Transformers People News on Seibertron.com

Mark Ryan, The Voice of Bumblebee Interview Part 1

Date: Thursday, October 11th 2007 6:15pm CDT
Categories: Live Action Movie News, People News, Digital Media News, Interviews
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): ifMagazine.com

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ifMagazines.com have posted Part 1 of their interview with Transformers Movie Bumblebee's Voice Actor Mark Ryan.

The interview discusses Mark's involvement in the Transformers Movie playing all the Autobot roles on set and working with Michael Bay.

To read Part 1 of ifMagazines.com interview, please click here.

Chris Ryall Responds To Beast Wars Profiles Criticisms

Date: Tuesday, October 9th 2007 9:23am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, People News, Company News, Collectables
Posted by: Tigertrack | Credit(s): The Allspark

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The errors were scathing to some. To others they put it aside, and chalked it up as an IDW rush job with so much happening on the TF comics front lately.

Chris Ryall has heard the complaints, the comments, and the criticisms and he calmly replies, taking the blame for the book upon his shoulders, and promising better things:

"Hey, everyone--

In the time we've been doing Transformers comics, there have been highs and lows for the fans, I know. As there's going to be on anything -- some projects work better than others, for various reasons.

This one seems to be ranking somewhere near the first issue of the TF Animated Series for most of you, from the responses I've seen.

Which sucks all around--the last thing we want to do is release product that doesn't work for you. Especially since this particular book took so long to finally arrive. And because so many artists and colorists labored over it. And because Simon and Ben Yee did the same, and then waited patiently for the book to finally be assembled and released.

So for the person who just e-mailed me very angry and said "once again, IDW screws its fans," well, that's hardly true and hardly a sound approach to business, I would think. And nothing we would ever set out to do.

So what happened?

That's a good question. But there's really no need for me to make excuses or air any beasty-smelling laundry, so I'll just say that the book is, like everything we publish, ultimately my responsibility. This book was one that sort of slipped through the crack while I was dealing with an editorial shift, and it went out with some errors. Book Two was completed during this same period. But Andrew is here as the TF Editor now, and is extremely competent and he and I will do what we can to ensure the rest of the books are produced as they should be. As many errors are able to be corrected in the collected version will be fixed, too.

I know that this book was a bit of a disappointment for fans who waited so long. Transition with art teams or editorial teams can cause hiccups that are evidenced in the finished product, but certainly not on purpose.

So know that I share your pain on this--maybe moreso, since so many people have shared their pain with me--but also know that putting out something you don't love is never our intent. We'll get 'em next time."

You can see the original IDW Forum thread here.

While they cannot undo what has been done, and there are no promises made that things will be corrected in the Trade Paperback release, we do know that this will be a focus for them to get the remaining issues right.

You can become a part of our discussion of the 'Beast Wars Sourcebook #1' here

Stan Bush UK Concert Dates CANCELLED!

Date: Saturday, October 6th 2007 1:43pm CDT
Categories: Event News, People News
Posted by: Raymond T. | Credit(s): Stan Bush

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The musician best known to Transformers fans for "Dare" and "The Touch" from the original Transformers movie soundtrack (1986), Stan Bush, had some sad news to report on his MySpace Blog.

The UK Concerts set for Oct 5th at Rio's in Leeds and Oct 6th at Rock City in Nottingham have been cancelled. Because of an immigration policy, the singer was denied entry into the United Kingdom.

The following has been taken directly from his MySpace Blog.

"I was denied entry into the UK because of an immigration policy
involving a work permit, so my shows there were canceled. I apologize for any inconvenience to
my fans, many of whom traveled great distances. I did everything I could, but it was
beyond my control. We're looking ahead to arrange something there in the near future.

Yours,

Stan Bush".

The Inside Scoop on Transformers Collector's Club Magazine #17

Date: Friday, October 5th 2007 9:11am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, Toy News, People News, Interviews, Collector's Club News
Posted by: Seibertron

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The new collector's club magazine (#17) has begun arriving at mailboxes across the country. Here are some highlights:

• Cover: Transformers Animated artwork
• David Kaye Interview (Animated Optimus Prime voice actor) - includes a few screen shots of Optimus Prime, one of Grimlock and one of an unknown Decepticon.
• Eric Seibenaler Interview (One of the head designers of the Animated toy line) - also features several toy images (Optimus, Bumblebee, Prowl, Starscream, Megatron and one other Decepticon with a claw hand that transforms into a car)
• Classicverse: Mini-Con profiles (Dreadwing, Terrorsaur, Oil Slick, Strongarm, Sledge and Steel Wind).
• Lil' Formers: "Know Your Seekers" featuring Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Sunstorm and the Coneheads.
• MTMTE Classics Profiles: Cliffjumper and Megatron
• Chapter 5 of the "Crossing Over" comic - Optimus and Megatron battle! Skyfall, Breakaway and Landquake potentially discover their destiny!

Click on the image above to view a larger version of this image.

Keeping checking your mailbox folks! Your copy should arrive soon if you're a Club member. If not, make sure you stop by TransformersClub.com for more information.

Simon Furman signing in London, UK 25th October

Date: Thursday, October 4th 2007 6:57pm CDT
Categories: Event News, People News
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): boom6

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Seibertron's own boom6 has some good news for UK based fans of Transformers writer Simon Furman:

Simon Furman is doing a signing at Forbidden Planet in London in a few weeks, its meant to be for deaths head. but Im sure he wont mind it being hijacked by a few transformers fans.

For full details, head to forbiddenplanet.com
You will need to scroll down to the "Death's Head" entry.

Transformers 2 Movie Writers Announced

Date: Thursday, October 4th 2007 5:04am CDT
Categories: Live Action Movie News, Rumors, Press Releases, People News
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): Bombus distinguendus

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Bombus distinguendus has found some good news on the superherohype website.

It appears that Transformers 2 has had it's Writers Confirmed Sourced from: The Hollywood Reporter

Screenwriter Ehren Kruger and the writing team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are in talks to team to write the screenplay for DreamWorks/Paramount's Transformers 2, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Director Michael Bay, star Shia LaBeouf and producers Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Don Murphy are back in their respective chairs, as is executive producer Steven Spielberg.

The trade adds that the teaming of A-listers to write such a huge project might be an industry first and could have been necessary because Kurtzman and Orci -- who wrote first movie -- also are busy writing J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie for Paramount and producing Eagle Eye for DreamWorks.

The three writers are also working together on Nightlife, a DreamWorks serial-killer project that sees Kruger adapting a Thomas Perry novel, with Kurtzman and Orci producing along with Neal Moritz. Kruger also adapted the Stephen King novel "The Talisman," which Spielberg is exec producing for TNT.

Kruger met with Bay and Hasbro president Brian Goldner and impressed the duo with his knowledge of the "Transformers" mythology.

To see the original Superherohype report, please click here.

Scott Farrar, Transformers The Movie Visual Effects Supervisor, Interview On Scif Fi Wire

Date: Monday, October 1st 2007 11:12am CDT
Categories: Live Action Movie News, People News, Digital Media News, Interviews
Posted by: Tigertrack | Credit(s): Robinson, Shinobi Rendar

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The visuals being such a large part of the movie, here's a little interview by Cindy White of 'Sci Fi Wire' that is of interest to many of us, and reveals broad plans for the next installment...

"Scott Farrar, visual-effects supervisor and second-unit director of Michael Bay's Transformers, told SCI FI Wire that the recently announced sequel will be more ambitious visually.

"We want to improve on some of the processes that we did," Ferrar said in an interview at Industrial Light & Magic in San Francisco, where the film's transforming robots were created. "I think what we're going to do is get faster and know our problems sooner and quicker. And then, of course, I know Michael's always thinking about new, crazy actions. And we're open to that."

After discussing the monumental task of creating the effects for the first film, Farrar groaned and fell off his chair in jest when asked about the sequel, which was announced last week with an anticipated release date of June 26, 2009.

"It's a circus, and they're going to raise the tight-wire walker a little bit higher next time," he said. "But it's all going to be dramatic. I think the commitment is not to just chuck out a sequel. The commitment is, and this makes us really happy here, that it's a deep story. There are lots of layers to the story of all these Decepticons, everybody. And so they want to really keep the characters rich."

Farrar added that the filmmakers plan to use the techniques and technology they learned on the first film to make the second even better. "It was difficult and, I think, laborious and I think we learned a lot by the end," he said. "I think we've learned a lot about lighting, and I think we can go to much moodier lighting. Lots of things. It'll be improved."

Transformers will be released on DVD and HD DVD Oct. 16. -Cindy White"

You can read the original article here at Sci Fi Wire.com.

Thanks to Shinobi Rendar and Robinson for getting us this cool new information.

Seibertorn.com Movie News for the latest movie information.

Simon Says, "Spotlight Blaster Details..."

Date: Saturday, September 29th 2007 6:04am CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, People News, Digital Media News
Posted by: Tigertrack | Credit(s): TFW 2005

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"Now jump on one foot!..." I didn't say Simon says...but here is what Mr. Furman has had to say about Spotlight Blaster.

According to his BLOG, Simon has been reading about the various reactions to Chris Ryall's earlier announcement of the new upcoming Spotlight Blaster. He felt the need to give us a little more detail on what the story is about, and exactly what Blaster we will be seeing: the flamboyant, rhyming TV version, or the self-sacrificing, cunning leader, that we saw in Marvel comics:

There are no spoilers per se, but you will learn a bit more about the series from Simon Furman:

"So in Spotlight Blaster we meet not one but two new versions of Blaster, a before and after. Before/after what, you might ask. Well, let's just say there's an element of murder/mystery (without the murder per se) about this particular Spotlight, as a killer (and perhaps even a traitor) stalks the Autobot Command Hub, out finish something they started a while ago. But what about Blaster himself? Well, he's certainly loud and bombastic, and his 'voice' is pretty much what defines him and his role in the larger scheme of things. But, as the story opens, circumstances have left him a shellshocked shadow of his former self, initiating an exploration of who, once you strip away the larger-than-life bluff and bluster, the real Blaster is. Expect a host of cool cameos, a link to one of the other existing Spotlights and a dramatic new direction for the focal character that will (eventually) affect the 'ongoing.' For those of you who felt Galvatron and Optimus Prime maybe weren't self-contained enough for the Spotlight format, hopefully Blaster will fulfil all the criteria."

Spotlight Blaster is scheduled to be released in January 2008!

So you can start making your speculations based on this, the newest information that we have!

I bolded some parts to highlight a theory that I have, as well as some of the more major points of what Simon said (Ha!), that I think others will catch onto. Of course, I am probably wrong, but speculating about the direction, history, and characters in the IDW universe is quickly becoming a favorite, time-consuming past time of many in our community.

Seibertron.com Comic Book News...fulfilling your questions, one report at a time.

Simon Furman Blog Update; Concerning IDW's Beast Wars Sourcebooks.

Date: Tuesday, September 25th 2007 6:22pm CDT
Categories: Comic Book News, People News, Digital Media News
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): Simon Furman

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IDW writer Simon Furman has once again updated his Blog, this time talking about the work he and Ben Yee put into created the upcoming Beast Wars Sourcebooks.

Some excerpts from his blog post can be found below:

But a unified Beast Wars universe, one that amalgamates the US Beast Wars TV series/toy line with its Japanese counterparts (BW II and BW Neo) and, for good measure, the convention/store exclusive toy characters. That was what we (myself and bwtf.com’s Ben Yee) set out to do when (over a year ago now) we began to craft a four-issue sourcebook/profile series for Transformers Beast Wars, the first issue of which is available next week. No easy task, as there are elements of the Japanese shows that just aren’t easily compatible with the US series.

Over the course of the four issues, no less than 162 characters are profiled, and (in issue #4) there’s an extensive glossary. Entries vary from one to two to three pages, depending on number of alt. forms or variations. Main characters, such as Optimus Primal and Megatron get the full three-page treatment, even including early (unused in the TV show) forms such as bat Primal and croc Megatron. It took a good chunk of time to write all four issues, and longer still for IDW editorial to commission the illustrations and compile the books. But here we are at last. Beast Wars Sourcebook #1 hits the stores on Oct 3rd (US) and Oct 4th (UK).

For the full Blog, including the process which Furman and Yess went through to set out the Timeline of the Beast Wars Universe, the Cybertronian hierarchy, and other useful tidbits please Click here.

(Rumor) Transformers 2-- Summer 2009 ?

Date: Saturday, September 22nd 2007 4:54pm CDT
Categories: Live Action Movie News, People News, Digital Media News
Posted by: Tigertrack | Credit(s): TFW 2005

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We have news that according to Nelson's blog at MichaelBay.com that Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg are signed up and will have the second TF movie ready for Summer 2009!!!

I am presenting this as a rumor for now, but the LA Times started the ball rolling with an article they did on Spielberg.

We'll let you know when we find out more about the sequel to the Transformers Movie in the Seibertron.com Movie News.