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A FAKE television news bulletin that Belgium was to split provoked outrage in both halves of the country yesterday."Irresponsible", "questionable" and "regrettable" were among the reactions from Belgium's political mainstream in both French-speaking Wallonia and Dutch-speaking Flanders after a fictional report that Flanders had declared independence. The prime minister Guy Verhofstadt's office described the bulletin as a "misplaced joke". A commission of the Francophone parliament was set to view RTBF's footage, which included a report that King Albert II had fled the country. Only much later during the broadcast did a subtitle reveal that the reports were fictional. The Francophone...

Hollywood's problems at the box office last year may come down not so much to quality (or the lack thereof), as many have supposed, but to taste. There are plenty of talented craftsman in Hollywood, but—and this will come as no surprise—the prevailing tastes in Hollywood may not match those of the general movie-going public. Just look at the films that people actually went to see last year, and compare that list to what Hollywood is now recognizing as 2005's best. The 15 top-grossing films released in 2005, in descending order, were: Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith; Harry...

“Oh, and, uh, Tom - you’re actually playing an Iraqi insurgent …” Honestly, folks, I don’t try to start these controversies - I merely report and analyze. But it does appear that something may be brewing (a la Star Wars ) with respect to how we are supposed to ‘interpret’ Steven Spielberg’s forthcoming War of the Worlds. I am very much looking forward to this film, but I’m also growing frustrated with what I’m seeing in the press. One of our intrepid LIBERTAS readers, ‘Kevin,’ recently posted (in the comments section) some remarks from War screenwriter David Koepp to the...

In a July 18 article, columnist John Leo describes how David Koepp, screenplay writer for Stephen Spielberg’s recently released “War of the Worlds,” revealed his intent to draw a parallel between the U.S. military in Iraq, and the movie’s villains, an army of hideous space aliens. Based on a late nineteenth-century science fiction novel by British author H.G. Wells, the original story involved an attack from inhabitants of the planet Mars, whose aim it was to conquer and inhabit the Earth. Transposing the storyline from 1898 London to modern day New York, while still retaining a faithful portrayal of the...

It's time for your regular Hollywood update — in which people who earn and lose and gross hundreds of millions of dollars figure out ways to trash America, democracy and freedom.... Yes, well, God forbid anyone should question the motives of the terrorists. Not while Hollywood is so busy questioning the motives of the United States.... The actress Maggie Gyllenhaal... believed America was in "some way responsible" for the 9/11 attacks. She said this during interviews for a film she made called "The Great New Wonderful," which dealt with 9/11. Her shocking views were certainly less shocking to those who...

Writer says attacks in his film represent slaughter of IraqisA screenwriter for the blockbuster film "War of the Worlds" says the malevolent Martian attackers represent the American military randomly slaughtering Iraqi civilians. Dave Koepp voiced his controversial explanation of the movie script to an obscure Canadian horror magazine titled Rue Morgue, "apparently thinking no one would notice," writes U.S. News columnist John Leo. Meanwhile, the screenwriter gave the same jarring analysis to USA Weekend, noting that "the Martians in our movie represent American military forces invading the Iraqis, and the futility of the occupation of a faraway land is again...

Article published: Jun 28, 2005http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050628/REVIEWS/50606007/1023 http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050628/REVIEWS/50606007/1023&template=printart War of the WorldsCreaking Havoc Release Date: 2005 Ebert Rating: **    By Roger Ebert / Jun 29, 2005 "War of the Worlds" is a big, clunky movie containing some sensational sights but lacking the zest and joyous energy we expect from Steven Spielberg. It proceeds with the lead-footed deliberation of its 1950s predecessors to give us an alien invasion that is malevolent, destructive and, from the alien point of view, pointless. They've "been planning this for a million years" and have gone to a lot of trouble to invade Earth for no...

War of the Worlds screenwriter David Koepp admits political propaganda in movie KABC talk show host Larry Elder said today that David Koepp, one of the two War of the Worlds screenwriters, stated in a recent interview for a Canadian publication that the Martians slaughtering the humans are a metaphor for the adventurism of the American military forces, i.e., for the Bush Administration's war on terrorism, and the human civilians are a metaphor for the Iraqi people. He stated that this is going back to the original H. G. Wells book upon which the movie is loosely based. However, the...

Hollywood tiptoes around terror David Koepp, who wrote the screenplay for "War of the Worlds," says the Martian attackers in the film represent the American military, while the Americans being slaughtered at random represent Iraqi civilians. I see it differently. I think the Martians symbolize normal Americans, while those being attacked are the numbskulls who run Hollywood. Perhaps the normals went a bit too far in this easy-to-understand allegory, but think of the provocation. Koepp made the "there-is-no-Internet" mistake, carefully masking his analysis in U.S. interviews, but saying it flat-out in Rue Morgue, an obscure Canadian horror magazine, which he...

David Koepp, who wrote the screenplay for War of the Worlds, says the Martian attackers in the film represent the American military, while the Americans being slaughtered at random represent Iraqi civilians. I see it differently. I think the Martians symbolize normal Americans, while those being attacked are the numbskulls who run Hollywood. Perhaps the normals went a bit too far in this easy-to-understand allegory, but think of the provocation. Among other things, Koepp made the "thereisnoInternet" mistake, carefully masking his analysis in U.S. interviews, but saying it flat-out in Rue Morgue, an obscure Canadian horror magazine, apparently thinking nobody...

I was watching "The War of the Worlds" at my local theater, but thoughts of the London bombings kept crowding out the pictures on the screen. And those were remarkable pictures up there. Steven Spielberg spared no detail in showing a bloody rampage of space creatures across the American landscape. Yet the vivid gore of the movie did not overpower the awful images out of London. Why was that?

Snore of the Worlds(Make Snore, Not War) Don't Forget Your NoDoz! War of the Worlds or Snore of the Worlds? By Michael D. Robbins, FraudFactor.com By producing a re-make of the War of the Worlds movie, the pacifist anti-war Hollywood elitists have contributed yet another cure for insomnia, as well as a "war" movie where the Americans fight but cannot kill the enemy. Instead, the Americans suffer heavy civilian casualties and significant property damage. Then, in an anti-climax ending, the alien enemy is killed off by an acceptable "nonviolent" means - disease due to lack of immunity to the...

NOTE: This is a vastly expanded and updated version of a prior review from this group, which includes a host of quotes from those behind the film. It came via the group’s e-mail list, where the site itself appears to be down for the moment. WAR OF THE WORLDS: Steven Spielberg and H.G. Wells on Occupations, Empires, and "Current Relevance" Updated Final, SPOILERS New Republican Archive. Movie Reviews. July 11, 2005. (Contact: newrepublicanarchive@juno.com). War of the Worlds is not only a tense portrayal of the terror and horror of war, particularly for those on the losing side of a modern...

If there is a theme to Steven Spielberg's new alien-invasion movie, "War of the Worlds," it is not that the human spirit has the courage that justifies human survival. Or that American know-how and grit can defeat invaders, even when the situation seems impossible. No, it is more like: If aliens invade, don't fight back. Run.

IF THERE IS a theme to Steven Spielberg's new alien-invasion movie, "War of the Worlds," it is not that the human spirit has the courage that justifies human survival. Or that American know-how and grit can defeat invaders, even when the situation seems impossible. No, it is more like: If aliens invade, don't fight back. Run. No need for self-defense. Mother Nature will take care of the non- indigenous occupiers. While set in the Northeast, Spielberg's alien war seems very much like what would happen if aliens invaded Hollywood. There would be no praying, no talk of God, no homeowners...

It certainly wasn't my intention to see Steven Spielberg's grating, 9/11-tinged War of the Worlds, much less on its opening day, but local weather conditions forced this undesirable occurrence. On the evening of June 28, violent thunderstorms rocked the greater Baltimore region, knocking out the power in over 56,000 homes. I was following the Red Sox-Indians game on ESPN.com, seeing Wade Miller off to a shaky start, when the house went dark, eliminating the sounds of two televisions, a Bose CD player, air conditioners, a food processor, the boys dueling on electric guitars to their self-penned "Cheeseburger on a String"...

In keeping with the fact that FR has the most relevant postings of any "blog," an FR posting last night led me to Bartleby.com where I was able to read the entire 1898 novel "War of the Worlds" in 6 hours. I was surprised by how conservative a liberal HG Wells was. It must have been a time when most liberals were like Zell Miller...holding tons of respect for the military and abhorring "decay" in society. If any of you are thinking "I wouldn't want to read a 107 year old book that is probably stupider than the movies" please...

War of the Worlds: Steven Spielberg and H.G. Wells on War, Revolutions, Occupations, and Christianity New Republican Archive. Movie Reviews. July 4, 2005. The new Tom Cruise vehicle titled War of the Worlds is not only a tense portrayal of the terror and horror of war, particularly for those on the losing side of a modern one, but also a deeply political film. Director Steven Spielberg has gone to great lengths to "spin" this classic story with contemporary political allegories. What else should we expect from a film directed by Spielberg and co-starring Tim Robbins? Indeed, we should expect nothing...

War of the Worlds, the leading man's latest release, opened Wednesday to record-setting box-office numbers for Paramount. The alien-versus-human saga took in $36.6 million from 3,908 theaters worldwide--$21.3 million in domestic tickets sales and $13.5 million in international sales--making it the seventh biggest opening for a Wednesday to date. (As a point of reference, Star Wars: Episode III--The Revenge of the Sith holds the record for the biggest opening day ever, with $50 million in domestic ticket sales. So far, the prequel has earned $360.1 million.) War, directed by Steven Spielberg and costarring Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins, reportedly cost...

War of the Worlds" conquered the box office as easily as the movie's aliens overpowered Earth, but it did not have enough firepower to overcome Hollywood's prolongued box office slump. Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise's sci-fi tale took in $77.6 million over the long Fourth of July weekend, lifting its total since debuting Wednesday to $113.3 million, according to studio estimates Monday. That fell well short of the all-time high held by "Spider-Man 2," whose $180.1 million haul in its first six days led Hollywood to a record Fourth of July weekend last year. The top 12 movies took in...

Caution: Possible spoilers! . Things I learned while watching War of the Worlds 1. You can be a master crane operator at a shipyard, but your skills will have absolutely no use during an attack by Martians. 2. If you give your neighborhood mechanic advice on how to fix a car, that car will be the only working car following a Martian attack and will have the keys in it, waiting for you to come along with your kids. 3. No matter how much panic ensues, you and your kids will be able to drive a steady 60 mph, weaving...

So there I am watching Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" with a bunch of swells at the movie's premiere in New York City. The film is a sci-fi extravaganza where Spielberg takes the basic premise of the 1898 H.G. Wells novel, borrows freely from his previous suspense films "Jaws" and "Jurassic Park," and creates a special effects bonanza that is bound to please a mass audience hungry for thrills and chills.

"War of the Worlds" conquered the box office as easily as the movie's aliens overpowered Earth, but it did not have enough firepower to overcome Hollywood's prolongued box office slump. Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise's sci-fi tale took in $77.6 million over the long Fourth of July weekend, lifting its total since debuting Wednesday to $113.3 million, according to studio estimates Monday. That fell well short of the all-time high held by "Spider-Man 2," whose $180.1 million haul in its first six days led Hollywood to a record Fourth of July weekend last year. The top 12 movies took in...

Last week I read a vanity posting about how Steven Spielberg had produced a major left wing propaganda piece against the war on terror in his new film "War of the Worlds." The posting said that Tom Cruise's character, Ray Ferrier, was the "hero" whose metaphorical message was "don't fight the terrorists...they will defeat themselves on their own." There was also the claim that Tim Robbin's character said "local insurgencies always win." I almost boycotted the film because of that last claim. But I saw the film here in Germany last night. It turned out that it was a lot...

Tom Cruise's alien-invasion thriller "War of the Worlds" was the top movie around the world last weekend, erasing speculation that the star's antics in recent months could hurt its prospects at the box office. In North America, the Steven Spielberg-directed film has earned $113.3 million for the six days since its Wednesday release, distributor Paramount Pictures said Monday. Its four-day sum of $77.6 million, from Friday to Monday, ranks as the second-best for a July 4 holiday weekend, behind "Spider-Man 2," which grossed $116 million in the same period last year. After six days, "Spider-Man 2" was at $180 million....

WHAT'S the matter with Hollywood? Things just aren't what they used to be in Tinseltown. A string of box office flops this year has produced the worst slump in a generation and left studio executives wondering what they can do to recapture the movie-going public's imagination and interest. For its part, the public simply wonders if Hollywood can still produce movies worth seeing.The odds, thanks to the financial realities that now determine the kind of movies the studios are prepared to produce, are not encouraging on either front. You might want to hold the popcorn. "It's too early to say...

To: Steven Spielberg Dear Mr. Spielberg, We, the undersigned, wish to inform you that we are compelled to boycott your movie “War of the Worlds”. Our decision is based solely on the abhorrent behavior of Mr. Tom Cruise. We will not be spending our good money to support the ridiculous and potentially dangerous antics of this raving narcissist. Mr. Cruise’s actions and comments have been offensive and insulting when not downright laughable. -We do not want to hear Mr. Cruise’s uneducated and unsubstantiated opinions on medicine and Psychiatry. His mean-spirited decision to use Brooke Shields as an example was unforgivable....

If you want a real thrill this Independence Day weekend, see War of the Worlds by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Cruise. The movie is suspenseful and the special effects are fantastic. Because this movie contains wanton killing of innocent civilians and destruction of property, I could not help but think that this is what it would look like if Islamic terrorists had access to numerous weapons of mass destruction. As if to read my mind, Steven Spielberg slips in a comment by a character ''occupation never works'', so we don't forget that the parallels to the War on Terror are...

LOS ANGELES, June 30 - On Wednesday, Steven Spielberg's apocalyptic thriller "War of the Worlds" invaded movie theaters worldwide. But the director had already moved on. That night in Malta, Mr. Spielberg quietly began filming the most politically charged project he has yet attempted: the tale of a secret Mossad hit squad ordered to assassinate Palestinian terrorists after the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The film, which is being written by the playwright Tony Kushner - it is his first feature screenplay - begins with the killing of 11 Israeli athletes in Munich. But it...

HOLLYWOOD'S 9/11 PROBLEM July 1, 2005 -- EVEN though it is nominally a science-fiction film about an alien invasion, Steven Spiel berg's "War of the Worlds" is, in fact, the first Hollywood movie about 9/11. It's all there — an urban landmark (the Outerbridge Crossing) destroyed from the air, New Jerseyites running in terror, Tom Cruise covered in ash after escaping the attack, a wall with "have you seen my missing loved one" posters. The only real difference — a profound and troubling one — is that Spielberg's movie shows Americans turning on each other as the attack occurs. In...

BERLIN (Reuters) - Hollywood actor Tom Cruise not only battles creatures from outer space in his latest film "War of the Worlds," he also believes aliens exist, he told a German newspaper on Wednesday. Asked in an interview with the tabloid daily Bild if he believed in aliens, Cruise said: "Yes, of course. Are you really so arrogant as to believe we are alone in this universe? "Millions of stars, and we're supposed to be the only living creatures? No, there are many things out there, we just don't know," Cruise, 42, said in the interview published in German. Cruise...

Big concept. Big director. Big star. Big, big budget. Big deal. Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise's "War of the Worlds" comes off exactly the way it started: An assemblage of enormous talent on a frantic dash to meet a deadline. They made it, but the rush job they delivered shortchanges story, character, design and even execution on some of the colossal special-effects sequences. The update of H.G. Wells' sci-fi classic of marauders from the skies went on the fast-track late last summer, when a narrow window opened in Spielberg and Cruise's schedules. Their haste shows. "War of the Worlds" is...

Troops in Spielberg Film Get Sneak Preview By WILLIAM KATES, Associated Press Writer FORT DRUM, N.Y. - They've hunted down terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, opposed rebels in Bosnia and battled warlords in Somalia. Now, 10th Mountain Division troops are facing off against Martian invaders — with no less than the fate of the Earth in the balance. The soldiers were called on by Steven Spielberg, who picked Fort Drum troops to star in his remake of the H.G. Wells classic "War of the Worlds." The movie, starring Tom Cruise, opens nationwide Wednesday, but the actor-soldiers were treated to a...

They came from within: How War of the Worlds anticipated the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard The ominous tagline in early trailers for the alien invasion blockbuster War of the Worlds was "They're Already Here" — but any learned Scientologist could have told you that long ago. As you may have heard, WOTW star Tom Cruise is a 20-year veteran of the Church of Scientology, which reportedly teaches that human beings contain clusters of "body thetans," or spirits, of aliens who died 75 million years ago in an intergalactic purge of overpopulated planets by the evil overlord Xenu. In Scientology-speak,...

A generation later, Steven SpielbergSteven Spielberg has made the anti-"Close Encounters" in "War of the Worlds," a gritty, intense and supremely accomplished sci-fier about some distinctly unbenign alien invaders. Latest adaptation of H.G. Wells' endlessly malleable and resonant 1898 novel preys upon the insecurities of a modern audience that's more fearful and skittish than was the case when the director made his optimistic early-career smashes about outer space visitors. Relentless mix of breath-sapping scares, awesome spectacle, Tom CruiseTom Cruise and a massive marketing push look to deliver the biggest B.O.B.O. haul Spielberg has enjoyed in quite a few years. With...

"War of the Worlds" Spielberg-esque Message: Don't Fight Terror By Debbie Schlussel I'm violating Steven Spielberg's review policy for "War of the Worlds" and telling you what I think ahead of tomorrow's scheduled release date. I saw the movie at a press screening, last night, and was disturbed by the message: Don't fight terror, and everything will work out. (Security was literally tighter than that for going to the White House to meet the President. No purses allowed. Three wandings by security.) It's bad enough that Steven Spielberg is adding "balance" and factual inaccuracy to the story of the Israeli...

Tales of a nation under attack, which recur when public anxiety rises, multiply at theaters and on TV. Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" is acutely attuned to the zeitgeist of post-9/11 America. In this adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel, Earth is still the most desirable piece of real estate in the Milky Way, the envy of the galactic neighborhood. But this retelling of the alien-invasion story, set in modern-day New Jersey rather than Wells' Edwardian London, tacitly acknowledges American fears of an attack on US cities. A principal aspect of the film is the way a nation unites...

THE actor Tom Cruise has added to a growing reputation for eccentricity after a heated row on American television over his support for the Church of Scientology. Cruise, 42 — whose new film, War of the Worlds, had its London premiere last week — rounded on Matt Lauer, genial host of NBC’s Today programme, when the subject of their interview turned to the controversial religion and the prospect of his fiancée Katie Holmes, 26, being converted. “Scientology is something that you don’t understand,” declared Cruise. “It is a religion. Because it’s dealing with the spirit. You as a spiritual being.”...

According to a reader over at Libertas, David Koepp, the writer of the film, had this to say in an interview with Rue Morgue Magazine, [not available online]: “And now, as we see American adventure abroad’ he (David Koepp} continues ‘in my mind it’s certainly back to it’s original meaning, which is that the Martians in our movie represent American military forces invading the Iraqis, and the futility of the occupation of a faraway land is again the subtext” Koepp also told Newsweek: "I think the whole war [in the movie] is about water," he says. "I figure their planet...

War of the Worldviews H.G. Wells was a sci-fi pioneer, but his political ideas were abominable. If H.G. Wells had not performed poorly on an astronomical physics test and several other exams as a young man, he might have spent the rest of his life as an obscure academic rather than a popular author. He probably would not have written his most famous book, "The War of the Worlds"--a novel that's never gone out of print since its publication in 1898 and that now serves as the inspiration for the Stephen Spielberg film reaching theaters next Wednesday. Those lousy marks...

Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab... Holy crap. I hope this is exactly how I feel after the film, because this review got me all wound up: Hi, Harry. The reason I'm writing you is that I saw War of the Worlds last Wednesday. It was a special screening and I was a guest. Just a few words about the movie. Being the huge Spielberg fan I am, I really believe that, since that masterpiece called A.I., he's been proving that he is in one of the best periods of his career: Minority Report kicked ass,...

Did you know that there are two versions of War of the Worlds hitting theaters this year? The Speilberg production is a big budget Hollywood extravaganza staring Tom Cruise. It is set in modern America - "working class New England", and probably only has a passing aquaintence with the book. In other words, big names, big budget, flashy effects and no substance. Enough about THAT! On the other hand, the Pendragon production is a small independent film set in 1890's England. From what little I've seen, it is accurate to the rich detail of Wells' masterpiece. It bills itself asTHE...

Spielberg says new movie reflects post-9/11 unease June 13, 2005 Steven Spielberg said on Monday that War of the Worlds, his remake of the classic tale of alien invasion, could be taken as a statement of America's deep unease following the September 11 attacks. The three-time Academy Award-winning director and the film's star Tom Cruise were in Japan, a top overseas market for Hollywood, for the world premiere of the special effects-packed picture which opens later this month worldwide. The 2005 edition of War of the Worlds depicts terror being unleashed by aliens on modern New York, the latest version...

With Hollywood desperately trying to end its 14-week box office slump, the release of superstar Tom Cruise's newest summer blockbuster ought to guarantee a big payday. But the star's erratic behavior lately - including a love-struck appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" with new girlfriend Katie Holmes and his out-there promotion of the Church of Scientology - could backfire and turn off the huge potential audience for the costly science-fiction epic "War of the Worlds" being released June 29 by Paramount Pictures, industry experts said Thursday. "He just seems so outside himself and so bizarre," said brand and image consultant...

<p>Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise want to invade your comfort zone with "War of the Worlds," and they're having a grand time doing it.</p> <p>On a bright spring day at the Universal back lot, the world is coming to an end. Aliens have landed on the Eastern Seaboard; fear and destruction have been sown. Somewhere on the road from New Jersey to Massachusetts, a wet and surly mob has beset a father who's managed to hotwire a van — one of the last working vehicles on the road — and dragged his teenage son onto the pavement. There are a hundred extras in soggy flannel, and lots of rain, and a giant crane that snakes about like a long-necked dinosaur.</p>

AGUA DULCE - Steven Spielberg just can't stay away from the Antelope Valley area. The director, star Tom Cruise and a crew of approximately 300 production personnel spent Tuesday and Wednesday night at isolated movie location Mystery Mesa, filming scenes for an adaptation of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds." Spielberg has a history with Mystery Mesa. He first visited the location more than 30 years ago to film the final scene of his psychotic truck driver thriller "Duel." Drivers on the Antelope Valley Freeway on Tuesday night witnessed an eerie blue glow and flashes of light coming from...

Tom Cruise Wants to Assist With on-set Scientology. In the upcoming Steven Spielberg remake of War of the Worlds, one family fights for survival when Earth is invaded by Martian war machines. But on the set of the movie, there’s been an invasion of another sort: Scientologists! Tom Cruise, the film’s star and the religion’s most well-known adherent, has set up a Scientology tent with a volunteer minister. “It’s a gift from Tom to the crew,” says Lee Anne De Vette, Cruise’s sister and spokeswoman. “You can receive what’s called an assist there,” a Scientologist practice that, as she describes...

(Variety) — Can Martian invaders destroy New Jersey and New York on schedule and within budget? Hollywood's about to find out. In the latest risky adventure in high-budget filmmaking, Steven Spielberg has started shooting "The War of the Worlds," starring Tom Cruise (news), in New Jersey locales including Bayonne, Howell, Newark and upstate New York. In the first weeks of shooting, production included action sequences with alien forces bombing streets, ripping up sidewalks and blasting apart buildings in industrial-type areas. The problem is simple -- Spielberg's contempo version of a Martian invasion is supposed to be in theaters on June...

  Inter-Galactic Edition |  COMRADE SERVICES           Kerry slams Bush over missing Alien Explosives 'One of the great blunders of this administration' PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire (AP) -- Sen. John Kerry is blaming President Bush for the disappearance of tons of Alien explosives from a Roswell, NM stockpile."And now we know that our country and our troops are less safe because this president failed to do the basics," Kerry said at a campaign appearance in Dover, New Hampshire, on Monday."This is one of the great blunders of Homeland Security, one of the great blunders of this administration. And the incredible incompetence...

Fox News just broke into the NASA press conference. Doesn't sound good at all, seems like three failed comm attempts, two from orbiters and one from Earth; it's not just the bad weather in Australia. He was being a bit technical but it does not sound good at all.