People in the News: Last Thursday morning's closure of Seattle's Museum of Flight was caused by a celeb visitor, but all in a good cause. Striding through the Great Gallery of the museum at Boeing Field was Harrison Ford, who was filming two commercials to promo the museum.

The actor, who is a pilot, has an avid interest in preserving aviation history and contributed his time for the spots, which he narrates. The spots, by White Rain Films of Seattle, celebrate the 100th anniversary of, dare we forget, the Wright boys' first flight at Kitty Hawk.

Ford discusses his own love of flight and the "blend of freedom and responsibility" in the air. Perhaps not how Han Solo might have phrased it, but good enough for philanthropic work."

"Wednesday, March 5, 2003: Benefit Forces For Nature New York Natural Resources Defense Council will hold its Fifth Annual Forces for Nature gala on March 5th at Pier 60 in Chelsea Piers, New York City. This year, NRDC will celebrate the accomplishments of Harrison Ford, actor and committed environmentalist; Sally Brown, a life-long conservationist; and NRDC's Biogems Campaign, which is dedicated to saving unique wild places throughout the Americas. We will also salute the Biogems Defenders, the online activists who have sent more than a million email messages and faxes through the BioGems website.

This evening of celebration will underscore the need to defend the many exceptional wild places that face ongoing threats. Proceeds from the evening will support NRDC's Biogems Campaign and other NRDC programs to safeguard the earth. Event co-chairs include Dan Tishman, Heather Thomas & Skip Brittenham, and Mary Richardson & Robert F. Kennedy, Jr."

From DavisDVD.com:
"HENRY JONES JR. You've no doubt seen the Indiana Jones Trilogy advertisement which has been around the 'net. What I do know is that the scan is indeed genuine and originated from a European retailer. The cover artwork is temporary (good thing too, because they've blown up the poster art) and don't get me started on that whole "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" nonsense. But at least the chapter numbering implies that the Young Indy DVD sets aren't too far off. What I can tell you is that the rumored street date for the Indy DVDs is November 14th. Now whether the films come as a box set, or as individual discs is still up in the air. But definitely expect to see some stellar special editions this November!"

Also, from DVDFILE.COM:
"In other Paramount news, you may have heard word on an overseas release of The Indiana Jones Trilogy debuting this November. Seems an advertisement for the Trilogy began to circulate on the web the past few days, but according to Paramount Home Entertainment head of publicity, this mock ad is "a fake." While Steven Spielberg has made some public comments recently regarding fourth quarter release for one of the most anticipated DVD releases of all time, there is still no official release date released as of yet. Of course, stay tuned...

From Variety:
Harrison on New AFI Special - "Gary Smith executive produced the AFI's next special, 100 Years - 100 Heroes and Villains, airing June 3 on CBS. Those already set to participate -- will they be as hero or villain? -- Kathy Bates, Geena Davis, Kirk Douglas, Louise Fletcher, Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, Dennis Hopper, Liam Neeson, Peter O'Toole, Christopher Reeve, Susan Sarandon, Sylvester Stallone, etc."

From the Lindbergh Foundation:
"On May 16th, The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation has selected Jim Fowler, world-renowned naturalist and former host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, and well-known actor and conservationist Harrison Ford to receive its annual honorary Lindbergh Awards. Mr. Fowler will be acknowledged for his lifelong dedication to wildlife preservation and educating the public on the importance of wildlife and wilderness to the quality of human life. Mr. Ford will be honored for his work with the Riverkeepers organization in New York and with Conservation International."

Click on link above to read entire press release.

From Harvard.edu
Harrison to attend an award dinner that will honor Jane Goodall - Global Environmental Citizen Award Dinner - that will honor Jane Goodall on April 28th. A private gourmet dinner with Dr. Goodall and past Award recipients Harrison Ford and Dr. Edward O. Wilson following the Award presentation.

From US Magazine, April 14th issue:
"What's next for you? I'm taking some time off and then I'll get ready for Indy 4 in 2004. We have a great story line. Spielberg will direct, and it will be as good as any of the others we've made. Maybe even better!"

From USAToday:
"'Indy' trilogy ready to conquer DVD. Indiana Jones' latest crusade? Raiding the holiday home video campaign. Among the most requested movies to get DVD treatment, the Harrison Ford adventure series may spell doom for other holiday releases.

The Adventures of Indiana Jones — The Complete DVD Movie Collection, out Nov. 4, is a four-disc set (about $50) that contains Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and an bonus disc loaded with extras.

Among the material:

• New interviews with Ford, producer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg
• Each film was remastered in surround sound and restored digitally

"We're not just putting out a vanilla version (of the film on DVD)," Lucasfilm's Jim Ward says.

When Spielberg edited "E.T the Extra-Terrestrial" last year for the long-awaited DVD release, he digitally removed some guns because of the film's young audience. But no changes were made to the Indy series." What took so long? "Both (Lucas and Spielberg) found a pocket of time," Ward says.

Fans will have to be patient before Lucas' first three Star Wars episodes reach DVD. "We're not sure when exactly, but it will be coming out someday."

From Newswire:
Atticus Finch from "To Kill a Mockingbird" beat out an army of swashbuckling idols for the top spot on the American Film Institute's list of top screen heroes, reports The Associated Press. But it's the villains who stand out the most. Hannibal Lecter from "The Silence of the Lambs" chewed up the competition to lead the list of bad guys.

The institute unveiled its ranking of the top good and bad guys in American film on Tuesday night's CBS special AFI's 100 Years … 100 Heroes & Villains."

Finch, played by Gregory Peck in the 1962 classic, was a faultlessly noble widower raising a daughter and son amid Southern racial unrest as he defended a black man accused of raping a white woman. Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was No. 2 on the heroes list, with Sean Connery's James Bond from "Dr. No" coming in third."

From Sci-Fi.com:
Harrison Ford told SCI FI Wire that Frank Darabont has completed his script for a proposed fourth Indiana Jones movie. "Steven [Spielberg]'s quite happy with it," Ford said in an interview. "I'm expecting to see it in a couple of weeks." Ford added that he worked closely with director Spielberg, Darabont and executive producer George Lucas on the story. "The way the process works is that George and Frank work together, then Steven gets the script, then I get the script, and we all work together. We all met together and talked about it before they started writing."

Ford said that he remains eager to reprise his most famous role because of fans' demands for a fourth installment in the franchise. "It pleases me to play a character that audiences want to see," he said. "I know that it's eagerly anticipated, and I want us to do a good job, make a film at least as good as the ones we've made before." The fourth as-yet-untitled Indy movie is slated to begin filming in the summer of 2004, with an eye to a July 2005 release.

From Sky.com:
"BOB'S A JOB FOR HARRISON

Hollywood hero Harrison Ford has been tipped as the new voice of kiddies' workman Bob the Builder.

Ford, better known for his roles as Indiana Jones and Han Solo in the Star Wars films, is favourite to be the voice of Bob in an American film version. He was approached after revealing that the show was one of his favourites. The father-of-four put the show in the top three children's programmes and books he likes to use for bedtime reading. Bob's British voice is provided by Neil Morrisey.

The 61-year-old is said to be considering the offer from Viacom, makers of the American TV version of Bob the Builder. Ford is helping lover Calista Flockhart raise her adopted two-year-old son Liam. Speaking about his role with her son, Ford told a Canadian newspaper: 'It's great, I enjoy it. Y'know, Jay Jay The Jet Plane, Bob The Builder, Thomas The Tank Engine...'"

Thanks to Rober from IndyEsp.net:
"As part of a cooperative deal struck with Colombia Tri-Star Pictures, Harrison Ford will officially become a member of Atletico Madrid.Of course, the movie star will not actually play for Los Indios, but the studio’s films (including Spiderman 2) will begin a rotation on the club’s jerseys.

"The deal has generated massive interest because it's such a novel idea," reported Atletico president Enrique Cerez. "Each month the team will advertise a different film."

News source: Soccer365.com To see the magazine cover click here.

Source: Hollywood Reporter:
"The Adventures of Indiana Jones -- The Complete DVD Movie Collection" appears to be on the road to becoming the best-selling box set of a catalog film franchise in DVD history, moving about 600,000 units nationwide Tuesday -- during its first day in retail release -- according to industry estimates.

Considering the average $46 price tag at most retail outlets online and at brick-and-mortar stores, total consumer spending on the four-disc box set is estimated to have generated upwards of $28 million within the first 24 hours on store shelves.

While neither producer George Lucas' Lucasfilm Ltd. banner or distributor Paramount Home Entertainment would comment on Day 1 sales numbers, mass merchants and video specialty retailers all said that the Harrison Ford adventure classic has captured the home video buying public.

In the home video sales cycle, Day 1 sales and first-weekend sales usually determine how well a DVD release will perform over its retail lifetime. With collectable multidisc box sets, however, that theory doesn't always play out like a single title release would. Retailers believe that the "Indiana" box set will likely have long legs throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas gift-purchasing season"