September 2010 Archives   30 September 2010 Andy in Amnesty New Zealand Poster for Freedom Week This is an incredible poster and it's Andy wearing an Amnesty "I Heart Human Rights" t-shirt. The poster is to support Freedom Week 2-8 August 2010. Wow. Click here for the full size version Andy loves human rights because collectively we have all the power in the world to remove the need for one human being to harm another   Many thanks to sallyjaybee for the news     28 September 2010 Andy's Cancer News in Australian TV Week Magazine Australian tv guide "TV Week" this week has a mention of Andy's cancer news.   TV Week - 2-8 October 2010   Click on the thumbnail for the larger scan     27 September 2010 Andy Support Messages Update 27 September 2010 This is just an update on Andy's support messages. All the messages have been sorted and added to a mammoth PDF ready for Lesley-Ann to print and give to Andy. Again I was blown away by people's very emotional outpouring of love towards this man. The line below the main image (artwork by Beatriz) says: Fans reach out to support their hero, the wounded warrior. Andy, this is for you, your fans love you, support you and wish you the very best. Battle On, Andy, Battle On The PDF is now with Lesley-Ann ready for that special delivery.     26 September 2010 Andy Support Page - Comments Now Closed Andy Whitfield Support Page message board has now closed for submissions. Thanks to everyone who sent in their message and to Lesley-Ann Brandt for being the cool lady that she is for taking these messages of love with her when she sees Andy. There were 767 messages of love and support. Amazing. You can view the messages     26 September 2010 The Fight Of His Life - Herald on Sunday Andy Article The Herald on Sunday (New Zealand newspaper) has an article on Andy and the return of his Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The Fight of his Life Herald On Sunday - 26 September 2010 With the shock news that Spartacus star Andy Whitfield's cancer has returned, Sarah Lang recalls an interview days earlier in which he was celebrating the all-clear. Click on the thumbnail for the larger scan     22 September 2010 Lucy Sends a Message to Andy Whitfield Lucy has posted a message on her Official site and it's a moving tribute to cast mate and friend Andy Whitfield as he battles Non Hodgkins Lymphoma a second time. Read Lucy's Message     22 September 2010 Andy as Spartacus in Spartacus Season 1 DVD Released Today Spartacus Blood and Sand Season 1 is being released today on DVD, Blu-Ray and Itunes. In addition to all 13 episodes you get a whole lot of extras. As we all sadly know, Andy had his first round of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma whilst filming Spartacus Season 1 which makes his performance even more incredible. He beat Theokoles and he beat his cancer only to the cancerous beast to return. My heart goes out to Andy and wish for him to beat this tenacious beast again. Buy this DVD set if only to see incredible acting by a gifted actor and an ensemble of superb gifted castmates. Buy Spartacus Blood and Sand Season 1 from Amazon.com and Itunes     20 September 2010 Moving Tributes to Andy by Fans I found this image to be pretty much how I'm feeling right now with the news about Andy's cancer. Sparty is a little broken. Andy's Support Page is overflowing with love for him. It's been very moving to read the fans supporting this man. There were times when I had to stop because it was getting very emotional. Currently there is 339 messages of support. If you wish to add to the messages, you will have until 26 September 2010 where i will have to close the comment submission form. I will then be formatting the messages so Lesley-Ann can take them with her. Please go to the Support Andy section to read the messages and post.     19 September 2010 Send A Message of Support To Andy As we have all read, Andy Whitfield has been stricken once again with cancer resulting in needing treatment and bowing out of Season 2 of Spartacus. This page has been set up to provide a way for fans to leave their support to Andy. Lesley-Ann Brandt (Naevia) will be taking these messages with her when she goes to see Andy and his family in a week’s time. I’m quite sure Andy knows how much the fans love him but your words of encouragement will help him through the difficult times ahead. Please leave your message below. If you would like to send Andy a video message, please post on YouTube and post a link to the YouTube site. All messages will be moderated. Once again this site will be up for a week so Sunday to Sunday 26 September 2010. Lesley-Ann will take the messages with her and present them to Andy. Click here to leave message Please spread this message far and wide; let's show how much we love Andy!     18 September 2010 We Must Choose Hope - Andy Whitfield's Cancer Quite a few years ago an actor I admired greatly, Christopher Reeve, said: "Once you choose hope, anything's possible." A simple but very powerful statement. On May 27, 1995, Christopher became a quadriplegic after being thrown from a horse in an equestrian competition. Like Christopher, Andy is facing a battle to save his life. Back in July we all rejoiced at the news that Andy Whitfield had beaten back the cancer that struck him during the filming of Spartacus Season 1. He looked great at Comic Con; a little skinny but looking fantastic. He received the all clear from his doctors and was ready to go back to Capua. Official news hit my inbox this morning and I was dumbstruck. I looked at the email and just couldn't believe it. A decent, gentle guy who had the world at his feet, a young family and a great future but cancer had other ideas. I saw "Cancer" and everything else was blotted out. The fact that Andy won't be back for Season 2 is not important. What is important is that he gets the treatment he needs, recovers and spends the rest of his long life with his family. Andy's cancer has returned after the doctors gave him all the all clear. That's how life is sometimes. It's cruel. We get the huge joys and great heartaches. Everyone has come to love Andy for his brilliant portrayal of Spartacus, the Thracian slave, in Spartacus Blood and Sand. Andy WAS Spartacus. Above all else, Andy is a fantastic guy. When he was initially diagnosed in March 2010 with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, there was shock but a hope that Andy caught it in time and was going to be treated AND recover. In July 2010, Andy celebrated his return to public life by declaring his was cancer free and went to his first Comic Con where he was greeted like the champion that he is. The cancer had aother ideas. His Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is back and he has to undergo aggressive treatment. Into the arena he goes for another battle; this time not as the mighty Spartacus but as Andy Whitfield, the husband, father, son, friend, favourite actor to many. If this adversary could be beaten by love, the fans outpouring of love would have destroyed the cancer. Alas it cannot. Andy, your family, your friends and your fans are behind you and supporting you. Battle On, Andy, Battle On.     18 September 2010 NEWSFLASH: Andy to undergo more Cancer Treatment Oh my god this is so so so sad. I just received this and sadly passing it on. This is horrible. My heart goes out to Andy, his family and his friends. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Andy Whitfield, star of Starz's "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," has been advised by his doctors to immediately resume aggressive treatment for a recurrence of cancer, as a result of which he will not be returning for the series' second season, which was tentatively set to air in September 2011. "It’s with a deep sense of disappointment that I must step aside from such an exceptional project as ‘Spartacus’ and all the wonderful people involved. It seems that it is time for myself and my family to embark on another extraordinary journey. Thank you sincerely for the support so far," said Whitfield. "Our hearts and prayers are with Andy and his family during this difficult time," said Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht. "Andy is not only an incredible actor whose portrayal of Spartacus made an indelible impression on Starz audiences, he is also an amazing human being whose courage, strength, and grace in the face of adversity have inspired all of us." No decisions have yet been made about the future of the series. "Right now, we just want to extend our concern and support to Andy and his family," said Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director, Starz Media. "We will address our programming plans at some later date." Starz still plans to air the prequel to "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" in January 2011. Entitled "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," it focuses on the House of Batiatus before Spartacus arrives in Capua and stars returning cast members John Hannah, Lucy Lawless, Peter Mensah and Manu Bennett, along with newcomer Dustin Clare.     16 September 2010 ‘Spartacus’ Creator Says Viewers See More on Disc ‘Spartacus’ Creator Says Viewers See More on Disc - Home Media Magazine If there’s one advantage to TV series on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” creator and executive producer Steven S. DeKnight said it’s that all the gore and nudity cut to make episodes work for TV get put right back in. “The sexual content especially was a little too much for Starz,” he said. “Look for more orgy scenes and a gladiator with a large endowment.” Fans of the series will find that and a lot more when Anchor Bay Entertainment releases the first season of the series on DVD ($59.97) and Blu-ray Disc ($79.97) Sept. 21. “We have a ton of bonus features — lots of on-the-set stuff, a commentary with almost every episode,” Knight said. “I’m most excited to see it in 1080p.” The DVD and Blu-ray sets will both have featurettes about the history behind “Spartacus,” make-up effects, actors training to be gladiators, along with the commentaries, episodes with enhanced digital effects, bloopers and trailers. The Blu-ray gets an exclusive four “Director’s Cut Extended Episodes,” selected by executive producer Rob Tapert. “For those scenes cut, sometimes it’s just because of pacing or we had too much footage,” DeKnight said. “A lot of the way the show looks is because of Rob.” Besides the added gore and violence, DVD and Blu-ray also give people who’ve missed episodes a chance to watch them all concurrently. “Each episode got better as the season went along, and we picked up more viewers along the way,” DeKnight said. While Knight praised all the actors in the series, he saved special praise for the man who plays Spartacus himself, Andy Whitfield. The actor was treated for Stage 1 non-Hodgkin lymphoma earlier this year. “We looked high and low to find Spartacus,” DeKnight said. “We were lucky to find him.” Source     16 September 2010 Spartacus Blood and Sand In Turkey It was Turkey's turn last night as Spartacus Blood and Sand premiered. Esra sent me a note to say that the premiere (15 Sept) in Turkey! Ep 1 airred on e2 at 21:15 CET (Central Europen Time or 22:15 Turkish Time)..so if you didn't catch it, set the PVR and catch a rerun. Also from Turkey (and Esra) is the promo pic that was published in the local paper. Click on the image for the larger scan. The official Turkish Spartacus site is located here     15 September 2010 Spartacus Season 1 DVD Blu Ray Advert Roger scanned this great advert for the upcoming release of Spartacus: Blood and Sand Season 1 DVD / Blu-Ray set Click here to view larger scan     14 September 2010 Spartacus Behind The Scenes Video - Andy & Jai Prep For The Hole Scene Excited about SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND (Season 1) coming to DVD & Blu-ray next week? Anchor Bay/Starz sent over another fantastic video. Here is a sneak peak at a brand new clip from the DVD/Blu-ray featurette "Grime and Punishment: The Hole". Star Andy Whitfield (Spartacus) and Jai Courtney (Varro) prep for a scene where they are punished by being sent to "The Hole", with real cockroaches and all!   Anchor Bay Entertainment will be releasing SPARTACUS: BLOOD and SAND Season 1 on Blu-ray and DVD in the US next Tuesday, September 21st.     8 September 2010 New Artist to Spartacus Art Gallery - Julie Popowicz I am very pleased to welcome Julie Popowicz to the AUSXIP Spartacus Art Gallery. Julie has created a gorgeous piece on Spartacus The Thracian. Click here to view her artwork Julie Popowicz has been drawing for over 30 years, experimenting in mediums such as watercolour and pastel before deciding on pencil as her media of choice. Having no formal art training, she has slowly taught herself how to create such realistic works. Art runs in her family, and she is most happy when she is continuing this tradition. Click here to view her artwork | Click here to view Julie's site Check out the AUSXIP Spartacus Art Gallery for more great art     8 September 2010 Spartacus Season 1 Episode 5 Shadow Games on GO! Episode Stills & Video Promo On tonight's episode of Spartacus Blood and Sand - Season 1 Episode 5: Shadow Games on Australian channel GO! Shadow Games -Batiatus is presented with a gladiatorial opportunity of a lifetime. Spartacus and Crixus must overcome their mutual hostility to fight as a team against a legendary and unbeaten opponent. VIEW EPISODE STILLS VIDEO PROMOS         5 September 2010 Spartacus Season 1 Episode 4 The Thing in the Pit - Edited Version Spartacus Season 1 Episode 4 The Thing in the Pit. Edited Australian Version Reviewed by MaryD Having performed shamefully in the arena against Crixus, Spartacus is forced to fight in the Pits. Batiatus, determined to profit from Spartacus, may be at risk if his debts aren’t repaid. Here are my thoughts of the episode. I didn't review the unedited version way back in Feb so I don't have notes to compare this version with that but I'm going from memory (please correct me if I'm wrong) Read Review     1 September 2010 Spartacus DVD & Blu Ray Promo Video - Behind The Scenes Hot off the presses from Starz/Anchor Bay is a video promoting the Spartacus DVD & Blu-Ray release with a brief look at the extras       1 September 2010 Spartacus Season 1 Episode 4 On Aussie TV Season 1 Episode 4 The Thing in the Pit Tonight on GO! at 9:30 pm Having performed shamefully in the arena against Crixus, Spartacus is forced to fight in the Pits. Batiatus, determined to profit from Spartacus, may be at risk if his debts aren’t repaid.   PREVIEW | EPISODE STILLS | EPISODE RECAP (SPOILERS)     1 September 2010 Spartacus Caption Contest - Photo From The Thing In the Pit Caption Competition: Add a clever caption to this photo or vote (like) for your favorite. The photo is from Episode 4: The Thing In the Pit Having performed shamefully in the arena against Crixus, Spartacus is forced to fight in the Pits. Batiatus, determined to profit from Spartacus, may be at risk if his debts aren’t repaid. Click here to submit your caption     Read More Archives