Part four of the hybridization round-up is now available.

Continuing on that forgotten art retrospective, here is a page on the XF work by Sue Coe, the artist behind that cover of Songs in the Key of X CD.

The BackToFrankBlack campain doesn’t cease to amaze me with their dedication and the success they have in obtaining interviews with people in front and behind the camera, the latest being some very interesting interviews with Michael R. Perry, Frank Spotnitz and Mark Snow!

The release of the four-CD set with music from the series by La La Land Records has now been pushed back to summer 2010. Well, we’ve waited 13 years since The Truth and the Light, we can wait one more — as long as the end product is worth it!

I understand those who no longer wish to see a continuation of the X-Files on the big screen. Carter, and Spotnitz, do seem adamant though that they have one more story to tell to wrap things up, and by curiosity alone I would like to see what they have in mind. Of course making it a script tailored for a theatrical release would need to have it purged of the over-complicated burden of the series’ mythology minutiae and one should only expect a storyline providing closure to the fates of Mulder, Scully and the world instead of a tying up of nine year worth’s of loose ends and a host of recurring characters appearances.

One potential storyline can be found in the recent science news: the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder that has been causing a massive decimation of honeybees worldwide in the recent years! It now appears that the cause would be the simultaneous effect of multiple viruses on the bees, making them unable to produce proteins essential to their immune and digestive system. Could this be the work of an organized resistance movement trying to get rid of the means to spread the Black Oil virus and thus prevent colonization? One can spend time coming up with other amusing ideas for XF3…

Granted, I won’t deny that E.T.C is a site that does indulge in nostalgia sometimes. Surely, part of many fans’ continued appreciation of the X-Files comes from the fact that they followed the show when it was all-new. Sadly, many creative efforts tied in to the show get lost as the XF move further away from present times. In E.T.C’s effort to serve as a repository for XF-related items and ideas, here are the artwork of the “Wave” VHS cards.

The hybridization retrospective continues with parts two and three now online.

A part of the fandom has begun a campaign to lobby for a third XF feature film. More thoughts later on how desirable an XF3 would be.

But first, I want to congratulate the German fans, who managed to kick off their project for an XF convention: the X-Con, in Berlin, October 16-18, 2009! As far as I know this is the first official XF convention ever since the mythical “X-Files Expo” of 1997-98 that happened in the USA — and last year’s expo in Chile — which is quite an achievement.

Quite a few things happened since the last update. For example, The USA welcomed the President that will see the World end in 2012 and, hopefully, a third X-Files movie… It’s also been 20 years since Laura Palmer died.

– EatTheCorn moves boldly in 2009 with the first part of a six-part dossier on hybridization in the X-Files. The other parts are coming very soon.

– XF alumni and fans everywhere mourned the premature loss of one of its best producers and directors, Kim Manners. Mr. Manners was the X-Files’ most prolific directors, with no less than 52 episodes (a quarter of the series all by himself!) over 8 seasons. He was one of the key people that helped define the show, often competing in a friendly way with fellow director Rob Bowman over who would produce the best quality work. He will be fondly remembered.

– But there are also good news. Stellar news, actually! La La Land Records, who recently brought us some MillenniuM music, is indeed working on a major release of Mark Snow’s music for XF! And it will be no less than a 4CD-set with music from around 40-60 episodes… 4CDs! A tentative release date is September, 2009. I hope that a maximum of my wishes (see here) will be fulfilled! The 13-year wait since The Truth and the Light is nearly over! Speaking of which, thanks to Tommy for filling some gaps in T&L — more help to identify some tracks is welcome.

– In an awfully overdue update, I want to thank Agent Donald for mentioning EatTheCorn in his “Reopening the X-Files” podcast. His ambitious project has him doing a podcast for every single XF episode, an effort that is definitely worthy checking out.

– Also, the XFLexicon has undergone an extensive revamping and continues its work of bringing us interesting articles and insights in the behind-the-scenes making of the show. In memoriam of Kim Manners, the Lexicon was able to obtain some unpublished parts of Matt Hurwitz’s interview with Mr. Manners done for the recent Complete XF book.

– The BackToFrankBlack campaign continues strong as ever bringing 1013 fans unexpected goodies, such as another Lance Henriksen interview!

Many news in the world of TenThirteen lately!

– First, the “Complete XF” book has been released, and it really is a must-have! Despite numerous proof-reading shortcomings, the interviews and pictures are many and fresh. This is the kind of ‘legacy’ book that a series of the importance of the X-Files was lacking before!

– Mark Snow music coming your way! Well-established soundtrack record company La La Land Records is releasing a double-CD with music from MillenniuM! Do not wait long to order, there are only 2000 copies available (the signed ones are already gone), you can order here and they post internationally. I hope this will lead to even more Snow music being released — my XF wish list is here!

– The Back To Frank Black campaign is going ahead full steam. The latest exploit is an interview with Lance Henriksen himself, over here.

– Speaking of which, X-Files News made a featured article concerning the BTFB campaign, featuring an interview with campaign co-manager James McLean and, well, yours truly! You can read it here.

– Finally, some updating within ETC as well! Chris Carter himself explains what the mytharc is all about in The Truth Revealed!

Though not a mythology outing, IWTB is significant enough for me to go into detail in a DataBase entry — especially since it’s the first piece of original XF material for six years, and the last one for an as of yet undetermined amount of time. So here is my review of the freshly released to DVD I Want To Believe! A long review that attempts to be comprehensive and even spreads to a critique of the state of the franchise and the fandom. Photos are coming shortly.

Matt of the XF Lexicon made an excellent interview with “The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths, and the Movies” co-author Matt Hurwitz, check it out here! The book really sounds like a treat, and delivery delays seem to be due to higher orders than expected.

Another 1013 today. It can be argued both ways, but MillenniuM might very well lend itself better to the feature film format than The X-Files. TenThirteen is certainly capable of delivering a quality feature film based on MillenniuM and its iconic character Frank Black! This is the idea behind the “Back To Frank Black” campaign. Be sure to visit and express your support — and, if you haven’t already, discover this other amazing series!

Things to look forward to: “The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths, and the Movies” is the new book on the franchise written by journalist Matt Hurwitz and fan Chris Knowles, and it promises to be the definitive behind the scenes publication for XF! Carter’s involvement should deliver something better than the purely promotional products that were the seasons 1-7 guides. Release dates: October 15 in Europe, November 11 in USA & Japan!

I Want To Believe has come…and gone. Before I finally find the time and verve to write a fully fleshed-out review, there is something else:

Things to look forward to: The greatest XF news since the announcement that XF:IWTB was in the works is that a new release with Mark Snow’s music for the series might see the light of day very soon! To that end I’ve compiled a list with what I think should go in this potentially “Massive Music Compilation“. If you want to help me build that list don’t hesitate to contact me!

For all I would have rather seen the series to end with season 7, the Primer could not be complete without a section on seasons 8 and 9; it is now done with Section 5: Back To Plan A! And it could not be complete either without another section that deals with the personal journey of the series’ protagonists Mulder and Scully: this is Section 6: Destinies. The Primer is now complete! This is your definitive guide to the X-Files mythology, the section to consult before delving into the details of the episodic DataBase.

Some minor modifications on Primer Section 0 and Section 1, as well as in 9X01 & 9X02: Nothing Important Happened Today and 9X19/20: The Truth.

Film update: This is the last update before XF:IWTB. Fingers crossed. I’ve added a ‘dummy’ DataBase page for I Want To Believe.

Another massive update to wrap it all up! All DataBase entries for the season 9 episodes are up: 9X01 & 9X02: Nothing Important Happened Today, 9X08: Trust No 1, 9X10: Provenance & 9X11: Providence, 9X17: William and 9X19/20: The Truth. This is the least liked season of the show (what a shame it didn’t end when it was at its height!) and this shows in my analyses, but it is also the least well understood part of the mythology as well. I really think I got it with this interpretation that is as coherent as possible.

There it is, apart from one or two minor skips in early seasons to be completed later on, the DataBase is complete! Enjoy it! I will try to do another update before the XF:IWTB deadline, this time on the Primer.

9 episodes in a single update! You can now find the DataBase entries for the entire season 8 — meaning 8X01: Within & 8X02: Without, 8X08: Per Manum, 8X14: This Is Not Happening & 8X15: DeadAlive, 8X18: Three Words, 8X16: Vienen and 8X20: Essence & 8X21: Existence! Sorry if my opinion permeates the mythology analysis too much. I think you can guess the nature of the next update from looking at the title of this one…

Reviewing season 8 has only made me see one thing more clearly: this could not have stood on its own without season 9 to answer all the questions raised in it. Up to season 7 all was wrapped up pretty well, but Existence would have made a finale that would have been very frustrating mythology-wise.

Film update: “It’s here!” “What have you done?” “Let’s say I want to believe.” “Don’t give up!” This movie isn’t out yet and many phrases have cult status already! And after six years there’s nothing better than seeing shippers being worried!

There is a quote from a recent interview with Chris Carter that I appreciated a lot: “Looking at the people on-line, it’s basically faceless and anonymous, so to have your voice heard, you have to scream the loudest. Or be the most extreme. Or be the most radical, because you’re just a voice in the crowd.” This could apply to Carter himself, with the presumed ‘giving in’ to the call of the mainstream way of television narrative and having Mulder and Scully become a couple. It also felt as if it applied to me and what I set out to do with my site. Great discussions exist on the forums — many times intelligent, oftentimes uninformed — but they get lost or forgotten with time. Here I attempt to create a concentrate of thoughts and ideas that could serve as a definitive reference. And if I have not expressed extreme views (shippers are stupid – noromos are dead – CC ruined everything – only FS understands fans) it’s exactly because I am trying to have as holistic a view as possible. This is why my hardcore noromo stance has somewhat mellowed out a bit lately, and why I think that the ‘happy ending’ last shot of season 8 is completely uncharacteristic of the X-Files. Here’s to the future.

The DataBase entries for 7X15: En Ami and 7X22: Requiem are up. The X-Files, 1993-2000? With seasons 1-7 all accounted for, what I set out for three years ago is more or less complete.

But this isn’t over yet! Even more updates are on the way in the big lead-up to the second movie…

It’s been ten years today that Fight the Future was released! “I feel time like a heartbeat“…

I’ve uploaded the DataBase entry for Closure two-parter. The closing chapters of season 7 are on the way.

Film update: 42 days left… Let’s hope it’s worth the wait! The other much-expected return of the year 2008, Indiana Jones, was rather much of a disappointment.

The longest DataBase entry evar is online. It’s none else than the Biogenesis trilogy! Knock yourself out. Amazing how dense the X-Files could be compared to other, more serialized shows.

Film update: The editing on XF2 just wrapped. Not much is new. Perhaps that is good news — it means the spoilers are kept at bay! Oh, there is this mysterious “Fencewalker” project that I don’t know what to make of… Carter directing two feature films at the same time? Maybe we’re in for surprises in the close future.

“The Cigarette-Smoking Man revealed.” “The conspiracy exposed.” “The X-Files Full Disclosure.” This is how these two episodes were marketed when they were about to air! Here is the revealing DataBase entry for Two Fathers / One Son.

I’ll be back soon with what will undoubtedly be the longest entry ever, for Biogenesis!

DataBase update: we continue ploughing through the mythology, moving inevitably towards big resolutions with the next update. For the time being, here are The Beginning and S.R.819.

Film update: My condolences to the french fandom who got a stinky title translation for “I Want To Believe“!…

Related trivia: Deep Throat’s “trust no one“, which became iconic of the X-Files in general, is to be found in the BBC miniseries “I, Claudius” (1976) that depicts the life and (all-too-frequent) deaths of the first roman emperors (it’s in episode 11)! Frank Spotnitz had acknowledged that the vaguely paranoid feeling of this series was an inspiration for the XF mythology.

DataBase update: “The X-Files Movie“, aka Fight the Future!

Film update: The trailer for “The X-Files: I Want To Believe” is online in just a few hours. I really like how Carter & Spotnitz have approached XF2’s marketing: anti-spoileristic and minimalistic (but how much of it is wilful and how much of it is disregard by FOX I wonder?).

The DataBase grows even more with the addition of 5X15: Travelers and 5X20: The End. Season 5 is now complete! And it’s been ten years since these episodes aired (05/17/98 for The End), wow! It’s the final stretch to the movie now.

Another update with another one of those massive DataBase entries, this time for Patient X / The Red and the Black!

Film update: “I Want To Believe” it is then. For all I enjoy the promotion campain — cryptic and elliptical as to the plot — try not to push the shippy promo pics too hard…

Have a good read with the DataBase entry for the Redux trilogy, and treat yourself with the case of Emily Sim! I’ll say nothing else but that the next update is coming up soon…

ETC in its current form has been around for two years already! So much has changed since then… I want to go back to everything I’ve written and write it all again! Thank you for visiting!

Film update: D-100 and still no title. Go CC!

A small update with the DataBase entries for Demons and Unusual Suspects. See you very shortly for the biggie: Redux!

The indefatigable Matt of the XF Lexicon made an interview with John Bartley, Director of Photography to XF for the first 4 seasons. If you’re looking for somebody who defined the cinematic and atmospheric look of the X-Files, it’s him (and Vancouver!).

Alumni watch: Within the promotion campaign for the still untitled “XF2”, Carter has given us an unexpected gift (Paley Festival, 03/26): a reunion with old alumni from the series. Not even during the series’ run had so many people from the series appeared together. And such great people! Writers/producers Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, Howard Gordon, writers Glen Morgan, Darin Morgan, Steven Maeda, producer Paul Rabwin, producers/directors David Nutter, Rob bowman, actors Nick Lea, Mitch Pileggi, Dean Haglund… and with tons of other alumni in the audience, all of this turnout organised with a few phonecalls on the spur of the moment. Wow! Accounts that TenThirteen people were not getting along were apparently too harsh — how inspiring to see all of them together, to talk of the X-Files as a slice of televisionary history. If this was done to give a sense of continuity from the series to the movie franchise, it certainly has convinced me!

I give you…the massive DataBase entry for Tunguska / Terma! If you think this is big, wait for the one on Redux!

It’s in the can! Principal production (shooting) for the still untitled “XF2” has now ended. Now the painful process of post-production can start. The marketing campaign already started, with deliciously teasing interviews by the two writers and the two leads — and teaser footage that was bootlegged on the internet (WonderCon, 02/23)! I’m seriously teased, drawn to think they might really pull this off!

Alumni watch: If you wander around Vancouver you might see a wrap party.

Another update with the DataBase entry for Zero Sum!

Matt of the XF Lexicon has kept busy and was able to make a complete interview with Howard Gordon, scriptwriter and producer — good questions, straightforward answers. Do check it out here!

Related trivia: Our Scully turns 44 today! A wikipedia moment… Did you know Scully was born on the same day as German composer Georg Händel, “Enola Gay” pilot Paul Tibbets, Ukranian president Viktor Yushchenko, or even Prince of Japan Naruhito? Me neither.

(With a slight delay) Best wishes for 2008, the year the X-Files return to the forefront! The DataBase entry for Memento Mori is now online.

Matt of the XF Lexicon has managed to come into contact with TenThirteen and pass on some questions on behalf of the fandom to Chris Carter himself! You can find the result over here! It’s comforting to have near-first-hand contact with the XF crew, this way we can really bring home that XF2 is not a dream and that it’s really happening! (ah, my questions didn’t make it, too nosy I guess…maybe next time!)

Alumni watch: Terry O’Quinn (Peter Watts in MillenniuM and various roles in XF) continues his role in the main cast of “LOST“, which is premiering its fourth season. “LOST” may have been painfully long to take off, but since the latter part of season 3 we see things really picking up. The producers often cite XF as the best example of lack of direction and of storylines being pulled thin after their natural conclusion. It’s comforting to see studios accepting to put a definitive future end date to a series so that the writers know where they’re going; season 6 is the targeted finale.

…And here is the DataBase entry for Tempus Fugit / Max. Incredible what XF did on a TV budget!

This is it. Today, shooting starts in Vancouver on “XF2”! And already a fake synopsis has surfaced in the internet, expectations and attention are somewhat high… In 2002, fans had funded a “thank you” ad in the Hollywood Reporter; they had used Scully’s speech from 4X18: Max on the extraordinary teamwork that made the Apollo project possible. The same words can apply here to wish the “XF2” crew a good luck!

Cheers to XF Ultimate, by the way!

Alumni watch: What, the beginning of production of “XF2” not enough for you?

Related trivia: If Apollo 11 was the first mission where men landed on the moon and later prompted Mulder to buy Scully a keychain commemorating it, Apollo 17 was the last Apollo mission — December 7 to 19, 1972. Apollo 17 was also the first mission which included a real scientist in its crew, as opposed to the usual over-trained pilots. It’s been 35 years that Man hasn’t returned to the moon. The Cold War sure did help Man boldly go where he hadn’t gone before!

I’ve uploaded the DataBase entry for Talitha Cumi / Herrenvolk; check it out, I’m setting some misconceptions straight here…

This update marks the beginning of a series of more frequent updates that will have the DataBase filled up much faster than what’s been the norm! Usually, I’m writing material for 2 seasons ahead of what’s online so that in case I forget something I can complete it beforehand. With big threads drawing to a close with Two Fathers / One Son, things are accelerating.

Alumni watch: The ongoing Writers Guild of America strike starts making casualties in the world of TV series, but “The Shield” isn’t one of them! CCH Pounder, Agent Lucy Kazdin in 2X04: Duane Barry, has a role worthy of her talents in this series, which is finishing production on its last episode of its seventh and ultimate season. “The Shield” has managed to keep a constant character quality and a bold rendition of the issues that urbanization, not only in Los Angeles but worldwide, rise today.

The word is out, the X-Files “sequel” feature film is well on its way towards production, with shooting to begin in December in Vancouver (which in itself is good news)! Code name: “Done One”. Remember the days when Fight the Future was “Operation Blackwood”?… Carter & Spotnitz made the right choice to write a stand-alone story and not a mythology (how to write post-series finale mythology after the improbable wanderings of Seasons 8 & 9? Does Carter still really think he can shoot a whole series of films on William leading to 2012?). What I hope to see is a good moody foggy dark atmosphere, a good “guest star” and witty dialogue in a “reasonably paranormal” plot. And a complete disregard of the current situation of Mulder & Scully, ie I don’t want to know if it takes place during this or that season or after the series: we keep the concept of two investigators into the paranormal and do a film on them — the same way I would approach a MillenniuM film. That’s it. Let’s hope for the best!

Some updating with a page on The Truth & The Light. Will I be done with the DataBase before the sequel is released?!

Alumni watch: Lucy Lawless (Shannon McMahon in 9X01/9X02: Nothing Important Happened Today) and Mark Sheppard (Cecil L’Ively in 1X11: Fire), who did a fine job in “Battlestar Galactica” as guest stars, will be returning for the show’s fourth and final season. “Battlestar Galactica“, perhaps THE best show around nowadays, may suffer from the upcoming Writers Guild of America strike. Thankfully the X-Files film seems to have escaped that!

As the X-Files reaches 14 years of age, things seem to seriously stir in development hell for the second X-Files feature. Meanwhile, FOX’s other mega-hit show, “The Simpsons“, gets a magnificent theatrical film, and already a promise for a sequel!

I’ve added the DataBase entry for Piper Maru / Apocrypha. Also, some rewriting on the entries for Colony and Anasazi. It’s impossible to write the definitive entry: with every rewatch of the episodes, there are new things that pop into mind!

Alumni watch: Howard Gordon, producer and scriptwriter on the X-Files up to season 4, has been working on another successful show of FOX, “24“, since its first season. Note that Gordon co-wrote the suspenseful tightly paced episode 2X22: F. Emasculata! After an instant success with its very good first season, “24” now has ended its sixth season with another
creative dead-end, suffering heavily from situations now repeated a thousand times and a tagline “Events occur in real time” that sounds more unrealistic than ever. As it faces its seventh season, Gordon and his coworkers promise that they will finally “reboot” the format of the show — but due to budgeting, and I suspect creative, reasons, the 7th season storyline has already been scrapped twice. Will this reboot prove to be another disappointment?

X-Files has now ended its air run for five years, and once again rumors are around that the second theatrical movie is really, really going to happen soon. Don’t know what to think about that. Apart from two more hours with two heroes of the ’90s, what could a new movie really offer? X-Files-like films and series are being released all the time now. Last one out: David Fincher’s “Zodiac”. Fincher had done “Se7en”, which had served as an inspiration for MillenniuM (which, by the way, had done an episode on the Zodiac killer: 213: The Mikado!).

A little updating with the DataBase entries for Avatar and Wetwired.

Alumni watch: David Nutter, veteran producer and director who worked on X-Files and MillenniuM and other shows, is helping the launch of “The Sarah Connor Chronicles“, a TV series derived from “The Terminator” franchise. If picked up, the show should air for the 2007-2008 season. Let’s hope it’s worth it.

The DataBase entry for Nisei / 731 is in! Yonde kudasai!

Not much is published on XF anymore. But if you speak spanish, you could be intrested by an all-new high-quality 400-page book by Sara Martín from Barcelona: “Expediente X : En honor a la verdad” (X-Files: In honor of the truth). An unexpected treat! (I only deplore the flawed interpretation of the mytharc…). Here you can find a good interview with the author.

To remain on the international level, a nod to the italian fandom! Sto attendendo!

Alumni watch: Actor Peter Boyle passed away 3 days ago… He had won an Emmy in 1996 for his memorable performance as Clyde Bruckman in Darin Morgan’s script (which, by the way, had also won an Emmy!). Also, the XFLexicon has secured an interview with the good ol’ Eugene Victor Tooms, Mr. Hutchinson himself!

Well, “The X-Files” is already 13 years old! Today is TenThirteen… happy birthday you know who. It’s fitting that just today, E.T.C just reached 1013 visitors!

I’ve added the massive DataBase entry for the Anasazi triptych. Season 2 is now more or less complete! Season 3 should follow shortly (really!)…

A considerable batch of updates: Primer Section 4, DataBase season 2, Media QTVR & sounds… I want the Primer to be definitive, unchangeable, but I had to add a paragraph in Section 3 nevertheless! (in “The Syndicate goes global”) Stay tuned, more is on the way.

A special nod to Matt from the XF Lexicon; here’s a site with an episode guide in which you actually learn something!

After some time of hiatus, E.T.C is back under new hosting and a new address. And, yes, new material! In the meanwhile, older fansites are dropping like flies.

The date is set and there are 7 years remaining to reach it. Tick, tick, Scully.

The DataBase hase been updated. More is on the way.

After too many years of laying around in different hard drives, it is time for all the data I compiled over my X-phile career to see the light of the global net. Exactly 9 years after I first saw an X-Files episode, Eat The Corn launches! The data online is scarce but there is much that is already written, data that will be uploaded imminently. And there is still much work to do. Years after the series left the center of public attention, years after the bulk of the fansites were left over and the buzz died down, this fresh all-new site will fight to keep the memory and the fandom alive. Fellow followers of the Lone Gunmen from all over the world, come and join the cause!

– Orodromeus