Screen Rant » castle

How’s the Jay Leno Show Faring These Days?

Bruce Simmons — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:12:58 +0000

Despite all the hoopla and what appeared to be NBC directives of enforced support for The Jay Leno Show, and pulling scripted dramas en masse, The Jay Leno Show is not faring as well as could be expected.

NBC made a reasonable pitch, declaring how different the show would be… if you count pulling the desk off the set and rearranging the same routines as different, then fine, it’s different. Otherwise, I’m not sure what the change is. And to boot, viewers aren’t impressed.

At least it doesn’t look good from last Monday night where The Jay Leno Show pulled in 4.6 million viewers… and was bested by everything on the air except One Tree Hill on The CW, Gossip Girl, again from The CW and, well… huh. That’s it.

Dancing with the Stars, at its peak, had 18.4 million viewers and took the night, but in the very same time slot that Leno sat, his 4.6 million viewers did not compete against a rerun of CSI: Miami, which drew in 11.2 million viewers, and Castle was right behind CSI: Miami, with 11.1 million viewers soundly trouncing Leno.

I think that if the show had actually been different, it might have had a chance. Now what do they do? Stay happy that they’re beating The CW soundly and stick by their guns, despite how much money they dropped on Jay? Or start looking to actually make real changes to the show?

What changes? I don’t know. Maybe they need to put Jay in Heroes and give him a mutation power of the gift of insight.

Source: TV By The Numbers

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Nathan Fillion Talks Trucker, Castle, Joss Whedon & Superheroes

Paul Young — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:09:33 +0000

Quick, think of the most underrated, under-appreciated Canadian in Hollywood! If you said Céline Dion then I will hunt you down and flog you with a mackerel. The correct answer is Nathan Fillion. This 37 year old, chiseled jaw specimen of a man (my wife made me say that) has an acting career going back to 1993 with several small roles in films and shows you probably never heard of until 1998 in Saving Private Ryan. From there, his career started building, mostly in TV, and he started gaining fanboy support that almost rivals Bruce “The Chin” Campbell.

And just like Campbell, all of his TV shows were canceled. Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place went down after 4 seasons, Firefly (which to this day remains one of the best shows on TV never to finish), the very short lived Drive, and now Castle which almost didn’t have a second season and could be in danger of not seeing a third. Even Fillion was shocked at Castle picking up a second season, to which he “tweeted”:

“I can’t remember the last time I had a second season of ANYTHING. I don’t know if I remember what to do. Step one: go to Canada. Relax.”

It’s that style humor, his nonchalant attitude towards roles and his sly grin that are the main reasons people enjoy watching him on screen. It’s also due to the fact that he works a lot with Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), who has a good size cult following in his own right. From Firefly to Serenity, to the WGA strike induced Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Whedon and Fillion go hand-in-hand like chocolate and peanut butter, jam and toast, skittles and mayonnaise.

So what show would Fillion like to be involved in if Castle should ever fall? Well Aaron Hillis at IFC caught up with him and had a great interview which you can read in its entirety here. What would his dream project be and what show would he like to do next?

“If I had a dream project right now, I’d like to grab a hold of a superhero. There are so many superheroes out there, I feel like there’s none left. But there is one I think I could handle, and that’s a redo of “The Greatest American Hero.”

When I heard that Barry Sonnenfeld was considering bringing the bumbling, red tight superhero back to TV screens, I couldn’t help but think that Scott MacIntyre, from this past season of American Idol, would be the best choice visually; but now that Fillion has expressed an interest, I can totally see him playing the character. He doesn’t just want to be the character either; Fillion has some ideas of his own for the series.

With the technology we have available today for effects, I’d say it’s largely the same idea, the same story, but the suit would be able to change and morph into whatever it is you needed him to do. So it could become armor, a scuba suit — you could do that stuff.

Interesting ideas, and if the show gets the correct writers, then I could see it working with Nathan Fillion’s involvement…for at least one season that is.

Click to Continue Reading about Nathan Fillion and his current projects…

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Nathan Fillion’s Castle Stands Strong

Rob Keyes — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:10:54 +0000

Can you believe it?! Nathan Fillion is the lead in a television series that made it to a second season!

Castle, the new hit ABC series is moving full steam ahead into its second season and it looks like it just might have a bright future.

I don’t get it. Everyone who watches Fillion on screen immediately falls in love with the guy and the characters he plays, yet he’s had two shows in a row canceled on him early. Join us as we look back at some key moments in Fillion’s career and talk about his recent successes…

Although, he made a name for himself with Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place alongside Ryan Reynolds, Nathan Fillion’s cult following began with Joss Whedon’s Firefly, which was incredible, but was unfairly treated by Fox and thereby canceled only a fraction into its first season. Fan support managed to bring a great feature film (Serenity) to theaters but it didn’t bank well at the box office.

Next, Fillion played a part in the final 5 episodes of Whedon’s Buffy series which also soon ended. Then, he starred in a show called Drive which lasted approximately one night before it got the axe. I don’t feel too bad about that one though.

After a stint on Desperate Housewives and his role as Captain Hammer in the internet phenomenon that is Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, the Canadian actor finally has a steady gig in a lead TV role.

His latest show is called Castle and if you’ve not watched it, you should. He plays the title character, Richard Castle, a cocky, humorous and lovable New York writer who specializes in writing murder mysteries. The show is about him using is connections with everyone who matters in New York (including the Mayor) to force the department (whose entire staff also loves him) into a partnership with Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), an officer who happens to be an obsessed fan of his work.

While entirely reluctant to work with Castle, she has no choice and must allow him to tag along to write stories based on their adventures (he loves it when they get called to horrible crime scenes). The show follows Fillion’s character and Beckett as they solve the crimes of the city and while Fillion writes novels about a character based on her. They have their ups and downs as their relationship continues to develop and the viewers get to watch their great interaction on screen.

The show is funny, well-written and full of heart. The best example of the latter is when we get to see Castle at home with his daughter and mother. They represent three extremes that make the perfect family and their relationship and interaction is a treat to watch. The comedy bits of the show only work because its Fillion and I can’t picture the series working with anyone else in the role – he’s made for this part.

Click to continue reading about Castle’s ratings and Nathan Fillion’s other current work…

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Weekly TV Update – March 27th, 2009

Bruce Simmons — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:20:38 +0000

Due to technical difficulties beyond my control, the digital dog ate my homework. Or, I had to write this article twice! The digital dog just sounds more light-hearted than what the second line implies. Enough about my woes with technological gremlins.

There wasn’t a ton of news to report or snark on this week, so I had to dig up enough to make this yet another interesting read. Well, at least I think it is! I do have a few snippets that might be spoilers for The Office (Guest appearance) and Lost (Possible finale shoot notes).

Shall we get on with it?

Big Reminder:

The DVD movie, Stargate Ark of Truth will be on Friday night on The Sci-Fi Channel! Don’t forget!

Viewer Numbers From Last Week

As of Wednesday, these are some of the viewer estimates from some shows we like, and some we think you may follow.

The top performing show of the week was Wednesday’s American Idol which brought in just over 23 million viewers. After that, are some of the shows we’d be more interested in how they’re doing.

Show (Network): Number of viewers in the millions

60 Minutes (CBS): 17.04 (Would you look at that! People like the news!)
NCIS (CBS): 15.84
The Mentalist (CBS): 15.49
Desperate Housewives (ABC): 14.75
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): 14.61
Two and a Half Men (CBS): 14.12
Criminal Minds (CBS): 13.74
CSI: Miami (CBS): 13.61
House (Fox): 13.13
CSI: NY (CBS): 12.79
Without a Trace (CBS): 11.87
Rules of Engagement (CBS): 11.42
Cold Case (CBS): 11.41
24 (Fox): 11.36
Castle (ABC): 10.97
Law & Order: SVU (NBC): 10.74
Bones (Fox): 10.52
Lie to Me (Fox): 10.26
Brothers & Sisters (ABC): 10.15
The Big Bang Theory (CBS): 9.69
ER (NBC): 9.47
Lost (ABC): 8.82
The Office (NBC): 7.95
Burn Notice (USA): 7.31
30 Rock (NBC): 7.02
Ugly Betty (CBS): 7
Heroes (NBC): 6.48
My Name Is Earl (NBC): 6.42
Better Off Ted (ABC): 5.50
Kings (NBC): 4.60
Dollhouse (Fox): 4.14
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox): 3.65
Smallville (CW): 3.29
Supernatural (CW): 3.15
Battlestar Galactica (SciFi): 2.4

Better Off Ted

As you can see the premiere of Better Off Ted wasn’t as big as ABC might have hoped for. Maybe things will pick up after basketball.

Some Of Our Faves

Though the Fox network had its usual low set of numbers for a Friday with Dollhouse and The Sarah Connor Chronicles, both shows had a small improvement from the week before. Supernatural also had some increase in viewers but Smallville had a slight drop.

Word on the street is that despite the numbers, Dollhouse may return next season. No promises Though.

Battlestar Galactice Finale

The highly debated two-hour series-finale of Battlestar Galactica brought in 2.4 million viewers last Friday. No, not big on the numbers compared to network, but good enough for cable networks. That number made it the most-watched episode since Jan. 6, 2006 and it outperformed the season three-finale by 56%.

Burn Notice

The second season-finale of the USA drama Burn Notice hit a record 7.31 million viewers in its Friday 10 p.m. time slot. Go Michael Westin!!

Sources: Media Week, TV By The Numbers, TV Guide

Nothing Says Canceled Like…

This is pure conjecture on my part, but from what I’m seeing, I feel that The Sarah Connor Chronicles is not coming back next season. I say that because Stephanie Jacobsen, (Jesse from The Sarah Connor Chronicles), has joined the cast of the Melrose Place pilot in the role of Lauren. Lauren is a med student who is a high-end call girl by night. (Now let’s see if you can get her accent out of your head now!)

On top of that, Brian Austin Green, is being reported as lining up a role in another CW pilot called Body Politic.

Granted, these two are not main characters and these shows are only pilots, but I’m guessing some contracts either allow for this, or have ended on TSCC. My feel is that the execs at FOX aren’t holding their breath for an additional season and specific characters are not going to be needed. I actually got that feel from the panel at WonderCon in ‘Frisco anyway.

TSCC did get their 2nd season from the advertisers, and again – my conjecture – because of the upcoming Terminator Salvation movie. With that movie fast approaching release date, the curiosity seekers have dwindled and the tie-ins that could be, are no longer.

Last weeks episode carried quite a bit of drama with it and I am enjoying it. Yet there’s only so far they can go with it.

In case you have the hots for additional news on the desperate reboot attempt of Melrose Place, other cast members reporting in are Colin Egglesfield, (All My Children), Michael Rady (Greek), Katie Cassidy (Supernatural), Ashlee Simpson (7th Heaven) and Jessica Lucas (90210).

Source: TV Guide

Speaking of Brian Austin Green

Brian Austin Green’s role as Derek Reese on TSCC may not be the only thing he’s possibly leaving behind! This is just shameless gossip, and a great excuse to add a nice picture to my post, but it’s been reported that Megan Fox moved out of the house she was sharing with Brian.

You know those moments that we look back on and reference about the “One that got away”? I think Green just took the cake on this one!

Guys, the line forms to the right!

Source: E Online

The Sopranos Creator Returns To HBO

David Chase, the creator behind The Sopranos, is coming back to HBO with a new idea in mind.

A Ribbon of Dreams is a mini-series that is set in 1913 and follows two very different men — one a college-educated mechanical engineer and the other, a cowboy with a violent past.

They form a partnership and become motion picture pioneers. Their journey is followed as the Hollywood film industry evolves from silent westerns to talking pictures and into the studio system of present day.

The premise initially seems kind of ‘meh’, but if you dwell on this, it may have a ton of potential with the various eras and lots of different people that may come and go through the series.

Source: TV Guide

No Heather Locklear Here

Even though the CW landed many of the veteran stars back on set for the 90210 reboot, they are having no luck getting Heather Locklear for their new version of Melrose Place. I think it might have been a matter of who is employed and who is not. Locklear has a few projects in the making.

The CW has tried to cover their tracks with this thinly disguised cop out press release:

“There wasn’t a way to bring her back that made sense.”

Riiight. I love PR. But some days it seems like it really is their job to get blood out of a turnip. (Have you figured out this was just another excuse to post a pretty face?)

Source: EW

Back Gets More Cast

CBS has two more stars for their new pilot titled Back. The CBS pilot will star Skeet Ulrich (Jericho) and the two new cast members are Sherry Stringfield (ER) and D.B. Woodside (24).

Back is about a man (Skeet Ulrich) who returns home after eight years. The catch? Everyone thought he died in the 9/11 tragedies, so he was reported as missing.

Sherry Stringfield is Ulrich’s wife. Upon his return, he discovers she’s moved on with a new hubby, which is classic Cast Away. (Man I hurt for him when Hanks returned home to find his wife off with a new hubby and kids.) With Ulrich’s return to this depressing scenario, he’s going to need a shrink. That’s where Woodside comes in. He will be playing that shrink.

Dang, I’m depressed for him already!

PS: Before you ask, no, I don’t know why he went away.

Source: TV Guide

The Office Guest Star

(Mild actor / story line Spoiler)

If I’m not mistaken, Idris Elba (The Wire, Rocknrolla), has started his 6 week guest stint on The Office.

Amy Ryan (The Wire, Gone Baby Gone), is also scheduled to show up as the H.R. goddess Holly Flax for the final episode of the season.

Source: E Online

Lost Season Finale Conjecture

(May be a mild finale spoiler)

It seems that ABC was advertising or seeking extras in Hawaii to play the parts of guests at a wedding on Lost. The timing of such an inquiry is not lost on a few. If schedules are on track, this is the time frame that they would be shooting the season-finale.

Now what would a wedding pertain to? Who knows. It could be a past wedding, or a future wedding. Or a future wedding from their past that is really the present yesterday? I think I just hurt my brain.

Eh, just thought I’d toss this snippet out.

Source: E Online

SOME FUN STUFF:

Next Top Model Gone Bad

Last week 4 people were injured and 2 hospitalized after a stampede of high heel cuties erupted in New York during a casting call for America’s Next Top Model.

At first I thought there was an impromptu makeup sale on the street corner.

It turned out that while hundreds of fashion model wannabe’s were lingering around in line to audition for the show, an argument had ensued. During or after the spat, a BMW either drove by or broke down near the mascara smeared mob and when it spewed some smoke, someone in the automotive-challenged hoard had yelled bomb, and the surge for pseudo safety was on!

The three that were arguing were arrested.

I really enjoyed the reference to this whole thing from the source article over on E Online:

“Fashion Week meets Thunderdome.”

I can’t imagine what a herd of spiked heels running might sound like.

Universal Pictures Has Some !!!!’s

The Advertising Standards Authority, (ASA) a London-based watchdog group, is asking British broadcasters to not air a commercial regarding the DVD release of the 2008 Angelina Jolie flick, Wanted. They’re saying that the movie glorifies and glamorizes gun violence.

Being that the ASA doesn’t get that people are not that stupid, Clearcast, the approving agencies for TV advertisements feels confident that viewers just might be able to distinguish the difference between the fantasy shooting action in Wanted vs. real life. What? You can’t curve bullets? Crap.

Per BBC News, Universal Pictures has replied with the most humorous statement:

“Maybe the ASA, which also banned the ‘Wanted’ posters last year, objects to a female lead handling the big guns, rather than the guns themselves.”

Though I have a hard time believing that was their official company line on the issue, I think Universal Pictures just made a fan out of me anyway.

Source: E Online

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