Nikita Archive: October 2000

Sixty-eight days until 501
  Chris Heyn, Assistant to the Executive Producers of LFN, has taken pity on intel-deprived fans and revealed in a post on the Heyn's Hussies board, dedicated to none other than Heyn himself, that the premiere of LFN's shortened Season 5 will air in the States exactly 68 days from now, on January 7, 2001. And in a pattern deviating suspiciously from USA's often-erratic broadcast schedule, the whole eight-episode arc will be shown on consecutive Sundays, including Superbowl Sunday and February sweeps.

Amidst the general euphoria stemming from this news, more detailed Season 5 intel continues to surface now that all "Lights, Camera, Auction" attendees have reported in. This is the latest available data:

  • Eugene Robert Glazer, aka Operations, will be in all eight episodes.
  • Don Francks will also be in all eight episodes.
  • Alberta Watson will only be in one episode, the second one of the season.
  • Steve Shellen, who played O'Brian in the Season 1 episode "Voices" will return in Season 5 for four episodes.
  • The mysterious and beloved Torture Twins will return and both their names will finally be revealed.

Posted: 10/31/00

And The Gemini Goes To:
 
the gemini award  
© Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television  
La Femme Nikita's Allen Ormerod, Daniel Latour and Scott Shepherd in the "Best Overall Sound in a Dramatic Program or Series" category for their work on the Season 4 episode "Sympathy For The Devil," making this the only Gemini win out of three nominations LFN had garnered for this past season.

Also nominated were LFN Costume Designer Laurie Drew (who won in 1998 for her work on the episode "New Regime") for, well, "Best Costume Design" in "Getting Out Of Reverse," and Jill Purdy, Steve Baine, Rose Gregoris and Craig Henighan for "Best Sound Editing in a Dramatic Program or Series" for "Sympathy For The Devil."

The first of three consecutive nights of the 15th Annual Gemini Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Oscars, was kicked off in the Constitution Hall at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday, October 28, 2000, and winners were announced on the official Web site as they became available. The event concluded with a broadcast of the ceremony, Monday night on Canada's CBC.
Posted: 10/31/00


Weekly Question: Favorite Female Guest Star
 
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There have been quite a few over the seasons, some friend, some foe, some merely the innocent, unsuspecting means to an end for Section One. And while the choice may not be easy, it is yours. Pick your favorite female LFN guest star and tell us who it is in the Nikita Forum.
Posted: 10/29/00

Roy Dupuis: Canada's Answer To Mel and Tom
  Most recently Roy Dupuis has graced television screens worldwide as "La Femme Nikita's" spyboy extraordinaire, Michael Samuelle, and everything about the actor, from his eyes to his hair to his voice to his strut to various bodyparts we cannot mention publicly on this site, has been the subject of discussion among hordes of devoted fans ever since the show first aired. But as writer Mary Varble assures us, there's more to the man than meets the eye. Aside from looks, Dupuis's got lots of talent and on-screen presence. So consider his tendency to bare it all in front of the camera a stroke of luck, read the article and decide for yourself what the hype is all about.
Posted: 10/23/00

Sensitive Season 5 Intel Leaked To Fans At LCA 3
  This past weekend the third annual "Lights, Camera, Auction" charity event was held in Toronto, Canada, and several members of the cast and crew of "La Femme Nikita" were on hand to help auction off Nikita paraphernalia and answer fan questions during the Q&A panels. That apparently is when the unusually tight layer of security surrounding the abbreviated fifth and last season of the series was breached, and by none other than accomplished LFN director Jon Cassar, according to attendee reports that surfaced on various message boards within hours of Cassar's statements.

It was late Saturday afternoon when a post surfaced on the Heyn's Hussies board, summarizing what Cassar had told to a room full of fans as follows:

  • The title of the first episode of Season 5 is "Déjà Vu All Over Again"
  • This episode was directed by Jon Cassar
  • Matthew Ferguson is not in this episode
  • Roy Dupuis, aka Michael, is in three of the episodes that have been written so far
  • Dupuis will also be directing one of the Season 5 episodes
  • Larry Hertzog, former writer/producer for LFN, is writing two of the eight Season 5 episodes

Mysteriously, a few hours after this post had appeared and been copied to other LFN fan hang-outs such as the SaveLFN and Larry's Ladies boards, the information was edited out and light was later shed on the circumstances at Christine's board. It appears that Cassar, after divulging the sensitive intel despite a supposed gag order by Warner Brothers and USA, told the assembled fans that the information was not to be passed on.

Um, yeah. Right.

If that was the case, the question of course poses itself: Why would Cassar, who has directed LFN episodes such as the pilot "Nikita" and "Love," spill the beans in the first place? And to top it off, in a room full of fans who have been waiting for months to hear anything at all about the filming of the ongoing season? For his sake, I'd like to think it wasn't because he really expected what was said to stay within that room, but rather an attempt at a clever publicity stunt. Whatever it was, it worked. Word is out and the countdown for the yet-to-be-announced season premiere has begun.
Posted: 10/23/00


Weekly Question: Who Was the Best SOTW?
 
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Section One has had many opponents over the seasons, some more formidable than others, almost none they couldn't handle. They have been clever, devious, ruthless, and sometimes even cute. Who do you think has proven to be the most worthy SOTW and why? Voice your thoughts in the Nikita Forum.
Posted: 10/21/00

Mission Debrief: 3rd Annual NYC Party
  She posted and they came. Twenty-one Nikita fans from seven states heeded CelineDeux's call for the third annual NYC LFN party. Read here what happens when nice people get together and share good food and lots and lots of pictures of French-Canadian actor Roy Dupuis.
Posted: 10/21/00

Episode Review: Noise
  In a fashion almost as erratic as USA's broadcast schedule of La Femme Nikita, we have added a write-up for the season one eposide "Noise" to our slowly, but steadily, growing collection of LFN reviews. For your reading pleasure, reviewer Karen J. Brady shares her thoughts about this major Birkoff episode: a tale of raving raccoons, lots of noise, and the revelation of a first name. Read the review.
Posted: 10/18/00

Nikita Players Go Rouge With Personal Missions
 
Eugene Robert Glazer  
© USA Networks  
Abandoning the confines of Section for a day, Eugene Glazer, Matthew Ferguson, Don Francks will grace the small screen on the same network, USA, albeit in two different movies, playing the characters of John, Bobby, and Hector, respectively.

On Saturday, October 21, at 11 a.m., Glazer stars as John Dolan alongside Lynda Carter in the 1997 USA original movie "A Prayer in the Dark." It is the story of a Quaker (Carter) who seeks help among her non-violent religious community when her family is held hostage. Despite Glazer's brilliant performance as the tough, anything-to-get-it-done Operations on LFN, initial intel indicates that this time around his character has nothing to do with the despicable crime. Nor is it known just how he does fit into the picture, so you will simply have to tune in and find out.

Later that same day, at 3 p.m. to be precise, LFN twosome Ferguson (Bobby) and Francks (Hector) share the screen with Mare Winningham and Lloyd Bridges in "The Deliverance of Elaine," which TV Guide describes as "a brooding portrait of a small-town teacher haunted by a paroled con who holds the secret to her dark past." Available data does not indicate what Francks' or Ferguson's character in this 1996 drama entails, but LFN fans are likely to feel they are "in the wrong film" and should remember, during moments of profound confusion, that Walter and Birkoff will be back on Sunday night in "Old Habits."
Posted: 10/18/00


Mission in Progress: Episode Reviews
  Filmfodder is proud to present the first two of a slew of upcoming "La Femme Nikita" reviews. Let our writer, Joan A. Alpert (aka Justice aka Justicelfn as she is known in Nikita-savvy circles), take you into the warped world of Section One at the beginning of Season 4. Read her review of "Getting Out Of Reverse" and "There Are No Missions," and don't blame us if afterwards you're hooked.
Posted: 10/13/00

Pre-Birkoff, Matthew Ferguson Captivates in "Eclipse"
 
can you say hair?  
© 1993 Sony Pictures Classics  
Uh-huh, that really is Matthew Ferguson. In the days pre-dating his stint as Seymour Birkoff on "La Femme Nikita," he sported those luscious locks in movies such as Jeremy Podeswa's "Eclipse," his character Angelo as far removed from Birkoff as you are likely going to get. Filmfodder Contributing editor Eva Weber felt compelled to take a closer look and report her findings in this review.
Posted: 10/13/00

Weekly Question: Which LFN Stunt Scene Do You Like Best?
 
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In a long overdue but most welcomed decision — aside from a few gripes such as air time and the missing second half of Season 1 — USA Network is finally rerunning early LFN episodes. Getting back to the basic LFN, fast-paced and action-filled with plenty of conniving, endless mind games and a kick-ass soundtrack, the show re-stakes its claim as the best of what television has to offer. With so much delectable stuff to chose from it is a tough call, but I'd like to know which LFN stunt scene, from any season, you like best. So pick one and add your two cents in the Nikita Forum.
Posted: 10/13/00

Toronto Under Siege
  There are many things about Toronto that make the city worth visiting, and one particular hot spot, come May 25, 2001, will be the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel. On that day the Sheraton will undergo a transformation into the headquarters for "Close Quarters Standby 4," the fourth and last convention in celebration of TV's sleeper hit series, "La Femme Nikita."

Roughly 600 operatives—or fans if you will—from all over the world are expected to rendezvous at the above location for a three-day Nikita marathon meet. The event profile includes, among other things, guided bus tours with pit stops at popular shooting locations in and around the city, auctions of much sought after LFN paraphernalia benefiting the cast and crew's favorite charities, and the "Anomaly Awards," an LFN does the Oscar's kind of thing. The extensive—though still preliminary—guest list includes the entire LFN cast and many members of the crew. Surprise visits, such as the appearance of actor/mysterious spyboy Roy Dupuis at the last convention, are also not unheard of.

As filming for the series final eight episodes is scheduled to wrap in mid-December, this remaining con is likely to reach unprecedented levels of popularity—and the Sheraton Hotel will merely be the epicenter of the madness.
Posted: 10/13/00