Screen Rant » TV

‘Monk’ Series Finale Promo

Anthony Ocasio — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:13:38 +0000

After 7 years, 8 seasons and 123 episodes, Adrian Monk is finally going to close the case which started it all: who is behind the death of his beloved wife, Trudy. With the case also goes the series, Monk, but now is not the time to lament over what will be, as there are still two phobia-inducing episodes left. At least now we have a promo to go with it and possibly some clues as to who’s behind it the crime.

The penultimate episode, titled “Mr. Monk and the End” comes with a description so short that there’s no chance of giving anything away.

Monk is called to a crime at the location where he first heard the news of his wife’s murder and begins the most important investigation of his life.

Although, what the description doesn’t tell you is that this episode also includes more guest stars than an episode of Fantasy Island. Some familiar faces you can expect to see will be:

Mr. Starship Trooper himself, Casper Van Dien.

The reason why I now have to drink Pinot Noir, Virginia Madsen.

The always energy efficient, Ed Begley Jr.

Head coach of the Minnesota State University Screaming Eagles, Craig T. Nelson.

As with any Trudy-centric episode, you can also expect to see Mrs. Jan Levinson-Gould, Melora Hardin, as face of Monk’s deceased wife.

Enough talk of episodic descriptions, guest starts and Fantasy Island. Let’s get to the promo.

While this promo is almost as short as the description, it still gives fans a sense of what to expect from this episode. It appears as if those behind Trudy’s death are back with Adrian in their target sights and from the scene in the doctor’s office, it seems as if they’ve succeeded.

Since I’m such a nice person, here are some photos to supplement the short promo.

As any series comes to an end, fans always hope to have all their questions answered. While Monk might not have as many mysteries as Lost, there are still enough that I will go away upset if some are not answered.

What’s on the top of my list? Well…

What’s the gift that Trudy left Monk?

What about you? What did you think about the promo? Are you looking forward to the finale? Do you think this will be a proper farewell to the world’s greatest detective? What questions do you want answered?

Since the episode doesn’t air until Friday, there’s more than enough time to speculate. So, let’s speculate away.

Don’t forget to catch Monk Friday @ 9PM on USA

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Smallville: First Look At Sandman, Dr. Fate & Green Lantern?

Anthony Ocasio — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:11:59 +0000

Let’s start off the week with some awesomeness that is, of course, Smallville. Even though the Smallville Justice Society two-hour movie (now titled “Absolute Justice”) is more than two months away, The CW has already begun rolling out enough teasers and sneak-peeks to keep any fan at bay. Still, Smallville fans are not the common fan and as such require even more teasers and sneak-peeks. Luckily, The CW has obliged.

Last week we brought you a glimpse of Hawkman along with some details of what to expect from the episode. Today, while we don’t have any more information about said Smallville movie, there just might be some information about the episode before the February 5th “Absolute Justice” event that fans might be interested in. Did someone say Dr. Fate, Sandman and… Green Lantern?

…Oh yes, they did!

It looks like we’re going to have quite the run-up to the Justice Society special, as a promo for the January 22 episode titled “Disciple” shows a couple familiar faces.

Some announced. Some not. All awesome.

Let’s kick it off with some photos.

Sandman

Dr. Fate

And finally, possibly a little appearance from Alan Scott?

Green Lantern

Now, check out the promo below.

I’ve got to admit, those costumes look pretty great. I wasn’t too excited after seeing Hawkman as Smallville is pretty much hit-or-miss with their costume designs, but I’ve got to admit that Sandman and Dr. Fate have gone down the road of Green Arrow and look great. Add in an appearance by Green Lantern and I’m more than sold on this.

While we’ve still got two holidays to get through before this episode airs, the promo has me totally excited for what’s to come. For a show that’s in its ninth season, it appears that there’s no slowing down for the red-blue blur. If this momentum continues, there’s no doubt (in my mind) that a tenth season will be on the schedule.

What do you think of the promo and the first looks at Sandman and Dr. Fate? Does the possibility of a Green Lantern appearance guarantee that you’ll be tuning in?

Catch Smallville “Disciple” January 22 at 9PM on The CW

Source: Super Hero Hype

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Avatar Featured on 60 Minutes

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:51:08 +0000

There comes a point in the marketing of every major motion picture where the filmmakers and studio must elevate their project to the loftiest height of visibility, namely, the attention of old folks.

James Cameron’s Avatar has certainly made an impression on the online movie geek community (that’d be us) and has certainly started to gain the attention of the general movie going public (adults and young adults). The film has even used TV spots to snag the interest of young children. But what about my grandparents? Do they know anything about Avatar?

Well, in an effort to alert my grandparents (and yours) as to Avatar’s existence, James Cameron appeared on 60 Minutes last night to chat about the film – and we have video of the segment.

Sorry fellow movie geeks, if you’ve been keeping up with Avatar since day one, then the most this segment is going to offer you is a couple of new shots to look at. Everything else is pretty much a rehash of the film’s well-documented history – how Cameron has been dreaming it up for a over a decade, the new technology he used to film it, the storyline of the film, who James Cameron IS – with Cameron himself explaining it all real slow and easy so grandma and grandpa can understand clearly.

Ok, so I’m teasing 60 Minutes (sort of), but you get the idea – and, if you don’t, here’s the video to help ya!

There is one thing in this video that I want you loyal Screen Rant readers to pay attention to: Around the 5:43 mark, Cameron says “I’ve loved fantasy and science fiction since I was a kid…”

Did you hear those words? FANTASY and SCIENCE FICTION – the same two words I’ve been saying apply to Avatar, only to catch much flack for even suggesting such “blaspheme.” However much you may want to deny it, sci-fi fans, the evidence of Avatar’s fantasy influences just keeps on growing…

What’d think of the 60 Minutes segment, anything new or interesting or just an Avatar turtorial for the geriatric sector?

Will your grandparents be seeing Avatar when it hits theaters on December 18, 2009?

Source: CBS News

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Poster Friday: Avatar, Kick-Ass, Lost, Salt & More!

Rob Keyes — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:59:09 +0000

Happy Friday everyone!

We missed last week due to the launch of our sister site, GameRant.com and the fact that there was quite a few less one-sheets than normal so instead, I’ve combined them all from the last two weeks into this edition of Poster Friday.

Screen Rant’s wall this week now includes new one-sheets for Avatar, Precious, Crazy on the Outside, Daybreakers, Lost, Salt, Alice in Wonderland, Crazy Heart, Kick-Ass, The Yellow Handkerchief, Caprica, All About Evil, The Wolfman, Ong Bak 3, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, From Paris with Love and Wonderful World.

In addition to that we have some neat stylistic posters for some popular television shows.

Let’s get to it.

To start, here are a pair of French posters for Avatar, both of these we had lesser quality early looks at before, but now we have the full versions.

http://screenrant.com/wp-admin/media-new.php

Source: Latino Review, /Film

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Doctor Who: The End Of Time 3-Minute Preview

Anthony Ocasio — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:46:05 +0000

‘Tis the season to be Jolly. Not because of the holidays (yuck, holidays) but because of David Tennant’s finale as Doctor Who and since everyone seems to be in the giving spirit, BBC America has bestowed upon us the gift of a three-minute sneak-peek at Doctor Who: The End of Time.

It was not a week ago that we learned the name of Tennant’s swan song, along with getting a 40-second teaser trailer. Now we’ve got three-minutes from the episode! With the way information keeps rolling out of the two “beebs” (BBC & BBC America), I’m guessing that by next week we’re going to have the entire episode available. Well, maybe not the entire episode, but hopefully the opening sequence .

Before we get to the actual clip, there’s also good news for the American audience. We already know that Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars is scheduled to air in America on December 19th and that in the UK, Doctor Who: The End of Time (part one) will air on Christmas Day. What’s the good news, you ask? Well, there will be no need to wait a month to catch up with our friend across the pond as BBC America will be airing part one of Doctor Who: The End of Time on December 26th.

Now, let’s get back to the clip that you came here to see. Check it out below.

It seems as if the Ood’s have done pretty well for themselves since they’ve been freed only 100 years. With the Doctor being summoned back to the planet of the Ood, there’s no doubt that Donna, their savior, will be back in a big, bad way. Also, it looks as if the Doctor has somewhat returned to normal after his stint at the end of “The Waters of Mars,” but something’s still a little off with him – maybe it’s just me.

While the dates of Doctor Who: The End of Time part one have been released for the UK and America, there have yet to be any announcements as to the dates of part two in either territory, but we’re promised it will be “over the holidays.” As always, we’ll bring you anything Doctor Who related as it is announced.

Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars will air December 19 on BBC America
Doctor Who: The End of Time (part one) will air December 25 in the UK and December 26 in America

Source: BBC America

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Stephen King’s ‘Under the Dome’ to be Produced by Speilberg

Scott Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:35:00 +0000

Under The Dome, the newest novel from Stephen King (who wrote about 50,000 books including those in The Dark Tower series) will be adapted for TV by the producer of Schindler’s List, Amistad and Transformers (actually, Spielberg was the executive producer of that last one). Collider clued us in.

The novel, released all of 10 days ago, follows the events in a sleepy Maine town after a mysterious dome entraps all of the inhabitants. For a hint at what might happen in the story, a previous piece King wrote with the same premise was titled The Cannibals. The official Stephen King Website gives this synopsis of Under The Dome:

“On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when — or if — it will go away.

Dale Barbara, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens – the town newspaper owner, a physician’s assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing to hold on to the reins of power, and his son. Because time isn’t just short… It’s running out.”

Steven Spielberg is also executive producing The Talisman, due out in 2010, another project written by King. Spielberg is also keeping himself busy with the upcoming Transformers 3 and Indiana Jones 5. Collider tells us that writers are currently being brought in to discuss an adaption of Under The Dome (it’s 1,000 pages, BTW).

So, another dark Stephen King novel will get the live-action treatment. Who do you think should direct this Spielberg-produced TV series?

No word on when Under The Dome will hit small screens everywhere.

Source: Stephen King Website, Collider

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Lost Final Season Premiere Date and Cast Info Announced

Ross Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:10:15 +0000

The day has come for all us Lost fans when we can start officially marking our calendars for the air date of the season 6 premiere. ABC has announced that the sixth and final season of Lost will kick off on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 with a three-hour event, that is, a one-hour recap show (as per usual) shown at 8:00pm, followed by the two-hour season premiere entitled “LA X” (the space is intentional, FYI) at 9:00pm-11:00pm.

Moving from last year’s Wednesday night slot, season six of ABC’s hit mystery show will settle in on Tuesdays, mainly because it doesn’t want to compete with ABC’s Wednesday comedy-show lineup (nor did they want to move the successful line-up to another day to make way for Lost). The schedule for later in season 6 is still being worked out, but it’s being purported that the new series V will follow Lost at 10:00pm. If we continue without breaks/hitches, the Lost series finale will air on May 18th, 2010.

So hooray for Lost fans who now have a set start date to look forward to. But on top of that news comes another few pieces of info related to casting and the rumored break-up of the season into two parts. First off, a few of the recurring cast members from previous seasons are now official series regulars (like the rest of the cast, a la Jack, Kate, Sawyer etc). They are: Nestor Carbonell (we’re supposedly gonna’ get a flashback episode for his character of Richard Alpert – finally!); Ken Leung (who plays the wisecrackin’, Miles Straume); Jeff Fahey (who plays the rough and likeable pilot, Frank Lapidus); and Zuleikha Robinson (who plays the mysterious Ajira Airway flight 316 passenger, Illana).

Staying on the casting side of things, it’s also now known that Emilie De Ravin who plays Claire Littleton – a character who was absent for the whole of Season 5 – is now back for the whole of season 6 as a regular. I guess we’ll finally get to know why in season 4 she left her baby, Aaron, in the jungle for Sawyer to find, and was later seen mysteriously in Jacob’s cabin… can’t wait for that explanation! The only piece of disappointing Lost news is the fact that Henry Ian Cusick, who plays Desmond Hume, is NOT listed a regular for season 6 – although we’ll most likely be seeing a fair amount of his character in a recurring role.

However, maybe the best piece of news to come out is that Lost WON’T be taking the rumored mid-season break for the Winter Olympics. We reported on that little stinker at the end of last month but it appears that with the start date of February 2nd, and the Olympics starting on February 12th, it’s just not feasible to interrupt things so soon into season 6.

So there you have it, we now know when one of the best TV shows around (personally I’d say THE best, but that’s just me) will premiere its final season. I’m gonna’ be VERY sad (literally, I’m not joking here…) when Lost is finished: no more mysteries, no more Jack, Locke, Kate, Sawyer, Ben, or Hurley; no more baffling and wonderful mysteries to ponder; no more Smoke Monster; no more running through the jungle… I could go on and on.

I’ve put my faith in the writers that they’ll end the show in a way that’s satisfying and feels “right.” They’ve gotten us this far and I’m fully confident they’ll end it as best a show like Lost can be ended. I’m shaking with excitement already .

Are you as much of a Lost fan as I am? What do you think of the cast members that have been “promoted” to regulars? Are you glad that the show won’t be taking a break for the Winter Olympics or did that possibility not even bother you?

As stated, the two-hour season 6 premiere of Lost will air Tuesday, February 2nd on ABC at 9:00pm.

Source: /Film and DarkUFO

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Chuck Premiere Date Announced By NBC

Bruce Simmons — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:48:10 +0000

NBC announced today that Chuck will be returning to the entertainment lineup starting January 10th.

Along with this return date confirmation was the announcement of the many guest stars they’ll have churning through the set of Chuck for the 2010 season.

The guests include Angie Harmon (Law & Order), Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), Robert Patrick (The Unit), Kristin Kreuk (Smallville), Armand Assante (Judge Dredd), Steve Austin (WWE Smackdown!) and Vinnie Jones (Snatch).

Returning with Chuck is the usual cast of regulars: Zachary Levi, Adam Baldwin, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Sarah Lancaster, Ryan McPartlin, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Vik Sahay & Scott Krinsky.

The NBC press release stated:

NBC’s action-comedy series Chuck returns to the NBC lineup on Sunday, January 10 with all-new missions and two action-packed, back-to-back original episodes in its season premiere (9-11 p.m. ET) before the series — starring Zachary Levi in the title role — moves to its regular day and time (Mondays 8-9 p.m. ET) beginning January 11.

So Chuck not only comes back on January 10th, but we get the next episode on the very next day. Sweet. There was no mention of how many episodes they’re planning to air, but hey, January 10th & 11th is good enough for me right now.

Source: NBC

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HBO’s ‘The Pacific’ Trailer

Scott Miller — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:43:07 +0000

HBO is bringing us The Pacific, a WWII story of what went down in the Pacific while the men from Band of Brothers were fighting in Europe.

The series is based on the memoirs of Eugene Sledge and Robert Leckie, both of whom were Marines that served in the Pacific Theater of Operations. It was produced by (you guessed it) Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks (both of whom produced BoB) and Gary Goetzman (producer of Charlie Wilson’s War).

Joseph Mazzello and James Badge Dale have tackled the roles of Sledge and Leckie, respectively. John Seda rounds out the lead parts playing Sergeant John Basilone. Mazzello played the little boy in Jurassic Park (!) all those years ago, Dale popped up in The Departed and The Black Donnellys and Seda’s a former boxer who appeared in Twelve Monkeys and more recently, Bad Boys II.

Here’s the trailer for The Pacific. Dig in:

Here’s hoping The Pacific can match up to Band of Brothers while somehow not feeling like a rehash. The speech that Lt. Spiers gave in Band of Brothers about embracing death was one of the most powerful and memorable things I’ve ever seen on TV. If they can pull off just a couple moments like that in The Pacific, I’d be thrilled.

I’ve begrudgingly accepted the notion that the majority of television HBO touches turns to gold. Their approach of taking highly romanticized and curiosity-piquing concepts (the mafia, the old west, trendy life in a big city, vampires, being young and famous, etc. etc.) and adding human moments that allow us to relate to these extraordinary lives, has brought them well-deserved success for the last decade or so. I’d say The Pacific is one of the best bets for quality TV viewing next year. Do you agree?

The Pacific will hit our living rooms in March of 2010.

Souce: THR

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Open Discussion – November 18, 2009

Vic Holtreman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:01:45 +0000

It’s Wednesday again, time for our regularly scheduled open discussion post.

As usual – talk about whatever you like as long as it’s related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself – just remember to play nice.

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First Look: Michael Shanks as Hawkman in Smallville

Bruce Simmons — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:54:52 +0000

TV Guide got themselves a nice little scoop on Nov 16th when they flaunted the first look at what Michael Shanks will look like as Hawkman on Smallville. They also had the opportunity to chat with Michael Shanks (Stargate SG-1) who will be playing Carter Hall aka Hawkman in an upcoming pair of episodes from Smallville.

The pair of episodes are now being drawn together into a single night of viewing and The CW Network is calling it a “movie” event.

We will be meeting the Justice Society in this movie and Shanks gave TV Guide some insight to the upcoming episodes and their first look at Shanks as Hawkman:

Admittedly, it looks a bit odd in the blue tint and doesn’t really give up too much except that he looks exactly like the classic Hawkman we’ve seen through the years:

The interview had some details that some may consider to be outline spoilers. If you like being surprised by plot line, then there are a few things below that might be considered plot spoilers.

Onward:

Shanks said he is doing his own flying, controlled by big men with big arms in his fly-by-wire get up.
He won’t be bare chested, but will have a chest plate. This will accommodate the FX harness for flying.
Carter Hall / Hawkman, who is a reincarnated prince from 1,000 years previous, comes off with a lot of cynicism and guilt about what he deems failures on his part from past events that involved the Justice Society.
The society has been around for some time and our own group of Smallville heroes are just hearing about them now… which will be an interesting plot point in the movie.
There will be many references to other Society members throughout the movie.
Hall and Queen will be at odds over political views.

What caught my eye was the reference to how the Society was originally treated so poorly by the public that it causes a debate about whether the Justice League itself should even try to pick up the hero mantle as a group.

Interesting bits: In addition to Hawkman, we’ll be seeing Dr. Fate, Stargirl, Martian Manhunter and Amanda Waller. Plus, Tom Welling will be directing the 2nd hour.

It’s all good stuff giving us something to look forward to when this two-hour event featuring the Justice Society and penned by the ever illustrious Geoff Johns hits the air on February 5th, 2010.

I am looking forward to the unveiling of so many heroes in a single episode of Smallville. To be honest, if feels like they’re pulling out all the stops for this 9th season to make sure they get a 10th. And they just might, at the rate they’re going this year.

Source: TV Guide

Header image edited from art penciled by Joe Ng, inked by Mickey Clausen, colored by Sean Ellery.

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Doctor Who To Become Funny Lawyer For NBC

Anthony Ocasio — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:23:49 +0000

While fans around the world are waiting to see the final moments of David Tennant as Doctor Who, the Doctor himself has already moved on and is set to star in the pilot for the comedic legal drama Rex Is Not Your Lawyer for NBC.

Created by Andrew Leeds and David Lampson (Stephen’s Life – never heard of it either), the show centers around Rex Alexander (Tennant) who is Chicago’s top litigator, but after suffering from panic attacks, he’s forced to step down from litigating and takes up teaching clients how to represent themselves in court.

Tennant need not worry about having to carry the hour-long program on his own, as Jeffery Tambor (Arrested Development, The Larry Sanders Show) has been tapped to co-star as Rex’s psychiatrist who also suffers from the same anxiety disorder. Where’s the comedy part? Well, it seems that Tambor will also become romantically involved with Rex’s mother.

After hearing about David Tennant leaving Doctor Who to do other things, I understood where he’s coming from; He’s a good actor and doesn’t want to be stuck in one role for his entire career. Sadly, he chose this move as his followup, going from Doctor Who – a show that’s loved by millions around the world – to a pilot that doesn’t sound at all that interesting or entertaining. I can’t even imagine how a show like this is going to work. It sounds like a mash-up of every genre… How could it possibly go wrong?

I’m not trying to be a “Negative Nancy” about this, but with NBC’s recent history of programming decisions, I have little hope that this program will make it to air, let alone be of a quality that would justify Tennant leaving his previous position.

Rex Is Not Your Lawyer is currently just a pilot. If it gets picked up, expect to see it this fall on NBC.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

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Next in the TV Show Remake Craze: Charlie’s Angels

Paul Young — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:43:28 +0000

The remake bug has made its transition from the big screen to the small screen. This infectious virus, which the CDC (Center for Disease Control) has categorized as the most aggressive ever, has been mutated and become a full-fledged epidemic among the major television networks. It started a couple of years ago when NBC tried to remake two classic shows from the 70’s and 80’s, Bionic Woman and Knight Rider.

ABC has already showed symptoms of the bug with its most recent remakes of V and Melrose Place. Now, according to Variety, ABC’s next attempt will be the 70’s female spy show Charlie’s Angels. Josh Friedman, who helped adapt Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles for Fox, Leonard Goldberg who was a producer for the original Charlie’s Angels, Steve McPherson, and Drew Barrymore (who was in the movie version of the show in 2000 and its 2003 sequel) are all attached to the project.

Sony Pictures, also involved with the project, are dipping their toes in remake pool with Mark Burnett (Survivor) for reality game show version of Fantasy Island (groan) that will most likely have Vern “Mini Me” Troyer spouting the famous line “De Plane boss! De Plane!”

OK, so the Troyer part is speculation on my part… but tell me in the back of your mind you don’t see that eventually happening…

This isn’t the first time a Charlie’s Angels remake has been attempted. Back in 2004, Carlton Cuse and John Wirth (Lost) wrote a spec script for Sony and ABC but the project never got the green light. Things should be different this time around and a pilot is expected to be ordered with Friedman, Goldberg, Barrymore and Nancy Juvoneu (Whip It!) all set to produce.

What is it about TV show remakes of late that make these network studios think they are a good investment? You know what, let’s look at all of these recent remake attempts and see which of them have been around longer than one season:

90210 – The CW was infected with the virus last year with its remake of the 90’s teen drama, and while reviews have not been favorable, ratings have been high enough to get the show halfway through a 2^nd season.

Knight Rider, Bionic Woman – NBC really dropped the ball with both of these shows that tried too hard at being spy dramas and neither connected well with viewers. BW never even finished out its season after the writer’s strike.

V – The show had a great opening week and then dropped severely in its second week and had already been chopped up by the network for airing; it’s not looking so hot for a second season.

Melrose Place – The show is still on the air but if it’s ratings continue going the way of the dodo, then expect to see a new show in its time slot next year.

So television fans, if you thought that you were safe from the ravenous, nostalgic-killing remake bug because you don’t go to movies – surprise! You’re in for a world of hurt. I wonder what might be up next on the TV show remake chopping block: Fall Guy, Simon and Simon, Automan, Air Wolf, Street Hawk, Mork and Mindy, Three’s Company, MASH, Perfect Strangers, Cheers? The list could go on and on. If next year’s A-Team movie is successful, I suspect a remake of that show won’t be too far away.

The original Charlie’s Angels starred the beautiful Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd and the late Farrah Fawcett. I’m sure this will be a great opportunity to see three or four new “Angels” but audiences will most likely just see women off of other canceled shows. I’m thinking Eliza Dushku, Alyssa Milano, Summer Glau or Emilie Ullerup (Ashley from Sanctuary) would make be the most obvious choices.

What do you think about this latest trend to remake shows from the past 30 years? Are you excited to see a new set of Charlie’s Angels kicking butt on your TV and what shows would you like to see remade, if any?

There is no expected date for the Charlie’s Angels pilot to air.

Source: Variety

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Speak of The Devil: An Exorcist Miniseries?

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:18:54 +0000

Slash Film pointed us to a story over at Bloody-Disgusting (who got it from Cemetery Dance Magazine) talking about how author William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin might be re-teaming for another take on The Exorcist, the book/screenplay/movie that made both men famous back in 1973-74, when The Exorcist became a horror film sensation, taking home multiple Oscars including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

So is The Devil (aka Hollyweird) at work here? Not so much. The actual word is that Blatty has been working on a (spec?) script for a new Exorcist project for some time now, and that Friedkin may be onboard to helm it.

Now, if you’re a careful reader (fewer and fewer of those these days…) you’ll notice that I said “new Exorcist project.” That project is NOT another unnecessary movie remake, but rather a new TV miniseries version of The Exorcist story, which would reportedly be a closer, more in-depth adaptation of Blatty’s novel. Here’s what Blatty had to say to Cemetery Dance Magazine:

“I would love to have been able to include the subplot involving Karl and his daughter Elvira which I did in my first draft, but that script ran to 172 pages, much, much too long. But I might have it my way in the near future, inasmuch as I’ve written an Exorcist miniseries script that not only faithfully includes all the main elements of the novel, but also some rather spooky new material and scenes, as well as a totally new (and perhaps much more satisfying) ending.”

Now, as hesitant as I am about tampering with a classic, as far as remakes (or new takes, re-imaginings, or whatever…) go, this possible new Exorcist project already has several things (possibly) going for it:

The original writer/creator and director re-teaming for the project.
A different structure and medium (TV miniseries) in which to play.
New (hopefully expansive) ideas being introduced into the story.

If you’re going to tinker with that-which-should-not-be-messed-with, this is, at least, a better way to do it.

To be clear: no deal has yet been struck guaranteeing that we’ll be seeing this Exorcist miniseries – nor has there been any indication that Friedkin has been locked down to helm the project. However, I can’t imagine Blatty having that new script burning up a hole in his briefcase for too long before somebody comes calling for it – it’s not everyday that you get the mind behind a great story in a place where he/she is willing to go and revisit the work they’ve already done.

As for this whole miniseries angle? Hey, Stephen King wrote the teleplay for the 1997 TV miniseries version of his novel The Shining. And while I didn’t enjoy that miniseries anywhere as much as Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film adaptation, the TV miniseries was still interesting to watch, if only to compare how the same story could be imagined in two different ways. I say all that to say: as long as Blatty is onboard for doing the Exorcist on TV, I see no reason why I can’t give it a chance – especially if the miniseries can match the caliber of acclaimed miniseries like HBO’s Generation Kill (or any other HBO dramatic miniseries for that matter…).

What do you think: would you watch a TV miniseries re-telling of The Exorcist, or do you see it as blaspheme that even the author of the novel/screenplay wants to mess with a classic piece of cinema?

We’ll let you know how this project develops.

Sources: Cemetery Dance Magazine via Bloody-Disgusting via Slash Film

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Sanctuary: Ashley Is Dead

Bruce Simmons — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:44:31 +0000

After watching the first few episodes of the 2nd season of Sanctuary, we all started to wonder if Ashley was dead, as in “dead dead”, or dead as in, “for dramatic ratings and she’ll be back dead.”

Yet the clues were obvious – even before our confirmation.

Though they drew out Ashley’s (Emilie Ullerup) death out for 2 episodes, she is dead. And she’s been replaced by one of the most dead-pan characterizations of a character I’ve ever seen, in the form of Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi).

In an interview with ÜberSciFiGeek, Emilie confirmed that she was let go due to a network decision and was not expecting her character’s death. As far as that network decision is concerned, Damian Kindler, the executive producer of Sanctuary, said that,

“… it was a decision we arrived at with our two major networks in the U.S. and Canada creatively, and we really felt it would have the deepest, most dramatic impact on the series and the characters… “

I’m guessing the studios have heard the backlash regarding Ashley dying. In a sort of back pedaling kind of statement, Kindler added in the article that, “people don’t necessarily have to die in sci-fi…” and if Sanctuary actually makes it to a 3rd season, there is a story they’re developing involving Ashley.

It might be a challange to get a 3rd season if viewers bail because Ashley and the mother / daughter / father relationship was their appeal to the show. I’m really not sure what the reasoning was behind it. Sure, she took some time to grow on me, but she eventually did. I won’t even go into how Freelander gets on my nerves in so many ways.

Like many, I’m not too motivated to watch the show any more. If I’m around, I’ll turn it on. If not, well, whatever. Please be kind and constructive in your comments gang! We already have a good idea how you may feel.

Sources: ÜberSciFiGeek, Sci Fi Wire

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Are Dollhouse Viral Sites Hinting at a Comic Book?

Bruce Simmons — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:42:04 +0000

As we all know, Fox did not order any more episodes of Dollhouse, and obviously they won’t be ordering a 3rd season of the Joss Whedon show.

But I can’t help but wonder if Joss Whedon might not continue with his world of Dollhouse in his favorite alternate medium, the comics?

He’s taken all his television series to comic form under the Dark Horse label: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel & Serenity. It’s his vent avenue of choice when he still has something to say about his pet projects but no television studio will let him vent it.

How did I come about pondering the idea of Dollhouse becoming a comic? Besides Joss’s track record?

On November 9th, a viral website or two went live in support of Dollhouse.

There’s the creepy Rossum Corporation who is behind the processes that helped create the Dollhouse. It’s a fairly in-depth and functional site with lots of info to offer you about themselves.

Of course, the Rossum Corporation has its critics, but they aren’t as prolific with their websites and have a very short and creepy message about needing to stop Rossum. In fact, a web surfer from Whedonesque called a phone number on the Rossum website and later got a callback directing them to the website Ditch The Tech.

The video below is on Ditch The Tech, (Note / warning: the last few seconds get very loud!)

Then there’s a newer page, Wipe The Future. I’ve got no clue what the correct password is, but it is related to Dollhouse. All it says is “Find her! Hurry!” According to sources, it’s said different things. Previous statements noted were, “Rossum knows that you know,” and “They will be calling.”

Too Little, Too Late?

The Dollhouse franchise is suddenly growing, albeit quietly. It’s a shame that the viral components just started now, considering the show was canceled. This could have added an extra depth to the background that might have inspired others to understand this show better.

That is of course unless my suspicion about a comic is accurate; then this is just the beginning and these viral sites for Dollhouse were released with this exact timing in mind. Timing designed to help pitch a new comic title.

Reminder: I’ve heard no news about a Dollhouse comic from Joss Whedon or Dark Horse comics. This is a pure piece of conjecture, but the websites are real.

Sources: Whedonesque, Rossum Corporation, Ditch The Tech, Wipe the Future

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Ray Bradbury To Pitch Miniseries

Bruce Simmons — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:30:23 +0000

Ray Bradbury has signed on with White Oak Films with the idea of creating a miniseries. The miniseries is structured as a 6-hour project broken down into six 1-hour episodes, all based on different short stories of Bradbury’s.

The plan is for each episode to be directed by a different person, none of whom have been officially signed yet. Who they pick to direct each episode will be very important, as they’re letting the director select their own favorite short story of Bradbury’s.

Ray Bradbury has authored many a short story and they’ve all become stories that have inspired generations of readers. Some notables that he’s authored “Fahrenheit 451″, “The Martian Chronicles”, “Something Wicked This Way Comes” and many others.

His famous books aren’t short stories obviously, but the directors have a list of over 400 short stories or novelettes to choose from.

Below is a random selection of titles of Bradbury’s shorts:

(1941) The Trouble with Humans is People
(1942) The Candle
(1943) The Scythe
(1944) The Lake
(1945) The Watchers
(1945) Invisible Boy
(1946) The Traveller
(1950) There Will Come Soft Rains
(1951) The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
(1952) A Sound of Thunder
(1953) The Meadow
(1960) The Best of All Possible Worlds
(1966) The Man in the Rorschach Shirt
(1967) The Lost City of Mars
(1979) The Aqueduct
(1984) The Toynbee Convector
(1988) The Dragon
(1994) From the Dust Returned
(2003) Is That You, Herb?
(2009) Juggernaut

Though they’re leaving it up to the directors to choose their favorite short story, I’d think it’d be neat if they ran web polls asking the fans / readers vote for what they’d like to see.

I’m getting ahead of myself. First they need to successfully shop the idea out and get a network to take the bait. Any ideas who might step up? Syfy? TNT? AMC? FX? Maybe even ABC or CBS might throw their hat into the ring, considering who it is pitching this idea.

Do you have any favorite short stories from Ray Bradbury that you’d like to see grace the small screen?

Sources: THR

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NCIS Producer Gil Grant Dicusses Gattaca TV Show

Rob Frappier — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:36:51 +0000

Sometimes, when you hear a movie is being turned into a TV show, you can’t help but cringe. It’s not always easy to make the transition from feature film to television show, especially when the movie has a loyal following. Some of the movies that have made the best transition into the TV world include M.A.S.H, Stargate, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Could Gattaca join that list?

Though often overlooked, Gattaca was one of the more interesting science fiction films to come out of the 1990s. Featuring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude Law, the movie explored a futuristic society where genetic engineering was the norm, creating a world where “Valids” (individuals who had been genetically enhanced before birth) live in a socially superior position to “Invalids” (average Joes like you and me).

Recently, the MTV Movies Blog caught up with writer/producer Gil Grant (NCIS:Los Angeles, 24) to discuss his work on developing Gattaca into a police procedural. The plot of the series would revolve around the social tensions between the one government-appointed Invalid officer working in a police force full of genetically engineered Valids. I’ve excerpted some of the interview below, but make sure to check MTV for the full article.

On involving Gattaca’s original director, Andrew Niccol (who is currently working on the Orlando Bloom sci-fi film, The Cross).

“I don’t know him…That’s really up to [license-holder] Sony, I think. I’m certainly open to it, but that’s not my call.”

On incorporating elements of the film into the TV series,

“I would use a great deal of the world and the nomenclature and the art direction, the feel of it, the music. It’s just such a beautiful film, and really cool.”

On possible plot angles,

“You get all the crimes and all the tension that’s built up with Valids being accused of something they didn’t do, all the forensic science that would be new and much more advanced than we have now…The Invalid character I see as having a Valid girlfriend, and she’s dating him for all the wrong reasons. And I think that the Valid, the older detective, has some problems in his personal life that you follow through. Then you’ve got the captain of the police department who’s forced to hire this [Invalid].”

On bringing back characters from the film,

“I think it would be in some ways truer to the film to just [set things in a] different corner of the world and not try to re-cast an existing character.”

While TV already has its fair share of police procedurals, I can really see Grant’s ideas coming to life. With shows like Battlestar Galactica, and the more recent V and FlashForward showing that TV viewers are more interested than ever in science-fiction shows, Gattaca could become a hit. Of course, we won’t know for sure until we actually see the show, and that might not be for a while. Grant says he will complete the first scripts in January or February.

What do you think? Could Gattaca make for a cool TV show?

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Family Guy ‘Empire Strikes Back’ Parody Trailer

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:01:36 +0000

To round off this Friday nice and easy, I thought I’d post a little something to get you laughing (or hopefully at least chuckling). Family Guy has become a household name at this point, but the show managed to out do itself back in 2007 with its season 6 premiere, “Blue Harvest”, an hour-long parody of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Well, today we have the trailer for Family Guy’s follow up to “Blue Harvest”, which could only be an equally hilarious skewering of the next film in the Star Wars canon, The Empire Strikes Back.

With “Blue Harvest” the Family Guy team lampooned pretty much everything you could ever want to make fun of in a Star Wars movie, and earned extra points for inserting all our favorite characters from Quahog into ironic (and gross) Star Wars roles. [NERD ALERT] “Blue Harvest” was the fake working title used during the shoot for Return of the Jedi and the parody was done in honor of the the 30-year anniversary of George Lucas’ space opera.

It looks like the laughs are only get bigger for this Empire Strikes Back parody, which is entitled “Something, Something, Something, Darkside”. Have a look (Giggidy!):

If you don’t think that trailer is funny, be sure that there will be more dirty humor and ironic family incest jokes galore packed into the full feature – and who doesn’t love those?

“Something, Something, Something, Darkside” will be released on DVD/Blu-ray on December 22, 2009 – before it ever airs for free on Fox. Will you be checking it out?

Family Guy airs (for free) on Fox Sundays @ 9 pm.

Source: THR

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‘Grown Ups’ Trailer: Is It Funny?

Anthony Ocasio — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:51:08 +0000

Columbia Pictures has just released the teaser trailer for their upcoming comedy Grown Ups, staring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider and David Spade. While all five actors have previously worked together, this film marks the first time such a comedic ensemble has been put together in a starring role.

Here’s the synopsis:

Five friends and former teammates reunite years later to honor the passing of their childhood basketball coach. With their wives and kids in tow, they spend the Fourth of July holiday weekend together at the lake house where they celebrated their championship years earlier. Picking up where they left off, they discover why growing older doesn’t mean growing up.

While I’m sure this film is not going to be anywhere near as funny as it should be (considering all the talent involved), there is still some hope as Sandler, James, Rock, Schneider and Spade are not the only comedians involved in the film. Expect to also see Colin Quinn, Norm MacDonald and Tim Meadows hopefully make a memorable appearance.

I haven’t really been a fan of anything Sandler has made for at least 10 years, but I did enjoy his performance in Funny People and while I think all five comedians have had a bumpy acting career (despite how much money their films have made), when it comes down to it, they’re all extremely talented and know how to be funny -- but will they be able to turn that into a funny film?

Enough of me, check out the trailer below.

After seeing the trailer, I have some hope, but feel like most of the funny parts are in the trailer. When I see films like this come around, I always wish that someone in the production would think about recording the entire making of the film and releasing THAT, because while this film is sure to make all the money Columbia Pictures could want, there’s no doubt that the actual making of the film would be (even more?) funny and extremely entertaining to watch.

If there’s anything the world has learned from Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn it’s that when comedian friends get together, hilariousness always ensues.

…unless it’s on Comedy Central, then nobody will watch and it will be canceled.

What did you think of the trailer? Does it look promising? Will you be seeing it? How long to do you think it will take Rob Schneider to speak in some annoying accent that we’ll have to hear for the next decade (”He can DO IT!”)?

Grown Ups is scheduled to be released June 25, 2010.

Source: Collider

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