The last time a so-called 'urban' musician took on The Wizard of Oz, we ended up with The Wiz. Hopefully things will work out a little better this time. Variety reports that Pras Michel (of The Fugees) has secured the film and television rights to the comic series Dark Oz. The story centers on a much more violent and scary Land of Oz. A grown-up Dorothy Gale is back in town along with some of the familiar faces (Tinman, The Scarecrow), and even some less familiar characters from Frank L. Baum's fantasy.

The comics were created by Aaron Denenberg, Ralph Griffith and Stuart Kerr, and were released by Caliber Comics. After twenty issues, six specials, and two three-issue limited series, the Oz line was completed. Then, the series was revived under Arrow Comics and earned the name change of Dark Oz to finish the stories originally started in the first series. After five issues, another name change was on board, and Dark Oz became The Land of Oz. When these later stories began, a much more conventional (and far less Gothic) vision of Oz returned.

Pras is planning to produce all three live action films adapted from the Dark Oz line. Plus, he has his sights on playing The Scarecrow in the feature film. For those of you out there who only know Pras as a musician, he already has plenty of experience in the business. In 2007, he produced and starred in a documentary about the homeless, and he is also behind the sci-fi thriller The Mutant Chronicles with Thomas Jane. There is no word yet on who Pras has in mind to write or direct Oz, but stay tuned to Cinematical for any updates that come our way.

What perfect timing, after 68 years, for the Munchkins of Oz to get their very own star on Hollywood Boulevard. This is the time of year when most of us would watch The Wizard of Oz on television. Of course, this year it doesn't seem to be airing on Thanksgiving. Why this is, I don't know, but in honor of the diminutive actors who appear in the film as Munchkins, I think we should make an effort to watch it anyway (maybe you own it, or can rent it from somewhere?). The Munchkin's star was unveiled in a ceremony Tuesday, attended by seven of the nine surviving actors (there were 124 Munchkins total). They included lollipop guild member Jerry Maren, town crier Mickey Carroll, sleepyhead Margaret Pellegrini, main trumpeter Karl Slover, soldier Clarence Swensen and coroner Meinhardt Raabe, who certifies that the Wicked Witch of the East is dead. Apparently the Munchkins received their star thanks to Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Mickey Rooney and Chicago movie theater owner Ted Bulthaup, who began its campaign.

This certainly isn't the first time a group of people received a star, nor is it the first time characters have gotten one. Honestly, though, I could have sworn the Munchkins already had one. In fact, that's the same response Bulthaup had when he found out. It actually makes me wonder how many significant people and characters aren't among the thousands who have their own star. Guess what? Bert Lahr (aka The Cowardly Lion) doesn't have one. Nor does Toto, at least according to Wikipedia's list. Who else, non Oz-related, could be absent from the Walk of Fame?

I know what you're probably thinking: "Geez Chris, enough with the technology stuff already." Even if you do think that, I just feel compelled to bring you these interesting tidbits about how technology helps, enhances or otherwise makes things better for films and filmmakers. This time around, it's not a technique or technology used during production or post-production. In this case, it's a technology used to help give older films the fantastic look of a newborn, just delivered to the theater.

What is this miraculous technology of which I speak? It's called Ultra Resolution and it's pretty exciting stuff. According to a recent article in The Hollywood Reporter, the technique, invented by some smart chaps at Warner Bros., has been nominated this year for a Scientific and Technical Academy Award and has helped in the restoration of several films in the studio's vast library -- including Singing In the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, and one of my personal favorites, The Searchers. According to the article, prints of these classic films exhibited blurring or "color fringing" as well as shrinkage, stretching and other damage. In case you can't tell, that's a bad thing.

These issues were made especially visible by the Ultra Resolution process that involves digitally realigning and sharpening the older film negatives of these classic movies shot on Technicolor three-strip film -- thus enabling a much better restoration than previously possible. Says Chris Cookson, president, Warner Bros. Technical Operations and chief technology officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment: "It not only benefits Warner Bros. and the industry at large, it benefits the movies themselves and the people who love them." Well, I'm one of those people so I say, "Keep up the good work, Chris." Films are an important part of our history and the more that can be done to preserve them, the better.

I'll admit right up front that I'm a sucker for The Wizard of Oz. Well, maybe "sucker" isn't the right word because that sounds negative. Ok, let's go with "fan." Yeah, that's better. Anyway, The Wizard of Oz is a classic film for the ages. It's a great story, complete with fantastic worlds, terrific characters, fun songs and even one or two important lessons learned along the way. Through the years, I've watched the movie over and over, enjoying it each and every time, secure in the knowledge (for the most part) that there weren't too many attempts at sequels or, worse yet, reimaginings to ruin the experience.

Of course, there have been a few attempts -- most notably the "official" animated sequel Journey Back to Oz , the much darker Return to Oz featuring Nicol Williamson and Fairuza Balk as Dorothy and the ill-conceived urban musical The Wiz. But for the most part, these attempts were few and far between, have been met with minimal success and can pretty much be forgotten. But now, for some reason, it seems the Sci-Fi Channel is trying to get into the act with its own version of the classic story -- and yes, they've even used the dreaded word "reimagining" to describe their show. According to Sci-Fi Wire, the channel has given a green light to a mini-series called Tin Man, exec. produced by Robert Halmi Sr. and Jr. and described in the article as "a wild Sci-Fi reimagining of The Wizard of Oz." Mmmm, yeah.

The plot of this version, written by Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle, tells the story of a young woman named D.G. who is plucked from her boring life and transported to The Outer Zone (aka the O.Z.), a fantastic realm oppressed by dark magic. Once there, she must take a perilous journey along the fabled Old Road to a wizard known as the Mystic Man. Along the way, she's joined by Glitch, a man missing half his brain, Raw, a quiet but powerful wolverine-like creature who's lost his courage and Cain, a former policeman known as Tin Man who seeks revenge for his damaged heart. Ultimately, D.G.'s journey will lead her to an ultimate showdown with an evil sorceress called Azkadellia, whose ties to D.G. go deeper than anyone realizes.

This is the part where I say how much I think this thing is going to suck and how disappointed I am that anyone would even attempt to make this. In the world where I run the studios and control everything, this kind of thing would never happen. You just shouldn't mess with a classic like The Wizard of Oz. Period. Unfortunately, that's not the world we live in and instead, we're going to be subjected to this travesty. My only consolation is that this show will ultimately blow and then fade away into oblivion where it belongs. However, if you, for some reason, have any interest in this project, production is slated to begin in early 2007 in Vancouver (where else?) with an eye toward a December 2007 premiere. I don't know about you, but this is not something I want for Christmas.