Oz News: Difference between revisions

From OzWiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
 
(306 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 8: Line 8:
<center>[[File:colorbar.gif]]</center>
<center>[[File:colorbar.gif]]</center>


==September 20, 2019: ''The Baum Bugle'' Spring 2019==
==''Wicked'' Accolades and Awards==
[[File:Bbspring19.jpg|500 px|left]]The Spring 2019 issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, has finally been published and is making its way to Club members. This issue was delayed due to editor in chief Sarah K. Crotzer having to deal with a series of unforeseen hospital visits, but a new ''Bugle'' is always welcome whatever the season.
With such a high profile movie release, naturally ''Wicked'' will receive acclaim during the film award season. Here, then, we will keep track of awards presented to ''Wicked'' and its cast and crew, plus nominations for awards to be given later. Keep an eye on this list or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accolades_received_by_Wicked_(2024_film) the Wikipedia page] as more news comes in, culminating with the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, 2025.
<br clear=all>In this issue:
 
* The front cover features the pair of Ruby Slippers purchased by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, soon to be on display at [https://www.academymuseum.org/en/exhibitions/making-of-the-wizard-of-oz their museum].
The awards are presented here in the chronological order they were, or will be, presented:
* The inside front cover features "And Yer Lil' Dog Too!" by [http://www.derekart.com/index.html Derek Yaniger], which has been on display at [https://www.animazing.com/wizard-of-oz-art-1 the Animazing Gallery] in Las Vegas as part of a ''Wizard of Oz'' exhibit.
* September 27, 2024: International Cinematographers "Manaki Brothers" Film Festival, SUMOLIGHT Creative Energy Award: Alice Brooks (Cinematographer) and Dave Smith (Gaffer)
* "Letters" presents notes from Oz Club President Jane Albright and ''Bugle'' Editor-in-Chief Sarah K. Krotzer about the latest developments (including Krotzer's hospital visits that delayed this issue for so long).
* 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 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 26, 2025: Satellite Awards, Make-Up Award: ''Wicked''
* February 9, 2025: Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Virtuoso Award: Ariana Grande
 
The following are pending nominations:
* January 11, 2025: AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Best Screenwriter: Winnie Holzman
* January 11, 2025: Utah Film Critics Association
** Best Lead Performance, Female: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Performance, Female: Ariana Grande
** Best Ensemble Cast: ''Wicked''
* January 13, 2025: North Dakota Film Society
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Ensemble: Cast of ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
** Best Effects: Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould, David Shirk
** Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, Laura Blount
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales
** Best Sound: Nancy Nugent Title, John Marquis, Andy Nelson, Simon Hayes
* January 13, 2025: Hawaii Film Critics Society
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Art Direction: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Make-Up: ''Wicked''
** Best Sound: ''Wicked''
** Best Visual Effects: ''Wicked''
* January 18, 2025: American Cinema Editors Awards, Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical: Myron Kerstein
* January 18, 2025: Chicago Indie Critics Windie Award
** Best Studio Film: ''Wicked''
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Ensemble: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Costumes: ''Wicked''
** Best Makeup: ''Wicked''
* January 22, 2025: Houston Film Critics Society
** Best Picture: ''Wicked''
** Best Director: Jon M. Chu
** Best Actress—Leading Role: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Actress—Supporting Role: Ariana Grande
** Best Visual Effects: ''Wicked''
** Best Ensemble: ''Wicked''
* January 26, 2025: Critics' Choice Movie Awards
** Best Picture: ''Wicked''
** Best Director: Jon M. Chu
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Ensemble: ''Wicked''
** Best Adapted Screenplay: Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox
** Best Cinematography: Alice Brooks
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
** Best Hair and Make-Up: Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, and Laura Blount
** Best Visual Effects: Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould, and David Shirk
* January 26, 2025: Satellite Awards
** Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: ''Wicked''
** Best Actress—Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress—Motion Picture: Ariana Grande
** Best Visual Effects: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Sound: ''Wicked''
* February 5, 2025: Set Decorators Society of America, Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film: Lee Sandales and Nathan Crowley
* February 6, 2025: Costume Designers Guild Awards, Excellence in Fantasy Film: Paul Tazewell
* February 7, 2025: AACTA International Awards, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* February 10, 2025: Black Reel Awards
** Outstanding Lead Performance: Cynthia Erivo
** Outstanding Soundtrack: ''Wicked''
** Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* February 12, 2025: Artios Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature (Comedy): Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, Ryan Bernard Tymensky, Tamsyn Manson
* February 12, 2025: Society of Composers and Lyricists, Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film: John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
* 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 22, 2025: Cinema Audio Society Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures – Live Action: Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, John Marquis, John Michael Caldwell, Jason Oliver, Mikel Parraga-Wills
* February 23, 2025: Screen Actors Guild Awards
** Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Cynthia Erivo
** Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Ariana Grande
** Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Jonathan Bailey
** Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: ''Wicked''
** Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: ''Wicked''
* February 23, 2025: Golden Reel Awards
** Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing–Feature Dialogue/ADR: John Marquis, Nancy Nugent, John C. Stuver, David Bach
** Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing–Feature Motion Picture: Catherine Wilson, Robin Baynton
 
----
 
==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 [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''].)
 
----
 
==December 13, 2024: The Baum Bugle's Celebratory 200th Issue==
[[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.
 
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":
* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
** Brittney Johnson becomes [http://www.playbill.com/article/inside-brittney-johnsons-whirlwind-experience-going-on-as-wickeds-first-glinda-of-color Broadway's first African-American Glinda in ''Wicked''].
** 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 postponement of the ''Wicked'' movie until December 22, 2021.
** 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.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1493036297/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Road to Oz''], William Stillman and Jay Scarfone's latest book about the famous movie version of ''The Wizard of Oz'', won the Movies and TV award at [https://www.indieexcellence.com/13th-annual-winners the 13th annual National Indie Excellence Book Awards].
** 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 first biography of one of The Movie's most popular actors, [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0190639040/thewonderwizardo/ ''Ray Bolger: More Than a Scarecrow'' by Holly van Leuven], is published.
** The stolen pair of Ruby Slippers, now recovered, are on tour and will go up for auction in December.
** To honor their appearance in [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07MHQ5FDY/thewonderwizardo/ ''The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part''], LEGO has finally issued [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07MB84DDL/thewonderwizardo/ minifigs of Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion].
** The latest revival of ''The Wiz'' surpasses one hundred performances on Broadway.
** Designer Virgil Abloh's [https://hypebae.com/2019/1/virgil-abloh-spring-summer-2019-louis-vuitton-collection-online ''Wizard of Oz''-inspired men's fashions] for the spring/summer 2019 Louis Vitton collection.
** The release of the first ''Wicked'' movie is moved up to November 22, 2024.
** William F. Brown, who wrote the book for the original Broadway musical version of ''The Wiz'', is remembered upon his passing in "Beyond the Shifting Sands…"
** ''Marvelous: A Musical Opera'' based on ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'' premieres in Sisterville, West Virginia on April 5, 2025
** A new one-woman show, [https://www.broadwayworld.com/long-island/article/Bay-Street-Theater-Announces-MY-WITCH-The-Stories-Of-Margaret-Hamilton-20190525''My Witch, the Stories of Margaret Hamilton''], starring Jean Tafler.
** "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.
** The MeTV show [https://www.metv.com/collectors-call ''Collector's Call''] features the Oz collection of Walter Krueger.
* 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".
** The recent auction of previously unknown photos taken on the set of The Movie during production at MGM.
* 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.
** A new Oz television series in development at [https://www.legendary.com/ Legendary Entertainment].
* 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".
** The new card game [https://homefromoz.com/ ''Home from Oz''].
* J. L. Bell examines the development of cartography in the Oz books in the award-winning "The Inspiring Maps of Oz".
** Recently unearthed home movie footage of [https://youtu.be/N2Go2lRr61c the Land of Oz park in North Carolina] from the 1970s.
* "Keepers of the Record" presents reminiscences of three previous ''Bugle'' editors:
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvvKhIb2hsI A tour of the Land of Oz at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas] (from the 1990s).
** "A Brief Reminiscence of My ''Bugle'' Editorship, 1996-2000" by William Stillman.
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGU8I5tcAQY The ''Wizard of Oz'' section of the Great Movie Ride] at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studio (alas, no longer a ride there).
** "Notes from an Old ''Bugle'' Editor" by Michael Gessel.
** ''Wizard of Oz'' art exhibits at [https://www.animazing.com/wizard-of-oz-art-1 The Animazing Gallery] in Las Vegas; the [https://esmoa.org/experience/oz/ El Segundo Museum of Art] in California; and an exhibit devoted to the late Barry Moser, including some of his illustrations for ''The Wizard of Oz'' at [https://gallery.bromer.com/searchResults.php?category_id=238&action=browse&orderBy=author The Bromer Gallery] in Boston.
** "The Call of a ''Bugle''—and Where It Led" by John Fricke.
* Jonathan Shirshekan looks at the history of Hollywood's most famous pair of shoes in part 1 of "Keep Them Ruby: Following the Steps of the Ruby Slippers".
* "How It Began (Again)" looks at some mocked-up dummy pages, created by Dick Martin, for the Spring 1979 issue of the ''Bugle''.
* Jay Scarfone and William Stillman look back at the caravan used to publicize ''The Wizard of Oz'' on its release in ""Oz on Tour: 1939".
* The inside back cover reproduces the earliest known map of Oz, a slide from the 1908 multimedia show ''The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays''.
* The new "Great Book of Records" column sees Scott Cummings reporting on a 1933 event to publicize the new Oz book for 1933, ''Ojo in Oz'', and the new ''Wizard of Oz'' radio show, in "A Tea Party for Oz".
 
* "Collector's Corner" sees Bill Thompson writing about a curious item, Reilly and Britton's ''Children's Stories That Never Grow Old'', illustrated by John R. Neill.
Also included with this issue:
* At long last, Jane Albright wraps up her examination of Oz puppetry in part 2 of "Pulling Strings".
* The craft project is a map of Oz to color.
* In "Oz in the Arts":
* In Issue No. 20 of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger Oz fans (of all ages):
** [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007l6x ''Friday Night Is Music Night: The Wizard of Oz 80th Anniversary], hosted by Warwick Davis in London, reviewed by Dave Ward.
** 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.
** ''The Wizard of Oz Unplugged'' at the Waukesha Civic Theatre in Waukesha, Wisconsin, reviewed by Laura DeNooyer.
** 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:
*** [https://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Meg-McLaren-illustrator-Sam/dp/1405286296/ ''The Wizard of Oz'', adapted by Meg McLaren and Sam Hay]
*** "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].
*** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/snow-queen-hb-hans-christian-andersen/6431554?ean=9780062209504 ''The Snow Queen'' by Hans Christian Andersen].
** 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==
[[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 known pairs of Ruby Slippers known to still exist, this pair, "The Traveling Shoes", were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and found again 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. 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 [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].)
 
<br clear=all>
 
----


More contents of this issue will be coming soon.
==December 2, 2024: Paul Maslansky 1933-2024==
Longtime Hollywood producer Paul Maslansky died today in a hospital in San Robles, California. He was 91. His first credit was for the 1964 horror film ''Castle of the Living Dead'' with Christopher Lee, and he worked on many films in the 1970s and '80s. His biggest success was the ''Police Academy'' series, beginning in 1984 with the first movie which spawned several other movies, a television series, and an animated series. Another of his credits at the time was ''Return to Oz''. He is survived by his long-time partner Sally Emr, three children, and two grandchildren.


Also included with this issue:
(Information courtesy [https://variety.com/2024/film/news/paul-maslansky-dead-police-academy-1236242106/ ''Variety''] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Maslansky Wikipedia].)
* Issue number four of the revived version of ''The Oz Gazette'', dedicated to younger (or young at heart) Oz fans. Among the items are a contest to draw a new map of Oz; how L. Frank Baum met W. W. Denslow; the Scarecrow reviews [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/042528784X/thewonderwizardo/ ''Fantastic Mr. Fox'' by Roald Dahl]; Glinda explaining why animals in Oz can talk (and why some can't); and an interview with the Cowardly Lion.
 
* The craft project is part one of an Emerald City toy theater, with the proscenium arch, box seats, and four Oz characters. (More parts and characters are promised in the remaining two parts, coming in the Autumn and Winter issues.)
----
 
==November 3, 2024: Quincy Jones, 1933-2024==
[[File:Quincy_Jones.jpg|center|Quincy Jones in ''The Wiz''.|800 px]]
 
Quincy Jones, the EGOT-winning musician and producer, passed away today at the age of 91. Born in 1933 in Chicago, Jones graduated from Garfield High School in Seattle (where the performing arts center is named for him). He soon started working with jazz bands all over the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He also worked in the early days of television with such artists as Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, and Elvis Presley. He worked with Frank Sinatra and the Count Basie Orchestra on an album, and then broke into the movies when he composed the music for ''The Pawnbroker''. He would go on to work on movies such as ''In the Heat of the Night'', ''In Cold Blood'', ''The Italian Job'', ''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'', ''Cactus Flower'', and both versions of ''The Color Purple''. For television, he composed music for the original ''Ironside'', ''Sanford and Son'', and the original ''Roots'' (for which he earned his Emmy Award). Later, as a producer, he oversaw shows including ''The Fresh Prince of Bel Air'' and its successor, ''Bel Air'', and ''MadTV''. He won 28 Grammy Awards, the most for any producer and the third most of all time, including Album of the Year in 2023 for ''Harry's House''. He won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 2016 as a producer for ''The Color Purple'', and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have given him two of their highest honors, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995 and the Academy Honorary Award in 2024 (which will now be presented posthumously). Other accomplishments have included the Grammy Legend Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, the BET Humanitarian Award, the National Medal of Arts, and the Grand Commandeur de Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the government of France.
 
In comparison to everything else, his contributions to Oz may not have had as much impact, but he was a crucial part of the 1978 film version of ''The Wiz'', where he was musical supervisor and producer. He also contributed new music, including for the songs "Can I Go On?" and "Is This What Feeling Gets? (Dorothy's Theme)". He also appeared onscreen in an uncredited cameo as the pianist in the Emerald City. It was during ''The Wiz'' that Quincy Jones first met with Michael Jackson, and he was so impressed with Jackson's work ethic playing the Scarecrow that Jones agreed to produce Jackson's forthcoming solo album ''Off the Wall''. They would later work together on two more Jackson albums, ''Thriller'' and ''Bad''. Jones would also produce and conduct on a song Jackson co-wrote, the 1985 charity anthem "We Are the World".
 
(Information courtesy [https://apnews.com/article/quincy-jones-dead-a9e31c7e39c448d8971519f47a22dd21 The Associated Press] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Jones Wikipedia]. Photo courtesy [https://www.facebook.com/@ozclub The International Wizard of Oz Club's Facebook page].)


----
----


==August 11, 2019: Charles Santore 1935-2019==
==September 30, 2024: Ken Page, 1954-2024==
[[File:Santore_Oz.jpeg|900 px|center]]Acclaimed illustraton Charles Santore, best known for his reimaginations of classic children's stories, died today from undisclosed causes. He was 84. His teachers in Philadelphia recognized his artistic talents at an early age and encouraged him to pursue a life in art. He started off in commercial art, his works appearing in many advertisements and magazines, including a number of celebrity portraits on the cover of ''TV Guide'' in the 1970s. In 1985, a publisher approached Santore about creating new illustrations for ''Peter Rabbit'', and a new stage of his career opened up. As well as Peter Rabbit, he created new illustrations for ''Alice in Wonderland'', ''Aesop's Fables'', ''The Night Before Christmas'', ''The Velveteen Rabbit'', and an acclaimed edition of [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1604335424/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wizard of Oz''], first published in 1991. His original works are now in many museums, including the New York Museum of Modern Art, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Brandywine Rivers Museum in Pennsylvania. In 1972, he was awarded the Hamilton King award from the New York Society of Illustrators. He also received a gold medal from the New York Society of Publication Designers, and an Edgar from the Mystery Writers of America.
[[File:Ken_Page.webp|left]]Ken Page, the character actor known for his work on stage and television, and in movies and video games, passed away in his sleep today at his home in St. Louis. He was 70. Soon after graduating college, he started his acting career at the famed Muny outdoor theater of St. Louis. He made his Broadway debut as Ted Ross's understudy as the Cowardly Lion in the original production of ''The Wiz'', a role he then took over after Ross left the show. He went on to play roles in shows such as ''Guys and Dolls'', ''Ain't Misbehavin' ''and ''Cats'' (as Old Deuteronomy) on Broadway, and playing the Cowardly Lion again in the Madison Square Garden production of ''The Wizard of Oz''. He would later return to the Muny to play both the Cowardly Lion and the Wizard in different productions of ''The Wizard of Oz''. He was also the voice of Oogie Boogie in ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'', a role he reprised in video games, concerts, and other presentations. He won a Theatre World Award in 1976, and a Drama Desk Award in 1978.
 
(Information courtesy [https://oz.fandom.com/wiki/Ken_Page The Oz Wiki] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Page Wikipedia].)


(Information courtesy of [https://whyy.org/articles/charles-santore-philly-illustrator-of-classic-childrens-books-dies-at-84/ WHYY] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Santore Wikipedia].)
<br clear=all>


----
----


==July 27, 2019: The 2019 Winkie Award==
==September 28, 2024: Ryan Bunch Receives 2024 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award; Oz Club Contest Winners==
[[File:Jlbellwinkieaward.jpg|500px|center]]Tonight, OzCon International presented its highest honor, the Winkie Award, to John L. Bell. Bell has helped the convention a lot in recent years by coordinating daytime programming and lining up speakers and events. He is also a tireless Oz researcher and writer who has contributed to both ''The Baum Bugle'' and ''Oziana''. Heartfelt congratulations to a well-deserving recipient!
Tonight, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, the highest honor that the International Wizard of Oz Club bestows, went to Ryan Bunch. Currently President of the Club, he has also served on the Board of Directors and as Vice-President. He has also chaired conventions and written for the Club's journal, ''The Baum Bugle''. His recent book, [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0190843144/thewonderwizardo/ ''Oz and the Musical''], examines how different dramatic interpretations of Oz on stage demonstrate the evolution of musical theater.
 
Also tonight, the winners of the Oz Club's annual writing and art contests were announced:
* The Fred Otto Prize for Fiction:
** First place, "The Fairy King of Oz" by Jesse Jury
** Second place, "The Final Fate of the Phanfasms" by Aaron Solomon Adelman
* The C. Warren Hollister Prize for Non-Fiction:
** First place, "Ozma's Enduring Appeal 120 Years Later" by Leighton Suen
** Second place, "Puzzle Adventures in Oz" by Tyler B. Wright
* The Rob Roy MacVeigh Prize for Art:
** First place, "A Gathering of Ozians" by Rob Lauer
** Second place, "Glinda" by David Valentin


----
----


==June 23, 2019: William F. Brown, 1928-2019==
==July 20, 2024: The 2024 Winkie Award==
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Brown_(writer) William F. Brown], a longtime show business writer, died today in Westport, Connecticut. He was 91. Cutting his writing teeth in ''Look'' magazine and advertising in the 1950s, he later amassed a number of television writing credits on shows such as ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', ''The Johnny Carson Show'', and ''Love American Style''. He also wrote some books and the comic strip ''Boomer''. He attempted to write Broadway plays, but ''The Girl in the Freudian Slip'', ''How to Steal an Election'', and ''A Broadway Musical'' never had successful runs. His only success on the stage was ''The Wiz'', which ran for many years and earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical.
Tonight, the 2024 edition of the Winkie Award was presented by OzCon International to Cindy Ragni. Cindy has been a long-time supporter of OzCon, presenting on many topics. In recent years, she has also coordinated the dealers' room (all while also running her own space in it). Her contributions were recognized by her fellow OzCon members, who voted that she receive the convention's highest award.
 
----


Brown is survived by his wife, Tina Tippit.
==June 25, 2024: Bill Cobbs 1934-2024==
[[File:Master_Tinker.png|left]]Bill Cobbs, the Emmy Award-winning character actor passed away today at his home in Riverside, California. He was 90. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1934, Wilbert Francisco Hobbs was an Air Force radio technician for eight years, then went on to sell office supplies for IBM and cars. In 1970, at the age of 36, he went to New York City to try his hand at acting. Like most in the profession he struggled at first, but eventually he broke into small theatrical productions. He also started getting small roles in films and on television. His films included ''Air Bud'', the ''Night at the Museum'' series, ''The Hudsucker Proxy'', and ''That Thing You Do''. On television, he was a regular on ''I'll Fly Away'' and ''Go On'', and had guest appearances on such shows as ''The Drew Carey Show'', ''Jag'', ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' (where he played the inventor of the transporter), ''One Tree Hill'', ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' and ''Rugrats''. He won an Emmy Award in 2020 for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program for ''Dino Dana''. But to Oz fans, he will be remembered as Master Tinker in ''Oz the Great and Powerful''.


(Information courtesy [https://www.theatermania.com/broadway/news/william-f-brown-the-wiz-book-writer_89129.html Theatermania].)
(information courtesy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cobbs Wikipedia].)
<br clear=all>


----
----


==June 22, 2019: The 2019 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award==
==June 3, 2024: ''The Baum Bugle'' Spring 2024==
[[File:LFBMA 2019.jpg|frame|center|Bill Beem (right) receives the 2019 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award from last year's winner, Bill Thompson. (Photo courtesy of Bill Thompson.)]]
[[File:Bbspring24.jpeg|left|400 px]]
The International Wizard of Oz Club presented its highest honor, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, to Bill Beem tonight during the Club's National Convention in Thibodeaux, Louisiana. A long-time Club member, Bill has been a quiet presence behind-the-scenes at Club meetings and conventions for decades now. He exhibited many items from his collection at the 2000 Centennial Convention and the 2012 National Convention, and chaired the 2006 Ozmapolitan Convention. He has also helped with programming at many Oz events, and served the Club on the Board of Directors and recording secretary. This is a richly deserved award which couldn't go to a better recipient.
The first issue of the year of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now making its way into members' mailboxes. This issue celebrates Oz in the 1950s, a decade not usually known for being terribly Ozzy.  
 
<br clear=all>
In this issue:
* The front cover assembles some of Dale Ulrey's artwork from her interpretations of ''The Wizard of Oz'', ''The Tin Woodman of Oz'', and ''Jaglon and the Tiger Fairies''.
* The inside front cover reproduces an original piece by Ulrey for Fred Meyer.
* "Letters" sees Oz Club President Ryan Bunch extoll [the upcoming 2024 Oz National Convention] in Charlotte, North Carolina, while ''Bugle'' editor-in-chief Sarah K. Crotzer tells about the happy coincidences that brought this issue together.
* News items from "The Bugle Bulletin":
** Brady Schwind of the Lost Art of Oz project reveals [https://www.lostartofoz.com/blog/lost-art-found-discovering-dorothy-and-the-wizard the discovery of five of the original paintings that became color plates in ''Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz''].
** Another suspect has been charged in the 2005 theft of the Ruby Slippers in Minnesota, and the now-recovered pair will be auctioned off in December.
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1dvX9Vs0ns The first teaser trailer for ''Wicked'' debuts during the Super Bowl broadcast].
** The current revival of [https://wizmusical.com/ ''The Wiz'' opens on Broadway].
** [https://movieworld.com.au/attractions/wizard-of-oz A new ''Wizard of Oz'' precinct] is opening later this year at the Warner Bros. Movie World amusement park in Gold Coast, Australia.
** Gregory Maguire is writing an eighth book set in his version of Oz, this time a prequel: ''Elphie: A Wicked Childhood'', due to be published in October.
** A decoupaged lion at [https://www.ucitylibrary.org/ the Universal City Public Library in Universal City, Missouri] includes pages from several Oz books on its hide.
** [https://hellorayo.co.uk/hits-radio/birmingham/news/comedian-joe-lycett-behind-birmingham-banksy-mural/ The perpetrator of Oz-themed graffiti in Birmingham, England comes forward].
** Oz has appeared recently in television shows such as [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYCzqMzQxd4 ''Saturday Night Live''], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd8TE1ytxbY ''The Masked Singer''], and ''Jeopardy!''
** A claim for the Judy Garland dress found at Catholic University of America has been denied, and the school can put it up for auction.
** The Dassel History Center in Dassel, Minnesota, [https://dassel.com/hs/page/changing-exhibits honors hometown girl Hildred Olson], a Munchkin in the famous film version of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
** Recently passed Oz luminaries remembered in "Beyond the Shifting Sands" are actor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinton_Battle Hinton Battle], who originated the role of the Scarecrow in ''The Wiz''; Sergey Stefanovich Sukhinov, who wrote a number of books continuing the saga of Russia's counterpart to Oz, Magic Land; and Oz Club member Virginia Fowler.
** Now available on YouTube:
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZmQlmQgSgI ''The Will.of.Oz''], an homage to ''The Wizard of Oz'' performed to the music of the Black Eyed Peas.
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxQKltWI0NA "Oh, my!" another musical tribute to Oz].
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq3M4tKhsRM "The Bricklayer"], a music video by indie rockers Mylo Bybee.
* In "Somewhere Over the Rainbow I Wake Up Screaming", Sarah K. Crotzer discovers an early use of "Over the Rainbow" as a movie leitmotif in one of the earliest examples of ''film noir'', 1941's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wake_Up_Screaming ''I Wake Up Screaming''].
* In "Discovering Dale Ulrey", Jane Albright uncovers the life and career of the artist Reilly and Lee wanted to reillustrate the Oz books, and why she only did it for two of the books.
* Oz games collector and expert Sara K. Crotzer uses "Collectors' Corner" to examine [https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/17760/the-wonderful-wizard-of-oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' game] issued by E. E. Fairchild in 1957. (The board is reprinted in color on the inside back cover.)
* In "Oz in the Arts", Anthony Whitaker reviews [https://wizmusical.com/ the current national production of ''The Wiz''] during its Chicago stop last winter, before it made it to Broadway.
* "The Bugle Review" features:
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-witch-of-maracoor-gregory-maguire/19880153?ean=9780063094062 ''The Witch of Maracoor'' by Gregory Maguire''], reviewed by Alan Wise.
** After forty years, the updated and revised second edition of the bibliography [https://www.lulu.com/search?contributor=CJ+Hinke&adult_audience_rating=00 ''Oz in Canada'' by C. J. Hinke], reviewed by Cynthia Ragni.
** The graphic novel [https://bookshop.org/p/books/tin-man-justin-madson/17400871 ''Tin Man'' by Justin Madison], reviewed by J. L. Bell.
** The game [https://www.nobleknight.com/P/2148122827?UTM_Campaign=BGG_Shop_Now&awid=1292 ''Lands of Oz'', designed by Charlie Hoopes with art by Zachery Tullsen], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
* "Adventures in Oz" sees Jane Albright interviewing original Mousketeer Bobby Burgess about his life and career, including his role as the Scarecrow in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okKCRIMRLMQ&ab_channel=jeffsabu ''The Rainbow Road to Oz''].
* The back cover reprints a portrait of the Wizard from Dale Ulrey's dust jacket for Reilly and Lee's 1956 edition of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
 
Also included with this issue:
* An art project that allows you to create your own moving Oz pictures.
* The latest edition of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newspaper of all that's happening in Oz:
** Ryan Bunch, the new President of the International Wizard of Oz Club, makes his first diplomatic visit to the Emerald City.
** Editor Katie Jones tells what's going on in this issue.
** Dorothy presents a brief history of Oz newspapers, on both sides of the Deadly Desert.
** Two editors meet as Katie Jones interviews Sarah K. Crotzer of ''The Baum Bugle''.
** "Emerald City Book Report" turns a page on [''The Ozmapolitan of Oz''].
** ''Ozmapolitan of Oz'' author and artist Dick Martin gets a write-up.
** The latest excerpt from ''The Royal Book of Oz'' (the one in Oz, not the one you can buy in stores here) is about the Tin Woodman himself, Nick Chopper.


----
----


==June 9, 2019: The 73rd Tony Awards==
==March 18, 2024: Second Suspect Charged in Theft of the Ruby Slippers; Slippers Go On Tour Before Auction==
Two actors with longtime associations with Oz received their first [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/73rd_Tony_Awards Tony Awards] tonight, presented by the American Theater Wing for excellence in Broadway productions. Andre De Shields, who originated the title role in ''The Wiz'' in 1975, won the award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for playing Hermes in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadestown_(musical) ''Hadestown'']. He gave a moving acceptance speech:
A second suspect has been charged in the 2005 theft of a pair of the Ruby Slippers from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids. Minnesota. Jerry Sal Saliterman, 76, of Crystal, Minnesota was arraigned in federal court in St. Paul, and charged with felony theft of a major artwork and witness tampering, the latter a threat to distribute graphic videos of a woman to prevent her from talking to the FBI. As Saliterman is in a wheelchair and uses an oxygen tank, he was not deemed a flight risk and released on his own recognizance. His attorney intends to file a plea of not guilty. Details about the charges, or Saliterman's connection to Terry John Martin, who pled guilty to stealing the Ruby Slippers late last year, are still unknown at this time.
<html><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yADJDPFa8zE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></html>


Later, winning the award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical was Stephanie J. Block. Back in 2000, she was the first actress to play Elphaba in ''Wicked'', at the earliest readings. She went on to understudy Idina Menzel in the San Francisco tryouts and earliest Broadway performances before taking the lead on the first national tour, and eventually taking the lead on Broadway. She won her award for playing the title role in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cher_Show_(musical) ''The Cher Show'']. Here's her acceptance speech:
In related news, Michael Shaw, the owner of the Ruby Slippers at the time of the theft (he had loaned them to the museum) has bought back the Ruby Slippers from his insurance company, and received them in February. He has now turned them over to Heritage Actions, a firm that specializes in selling movie memorabilia and other rare items, for safekeeping and consignment. Heritage plans to put the Slippers on display in an international tour before auctioning them off in December this year.
<html><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4PWPBmtidjg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></html>


''Wicked'' also had a shoutout during the presentation for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prom_(musical) ''The Prom''] (introduced by Broadway's original ''Wicked'' Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth, no less), with "Elphy and Glinda" getting a mention, as seen here:
(Information courtesy [https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/second-man-charged-over-theft-of-wizard-of-oz-ruby-slippers-1602790.html Breakingnews.ie] and [https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/03/17/second-man-indicted-in-oz-ruby-slipper-theft Minnesota Public Radio].)
<html><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oCtQ_8PfPWk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></html>


----
----


==April 12, 2019: ''The Baum Bugle'' Winter 2018==
==March 14, 2024: ''The Baum Bugle'' Winter 2023==
[[File:Bbwinter18.jpg|right|400 px]]The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club is now being sent out to members, who should see it appearing in mailboxes all over the world in the coming weeks. This is the final issue of 2018 membership, so those who get this and wish to keep receiving the ''Bugle'' will want to send in their renewal form and dues soon.
[[File:Bbwinter23.jpeg|right|500 px]]
The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is making its way to members' doors now. It's a little late, but since this is technically still the winter of 2023-24, it's catching up again. This issue celebrates Dorothy's third and furriest friend on the Yellow Brick Road, the Cowardly Lion, as ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz'' (the novel) turns 100.


In this issue:
In this issue:
* All four covers celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of ''The Tin Woodman of Oz'':
* The front cover features Bert Lahr, in full make-up as the Cowardly Lion from The Movie, all dressed up for "If I Were King of the Forest"
** The front cover features a Tin Woodman puppet designed by Matzilla Duron, stepping out of a pristine first edition of the book.
* The inside front cover is a 1944 studio portrait of Lahr (no Lion make-up)
** The inside front cover reproduces John R. Neill's color plate from the novel, depicting the Tin Woodman's introduction to the Tin Soldier.
* Featured on the contents page is an illustration of the Cowardly Lion by Michael Hague
** The inside back cover displays an impressive number of Tin Woodman dolls and other memorabilia from the collection of Oz Club President Jane Albright.
* In "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch reflects on the current rise in popularity of Oz, with ''The Wiz'' back on Broadway and ''Dee and Friends in Oz'' on Netflix, while ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Crotzer laments how the Cowardly Lion gets overlooked, and she aims to reverse that with this issue.
** The back cover shows Michael Herring's original painting for the 1981 Del Rey edition of ''The Tin Woodman of Oz''.
* News events cited in "The Bugle Bulletin":
* The Table of Contents shows a version of the Tin Woodman drawn by Michael Ploog as a design for ''Return to Oz'' (1985).
** A November auction of Hollywood memorabilia that included items from the Ray Bolger estate (including scores for "If I Only Had a Brain" and "Over the Rainbow") and a letter by ''Wizard of Oz'' lyricist E. Y. "Yip" Harburg
* "Letters" has notices from Jane Albright about the state of the Club, encouraging members to renew; and ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Crotzer writes about the issue and her personal connection to ''The Tin Woodman of Oz''.
** Oz on the radio [https://www.npr.org/2023/08/28/1196486400/how-the-dust-bowl-depiction-from-the-wizard-of-oz-left-a-lasting-impact-on-kansa at NPR] and BBC Radio 5.
* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
** The debut of [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPAZCfmc0mQ&t=7s&ab_channel=NetflixJr. ''Dee and Friends in Oz''] on Netflix around the world
** The cancellation of the Cartoon Network/Boomerang series [https://watch.boomerang.com/shows/dorothy-franchise/series/dorothy-series/volume-1 ''Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz''], and the inclusion of Sir Hokus of Pokes, the first television of a character created by Ruth Plumly Thompson, in the final episode.
** André de Shields, who originated the title role of ''The Wiz'' on Broadway, being honored with a street renamed for him in his hometown of Baltimore
** The imminent opening of [https://www.oscars.org/museum the Academy Museum], which will include an initial exhibit on ''The Wizard of Oz'', including the Academy's pair of Ruby Slippers.
** Through the Tube! celebrates the Cowardly Lion and Bert Lahr with the following clips:
** Judy Garland's blonde wig from the first few weeks of filming (that were eventually abandoned and reshot), a production archive for The Movie, and one of Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch hats all sold at auction in 2018.
*** Lahr appears as the Mystery Guest in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUvlkBZ9hJ4 a 1964 episode of the game show ''What's My Line?''] (shouldn't that be ''What's My Lion?''); Lahr enters and signs in at the 15:30 mark
** [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58765 ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''] entering public domain at last, after Congress did ''not'' extend copyrights again following passage of the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998.
*** A scene from the Discovery Channel in 2000 about [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoU2PSf4eIU&ab_channel=abc the restoration of the Cowardly Lion's costume]
** [https://www.cityofholland.com/parksandcemeteries/centennial-park Centennial Park in Holland, Michigan] has plans to install an Oz-themed area, in commemoration of L. Frank Baum's time in the area at the start of his writing career.
*** Bert Lahr sings "Song of the Woodsman", a 1936 song by ''Oz'' composers Harburg and Arlen, in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji9YFoXr81M&ab_channel=OmnibusWithAlistairCooke a 1958 clip from the show ''Omnibus'']
** The Oz theme at [https://sdfair.com/ this year's San Diego County Fair] in California, in commemoration of L. Frank Baum's time in the area not long after establishing himself as a writer.
* Blair Frodelius is honored by the International Wizard of Oz Club with its highest award, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award
** The unveiling of a mural of Judy Garland by artist Levi Ponce at [http://theatrewest.org/onstage/wizard-of-oz-sing-a-long-and-mural-unveiling/ Theatre West] in Los Angeles, California.
* Jane Lahr remembers growing up with her father, Bert, in "The Cowardly Lion and Dad"
** [https://www.oed.com/ The ''Oxford English Dictionary''] adding the phrase "not in Kansas anymore".
* Atticus Gannaway takes a tongue-in-cheek look at this year's centenary book in "Profiles in Cowardice: Revisiting ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz'' at 100"
** Researchers at the University of Turin concluded that [https://appliednetsci.springeropen.com/articles/10.1007/s41109-018-0105-0 ''The Wizard of Oz'' is the most influential movie of all time], in a study published in the journal ''Applied Network Science''.
* Ryan Bunch presents the next in the series of pull-out music scores of songs from the Ruth Plumly Thompson play ''A Day in Oz'' with "The Cowardly Lion's Lament"
** New translations of ''The Wizard of Oz'' have now come out in [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1782012036/thewonderwizardo/ Cornish], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1782012117/thewonderwizardo/ Hawaiian], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1782012044/thewonderwizardo/ Irish], and [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1782012044/thewonderwizardo/ North-East Scots], all from [http://www.evertype.com/baumiana.html Evertype Publishing]. (Word is that an Esperanto version is forthcoming.)
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" looks back at what critics thought of ''The Cowardly Lion of oz'' when it was first published
** "Through the Tube!" presents the following Oz videos found on YouTube:
* "Coming and Going" has some short musings and anecdotes from Sara K. Crotzer on ''The cCowardly Lion of Oz''
*** Komische Oper Berlin's [https://youtu.be/KSltO-rljss new operatic adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz''].
* Eric Gjovaag reports on the 2023 edition of OzCon International, back in July in California
*** A 2011 version of [https://youtu.be/jjc9hSDS1gQ ''The Wizard of Oz'' by the Berlin State Ballet].
* "Collector's Corner" sees Sarah K. Crotzer and Peter E. Hanff describing one of the earliest and rarest of all Oz collectibles, ''The Wogglebug Game of Conundrums'' from 1905
*** [https://youtu.be/stHRaNDz4zQ Hello Kitty. In Oz. On stage in Japan].
* Robert B. Luehrs looks at some of the smaller and/or lesser-known felines of the series in "The Supercilious Cats of Oz"
** After a year and a half of restoration and conservation, [https://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/ruby-slippers-and-american-culture-displays the Ruby Slippers are back on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History].
* "Oz in the Arts" sees Dewey Davis-Thompson reviewing ''Oz: A New Musical'' by the freeFall Theatre Company of St. Petersburg, Florida, performed in June and July of 2023
** The January and February 2019 Fathom Events showings of ''The Wizard of Oz'' grossed $2 million at the box office, setting a new box office record for event cinema.
* Put under the microscope in "The Bugle Review" this issue are:
** The West Philadelphia home of Royal Historian Ruth Plumly Thompson received a historical marker.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CFZBYD3H/thewonderwizardo/ ''The First Edition of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'': A New Bibliographic Description'' by Michael O. Riley], reviewed by Paul Bienvenue
** Those who have been involved with Oz who have recently passed away:
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1476687978/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Characters of Oz: Essays on Their Adaptation and Transformation'', edited by Dina Schiff Massachi] and reviewed by Scott Cummings
*** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee Stan Lee], the famed Marvel Comics editor and creator, who was a driving force behind Marvel's Treasury edition comic adaptations of ''The Wizard of Oz'' and ''The Land of Oz'' in the 1970s.
** The Japanese game [https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/402552/qing-ixue-toozunomo-shu-shi-the-blue-slippers-and ''青い靴とオズの魔術師 (The Blue Slippers and the Wizard of Oz)''], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer
*** Susan Morse, the singing voice of Dorothy in the 1964 TV special [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Oz_(TV_special) ''Return to Oz''].
** Other books noted but not reviewed:
*** Fred Patten, an early member of the International Wizard of Club and participant in the earliest Winkie Conventions, chairing the convention in 1968.
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BP45V4RW/thewonderwizardo/ ''Dorothy and Santa in Oz: The Further Adventures of Dorothy Gale'' by Gene Mederos]
* "Awards and Honors" acknowledges those Club members who have contributed above and beyond their regular memberships in 2018, and lists the prior recipients of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award.
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BT1M5X6K/thewonderwizardo/ ''Farmer Boy of Oz'' by Josie Ann Tyler]
* Jane Albright writes an appreciation of Bill Thompson, the 2018 recipient of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award.
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CJXGD4Q4/thewonderwizardo/ ''Fleischer and the Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum and Edward Gross]
* Sarah K. Crotzer writes about her favorite Oz book in "The Rescue of the Tin Woodman: An Appreciation".
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0C2P6KS59/thewonderwizardo/ ''Hairdresser of Oz'' by Josie Ann Tyler]
* "Men of Heart: A Song for Five Voices" interviews the creators of four different adaptations of the story of Nick Chopper:
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1728271304/thewonderwizardo/ ''Road to the Wizard: A Topsy-Turvy Tale of Oz'' by Meg Cannistra] (a tie-in with the new ''Ghostwriter'' series on AppleTV+)
** Ray Tintori, [https://youtu.be/3nvMmChdiyo ''Death to the Tinman''] (2007).
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1737802228/thewonderwizardo/ ''Straw Soul'' by K. A. Silva]
** Brandon McCormick, [https://youtu.be/BWdUmcwZn-A ''Heartless: The Story of the Tin Man''] (2010).
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BSY99CVW/thewonderwizardo/ ''Sundays at Sam's'' by Phyllis Ann Karr], a collection of stories that includes some of her Oz works
** James Ortiz, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woodsman_(play) ''The Woodsman''] (2012).
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BHBS56XT/thewonderwizardo/ ''Zombies of Oz'' by John Cosper]
** Matzilla Duron and Nick Boxwell, the still-in-production [https://www.tinwoods.com/ ''The Tin Woods''].
* The inside front cover reprints the color plate of Notta Bit More dressed as a fish from ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''
* "The Beginner's Guide to Oz Book Collecting" lists some important editions of ''The Tin Woodman of Oz'' that collectors may want to look for.
* And the back cover reproduces a painting of the Cowardly Lion by Dick Martin
* J. L. Bell examines the themes of ''The Tin Woodman of Oz'' in "Meat Glue".
 
* A call for the whereabouts of original art from the Oz books, to be catalogued at https://www.lostartofoz.com/.
Other items slipped into this issue include:
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" takes an extensive look at contemporary reviews and other articles about ''The Tin Woodman of Oz''.
* A registration form for [http://www.ozconinternational.com/ the 2024 edition of OzCon International]
* Dina Schiff Massachi looks at Todrick Hall's visual album [https://youtu.be/4mUSwHhJ6zA ''Straight Outta Oz''], particularly how Hall interprets the Tin Woodman, in "Metal Malleable Male".
* An ad for the new edition of the bibliography ''Oz in Canada'' by C. J. Hinke, which comes in both [https://www.lulu.com/shop/cj-hinke/oz-in-canada/hardcover/product-krjyqm.html?q=Oz+in+Canada&page=1&pageSize=4 hardback] and [https://www.lulu.com/shop/cj-hinke/oz-in-canada-pb/paperback/product-kedkww.html?q=Oz+in+Canada&page=1&pageSize=4 paperback]
* A link to a gallery of depictions of the Tin Woodman, [http://ozclub.org/galleries/100-years-100-tin-men/ "100 Years, 100 in Men"].
* This issue's craft is a color-and-cut-out Cowardly Lion marionette
* In "Oz in the Arts":
* And in the latest issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger (or at least young-ish) Oz fans:
** ''The Wizard of Oz'' ballet in Kansas City, Missouri, back in October, reviewed by Paul Miles Schneider.
** The lead story is of the Cowardly Lion leading the coup against the Nome King's reign
** A [https://www.flickr.com/photos/hbwtheatre/albums/72157702896273541 children's theater production of ''Ozma of Oz''] in Arlington, Virginia in December, reviewed by Michael Gessel.
** "A Letter from the Editor" introduces the new editor, Katie Jones! It seems she's no longer Oz Club Member on Special Assignment
** ''Scraps'', a new play, in Chicago in September, reviewed by Carrie Hedges.
** "Emerald City Book Report" examines a book that's now one hundred years old, ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''
** ''The Wizard of Oz'' on stage in Aurora, Illinois, over the holiday season, reviewed by Steve Smith.
** "Why Is the Lion So Cowardly?" and "Prehistory Lesson" looks at some of the issues raised in ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''
** A performance art adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in a London cemetery last July, reviewed by Nick Campbell.
** Glinda looks bark at what her Great Book of Records recorded happening in 1923
** [http://chroniclesofoz.com/ The ''Chronicles of Oz'' podcast], so far having adapted the first two Oz books, reviewed by Jared Davis.
** And in an extract from ''The Royal Book of Oz'' (the book in Oz, not the Oz story from 1921), Prof. H. M. Wogglebug, T. E., presents a profile of the Cowardly Lion
* A call for Club members to share photos of any events they may go to this year to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of the famous MGM film adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
 
* Books presented in "The Bugle Review":
----
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1941813186/thewonderwizardo/ ''Born Criminal: Matilda Joslyn Gage, Radical Suffragist'' by former Club President Angelica Shirley Carpenter], a biography of L. Frank Baum's highly influential mother-in-law, reviewed by Judy Bieber.
 
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1493042831/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Road to Oz: Evolution, Creation, and Legacy of a Motion Picture Masterpiece'' by Jay Scarfone and William Stillman], their latest book about the famous film version, reviewed by Mark Griffin.
==January 30, 2024: Hinton Battle 1956-2024==
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1724902555/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Magic Belt'', the third volume in Paul Miles Schneider's Oz series], reviewed by Jane Albright.
[[File:Hinton_Battle.webp|right]]
* Patty Tobias and daughter Kate Koelle remember former Club President, ''Bugle'' editor, and L. Frank Baum Memorial Award winner [http://ozclub.org/blog/barbara-Koelle-1923-2018/ Barbara Koelle], who passed away in 2018.
Hinton Battle, the actor who first played the Scarecrow in ''The Wiz'' on Broadway, passed away today at the age of 67 in Los Angeles after a long illness. Battle was only eighteen years old when he made his Broadway debut in ''The Wiz'' in 1974, after having taken over for a sick castmate during previews on the road. That early success gave him many years to play other roles in other shows, including ''Dancin', Sophisticated Ladies'', ''Dreamgirls'', ''The Tap Dance Kid'', ''Miss Saigon'', and ''Chicago'' on Broadway, and ''Ragtime'' on tour. His movie credits include the film adaptation of ''Dreamgirls'' and, on television, ''Quantum Leap'' (as the evil observer Thames in the Evil Leaper trilogy), ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (as the demon Sweet in the musical episode "Once More With Feeling"), ''Touched By an Angel'', the TV movie ''Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story'' as Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and the first pilot for the unproduced American version of the British comedy ''Red Dwarf'' as the Cat. Battle also directed and choreographed the Off-Broadway production ''Evil Dead: The Musical'' and released an album, ''Untapped'', in 1986. He won Tony Awards for ''Sophisticated Ladies'', ''The Tap Dance Kid'', and ''Miss Saigon''. He also won the NAACP Image Award and Fred Astaire Award for ''The Tap Dance Kid''.
* A call to fill the job of designer for the ''Bugle''.
* And finally, the preview for the next issue promises to reveal how the Smithsonian Institution has been taking care of its pair of Ruby Slippers, information on collecting Reilly and Britton's "Children's Stories That Never Grow Old" series, and the conclusion (at last!) on an earlier story about Oz puppetry.


There is a lot more in the envelope than the ''Bugle''! Inserts include:
(UPDATE: To honor Battle and his career and influence on Broadway, all forty-one Broadway theaters dimmed their marquee lights on March 12.)
* The latest issue of the revived ''Oz Gazette'', with all the latest news and gossip straight from the Emerald City.
* Summaries of many Oz events around the country in the summer of 2018.
* A call for submissions to [http://ozclub.org/oz-club-contests/ the Oz Club's annual contests] for fiction, non-fiction, and art, with cash prizes.
* Registration forms for this year's [http://ozclub.org/register-2019-national-convention/ Oz: The National Convention] in Thibodeaux, Louisiana; and [http://www.ozconinternational.com/our-next-convention.html OzCon International] in Pomona, California.
* Since this is the final issue of the 2018 membership year, [http://ozclub.org/join-the-club/ a renewal form] is enclosed.
* A flyer for the Club's latest publication, [https://shop.ozclub.org/product.sc?productId=429&categoryId=1 ''Bibliographia Baumiana''].
* A charming Polychrome paper doll.


(Information courtesy of [https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/01/31/hinton-battle-dead-the-wiz-scarecrow/72428810007/ ''USA Today''], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinton_Battle Wikipedia], [https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/hinton-battle-31283 the Internet Broadway Database], [http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/33207 the Internet Off-Broadway Database], [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0061507/ the Internet Movie Database], and [https://www.nypl.org/blog/2024/02/08/hinton-battle-tap-dance-kid-buffy the New York Public Library].)
<br clear=all>
<br clear=all>
----
==January 29, 2024: Terry Jon Martin Sentenced for Theft of the Ruby Slippers==
Terry Jon Martin, the man who pled guilty to stealing the Ruby Slippers in 2005, has been sentenced. Due to his advanced age and medical condition, he was sentenced to time served and will not go to jail. Martin is currently in hospice care and on oxygen therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, and is not expected to live more than a few months longer. He was also ordered to pay the Judy Garland Museum $23,500 in restitution, which he will pay in monthly installments of $300.
Not knowing about ''The Wizard of Oz'' or the Slippers' cultural significance, career criminal Martin was coerced into stealing the Ruby Slippers as "one last score" because he believed the shoes to be adorned with real rubies. He was disappointed to learn that they were artificial, and gave the slippers to an associate, never to hear from him again. After the FBI recovered the slippers in 2018, Martin quickly became a suspect and charged with the theft last year. Martin pleaded guilty in October 2023.
(Information courtesy [https://wtop.com/national/2024/01/dying-thief-who-stole-wizard-of-oz-ruby-slippers-from-minnesota-museum-will-likely-avoid-prison/ WTOP News, Washington, DC].)


----
----


==November 13, 2018: ''The Baum Bugle'' Autumn 2018, and ''Oziana'' 2018==
==January 29, 2024: ''The Baum Bugle'' Autumn 2023==
The two latest magazines from the International Wizard of Oz Club—the Club's journal and its annual literary magazine—are both now available.  
[[File:bbautumn23.jpeg|right|500 px]]
<br>[[File:Bbautumn2018.jpg|left|400 px]]''The Baum Bugle'' is published three times a year and goes to all members of the International Wizard of Oz Club. While the timely delivery of issues has slipped a little bit this year, coming this late in the cover season is still a major accomplishment considering how late delivery of the ''Bugle'' has been is the past.
The publication schedule of [https://www.ozclub.org/publications/the-baum-bugle/ ''The Baum Bugle''], the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, may have fallen a little behind, as the Autumn 2023 issue is now making its way to Club members in early 2024. Still, it's coming a lot sooner than many issues have managed over the decades, and as always the wait is worth it, as Editor in Chief Sarah K. Crotzer and her team have put together another exemplary issue.
<br clear=all>
 
In this issue:
* The front cover reprints one of W. W. Denslow's color plates form ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' to celebrate fifty years of one of the most important works of Oz scholarship, ''The Annotated Wizard of Oz''.
* The inside front cover reprints the cover of sheet music, drawn by W. W. Denslow, from ''The Land of Nod'', a musical that Denslow contributed to in other ways (as we will discover in this issue).
* In "Letters", new Club President Ryan Bunch recalls the thrill of receiving new editions of the ''Bugle'' when he was a new, young member of the Club, while editor Sarah K. Crotzer's overview of the issue focuses on her relationship with ''The Annotated Wizard of Oz''.
* News reports highlighted in "The Bugle Bulletin":
** Terry Martin pleads guilty to stealing the Ruby Slippers in 2005
** ''Wicked'' celebrates twenty years of performances on Broadway (plus updates on the film adaptation)
** ''The Wiz'' goes on tour on its way to Broadway
** A model of the Gale farmhouse, used during production of the famous film version of ''The Wizard of Oz'', sells for $537,000 at auction
** Kansas native and University of Kansas alumnus Grady Dick wears a ruby-sequined jacket, inspired by another Kansas native, to the NBA draft, where he went to the Toronto Raptors (whose colors include ruby red)
** Ozians who recently passed away and remembered in "Beyond the Shifting Sands":
*** Betty Ann Bruno, a child Munchkin in the 1939 movie
*** Piper Laurie, the award-winning actress whose roles included Ethel Gumm, Judy Garland's mother, in the television biopic ''Rainbow'', and Aunt Em in ''Return to Oz''
*** Oz Club members Lary Abramson, Herm Bieber, Susan Higbee, and Rita Reif
** Treasures found on YouTube highlighted in Through the Tube!
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmPiyRjC0gE&ab_channel=RobertLamont%3ATinPanAlleyChannel A medley of pumpkin-themed songs related to W. W. Denslow], presented by Robert Lamont at the 2023 National Oz Convention
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WBmQwf8TCM&ab_channel=RobertLamont%3ATinPanAlleyChannel More Ozzy music by Lamont], including selections from ''The Songs of Father Goose''
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbnGZ6p5ZPE&ab_channel=TheOfficialOzClub Blair Frodelius reads "Denslow's Night Before Christmas"]
* Michael Patrick Hearn is interviewed about his Oz journey and how it resulted in his first book in "The Journey to the ''Annotated Wizard'' Part One: Origins"
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" reprints some of the early reviews of ''The Annotated Wizard of Oz''
* Robert Lamont looks at what other shows the first Oz illustrator contributed to at the turn of the century in "The Musical Fantasies of W. W. Denslow"
* Ruth Berman, charter member of the Club, examines her work in [https://thewizardofoz.info/wiki/Dunkiton_Press reprinting old newspaper pieces by Oz contributors] in "Dunkiton Press: A Checklist of Pamphlets"
* "Oz in the Arts" reviews:
** The short film [https://www.tinwoods.com/ ''The Tin Woods''], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer
** The documentary movie [https://www.criterion.com/films/33490-lynch-oz ''Lynch/Oz''], about the connections between ''The Wizard of Oz'' and the works of director David Lynch, reviewed by Paul Dana
** The stage show ''The Wizard of Oz'' as presented by the American Contemporary Theater in San Fransisco in June 2023, reviewed by Paul Dana
* In conjunction with ''The Tin Woods'', Sara K. Crotzer interviews co-creator Nick Boxwell
* "The Bugle Review" sees Dee Michel reviewing [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/queer-oz-tison-pugh/1142693122?ean=9781496845320 ''Queer Oz: L. Frank Baum's Trans Tales'' by Tison Pugh]
* Jane Albright remembers one of the last Munchkins, Betty Ann Bruno, and the rest of her extraordinary life in "Maka Koa Munchkin"
* The inside back cover has some pre-production art by Ann Tseng for ''The Tin Woods''
* The back cover reproduces an advertising poster by W. W. Denslow from 1895
 
Also included in this issue:
* A 3-D art project of Dorothy sleeping in the poppy field
* The latest issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the Oz newspaper for younger Oz fans (no matter what their actual age). In this issue:
** Now that he's finally finagled himself into becoming the King of Oz, the Nome King lifts the ban on magic in Oz
** "A Letter from the Editor" sees the installation of the newest editor: The Nome King!
** "A Halloween Bestiary" presents a guide to identifying some of more sinister creatures encountered in the Oz books
** Katie Jones, Club Member on Assignment looking for Oz creatures in the Great Outside World, finds a dragon in San Francisco—who, it turns out, has also been looking for Katie
** And Oz's most famous professor has another confounding contest in this issues installment of "What Did the Wogglebug Say?"
 
----
 
==January 3, 2024: ''Oziana'' 2023==
[[File:Oziana 2023.jpeg|right]]
[https://www.lulu.com/search?sortBy=RELEVANCE&page=1&q=Oziana+2023&pageSize=10&adult_audience_rating=00 The 2023 edition of ''Oziana''], the literary journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now for sale to the general public, now that premium copies have gone to members of the International Wizard of Oz Club who pledge extra funds for their memberships. Although a publication of the International Wizard of Oz Club, ''Oziana'' is available to anyone, whether or not they are a member of the Club, who wishes to buy it.
 
In this issue:
In this issue:
* The front cover features ''Wicked'' composer Stephen Schwartz, who in interviewed in this issue.
* "A Portrait of Ozma" by Jane Albright, with illustrations by Anna-Maria Cool, sees a new royal portrait artist come to the Emerald City. But the brushes he picked up on his travels have a surprising effect on the completed paintings. Cool also illustrated the front cover with portraits of Oz characters, tying in with this story.
* The inside cover features scenes of the Frisch Marionettes' production of ''The Wizard of Oz'', reviewed inside.
* "A Rotten Pumpkin" by Suren Oganessian, illustrated by David Bishop, tells the tale of Jack Pumpkinhead trying out a different expression on his latest face, with unpleasant results.
* "Letters" features Club President Jane Albright and ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Crotzer talking about the state of the Club and the ''Bugle''.
* "Button-Bright and the Professor" by J. L. Bell, illustrated by Marcus Mébès, is about Professor Wogglebug wanting to use Button-Bright as a test subject for his new direction-finding pill, but Button-Bright wants nothing to do with it. But matters chance when a creature stalks them both in the Munchkin forest.
* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
* "Together" by Carter Lappin, with an illustration by David Bishop, is about Dorothy and Ozma both needing some alone time and isolation to get away from it all and think, but they both end up in the same place.
** The Ruby Slippers, stolen from a Minnesota museum in 2005, have been found!
* "Fortune Favors the Wogglebug" by Paul Dana, illustrated by Dennis Anfuso, tells how Professor Wogglebug lamented the passing of L. Frank Baum, and wondering how the children in the great outside world would ever hear stories about Oz again. Then a mysterious message comes in over the telegraph…
** In ''Wicked'' news, the film version has been pushed back, the West End production in London hit its five thousandth performance, and NBC showed [https://youtu.be/w01wBlhiCHQ ''A Very Wicked Halloween''] fifteenth anniversary special on October 29.
* "Glinda and the Glass Cat" by J. L. Bell, with illustrations by Anna-Maria Cool, sees how Glinda deals with Bungle harassing some of her more fragile subjects. Several communities and peoples from the books make new appearances.
** Mego, which first made ''Wizard of Oz'' action figures back in the '70s, is back with [https://www.target.com/p/mego-the-wizard-of-oz-dorothy-wicked-witch-action-figure/-/A-53492551 a Dorothy and Wicked Witch two-pack] and [https://www.target.com/p/mego-the-wizard-of-oz-cowardly-lion-action-figure-8/-/A-53475784 the Cowardly Lion], available exclusively at Target.
* Finally, the back cover illustration, "Oz on Parade" by David Bishop, shows several Oz celebrities heading off somewhere—perhaps to the 2024 issue…
** The wedding of Emma Ridley, best known to Oz fans for playing Ozma in Disney's 1985 movie ''Return to Oz''.
** Prince Harry and Megan Markle adopted a black Labrador retriever and named it Oz.
** Commemorating fifteen years of ''Wicked'', the Barbie Signature Collection has issued Barbie versions of [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B079JZRC7J/thewonderwizardo/ Elphaba] and [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B079JV4FYK/thewonderwizardo/ Glinda].
** The book [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0008252564/thewonderwizardo/ ''Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz''] by Michael Morpurgo has been optioned for a movie by Warner Animation Group.
** Kermit the Frog will appear as the Wizard in the holiday play ''The Wonderful Winter of Oz'' in Pasadena, California.
** The stop motion animated movie [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1571279892/the-tin-woods-a-stop-motion-short-film ''The Tin Woods''], successfully funded on Kickstarter.
** Of interest on YouTube:
*** [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn6jo_v9L9qI8YrqYISkbaN8nltFoQkcZ Behind the scenes at the Kansas City Ballet's production of ''The Wizard of Oz''.]
*** [https://youtu.be/F3X6HpKAEkQ The ''Wizard of Oz'' train ride in Tavares, Florida.]
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5sNj3Slv64 Creating a ''Wizard of Oz'' gingerbread house.]
** Recently passed away: Gary Kurtz, executive producer of ''Return to Oz''; Carole Shelley, who originated the role of Madame Morrible in ''Wicked'' on Broadway; longtime Oz fan and Club member Jack Vincent; Will Vinton, Claymation animator who supervised the creation of the Nomes in ''Return to Oz''; and Helen Younger, owner of [https://www.alephbet.com/ Aleph-Bet Books] where many collectors found rare Oz books over the years.
* Michael Gessel remembers one of Oz's crankiest but most steadfast fans in "Harlan Ellison, 1934-2018" (alongside [https://youtu.be/4hH6Gs0ncT8 a video essay by Ellison about Oz]).
* Willard Carroll remembers the recently deceased Jerry Maren, the last little person who played a Munchkin in ''The Wizard of Oz'' in "Punching Above His Weight—and Height". There's also [https://youtu.be/2XzFNLJIpUQ a video of the Lollipop Guild with their original voices], including Jerry's.
* Brady Schwind interviews the man behind the music of ''Wicked'' in "The Wizard and I: On the Road with Stephen Schwartz".
* Schwartz' original outline for Act I of ''Wicked'', which didn't turn out exactly as it did on stage (act II can be found in the second edition of [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1540031462/thewonderwizardo/ ''Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked'']).
* "Unfilmed Oz" looks at the late Rob Roy MacVeigh's animated adaptation of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''.
* Jay Scarfone and William Stillman look at the creation and production of [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1493036297/thewonderwizardo/ their latest book] in "Journey to ''The Road to Oz''".
* In ''The Oz Gazette'', the journal-for-younger-Oz-fans-within-the-journal:
** "Powder of Life Lets Loose on Locals" summarizes some of the events of ''The Marvelous Land of Oz''.
** Managing Editor Dorothy Gale writes a chatty "Editorial".
** "Drama! Excitement! Romance! Tragedy!" looks at the theatrical career of L. Frank Baum.
** The Scarecrow reviews [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1328498840/thewonderwizardo/ ''Mary Poppins'' by P. L. Travers].
** Glinda explains when a witch is not a witch.
** The Wizard is interviewed.
** The Hungry Tiger opens a restaurant.
** And in an insert, you can make a Jack Pumpkinhead marionette.
* Angelica Shirley Carpenter talks about the research on [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1941813186/thewonderwizardo/ her recent book about L. Frank Baum's mother-in-law] in "Looking for Matilda".
* In "Oz in the Arts":
** ''The Wizard of Oz'' at the Messner Puppet Theatre in Bonner Springs, Kansas (which you can see parts of [https://youtu.be/LN2QLh2q4Iw here] and [https://youtu.be/mUc6yqwiuIw here]), reviewed by Nick Campbell.
** ''The Wizard of Oz'' by the Frisch Marionette Company in Nashville, Tennessee (which you can see parts of [https://youtu.be/qaoMsFpsNzM here] and [https://youtu.be/JipG8UZ0tbQ here], reviewed by Sarah Crotzer.
** ''The Wizard of Oz'' play at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford, Kent, in the United Kingdom, reviewed by Michael O'Connor.
** ''The Wiz'' at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC, and The Muny in St. Louis, Missouri, reviewed by Lynn Beltz (with clips you can view [https://youtu.be/dhqL1o72Vrk here], [https://youtu.be/R3ITTCuoLrU here], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7MyP7mR4nw here], and [https://youtu.be/kvYRQmtLziA here]).
* Books appearing in "The Bugle Review":
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0999701606/thewonderwizardo/ ''Friends of Dorothy: Wy Gay Boys and Gay Men Love'' The Wizard of Oz by Dee Michel], reviewed by Brian Atterby.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1626728690/thewonderwizardo/ ''Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World'' by P&eacute;n&eacute;lope Bagiieu] (one of them being Margaret Hamilton), reviewed by Angelica Carpenter.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0190467347/thewonderwizardo/ ''Arlen and Harburg's'' Over the Rainbow by Walter Frisch], reviewed by Ryan Bunch.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0991199154/thewonderwizardo/ ''Yookoohoos of Oz'' by Paul Dana, illustrated by Vincent Myrand], reviewed by Mari Ness.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0763681148/thewonderwizardo/ ''Hearts Unbroken'' by Cynthia Leitich Smith], revolving in part around a high school production of ''The Wizard of Oz'', reviewed by Angelica Carpenter.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1481469754/thewonderwizardo/ ''Gabriel Gale's Ages of Oz: A Dark Descent'' by Lisa Fiedler, illustrated by Sebastian Giacobino] (the second volume in the series), reviewed by Joe Bongiorno.
* In "Adventures in Oz", Randy Struthers details how he tracked down a star-tipped wand Billie Burke used in some publicity photos as Glinda.
* The back inside cover has illustrations from Rob Roy MacVeigh's unproduced animated adaptation of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''.
* The rear cover is a portrait of Jerry Maren in recent years, still carrying a lollipop.
<br>
[[File:Oziana2018.jpeg|right]]And in the 2018 issue of ''Oziana'', the Oz Club's literary magazine:
* Hailing from Scotland, cover artist Brian Russell illustrates "Omby's Sword Dance".
* Momina Arif presents a shape poem in "The Brains, the Heart, the Courage, and Home".
* "The Strongman of Oz" by Jared Davis, with illustrations by Sam Milazzo, tells the story of one of the Wizard's old circus colleagues, and how he is ensnared by a witch to get revenge on the Wizard.
* "The Fabulous Frogman and the Faith of Freakish Friends" by Joe Bongiorno, illustrated by Darrell Spradlyn, is a sequel to "The Final Fate of the Frogman" from the 1990 issue, and details how his friends found the Frogman after that story and brought him back into their inner circle.
* Finally, Kim McFarland provides a back cover illustration.
''Oziana'' 2018 can be ordered from [http://www.lulu.com/shop/marcus-mebes/oziana-2018/paperback/product-23900060.html Lulu.com]. Anyone, not just Oz Club members, may order a copy.
<br clear=all>
<br clear=all>
----
----


Line 234: Line 485:
----
----


The previously announced release date for the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical version of ''Wicked'' turns out to have been premature. Universal recently changed their planned release for December 19, 2019, from ''Wicked'' to ''Cats''. So the ''Wicked'' movie is on hold again, but it is still in development, and aiming for a December 22, 2021 release.
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]).


----
----
Line 275: Line 526:


*''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.)

Latest revision as of 16:13, 10 January 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.)

Colorbar.gif
Home.gif
"There's no place like the home page."
Colorbar.gif

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

Colorbar.gif

Wicked Accolades and Awards

With such a high profile movie release, naturally Wicked will receive acclaim during the film award season. Here, then, we will keep track of awards presented to Wicked and its cast and crew, plus nominations for awards to be given later. Keep an eye on this list or the Wikipedia page as more news comes in, culminating with the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, 2025.

The awards are presented here in the chronological order they were, or will be, 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 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 26, 2025: Satellite Awards, Make-Up Award: Wicked
  • February 9, 2025: Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Virtuoso Award: Ariana Grande

The following are pending nominations:

  • January 11, 2025: AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Best Screenwriter: Winnie Holzman
  • January 11, 2025: Utah Film Critics Association
    • Best Lead Performance, Female: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Performance, Female: Ariana Grande
    • Best Ensemble Cast: Wicked
  • January 13, 2025: North Dakota Film Society
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Ensemble: Cast of Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
    • Best Effects: Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould, David Shirk
    • Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, Laura Blount
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales
    • Best Sound: Nancy Nugent Title, John Marquis, Andy Nelson, Simon Hayes
  • January 13, 2025: Hawaii Film Critics Society
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Art Direction: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Make-Up: Wicked
    • Best Sound: Wicked
    • Best Visual Effects: Wicked
  • January 18, 2025: American Cinema Editors Awards, Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical: Myron Kerstein
  • January 18, 2025: Chicago Indie Critics Windie Award
    • Best Studio Film: Wicked
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Ensemble: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Costumes: Wicked
    • Best Makeup: Wicked
  • January 22, 2025: Houston Film Critics Society
    • Best Picture: Wicked
    • Best Director: Jon M. Chu
    • Best Actress—Leading Role: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Actress—Supporting Role: Ariana Grande
    • Best Visual Effects: Wicked
    • Best Ensemble: Wicked
  • January 26, 2025: Critics' Choice Movie Awards
    • Best Picture: Wicked
    • Best Director: Jon M. Chu
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Ensemble: Wicked
    • Best Adapted Screenplay: Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox
    • Best Cinematography: Alice Brooks
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
    • Best Hair and Make-Up: Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, and Laura Blount
    • Best Visual Effects: Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould, and David Shirk
  • January 26, 2025: Satellite Awards
    • Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: Wicked
    • Best Actress—Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress—Motion Picture: Ariana Grande
    • Best Visual Effects: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Sound: Wicked
  • February 5, 2025: Set Decorators Society of America, Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film: Lee Sandales and Nathan Crowley
  • February 6, 2025: Costume Designers Guild Awards, Excellence in Fantasy Film: Paul Tazewell
  • February 7, 2025: AACTA International Awards, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • February 10, 2025: Black Reel Awards
    • Outstanding Lead Performance: Cynthia Erivo
    • Outstanding Soundtrack: Wicked
    • Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • February 12, 2025: Artios Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature (Comedy): Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, Ryan Bernard Tymensky, Tamsyn Manson
  • February 12, 2025: Society of Composers and Lyricists, Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film: John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
  • 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 22, 2025: Cinema Audio Society Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures – Live Action: Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, John Marquis, John Michael Caldwell, Jason Oliver, Mikel Parraga-Wills
  • February 23, 2025: Screen Actors Guild Awards
    • Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Cynthia Erivo
    • Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Ariana Grande
    • Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Jonathan Bailey
    • Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: Wicked
    • Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: Wicked
  • February 23, 2025: Golden Reel Awards
    • Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing–Feature Dialogue/ADR: John Marquis, Nancy Nugent, John C. Stuver, David Bach
    • Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing–Feature Motion Picture: Catherine Wilson, Robin Baynton

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

Bbautumn24.jpg

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

Ruby Slippers 2024.jpeg

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 known pairs of Ruby Slippers known to still exist, this pair, "The Traveling Shoes", were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and found again 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. 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.)


December 2, 2024: Paul Maslansky 1933-2024

Longtime Hollywood producer Paul Maslansky died today in a hospital in San Robles, California. He was 91. His first credit was for the 1964 horror film Castle of the Living Dead with Christopher Lee, and he worked on many films in the 1970s and '80s. His biggest success was the Police Academy series, beginning in 1984 with the first movie which spawned several other movies, a television series, and an animated series. Another of his credits at the time was Return to Oz. He is survived by his long-time partner Sally Emr, three children, and two grandchildren.

(Information courtesy Variety and Wikipedia.)

November 3, 2024: Quincy Jones, 1933-2024

Quincy Jones in The Wiz.

Quincy Jones, the EGOT-winning musician and producer, passed away today at the age of 91. Born in 1933 in Chicago, Jones graduated from Garfield High School in Seattle (where the performing arts center is named for him). He soon started working with jazz bands all over the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He also worked in the early days of television with such artists as Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, and Elvis Presley. He worked with Frank Sinatra and the Count Basie Orchestra on an album, and then broke into the movies when he composed the music for The Pawnbroker. He would go on to work on movies such as In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, The Italian Job, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Cactus Flower, and both versions of The Color Purple. For television, he composed music for the original Ironside, Sanford and Son, and the original Roots (for which he earned his Emmy Award). Later, as a producer, he oversaw shows including The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and its successor, Bel Air, and MadTV. He won 28 Grammy Awards, the most for any producer and the third most of all time, including Album of the Year in 2023 for Harry's House. He won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 2016 as a producer for The Color Purple, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have given him two of their highest honors, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995 and the Academy Honorary Award in 2024 (which will now be presented posthumously). Other accomplishments have included the Grammy Legend Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, the BET Humanitarian Award, the National Medal of Arts, and the Grand Commandeur de Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the government of France.

In comparison to everything else, his contributions to Oz may not have had as much impact, but he was a crucial part of the 1978 film version of The Wiz, where he was musical supervisor and producer. He also contributed new music, including for the songs "Can I Go On?" and "Is This What Feeling Gets? (Dorothy's Theme)". He also appeared onscreen in an uncredited cameo as the pianist in the Emerald City. It was during The Wiz that Quincy Jones first met with Michael Jackson, and he was so impressed with Jackson's work ethic playing the Scarecrow that Jones agreed to produce Jackson's forthcoming solo album Off the Wall. They would later work together on two more Jackson albums, Thriller and Bad. Jones would also produce and conduct on a song Jackson co-wrote, the 1985 charity anthem "We Are the World".

(Information courtesy The Associated Press and Wikipedia. Photo courtesy The International Wizard of Oz Club's Facebook page.)

September 30, 2024: Ken Page, 1954-2024

Ken Page.webp

Ken Page, the character actor known for his work on stage and television, and in movies and video games, passed away in his sleep today at his home in St. Louis. He was 70. Soon after graduating college, he started his acting career at the famed Muny outdoor theater of St. Louis. He made his Broadway debut as Ted Ross's understudy as the Cowardly Lion in the original production of The Wiz, a role he then took over after Ross left the show. He went on to play roles in shows such as Guys and Dolls, Ain't Misbehavin' and Cats (as Old Deuteronomy) on Broadway, and playing the Cowardly Lion again in the Madison Square Garden production of The Wizard of Oz. He would later return to the Muny to play both the Cowardly Lion and the Wizard in different productions of The Wizard of Oz. He was also the voice of Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas, a role he reprised in video games, concerts, and other presentations. He won a Theatre World Award in 1976, and a Drama Desk Award in 1978.

(Information courtesy The Oz Wiki and Wikipedia.)


September 28, 2024: Ryan Bunch Receives 2024 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award; Oz Club Contest Winners

Tonight, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, the highest honor that the International Wizard of Oz Club bestows, went to Ryan Bunch. Currently President of the Club, he has also served on the Board of Directors and as Vice-President. He has also chaired conventions and written for the Club's journal, The Baum Bugle. His recent book, Oz and the Musical, examines how different dramatic interpretations of Oz on stage demonstrate the evolution of musical theater.

Also tonight, the winners of the Oz Club's annual writing and art contests were announced:

  • The Fred Otto Prize for Fiction:
    • First place, "The Fairy King of Oz" by Jesse Jury
    • Second place, "The Final Fate of the Phanfasms" by Aaron Solomon Adelman
  • The C. Warren Hollister Prize for Non-Fiction:
    • First place, "Ozma's Enduring Appeal 120 Years Later" by Leighton Suen
    • Second place, "Puzzle Adventures in Oz" by Tyler B. Wright
  • The Rob Roy MacVeigh Prize for Art:
    • First place, "A Gathering of Ozians" by Rob Lauer
    • Second place, "Glinda" by David Valentin

July 20, 2024: The 2024 Winkie Award

Tonight, the 2024 edition of the Winkie Award was presented by OzCon International to Cindy Ragni. Cindy has been a long-time supporter of OzCon, presenting on many topics. In recent years, she has also coordinated the dealers' room (all while also running her own space in it). Her contributions were recognized by her fellow OzCon members, who voted that she receive the convention's highest award.

June 25, 2024: Bill Cobbs 1934-2024

Master Tinker.png

Bill Cobbs, the Emmy Award-winning character actor passed away today at his home in Riverside, California. He was 90. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1934, Wilbert Francisco Hobbs was an Air Force radio technician for eight years, then went on to sell office supplies for IBM and cars. In 1970, at the age of 36, he went to New York City to try his hand at acting. Like most in the profession he struggled at first, but eventually he broke into small theatrical productions. He also started getting small roles in films and on television. His films included Air Bud, the Night at the Museum series, The Hudsucker Proxy, and That Thing You Do. On television, he was a regular on I'll Fly Away and Go On, and had guest appearances on such shows as The Drew Carey Show, Jag, Star Trek: Enterprise (where he played the inventor of the transporter), One Tree Hill, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Rugrats. He won an Emmy Award in 2020 for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program for Dino Dana. But to Oz fans, he will be remembered as Master Tinker in Oz the Great and Powerful.

(information courtesy Wikipedia.)

June 3, 2024: The Baum Bugle Spring 2024

Bbspring24.jpeg

The first issue of the year of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now making its way into members' mailboxes. This issue celebrates Oz in the 1950s, a decade not usually known for being terribly Ozzy.


In this issue:

Also included with this issue:

  • An art project that allows you to create your own moving Oz pictures.
  • The latest edition of The Oz Gazette, the newspaper of all that's happening in Oz:
    • Ryan Bunch, the new President of the International Wizard of Oz Club, makes his first diplomatic visit to the Emerald City.
    • Editor Katie Jones tells what's going on in this issue.
    • Dorothy presents a brief history of Oz newspapers, on both sides of the Deadly Desert.
    • Two editors meet as Katie Jones interviews Sarah K. Crotzer of The Baum Bugle.
    • "Emerald City Book Report" turns a page on [The Ozmapolitan of Oz].
    • Ozmapolitan of Oz author and artist Dick Martin gets a write-up.
    • The latest excerpt from The Royal Book of Oz (the one in Oz, not the one you can buy in stores here) is about the Tin Woodman himself, Nick Chopper.

March 18, 2024: Second Suspect Charged in Theft of the Ruby Slippers; Slippers Go On Tour Before Auction

A second suspect has been charged in the 2005 theft of a pair of the Ruby Slippers from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids. Minnesota. Jerry Sal Saliterman, 76, of Crystal, Minnesota was arraigned in federal court in St. Paul, and charged with felony theft of a major artwork and witness tampering, the latter a threat to distribute graphic videos of a woman to prevent her from talking to the FBI. As Saliterman is in a wheelchair and uses an oxygen tank, he was not deemed a flight risk and released on his own recognizance. His attorney intends to file a plea of not guilty. Details about the charges, or Saliterman's connection to Terry John Martin, who pled guilty to stealing the Ruby Slippers late last year, are still unknown at this time.

In related news, Michael Shaw, the owner of the Ruby Slippers at the time of the theft (he had loaned them to the museum) has bought back the Ruby Slippers from his insurance company, and received them in February. He has now turned them over to Heritage Actions, a firm that specializes in selling movie memorabilia and other rare items, for safekeeping and consignment. Heritage plans to put the Slippers on display in an international tour before auctioning them off in December this year.

(Information courtesy Breakingnews.ie and Minnesota Public Radio.)

March 14, 2024: The Baum Bugle Winter 2023

Bbwinter23.jpeg

The latest issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is making its way to members' doors now. It's a little late, but since this is technically still the winter of 2023-24, it's catching up again. This issue celebrates Dorothy's third and furriest friend on the Yellow Brick Road, the Cowardly Lion, as The Cowardly Lion of Oz (the novel) turns 100.

In this issue:

  • The front cover features Bert Lahr, in full make-up as the Cowardly Lion from The Movie, all dressed up for "If I Were King of the Forest"
  • The inside front cover is a 1944 studio portrait of Lahr (no Lion make-up)
  • Featured on the contents page is an illustration of the Cowardly Lion by Michael Hague
  • In "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch reflects on the current rise in popularity of Oz, with The Wiz back on Broadway and Dee and Friends in Oz on Netflix, while Bugle editor Sarah K. Crotzer laments how the Cowardly Lion gets overlooked, and she aims to reverse that with this issue.
  • News events cited in "The Bugle Bulletin":
    • A November auction of Hollywood memorabilia that included items from the Ray Bolger estate (including scores for "If I Only Had a Brain" and "Over the Rainbow") and a letter by Wizard of Oz lyricist E. Y. "Yip" Harburg
    • Oz on the radio at NPR and BBC Radio 5.
    • The debut of Dee and Friends in Oz on Netflix around the world
    • André de Shields, who originated the title role of The Wiz on Broadway, being honored with a street renamed for him in his hometown of Baltimore
    • Through the Tube! celebrates the Cowardly Lion and Bert Lahr with the following clips:
  • Blair Frodelius is honored by the International Wizard of Oz Club with its highest award, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award
  • Jane Lahr remembers growing up with her father, Bert, in "The Cowardly Lion and Dad"
  • Atticus Gannaway takes a tongue-in-cheek look at this year's centenary book in "Profiles in Cowardice: Revisiting The Cowardly Lion of Oz at 100"
  • Ryan Bunch presents the next in the series of pull-out music scores of songs from the Ruth Plumly Thompson play A Day in Oz with "The Cowardly Lion's Lament"
  • "Oz Under Scrutiny" looks back at what critics thought of The Cowardly Lion of oz when it was first published
  • "Coming and Going" has some short musings and anecdotes from Sara K. Crotzer on The cCowardly Lion of Oz
  • Eric Gjovaag reports on the 2023 edition of OzCon International, back in July in California
  • "Collector's Corner" sees Sarah K. Crotzer and Peter E. Hanff describing one of the earliest and rarest of all Oz collectibles, The Wogglebug Game of Conundrums from 1905
  • Robert B. Luehrs looks at some of the smaller and/or lesser-known felines of the series in "The Supercilious Cats of Oz"
  • "Oz in the Arts" sees Dewey Davis-Thompson reviewing Oz: A New Musical by the freeFall Theatre Company of St. Petersburg, Florida, performed in June and July of 2023
  • Put under the microscope in "The Bugle Review" this issue are:
  • The inside front cover reprints the color plate of Notta Bit More dressed as a fish from The Cowardly Lion of Oz
  • And the back cover reproduces a painting of the Cowardly Lion by Dick Martin

Other items slipped into this issue include:

  • A registration form for the 2024 edition of OzCon International
  • An ad for the new edition of the bibliography Oz in Canada by C. J. Hinke, which comes in both hardback and paperback
  • This issue's craft is a color-and-cut-out Cowardly Lion marionette
  • And in the latest issue of The Oz Gazette, the newsletter for younger (or at least young-ish) Oz fans:
    • The lead story is of the Cowardly Lion leading the coup against the Nome King's reign
    • "A Letter from the Editor" introduces the new editor, Katie Jones! It seems she's no longer Oz Club Member on Special Assignment
    • "Emerald City Book Report" examines a book that's now one hundred years old, The Cowardly Lion of Oz
    • "Why Is the Lion So Cowardly?" and "Prehistory Lesson" looks at some of the issues raised in The Cowardly Lion of Oz
    • Glinda looks bark at what her Great Book of Records recorded happening in 1923
    • And in an extract from The Royal Book of Oz (the book in Oz, not the Oz story from 1921), Prof. H. M. Wogglebug, T. E., presents a profile of the Cowardly Lion

January 30, 2024: Hinton Battle 1956-2024

Hinton Battle.webp

Hinton Battle, the actor who first played the Scarecrow in The Wiz on Broadway, passed away today at the age of 67 in Los Angeles after a long illness. Battle was only eighteen years old when he made his Broadway debut in The Wiz in 1974, after having taken over for a sick castmate during previews on the road. That early success gave him many years to play other roles in other shows, including Dancin', Sophisticated Ladies, Dreamgirls, The Tap Dance Kid, Miss Saigon, and Chicago on Broadway, and Ragtime on tour. His movie credits include the film adaptation of Dreamgirls and, on television, Quantum Leap (as the evil observer Thames in the Evil Leaper trilogy), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (as the demon Sweet in the musical episode "Once More With Feeling"), Touched By an Angel, the TV movie Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story as Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and the first pilot for the unproduced American version of the British comedy Red Dwarf as the Cat. Battle also directed and choreographed the Off-Broadway production Evil Dead: The Musical and released an album, Untapped, in 1986. He won Tony Awards for Sophisticated Ladies, The Tap Dance Kid, and Miss Saigon. He also won the NAACP Image Award and Fred Astaire Award for The Tap Dance Kid.

(UPDATE: To honor Battle and his career and influence on Broadway, all forty-one Broadway theaters dimmed their marquee lights on March 12.)

(Information courtesy of USA Today, Wikipedia, the Internet Broadway Database, the Internet Off-Broadway Database, the Internet Movie Database, and the New York Public Library.)

January 29, 2024: Terry Jon Martin Sentenced for Theft of the Ruby Slippers

Terry Jon Martin, the man who pled guilty to stealing the Ruby Slippers in 2005, has been sentenced. Due to his advanced age and medical condition, he was sentenced to time served and will not go to jail. Martin is currently in hospice care and on oxygen therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, and is not expected to live more than a few months longer. He was also ordered to pay the Judy Garland Museum $23,500 in restitution, which he will pay in monthly installments of $300.

Not knowing about The Wizard of Oz or the Slippers' cultural significance, career criminal Martin was coerced into stealing the Ruby Slippers as "one last score" because he believed the shoes to be adorned with real rubies. He was disappointed to learn that they were artificial, and gave the slippers to an associate, never to hear from him again. After the FBI recovered the slippers in 2018, Martin quickly became a suspect and charged with the theft last year. Martin pleaded guilty in October 2023.

(Information courtesy WTOP News, Washington, DC.)

January 29, 2024: The Baum Bugle Autumn 2023

Bbautumn23.jpeg

The publication schedule of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, may have fallen a little behind, as the Autumn 2023 issue is now making its way to Club members in early 2024. Still, it's coming a lot sooner than many issues have managed over the decades, and as always the wait is worth it, as Editor in Chief Sarah K. Crotzer and her team have put together another exemplary issue.

In this issue:

  • The front cover reprints one of W. W. Denslow's color plates form The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to celebrate fifty years of one of the most important works of Oz scholarship, The Annotated Wizard of Oz.
  • The inside front cover reprints the cover of sheet music, drawn by W. W. Denslow, from The Land of Nod, a musical that Denslow contributed to in other ways (as we will discover in this issue).
  • In "Letters", new Club President Ryan Bunch recalls the thrill of receiving new editions of the Bugle when he was a new, young member of the Club, while editor Sarah K. Crotzer's overview of the issue focuses on her relationship with The Annotated Wizard of Oz.
  • News reports highlighted in "The Bugle Bulletin":
    • Terry Martin pleads guilty to stealing the Ruby Slippers in 2005
    • Wicked celebrates twenty years of performances on Broadway (plus updates on the film adaptation)
    • The Wiz goes on tour on its way to Broadway
    • A model of the Gale farmhouse, used during production of the famous film version of The Wizard of Oz, sells for $537,000 at auction
    • Kansas native and University of Kansas alumnus Grady Dick wears a ruby-sequined jacket, inspired by another Kansas native, to the NBA draft, where he went to the Toronto Raptors (whose colors include ruby red)
    • Ozians who recently passed away and remembered in "Beyond the Shifting Sands":
      • Betty Ann Bruno, a child Munchkin in the 1939 movie
      • Piper Laurie, the award-winning actress whose roles included Ethel Gumm, Judy Garland's mother, in the television biopic Rainbow, and Aunt Em in Return to Oz
      • Oz Club members Lary Abramson, Herm Bieber, Susan Higbee, and Rita Reif
    • Treasures found on YouTube highlighted in Through the Tube!
  • Michael Patrick Hearn is interviewed about his Oz journey and how it resulted in his first book in "The Journey to the Annotated Wizard Part One: Origins"
  • "Oz Under Scrutiny" reprints some of the early reviews of The Annotated Wizard of Oz
  • Robert Lamont looks at what other shows the first Oz illustrator contributed to at the turn of the century in "The Musical Fantasies of W. W. Denslow"
  • Ruth Berman, charter member of the Club, examines her work in reprinting old newspaper pieces by Oz contributors in "Dunkiton Press: A Checklist of Pamphlets"
  • "Oz in the Arts" reviews:
    • The short film The Tin Woods, reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer
    • The documentary movie Lynch/Oz, about the connections between The Wizard of Oz and the works of director David Lynch, reviewed by Paul Dana
    • The stage show The Wizard of Oz as presented by the American Contemporary Theater in San Fransisco in June 2023, reviewed by Paul Dana
  • In conjunction with The Tin Woods, Sara K. Crotzer interviews co-creator Nick Boxwell
  • "The Bugle Review" sees Dee Michel reviewing Queer Oz: L. Frank Baum's Trans Tales by Tison Pugh
  • Jane Albright remembers one of the last Munchkins, Betty Ann Bruno, and the rest of her extraordinary life in "Maka Koa Munchkin"
  • The inside back cover has some pre-production art by Ann Tseng for The Tin Woods
  • The back cover reproduces an advertising poster by W. W. Denslow from 1895

Also included in this issue:

  • A 3-D art project of Dorothy sleeping in the poppy field
  • The latest issue of The Oz Gazette, the Oz newspaper for younger Oz fans (no matter what their actual age). In this issue:
    • Now that he's finally finagled himself into becoming the King of Oz, the Nome King lifts the ban on magic in Oz
    • "A Letter from the Editor" sees the installation of the newest editor: The Nome King!
    • "A Halloween Bestiary" presents a guide to identifying some of more sinister creatures encountered in the Oz books
    • Katie Jones, Club Member on Assignment looking for Oz creatures in the Great Outside World, finds a dragon in San Francisco—who, it turns out, has also been looking for Katie
    • And Oz's most famous professor has another confounding contest in this issues installment of "What Did the Wogglebug Say?"

January 3, 2024: Oziana 2023

Oziana 2023.jpeg

The 2023 edition of Oziana, the literary journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now for sale to the general public, now that premium copies have gone to members of the International Wizard of Oz Club who pledge extra funds for their memberships. Although a publication of the International Wizard of Oz Club, Oziana is available to anyone, whether or not they are a member of the Club, who wishes to buy it.

In this issue:

  • "A Portrait of Ozma" by Jane Albright, with illustrations by Anna-Maria Cool, sees a new royal portrait artist come to the Emerald City. But the brushes he picked up on his travels have a surprising effect on the completed paintings. Cool also illustrated the front cover with portraits of Oz characters, tying in with this story.
  • "A Rotten Pumpkin" by Suren Oganessian, illustrated by David Bishop, tells the tale of Jack Pumpkinhead trying out a different expression on his latest face, with unpleasant results.
  • "Button-Bright and the Professor" by J. L. Bell, illustrated by Marcus Mébès, is about Professor Wogglebug wanting to use Button-Bright as a test subject for his new direction-finding pill, but Button-Bright wants nothing to do with it. But matters chance when a creature stalks them both in the Munchkin forest.
  • "Together" by Carter Lappin, with an illustration by David Bishop, is about Dorothy and Ozma both needing some alone time and isolation to get away from it all and think, but they both end up in the same place.
  • "Fortune Favors the Wogglebug" by Paul Dana, illustrated by Dennis Anfuso, tells how Professor Wogglebug lamented the passing of L. Frank Baum, and wondering how the children in the great outside world would ever hear stories about Oz again. Then a mysterious message comes in over the telegraph…
  • "Glinda and the Glass Cat" by J. L. Bell, with illustrations by Anna-Maria Cool, sees how Glinda deals with Bungle harassing some of her more fragile subjects. Several communities and peoples from the books make new appearances.
  • Finally, the back cover illustration, "Oz on Parade" by David Bishop, shows several Oz celebrities heading off somewhere—perhaps to the 2024 issue…


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.)

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.)

Colorbar.gif
Home.gif
"There's no place like the home page."
Retrieved from "http://thewizardofoz.info/w/index.php?title=Oz_News&oldid=11014"