Thanks to all of you that participated. Here are the winners for our "Win Harry" DVD raffle / donation campaign.

Prizes are currently in the process of being mailed to:

Leland S
Roxbury, MA

Gerald O
Chicago, IL

Pillar K
Oakland Gardens, NY

Darrell B
Fullerton, CA

Stephanie S
Madison, AL

Pamela H
Baton Rouge, LA

Millie P
Spring Valley, NY

Janet B
Oakley, CA

Heather G
Nantucket, MA

Jesse S
Santa Paula, CA


Special thanks to the following:

Ken S. - Our top donor. Thank you so much !
Laura C. - Gave a large donation and provided the Renewal Campaign with 2 copies of the TDF DVD set so that even more fans could have a chance to win !
Zarina - Also, provided an extra copy of the TDF DVD so that another lucky fan could savor the Dresden-y goodness !

Members of the Dresden Files Renewal Community will have a table at this years Dragon*Con 2007. Dragon*Con is America's largest, multi-media, popular arts convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film. It is located in Atlanta, GA and will run from August 31st to September 3rd, 2007.

The TDF fan table will be located in the Marriott mezzanine area, just outside the exhibitor hall. Drop by for swag, renewal info and more!

For more info on Drag*Con visit the official website:
http://www.dragoncon.org/

The Dresden Files renewal campaign is currently holding a “Win Harry” promotional event running from 8/8/07 through 9/8/07! Virtual "raffle tickets" are being offered for just a $1.00 donation each, for a chance at winning the complete Season One 3-DVD set of The Dresden Files. What’s the goal? To visibly impact the ledgers of Lionsgate by making quantity purchases of DVD’s — to convince them that The Dresden Files is worth their time and investment! The best part for the fans is a chance of winning the random drawing and getting their favorite show on DVD (with extras & commentaries) for very little money while at the same time supporting the renewal effort. Proceeds will go toward covering campaign fees, advertising, etc. Fans can show support by collecting as many raffle tickets as they wish.

Read more details and make your donation here.

After you've sent those letters and postcards (you have sent some, haven't you?), please take a moment and sign the "New Home 4 Dresden" Petition. This will serve as yet another way to let Lionsgate Television know that fans continue to anxiously await and support a second season of The Dresden Files.

Sign here:
http://www.gopetition.com/online/13670.html

Then go and send just one more letter!

Paul Blackthorne has made available a small message to all us TDF fans. It reads, in part, "I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for your support regarding the show."

You can see the full message at his official website:
http://www.paulblackthorne.com/

Robert Wolfe has posted a statement concerning the cancellation over on the SFC forums. It reads as follows:

"Ah well. That's television. I wish we'd been given another season, because I think we were starting to really find our feet. But alas, tis not to be.

So thanks one last time to the cast, the crew, my fellow writers, and all our talented directors. We gave it our best.

Also thanks to everyone who watched. Thanks for your faith and thanks for those 12 hours of your lives. We're glad you liked the show. We wish we could have given you more.

And thanks of course to Jim. Thanks for trusting Hans, David and me to bring your amazing character to life. Sorry we couldn't make it last a little longer, but we know the books will continue to rock for years to come.

All my best to everyone.

Robert Wolfe"

Read the original post here:
http://forums.scifi.com/index.php?showtopic=2283139

Paul Blackthorne will be joining the cast of the new ABC series "Big Shots" in a recurring role, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Blackthorne will play a sophisticated tycoon in the show, which revolves around four high-powered CEOs or CEOs-to-be (Michael Vartan, Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus, Joshua Malina) who socialize at the same exclusive golf club.

More here:
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=43015

As of August 3rd, it seems that spokespeople for the Sci Fi Channel are finally admitting what has been rumored for months now - The Dresden Files is "officially" canceled. Claiming production costs and lack of an increasing viewership, no further episodes of the series are to be produced.


Read More here:
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Roush-Dispatch/Dresden-Sci-Fis/800019821
http://www.syfyportal.com/news423993.html

Please visit our forum to discuss this news and how it should effect the renewal effort.

Denis McGrath, TV writer, previous network executive, and blogger at "Dead Things On Sticks" has put together a great guide for people attempting to save their favorite show. Number 1 on his list is "Don't send crap".

Here's an excerpt:

"The people who have the power to greenlight or un-cancel a show are never the people that have to deal with the cases of nuts or steel rods or Mars bars or fake vomit or whatever else gets sent by the skidload. It never gets anywhere near them. Instead, the likely outcome is that you're going to make some personal assistant or mailroom person's day absolute hell. For weeks. They get paid crap, and now they have to deal with your crap. It's not fair. They can't do anything about the show. And they're the ones who suffer.

But there's also an extra-special reason not to send crap. See, those powerless people? Even though they're powerless, they have something you don't. In whatever, small way -- they have access. The personal assistant to Susanne Daniels, President of Lifetime Networks, talks to her all day, every day. The mail gets delivered in the company each and every day.

Now when I worked at a network, occasionally, very impulsively -- someone very big would ask the "little people" what they thought of something. You know, to be populist.

What do you think they're going to say if they've spent weeks dealing with your crap?

That's right. It's only natural. It's only human. They are going to HATE YOUR SHOW. And they are going to be GLAD IT WAS CANCELED. They will not defend the show, because you have MADE THEIR LIVES HELL."

Read the rest here (and follow it religiously):
http://heywriterboy.blogspot.com/2007/07/emily-posts-guide-to-save-our-show.html

Creative fans are contributing a variety of media related resources to the renewal effort. On top of the wonderful banners on the Renewal page, contributed by Snarkle Motion, we now have a sub-section of the forum dedicated to this. You'll find an ever growing selection of offerings, everything from more web banners to letter templates to postcard designs. If you've made something useful to the effort, please register and submit it.

You can find the Renewal Resources forum here:
http://thebluewhale.darkshadows-resurrected.com/viewforum.php?f=23

Kevin Beggs, President of TV Programming & Production at Lionsgate Television, has responded to a request for more info from faithful renewal activist Belynda. He had this to say about The Dresden Files:

"We love the show too. Sci Fi Channel has the power to renew it, but has not decided to unfortunately. I would follow up with them. I noticed that fans of Jericho reversed CBS's decision to cancel that show earlier this year.

K"

When campaigning for the renewal of a beloved show, it is a great help when the production company is still behind the series in question.

I find it interesting that news concerning the fate of The Dresden Files continues to come from everyone but those who actually hold the fate of the show in their hands - the network executives at the Sci Fi Channel.

Keep sending those letters and postcards, folks...

Over the past week, mention of the renewal effort has been growing like wildfire. Here's a listing of a few of the sites we've noticed. Seen another one? Send me a link:


http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/index.html

http://spoilergeeks.blogspot.com/2007/07/and-next-save-our-show-campaign-goes-to.html

http://television.rockerreport.com/dresden_fans_campaign_save_their_show

http://tvfilter.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!DB9D137CC0F754C9!20912.entry

http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2007/07/11/harry-dresden-magically-disappears/#comment-359795

http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2007/06/19/harry-d-may-need-some-extra-magic/#comment-364890

http://www.scramblenetwork.com/?p=397

http://geekjabber.com/?p=37

http://tv.blogdig.net/archives/articles/July2007/11/Dresden_fans_campaign_to_save_their_show.html

http://www.scifi.com/sfw/letters/show.php?id=16316

http://hallopino.livejournal.com/24750.html

http://www.blogschmog.net/archives/1138

http://community.livejournal.com/skull_boy_love/100435.html

http://slwhitman.livejournal.com/64762.html

http://community.livejournal.com/send_bob_skulls/1068.html

http://riley-merrick.livejournal.com/53867.html

http://specfaith.ritersbloc.com/2007/07/13/dresden-files-faith-god-christians--the-fallen-in-an-urban-fantasy-series.aspx

http://www.syfyportal.com/news423890.html

http://community.livejournal.com/pblackthorne/29436.html

http://www.breezie.us/2007/07/13/save-the-dresden-files/

http://mytaketwo.blogspot.com/2007/07/dresden-files.html

Over the last twenty-four hours I've come into possession of three snippets of news regarding The Dresden Files. None of these three snippets of information is 100% concrete but, together, I do think they go a long way towards 'illuminating the darkness' we've been faced with over the past three months.

There may be some wiggle room here but until Saturn Films, Lionsgate Televesion or the Sci-Fi Channel deems to provide us with an official announcement then it stands as the most definitive statement yet made available to us.

Robert Hewitt Wolfe, executive producer and writer of the show, was kind enough to respond to my request for an update yesterday evening. In his reply, he states:

"Still cancelled as far as I know. Bear in mind that I don't work for the show anymore. My contract expired when I delivered the last episode for air. So I'm totally out of the loop if there have been any new developments."

I followed up with a request for clarification on the wording "still canceled" but have yet to receive it.

Another little birdie who will remain nameless (as I am unclear on their exact connection to TDF or SFC) indicates that a decision has essentially been made and that SFC may very well drag their feet on making an announcement until it is far too late for anyone to do anything about it.

In addition to the above, I have been in contact with the ever delightful Meg Cabot concerning the previous rumor reported on her blog that "all set pieces and costumes" were being sold. In the follow up I've learned that the reader in question, Vanessa, "claims to live in the filming area and that she has been buying things up at the sales for the past few days (this was last week), and that things are almost gone." Meg helpfully suggests, if the production were moving then it is quite possible they would sell off unneeded items rather than haul them across the country, however, given the dubious nature of the previous reports on Edmonton, I'm inclined to think this is not the case. Considering what we've been hearing, while this rumor is still unsubstantiated, I have no current reason to believe it to be false.

Yes, some of this info may be considered dated or mere rumor but I think it would be a grave mistake to fail to recognize that no true 'positive' news is emanating from any source. If we are going to fight for renewal we must base our efforts and goals around the most realistic picture of the situation at any given time.

...and since SFC apparently doesn't know that you shouldn't interrupt a wizard while he's wizardin', I suggest calling or mailing a heartfelt post card / letter to the following letting them know how much The Dresden Files means to you:

Lionsgate:

Kevin Beggs - President of TV Programming & Production
Jon Feltheimer - Chief Executive Officer
Michael Burns - Vice Chairman

2200-1055 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6E 2E9
Telephone (877) 848-3866

2700 Colorado Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Telephone (310) 449-9200
Facsimile (310) 255-3870

75 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10019
16th floor
Telephone (212) 669-5000

Saturn Films:

Nicolas Cage
Saturn Films
9000 Sunset Blvd., Suite 911
Los Angeles, CA 90069

Norman Golightly, VP of Creative Affairs
Saturn Films
9000 Sunset Blvd., Suite 911
Los Angeles, CA 90069

If you haven't yet done so then please purchase The Dresden Files from:

iTunes (Digital Downloads)

Amazon (Season 1 DVD Set)

Lionsgate is responsible for these releases and good profits will only encourage them to continue TDF is some form.

Continue to send your letters to SFC but encourage Lionsgate and Saturn Films to find a good home for The Dresden Files.

As always, more updates as they become available...

James, from SciFiNow Magazine, has kindly dropped into our forum to spread the news that our renewal efforts will be featured in Issue #5 of the magazine. No street date was indicated but I assume this issue will hit the stands in August.

You can see his post here:
http://thebluewhale.darkshadows-resurrected.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=51

You can learn more about SciFiNow Magazine here:
http://www.scifinow.co.uk/

The Dresden Files gets another mention on Meg Cabot's blog. A reader named Vanessa has written to Meg claiming that "all the set pieces and costumes" are being sold.

Keep in mind that this rumor is entirely unsubstantiated at this point. Also, if previous rumors about a possible move to Edmonton are true, it's possible that some unneeded items may get sold rather than packed up and shipped to a new location.

Read the complete mention here:
http://www.megcabot.com/diary/?p=505

Patrick Lee, News Editor of Sci Fi Wire, has just responded to one of my emails requesting an update on the status of TDF. While it is most certainly a canned response, it contains more detail than others reported receiving over the weekend. The complete eMail is as follows:

"SCI FI Channel has made no announcements about the future of the Dresden Files. As soon as they do, you'll read about it on SCI FI Wire.

In the meantime, you should direct your comments to SCI FI Channel by snail mail, 21st Floor, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112. If you must send e-mail, send it to feedback@scifi.com.

Alternatively, if you'd like to voice your feelings in a public forum, you can send a letter to the editor of Science Fiction Weekly at scifiweekly@scifi.com.

Good luck and thanks for your kind note.

Patrick Lee
News Editor
SCI FI Wire"

Take note, this message once again stresses snail mail over email feedback.

From the Rumor Mill:

Over at the SFC Forum, user EmpressTorch has reported receiving a reply from someone at Sci Fi Wire after previously inquiring about Dresden's status. She states that a 'Mr. Lee' responded, from what appeared to be a personal email address, with the news : "expect an announcement next week....and scifiwire will cover it."

Keep in mind this is currently an unsubstantiated rumor and it offers no clue as to whether the news will be positive or not... Updates as they become available.

Read the thread here:
http://forums.scifi.com/index.php?showtopic=2281064

UPDATE July 15, 2007 16:05:
Now comes Yaratel, at the Jim Butcher forums, with the report he has received a response from Mr Lee, as well. The response states:

"Expect an announcement from SCI FI Channel sometime next week.

Best,

Patrick Lee
News Editor
SCI FI Wire"

You can read the thread here:
http://www.jim-butcher.com/bb/index.php?topic=3774.msg92100#msg92100

Meg Cabot, author of the "Princess Diaries" series of books (among many others), made a brief mention of Dresden's renewal issue on her blog. She states it's the only show she watches on SFC.

Read it here:
http://www.megcabot.com/diary/?p=503

Stephanie, at Closet Sci-Fi Geek, has published an article covering the renewal effort. Be sure to follow the link and leave a positive comment:
---
http://closetscifigeek.com/2007/07/13/dresden-campaign-picks-up-speed/

"I’m not a hardcore fan of The Dresden Files, but I would like to see a show like that available on SciFi. It’s got longevity written all over it. It’s just one of those shows that a family can enjoy together, and it’s not so arc-based that it’s confusing in reruns. Plus, we have Harry Potter now burning up the theaters with the latest Potter movie - so why isn’t SciFi promoting their own wizard named Harry?..."

Read the rest of the article at:
http://closetscifigeek.com/2007/07/13/dresden-campaign-picks-up-speed/

Brett Love, at TV Squad, has published an article covering the renewal effort. Be sure to follow the link and leave a positive comment:
---
http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/07/11/dresden-fans-campaign-to-save-their-show/

"With so many different campaigns going to save shows recently it could almost be a weekly feature here, and here is yet another for you to consider. I bring this one up partly out of a selfish desire to see it succeed, because The Dresden Files has become my second favorite Sci Fi Original, but also because I think it actually has a shot at working..."

Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/07/11/dresden-fans-campaign-to-save-their-show/

Brian Thomas, News Editor for iF Magazine, has published an article covering the renewal effort. Be sure to follow the link and leave a positive comment:
---
http://www.ifmagazine.com/new.asp?article=4692

Reviews have been generally good, with many likening it to a cross between X-FILES and a grown up Harry Potter, and most note the solid acting and intelligent writing. In ratings for the key 18-49 demographic, it has ranked just behind the network’s powerhouse BATTLESTAR GALACTICA – which is especially good when one considers that Sci Fi runs the show in the highly competitive Sunday night time slot. Despite this, the network seems somehow unsupportive, and now that the show is up for renewal for a second season, sources indicate that network execs are leaning toward canceling it. Meanwhile, they’re planning to broadcast some sort of live wrestling show on Tuesday nights..."

Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.ifmagazine.com/new.asp?article=4692

Dresden City goes online. Pages are not yet complete but since time is of great importance here, we will fill in the blanks as we go along.