For the past six months, journalist Neil Midgley followed around Steven Moffat, Matt Smith and the rest of the Doctor Who crew as they began to film the newest series. From the first table read where Moffat tells the 58 members of the cast and crew that “this will be the most scrutinized hour of our television lives” to the filming of the twelfth episode, he saw it all.

This is the first time fans get a real sense of the new stories, new doctor, new sonic screwdriver and new TARDIS. Above all else, we find out that Maffat’s goal for the new season is “for it not to be sh-t.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

The article itself is extremely in-depth – like a literary version of Doctor Who Confidential - and a must-read for any Doctor Who fan. So, in order to save space, I’ll just post some of the highlights here.

Matt Smith’s version of the Doctor

Smith is certainly his own Doctor. Less prickly than Eccleston and without the slapstick of Tennant, he brings an air of muddled intensity that’s a bit reminiscent of, say, Tom Baker (though without the stripy scarf).

Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) describing her connection to the Doctor

They’re two of a kind. They’re both a bit lost. Because Amy has no parents, she’s this Scottish girl in an English village. So they’re both lost souls that have found each other. And they both have a sense of adventure about them, and I think that’s what the Doctor loves about Amy. She has that spirit in her, and that fire. She keeps him on his toes.

A new sonic screwdriver (Tennant’s will be destroyed in the first episode)

It’s a very shiny metal toy with a green light and, when Smith flicks his hand, metal claws that pop out at one end.

The redesigned TARDIS

It must be three times the size of Tennant’s, on multiple levels with staircases in between. Less grubby than its predecessor, with a transparent plastic floor on the main level, its walls are resplendent with polished copper and its central column features a blown glass decoration that could be straight from Tales of the Unexpected. There are old car seats and downstairs – downstairs! – a swing. With a nod to Paul McGann’s Tardis, the central column features an old TV screen on an extendable trellis. It also has a 1980s-style computer keyboard, and a His-Master’s-Voice style trumpet speaker.

If you found any of the above interesting, I encourage you to read it in its entirety. The behind-the-scenes look as well as the intimate interviews with the cast and crew should easily put anyone with concerns about the new season at ease.

Looking back now, I don’t know why I was so hesitant of the upcoming season. Sure, there’s a new cast a crew, but it’s being spearheaded by Steven Moffat – one of the best writers Doctor Who has ever had. Instead of working with what was already there, he was given the opportunity to choose his Doctor, his companion and tell his stories… and have a TARDIS with a swing set (nobody’s perfect).

While I’ve yet to see any of the new season, I firmly believe that it will be as wonderful as all of the past episodes – even if there are Daleks.

What do you think of the sneak peek of season 5? Happy that there’s now a swing in the TARDIS? Sad to see the sonic screwdriver go?

Let’s hear it!

Catch the fifth season of Doctor Who when it premiers April 4 on BBC One (UK), April 17 on BBC America (US) and April 18 on ABC (Australia).

Care to talk more dual-hearted time travelers? Hit me up on Twitter @anthonyocasio

Source: Daily Telegraph

Beyond the thrills of the actual TV show, fans of Fox’s long-running real-time TV series 24 must be fretting in between each episode, as the fate of the show hangs in the balance. We’ve been hearing word for awhile now that 24 might be coming to an end after the current season. Sad news for long-time fans who still enjoy the exploits of Jack Bauer.

Previously on 24…

A few days ago we reported on the inside word that the decision about 24’s fate was going to come any day now (at the time of the post it was “a day or two” and yet here we are with no announcement). If the show ended, it would allow the creators time to make a feature film, as star Kiefer Sutherland and the writers and producers have been desperate to do for some time. In fact, they’ve already hired State of Play scribe Billy Ray to write the script for the 24 movie.

However, rather than flat-out cancellation there’s always the chance that once Fox decides not to continue making the show another network will step up to the plate. I theorized that NBC might be that network, since it looks pretty likely that Heroes won’t survive much longer. And now we’re getting the word from Entertainment Weekly that NBC may very well save 24.

EW say that they have multiple sources (unnamed, of course) that claim 20th Century Fox (the studio) and Fox (the network) have approached NBC about taking 24 off their hands, should they choose not to renew it for another season. And word is NBC is considering it – “There’s definitely some interest,” said an insider close to the talks.

It’s been noted that a move to NBC is still a long shot; aside from the dwindling ratings, the show comes with hefty price tag to make. Plus, it takes the better part of a year to make one season – that’s a lot of cost for a network to bear. Still, the interest from a rival network shows that 24 isn’t a dinosaur that no one wants anymore.

24 - Still going strong?

Unfortunately for those looking forward to seeing Jack Bauer take down terrorists on the big screen, you may have to wait a little longer if NBC does pick up 24 (or if Fox just renews for a ninth season). Since the show’s writers and producers have said it’d be impossible to shoot a feature film while still doing the TV version, we’ll pretty much be waiting until 24 ends before we see a feature film.

What do you think: Happy to see interest from another network in picking up 24 if Fox decides its done with it? Is NBC the right network for the show to jump ship to?

Stay tuned for more on this news as it comes out. I’m sure it won’t be too long before we get an announcement about Fox renewing or canceling the show, and in that case whether NBC does indeed pick it up.

Meanwhile, you can catch the next episode of 24 on Monday March 15th @ 9:00pm, on Fox.

Source: EW

Those attending the upcoming WonderCon in San Francisco will not only be able to get their picture taken with Optimus Prime and Darth Nihilus, but will also be some of the first in the U.S. to see Matt Smith properly take over the reigns of Doctor Who. BBC America has announced that it will be premiering the fifth season of the show at WonderCon.

It appears that the powers that be are just as eager to show off the upcoming season of Doctor Who as fans are to see it. While BBC America has set up an advance screening at WonderCon, the BBC has once again trumped its American counterpart by putting together a national tour with stars Matt Smith and Karen Gillan traveling in a Doctor Who-themed bus to five locations across the UK.

At the locations fans will not only be treated to the fifth season (series in the UK) premiere, but also get a sneak peek at some exclusive footage and a 3D trailer. On top of all that, there will also be giveaways, photo-ops and a chance to meet the monsters of Doctor Who.

So, yeah, the WonderCon announcement is cool… unless you read what’s going on across the pond. But for you Who fans in the U.S.:

BBC America Presents the U.S. Premiere Screening of the new Doctor Who only at WonderCon!— On April 17 a new era of the BAFTA-winning series, Doctor Who, premieres on BBC AMERICA. From new lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, the series follows the adventures of The Doctor, the mysterious traveler who, with his human companions, journeys throughout all of time and space, facing a variety of foes and righting wrongs. This latest series sees Matt Smith’s debut as the new, Eleventh incarnation of the famous Time Lord alongside a new travelling companion, the enigmatic Amy Pond (Karen Gillan). Together they explore sixteenth century Venice, France during the 1890s, and the United Kingdom in the far future, now an entire nation floating in space. Doctor Who is television’s longest running science fiction series. Here’s your chance to see the very first episode weeks before it premieres! Doctor Who premieres Saturday, April 17, 9:00 PM ET/PT on BBC AMERICA.

Don’t worry if you’re not able to be a part of either advanced screenings as there will be a new trailer next week to help hold you over. If that still isn’t good enough, Screen Rant will also have an early review of the new season of Doctor Who to share in the beginning of April.

Anyone going to WonderCon who will be attending the Doctor Who premiere? Anyone from the UK that will be attending the amazing Doctor Who soiree? Anyone not looking forward to the new season?

For those attending WonderCon, catch the season premiere of Doctor Who April 3rd @6:30PM (w/ a replay at 7:45PM) in room 103.

Everyone else can wait until Doctor Who premieres in their country; April 4th on BBC One for the UK and April 17th on BBC America in the US.

Want to talk Doctor Who, Weeping Angels or Matt Smith? Hit me up on Twitter @anthonyocasio

Source: BBC America

After many rumors and a loose-lipped concert promoter Conan O’Brien – via Twitter – officially announced that he will be going on tour in 32 cities, for what’s being called The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour. The show is being touted as “a night of music, comedy, hugging, and the occasional awkward silence.”

Kicking things off in Eugene, OR on April 12th, O’Brien will be traversing the country for two months until June 14th, when the tour will wrap up in Atlanta, GA. While not many details have been released about what audiences can expect to see, rumors have been spreading that longtime sidekick – and short-lived announcer – Andy Richter will be joining the tour, as well as some – if not all – of the The Max Weinberg 7 (a.k.a. the briefly named “Max Weinberg and The Tonight Show Band”).

From O’Brien’s official announcement, we know one thing to be true: whatever it is, it’ll be half-assed:

Hey Internet: I’m headed to your town on a half-assed comedy & music tour. Go to http://TeamCoco.com for tix. I repeat: It’s half-assed.

With tickets already on sale ranging $39.50 to $79.50, you can bet that they’re going to be sold out fast. In fact, while writing this post, two more dates for NYC and Chicago have already been added and Conan has promises something extra special for those attending the second shows:

We are now adding a second show in both NYC & Chicago. For that second show, I’ll be doing all Liza Minnelli songs.

Interestingly enough, one city that seems to be missing is Lansing, Michigan, which is where Sarah Killen – the only person Conan follows on Twitter – resides. In fact, with no dates at all in Michigan, it looks like I’ll be missing out on what looks to be an amazing show – even if it is half-assed and full of hugging.

With tour dates announced, will you be going to see Conan O’Brien live? Excited? What would you like to see (beside the occasional awkward silence)? Do you already have tickets?

Head over to TeamCoCo or Ticketmaster for tickets to The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour.

Source: Twitter

ABC Family, looking to expand their current film library, has acquired the television rights to Tim Burton’s recent fairytale adaptation, Alice In Wonderland. This deal marks the second time ABC Family has stepped up to purchase the broadcast rights to a major theatrical film, the first being the Harry Potter franchise.

Having Disney as both the company behind Alice In Wonderland and the parent company of ABC Family probably helped things along. Although, it doesn’t look like the network was cut any special deal, as the estimated cost to obtain the rights is around $24 million. Considering the film opened to $116 million, this acquisition seems like a no-brainer for the network, but Alice In Wonderland isn’t the only theatrical blockbuster ABC Family recently picked up.

Proving that they’re as much of a contender as any other cable network, ABC Family has also picked up the TV rights to the Academy Award-nominated film, The Blind Side, for which Sandra Bullock won her first Oscar.

Even though both films now have a television network to call home, don’t expect to be seeing them anytime soon as they’re not expected to premiere until 2012. Waiting two years until their debut will give ABC Family enough time to see where this whole 3D craze is going and whether or not to broadcast Alice In Wonderland in 2D or 3D.

Considering our review of Alice In Wonderland, they probably should stick to 2D.

What do you think of ABC Family picking up Alice in Wonderland and The Blind Side? Would you rather see the former broadcast in 2D or 3D? How many of those Harry Potter marathons have you sat through (be honest)?

Catch both Alice in Wonderland and The Blind Side on ABC Family in 2012.

Source: Reuters

[Spoiler Warning!!]

As promised, we now have a follow-up to our original Lost spoiler roundup. While some of you were happy with the amount of spoilers included, there were many who complained that there wasn’t anything that spoilerish. So, for this one, I’ve decided to kick it up a notch, searched all over and collected as many Lost spoilers as I could find – and I found some doozies – and put them all for you to read here.

What’s great is not only are there spoilers, but also scenes from upcoming episodes – including the Lost series finale.

[WARNING - MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!]

Once again, I’m going to warn you about this possibly the final episodes of Lost for you. It all depends on how you feel about spoilers or finding out information ahead of time – everyone is different.

If you’re still here, great! Read on… and be spoiled.

• As Ben Linus proved in last night’s episode, some people can be redeemed and you will see the theme of redemption continue until the very end.

• Richard Alpert: Good or Evil? Nestor Carbonell says, “I don’t know. I don’t wanna wreck it. It’s complicated.”

• The March 23rd episode, entitled “Ab Aeterno” (which is Latin for, “Since the beginning of time.”), will contain some big reveals about the island.

• The May 4 episode, entitled “Across the Sea” (the last episode before the series finale), will not only reveal even more about the island, but will not include any of the series regulars. Says Michael Emerson, “It’s set in a time and place that you will never have seen on a network series before. When was the last time you saw a network drama episode that none of the series regulars were in the episode?”

• Richard is connected to both Jacob and the Man in Black. During a flashback from the 1800’s, you will see Richard and Jacob having a fight with a “special” knife.

• Ilana and Richard have met before; at a Russian hospital.

• Charlie, Daniel, Penny, Jack, Widmore, and Claire will all be featured in Desmond’s alternative timeline. As Desmond once again shares scotch with Widmore, he will have to make a large sacrifice.

• Michael will show up as a ghost on the island.

• We will see Walt again – in some form.

• Claire’s son Aaron figures into the end of the show.

• Cerberus is the name that DHARMA gave for the Monster. (Cerberus is also known in Greek mythology as the multi-headed guard at the gate of Hades.)

• Ilana will be looking for something and is going to set off a large explosion at the beach camp to try and find it.

• A new building will be revealed called the constellation tower.

• Sun and Jin will finally be reunited in the April 27 episode “The Candidate.”

• Four characters you know will also die in the April 27 episode “The Candidate.”

Scenes from upcoming episodes

Episode 10 – “The Package”
Airdate: March 30

Omar was shot in the stomach and Keamy in the shoulder. Jin attacked Mikhail and shot him in the eye.

______________

Episode 11 – “Happily Ever After”
Airdate: April 6

In the alternate timeline; While riding in a car with Desmond, Charlie suddenly took the wheel and crashed in the water. Desmond crashed a fundraiser being attended by Eloise Hawking, and demanded to see a guest list to try and find Penny, which Eloise refused to give him.

______________

Episode 13 – “The Last Recruit”
Airdate: April 20

Jack and Locke have an important conversation and Sawyer reveals his plan to Jack. Jack asks Claire if she trusts Locke. Locke seems to push Desmond into the well that leads to the frozen wheel. Locke runs off to find Sayid and Sayid claims he shot Desmond.

In the alternate timeline; Jack was at a dentist’s office where Bernard worked. Sawyer and Miles were at an emergency room. Ben and Locke were in an ambulance, Sun was in another one. Claire bumps into Desmond, who tells her to see a lawyer. Jack was at an attorney’s office with someone who may be his son.

______________

Episode 15 – “Across the Seas” (the penultimate episode)
Airdate: May 4

Jacob and MIB (Man in Black) are brothers in the year 23 AD. Claudia tells MIB she is his mother. Another woman tells young Jacob that she killed their mother. Adult Jacob, in 43 AD, went to get firewood and returned to find his village burned to the ground.

With only seven episodes left before the Lost series finale of, there’s not much left out there in terms of spoilers. Although, they are currently filming the finale and there’s no way they can keep everything under wraps. So, If for some reason anything does leak out, I’ll track it down.

Until then, were you happy with this round of spoilers? Or is the show now ruined for you?

Catch Lost Tuesdays @9PM on ABC

Know any other spoilers? Hit me up on Twitter @anthonyocasio

Source: TV Guide, E! Online and Dark UFO

Well, it’s been visible on the TV horizon for awhile now but it looks like the news is finally coming into clear view: Fox’s hit show 24 looks to be coming to a close after this, its eighth season.

The news comes from Variety and states that a decision will be made whether to end the show or not after the current eighth season in a day or two. The execs of both the studio and the network declined to comment for the time being. I think you can take it that they don’t want to say anything until they make an official announcement either way.

Although sad for 24 fans like myself, all is not lost. The makers of the show have been trying for a years to get a 24 movie made – particularly star Kiefer Sutherland, who’s been pushing for it almost harder than anyone else. It was recently announced that State of Play screenwriter Billy Ray has been hired to write the 24 movie script based on his idea of taking Jack Bauer to Europe (an idea which was apparently a big hit with the studio and producers).

So why is the end now in sight for 24? Well, it’s always been a show that’s cost a lot to make with its film-like scheduling (it apparently takes the better part of the year to film a season). But those costs have been rising and rising as the seasons have gone on and the ratings have not risen enough to justify the cost. On top of dwindling viewer numbers, the once  acclaimed show has been getting some heat from critics. Heck, even loyal fans of the show admit it’s not as good as it used to be (although I admit I’m one of the few who thinks it’s just about as good as ever).

Of course if Fox stops putting the show out that doesn’t mean we might not see it on a rival network. And the studio is thinking about shopping it around to others (NBC sure needs a show if Heroes isn’t renewed…). However, it’s believed that because of the cost of making 24 and the show’s long run (can you believe it’s been over 8 freaking years?!) that interest from other networks will be limited.

If they’re thinking about going the feature film route with 24 (and hiring a writer is a stark indication of that) then perhaps it isn’t a total downer that the show is coming to an end. Would it mean that we’d have to say goodbye to the real-time format? Unless they decide, as they did with the TV movie Redemption, to make the movie take place within the space of just a couple of hours and keep the minute-by-minute thing going.

However, Sutherland has said before that one of the incentives of making a movie version would be the freedom for Bauer to travel without us having to see that on-screen (it would be more like the globe-trotting action of the Bourne franchise in that sense).

Personally, I just would be happy to see good ‘ol Jack Bauer back on-screen – whether it be the small or the big screen – kicking ass and taking terrorist names .

What do you think of 24 perhaps ending after eight seasons? Is its time up or is there more fuel left in the tank for a few more seasons?

Stay tuned for more on this story as it comes out. The announcement is expected to be given in the next couple of days.

You can catch the next episode of 24 on Monday March 15th @ 9:00pm, on Fox.

Source: Variety

NBC has renewed its Thursday night prime time comedy lineup, which consists of Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office and 30 Rock. Despite having varied ratings (ranging from strong to OK), all four shows are being brought back for the upcoming 2010-2011 season, in order to preserve this great two-hour block of yuk-yuk.

While some people may only care about some of this news (or none of it at all), I for one am ecstatic!

We’ll take this show by show as we talk ratings. As a bonus, I’ll pitch you an episode of each show that I feel is a must watch:

Community is the only freshman in the bunch, but it’s become something of a breakout hit, even though it only averages about 5-6 million viewers on the regular. Still, like 30 Rock, the show has gained some pretty strong critical acclaim and those who love it (like yours truly), love it fiercely. Joel McHale is a great leading man, Chevy Chase hasn’t been this funny in years, and The Hangover’s Ken Jeong is the highlight of an all-around great supporting cast.

Recommended Episode: “Debate 109“

The hilarious supporting cast of Community

Parks and Recreation got slammed pretty hard by both viewers and critics in its first season – but not hard enough for NBC to ax it. In its second season I think the show has really hit its stride, spreading screen time amongst its hilarious supporting cast, which includes Aziz Ansari (Funny People), Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza (Funny People) and Chris Pratt. Amy Poehler has equally found her comfort zone playing do-gooder bureaucrat Leslie Knope. Parks and Rec’s position between Community and The Office has certainly helped its ratings; having guest stars like Louis C.K. hasn’t hurt either.

Recommended Episode: “Ron and Tammy“

The Office needs little explanation at this point – most of us have been following the exploits of the gang at Dunder Mifflin Scranton for so long now we consider it something of a second life. Despite some people saying the show has “jumped the shark” this year, The Office has actually increased viewership in its sixth season, averaging about 9.4 million viewers, which makes it network TV’s #1 prime time scripted show for the adult 18-34 range. Those syndicated episodes are only helping its audience grow.

Recommended Episode: “Niagra (pts. 1-2)“

30 Rock continues to be that little show that critics adore but only a core audience of fiercely loyal viewers tune in to watch. In this, its fourth season, the show is averaging around 7 million viewers – though that is a big deal considering it airs against network Juggernauts CSI and Greys Anatomy. The combination of Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin anchor this show; plus, its seems to be the only place where Tracy Morgan is actually be funny anymore (sorry Cop Out).

Recommended Episode: “Black Light Attack!“

Are you happy to hear that NBC has renewed its Thursday night comedy block for 2010-2011? If not, which show(s) could you stand to part with?

Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office and 30 Rock air Thursdays on NBC from 8-10pm.

Source: Collider & TV.com

[WARNING: This article contains major SPOILERS from seasons 1-4 of Dexter. If you're not caught up till the end of season 4 then stop reading now. You have been warned!]

If, like me, you’re a big fan of Showtime’s serial killer drama Dexter, you’re probably still recovering from the brutal and shocking way season 4 ended late last year.

Just when Dexter finally “got his man” and killed the sinister and masterful Trinity Killer (played magnificently by John Lithgow) he arrived home to find his beloved wife, Rita, dead in a bathtub full of blood and their young son, Harrison, sitting in a pool of blood on the floor next to her, just like Dexter had been when he was a child.

It was truly a shocking conclusion to arguably Dexter’s finest season yet. But where do you go from there? How do you top the Trinity Killer and one of the show’s main-stay characters being killed off? Well, EW recently spoke to exec producer of the show, Sara Colleton, before PaleyFest a couple of nights ago and she gave some hints as to what us eager Dexter fans can expect from the highly anticipated season 5.

[Further SPOILER warning for anyone wanting to stay completely in the dark about season 5. They're not really spoilers but more just hints at the general things they're thinking about doing next season]

First up, Colleton revealed that they won’t be jumping forward several years in time – they’ll be picking up pretty much where the last season left off:

“We have spent the last month sitting around, talking and really debating how best to deal with the aftermath of [Rita's death]. We uniformly decided that we don’t want to jump ahead. We need to see Dexter go through the process that we’d all have to go through if such a horrible thing had happened to us. We need to see him doing everything from the big emotional things like grieving the loss, to the mundane things like arranging a funeral, getting the kids dressed, and all the other things that are usually done for men because their wives or mothers do them. They have no idea how to handle all of these things. As we saw, Rita was really the caretaker of their baby. It would be cheating the audience of their catharsis to not see Dexter go through that mourning period and see how it affects him or to not see him dealing with the blowback of what he essentially caused. So we will not jump to Harrison as a 5 year old yet.”

I’m glad to hear that. Colleton is right in saying that it would sort of cheat the audience if they didn’t show Dexter immediately dealing with losing Rita head on. He dishes out death as a way of life and so to see him having to deal with the other side of that – of losing something close to him – is really interesting.

As to the question of just how the heck you follow up Lithgow’s Trinity Killer, it looks like the show isn’t going to try to in the next season:

“John Lithgow is a tough act to follow. If there was ever a year that we could take a step back from the Big Bad formula and go deeper into Dexter and his psychology, this would be that year. That said, Dexter has a dark passenger that won’t go away no matter how much he yearns to be normal. That rears up and needs to be dealt with. He may even dive deeper after this traumatic loss of Rita.”

“We are working on a way that feels original and fresh and unique to what he has just gone through. It cannot be the way it has been before. In [Season 1], he was terrified of any kind of intimacy because intimacy equaled being discovered. Then he slowly realized he had a need to be known and he set up a family and tried the best he could to balance it all. And now, he sees what being known brings him and he had it ripped out from underneath him suddenly and that will have some affect on him.”

Dexter vs. Trinity - How do you follow that killer face off?

I’m glad to see they’re trying to take the show in a new direction, or at least not just retreading old ground. We’ve had the “other killer” for Dexter to face-off against in both season 1 and season 4 (season 3 to some extent as well) so to see them concentrate more on Dexter’s psychology is a good way to go in my eyes (although I’m sure they’ll try and bring in another enemy of sorts if there’s a season 6).

Colleton also talked about the fact that Dexter probably won’t have another love interest next season. After losing Rita that’s entirely understandable:

“Anything is possible, but I don’t think Dexter will be in the mood for dating or love anytime soon. That’s not even on our radar right now. He very much loved Rita and they were in a good place right before she was killed so that wound will take quite some time to heal.”

Anyone else placing bets that Rita will show up in Dexter’s imagination like his father always does? Seems a good way to keep the actress who plays her, Julie Benz, on the show in some capacity.

That’s it for the Dexter season 5 hints for the time being. But for those wondering how Dexter himself, Michael C. Hall, is doing with regards to his battle with cancer, you’ll be glad to know he’s in full remission and he’s getting his energy back. Colleton says the show will definitely go on without production needing to be halted for Hall to recover (he was filming season 4 while he was receiving cancer treatment, FYI).

Thoughts on what’s been hinted at for season 5 of Dexter? Are you happy with the direction they’re thinking about going?

Dexter season 5 is set to start shooting in April or May this year, and is slated to start airing on Showtime in September (all as usual).

Source: EW (The Ausiello Files)

New Line is planning a Police Academy reboot and is looking for some new recruits to fill out the cast and crew. Original producer Paul Maslansky is back to get this reboot in session, although he has yet to find a writer, director, or cast. The project was outsourced to New Line by its sister studio, Warner Bros.

It’s hard to believe that there’s anybody who doesn’t know about Police Academy – but then again, young people these days…

The original franchise (there were seven movies and two TV shows) dealt with a city whose police department was in such dire straights that it threw open its doors to any and everyone willing to become an officer. The real cops in the department were forced to endure a bunch of goof-off wannabes, who (in proper movie style) ultimately ended up saving the city or America time and time again.

Actors who made appearances in the franchise (at one point or another) include Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, Bobcat Goldthwait, Julie Brown, Sharon Stone, Claire Forlani, Ron Pearlman and Christopher Lee. Although they probably don’t want you to remember that. The franchise was also famous thanks to the character of Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), the guy who made all those crazy sound effects with his mouth. Check out this video below:

Larvell Jones… Good Times…

Here’s what Maslansky had to say about the Police Academy reboot:

“It’s going to be very worthwhile to the people who remember it and to those who saw it on TV…It’s going to be a new class. We hope to discover new talent and season it with great comedians. It’ll be anything but another movie with a numeral next to it. And we’ll most probably retain the wonderful musical theme.”

Keeping the theme song is good news – I’ll believe the rest when I see it.

Is a new Police Academy needed? Probably not. But then was the original Police Academy really ever “needed?” Depending on which actors/comedians they get for this reboot it could be funny. However it’ll be hard to replace Michael Winslow (maybe hip-hop beat box phenomenon Rahzel?)

More on the Police Academy reboot as we hear it. In the meantime: which actors or comedians would your recommend for for roles?

Source: THR

]]> http://screenrant.com/police-academy-reboot-kofi-47481/feed/ 15 http://screenrant.com/conan-o-brien-tour-tickets-aco-47443/ http://screenrant.com/conan-o-brien-tour-tickets-aco-47443/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:04:55 +0000 Anthony Ocasio http://screenrant.com/?p=47443

Following Conan O’Brien’s recent departure from The Tonight Show, rumors began to spread that since he’s contractually barred from returning to television until September, the red-haired (former) talk show host was thinking about taking his act to the stage for a country-wide tour. Today it looks like there may be some truth to such rumors, as the first date for O’Brien’s stage show has been announced. Where’s the show premiering? Phoenix, AZ.

This morning Ticketmaster listed a new event by the name of “Conan O’Brien” to be held at the Dodge Theater on Friday, April 30 at 8PM with tickets for the event going on sale Monday, March 8th at 10:00 MST. Now, before you think it may be a fluke, Ticketmaster has already confirmed that they are selling tickets to a Conan O’Brien stage show, but Conan’s reps have yet to comment.

It appears that right before we were going to post this story some phone calls were made because the event page on Ticketmaster has been taken down, but no need to worry about reps from the Dodge Theater have confirmed that the event is still happening.

Even though I have no idea what the stage show is going to be, I want to see it. I would buy tickets right now if I could. If anything, I’ll buy tickets just to stick it to NBC for trying to hurt Conan’s notoriety by keeping him off TV for seven months.

If this news is true and Conan will be headed to Arizona for his first stage show, what would you like to see?  With NBC still holding on to Conan’s intellectual property, I’m not sure if he would be able to bring any of the fan-favorite characters with him or if that only applies to a broadcast medium.

If you’re in the area, don’t forget to get your tickets to the Conan O’Brien stage show on Monday March 8 @ 10M (MST)

[The story is still developing and we’ll update  as more information is made available…so check back!]

Care to talk more Conan or Robert Smigel being a genius? Are you planning to attend the stage show? Hit me up on Twitter @anthonyocasio

Source: Ticketmaster (via: TMZ)

A couple weeks ago, The CW announced a list of shows that will be returning next fall, but, for some reason, Smallville wasn’t included in the list.  This exclusion had loyal long-time fans worried that things may not be going so well with their favorite series. Well, fans need no longer worry because just a bit ago The CW just gave word that Smallville has been renewed for a tenth season.

That’s right, I said tenth. Not tenth and final. When asked about whether or not the tenth will be its last, I was told that they “can confirm it is picked up for a tenth season, but that’s it right now.” I supposed Warner Bros. and The CW are keeping things open in regards to what the future holds for everyone’s favorite – non-flying – superhero.

“SMALLVILLE”

TO RETURN FOR A TENTH SEASON

ON THE CW

March 4, 2010 (Burbank, California) ─ The CW Network has announced that its hit series “Smallville” will return in the fall of 2010 for a momentous tenth season.

“Smallville,” a modern retelling of the Superman legend, stars Tom Welling as Clark Kent.  The series moved to Friday nights this season, where it currently ranks as network television’s #1 show in its time period among men 18-34 and men 18-49.   Additionally, “Smallville” has dramatically improved The CW’s ratings performance in its Friday 8:00-9:00p.m.time period by 67% among adults 18-34 (1.5/6), 200% in men 18-34 (1.8/7), 75% in adults 18-49 (1.4/5), 183% in men 18-49 (1.7/6) and 74% in total viewers (3.12million).

“Smallville” joins the five previously announced series – “The Vampire Diaries,” “Gossip Girl,” “90210,” “Supernatural” and “America’s Next Top Model” – which will all return for another season on The CW.

“Smallville” was developed for television by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar (“Shanghai Noon,” “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”), based on the DC Comics characters.  Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson serve as executive producers, along with James Marshall, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins and Joe Davola.  The series is produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions, Millar/Gough Ink and Warner Bros. Television.  SUPERMAN was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

While I’m in a Smallville mood, let’s check out what we can expect when the show returns on April 2.

Looks like Metallo is back and Zod is done play nice. If Zod starts gathering his arm and Metallo is out for vengeance, what is Clark going to do? Fly? C’mon… you should know by now that’s not going to happen.

What do you think about Smallville getting a tenth season? Are you excited? Do you think the shows been on long enough? Anyone taking bets on whether or not we’ll see some actual flying? Is Lex coming back?

Don’t miss the return of Smallville Friday, April 2 @8PM on The CW

Care to talk more Smallville? Hit me on up Twitter @anthonyocasio

[Update: We've added a chart detailing Oscars Adapted Screenplays trivia]

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be taking place this Sunday and we’re all eager to see if director Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) will be able to upset ex-husband James Cameron (Avatar) in order to capture the prize of this year’s Best Picture Award.

However, did you know that The Hurt Locker would be the lowest-grossing film to ever win Best Picture? Or that Avatar would be the highest-grossing? What about low-grossing films that win the top award – what kind of boost does that acclaim give them at the big office?

Don’t know? Well lucky for you today we have not one, but TWO Oscar-themed charts that answer that bit of trivia and so many other questions related to the Academy Awards.

Respectively titled “Everything You Wanted to Know About The Oscars” and “Oscar’s Box Office Bump”, these two charts are wonderful reads for anybody concerned with looking like Mr./Mrs. Smarty pants film buff in the room come Oscar night.

The Oscars box office chart was provided by Hollywood.com, while the Oscars trivia chart comes our way courtesy of Locate TV. We’ll look at the numbers first, then the trivia:

CLICK EACH CHART FOR A LARGER VERSION

Update: Check out this charted detailing trivia on The Oscars Adapted Screenplay trivia, courtesy of Spring Pad. Click chart for a larger size:

Pretty cool stuff, right?

Make sure you read up on all this; like I said, you’ll be able to really impress the other Oscar-watchers in the room if you can start throwing out bits of trivia (or even more impressive – number stats) while you pretend to pick your nails during the commercials.

Just make sure that when people ask how you know all this stuff, you tell them that your loyal friends over at Screen Rant pointed the way!

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be televised this Sunday, March 7, 2010 @ 8 pm EST / 5 pm PST on ABC.

Sources: Hollywood.com & Locate TV

Update Source: Spring Pad

]]> http://screenrant.com/oscars-trivia-charts-kofi-47355/feed/ 2 http://screenrant.com/disney-avengers-cartoon-tron-cartoon-kofi-47301/ http://screenrant.com/disney-avengers-cartoon-tron-cartoon-kofi-47301/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:39:24 +0000 Kofi Outlaw http://screenrant.com/?p=47301

While doing their upfront presentation to potential media buyers and clients this past Tuesday, Disney unveiled two new animated series spawned from the upcoming Marvel team-up movie The Avengers, and the 3D tech-world sequel, Tron Legacy.

The Avengers project (which we first reported on back in ‘08) will still be titled The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and will now premiere on the Disney XD channel in the Fall of 2010. The Tron project will come after the release of Tron Legacy, most likely in late 2011/early 2012.

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will feature the ranks of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Giant Man, The Wasp, with featured appearances by The Hulk. It doesn’t really take a genius to figure out Disney’s two-pronged plan for releasing this Avengers cartoon:

1. They start reaching that young market they were clearly aiming for when they acquired Marvel.
2. They start upping the exposure of The Avengers, as a strong lead-in to the feature film release.

Not a bad plan, the only question is: Will this latest Marvel animated project be able to hold a candle to DC animated shows like Justice League?

Take a look at the trailer for The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and you tell me:

As for the Tron series: it’s being aimed at kids 6-14 but has yet to receive the official green light. As stated, the series would arrive in late 2011/early 2012 and be broadcast on The Disney Channel.  Disney is also planning a Tron “micro-series” that they would premiere in the Fall of 2011, to serve as a lead-in to regular animated series. It’s still too early for any trailers, but we’ll keep you posted as promo material is released for the show.

How do you feel about Disney’s new animated projects? How about their movie counterparts? Think the cartoons are good lead-ins/tie-ins?

More on The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the Tron animated series when we hear it.

Source: THR via /Film

This past weekend, the Paley Center for Media started their annual PaleyFest, where the cast and crew of popular television series are invited to discuss their show as well as field questions from the attending audience. Since Lost is the most talked about show on the air, you know that it was going be included.

The panel was set for Saturday and Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse along with the rest of the executive producers took the stage to answer every question the audience had – without actually giving real answers.

Along with the producers were Michael Emerson (Ben Linus), Terry O’Quinn (John Locke/MIB) and Nestor Carbonell (Richard Alpert). While no major information was given out (like our previous spoiler post), they did give us a taste of what’s to come.

Check out some of the stuff that was revealed.

• Ben’s childhood friend, Annie, is not coming back. Neither is Matthew Abbadon or Mr. Eko. On the other hand, Charlie Pace, Charles Widmore and his dog, Vincent, will.

• There will be an entire episode focused Richard Alpert; how old is he, who he is, what he does.

• No news on whether Disney World is planning a Lost ride. Although, Lindelof had an idea, “Just put people in a dark room, spin them around for a minute, have them walk out of the room, punch them in the face and say, ‘You’ve just had the Lost experience.’”

• The bird in the first season finale who said “Hurly” will be back. Says Lindelof, “That is on our list of things to explain.”

• The only thing keeping Walt from coming back is that the actor is much older and taller now. “We are actually working on a way to try to bring Walt back before Lost is all said and done,” Cuse said.

• Does Jacob have a list? “The idea that Jacob had a list that he furnished to the Others or to Ben is up for debate,” Lindelof says. They went on to imply that Ben Linus might have just invented the idea of the list as a way to get Jack to operate on his spinal tumor.

• On whether or not we’ll see what happens to Rose and Bernard, Lindelof asks, “In which timeline? We already found out what happened to Rose in sideways. We might be seeing Bernard in sideways.” They refused to say if the couple will make a return to the island.

• Jacob wasn’t lying when he said that someone is coming to the island. Although, the producers – in typical lost fashion – refuse to divulge who it is.

• They’re in the midst of writing the series finale right now. In terms of where they’re at with it, Cuse says, “We have architecture for the end of the show, but on a character level there’s room for discovery. There’s a destination that we’re getting to, but there will definitely be things we discover and moments, rather than seismic changes, in our game plan.”

• Describe the finale episodes in one word? “Water,” says Lindelof.

While nothing major was revealed, it’s nice to know that they’re actually spending time on the finale and not just cranking something out where the show ends with a black screen. I don’t think a bunch of angry Lost fans running around thinking that their televisions are broken would be a good thing. Although, if they do decide to go down that Sopranos road, they at least need to use a different Journey song.  My vote is for “Separate Ways.”

What do you think of the little tid-bits that the producers provided? Anything new and interesting or are they just bringing up old stuff to keep us quite? Are you really ready for the finale episode to be about water? Think that there’s a more appropriate Journey song than “Separate Ways?”

Let’s hear it!

Don’t forget to watch Lost Tuesdays @9PM on ABC.

Follow me on Twitter @anthonyocasio

Source: TV Guide

The cable channel has now given a nine episode commitment to the  fantasy series.

Game of Thrones is given the following synopsis by The Hollywood Reporter:

“The sprawling tale set in the mythical land of Westeros tells the story of the noble Stark family who become caught up in high court intrigue when patriarch Eddard (played by Sean Bean) becomes the king’s new right-hand man.”

Bean, Catlin Stark, 300’s Lena Heady and Mark Addy lead the cast. The series is being developed by David Benioff and Dan Weiss.

George Martin  is a former TV writer who in the past has written episodes of The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast and The Outer Limits. Benioff scripted last year’s Wolverine and also wrote the novels The 25th Hour and the excellent City of Thieves. Weiss, meanwhile, is attached to the I Am Legend prequel (boo hiss).

THR also states that each of the four books in the series (so far) will account for one season, so it looks like HBO is investing a lot of cash in this fantasy series, which is being pitched as “Sopranos with swords” due to its “brutal realism.”

Shooting begins in the Titanic Quarter of my old stomping ground of  Belfast this June, with the show expected to air on HBO next Spring. Additional shooting will also take place in Scotland and Morocco.

More on Game of Thrones when we get it.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

After 40 years being a star on the big screen, Dustin Hoffman is now about to become a star on television. The two-time Oscar-winning actor has signed on to star in the pilot Luck for director Michael Mann.

Mann will direct, and Hoffman will star in the David Milch scripted show (alongside Mann favorite Dennis Farina), which focuses on gambling and horse racing.

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“Luck centers on an intelligent, intuitive tough man (Hoffman) who always has been involved with gambling, from bookmaking and money laundering to casino operations.

Recently released from prison after four years, he teams with Gus Economou (Farina), his longtime chauffeur and muscle, to craft a complex plan involving the track. They recruit Turo Escalante (John Ortiz), a successful trainer with a sordid reputation.”

While it’s a bit sad to see an actor of Hoffman’s stature (no pun intended) moving to the small screen, television is now a good place to find intelligent drama and solid characterization. It’ll offer Hoffman a strong role (something that he has been lacking in recent years) and Michael Mann’s involvement would indicate that the series will have a grittiness that only cable would be able to handle.

Farina is no slouch in the acting stakes either. Since Mann discovered him on Thief (he was a police consultant) the actor has given scorching support in films such as Out of Sight, Get Shorty and Manhunter.

In the past Mann has been responsible for some great television including the  1980s classic Miami Vice and the underrated Las Vegas set drama Crime Story (also starring Farina), which you really have to check out on DVD if you haven’t seen it. Having said that, I felt that Mann’s last big screen effort, Public Enemies, was a lackluster effort, with poor pacing and bad digital cinematography.

Hoffman is one of the few actors that I can watch in anything – he almost made Billy Bathgate bearable, so you can be sure that I’ll be checking out Luck when it hits.

More on Luck when we get it.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Last summer we found out that 2008’s Jason Statham starrer, Death Race, would be getting a prequel. While we didn’t know if this was going the way of the straight-to-DVD trend for prequels and sequels that don’t feature the star of the previous franchise installment, we did know as of November some basic plot details and character descriptions.

The film is titled Death Race: Frankenstein Lives and production began February 13, 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa. We’ve not heard too much buzz on the project but today there was some major movement with the casting of Sean Bean who will play opposite Luke Goss in the film.

We also can confirm that it is in fact a straight-to-DVD release from Universal’s DVD Originals collection.

It’s been rumored that Bean would join the cast and now it’s confirmed. He joins familiar actors Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo, Lauren Cohan and Frederick Koehler. I am impressed with the cast for a strict home video release and I almost think this deserves a theatrical release considering the first one opened as such.

Roel Reine (The Marine 2) is directing the movie which will be produced by Paul W.S. Anderson, who directed the previous movie.

I’m interested in watching this because I enjoy taking it for what it is, a fun action movie that serves its purpose. That and adding Sean Bean is always a win.

Source: THR

[Update: Check out a new Clash of the Titans behind-the-scenes featurette!]

With only a month left before the Clash of the Titans remake hits theaters (in 3D!), the promo materials for the film are going to start coming at us pretty rapidly.

Case in point: today we have three new Clash of the Titans TV spots (you probably caught them over the weekend during the final rounds of the Winter Olympics), and also some new artwork featuring the mythological monsters that appear in the movie.

First we’ll take a look at the three new Clash of the Titans TV spots. The first one is pretty much a condensed version of the teaser trailer -- same music, same sequencing, same footage- this time with the updated selling point of “In 3D!” stamped all on it. The second TV spot is slightly more revealing about what the actual story of the film is, similar to the international trailer. The third TV spot focuses even more on story and features some new footage.

Anyway, check out all three Clash of the Titans TV spots:

For an HD version of TV Spot #3, go HERE.

Side Note: Am I the only one who finds it hilarious that they’re now advertising movies with the bookend of “…and in 2D” attached? When did THAT become something you needed to say about a movie? That it’s in 2D? Has Avatar really changed the game that drastically? Sheesh…

UPDATE: Here’s a new behind-the-scenes featurette for Clash of the Titans, courtesy of Yahoo Movies:

On to the monster art: Have a look at some of the mythological monsters you’ll be seeing in Clash of the Titans, courtesy of Empire magazine and Bloody Disgusting:

The Reaper

Scorpion

Medusa

The Krakken

For more of the gallery you can head over to Bloody Disgusting; for the full spread you’ll need to keep your eye out for the latest issue of Empire.

Clash of the Titans (in 3D AND 2D) hits theaters on April 2, 2010.

Sources: Empire & Bloody Disgusting

Update Source: Yahoo Movies

It would appear that NBC were very serious indeed when they mentioned that they were bringing 70’s detective Jim Rockford back to TV screens for a modern take on the weary detective.

Producers Steve Carell and David Shore now have a replacement for  original Rockford Files star James Garner in the form of Dermot Mulroney.

The Rockford Files was an Emmy Award winning detective series about a down on his luck Private detective with a copper Firebird (and an answering machine), who lived in a caravan on the Californian beach. His low level cases were often dangerous, and sometimes he would work the case without getting paid (despite his best efforts).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new Jim Rockford is described as “slightly crumpled, wry humored, cynical, world weary, compassionate when it’s called for and easily irritated by morons.”

The trade paper also states that his “troubled past includes doing some time as a convict and as a cop.”

I feel that’s where they’ve made their first mistake – if Rockford is a former cop it loses one of the main bits of character focus from the original series, in that the cops hated Rockford for being a Private Detective and a former criminal (albeit pardoned). Making him a former cop puts him on the inside track and makes him less of an outsider.

I’m also slightly worried that with Steve Carell onboard the show will be a bit too humorous and self-referential. The original Rockford wasn’t exactly gritty, but Garner had a laid back charm and easy delivery that made him likable. I just feel that this modern-update could be more like the Starsky and Hutch movie than a true update of the iconic detective drama.

As for Mulroney’s involvement – he’s an okay choice, and I can see that the producers are going for “laidback” but I don’t think that he’s got the presence or charisma to step into Garner’s shoes. The actor normally plays second fiddle in a lot of big films; he was the titular best friend in My Best Friend’s Wedding and recent years have seen him Zodiac, Burn After Reading and About Schmidt. Like many actors whose career failed to ignite on the big screen, it looks like he too is finding solace on television.

The Rockford Files was created by Stephen J. Cannell and Roy Huggins (who also created Garner’s Maverick), it ran for six seasons, and unlike most shows it wasn’t canceled due to poor ratings or contract disputes, but because the work schedule took it’s physical toll on Garner’s health.

In the mid-to-late-nineties Garner returned to the role of Rockford for a series of television movies, which while enjoyable didn’t match the charm of its original run, even though they brought back much of the original supporting cast.

No matter how good the 21st Century update of The Rockford Files is, I know that it will not be as good as the original – and I know that before a single frame has even been shot!

That’s my opinion, what do you guys think?

Source: THR