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==August 7, 2021: The 2021 Oz Club Awards==
==''Wicked'' Accolades and Awards==
This evening, during its second annual To Oz? To Oz! virtual convention, the International Wizard of Oz Club announced the winners of its annual 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 [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.


* The Fred Otto Prize for Fiction went to J. L. Bell for "Button-Bright and the Professor", with the runner-up prize going to Scott Blanke for "The Royal Joust of Oz".
The awards are presented here in the chronological order they were, or will be, presented:
* The Warren C. Hollister Prize for Non-Fiction was not awarded, as there were no entries.
* September 27, 2024: International Cinematographers "Manaki Brothers" Film Festival, SUMOLIGHT Creative Energy Award: Alice Brooks (Cinematographer) and Dave Smith (Gaffer)
* The Rob Roy MacVeigh Prize for Art went to "Polychrome" by David Valentin, with Sofia Vazquez coming in second with "Langwidere".
* November 18, 2024: Heartland Film Festival, Truly Moving Picture Award: ''Wicked''
* And the Club's highest honor, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, presented to those who have made contributions above and beyond to Oz, the Club, or its goals. The winner for 2021 is Lynn Beltz, former Club vice-president and a general ambassador for Oz and the Club at Oz events all over the country.
* 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 21: Nevada Film Critics Society
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Visual Effects: Pablo Helman
* January 3, 2025: Palm Springs International Film Festival
** Creative Impact in Acting Award: Cynthia Erivo
** Rising Star Award: Ariana Grande
* 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:
* Date TBA: Alliance of Women Film Journalists
** Best Film: ''Wicked''
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Ensemble Cast: ''Wicked''
** Best Cinematography: Alice Brooks
* December 30, 2024: North Texas Film Critics Association
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Newcomer: Marissa Bode
** Gary Murray Award (Best Ensemble): ''Wicked''
* January 3, 2025: North Carolina Film Critics Association
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Acting Ensemble: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Hair and Make-Up: ''Wicked''
** Best Sound Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
* January 4, 2025: Greater Western New York Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* January 5, 2025: Golden Globe Awards
** Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy: ''Wicked''
** Cinematic and Box Office Achievement: ''Wicked''
** Best Actress in a Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress—Motion Picture: Ariana Grande
* 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 12, 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 18, 2025: American Cinema Editors Awards, Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical: Myron Kerstein
* 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 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
 
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==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. Some items that have been teased so far:
* Peter Hanff takes a deep dive look at the printing processes the legendary Dick Martin used to create his iconic 1950s, '60s, and '70s Bugle covers, with a special checklist of his work
* Scott Cummings examines the infamous "Snow White" project that would have reunited L. Frank Baum and artist Maxfield Parrish
* John L. Bell looks at the famous 1914 Oz map and how it provides clues to Baum's remaining Oz books
* David Maxine has generously provided examples of Dick Martin's draft layout work
* Not one, not two, but ''three'' memoir essays by beloved former editors of ''The Baum Bugle''
* ''Plus'' an eight-page full color center section with ''two'' different sets of Bugle color separations!
Keep checking back for the full review of this issue's contents in the coming weeks.


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==July 17, 2021: The Winkie Award==
==December 7, 2024: Ruby Slippers Auction Sets New Movie Memorabilia Record==
[[File:Marc Lewis.jpg|right]]OzCon International presented its annual award, the Winkie Award, to Marc Lewis, recognizing his many contributions to the convention in the 1980s and '90s. He performed in and coordinated many shows, presented many panels and other events, and acted as auctioneer. But perhaps his biggest contribution is also the most appropriate for this year: He and the Oz Club's Executive Secretary, Fred Meyer, in 1992 conspired to create a new award for the then-named Winkie Convention, the only one of the three major conventions of the day that didn't have one. They gave that first award to Peter Hanff. So it's appropriate that the thirtieth Winkie Award goes to one of its creators. Congratulations, Marc, this is ''long'' overdue!
[[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.


(Photo courtesy Peter Hanff.)
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].)


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==May 17, 2021: ''Oziana'' 2021: The Fiftieth Anniversary Issue==
==December 2, 2024: Paul Maslansky 1933-2024==
[[File:Oziana_2021.jpeg|right]]The fiftieth issue of ''Oziana'', the annual literary journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is being mailed out today. Editor Marcus Mébès offered the issue free to anyone who asked for it online, and these are the issues going out now. But never fear, if you never heard about the free issue offer, it is also for sale at [https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/l-frank-baum/oziana-2021/paperback/product-kgkggp.html?page=1&pageSize=4 this link].
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 [https://variety.com/2024/film/news/paul-maslansky-dead-police-academy-1236242106/ ''Variety''] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Maslansky Wikipedia].)
 
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==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].)
 
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==September 30, 2024: Ken Page, 1954-2024==
[[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.


In this issue:
(Information courtesy [https://oz.fandom.com/wiki/Ken_Page The Oz Wiki] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Page Wikipedia].)
* The front cover, "Strolling Down Memory Lane" by Alejandro Garcia, depicts a number of characters from ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' in the styles of several different iconic Oz illustrators.
* The inside front cover reproduces the letter from Harvey Plotnick, then-President of the Henry Regnery Company, successors to Oz publishers Reilly and Lee, from the first issue of ''Oziana'' in 1971 that gave permission for the Club to use characters and locations from the Oz books.
* Carrying on from the previous issue, "The Wizards of Silver and Gold in Oz: Part 2" by Nathan M. DeHoff and Joe Bongiorno resolves the cliffhanger ending from part 1 and wraps the whole tale up.
* "The Butter Lamb of Oz" by Nathan M. DeHoff, illustrated by David Valentin, shows the results of what happens when Jinjur must paint a portrait.
* "A Week with Mr. Baum" by Laura DeNooyer, illustrated by Spinner Martin, tells the story of a lonely girl who makes a special friend at the Macatawa resort on Lake Michigan in the early days of the twentieth century.
* "Heartless" by Templeton Moss, illustrated by Darrell Colt Spradlyn, looks at the romance between Nick Chopper and Nimmee Amee.
* Christmas, Toys, and Oz" by Nathan M. DeHoff, illustrated by Mitchell Mayle, sees several Ozian and Thompsonian sea captains embark on a Christmas adventure.
* In a tribute to the late Chris Dulabone, "Buckethead in Oz" by Nathan M. DeHoff sees the title character come to Oz for good.
* In a departure for ''Oziana'', Dulabone is also remembered by friends and family in the magazine's first non-fiction feature.
* Robert A. Baum remembers the trunk kept by his Grandmother Edna in "The Trunk in the Attic".
* The back cover, by David Valentin, depicts a scene, in color, from this issue's story "The Butter Lamb of Oz".


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==March 24, 2021: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"/"What a Wonderful World" Added to National Recording Registry==
==September 28, 2024: Ryan Bunch Receives 2024 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award; Oz Club Contest Winners==
The Library of Congress announced the 2020 class for the National Recording Registry today, and one of the additions is the medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"/"What a Wonderful World" by Hawai'ian singer Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, released as a single in 1993. The National Recording Registry was set up to showcase and preserve significant American recordings, and was started in 2002 under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000. Kamakawiwo’ole's recording joins Judy Garland's original 1939 single of "Over the Rainbow", enlisted in 2014, on the registry.
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.
<html><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z26BvHOD_sg" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></html>
 
The full press release, including all twenty-five recordings in the class or 2020, is available at https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-21-015/national-recording-registry-adds-rhythm-nation-among-25-new-selections/2021-03-24/. The complete registry, which also includes the original Broadway cast album of ''The Wiz'', is at https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/complete-national-recording-registry-listing/.
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


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==February 28, 2021: ''The Baum Bugle'' Winter 2020==
==July 20, 2024: The 2024 Winkie Award==
[[File:bbwinter20.jpg|left]]The Winter 2020 issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the International Wizard of Oz Club's triannual journal, is now back from the printers and making its way to all Oz Club members for 2020. This issue commemorates the one hundredth anniversary of the publication of ''Glinda of Oz'', the final Oz book by L. Frank Baum.
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.
<br clear=all>In this issue:
* The front cover reproduces an original Dick Martin watercolor from 1988.
* The inside front cover is an unused jacket illustration Martin did in 1961.
* In "Letters", Oz Club President Jane Albright talks about how Oz fans have weathered the coronavirus pandemic and found new ways to gather and express themselves, while ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Crotzer previews what's in the issue at hand.
* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
** Stephen Daldrey exits as director of the ''Wicked'' movie.
** ''The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of'' podcast devotes an episode to the Ruby Slippers.
** Even though it was cancelled, Boomerang had a third season of [https://watch.boomerang.com/shows/dorothy-franchise/series/dorothy-series/volume-1 ''Dorothy and the Wizard ofOz''] up its sleeve, shown in 2020.
** Movie star Richard Gere bought a New York City condo previously owned by Margaret Hamilton.
** The new comic book ''The O. Z.'' was successfully funded [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theozcomic/the-oz-1/ via Kickstarter].
** Popmatters.com has [https://www.popmatters.com/andre-de-shields-2020-interview-2648458514.html an interview with Broadway's original Wiz, André de Shields].
** "Beyond the Shifting Sands" remembers these recently deceased Ozites:
*** Chris Dulabone, prolific Oz author and publisher.
*** David L. Greene, one of the charter members of the International Wizard of Oz Club and an important Oz researcher and writer for over fifty years.
*** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_Lurie Alison Lurie], Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist whose work often invoked her love of Oz.
*** Harry Naught, whose long illustrating career included Little Golden Books adaptations of ''The Road to Oz'', ''The Emerald City of Oz'', and ''The Tin Woodman of Oz''.
*** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Schumacher Joel Schumacher], the prolific Hollywood director who also had an early screenwriting credit with the film adaptation of ''The Wiz''.
*** Myrna Swensen, wife of Movie Munchkin soldier Clarence Swensen who frequently appeared with him at Oz events.
** "Through the Tube" presents these treasures from YouTube:
*** [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4129A1534CCC103A The twenty-fifth anniversary of ''The Wizard of Oz on Ice''].
*** [https://youtu.be/5tgzCR4_Ii4 The 2017 Fire and Ice Festival in Somerset, Pennsylvania] took on an Ozzy theme for the festivities.
*** [https://youtu.be/g_Inbmd55_k Behind the scenes at ''The Wonderful Winter of Oz'', a 2019 pantomime in Pasadena].
* "Awards and Honors" recognizes the 2020 winner of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, Gina Wickwar.
* Michael Patrick Hearn examines ''Glinda of Oz'', the final volume of the Founding Fourteen, in "L. Frank Baum's Farewell to Oz".
* Robert B. Luehrs examines the relationship between Glinda and Oz in "The Sorceress, the Goddess, and the Matriarchate".
* Scott Cummings presents several contemporary reviews of ''Glinda of Oz'' in the latest installment of "Oz Under Scrutiny".
* Peter E. Hanff delves into the Oz Club's archives to examine how John R. Neill created the color plate of Glinda reading her records in ''The Marvelous Land of Oz''. (The original line drawing, before it is colored, is reproduced on the inside back cover, while the back cover is the picture in color, based in part from an original photo proof.)
* Dina Schiff Massachi looks at the career of the actress who played Glinda in the film version of ''The Wiz'' in "Lena Horne: Learning to Believe".
* "Labor of Love: An Interview with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gili_Bar-Hillel Gili Bar-Hillel Semo]" talks to the woman who translates, [https://utz.co.il/ publishes], and sells Oz books in Israel, how she came to also record the audio books, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected what she does.
* Angelica Shirley Carpenter tries to fill in some of the blanks of the life of L. Frank Baum's wife in "Finding Maud".
* In "Oz in the Arts", Rosemary Jones reviews a virtual Oz play, "OZ.ORG", presented during the 2020 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. (You can watch an interview with the director and preview of the show [https://youtu.be/V-6ocvq4yis right here].)
* New Oz books reviewed, or at least mentioned, in "The Bugle Review":
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0593114752/thewonderwizardo/ ''Bedtime Classics: The Wizard of Oz'' board book, illustrated by Carly Gledhill], reviewed by Garrett Kilgore.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0451480244/thewonderwizardo/ ''Sky Island: A Trot & Cap'n Bill Adventure'' graphic novel by Amy Chu and Janet K. Lee], reviewed by J. L. Bell.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0847860116/thewonderwizardo/ ''Adrian: A Lifetime of Movie Glamour, Art and High Fashion'' by Leonard Stanley], reviewed by Paul Miles Schneider.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0545746698/thewonderwizardo/ ''Abby in Oz (Whatever After: Special Edition0'' by Sarah Mlynowski].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1099805325/thewonderwizardo/ ''Flying Monkeys Cookbook'' by Aunt Deb].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1733908625/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Good Witch of the South'' by T. C. Bartlett].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1651625751/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Inventor of Oz'' by Kaitlyn Hawker].
** The Kingdom of Fairytales Wizard of Oz series by Emma Savant and J. A. Armitage: [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1989997007/thewonderwizardo/ ''Volume 1: King of Traitors''], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1989997015/thewonderwizardo/ ''Volume 2: Heir of Fugitives''], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1989997023/thewonderwizardo/ ''Volume 3: Throne of Emeralds''], and [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1989997031/thewonderwizardo/ ''Volume 4: God of Storms''].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/170284417X/thewonderwizardo/ ''A Nightmare in Oz'' by David M. Keyes].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1734109505/thewonderwizardo/ ''No Place Like Home'' by Susan Wackerbarth].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B088LFS413/thewonderwizardo/ ''Orphans of Oz: A Mother's Adventure'' by Marie Micaela].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B08KJYWL4Q/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Poetry Book of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum and Tynker Smith].
** [https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/larry-springfield-jr/the-shaman-of-oz/paperback/product-1wkw5ene.html?page=1&pageSize=4 ''The Shaman of Oz'' by Larry Springfield, Jr.].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/149659195X/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Silver Spurs of Oz'' by Erica Schultz, illustrated by Omar Lozano].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1574330497/thewonderwizardo/ ''Stolen to Oz: Toto and Miss Jennie in Oz (Without Dorothy0,, by Alan Lindsay].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1620888971/thewonderwizardo/ ''A Taste of Oz'' by Robin Blasberg].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1951600320/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Teachers of Oz: Leading with Wisdom, Heart, Courage, and Spirit'' by Herbie Raad and Dr. Nathan Lang-Raad].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1734574798/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Twin Witches of Oz'' by Amanda D. Wallace].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1732338434/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wizard of Menopoz'' by Deborah Monk].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/8854417025/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wizard of Oz Puzzle Book'' by Fabiana Attanasio].
* And Peter E. Hanff writes about the man who, among other things, invigorated and modernized the Oz Club's journal in "Building a Better ''Bugle'': A Legacy of David L. Greene" as a tribute and obituary.


Also included with this issue:
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* The ninth issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the Oz publication for younger Oz fans, which includes:
 
** Editor Scarecrow's attempts to create a self-writing, self-publishing newspaper (with less-than-satisfactory results).
==June 25, 2024: Bill Cobbs 1934-2024==
** A look at [https://youtu.be/09iHePAIZFA the earliest existing Oz movie].
[[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''.
** "Ask Glinda" continues the adventures of Katie Jones on her visit to Oz.
** "What Did the Woggle-Bug Say?" poses another ponderable problem.
** And an interview with ''The Oz Gazette'' and ''The Baum Bugle'' illustrator Mark Manley.
* A craft project to create Glinda's skeropythrope, a magical device she used in ''Glinda of Oz''.


All Oz Club members who receive this issue are advised that this is the last issue for the 2020 membership year, and anyone wishing to continue to receive the ''Bugle'' should send in their membership dues (which [https://shop.ozclub.org/product-category/iwoc-membership/ can now be done online]).
(information courtesy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cobbs Wikipedia].)
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==December 10, 2020: Chris Dulabone, 1964-2020==
==June 3, 2024: ''The Baum Bugle'' Spring 2024==
[[File:Chris_Dulabone.jpg|left]] Chris Dulabone, the prolific Oz author and publisher who blazed the trail for extracanonical Oz pastiches, died today after a long illness. He wrote and published his first Oz book, ''Toto of Oz'', in 1986 at a time when copyrights and technology made publishing new Oz books difficult. This proved to be the first of dozens of books Dulabone wrote or co-wrote, and in some cases even illustrated. He published his works, and those of others, under the imprint of Buckethead Enterprises of Oz, and opened the doors wide for who could write an Oz book, and just what an Oz book is anyway. He continued to write, illustrate, and publish books for decades as he reorganized his company as [https://sites.google.com/site/cowardlylionsite/Home Tails of the Cowardly Lion and Friends], until he recently had his books printed on demand via Lulu.com.
[[File:Bbspring24.jpeg|left|400 px]]
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.  


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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.


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==November 23, 2020: Myrna Swensen, 1926-2020==
==March 18, 2024: Second Suspect Charged in Theft of the Ruby Slippers; Slippers Go On Tour Before Auction==
Myrna Swensen, the "Munchkin by marriage" who never got to go to Oz but was a big part of its legacy anyway has passed away. She was all set to play a Munchkin in ''The Wizard of Oz'', but illness prevented her from taking the job. She did marry a Munchkin, however, soldier Clarence Swensen, in 1945, and they raised three daughters. When the Munchkin actors were discovered by fans and began appearing at Oz events around the world, Myrna came along to support her husband, and was welcomed by Ozians everywhere. Even after Clarence passed away, Myrna kept going to Oz events for as long as she was able. She is survived by her three daughters and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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.


(Family information courtesy [https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/statesman/obituary.aspx?n=myrna-myrle-swensen&pid=197182067 the ''Austin American-Statesman''].)
(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].)


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==November 20, 2020: David L. Greene, 1944-2020==
==March 14, 2024: ''The Baum Bugle'' Winter 2023==
[[File:David L Greene.jpg|right]]Dr. David L. Greene, Oz scholar and founding member of the International Wizard of Oz Club, passed away today. He was seventy-six years old and had been in declining health for some time. He and his twin brother, Douglas G. Greene, were two of the sixteen initial members of the International Wizard of Oz Club when it was started in 1957, and two of the youngest (only founder Justin Schiller was younger), but both quickly contributed much to the Club. David served as editor of the Club's journal, ''The Baum Bugle'', for many years, did extensive research in Oz bibliography, and founded the Club's Special Publications division. He also co-authored the popular book ''The Oz Scrapbook'' with Dick Martin, which came out in 1977. The Greene brothers were jointly awarded the International Wizard of Oz Club's highest honor, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, in 1965. Outside of Oz, Greene taught English at Piedmont College in Georgia for thirty-seven years and retired as a Professor Emeritus. He was also interested in genealogy, wrote several books on the subject, was a Fellow and past President of the American Society of Genealogists, and edited ''The American Genealogist'' for twenty-five years. He is survived by his twin brother, Douglas; his non-twin brother, Paul; his wife, Jane; a son, a daughter, two stepdaughters, and five grandchildren.
[[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:
* 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 [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.
** 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
** 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:
*** 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
*** 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]
*** 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'']
* 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:
** [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
** [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
** 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
** Other books noted but not reviewed:
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BP45V4RW/thewonderwizardo/ ''Dorothy and Santa in Oz: The Further Adventures of Dorothy Gale'' by Gene Mederos]
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BT1M5X6K/thewonderwizardo/ ''Farmer Boy of Oz'' by Josie Ann Tyler]
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CJXGD4Q4/thewonderwizardo/ ''Fleischer and the Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum and Edward Gross]
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0C2P6KS59/thewonderwizardo/ ''Hairdresser of Oz'' by Josie Ann Tyler]
*** [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+)
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1737802228/thewonderwizardo/ ''Straw Soul'' by K. A. Silva]
*** [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
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BHBS56XT/thewonderwizardo/ ''Zombies of Oz'' by John Cosper]
* 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


(Information courtesy [https://www.whitfieldfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/David-Greene-13/#!/Obituary the Whitfield Funeral Homes tribute page]. Photo courtesy [https://americangenealogist.com/ ''The American Genealogist''].)
Other items slipped into this issue include:
* A registration form for [http://www.ozconinternational.com/ 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 [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]
* 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


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==November 1, 2020: Books of Wonder Moves==
==January 30, 2024: Hinton Battle 1956-2024==
[https://booksofwonder.com/ Books of Wonder], the New York City children's bookstore that has been one of the greatest friends Oz has had for the past forty years, has moved! They lost their lease on their original location on 18th Street in Manhattan, but they were able to find a new location quickly, and it's really close. So now you can visit them at 42 West 17th St., just a block away. They're still in the process of completely unpacking, so there may be a few boxes lying around, but the shelves are full and the staff still knows their stuff. Their second location, at 217 West 84th St., is still there, too. But if you're not going to be in the neighborhood any time soon, they still have mail order, including [https://booksofwonder.com/collections/world-of-oz an extensive catalog of Oz items], many of which they've published themselves.
[[File:Hinton_Battle.webp|right]]
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 [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].)
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==October 31, 2020: Sir Sean Connery, 1930-2020==
==January 29, 2024: Terry Jon Martin Sentenced for Theft of the Ruby Slippers==
[[File:Zed.jpg|center|500 px]]
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.
Sir Sean Connery, the award-winning Scottish actor who most famously originated the role of James Bond on film, passed away today at his home in the Bahamas. He was 90 years old. Besides playing Bond in seven movies, Connery won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in ''The Untouchables'', a Best Actor BAFTA for ''The Name of the Rose'' and a BAFTA Fellowship, and a Golden Globe as Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for ''The Untouchables'' as well as the Henrietta Award in 1972 as World Film Favorite — Male, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1995, a Kennedy Center Honor in 1999, and the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. He will also be remembered by Oz fans, however, as Zed, the main protagonist who brings death to an indolent immortal community in the 1974 cult classic film ''Zardoz''.


(Information courtesy [https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54761824 the BBC] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery Wikipedia].
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].)


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==October 30, 2020: ''The Baum Bugle'' Autumn 2020 and ''Oziana'' 2020==
==January 29, 2024: ''The Baum Bugle'' Autumn 2023==
[[File:bbautumn20.jpg|left]]Two important issues of International Wizard of Oz Club magazines are now available. All 2020 members of the Club should soon receive the Autumn 2020 issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the triannual journal, with this issue celebrating thirty-five years of the 1985 Disney film ''Return to Oz'', with many never-before-published items from the Disney archives. Because of licensing agreements with Disney, this issue is strictly limited, and will likely not be available as a back issue or reprinted in the future, so this will be a particularly sought after issue.
[[File:bbautumn23.jpeg|right|500 px]]
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.


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In this issue:
In this issue:
* The front cover reproduces a concept painting by Michael Ploog of Dorothy meeting the Nome King in ''Return to Oz''.
* 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''.
* Both inside covers feature more ''Return to Oz'' concept art, these by Harley Jessup.
* 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", Oz Club President Jane Albright waxes on how the coronavirus pandemic and cancellation of Oz events around the country has resulted in all kinds of new connections online, while ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Crotzer declares the magazine is bringing Halloween to its readers this year while listing the efforts of those to bring it together.
* 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''.
* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
* News reports highlighted in "The Bugle Bulletin":
** The passing of graphic designer Milton Glaser. As well as the iconic "I ❤️ NY" logo, he also gave the world the iconic design for the Broadway production of ''The Wiz'', showing a swirling dancer in silhouette.
** Terry Martin pleads guilty to stealing the Ruby Slippers in 2005
** Justin Schiller, founder of the International Wizard of Oz Club, announces the closing of his antiquarian and collectibles children's bookshop after more than six decades in business and [https://historical.ha.com/c/search-results.zx?N=1874+793+794+792+2088+4294943087&ic=Items-OpenAuctions-Open-BrowseTitle-071713 the auction of the remaining collection], at the same time he is appearing in [https://booksellersdocumentary.com/ ''The Booksellers''], a documentary about the New York City rare books community.
** ''Wicked'' celebrates twenty years of performances on Broadway (plus updates on the film adaptation)
** Reproductions of dust jackets for [https://www.dustjackets.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=author&category_id=0&keywordsField=Oz many editions of the Oz books] and [https://www.dustjackets.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&orderBy=author&category_id=0&keywordsField=Frank+Baum other books by L. Frank Baum] are now available at (where else?) https://www.dustjackets.com/.
** ''The Wiz'' goes on tour on its way to Broadway
** The International Wizard of Oz Club has loaned two pieces of original art, one by W. W. Denslow from ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and one by John R. Neill from ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'', to the Peninsula Fine Arts Center of Newport News, Virginia, for the exhibit "Surrealism in Children's Books", a subexhibit of their current show, [https://pfac-va.org/exhibitions/ "Masters of Surrealism: Picasso, Dali, and Miro"].
** 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
** ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', translated into Esperanto, was used as the data to test new techniques in storing information using DNA in experiments at the University of Texas.
** 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)
** Despite the current pandemic, Oz venues such as [https://ozmuseum.com/ The Oz Museum] in Wamego, Kansas; [https://allthingsoz.org/ All Things Oz] in Chittenango, New York; and [https://www.landofoznc.com/ The Land of Oz theme park] in Beech Mountain, North Carolina have figured out ways to keep going.
** Ozians who recently passed away and remembered in "Beyond the Shifting Sands":
** "Beyond the Shifting Sands" remembers Oz luminaries Bill Edmonds, a long-time attendee of the Winkie Conventions; Timothy Graphenreed, co-writer of the musical numbers "Tornado" and "Emerald City (Pssst)" for ''The Wiz''; and Nancy Petrasko, sister of the late Fred Meyer, long time secretary of the International Wizard of Oz Club.
*** Betty Ann Bruno, a child Munchkin in the 1939 movie
** "Through the Tube" found the following ''Return to Oz''-related videos on YouTube:
*** 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''
*** [https://youtu.be/CwekadgupW8 An interview with Pons Maar], the Head Wheeler (among other parts), from the "To Oz? To Oz!" virtual convention.
*** Oz Club members Lary Abramson, Herm Bieber, Susan Higbee, and Rita Reif
*** [https://youtu.be/oHhmlet_zCM Jean Marsh at the London Comic Con].
** Treasures found on YouTube highlighted in Through the Tube!
*** [https://youtu.be/0TB4JOyK0Ts Doug Aberle, an artist at Claymation], revealing the secrets behind the destruction of the Nome King, from this year's virtual version of OzCon International.
*** [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
* Sarah K. Crotzer praises the subject of this issue in "Outside Over There: In Praise of Walter Murch's ''Return to Oz''".
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WBmQwf8TCM&ab_channel=RobertLamont%3ATinPanAlleyChannel More Ozzy music by Lamont], including selections from ''The Songs of Father Goose''
* Nick Campbell looks at the life and career of the man who bent himself double to be the body of Tik-Tok in "Dancer in the Dark: Michael Sundin in Oz".
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbnGZ6p5ZPE&ab_channel=TheOfficialOzClub Blair Frodelius reads "Denslow's Night Before Christmas"]
* Karen Diket examines some of the unpleasant underlying medical issues of the movie in "Unpleasant Dreams: The Role of Electroshock Therapy in ''Return to Oz''".
* 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"
* Kevin M. Kern interviews an artist who worked on concept art and storyboards for ''Return to Oz'' in "Brooding and Beautiful: A Conversation with Harley Jessup". The article is illustrated with many examples of Jessup's ''Return to Oz'' work from the Disney archives, some reproduced in color, and most having never been published before.
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" reprints some of the early reviews of ''The Annotated Wizard of Oz''
* Coyote Shook takes a different viewpoint on the movie in "30 Beautiful Heads: ''Return to Oz'' Through a Disability Lens".
* 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"
* Nick Campbell examines three different book versions of the same movie in "There Must Have Been Some Magic Words: Novelizations of ''Return to Oz''".
* 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"
* Howard Berry talks to the director about his experience with ''Return to Oz'', among other career highlights involving one of Great Britain's most acclaimed film studios, in "Return to Elstree: Walter Murch and ''Oz'' at Elstree Studios".
* "Oz in the Arts" reviews:
* And finally, the back cover reproduces a painting of the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion used as set dressing in ''Return to Oz''.
** 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 enclosed with this issue:
Also included in this issue:
* A Tin Woodman marionette.
* A 3-D art project of Dorothy sleeping in the poppy field
* The latest issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger Oz fans (no matter what their actual age is), which includes:
* The latest issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the Oz newspaper for younger Oz fans (no matter what their actual age). In this issue:
** A report on past Halloween shenanigans in Oz.
** Now that he's finally finagled himself into becoming the King of Oz, the Nome King lifts the ban on magic in Oz
** An editorial from the new editor, the Scarecrow, about how he thinks he's doing so far.
** "A Letter from the Editor" sees the installation of the newest editor: The Nome King!
** A look back at a popular movie in the Emerald City at this time of year, ''Return to Oz'' (1985).
** "A Halloween Bestiary" presents a guide to identifying some of more sinister creatures encountered in the Oz books
** "Ask Glinda" sees a previous correspondent catching the sorceress up on what's happening to her, including her meeting with the Demon of Electricity.
** 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
** After an absence of about 115 years, the return of "What Did the Woggle-Bug Say?"
** And Oz's most famous professor has another confounding contest in this issues installment of "What Did the Wogglebug Say?"
** An interview with Jack Pumpkinhead.


[[File:Oziana 2020.jpg|right]]Also out now is the Club's annual fiction anthology, ''Oziana''. The 2020 issue is of especial importance because this is the fiftieth issue. Unlike ''The Baum Bugle'', ''Oziana'' is available to anyone at any time, and can be ordered [https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/marcus-mebes/oziana-2020/paperback/product-wq98jd.html at this link].
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<p>In this issue:
==January 3, 2024: ''Oziana'' 2023==
* The front cover by Able Tong features many favorite Oz characters dressed to the nines in celebration of Oz's 120th anniversary and the fiftieth issue of ''Oziana''.
[[File:Oziana 2023.jpeg|right]]
* "Zinnia's Wish" by Suren Oganessian, with illustrations by Mitchell Mayle, sees a Flutterbudget named Zinnia coming to the Emerald City in an effort to fulfill her heart's desire, but it's probably not something much of the rest of Oz wants. (Mayle also provides a color illustration for the story on the back cover.)
[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.
* "A Use for Jack's Pumpkins" is the first recipe ever published in ''Oziana''.
 
* "Dinner at the Del" by Robert Baum tells of a meeting between the author's great-grandfather and an old sailor at the Hotel Del Coronado that would have long-reaching effects.
In this issue:
* "The Wizards of Silver and Gold in Oz: Part 1" by Nathan DeHoff and Joe Bongiorno, illustrated by Dennis Anfuso, tells a tale of Quiberon and an ozoplane. And yes, it ends on a cliffhanger, to be resolved in the 2021 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.
* "Polychrome's Sky School" by Paul Dana, illustrate by Sam Milazzo, shows us just how Polychrome learned how to do magic.
* "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…
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==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.)
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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]).


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==August 15, 2020: International Wizard of Oz Club Awards==
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.
This evening, the International Wizard of Club presented its annual awards at 2Oz? 2Oz! which is this year's national Oz convention, held online for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The winners are:
 
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* The Fred Otto Prize for short fiction went to "The Flutterbudget Revolt" by Suren Oganessian in first place, and "''The Sea Fairies'' Lost Chapter: Trot and the Sleeper" by Erica Olivera in second.
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 C. Warren Hollister Prize for non-fiction went to "No Place Like Oz" by Kathryn Sadakierski in first place, and “Lessons in Personality Integration from the Movies ''The Wizard of Oz'' and ''The Wiz''” by Mackenzie Littledale winning second place.
* The Rob Roy MacVeigh Prize for visual arts went to "The King of Beasts' Conquest" by Michael de Jesus in first place (below, left), and "Dr. Pipt" by David Valentin in second place (below, right).<br><center>[[File:De_Jesus.JPG|500 px]] [[File:Valentin.JPG|500 px]]</center>


And the Club's highest award, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, for contributions to Oz and the Club's mission, went to Gina Wickwar, author of ''The Hidden Prince of Oz'' and ''Toto of Oz'', and short stories for ''Oziana'', as well as her work for the Club as Secretary and in other capacities. Here's the video of the presentation, with testimonials and reactions:
*''The Road to Oz'', a movie biopic about the life of L. Frank Baum and how he created Oz, starring Eddie Redmayne as Frank. (See reports [http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/06/eddie-redmayne-wizard-of-oz-author-l-frank-baum here] and [http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/eddie-redmayne-to-play-author-l-frank-baum-in-biopic-road-to-oz-268 here].)
*''Dark Oz 3-D'', based on the old Caliber comic book.
*A non-musical, faithful adaptation of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' from New Line and [http://www.templehillent.com/ 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 [http://www.actionsynthese.com/index2.php?language=en animated adaptation of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''] seems to be on track for release &mdash; in France. Once it's released, an English-language release will likely come out soon afterwards. (However, in a [http://www.filmireland.net/2011/03/16/interview-with-john-boorman/ 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.
*[http://www.independentstoriesinc.com/WonderfulWizard.htm ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''], a low-budget independent production from Barnyard Studios and Used Productions. This is very much a shoestring production, which is looking for money and actors. But its Kickstarter campaign to raise the last money it needed was a success, so it may be finished soon.
*[http://valleywind.com/legendofoz/ ''Legend of Oz''], a modern retelling of ''The Wizard of Oz'' from Valley Wind Productions in Ottawa.
*[http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/06/16/are-the-polish-brothers-planning-their-own-trip-to-oz/ ''Oz''], a new telling of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
*A still unnamed horror movie set in the 1920s with Dorothy meeting Alice in Bedlam Asylum.
*[http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/berlin/european-film-market/mcnamara-to-direct-young-santa/5066468.article ''Young Santa'']., based on L. Frank Baum's book ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' and directed by Sean McNamara.
*''How the Wizard Came to Oz'', based on two books by Donald Abbott.
*Not entirely Oz, strictly speaking, but the Judy Garland biography ''Get Happy'' may be made into a movie, featuring Anne Hathaway as Garland.


<html><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RUGHnOYCGxM" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></html>
And it's not limited to movies any more. In development for television:
 
*[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/warner-horizon-turn-oz-fantasy-420517 ''Red Brick Road''], a television series continuation of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in the style of ''Game of Thrones''. The latest word is that this is being developed for the Lifetime channel.
*[http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/cbs-developing-wizard-of-oz-themed-medical-drama-from-timbermanbeverly/ ''Dorothy''], an Oz-themed medical drama in development at CBS
*[http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Tim-Kring-Developing-Wizard-Oz-Drama-Dorothy-Must-Die-CW-58899.html ''Dorothy Must Die''], in which Dorothy has returned to Oz and become a dictator, in development at the CW. This would be based on the book series of the same name.
*''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.


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No, Peter Jackson is ''not'' producing or directing a billion-dollar all-CGI remake of ''The Wizard of Oz'' for Warner Bros. How do stories like this get started? Oh, maybe in [http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31184 stories like this]...
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In recent years, there have been proposals for other Oz or related projects, none of which now appear that they will get off the ground. Among them:
*''Lost in Oz'', a series that was to feature Melissa George as a Kansas university student who is whisked to Oz sixty years after the events of ''The Wizard of Oz'' (The Movie) and helping to spearhead a rebellion against the new Wicked Witch of the West. Although developed for the WB and a pilot film produced, it was never picked up, nor the pilot shown. (But keep an eye out on auction sites, as a bootleg DVD sometimes shows up…)
*A television miniseries based on Gregory Maguire's novel ''Wicked'', with Demi Moore in the title role. (There are stories that the people developing this version later pushed their involvement into the musical version now playing on Broadway and elsewhere.)
*''The O. Z.'', a hip-hop flavored re-telling of ''The Wizard of Oz'' for Fox. Among the rumored Dorothy's at one point were Brandy, Mya, and the late Aaliyah. Justin Timberlake, John Leuizamo, and Little Richard were mentioned for other parts.
*''Surrender Dorothy''. Drew Barrymore as Dorothy's great-granddaughter coming to Oz, and battling the Wicked Witch of the West's granddaughter. (Rumors of this recently resurfaced, but were quickly squelched. This project is dead.)
*''Somewhere'' starring Elizabeth Taylor as Dorothy, now a grandmother, returning to Oz. The deaths of both Taylor and developer Rod Steiger means this is unlikely to ever happen.
*''Pamela West'', where the Wicked Witch is the innocent victim and Dorothy (with Toto as a pit bull) is the evil interloper.
*''The Land of Oz'' (not based on the book of the same name), produced by Hallmark for NBC. This eventually became the basis for the Sci Fi Channel miniseries ''Tin Man''.
*''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' from Circa Pictures. It's no longer listed on their website.
*''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' from Hyde Park Entertainment and Toonz Entertainment.
*A Bollywood adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in India.
*A movie version of American McGee's (later cancelled) ''Oz'' video game.
*Geoff Ryman's ''Was''.
If progress is made on any of these projects, such as actually going into production or a release date announced, the news will be posted as quickly as possible on this page. But at this stage, any of these going into production is very unlikely. (However, ''Tin Man'' was part of this list for some time before its eventual completion and broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel.)
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Latest revision as of 14:25, 26 December 2024

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

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

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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 21: Nevada Film Critics Society
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Visual Effects: Pablo Helman
  • January 3, 2025: Palm Springs International Film Festival
    • Creative Impact in Acting Award: Cynthia Erivo
    • Rising Star Award: Ariana Grande
  • 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:

  • Date TBA: Alliance of Women Film Journalists
    • Best Film: Wicked
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Ensemble Cast: Wicked
    • Best Cinematography: Alice Brooks
  • December 30, 2024: North Texas Film Critics Association
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Newcomer: Marissa Bode
    • Gary Murray Award (Best Ensemble): Wicked
  • January 3, 2025: North Carolina Film Critics Association
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Acting Ensemble: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Hair and Make-Up: Wicked
    • Best Sound Design: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
  • January 4, 2025: Greater Western New York Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • January 5, 2025: Golden Globe Awards
    • Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy: Wicked
    • Cinematic and Box Office Achievement: Wicked
    • Best Actress in a Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress—Motion Picture: Ariana Grande
  • 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 12, 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 18, 2025: American Cinema Editors Awards, Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical: Myron Kerstein
  • 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 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

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

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

  • Peter Hanff takes a deep dive look at the printing processes the legendary Dick Martin used to create his iconic 1950s, '60s, and '70s Bugle covers, with a special checklist of his work
  • Scott Cummings examines the infamous "Snow White" project that would have reunited L. Frank Baum and artist Maxfield Parrish
  • John L. Bell looks at the famous 1914 Oz map and how it provides clues to Baum's remaining Oz books
  • David Maxine has generously provided examples of Dick Martin's draft layout work
  • Not one, not two, but three memoir essays by beloved former editors of The Baum Bugle
  • Plus an eight-page full color center section with two different sets of Bugle color separations!

Keep checking back for the full review of this issue's contents in the coming weeks.

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

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The most notorious pair of Ruby Slippers used during production of the famous 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz went up for auction today, and the final price shattered all records for the price paid for a piece of movie memorabilia. Of the four 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

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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

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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

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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

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The latest issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is making its way to members' 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

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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

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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

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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.)

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