hurricane

From the TimesOnline today...

Guess real pirates still trump fake ones

Film pirates sunk by the real thing

By Adam Sherwin

Two actors leave a Caribbean film set in fear of their lives after brigands stage a series of raids

PRODUCTION on two new Pirates of the Caribbean films, starring Keira Knightley, has been halted because of raids by real-life brigands, according to reports from the Bahamas.

Two cast members have been forced to flee for their lives after a series of robberies at the Grand Bahama island location, producers of the Disney film said.

Knightley is starring with Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp in two sequels to the £500 million-grossing first film, which are being shot back-to-back in the Bahamas.

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Jason Kakebeen, head of location production, said: “We have had a slew of robberies on the actors who are working for Pirates of the Caribbean over at the Port Lucaya resort.

“They [the robbers] were able to get into the room with a key and stole everything from laptops, passports, cheques and other equipment. The money they stole was actually the actors’ pay cheques.”

Some actors and crew members have been robbed four times in a month. The last incident happened on November 11. It is claimed that $20,000 (£11,500) in cash and equipment was taken.

Mr Kakebeen, chief executive of Jemini Seven Entertainment, declined to say whether any of the film’s stars had been targeted. But he said that two actors had left the island in fear of their lives as a result of the robberies. The equipment and cast losses have brought production to a standstill.

Police and the Bahamas Film and Television Commission are investigating the allegations. Film production provides valuable income for the islands but Mr Kakebeen predicted that leading US studios would pull future productions if robberies could not be prevented.

The Pirates shoot ran into controversy earlier this year when members of the Carib tribe on the island of Dominica accused Disney of perpetuating the myth that locals were cannibals. A scene in which Depp’s Captain Sparrow is tied to a skewer with vegetables and roasted on a spit “like a shish kebab” provoked calls for local people working as extras to boycott the filming. Nevertheless, hundreds of Grand Bahama residents have signed up to work as £50-a-day extras, answering a call for “sailors, pirates and Asian seamen”. Filming on the sequels was due to be completed next month with a July 2006 release date already booked for the first film, subtitled Dead Man’s Chest. Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann is again swept up in Captain Jack’s rip-roaring adventures, wrecking her wedding plans with Bloom’s Will. The final film will be released in 2007.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/art...1890138,00.html

-- Hurricane

The play is pulled from the transcripts and much of the testimony is accurate as are the characters. There is some measure of schtick and improv in it to keep it interesting. The actual trial was an extreme bore. I've go three times and if I was there again, I would go this year.

-- Hurricane

Now that they're senior citizens they can still use the name when they're in wheelchairs.

-- Hurricane

I hear they gather no moss.

-- Hurricane

How cool i that? Now if only fortune could accompany the fame...

OryginalCinn and Diosa got some great pics...

-- Hurricane

And she was splendid. Ya'll definitely missed one of the great performances by a pirate nun. Well, Pais, at least your crewe showed up to support ya.

-- Hurricane

We write almost all of our stuff of as business, so that would be true in most cases. For the Windjammer trip we traded out our piratical services for free passage. We do that a lot in order to travel to foreign ports.

-- Hurricane

You can bareboat in the Caribbean for a lot less or get one complete with a captain and cook aboard. That way you choose where you go and can do as much or as little aboard ship. It's yours to do as you wish and most accommodate 6 to 8 of your mates so you can share the cost. Much better trip...

-- Hurricane

Don't miss the pirate museum there. It is fabulous - one of the best around in my own humble opinion. I liked the Blackbeard recreation in particular.

-- Hurricane

Too bad the spot is so perfectly round. I would have bought it is the circle was a little more imperfect. They were more like blots than circles. Sigh!

- Hurricane

Cold front in today in Central Florida. Will be 74 through the weekend. brrrrrr!

-- Hurricane

For those who haven't seen this in the Orlando newspaper:

Open casting for extras for the sequels to Pirates of the

Caribbean is being held November 19 in Orlando's Downtown Media

Arts Center from 9 a.m. until noon. The production, starring

Johnny Depp and again directed by Gore Verbinski, will be shot

on Grand Bahama Island in January and February. Background

Casting Director Thomas Gustafson says he's looking for all

types of good male actors -- but ONLY male actors -- to portray

pirates, military and Asian seamen.

For more info:

http://www.piratescasting.com

-- Hurricane

and i wont be at pip this year...nor jamaica....we should plan outing of our own!

That smacks of mutiny lass. I'll have you in irons for that. Or better yet, page 3 along with Rotgut/Nigel and WOUS.

-- Hurricane

Christmas trees look a little stupid down here in Florida - so we're going with a Palm. Besides, I think JC had them all around him back then. Don't remember pine trees doing well in the desert.

It seems so strange to have them that a couple years ago on the Panhandle the local Winn Dixie was advertising them as Fur Trees. Would like to see one of them...

Otherwise we're off to the holiday processional at Epcot, the Osbourne Family Light Show and the usual Christmas events around here once my cabin boy, Wrong Way gets here from Seattle.

We'll be fresh back from Port Royal so we'll all be in great spirits with a few load of Jamaican Rum in hand...

-- Hurricane

Sorry Hawkyns, I can't disagree with you more. I am in constant contact with the festival director on a daily basis and nothing could be further from the truth, at least as far as PiP is concerned.

There are naysayers who just don't want tourists there ever again - same old story as always. The wealthy transplants don't want tourists, but the Conchs do - it's their lifeblood, has been since the turn of the century. But the cruise ships are back to port, the airport is open and the city just hosted thousands of Parrotheads last week. A few venues shifted, a few rooms were closed due to flooding at Casa Marina, but everything else was fine.

Most of the PiP festival does not go near Duval or any of the touristy spots; it is at the fort which weathered everything just fine. The desire to not have FantasyFest in December is because the community considers that a time for families, not wild parties. That's the rub here. But the council is set to decide tonight if there's going to be a FantasyFest this year.

There's a lot of rumors around right now that aren't true. I think Patrick was even told by Greyhound that the airport was still closed. It's caca... In fact, the NY Times is set to do a huge Escapes story on Pirates in Paradise in their publication.

The biggest thing people need to do is contact their hotels to make sure they're open and that the room is confirmed. Also contact your car rental company if you have one - a lot of the cars were flooded at the airport.

-- Hurricane

For a complete look, visit http://www.piratesinparadise.com - it even has a Wilma update on the home page.

In fact, if the council does let FantasyFest go forward this year, catch the final weekend of PiP and stay on for some of Fantasy Fest the rest of the week. Now that's a party....

'tis named The Blackheart, for obvious past personal reasons and transgressions against others.

-- Hurricane

The airport has been open for some time as far as I know. If not, the festival director would have told me so. I think you got sold a bill of goods... but it is a nice leisurely ride down and you can't even drive it much faster than that. It usually takes us 8 hours from Orlando - 4 to Miami and 4 from there to the Keys.

Have a good time this year...

-- Hurricane

Very interesting read - it definitely kept me engaged. I know my cabin boy would like the tale and Christmas is just around the corner. Thank you so much for sharing...

If a pirate sends it to you, do you autograph copies?

-- Hurricane

Don't be put off with the Buy Everyone a Round crap here. I never have and never will. It's just nonsense. Now if it was a real drink in a real bar, I'd be all for it. It reminds me of the virtual hot tub nonsens I used to see in the early days of the net.

Welcome to the posts. I'm anxious to read an excerpt and glad to hear you'll be out reading for the kiddies. We do that sort of thing here on occasion... mostly with the under 7 crowd though.

Don't be shy to jump into the frackus. Looks like you have a healthy spine on ya and can hold your own here.

-- Hurricane

I definitely like the behind the scenes stuff, how the project was conceived, the development of the scenes, such as as the miniatures and office chair roll throughs. I didn't really care too much for how each ride differs, except for the trivia. I thought it kind of confusing there and would have liked to a section dedicated to a "ride through" of each of the rides from start to finish - so one for Disneyland, one for Magic Kingdom and one for Paris. But overall, I found the book a great read.

-- Hurricane

The Magic Kingdom Small World did change here in Orlando. Went through nearly one year refurb. Living Seas at Epcot recently closed, even though it has one of the newest attractions, Turtle Talk with Crush. So things are always in a state of flux.

-- Hurricane

I had a feeling my crewe would want to go on that voyage. Thanks for being the first Touche. As usual, you're at the top of my list.

-- Hurricane

I don't believe any intent was made to lambast your book or your prowess as an author, as such. Many posters on this site see a lot of people who drop in just to promote what they're selling - not just books but a piece of Ren clothing or a trinket - and then disappear, never to be heard from again. I for one am not shy about promoting my own commerce endeavors but I do so within the greater context of my interest in piracy and this board. Some here are a bit jaded, that's all.

So I agree with Blackjohn, soothe! soothe!

I think a sample page of prose would be grand. As a professional writer I always like to see the work of other artists... And actually you have many other writers of nautical fare here as well, such as King's Pirate.

-- Hurricane

Great work sir! Me mate opened up the treasure chest and gave a nod for bidding. So I have placed an initial bid. And of course, it's on me watch list. At least delivery would be easy, since we're in the same waters.

-- Hurricane

The Imagineers I've met take great care to keep the spirit of Walt Disney alive and well, far more than most others in the Disney conglomerate today. But as Walt himself said,

"It's something that will never be finished. Something that I can keep developing...and adding to."—Walt Disney

"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."—Walt Disney

The Disney properties are always being changed around. Go visit Epcot once. Or MGM. The ride is great but each of them is different... each time they were built in the new parks they were improved upon and changed. That is Disney... always changing, always imagining something new. In fact, in the new book out on the ride they consider the Disneyland ride the most inferior of all of them because it had to be backfitted into a space that wasn't designed for it.

-- Hurricane