News / Archive - July 2003

July 31, 2003 Some great new artwork and a bit of site admin ... Kristi (No Frickin' Way / Absolute Annabeth / Teso's Art) has done another beautiful Annabeth-centric collage, this one inspired by Annabeth's role in Steel (below). Awesome job, Kristi! || "What was so much fun about Steel was that I really got to tap into a little comic flair," (Annabeth, TV Guide, May 1997)   || Have a great day! :)

July 30, 2003 Just a couple of reminders ... Tonight, NBC is re-airing an episode from last season's The West Wing (episode is called 'Election Night'). This is a great opportunity for those who want to start getting familiar with the show. Also, BRAVO Network will begin airing The West Wing in syndication (from the first episode up through last season) beginning August 11th (8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET). (Most of this info does only pertain to U.S. viewers. Apologies to the international fans who may not have access to see some of these re-airings.) || "It's not about making these women heroes. It's about showing their strength of spirit and not commenting on it." (Annabeth, on the making of True Women, TV Guide, May 1997)   || Have a great day! :)

July 29, 2003 Another minor West Wing spoiler for Annabeth's character, Liz Bartlet Westin ... :) Courtesy of eOnline! ("Watch With Kristen") : ----- "Question: Any idea on how long John Goodman is going to be on The West Wing next season? Bring back President Bartlet! Kristen's Answer: Goodman is in the first two episodes. Annabeth Gish and Stephen Eckholdt are also joining the cast, playing the President's older daughter Liz and son-in-law, respectively. They both have political aspirations - Jeb [President Bartlet] tries to convince Liz to run for office ...." ----- || "... I knew I wanted to be an actress, but I'm so glad I [went] to Duke [University]. I think it's so great to go to a liberal arts school because you get such a base of knowledge to begin and depart from." (Annabeth, The Chronicle, The Independent Daily at Duke University, November 1999)   || Have a great day! :)

July 26, 2003 Screen caps and clips, and a clarification about annabethgish.com ... :) Grilka has been so kind as to help me re-do screen caps for one of Annabeth's older films, Silent Cries. You can view the new caps here. She has also done a couple of clips from the film: Help Me; Camp Leader. (You will need WinZip to open; Real Player 9 to view the clips.) As some know, I recently had the chance to see this film and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's a hard one to find, given it was a made-for-television movie (thus not really available for rent/purchase), and it was made back in 1993. But if you do have the chance to see it, I'd recommend it. :)   || I've had several inquiries of late regarding the status of Annabeth's former official site, annabethgish.com. The site was discontinued at Annabeth's request (it was actually taken down back in May). Fellow Webmasters will likely want to remove any links they might have to that site as it will not be put back online. With Annabeth's cancellation of the official site came her decision to take me up on the offer I had made to her (in March, when the 2nd Annual Book of Birthday Greetings was sent to her) to use this site as her preferred means by which to communicate news/information to her fans. That said, this site is NOT being termed and/or advertised as her "official site" as she would like it to remain independent and true to the fan base. She much prefers working with and contributing to this site in lieu of having an official site, and she has been incredibly kind and generous in lending her time thus far to the Q&As, to news, and to a couple of other things I'm working on with her. I remain extremely grateful to her for wanting to use and participate in ATA. It has been wonderful to establish a dialogue with her, and it's a great privilege to be able to run this site with her permission and support. Apologies to everyone who may/may not have known this whole story. Hopefully this will help answer some of your questions. :) || Have a great day! :)

July 25, 2003 Just a clarification ... As the buzz and excitement builds regarding Annabeth's new role on The West Wing (and there is certainly a lot! :) ), I thought it best to clarify how spoiler information may/may not be posted here at the site. Any spoiler info you find here will, as a general rule, be in direct relation to Annabeth's character, Elizabeth Bartlet Westin. More importantly, I intend to post information which is confirmed and/or from reputable sources. If you are looking for additional background information on the show itself, or potential spoilers/discussion of potential spoilers for the upcoming season overall, I'd suggest checking out joshlyman.com or The West Wing Continuity Guide. Those two unofficial sites offer great background on the show, and some excellent spoilers (if you are the spoiler-kind). I hope this doesn't disappoint anyone ... but I feel this is the best way to keep everything accurate, which is always my primary goal with this site. For those of you who remember the older days of the X-Files-related Haven Message Board, I appreciated Webmaster Amy's efforts in trying to keep spoilers/rumours in check (to the best of her ability) so as not to mislead anyone. So, I'm following that example. :) || Everyone have a great day! :)

July 24, 2003 Background on Annabeth's latest character, site admin, and re-runs ... The rockin' Sabrina sent along some additional details regarding the Elizabeth Bartlet Westin character that Annabeth will portray on The West Wing. (Thank you so much, Sabrina! :) ) (**NOTE: This info does contain potential spoilers, so those of you who like to remain spoiler-free may not want to read much further ... :) ... ) ---------- (originally courtesy/posted of/at joshlyman.com) "... Elizabeth 'Liz' Bartlet Westin is President Jed Bartlet's eldest daughter[.] [S]he has two sisters, Eleanor and Zoey Patricia Bartlet. She is married to someone who has high political ambitions [Doug Westin, who will be played by actor Steven Eckholdt, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter on 7/24] .... They have two children, Annie and George, their daughter Annie was 13 when she was last mentioned on the show in 1999. She once received a Raggedy Ann doll with a knife through its throat when she commented on the irrelevance of religious fervor in the finding of a tomato, whose insides looked like a rosary. Elizabeth is very smart and might be into politics herself which is probably one of the reasons why her relationship to her father is not the best (there have been mentions of her on the show that indicated that there's probably a lot of tension between Elizabeth and her father) ...." || Site admin: I've made edits to the Biography and TV/Filmography sections of this site to incorporate Annabeth's joining The West Wing. I've also added a couple of WW links in the Links sections (both official and unofficial sites). || For those not familiar with The West Wing, and/or who have never watched it, you might want to catch up on the show itself by watching a few re-runs. You can catch re-runs this summer (albeit sporadically) on NBC. And, the BRAVO Network will begin airing the entire series in syndication in August. I believe BRAVO will be starting with the first season, which I thought was the best. :) || Everyone have a great day! :)

July 22, 2003 -- SPECIAL UPDATE Annabeth's next project: NBC's The West Wing :) From the Hollywood Reporter ... ---------- July 22, 2003 Gish elected 'West Wing' 1st daughter By Nellie Andreeva Get ready to meet President Bartlet's older daughter. Annabeth Gish has been tapped as a recurring on the NBC White House drama "The West Wing," playing Elizabeth Bartlet Westin, President Jed Bartlet's (Martin Sheen) older daughter who has been talked about on the show but has never made an appearance. Bartlet's younger daughter Zoey, played by Elisabeth Moss, has been a recurring character on the Emmy-winning drama from John Wells Prods. and Warner Bros. TV. Gish will make her debut in next season's opening two episodes, which were written by executive producer Wells, who has taken the reins of the series following the May exit of creator/executive producer Aaron Sorkin. Sources said Gish is one of several actors "West Wing" producers plan to bring in for recurring roles this season. Gish co-starred opposite Gillian Anderson and Robert Patrick on the last two seasons of the Fox sci-fi drama "The X-Files." She will next be seen in the indie Knots alongside John Stamos and Scott Cohen. Gish is repped by ICM and Joan Hyler of Hyler Management. ---------- Just to follow up  ... Annabeth phoned last Friday evening to let me know the great news, but I could not post it here until it was officially released by her management on Monday (July 21). Needless to say, she is tremendously excited to have won the role. And, she is looking forward to being back on television. It's a great fit for her - and she will be a great addition to an already stellar cast. :) Congratulations again, Annabeth! :)

July 19, 2003 -- SPECIAL UPDATE News of Annabeth's next project is on the horizon ... I will have confirmation next week of Annabeth's next project. I'm not at liberty to post and/or announce the news as yet (at the request of her management and publicist). But suffice it to say that it's going to be a great role - and a wonderful opportunity - for her. Congratulations, Annabeth! You got it! :) (So ... watch this space ... :) ...)

July 18, 2003 Just a note ... :) I'm away again for a bit, so updates will return mid-week next week. :) (And just a VCR reminder, too, that both Mystic Pizza and Hiding Out will be airing this weekend - Friday, Sunday respectively. Double-check your local listings for airtimes.) || "I’d rather say that I’ve played good, likable, wholesome roles than the cheesecakey, teenager, cheerleader types." (Annabeth, US Weekly, October 30, 1989)   || Have a great day! :)

July 16, 2003 An early biography ... :) Julie has sent along a wonderful bit of retro-info on Annabeth: her biography, as written up in the 1986 press kit for Desert Bloom. I think it's quite neat to read this now, particularly after Annabeth's recent answer to the question of has her motivation for acting changed over time, as well as her recent comments in the filmmonthly.com interview on where she sees herself now in her career. There are also some great comments on Annabeth from her co-stars in the film (Jon Voight and Ellen Barkin). Read it all here. (And thanks ever so much, Julie! :) ) || "Working with Annabeth has been an extraordinary experience. Part of the beauty of it has been watching her grow from a tentative newcomer to someone who is now thinking all the time, and who really understands the boundaries of her character." (Ellen Barkin, Desert Bloom Press Kit, 1986)   || Have a great day! :)

July 14, 2003 A retroview, and some additional X-Files DVD news ... :) The amazing Julie has sent along a January 2001 article from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, which you can read here. The article discusses Annabeth first joining The X-Files as Special Agent Monica Reyes, and it is, as always, another good read. :) (And thanks so much, Julie!) || "I'm trying to keep my brain as alive as possible in this town." (Annabeth, on spending her spare time reading, practicing yoga and hiking, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, January 21, 2001)   || 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has set up a new X-Files Web site specifically for the release of the series on DVD: www.foxhome.com/xfilesportal. Season 8 is still scheduled to be released on November 4th. || I would also just like to thank everyone once again for continuing to send in some wonderful questions for Annabeth. Please do keep them coming! :) || Have a great day! :)

July 11, 2003 Just an admin note and a VCR reminder ... I'm off again for a couple of days, so updates will resume next week. But for those of you who didn't get the chance to see No Higher Love (a.k.a. God's New Plan) when it aired at the end of June, it is re-airing again this Sunday on the Lifetime Television cable channel at 5 p.m. Eastern/Pacific. (I would double-check your local listings to make sure of the time). Don't forget to set your VCRs!   || Have a good one! :)

July 9, 2003 A new clip, and some (small) new site animation ... :) Grilka has done a clip from When He's Not a Stranger: Addressing the Court. This is actually from the end of the film, so potential "spoiler" warning. (However, I know several of you have thought this is a tough film to watch given the subject matter - date rape. So, you might like being able to see justice served in this clip. :) You will need WinZip to open; RealPlayer 9 to view.) Thanks so much as always, Grilka! :) || As you might have noticed, I've added a couple of animated images to the site - both here as well as on the Home page. Nothing too fancy. Hope you like them. :)  || Everyone have a great day! :)

July 7, 2003 A beautiful drawing  ... :) The extremely talented Cate (of The X-Files Touchstone) has very kindly allowed me to post the drawing she did last year of Annabeth as X-Files Special Agent Monica Reyes. This is the absolute best illustration of Annabeth I have seen, and Cate has brilliantly captured her likeness. It's almost hard to tell this is a drawing. :) (**IMPORTANT NOTE: This drawing is the property of Cate/XF Touchstone. Webmasters wanting to sanction the use of this drawing MUST ask Cate's permission, not me. Feel free to send Cate an e-mail as re-posting it without Cate's knowledge/permission is prohibited.) Thank you so much Cate for such an amazing drawing! Excellent work! :) || Everyone have a great day! :)

July 3, 2003 Happy 4th of July Weekend! Questions for (and answers from) Annabeth ... :) Annabeth has sent along her answers for the questions submitted for the month of July. I've listed them below, and I've also archived them under "Messages from Annabeth". Enjoy! :) ----------- Name: AN75 Question: You’ve been acting since childhood. Have your motivations for being an actor changed over time and, if so, how? Annabeth's Answer: My motivation to be an actor has become more defined and distinct as I’ve gotten older. I’ve always wanted to act as a means of self-expression, creativity and connection with others, and as a young woman that was a very pure drive in me. Pure and innocent. Now the drive has deepened with experience. It is stronger and more individual to who I am as a woman, with a more focused awareness of how art and acting and film is each a business and a disciplined craft. It takes tremendous practice to find and manage a balance in both. ---------- Name: Martina Question: Being a big, big classic movies fan myself, would you like to remake a classic movie? If yes, which one? Annabeth's Answer: I have always been a fan of the Otto Preminger movie Laura starring Gene Tierney. It’s a great thriller but also a character piece with a strong female character. Spooky! I think it would be a great film to remake. I also love It Happened One Night with Claudette Colbert. Good comedy. And Jessica Lange in Frances has remained an incredibly intense example for me of fine dramatic acting. However, that movie and her performance in it is untouchable. || Friday is a holiday for many here in the U.S., so I'll be away for a few days on a long weekend. I hope everyone has a great end to the week! :)

Return to News Archive