel", the basis for the television movie that became Steven Spielberg's first directing credit), movies (he adapted many of his own stories into screenplays, including ''The Incredible Shrinking Man''), and television ("Terror at 20,00 Feet" and "Little Girl Lost" for ''The Twilight Zone'', and "The Enemy Within" for ''Star Trek'', among many others). He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1984, the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Horror Writers Association in 1991, and was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010. Among his admirers were Stephen King, Anne Rice, Ray Bradbury, and Spielberg. Matheson died just days before he was due to receive the Visonary award at the Saturn Awards ceremony; it was presented posthumously. Among his many credits was ''The Dreamer of Oz'', the 1990 television movie about the life of L. Frank Baum, for which Matheson co-wrote the story with David Kirschner, and wrote the screenplay.
(Because of the many questions I am asked about possible forthcoming Oz projects or other bits of pseudo-news, I have added this section to answer some of these inquiries.)
 
(Information courtesy [http://www.blastr.com/2013-6-24/richard-matheson-author-i-am-legend-dies-86 Blastr], [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0558577/ The Internet Movie Database], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Matheson Wikipedia].)


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==June 22, 2013: Oz Club Honors==
''Dorothy'' is in development for Prime Video, with executive producers Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, and Gina Matthews. You can see the initial report on this [https://deadline.com/2025/08/gwen-stefani-blake-shelton-wizard-of-oz-prime-video-1236497977/ right here].
The International Wizard of Oz Club presented two of its highest honors at its Winkie Convention tonight. The Winkie Award, voted on by convention members, was presented to Anna Wyatt for her many years of attendance and assistance. And the Club's highest honor, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, was presented to Eric Gjovaag for his many contributions to Oz research and fiction, assistance at the Winkie Convention, and being one of the first Oz fans with a major presence on the Internet.


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==Rumor Control==
The latest Oz projects to be announced in Hollywood: ''Cheshire Crossing'', the graphic novel by Andy Weir and Sarah Anderson, optioned by Amblin Partners (see [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/amblin-michael-de-luca-tackling-martian-author-s-fantasy-graphic-novel-cheshire-crossing-1255011 this report]); and an animated musical adaptation of the book ''Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz'', where the story is told from Toto's point of view, to be produced at Warner Bros. (see [https://deadline.com/2020/10/toto-the-dog-gone-amazing-story-of-the-wizard-of-oz-animated-pic-in-the-works-at-warner-bros-1234596757/ this source]).
(Because of the many questions I am asked about possible forthcoming Oz projects or other bits of pseudo-news, I have added this section to answer some of these inquiries.)


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It's getting harder and harder to keep up with all of the currently planned Oz movie and television projects. Bear in mind that at this stage, most of it is speculation and/or not even in pre-production, or possibly even a game of "Telephone". But here are some of the current Oz movies that could be coming to your local theater in the next few years:
It's getting harder and harder to keep up with all of the currently planned Oz movie and television projects. Bear in mind that at this stage, most of it is speculation and/or not even in pre-production, or possibly even a game of "Telephone". But here are some of the current Oz movies that could be coming to your local theater in the next few years:


*''The Road to Oz'', a movie biopic about the life of L. Frank Baum and how he created Oz, starring Eddie Redmayne as Frank. (See reports [http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/06/eddie-redmayne-wizard-of-oz-author-l-frank-baum here] and [http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/eddie-redmayne-to-play-author-l-frank-baum-in-biopic-road-to-oz-268 here].)
*''Dark Oz 3-D'', based on the old Caliber comic book.
*''Dark Oz 3-D'', based on the old Caliber comic book.
*A non-musical, faithful adaptation of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' from New Line and [http://www.templehillent.com/ Temple Hill].
*A non-musical, faithful adaptation of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' from New Line and [http://www.templehillent.com/ Temple Hill].
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*[http://www.independentstoriesinc.com/WonderfulWizard.htm ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''], a low-budget independent production from Barnyard Studios and Used Productions. This is very much a shoestring production, which is looking for money and actors. But its Kickstarter campaign to raise the last money it needed was a success, so it may be finished soon.
*[http://www.independentstoriesinc.com/WonderfulWizard.htm ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''], a low-budget independent production from Barnyard Studios and Used Productions. This is very much a shoestring production, which is looking for money and actors. But its Kickstarter campaign to raise the last money it needed was a success, so it may be finished soon.
*[http://valleywind.com/legendofoz/ ''Legend of Oz''], a modern retelling of ''The Wizard of Oz'' from Valley Wind Productions in Ottawa.
*[http://valleywind.com/legendofoz/ ''Legend of Oz''], a modern retelling of ''The Wizard of Oz'' from Valley Wind Productions in Ottawa.
*Yes, it looks like a film version of ''Wicked'' is currently in pre-planning at Universal. But this is a long way off, and a lot can happen. However, the success of the play most likely means that there will be a film version some day. Winnie Holzman, who wrote the book for the play, has already been tapped to write the script.
*[http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/06/16/are-the-polish-brothers-planning-their-own-trip-to-oz/ ''Oz''], a new telling of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
*[http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/06/16/are-the-polish-brothers-planning-their-own-trip-to-oz/ ''Oz''], a new telling of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
*A still unnamed horror movie set in the 1920s with Dorothy meeting Alice in Bedlam Asylum.
*A still unnamed horror movie set in the 1920s with Dorothy meeting Alice in Bedlam Asylum.
*[http://www.ozlandthefilm.com/ ''OzLand''], with the protagonists wandering post-apocalyptic America and finding a copy of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''.
*[http://variety.com/2013/film/news/afm-film-sharks-toons-up-animas-feature-save-oz-exclusive-1200806821/ ''Save Oz''], an animated movie from Mexico about a winged monkey who decides to defeat the Wicked Witch on his own terms, with a little help from some of Oz's greatest heroes.
*[http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/berlin/european-film-market/mcnamara-to-direct-young-santa/5066468.article ''Young Santa'']., based on L. Frank Baum's book ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' and directed by Sean McNamara.
*[http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/berlin/european-film-market/mcnamara-to-direct-young-santa/5066468.article ''Young Santa'']., based on L. Frank Baum's book ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' and directed by Sean McNamara.
*''How the Wizard Came to Oz'', based on two books by Donald Abbott.
*Not entirely Oz, strictly speaking, but the Judy Garland biography ''Get Happy'' may be made into a movie, featuring Anne Hathaway as Garland.
*Not entirely Oz, strictly speaking, but the Judy Garland biography ''Get Happy'' may be made into a movie, featuring Anne Hathaway as Garland.


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*[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/warner-horizon-turn-oz-fantasy-420517 ''Red Brick Road''], a television series continuation of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in the style of ''Game of Thrones''. The latest word is that this is being developed for the Lifetime channel.
*[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/warner-horizon-turn-oz-fantasy-420517 ''Red Brick Road''], a television series continuation of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in the style of ''Game of Thrones''. The latest word is that this is being developed for the Lifetime channel.
*[http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/cbs-developing-wizard-of-oz-themed-medical-drama-from-timbermanbeverly/ ''Dorothy''], an Oz-themed medical drama in development at CBS
*[http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/cbs-developing-wizard-of-oz-themed-medical-drama-from-timbermanbeverly/ ''Dorothy''], an Oz-themed medical drama in development at CBS
*[http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/nbc-buys-wizard-of-oz-drama-from-matt-arnold-as-frank-baums-classic-becomes-the-hottest-tv-property-this-season/ ''Emerald City''], a "modern" Oz series in development at NBC, and picked up for the 2014-15 season.
*[http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Tim-Kring-Developing-Wizard-Oz-Drama-Dorothy-Must-Die-CW-58899.html ''Dorothy Must Die''], in which Dorothy has returned to Oz and become a dictator, in development at the CW. This would be based on the book series of the same name.
*[http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Tim-Kring-Developing-Wizard-Oz-Drama-Dorothy-Must-Die-CW-58899.html ''Dorothy Must Die''], in which Dorothy has returned to Oz and become a dictator, in development at the CW.
*''Warriors of Oz'', a post-apocalyptic version in development at Syfy.
*''Warriors of Oz'', a post-apocalyptic version in development at Syfy.
* A ''Wicked'' television miniseries, based on the original book (not the stage musical). Salma Hayak was attached to this as a producer. When last heard of, it was under development at ABC.
* A ''Wicked'' television miniseries, based on the original book (not the stage musical). Salma Hayak was attached to this as a producer. When last heard of, it was under development at ABC.
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No, Peter Jackson is ''not'' producing or directing a billion-dollar all-CGI remake of ''The Wizard of Oz'' for Warner Bros. How do stories like this get started? Oh, maybe in [http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31184 stories like this]...
No, Peter Jackson is ''not'' producing or directing a billion-dollar all-CGI remake of ''The Wizard of Oz'' for Warner Bros. How do stories like this get started? Oh, maybe in [http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31184 stories like this]...
----
It seems the [http://www.hash.com/2007web/ Hash, Inc.], animated production of [http://wiki.hash.com/index.php?title=Main_Page_Two ''The Tin Woodman of Oz''] was successful enough that they're going ahead with their next production, ''The Scarecrow of Oz''. This one even has test footage on YouTube, which looks something like this:
<html><center><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0PN379JK76g&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0PN379JK76g&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></center></html>
----
A [http://www.toonzentertainment.com/toonzEntertainment/santa-claus.html computer animated production of Baum's 1902 book ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus''] is currently in the works. The producers are Hyde Park Entertainment, Toonz Entertainment, and Gang of 7 Animation. As with all movie projects, a lot can happen before release, which could cause them be delayed, or not to appear at all. Keep an eye on this website's news and events pages for details if they get closer to actually coming out.


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*''Lost in Oz'', a series that was to feature Melissa George as a Kansas university student who is whisked to Oz sixty years after the events of ''The Wizard of Oz'' (The Movie) and helping to spearhead a rebellion against the new Wicked Witch of the West. Although developed for the WB and a pilot film produced, it was never picked up, nor the pilot shown. (But keep an eye out on auction sites, as a bootleg DVD sometimes shows up…)
*''Lost in Oz'', a series that was to feature Melissa George as a Kansas university student who is whisked to Oz sixty years after the events of ''The Wizard of Oz'' (The Movie) and helping to spearhead a rebellion against the new Wicked Witch of the West. Although developed for the WB and a pilot film produced, it was never picked up, nor the pilot shown. (But keep an eye out on auction sites, as a bootleg DVD sometimes shows up…)
*A telelvision miniseries based on Gregory Maguire's novel ''Wicked'', with Demi Moore in the title role. (There are stories that the people developing this version later pushed their involvement into the musical version now playing on Broadway and elsewhere.)
*A television miniseries based on Gregory Maguire's novel ''Wicked'', with Demi Moore in the title role. (There are stories that the people developing this version later pushed their involvement into the musical version now playing on Broadway and elsewhere.)
*''The O. Z.'', a hip-hop flavored re-telling of ''The Wizard of Oz'' for Fox. Among the rumored Dorothy's at one point were Brandy, Mya, and the late Aaliyah. Justin Timberlake, John Leuizamo, and Little Richard were mentioned for other parts.
*''The O. Z.'', a hip-hop flavored re-telling of ''The Wizard of Oz'' for Fox. Among the rumored Dorothy's at one point were Brandy, Mya, and the late Aaliyah. Justin Timberlake, John Leuizamo, and Little Richard were mentioned for other parts.
*''Surrender Dorothy''. Drew Barrymore as Dorothy's great-granddaughter coming to Oz, and battling the Wicked Witch of the West's granddaughter. (Rumors of this recently resurfaced, but were quickly squelched. This project is dead.)
*''Surrender Dorothy''. Drew Barrymore as Dorothy's great-granddaughter coming to Oz, and battling the Wicked Witch of the West's granddaughter. (Rumors of this recently resurfaced, but were quickly squelched. This project is dead.)
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*''The Land of Oz'' (not based on the book of the same name), produced by Hallmark for NBC. This eventually became the basis for the Sci Fi Channel miniseries ''Tin Man''.
*''The Land of Oz'' (not based on the book of the same name), produced by Hallmark for NBC. This eventually became the basis for the Sci Fi Channel miniseries ''Tin Man''.
*''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' from Circa Pictures. It's no longer listed on their website.
*''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' from Circa Pictures. It's no longer listed on their website.
*''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' from Hyde Park Entertainment and Toonz Entertainment.
*A Bollywood adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in India.
*A Bollywood adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in India.
*A movie version of American McGee's (later cancelled) ''Oz'' video game.
*A movie version of American McGee's (later cancelled) ''Oz'' video game.

Latest revision as of 17:41, 6 December 2025

(I will update this page when there is news to tell. Any news older than a year is dropped at the next update. If you have news to report, please e-mail me.)

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(For more Oz news, check out The Daily Ozmopolitan. For the latest Oz not-quite-news, see the Rumor Control section of this page.)

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November 13, 2025: The Baum Bugle Autumn 2025 Issue

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The latest issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of oz Club, is making its way to members now. This issue celebrates forty years of Return to Oz, and includes a comprehensive checklist of collectibles from the 1985 Disney movie. Keep an eye on this space for future updates.


Wicked and Wicked: For Good Accolades and Awards

With high profile movie releases, naturally Wicked and Wicked: For Good will receive acclaim during the film award seasons. Here, then, we will keep track of awards presented to the Wicked movies and their cast and crew, plus nominations for awards to be given later. Keep an eye on this list or the Wikipedia pages for Wicked and Wicked: For Good as more news comes in.

The awards are presented here in the chronological order they were presented:

  • September 27, 2024: International Cinematographers "Manaki Brothers" Film Festival, SUMOLIGHT Creative Energy Award: Alice Brooks (Cinematographer) and Dave Smith (Gaffer)
  • November 18, 2024: Heartland Film Festival, Truly Moving Picture Award: Wicked
  • November 23, 2024: The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage, Production Designer Award: Nathan Crowley
  • December 4, 2024: National Board of Review
    • Best Film: Wicked
    • Best Director: Jon M. Chu
    • Spotlight Award: the creative collaboration of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
  • December 5, 2024: American Film Institute Awards, Top 10 Films of the Year: Wicked (alongside nine other movies)
  • December 8, 2024: Washington DC Area Film Critics Film Critics Association
    • Best Feature: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
  • December 8, 2024: Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards
    • Best Picture: Wicked
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande (tied with Zoe Saldaña for Emilia Pérez)
    • Best Director: Jon M. Chu
    • Best Casting: Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
    • Best Marketing Campaign: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
  • December 9, 2024: Celebration of Black Cinema and Television, Actress Award—Film: Cynthia Erivo
  • December 9, 2024: Michigan Movie Critics Guild, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • December 9, 2024: Atlanta Film Critics Circle, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • December 9, 2024: San Diego Film Critics Society
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • December 13, 2024: African-American Film Critics Association, Innovator Award: Paul Tazewell
  • December 13, 2024: Las Vegas Film Critics Society
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
    • Best Family Film: Wicked
  • December 15, 2024: St. Louis Film Critics Association, Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • December 16, 2024: Phoenix Film Critics Society
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
  • December 16, 2024: Seattle Film Critics Society, Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • December 16, 2024: Iowa Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande (tied with Isabella Rossellini in Conclave)
  • December 16, 2024: Southeastern Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • December 21, 2024: Nevada Film Critics Society
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Visual Effects: Pablo Helman
  • December 28, 2024: Digital Spy Readers Awards, Most Anticipated Movie of 2025: Wicked: For Good
  • December 30, 2024: TiBS Editors Choice Awards:
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Director: Jon M. Chu
    • Best Ensemble: Wicked
  • January 2, 2025: Capri Hollywood-International Film Festival Award, Best Sound: Wicked
  • January 2, 2025: Critics Association of Central Florida
    • Best Cast: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Sound Design: Wicked
  • January 3, 2025: Palm Springs International Film Festival
    • Creative Impact in Acting Award: Cynthia Erivo
    • Rising Star Award: Ariana Grande
  • January 3, 2025: Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • January 4, 2025: DiscussingFilm Global Critic Award, Best Production Design: Wicked
  • January 5, 2025: Golden Globe Awards, Cinematic and Box Office Achievement: Wicked
  • January 10, 2025: Music City Film Critics Association, Best Music Film: Wicked
  • January 10, 2025: Minnesota Film Critics Association, Best Costume Design: Wicked
  • January 12, 2025: Puerto Rico Critics Association
    • Best Comedy/Musical: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
  • January 13, 2025: North Dakota Film Society, Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • January 13, 2025: Hawaii Film Critics Society
    • Best Art Direction: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Visual Effects: Wicked
  • January 14, 2025: Portland Critics Association, Best Supporting Performance (Female): Ariana Grande
  • January 16, 2025: North American Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • January 24, 2025: Denver Film Critics Society, Best Supporting Performance by an Actor, Female: Ariana Grande
  • January 26, 2025: Satellite Awards
    • Best Supporting Actress—Motion Picture: Ariana Grande
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Sound: Wicked
    • Make-Up Award: Wicked
  • January 27, 2025: Online Film Critics Society, Technical Achievement Award — Choreography: Wicked
  • February 6, 2025: Costume Designers Guild Awards, Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film: Paul Tazewell
  • February 7, 2025: Set Decorators Society of America, Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film: Lee Sandales and Nathan Crowley
  • February 7, 2025: Critics' Choice Movie Awards
    • Best Director: Jon M. Chu
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
  • February 7, 2025: AACTA Awards, Audience Choice Award for Favourite Film: Wicked
  • February 9, 2025: Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Virtuoso Award: Ariana Grande
  • February 9, 2025: AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Best Screenwriter: Winnie Holzman
  • February 12, 2025: Artios Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature (Comedy): Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, Ryan Bernard Tymensky, Tamsyn Manson
  • February 13, 2025: Dorian Awards
    • Supporting Film Performance of the Year: Ariana Grande
    • "We're Wilde About You" Rising Star Award: Jonathan Bailey
    • Galeca LGBTQIA+ Film Trailblazer: Cynthia Erivo
  • February 15, 2025: Art Directors Guild Awards, Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Film: Nathan Crowley
  • February 15, 2025: Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild
    • Best Period and/or Character Make-Up in a Feature-Length Motion Picture: Frances Hannon, Alice Jones, Nuria Mbornio, Johanna Nielsen, Branka Vorkapic
    • Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling in a Feature-Length Motion Picture: Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, Sim Camps, Gabor Kerekes
  • February 16, 2025: BAFTA Film Awards
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
  • February 17, 2025: Black Reel Awards
    • Outstanding Soundtrack: Wicked
    • Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • February 17, 2025: Latino Entertainment Journalists Society
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • February 22, 2025: NAACP Image Awards
    • Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
    • Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album: Wicked: The Soundtrack
  • February 23, 2025: Online Film and Television Association
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Adapted Song: "Defying Gravity"
  • February 23, 2025: Golden Reel Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing–Feature Motion Picture: Catherine Wilson, Robin Baynton
  • February 28, 2025: International Cinematographers Guild Publicists Awards, Maxwell Weinberg Award for Motion Picture Publicity Campaign: Wicked
  • March 2, 2025: Academy Awards
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
  • March 11, 2025: Queerties
    • Drama Movie: Wicked
    • Film Performance: Jonathan Bailey
    • Next Big Thing: Wicked: For Good
  • March 14, 2025: American Cinema Editors Awards, Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical: Myron Kerstein
  • March 17, 2025: iHeartRadio Music Awards, Favorite Soundtrack: Wicked: The Soundtrack
  • April 22, 2025: Webby Awards, Variety and Reality, General Video and Film: Wicked Stars Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo Break Down Viral "Holding Space" Interview
  • June 9, 2025: The BET Awards, Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
  • June 21, 2025: Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards:
    • Favorite Movie: Wicked
    • Favorite Movie Actress: Ariana Grande as Glinda
    • Favorite Song from a Movie: "Defying Gravity"
  • July 3, 2025: Astra Midseason Movie Awards, Most Anticipated Film: Wicked: For Good
  • August 5, 2025: Las Culturista Culture Awards, Harshest Truth About Wicked: Phannee not realized, we don't get into his gay story (What was that like? Was it hard coming out or was Pfannee born wealthy? Prequel idea about this.)
  • October 19, 2025: Middleburg Film Festival, Creative Collaborators Award: Alice Brooks (cinematographer) and Myron Kerstein (editor), Wicked: For Good
  • October 26, 2025: Savannah Film Festival, Vanguard Director Award: Jon M. Chu
  • November 3, 2025: People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive: Jonathan Bailey
  • November 4, 2025: Media Access Awards, Christopher Reeve Acting Award: Marissa Bode
  • November 19, 2025: Hollywood Music in Media Awards, Music Themed Film, Biopic, or Musical: Wicked: For Good, Jon M. Chu

Wicked and Wicked: For Good have the following nominations for forthcoming awards:

  • February 1, 2026: The Grammy Awards
    • Best Compilation Album for Visual Media: Wicked soundtrack
    • Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: Wicked, John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
    • Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, "Defying Gravity"
    • Best Instrumental Composition: John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, "Train to the Emerald City"

October 8, 2025: Robert A. Baum, 1942-2025

Robert A Baum Jr.webp

Robert A. "Bob" Baum, great-grandson of L. Frank Baum and an important Oz scholar in his own right, passed away today at the age of 83. His generosity in sharing his family's collection and history has been a boon to Oz in many ways. Museums, documentaries, and Oz festivals and conventions have all been enhanced by Bob's donations. He was a consultant on the 1990 television movie The Dreamer of Oz, a biopic of his great-grandfather, and even recreated Frank's home office on set using items from his own collection. He served the International Wizard of Oz Club as a director and contributor to The Baum Bugle, as well as frequent convention guest. The 2022 issue of Oziana, the Club's literary magazine, was a collection of Bob Baum's fanciful stories about his family history. He and his wife, Claire, would sometimes appear at events as L. Frank and Maud Baum to tell stories about their lives. For his many contributions, he was awarded the Oz Club's highest honor, named after his great-grandfather, in 2002.

(Information courtesy Jane Albright on Facebook. Photo courtesy The Oz Wiki.)

September 21, 2025: Elaine Merk Binder, 1930-2025

Elaine Merk Binder, one of the last remaining actors who played a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, passed away today at the age of 94. Born in Colorado, she appeared as an extra in several movies in the '30s, including an Our Gang short. She was one of a dozen young girls who filled in the ranks of background female Munchkins after Judy Garland's Dorothy arrives in Oz. But after 1940 she left show business, and went on to earn degrees in education and music. She appeared in the 2024 documentary series Memories of Oz, reminiscing about making the movie.

(Information courtesy Variety and IMDB.)

August 8, 2025: The Baum Bugle Spring 2025

Bbspring25.png

The latest issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now making its way to members. This issue celebrates the release of Wicked (Part 1).

In this issue:

  • The front cover reprints the publicity shot of Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande recreating the original poster design for the Wicked stage show.
  • The inside covers reprint Anton Loeb's endpaper design for the 1950 book adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.
  • The table of contents includes Mark Manley's Wicked tribute painting, "The Melting Occurred at the Thirteenth Hour".
  • In "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch looks back at how the Bugle covered the path Wicked has taken from page to stage to screen, and Bugle editor Sarah K. Crotzer looks at how this issue's features came about.
  • In "The Bugle Bulletin":
    • The National Library Service (NLS) has a large collection of Oz materials for the blind and print disabled.
    • "Beyond the Shifting Sands" remembers recently passed Oz contributors Jean Marsh, Stephen J. Teller, Jack Van Camp, and Sally Roesch Wagner.
  • Sarah K. Crotzer reacts to the Wicked film in "What Is This Feeling?"
  • "What the Papers Said" looks at a number of reviews of Wicked from around the world.
  • "Wicked Wares: Toys, Plushes, and Cinema Exclusives" by Jane Albright looks at a variety of Wicked movie collectibles.
  • David Diket looks at the history and evolution of Wicked Witch of the West dolls in "My Beautiful Wickedness" and "David's Timeline of Beautifully Wicked Dolls".
  • Karyl Carlson looks back at how she started creating custom Oz dolls in "The Dollmaker of Oz".
  • It's been twenty-five years since the last installment, but Carl Rexroad continues his look at political cartoons themed around The Wizard of Oz in "The Editorial Cartoons of Oz, Part 1: 125 Years Later, The Wizard of Oz Still Drives Political Debate".
  • William STillman looks at the history of one of the bestselling Oz adaptations in "75 Years of Anton Loeb's The Wizard of Oz".
  • In "Oz in the Arts", Robert Lamont reviews the recent Broadway revival of The Wiz (now on tour).
  • In "The Bugle Review":
  • Michael Gessel remembers a recently deceased long-time Oz fan in "The Lifelong Scholar: Stephen J. Teller's Journey from Kansas to Oz".
  • The back cover shows the Tonner Doll versions of Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Also included with this issue:

  • This issue's Oz craft is a miniature version of the Emerald City Express train from the Wicked movie.
  • And in the final (for now?) issue of The Emerald City Gazette, the newspaper for younger Oz fans (of all ages), Bungle and Toto stroll through the Emerald Palace to ensure that those pesky nomes are finally gone for good.


July 19, 2025: Crotzer Wins L. Frank Baum Memorial Award

This evening, Sarah K. Crotzer was presented the L. Frank Bam Memorial Award for her contributions to Oz. She has been a tireless Oz researcher and writer, with a special interest in the history of Oz games. She is also the current editor of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, and recently became the longest-serving editor in Club history.

Also presented tonight were the Club's annual prizes for writing and art. This year's winners are:

  • The Fred Otto Prize for Fiction:
    • First place, Jesse Jury for "Four Friends of Oz"
    • Second place, J. L. Bell for "Who's Got the Button?"
  • The C. Warren Hollister Prize for Non-Fiction:
    • First place, Rachel Graham for "An Essential Quickening: John R. Neill and the Art of Oz"
    • Second place, Cynthia Ragni for "Project Ozma"
  • The Rob Roy MacVeigh Prize for Art:
    • First place, Jime Wimmer for "Dorothy and the Cyclone"
    • Second place, Rob Lauer for "Ruth and Her Friends in Oz"

June 21, 2025: The Winkie Award

Tonight, OzCon International gave its highest honor, the Winkie Award, to Sam Milazzo. The award recognizes all of the contributions Sam has made to the convention over the past few years, with presentations, panels, and generally helping out.

May 6, 2025: The Baum Bugle Winter 2024

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It may be slipping back in the calendar a bit, but the latest issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is making its way to members' mailboxes now.

In this issue:

Also included with this issue:

  • A registration form for the 2025 editino of Oz, the National Convention in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
  • A flyer for one of the Club's latest publications, Bibliographia Baumiana.
  • This issue's craft is a melting Evillene, based on the original Broadway run of The Wiz.
  • And in the latest issue of The Oz Gazette, the newsletter for younger Oz fans (of all ages):
    • Editor-in-Chief Katie Jones, with assistance from the Head of Security the Gump, updates readers on the hunt for Nomes and the Glass Cat.
    • The Scarecrow's book column looks at other books puplished in 1924, like Grampa in Oz.
    • Based off of the article speculating what scrum might be like in The Baum Bugle, the Patchwork Girl presents the board, pieces, and rules for Camette, a simplified (for space reasons) version of the game Camelot.
    • Finally, a little bit of verse from…the Glass Cat?


May 5, 2025: Mattydale, New York, to Honor L. Frank Baum

Mattydale, New York, will honor native son L. Frank Baum and his greatest work, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, on May 17. Mattydale was the site of Baum's childhood home, Roselawn, and the city will commemorate Baum's birth and the 125th anniversary of the publication of the first Oz book with a historical marker at the site. The marker will be at 2601 Brewerton Road, which will soon be the site of a community center.A reception will be held from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at the Kreuger Funeral Home.

(Information courtesy CNYCentral.)

April 13, 2025: Jean Marsh, 1934-2025

Jean Marsh.jpeg

Jean Marsh, OBE, the lauded British actor, passed away today from complications of dementia. She was 90. Born July 1, 1934 in Stoke Newington, London, she studied dance, singing, and acting before beginning her professional career in the 1950s. Among her movies were Cleopatra, Jane Eyre (1972), Frenzy, The Eagle Has Landed, and Willow. She was probably best known for her television work, however, in shows in both the United States and the United Kingdom, including appearances in The Twilight Zone, The Saint, Doctor Who, I Spy, Adam Adamant Lives!, UFO, The Waltons, Hawaii Five-O, the 9 to 5 series, The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, and the 1990s revival of The Tomorrow People. But she is best known for co-creating, with Eileen Atkins, the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, about the servants in a great house. Marsh also starred in the show as maid Rose Buck, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1975 as well as other awards. When the BBC revived the show in 2010, Marsh was the only actor to return. Marsh and Atkins also created the series House of Elliott in 1991, which she did not appear in. For her services to drama, Marsh was made a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. For Oz fans, however, as well as many movie-going kids in the 1980s, she will always be known for her dual role as Nurse Wilson and Princess Mombi in the 1985 Disney film Return to Oz.

(Information courtesy the BBC and Wikipedia.)


March 18, 2025: Saliterman, Ruby Slipper Thief, Dies

Charges against Jerry Hal Saliterman, who had pled guilty to playing a part in the 2005 theft of the Ruby Slippers from the Judy Garland Museum, have been dismissed when prosecutors informed the court that he had died the day before. Saliterman's defense attorney, John Brink, confirmed the passing. The 77-year-old Saliterman had been hospitalized with lung disease and other ailments, and his most recent court appearance, in January, had been a remote feed from his hospital room. At that time, he changed his initial plea to guilty of charges of theft of a major artwork and witness tampering.

(Information courtesy The Associated Press.)

January 3, 2025: Saliterman to Plead Guilty to Hiding Ruby Slippers

Jerry Hal Saliterman, accused of theft of a major artwork and witness tampering in connection with the 2005 theft of the Ruby Slippers in Minnesota, now plans to plead guilty to the charges in a court appearance on January 10. It is not currently known how Saliterman is connected to Terry John Martin, who pled guilty to stealing the slippers in 2023. Saliterman originally pled not guilty when first charged in March of 2024, but his age (77) and poor health may have resulted in a deal that allows him to stay out of jail like Martin.

(Information courtesy U. S. News and World Reports.)

December 13, 2024: The Baum Bugle's Celebratory 200th Issue

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The Autumn 2024 issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz, has come back from the printers and is on its way to members' mailboxes. This is the two hundredth issue of the Bugle, so the journal celebrates itself, for once.

In this issue:

  • The wraparound cover pays tribute to the first illustrated cover of the Bugle (for the May 1959 issue), showing many different illustrators' versions of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman
  • The inside front cover reproduces Maxfield Parrish's cover for the January 1917 issue of Metropolitan.
  • In "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch reflects on winning the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award during a hurricane, while Bugle editor Sarah K. Krotzer looks at the production of this issue within the overall history of the journal.
  • In "The Bugle Bulletin":
    • The Club opens its archive with reprints of selected articles from past issues of The Baum Bugle.
    • The town of Salina, New York breaks ground on a new community center at the site of Rose Lawn, the Baum family estate. The center will include a Baum-themed museum.
    • Gregory Maguire's writing another book set in his version of Oz. Elphie, coming out March 25, 2025, will recount tales of the childhood of Elphaba, who will later become the Wicked Witch of the West.
    • The stolen pair of Ruby Slippers, now recovered, are on tour and will go up for auction in December.
    • The latest revival of The Wiz surpasses one hundred performances on Broadway.
    • The release of the first Wicked movie is moved up to November 22, 2024.
    • Marvelous: A Musical Opera based on The Marvelous Land of Oz premieres in Sisterville, West Virginia on April 5, 2025
    • "Beyond the Shifting Sands" recognizes the passing of Ken Page, who understudied for Ted Ross in the original Broadway production of The Wiz before taking over the role himself.
  • One of the original charter members of the International Wizard of Oz Club, Ruth Berman, looks back on how it all started in "A Gleam in Justin's Eye: Oz Club Origins".
  • In "In Search of Snow White: The Unrealized Dream of Maxfield Parrish and L. Frank Baum", Scott Cummings looks at a second Parrish-Baum collaboration that ultimately never came to be, a book and stage play of Snow White in the late 1910s.
  • Peter E. Hanff looks at how one man changed the Bugle from a humble newsletter to a comprehensive journal in "Martin's Marvels: Dick Martin's Graphical Contributions to the History of The Baum Bugle". Accompanying this article is a color supplement of Bugle covers Martin contributed to, including examples of color separations; and "A Checklist of Cover Art for The Baum Bugle by Dick Martin".
  • J. L. Bell examines the development of cartography in the Oz books in the award-winning "The Inspiring Maps of Oz".
  • "Keepers of the Record" presents reminiscences of three previous Bugle editors:
    • "A Brief Reminiscence of My Bugle Editorship, 1996-2000" by William Stillman.
    • "Notes from an Old Bugle Editor" by Michael Gessel.
    • "The Call of a Bugle—and Where It Led" by John Fricke.
  • "How It Began (Again)" looks at some mocked-up dummy pages, created by Dick Martin, for the Spring 1979 issue of the Bugle.
  • The inside back cover reproduces the earliest known map of Oz, a slide from the 1908 multimedia show The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays.

Also included with this issue:

  • The craft project is a map of Oz to color.
  • In Issue No. 20 of The Oz Gazette, the newsletter for younger Oz fans (of all ages):
    • Editor-in-Chief Katie Jones and Number Nine outline efforts to clean up the Emerald City after the Nome King's recent occupation, and reveal the Gump as the new Head of Security.
    • Polychrome reveals a puzzle where weather-related clues help you to unscramble Oz place names.
    • Scraps opines on issues of writing Oz poetry.
    • The Scarecrow gives story recommendations:
    • And throughout the issue, mysterious figures seem to be scouting out the country for nefarious purposes. But is someone scouting them out in turn?

December 7, 2024: Ruby Slippers Auction Sets New Movie Memorabilia Record

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The most notorious pair of Ruby Slippers used during production of the famous 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz went up for auction today, and the final price shattered all records for the price paid for a piece of movie memorabilia. Of the four pairs of Ruby Slippers known to still exist, this pair, "The Traveling Shoes", were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and recovered in 2018, when they acquired a new nickname, "The Stolen Pair". They were ultimately returned to owner Michael Shaw who decided it was time to sell them. Estimated to go for at least $3,000,000, online bidding reached $1,550,000 before live bidding on site at Heritage Auctions began. The estimate was quickly surpassed, and when bidding ended, the final bid was $28,000,000, far outpacing any previous price for movie memorabilia. With commission and other fees, the total final price paid was $32,500,000. The Ruby Slippers alone surpassed the previous record for an entire movie memorabilia auction, the $22,800,000 that Debbie Reynolds' collection was sold for in 2011.

Other Oz items available in the auction:

  • One of Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West hats, and the only one known to carry Hamilton's name inside, earned the second highest price for an item from The Wizard of Oz, $2,930,000
  • Producer Mervyn LeRoy's script from the MGM art department, $50,000
  • The screen door from the Gale farmhouse, $37,500
  • Judy Garland's blonde wig from the first week of shooting, $30,000
  • The MGM contract for songwriters Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, $23,125

Other items of interest at the auction included a sceen-used Jumanji board game from the eponymous movie; a crate used to hold bombs in the original 1933 version of King Kong; a hoverboard from Back to the Future II; Kevin's scarf, coat, hat, and mittens from Home Alone; Wilson, Tom Hanks' volleyball co-star in Castaway; and a screen-used golden ticket from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

(Information and image courtesy Heritage Auctions.)


Rumor Control

(Because of the many questions I am asked about possible forthcoming Oz projects or other bits of pseudo-news, I have added this section to answer some of these inquiries.)

Dorothy is in development for Prime Video, with executive producers Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, and Gina Matthews. You can see the initial report on this right here.

The latest Oz projects to be announced in Hollywood: Cheshire Crossing, the graphic novel by Andy Weir and Sarah Anderson, optioned by Amblin Partners (see this report); and an animated musical adaptation of the book Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz, where the story is told from Toto's point of view, to be produced at Warner Bros. (see this source).

Okay, yes, word has leaked out that Warner Bros. tried to talk Robert Zemeckis into directing a remake of The Wizard of Oz, using the same screenplay as the famous 1939 Judy Garland version. Zemeckis already rejected the idea. This probably puts the idea on the back burner for a while, and based on the extreme negative reaction the idea got, I suspect it will stay there. Rumors of this have surfaced again, but appear to be the result of someone finding the old story and running it again.

It's getting harder and harder to keep up with all of the currently planned Oz movie and television projects. Bear in mind that at this stage, most of it is speculation and/or not even in pre-production, or possibly even a game of "Telephone". But here are some of the current Oz movies that could be coming to your local theater in the next few years:

  • The Road to Oz, a movie biopic about the life of L. Frank Baum and how he created Oz, starring Eddie Redmayne as Frank. (See reports here and here.)
  • Dark Oz 3-D, based on the old Caliber comic book.
  • A non-musical, faithful adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from New Line and Temple Hill.
  • The Oz Wars, which would have the witches fighting for control of the Emerald City while the Wizard leads the resistance.
  • John Boorman's animated adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz seems to be on track for release — in France. Once it's released, an English-language release will likely come out soon afterwards. (However, in a recent interview, Boorman admitted that the project has stalled due to lack of funding.)
  • Oz: Return to the Emerald City was one of two possible competing projects at Warner Bros. This original sequel may now be shopped around to other studios, or turned into a novel.
  • The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a low-budget independent production from Barnyard Studios and Used Productions. This is very much a shoestring production, which is looking for money and actors. But its Kickstarter campaign to raise the last money it needed was a success, so it may be finished soon.
  • Legend of Oz, a modern retelling of The Wizard of Oz from Valley Wind Productions in Ottawa.
  • Oz, a new telling of The Wizard of Oz.
  • A still unnamed horror movie set in the 1920s with Dorothy meeting Alice in Bedlam Asylum.
  • Young Santa., based on L. Frank Baum's book The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus and directed by Sean McNamara.
  • How the Wizard Came to Oz, based on two books by Donald Abbott.
  • Not entirely Oz, strictly speaking, but the Judy Garland biography Get Happy may be made into a movie, featuring Anne Hathaway as Garland.

And it's not limited to movies any more. In development for television:

  • Red Brick Road, a television series continuation of The Wizard of Oz in the style of Game of Thrones. The latest word is that this is being developed for the Lifetime channel.
  • Dorothy, an Oz-themed medical drama in development at CBS
  • Dorothy Must Die, in which Dorothy has returned to Oz and become a dictator, in development at the CW. This would be based on the book series of the same name.
  • Warriors of Oz, a post-apocalyptic version in development at Syfy.
  • A Wicked television miniseries, based on the original book (not the stage musical). Salma Hayak was attached to this as a producer. When last heard of, it was under development at ABC.

No, Peter Jackson is not producing or directing a billion-dollar all-CGI remake of The Wizard of Oz for Warner Bros. How do stories like this get started? Oh, maybe in stories like this...

In recent years, there have been proposals for other Oz or related projects, none of which now appear that they will get off the ground. Among them:

  • Lost in Oz, a series that was to feature Melissa George as a Kansas university student who is whisked to Oz sixty years after the events of The Wizard of Oz (The Movie) and helping to spearhead a rebellion against the new Wicked Witch of the West. Although developed for the WB and a pilot film produced, it was never picked up, nor the pilot shown. (But keep an eye out on auction sites, as a bootleg DVD sometimes shows up…)
  • A television miniseries based on Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked, with Demi Moore in the title role. (There are stories that the people developing this version later pushed their involvement into the musical version now playing on Broadway and elsewhere.)
  • The O. Z., a hip-hop flavored re-telling of The Wizard of Oz for Fox. Among the rumored Dorothy's at one point were Brandy, Mya, and the late Aaliyah. Justin Timberlake, John Leuizamo, and Little Richard were mentioned for other parts.
  • Surrender Dorothy. Drew Barrymore as Dorothy's great-granddaughter coming to Oz, and battling the Wicked Witch of the West's granddaughter. (Rumors of this recently resurfaced, but were quickly squelched. This project is dead.)
  • Somewhere starring Elizabeth Taylor as Dorothy, now a grandmother, returning to Oz. The deaths of both Taylor and developer Rod Steiger means this is unlikely to ever happen.
  • Pamela West, where the Wicked Witch is the innocent victim and Dorothy (with Toto as a pit bull) is the evil interloper.
  • The Land of Oz (not based on the book of the same name), produced by Hallmark for NBC. This eventually became the basis for the Sci Fi Channel miniseries Tin Man.
  • The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus from Circa Pictures. It's no longer listed on their website.
  • The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus from Hyde Park Entertainment and Toonz Entertainment.
  • A Bollywood adaptation of The Wizard of Oz in India.
  • A movie version of American McGee's (later cancelled) Oz video game.
  • Geoff Ryman's Was.

If progress is made on any of these projects, such as actually going into production or a release date announced, the news will be posted as quickly as possible on this page. But at this stage, any of these going into production is very unlikely. (However, Tin Man was part of this list for some time before its eventual completion and broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel.)

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