Loads of News Over the Weekend!

Wow. I opened up my e-mail this morning to find all sorts of genre-travel news to share with you. So, here it goes.

Maglev Train Crash Kills 23
On Friday, a maglev train in Germany crashed into a maintenance car on an elevated test track, killing 23 people and injuring 10. These are the first fatalities on a maglev train.

“At this time, the accident was not caused by a technical failure,” said Rudolf Schwarz, a spokesman for Munich-based IABG, the train’s operators. “It is the result of human error.”

Ekkehard Schulz, the chief executive of ThyssenKrupp, part owner of the Transrapid train, told a broadcaster ZDF that he remains “convinced that this is a safe travel technology.”

Maglev – short for magnetic levitation – trains skim across their guideway held up by magnetic force generated by powerful magnets. This reduces friction, allowing for greater speeds. When the crash occurred, the train was moving at 125 mph, although it is capable of reaching up to 270 mph. The crash did not cause the train to derail, as a traditional train would have.

The Transrapid train is used mostly to show off Germany’s maglev technology. Those aboard at the time of the crash included Transrapid employees, workers from a nursing care company and people from local utility RWE. Currently, the only commercially operating maglev train is in Shanghai, China.

For more information on the crash, visit abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2481445.

A Force of Roses
The Force is with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade this year. George Lucas has been named Grand Marshal of the 118th Tournament of Roses Parade, which will take place New Year’s Day, 2007. The theme will be “Our Good Nature.”

“While my mission has been to entertain others,” said Lucas, “the Rose Parade has entertained me all of my life. It is such a joy to be part of this historical parade, especially as it is the same year that marks the 30th anniversary of Star Wars.”

For more information, visit www.tournamentofroses.com.

Another Disney Ride Makes Its Way to the Movies
Disney’s motion picture division has hired Al Gough and Miles Millar, the creators of CW’s Smallville, to write a screenplay based on the Jungle Cruise ride, reports IF Magazine.

This 51-year old water-based ride takes guests through a jungle river where they get to encounter “wild” animatronic hippos, gorillas and crocodiles.

Stage of the Living Dead
According to IF Magazine, a Los Angeles-based theatre company has announced that it will produce a stage version of George Romero’s 1968 classic cult film, Night of the Living Dead, opening late next month.

“The play is a direct translation of the film,” says a spokesperson for the Gangbusters theatre company, the producers of the production. “Cult horror film fans will love how closely we stick to the original script, while at the same time incorporating the blood and thunder typical of a Gangbusters production.”

The play will not be interactive like the Rocky Horror Picture Show, but will follow a more traditional theatre presentation.

Leon Shanglebee translated the script for stage. There will be two preview performances on Oct. 21 and 22, followed by the opening night on Oct. 26. Showtimes will be Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. It will play at the Stella Adler Theatre through Dec. 3.

Details:
What: Night of the Living Dead stage play
When: Oct. 26 through Dec. 3, 2006
Where: Stella Adler Theatre, 6673 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Calif.
For more information: www.plays411.com/livingdead or www.gangbusterstheatre.com

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About the author

As The Genre Traveler, Carma Spence loves to view the world through Genre-Coloured glasses. In other words, she sees the world through a lens of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, where trash cans can be Daleks in disguise and neighborhood forests can harbor faeries and sprites. Magic realism is real! Or at least you can choose to see the world that way to add to the fun and awe of life.