Recidivist hold-up man H.I. McDonnough and police woman Edwina marry, only to discover they are unable to conceive a child. Desperate for a baby, the pair decide to kidnap one of the quintuplets of furniture tycoon Nathan Arizona. The McDonnoughs try to keep their crime secret, while friends, co-workers and a feral bounty hunter look to use Nathan Jr. for their own purposes. Written by Scott Renshaw {as.idc@forsythe.stanford.edu}

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This drama centers on Hank Chinaski, the fictional alter-ego of “Factotum” author Charles Bukowski, who wanders around Los Angeles, CA trying to live off jobs which don’t interfere with his primary interest, which is writing. Along the way, he fends off the distractions offered by women, drinking and gambling.

Bridget Gregory has a lot going for her: she’s beautiful, she’s intelligent, she’s married to a doctor. But all of this isn’t enough, as her husband Clay finds out. After she persuaded him to sell medicinal cocaine to some drugdealers, she takes off with the money, almost a million dollars, and goes undercover in a mid-American smalltown. Because Clay has to pay off a loan shark who’ll otherwise damage him severely, he keeps sending detectives after her, trying to retrieve the money. When Bridget meets Mike Swale, a naive local who is blinded by her beauty and directness, she devises an elaborate, almost diabolical scheme to get rid of Clay once and for all. Written by Peter Zweers {peterz@pi.net}

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Jackie Brown is the name of a flight attendant who gets caught smuggling her boss’ gun money on the airline she works for. Luckily for her, the Fed Ray Nicolet and the LA Cop Mark Dargus decide to team up in order to arrest the arms dealer she works for, whose name they don’t even know. Here’s when she has to choose one way: tell Nicolet and Dargus about Ordell Robbie (the arms dealer) and get her freedom -except that if Ordell suspects you’re talking about him, you’re dead- or keep her mouth shut and do some time. That’s when she meets Max Cherry -her bail bondsman-, a late fifties, recently separated, burnt-out man, who falls in love with her. Then Jackie comes up with a plan to play the Feds off against Ordell and the guys he works with -Louis Gara and Melanie Ralston, among others- and walk off with their money. But she needs Max’s help. No one is going to stand in the way of his million dollar payoff… Written by Héctor Barca {sandman@arrakis.es}

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Nick Wells, a professional criminal, decides to leave the business for good, since he nearly got caught on his last job. His plan is to live in peace with his girl Diane, running his Montreal jazz club NYC. Soon Max, his good friend and financial partner in the illegal affairs, comes along with an offer Nick can’t refuse: A historical and priceless French sceptre has been discovered while being smuggled into the country. It is now under massive surveillance in the Montreal Customs House, and soon to be returned to France. Nick has to team up with Max’ man inside, the young, talented and aggressive thief Jackie Teller to get the precious item, and suffer no more financial problems ever. Only one question remains: Who will trick whom out of their share? Written by Julian Reischl {julianreischl@mac.com}

Walter Fielding and Anna Crowley have to start looking for a new house- but there’s not much they can afford! This soon changes when they meet a lonely old con-artist who sells them a beautiful mansion at a ridiculously low price. Only there’s a catch. The second Walter and Anna move in to the house it falls apart, starting from the stairway, to the bath falling through the roof to eventually the chimney falling into the house! Finally, they have to renovate the house before the frame collapses but the renovations also prove to be a disaster. Written by Michael Feller {reb@magna.com.au}

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Mortimer and Randolph Duke are commodity brokers who enjoy a little wager now and then. For the latest bet, Randolph believes they can take a common criminal and make him a successful businessman in the company. The criminal, Billy Ray, is to be given the job and home of Louis, who in turn is set up for crimes he didn’t commit, to see if he resorts to crime once he’s lost his rich environment and friends. Written by Rob Hartill

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A yuppie couple buy a large house in an exclusive San Fransisco neighborhood. They renovate it and plan to rent two apartments on the first floor to cover the costs. A prosperous looking man moves in but is not the ideal tenant. He never pays any rent, drives the other tenants away and systematically ruins the lives of his landlords. Written by Jim Sadur {jsadur@keyflux.com}

Angelo “Snaps” Provolone made his dying father a promise on his deathbed: he would leave the world of crime and become an honest businessman. Despite having no experience in making money in a legal fashion, Snaps sets about to keep his promise. He is faced with numerous problems: henchmen who know nothing but crime, the police who are convinced he is hatching a master plan, and Oscar, who has just got his daughter pregnant. Written by Murray Chapman {muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au}

Set in the 10th Century, a man (Bowen) teams up with the last dragon to remind the people of a long lost code of honor, and inspire them to fight for their freedom from a tyrannical king. Written by Rob Meyer {rob.meyer@csus.edu}

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