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From TV Guide:
Think you've got a tough job? Try playing an action hero every week on TV. But you won't catch Alias badass Jennifer Garner complaining about her heavy workload. "It's not like I'm the only person in the country working 16- or 17-hour days," she tells TV Guide Online of her physically demanding role as double agent Sydney Bristow. "Yeah, it's exhausting, but it's also exhilarating.
"The physicality of the role actually gets me pumped up," continues the 29-year-old Golden Globe nominee, who's married in real life to Felicity dreamboat Scott Foley. "It just seems to happen that the big fight scenes are shot in the middle of the night, and the crew is always saying, 'Oh Jen, are you okay?' And I always say, 'You know what? I'm probably better off than you guys. Because I'm up and my adrenaline is going.'"
All of her hard work is paying off: Garner has been heralded by critics as the breakout star of the 2001-02 TV season. But despite all of the potentially head-swelling acclaim, Garner isn't anxious to leave TV behind for a career in movies. As it is, the actress admits that a plum part like Sydney comes around but once in a lifetime.
"I can't imagine a role that is as challenging or as interesting as the one that I'm playing," she confesses. "I can't imagine getting a script that I would love as much as I love every script I get. So, it'll be tough to find something that I fall in love with.
"And I'll still have to get the job," she modestly adds. "It's not like the scripts are pouring in."
12/18/2002:
From Aint-it-Cool-News:
Many, many changes around the corner for "Andromeda" in the wake of the September departure of head writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe ...
* Brent Stait, who reportedly missed numerous recent episodes due to a severe allegic reaction to the makeup that transforms him into the monstrously visaged holy man Rev Bem, will exit the show permanently this season.
* Sources close to the show also indicate that the characters of Rommie and Trance Gemini have received dramatic cosmetic makeovers (reportedly sanctioned by execs determined to make the characters appear more "fuckable").
* Trance - who reportedly lost her tail in a recent battle mishap at Tribune Entertainment's insistence - will receive a very "Trek"-y new hairdo, replete with dread extensions, while her purple complexion will become more multihued with gold tones accentuating her bone structure. (Ms. Gemini's personality will also get a makeover: the sweet-pixie-concealing-a-dark-secret will transmogrify into a haughty supergirl.)
* Rommie also gets a new 'do, with blue locks that suggest something akin to Bettie Page, Louise Brooks and Cleopatra 2020.
Photos of Canadian hotties Lexa Doig and Laura Bertram sporting their new looks can be found at this official Andromeda Webpage.
Here now Coax's exclusive look at how Capt. Hunt & Co. will serve out the balance of their second season:
2.10 "The Prince." Teen royalty is the key to the crew quelling an alien uprising, as Dylan and Tyr become co-regents to a recently orphaned young prince.
2.11 "Bunker Hill." The crew returns for the first time to Earth, where Harper and his cousin try to save the homeworld from Nietzschean occupation. (This episode was also supposed to feature the return of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" regular James Marsters as the conniving Nietzschean archduke Charlemagne Bolivar, but -despite the character's popularity and Marsters' expressed willingness to reprise his role - Tribune reportedly refused to meet his price. Wah!)
2.12 "Ourobourous." A big mid-season mystery. Says the Website: "This is the episode that you have all been waiting for. The past and the future converge on the Andromeda Ascendant and all we can say is that what was meant to be - happens, and nothing will ever be the same. The series has hinted about this moment from the beginning, and we dare anyone to guess what it will be. The future of Dylan's mission will depend on it." What the Website isn't telling you: this was the last episode made under Wolfe's tenure, and it's said to be filled with "meta" commentary regarding the radical changes in the show, as Harper's Magog infestation finally threatens to kill him.
2.13 "Lava and Rockets." Dylan hijacks a ship.
2.14 "Be All My Sins Remembered." We learn via flashback how Beka met Harper, and that Beka's boyfriend at the time has a face familiar to people who watch lotsof TV: Costas Mandylor of "Picket Fences," "Players," and "Secret Agent Man" fame!
2.15 "The Dance Of The Mayflies." According to the Website: "The story is contagious." According to Coaxial News, it's a zombie tale about plague victims infected by a hostile, nanobot-based lifeform out to take over the ship.
2.16 "In Heaven Now Are Three." Dylan, Beka, and Trance go on an Indiana Jones-style adventure in search of a fabled artifact.
2.17 "The Fair Unknown." We finally meet the fabled Vedrans, long-lost founders of the Commonwealth!
2.18 "The Knight, Death and the Devil." This one features a POW camp full of captured High Guard starships and their AI avatars! It also boasts "Stargate SG1's" Christopher Judge and Michael Hurst, who played Kevin Sorbo's little buddy Iaolus on "Hercules - the Legendary Journeys."
2.19 "Belly of the Beast." A big space monster swallows the Andromeda.
2.20 "Immaculate Perception." Tyr learns he's a daddy.
2.21 "The Things We Cannot Change." A money-saving clip show! Yes, Andromeda's very own "Shades of Grey"!
2.22 "The Tunnel at the End of the Light." "Everything is leading up to the amazing season finale where we meet an alien race that Dylan and his crew were destined to one day face," hints the official site. What the Website fails to mention: the finale ties up the whole "re-founding of the Commonwealth" story, allowing the show to ditch most of Wolfe's story arc and move toward more stand-alone, action-oriented episodes that will see Dylan and crew bouncing from planet to planet to help aliens in distress.
A very different season finale was reportedly planned before the departure of Wolfe, who allegedly wanted to close out season two with a new threat to Trance that revealed more about her nature and her mission, and resulted in her ostracism from her own people (shades of the Odo story arc from "Deep Space Nine")!
From SciFi.com:
A month after Andromeda co-creator Robert Hewitt Wolfe abruptly left the syndicated SF series, co-star Brent Stait (Rev Bem) has also quit, the Sy Fy Portal Web site reported. Seth Howard, Tribune Entertainment's creative executive in charge of production, confirmed Stait's departure during a chat on the show's official Web site.
"Brent Stait chose to leave the show for personal reasons," Howard posted. "We miss him and hope that we will be able to play again sometime in the future." Stait had been having problems with the heavy makeup and prosthetics he wore as part of his character. "Brent had a severe allergic reaction to the considerable prosthetics. It became unbearable, although he was a serious trouper," Howard said. Howard offered no details of when and how Rev Bem will be written out of the show. "We miss Rev, and I for one miss that particular quality about him. And although we wouldn't duplicate his character, we can go there in other ways. ... Keep your eye on Trance."
02/23/2001:
From Fandom Daily Buzz:
Ain't It Cool News posted some Andromeda spoilers for anyone who cares to read them:
Warning: Spoilers
Look for big revelations in Trance Gemini's mysterious origins in the season finale. The finale will also feature the return of Enigma from "Harper 2.0" who will develop into the series' big bad guy. Trance has a connection with Enigma. The finale will reveal Enigma's relationship to the Magog and the fall of the Commonwealth. Bruce Campbell will guest-star during the second season.
09/12/2000:
From SciFi.com:
SF author Walter Jon Williams (The Rift) thinks the upcoming series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda has a lot of promise, at least judging from the writing he's seen so far. Williams recently penned an episode of the show and says the other scripts he was given to look over were "sharp and smart."
"If the production and acting equal the quality of the writing, I'd say it's going to make a big splash," Williams told SCI FI Wire. The Hugo- and Nebula-Award-nominated author became involved in the series when Andromeda executive producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe asked Williams to pitch him some story ideas.
"Robert Hewitt Wolfe had read some of my fiction, and liked it enough to contact my agent and ask if I'd like to contribute a few ideas to the show," Williams said. "He was unaware that I'd had some screenwriting experience, and was receptive to my idea of writing the teleplay as well as pitching ideas."
Williams said the story he turned in is tentatively titled "All Great Neptune's Oceans," "which is a reference to Macbeth, if anyone cares to look it up." He described the story as a murder mystery in which "one of the series regulars did it. (Really!) But I can't tell you which one." "All Great Neptune's Oceans" was shot in August, but Williams said he is not sure when it will air. He added that he enjoyed the chance to work on the series and hopes to contribute more stories to Andromeda in the future.
The upcoming syndicated television series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda has posted new teasers to its Official Web site.
Alex Lifeson of the rock band Rush is composing the theme to the upcoming syndicated television series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, and an early version of the music is available on the show's Official Web site.
From Cinescape.com:
For the first time since it's premiere in 1999, Joss Whedon is coming back for some heavy creative lifting on the WB's ANGEL . Of course, with Whedon, it's usually all creative heavy lifting. While he executive produces the show, spun-off from his wildly popular BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, Whedon will write and direct February 4th's "Waiting in the Wings."
This marks the first time he's written and directed an episode since the pilot. "Wings" centers on Angel and company going to the ballet only to discover an acquaintance Angel hasn't seen in a century.
01/15/2002:
From TV Guide:
From Cinescape.com:
The WB TV network has released info on the coming January 21 episode of ANGEL, titled "Provider."
In the story, Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) worries that Angel (David Boreanaz) has lost sight of their mission to help the helpless when he becomes obsessed with making money in order to provide for the baby's future and takes on too many cases.
Bill Norton directed the episode with a script written by Scott Murphy.
09/24/2001:
Here's TV Guide's description of
tonight's Angel episode:
09/24/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
Angel 3.1 FAQ
What's it called?
"Hearthrob."
The big news?
3.1 is one of those "Angel" episodes with a big shocker ending.
Does the shocker ending involve Buffy or the other scoobs?
It does not.
What did Herc say about "Angel" 3.1 way back on July 15 again?
* Darla's back. At least in flashbacks.
* At least one flashback finds Angel and Darla in 1767 Marseilles,
fleeing from Holtz. (As Moriarty and Bosshog mentioned in this space
earlier, Holtz's family was killed by Angelus, and the wronged man will
this season find his way into the 21st century in his quest for
vengeance.)
* At the time of the Marseilles flashback, Holtz is already being
described as "the most formidable vampire killer in the world."
* The 18th century Darla and Angel will cavort with a heretofore
unseen vampire couple, a kind of proto-Spike-and-Dru named James and
Elisabeth. (Not, vexingly, James and Juliet.)
* Holtz was the unseen fellow chasing Angel and Darla in a flashback
in last season's "Dear Boy." Elisabeth brings up the incident from the
"Dear Boy" flashback, asking Angel if it was true Darla fled a barn in
which Angel and Darla were trapped, leaving Angel to die. Angel confirms
the incident with fondness: "She hit me with a shovel, wished me luck and
rode off with our only horse."
* Elisabeth dies by Angel's hand.
* Holtz isn't the only one to turn up in the present. James gets to
spend time with Angel and Cordy on the L.A. subway!
* In the present, James tells Angel he wishes he could kill Angel's
true love, as Angel killed James'. Angel replies, "You can't kill the
woman I love because she's already dead." Cordy adds, "It happened three
months ago, we try not to talk about it."
* Don't expect James to survive the season premiere.
Did Herc's sources get it right?
They did!
What does TV Guide say?
After a turbulent summer spent coping with the news of Buffy's death, Angel (David Boreanaz) returns to L.A. in the third-season opener only to run into a couple of nasty blasts from his tarnished past. While out on a routine vamp hunt, Angel happens to dust a bloodsucker (Kate Norby) from his evil Angelus days. Familiar or not, one less demon on the streets is always a good thing. Unfortunately, her boyfriend (Ron Melendez) of a couple of centuries doesn't share that sentiment---and he's prepared to take drastic measures to exact revenge. Fred: Amy Acker.
What kind of drastic measures?
James, the boyfriend, has surgery that makes him immune to things like sunlight and stakes.
Yikes! Why doesn't every vampire have this surgery?
Because there's a catch.
What's this episode really about?
Angel coming to grips with Buffy's death.
Is Buffy's death discussed directly this episode?
Yes.
Is Buffy mentioned by name?
Yes.
Do we meet Holtz?
We do.
Do we see Holtz in the present?
No. Only in flashback.
Do we see Darla in the present?
Yes.
Is Darla in Los Angeles?
She's in Puerto Cabazas, Nicaragua.
Is she still hanging out with Dru?
Dru does not appear in this episode.
What's up with Cordelia?
When she's not commiserating with Angel over Buffy, she's complaining about the growing intensity of her "gift." "These visions are killing me," she moans. "They're getting worse every time." We also learn that Dennis the ghost has taken to scrubbing Cordy's naked bod when she's bathes!
What's up with Fred?
She's still traumatized from her long stay in Pylea, and has pretty much holed up in one of the hotel rooms these last three months.
What's up with Wes and Gunn?
They visit Krevlornswath (of the Deathwok Clan) at Caritas.
Is "Angel" really being broadcast in letterbox now?
It is, and it looks great!
Is this the "Angel" with the big, new "Lord of the Rings" trailer?
It is.
Have you seen this trailer?
I have not.
What's good?
The boyfriend's vengeful plotting, as well as what we get to learn about Darla and Holtz.
What's not so good?
All the dialogue with James and Angel about true love seemed a little repetitive and banal to my ears. On the other hand, there's not that much of it.
Herc's rating for "Angel" 3.1?
***1/2
The Hercules T. Strong Rating System:
* ***** better than we deserve
* **** better than most motion pictures
* *** actually worth your valuable time
* ** as horrible as most stuff on TV
* * makes you quietly pray for bulletins
Swing the crebbil! Swing the crebbil!
Since Buffy spun off her blood-sucking beau into his own series, he has bared his fangs at almost every conceivable kind of antagonist. But starting with tonight's season premiere of Angel (9 pm/ET on the WB), the undead do-gooder and his ghoul-crazy sidekicks will stare down their most terrifying foe yet, a cherub who is as handy with a bow and arrow as they are with wooden stakes — Cupid.
"Everybody's going to be having feelings for everybody in an inconvenient way," executive producer David Greenwalt tells TV Guide Online. "Gunn and Wesley are both going to have eyes for [new regular] Fred, and Fred's going to have a big ol' puppy-dog crush on Angel."
Horror of horrors, a new romance could even be in the offing for the show's brooding title character. "The fact that he has this curse should not stop him from living," suggests Greenwalt, downplaying the crippling effect of the vampire's, er, 'drinking problem.' "So he's going to be moving on in a big way."
In part, that means Angel must accept that his former girlfriend has gone to Slayer heaven. "He will definitely be getting over Buffy," promises Greenwalt. "In the first episode, he deals with that. There's also a Romeo-and-Juliet-type couple out of his past that represents the kind of undying love that he had with Buffy."
That said, Angel isn't likely to be ready and raring to get hot and heavy again overnight. After all, this is the guy who, with one notable exception, shrugged off the come-ons of incendiary old flame Darla for nearly a year. And besides, he might wind up with more pressing problems than scaring up a date for Saturday night.
"Just as he is getting over Buffy, there's a big thing that comes back to haunt him," Greenwalt teases. "You'll see at the end of episode one what he has to deal with. So, whether he's going to be dating, he's certainly going to have his hands full." — Charlie Mason
From E! Online:
Thanks to the magic of vertical integration, there'll be some Hobbits hanging with David Boreanaz Monday night.
New Line Cinema will unveil a brand-new sneak-peek for its much-anticipated Fellowship of the Ring during the season premiere of Angel on the WB.
The new trailer, the third preview of Fellowship to be released, is bypassing theaters and will play just one time during Angel's 9-10 p.m. slot.
Not so coincidentally, both New Line and the WB are owned by AOL Time Warner. The network readily admits the move is an example of corporate synergy.
"Angel and The Lord of the Rings are extremely compatible in that they each target similar demos. It is always great when we are able to work with another arm within AOL Tim Warner in a way that benefits both companies," says Lew Goldstein, copresident of marketing at the WB.
Marketing execs at Mordor, er, the media empire, say that using AOL Time Warner properties for some cross-promotional wizardry will not only be a treat for fans eagerly awaiting the big-screen version of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, but should also give a solid boost to the WB's young-adult audience, as well.
The first installment in the series, Fellowship follows unlikely hero Frodo Baggins and his rag-tag band of pals as they seek to destroy the titular ring.
While the trailer will only air on the WB once, it's expected that New Line will eventually show it in theaters. Directed by Peter Jackson and starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Sean Astin and Viggo Mortensen, Fellowship is due to be released on December 19.
Meanwhile, Angel is getting a bit cinematic as it enters its third season. The WB has decided to broadcast the supernatural drama in letterbox format. Monday's show will also kick off the network's new season of programming, which was delayed by two weeks after last week's devastating terrorist attacks. The rest of the WB's fall premieres will launch October 5.
09/06/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
From TV Guide:
Hopeless romantics pale at the thought that, with Buffy the Vampire Slayer moving to UPN this fall and leaving behind spinoff Angel at the WB, the series' hot-blooded superheroes might never meet again. But the lovers' latest "break-up" has set at least one fan's heart aflutter: new Angel regular Amy Acker, who made her debut as bespectacled bookworm Winnifred Burkle in last season's breathtaking four-part finale.
"I have a big crush on Angel," she tells TV Guide Online in character, "but I'm not sure that it's reciprocated."
Not yet, anyway. Prescient viewers, however, can read the writing on the wall - or, in this case, in the scripts: While struggling to escape back to Los Angeles from another, even scarier dimension, Angel and Fred developed a warm friendship that could easily heat up. Even Acker admits that a more intimate relationship between the odd couple seems like a natural progression.
"We had this really close bond," she observes, "and we're both kind of outsiders. So we'll see."
Whether or not Fred succeeds in making Angel forget his ex, she - and her portrayer - are guaranteed a year that will give them palpitations. "Fred's been a slave for five years, so she's trying to readjust," explains the 25-year-old Texan, whose résumé consists mostly of theater credits and white space. "And I watched Buffy in school - we had Buffy nights like everyone else.
"Now," she continues, awestruck, "Joss Whedon [the creator of Buffy and Angel] has both casts over to his house to do Shakespeare readings. It's overwhelming. So I'm adjusting, too."
From Aint-it-Cool:
Who The Hell Is HOLTZ, And Why Does He Hate ANGEL?!
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab. Bosshog is a good man. He hears the scoop, he drops me a line. Me and him, we've got an understanding, and when it bears fruit, it can be a lovely thing. Like today, for example. He wrote me to say that there's a new character being cast right now, an opponent for ANGEL on the WB's show of the same name, and he has the straight story on who and what this new character is. Turns out his name is Holtz. He's between 40 and 50 years old, and he is, simply put, a vampire killer. He's described in the casting materials as "a hard man with a hard job." He's not your average vampire hunter, either. He's a man out of time, a man who has managed to chase Angel across time from the 18th Century to the 21st. He's got old-fashioned ideas of honor and vengeance that seem out of place in the present day, but he's not concerned with fitting in. He found a way into his future in order to find Angel, who killed Holtz's family. So cool... he's not a villain, but he is determined to make Angel pay for the misery he suffered at Angel's hands. Sounds like next season's going to be fun. Can't wait till it gets underway...
From TV Guide:
As much as Mercedes McNab relishes playing Harmony, the undead dingbat of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and sister show Angel, she still dreads reading her scripts. "Every time I get one," she tells TV Guide Online, "all I do is skim to the end to find out if I die. It's really scary."
Luckily, the actress notes, as hare-brained as the blonde blood-sucker can be, she has managed to hit upon a fool-proof survival tactic. "The theme of every episode seems to be, 'Make Harmony as big an idiot as possible, then have her run away with her tail between her legs.'"
All kidding aside, McNab probably needn't fret quite so much over her alter ego's life expectancy: She clearly has made a fan of series creator Joss Whedon, who originally read her for the part of Buffy. "I don't think [Harmony's expanded role] is cosmic payback [because Sarah Michelle Gellar got cast]," she insists. "Joss is just very loyal to the people who work for him."
Actually, so admiring of the former child performer are the powers that be that next season she again may raise hell on Angel. "They ended up cutting the final scene of [the episode in which Harmony found religion] — I was in Mexico, recruiting people for the cult," she reveals. "I don't know if that's indicative of what's going to happen or if that was a tiny thing...
"But," she adds, "they were talking about [bringing back Harmony]. It's just all up in the air right now."
05/16/2001:
From TV Guide:
From Zap2it.com:
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - The dust has settled, the howls are subsiding, and the TV world is getting used to the idea that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" will be fighting evil and saving the world (again) next season on UPN, not on The WB, its home since its premiere in March 1997.
"I've got a network excited about my show," says "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon. "I have already figured out almost all of next season. That's really cool."
However, when the fledgling weblet, best known as the home of "WWF Smackdown," bid for "Buffy," some scoffed.
"It was considered a smart play for us," says Tom Nunan, UPN's entertainment chief. "It's not like we haven't had successful shows. We're more of a punchline in the press and among the media than we are to our viewers."
"Yet, we were surprised when it ultimately ended up in our lap."
In its original response to losing "Buffy," The WB concluded by saying, "We wish Sarah (series star Sarah Michelle Gellar), Joss and David Greenwalt well." While he is a consulting producer on "Buffy," Greenwalt's primary responsibility is its spin-off and Tuesday-night sked-mate "Angel," where he is co-creator and executive producer with Whedon, and show-runner.
Does this mean "Angel" is out-the-door at The WB as well?
"That's pretty provocative," says Nunan of the wording of The WB's response. As to the status of the sophomore series, he says, "It's really in The WB's court. We have a prenegotiated deal for 'Angel,' should it become available. We'd love to have it."
"But The WB still has complete control over the destiny of that show."
"I don't know what bubble 'Angel's' on," says Whedon. "The common wisdom among the lower brass (at The WB) seemed to be that 'Angel' was going with 'Buffy.' Then they basically scrambled and said, 'Well, we haven't decided yet. We don't have a schedule.' Which is their prerogative. So I have no idea."
"It's a little confusing. It will affect certain things, whether or not it's on The WB. I don't know how easy it will be to do crossovers, on two different networks that are probably not best friends."
"It's a tough situation for those guys," says Nunan, "because 'Buffy' really does drive 'Angel's' audience. 'Angel' is a show that, while it's promising, it doesn't have the same footing creatively yet that 'Buffy' does."
"Whether it ends up on The WB or on UPN, there's more work to be done on that show, and Joss, I think, is the first one to admit it."
Says Whedon, "I just spent all of lunch figuring out the next 'Angel' season with Marti [Noxon] and David [Greenwalt] and Tim Minear, and it didn't really matter what network we were on. We were figuring out what the hell the show should be about."
"It's so complicated. All I know is, 'Buffy' has a home, 'Angel' has a home -- I don't know which one yet -- so I have a comfort zone. Obviously, things are strained with The WB right now, but these are good, creative people who helped develop 'Buffy' in the first place, and I would work with them again in a hot minute. But there's the higher level where I don't have a comfort zone."
Whedon also has no qualms about going to the lowest-rated network. "A fledgling network struggling to find an identity -- I've done this before. It worked fine. The fact is, UPN is going to look after me in a way that the bigger networks never would. They'll pay attention to the show, and more importantly, they won't interfere in the making of it. They want the show as it is."
Will UPN ask to have WWF wrestlers on "Buffy" ? "They're really not going to, bless 'em," says Whedon. "The show's not going to change at all."
Whedon plans to appear at UPN's upfront presentation to its advertisers this May in New York. "Yes, yes!" he says. "I will be there. I'll say some stuff."
04/23/2001:
From TV Guide:
04/20/2001:
From TV Guide:
From TV Guide:
Joss Whedon - creator and executive producer of the WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel - has a bone to pick with 20th Century Fox, the studio behind Angel as well as the freshman smash Dark Angel. Fox's decision to pit Dark's sci-fi siren Jessica Alba against vampire sire David Boreanaz on Tuesday nights has resulted in a steep ratings decline for the Buffy spinoff, and Whedon's out for blood.
"The fact that they put [Dark Angel] on opposite a show that they produce, thereby hurting it, shows that they really don't care," Whedon tells TV Guide Online. "Their big picture is clearly so big that whatever I think and whatever I am doing doesn't matter, and I resent that. But I am not the 'Big Picture Guy.' I'm just making my shows."
Marc Berman, TV analyst for Mediaweek, feels Whedon's pain, calling Fox's scheduling of Dark Angel "one of the less logical moves last fall." In fact, he believes that both shows are suffering. "Although Dark Angel has carved a comfortable niche for itself, had Angel not been in the competitive mix, Dark Angel's ratings might even be stronger. By splitting the young adult audience, Angel is down and Dark Angel is probably not the real hit it should be."
Despite his frustration, Whedon insists that he has not asked Fox to move Dark Angel to another night next fall. "I don't deal with that," he says. "I have no control over that. I am not someone that can say, 'Work your schedule.'
"Ultimately I am not going to ask them to do anything," he adds. "As long as I get to make my shows, the people who want to watch them will."
Adding another wrinkle to the debate - not to mention Whedon's forehead - is Alba's so-called alias. "I watch [Dark Angel ], and her name is not 'Angel,' and she's not an angel, so why the [expletive] would they call it that?" he seethes. A 20th Century rep was unavailable for comment.
Female foes notwithstanding, Whedon points out that the "basic core [of Angel's audience] has stayed there." But another menace looms: If 20th Century makes good on its threat to relocate Buffy to another network (it's currently embroiled in heated renewal talks with the WB), Angel could lose its cushy lead-in. Whedon isn't alarmed, though. Assures the auteur: "I believe Angel's audience will [stick with us] wherever Buffy is."
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Babylon 5
probably the best Sci-Fi television show in my opinion.
Episodes are currently being show on the SciFi channel at 7pm EST airing
for the first time as it was originally meant to be seen in widescreen
format. I would definitely recommend checking this show out. You won't
be disappointed.
From TV Guide:
Having played deputy Doug on Dawson's Creek for years without ever having cause to rough up a suspect, Dylan Neal is ready to kick some butt in the spacey saga Babylon 5: The Legend Of The Rangers (airing Saturday at 9 pm/ET on the Sci Fi Channel). Just don't expect him to put up his dukes once the director yells, "Cut!"
"I try to keep in shape so I can at least look the part of a tough guy," the actor tells TV Guide Online. "But if someone throws a punch at me, I'm the first one on the ground, crying like a baby."
And that, friends, is why stunt doubles exist. "These guys are such finely-tuned athletes," shares the grateful would-be warrior. "They know exactly how to make you look great, because that's their job: making the actor look like a badass!"
Should the Babylon 5 spinoff go from pilot-movie to series, there will be plenty to keep the actor and his double busy. "Joe [Straczynski , executive producer-writer] said he views the original series as a drama with a little bit of action, and I think this one will be the flip side of that - action, with a little bit of drama."
So, while those involved with Legend hope that audiences will accept the former soap stud (The Bold & The Beautiful ) as a rough-and-tumble rebel, Neal knows not everyone will buy him as an action figure. "It's hilarious for anyone who knows me to see me in this kind of role," he laughs, "because they know it's completely fake."
12/18/2002
From SciFi.com:
J. Michael Straczynski's novel-for-television takes the first step to becoming the last, best hope for digital SF
Babylon 5: "The Gathering" and "In the Beginning" DVD
Starring Michael O'Hare, Mira Furlan, Andreas Katsulas, Bruce Boxleitner
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Richard Compton ("The Gathering") and Mike Vejar
("In the Beginning")
Warner Home Video
MSRP: $19.98
By Melissa J. Perenson
Our Pick: C+
Hard to believe it's been nearly a decade since J. Michael Straczynski first brought the Babylon 5 universe to life. Now, the series finally has its debut on DVD-with very mixed results. Two full-length telefilms are packed onto two sides of a single DVD-the series' 1993 pilot, "The Gathering," and the TNT movie "In the Beginning." And if you've never seen Babylon 5 and have always wondered what the fuss was about, there's no time like the present; this DVD is a good place to start.
Although the first season of B5 was a bit uneven, "The Gathering" is tightly paced, and does a good job of setting up one of the most complicated story arcs in science fiction. Since Ambassador Kosh is first arriving on the station-and everything at the Babylon 5 station is indeed so new-Straczynski makes it easy to introduce viewers to the action. After the terrors of the Earth-Minbari War, the station was constructed as the galaxy's last, best hope for peace. Now, in our own era of wartime, the station's mantra has a new resonance-and it's easy to become caught up in the intrigue as Commander Sinclair investigates who waylaid the Vorlon Ambassador Kosh.
"In the Beginning" is the best of the three stand-alone feature-length telefilms Straczynski did for TNT in the late 1990s. This tale of how a misunderstanding led to a destructive war between humans and Minbari also carries new meaning when viewed today. Plus, the movie acts as both a prequel and sequel to the series itself, which is no small feat; sometime in the distant future from the events depicted in the Babylon 5 series, a markedly aged Centauri Emperor Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik) relates the story of the Earth-Minbari War to two mischievous Centauri children who wander into his room by mistake. Although Delenn (Furlan) is the most prominent familiar face found in "In the Beginning," the movie manages to introduce many other faces we'll come to know over the course of the series-including Sheridan (Boxleitner), Sinclair (O'Hare), Susan Ivanova (Claudia Christian) and Dr. Stephen Franklin (Richard Biggs).
Not to detract from "In the Beginning"'s ability to stand on its own, separate from the Babylon 5 saga, but the movie was produced far into Babylon 5 's run. Newcomers should beware that to watch this movie before seeing the rest of the series might spoil some of the surprises to come later on.
Good films-but sadly, nothing else
After years of anticipation, Babylon 5 fans will be disappointed by the first release of Babylon 5 on DVD. Let's be clear: The rating given to this DVD does not reflect the quality of the two Babylon 5 telefilms presented here (bump the rating to B+ if you're only looking at the films themselves). Instead, the rating reflects how Warner's first DVD release of the groundbreaking sci-fi series is a colossal failure-the ultimate example of what a studio shouldn't do when bringing a series to DVD.
That said, read on for why you should buy this DVD anyway.
First off, the movies are presented on a dual-sided disc, so you have to flip discs if you want to see both movies (by contrast, four or more episodes of The X-Files can fit on a disc in Fox's DVD sets). There are none of the filmmaking extras that have come to be expected from a DVD release-no behind-the-scenes footage, no cutscenes, no running commentary from Straczynski. In fact, Straczynski had no input into the production of this DVD at all; his level of involvement was limited to approving the artwork cover. The navigation menus are nothing special, either; the Babylon 5 Web site from years past did a better job of mimicking the look and feel of the series than these straightforward menus do.
"The Gathering" isn't presented in any special manner-the pops and crackles in the soundtrack aren't even cleaned up for digital presentation, and the movie is shown in pan-and-scan (the B5 pilot was never shot in widescreen, unfortunately). On the plus side, though, the version of "The Gathering" shown here is the re-edited version shown on the SCI FI Channel and released in overseas markets. In addition to nips and tucks here and there, this version most notably features music by B5 musician Christopher Franke, and not Stewart Copeland, who wrote the original soundtrack.
"In the Beginning" is at least shown in widescreen, and even though the effects look amazing in this ambitious installment, there are times when the quality of the video encoding is questionable (we saw artifacting in several scenes).
So why not skip this release and wait for the next one? The sad truth is that Warner is doing this as almost a stealth release, with minimal promotion-and no known commitment to releasing the series on DVD, in spite of the fact that the entire series is DVD-ready, since all of the episodes were shot in widescreen format by its forward-looking producers. The prospect for future releases will depend upon how much interest is shown in this first release.
On the plus side, at least the disc is retailing for a very reasonable $14.98, and if you're a savvy Web shopper, you might even be able to do a little better. If you're a B5 fan, the ability to pop in a DVD and scan to your favorite parts makes the DVD worth that modest price alone. And if you've thought of buying the video, but never did, the DVD is a better option. We can only hope that Warner will eventually re-release both of these films as part of a bigger release of B5 episodic DVDs-preferably in season boxed sets, as was done in the United Kingdom.
Yes, I know how you feel about being suckered into buying multiple copies of a favorite film because of the various made-for-marketing-dollars releases. After all, I own four or five variations of the Star Wars trilogy on video so far. But show some support for the B5 home team by buying the disc, and then pop over to this feedback page to ask Warner to give Babylon 5 the DVD treatment the series-and its fans-deserves. - Melissa
08/31/2001:
From SciFi.com:
Some 30 years ago, a half-million letters were sent to U.S. President Gerald Ford, asking that the first space shuttle be named after the Federation starship Enterprise. This campaign by Star Trek fans was successful, and is the inspiration for a new crusade emerging on the Web. The target this time? The international space station.
Organized by Babylon 5 fan Jack Bennett, I.S.S. Babylon is devoted to making it easy for other devotees of the show to lobby the forces behind the international space station. The hope is that the station might one day officially be dubbed in honor of the Babylon project. A simple site in terms of both content and design, its primary function is to provide contact information. Web and snail addresses are posted here for the European Space Agency, NASA authorities and even the U.S. president. This makes it easy to deluge the station's movers and shakers with messages urging them to name the station after the popular TV series.
Given the international nature of the space station project, the I.S.S. Babylon campaign is a more complex challenge than the one which faced Trek fans 30 years earlier. They must sway decision makers in more than one country, after all. However, the page goes to great pains to point out that Babylon 5 has wide international appeal and a global fan following, and argues that this makes the name even more appropriate. It also includes links to articles which show a widespread desire among the public to give the I.S.S. some kind of a name, as well as a survey in Russia which included Babylon as a popular potential name for the station.
Finally, the page also includes a detailed diagram of the station itself, and links to pages about B5 and the space program. Its capper is a brief e-mail from Babylon 5 series creator J. Michael Straczynski, giving his blessing to the whole endeavor.
From Aint-it-Cool:
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab. I know next to nothing about BABYLON 5. Never watched even an episode of it. Just wasn't my thing at the time it came on. I do know the show had many loyal fans, and that there's a great interest in all things JMS. With that in mind, here's the first review I know of for the upcoming BABYLON 5: LEGEND OF THE RANGERS film. Hope it's of some use for you fans. Curious how this stacks up to expectations in the same way I'm curious to see how fans react when ENTERPRISE airs. Somewhere tonight, Robogeek weeps bitter tears of joy.
Anyhow, Just saw the Babylon 5: Legend of the Rangers Rough cut. It was without effects shots and no Music or sound effects.
However after some apprehension about the series, I was actually impressed. We all know about "Crusade" and it's eventual downfall. I think it was the theme music that brought that show down.. Anyhow, "Rangers" starts off on Minbar. David Martel is a Rangers captain that received criticism about "escaping a battle" when his ship was crippled. He goes back and is reprimanded and G'Kar makes his appearance and saves the day.
The captain is somewhat demoted and given a piece of crap 20 year old Haunted space ship. This ship disappeared of a couple weeks and suddenly came back..sans crew. He hooks up with his new crew made up of friends and new people. This includes a ass-kicking Narn female who is the engineer, a Cocky Asian navigator, and a female human Weapons expert from mars who jumps down a tube and floats in space while punching and kicking laser shots to the enemy. (No I'm not kidding!) I found the characters in the film to be very fleshed out and believable, the cheesyness factor was kept at a minimum. (except the punching and kicking zero-g martial arts weapons officer).
So they go off on a mission escorting "Alliance Ambassadors" to a secret location. Captain Martel's enemy from the Rangers School "they just don't like each other" is piloting the huge new ship called "The Valen" that is carrying the ambassadors.
Of course something goes wrong and ships looking strikingly like shadow ships attack and the Valen launches it's escape pods for Captain Martel's piece of crap ship to pick up. More space fighting ensues resulting in the Valen ramming one of the ships and being destroyed and MArtel's piece of crap ship getting away.
G'Kar and the other ambassadors are rescued and come aboard and more chaos ensues. Martel's 1st officer is injured but he's Mimbari and can see dead people on the ship (the previous crew that got killed I guess). There are some humorous scenes here and there when the ambassadors interact with each other.
Anyhow the ambassadors were meant so see and Archeological Dig that found a city deep within the planet. Here, there is an ominous structure. G'Kar explains this to Martel. This "pyramid" is a gateway to another "dimension" where the new race called "The Hand" resides. It is said by one of the characters later (I'm not giving everything away) that this race was banished billions of years ago as is so powerful that they make the Shadows look like "insects".
Anyhow, more evil Alien ships come back and Martel saves the say by destroying them in a cleaver manner that is quite entertaining. (I'm not giving that away either).
So there ya have it B5: Legend of the Rangers... is actually pretty good. Good characters upon which to build a series. The captain is very much like Kirk and the scenes definitely reminded me of the feeling the original Star Trek had on me. Hopefully it will have a good intro and soundtrack and of course some effects such as rendered ships would help too.
After being disappointed with Crusade this new series looks very promising.
Reflux Out.
From Bureau42.com:
Well, all of last week I was in Vancouver for the first week of shooting on the two-hour TV movie BABYLON 5: LEGEND OF THE RANGERS. (I'm back now for a while.) It's been a terrific experience to date. The dailies look great. Mike Vejar is on board to direct, and is keeping the look and feel consistent with what we've done before, but at the same time (in collaboration with our new Director of Photography Henry Chan) is taking the look even a step further.
The sets (courtesy of production designer Steve Gaeghan and his band of artistic types) look more detailed, more textured, more realistic than much of what we've done before on B5. (This is in no way to diminish what we did in B5 on sets, it's just a different approach.)
Andreas Katsulas showed up mid-week as G'Kar, and despite having been away from that makeup for three years, was instantly back in character starting with the first shot and straight on through.
The cast have proven themselves excellent. It's natural to take some time to find your character, and find the lines...but from the moment they landed on set, they had their lines letter perfect, and the chemistry is there between them. SFC has seen the dailies and they're absolutely enchanted with what's on film.
I wish I had colorful stories to tell, but we're talking here about a bunch of dedicated professionals who appreciate the legacy of B5 and are doing everything they can to make this next installment the best possible. (About the only negative thing to happen all week was my losing my California state ID midweek, which I'll have to go in to replace this week at my local DMV.) It's a very elaborate production, with everything from pyros to wire works and other stuff, in addition to the usual glut of CGI we tend to do, but so far it's all going quite well.
I've been taking digital pictures of the production which will soon be available on the SFC website...and there are some beauts there. I'll let you know when they're up.
In the interim...know that the show is going extremely well, and I think that people are going to like the cast a lot. They're good, well-trained, dedicated people.
I think it's going to go over very well indeed.
jms
(jmsatb5@aol.com) (all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd., permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine and don't send me story ideas)
From SciFiStorm.org:
Sci Fi Wire has announced the cast for Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers. Read More to find out who, and what they have previously done, if anything...
It was previously announced that Andreas Katsulas would reprise the role of G'Kar in the movie. Now we also have:
Mackenzie Gray (Action Man series)
Dylan Neal (Dawson's Creek, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Alex Zahara (Dark Angel)
Myriam Sirois (The SFW report lists Babylon 5 - I can find no references)
Dean Marshall (Rude, Tommy Boy)
Warren T. Takeuchi (Lake Placid, Deep Rising)
Jennie Rebecca Hogan (Unknown)
David Storch (The Spiral Staircase, The Cellar)
Enid-Raye Adams (Trapped)
Gus Lynch (Saving Silverman)
05/08/2001:
From SciFi.com:
Emmy-nominated Gajdecki Visual Effects (Total Recall 2070) will provide the computer graphics and other effects for The SCI FI Channel's upcoming original television movie Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers, SCI FI announced. Production begins this month in Vancouver, B.C.
The Canadian-based effects house provides full effects supervision, including a library of stock effects, a motion-control camera package, a model shop and Silicon Graphics workstations for compositing and animation. Gajdecki received an Emmy nomination and a Gemini Award nomination for its work on Showtime's Stargate SG-1. The company also won Gemini Awards for the miniseries The Arrow and the television series TekWar.
05/01/2001:
From SciFi.com:
SCIFI.COM plans to launch one lucky fan into the Babylon 5 universe! SCIFI.COM's "B5: Be in the Movie Contest" will immortalize one Babylon 5 fan by naming a character after her/him in SCI FI's upcoming original telefilm, Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers. We can't give you many details, but we will say the character will come complete with the rank of captain and has a very slim chance of making it through the movie alive!
To enter the contest, simply log on to:
04/08/01
From SCIFI.COM WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE:
In a Babylon 5-lover's dream come true, the 13 completed episodes of J. Michael Straczynski's -Crusade- come exclusively to SCI FI beginning Monday, April 9, at 8 PM ET/PT. The show centers on the Earth-saving exploits of the starship -Excalibur-.
From Bureau42.com:
Being reported just about everywhere, and confirmed by JMS himself in the newsgroup : The Sci-Fi Channel is producing "Legend of the Rangers," a 2-hour movie focusing on the Anla-Shok (Rangers to us humans), and it's likely to be a series pilot as well. Woohoo!
The actual verbiage from JMS:
Well, that's at least ONE weight off my chest....
To those who've heard the news already, and those just now finding out... the SciFi Channel today announced that we have a new Babylon 5 TV movie going into production that will also serve as a pilot for a likely new series.
The movie (and the series) is under the heading of BABYLON 5: THE LEGEND OF THE RANGERS. The specific title for the 2-hour movie's story is "To Live and Die in Starlight."
There isn't much I can tell you about the story because we're kinda keeping the details under wraps as much as possible for the time being. What little I can say....
It's set in the B5 universe just under 3 years after the events of "Objects at Rest." At this point there's one major character from the B5 universe in the script (a fan favorite). Where B5 was a heavy drama with some adventure/action elements, this one is a little more skewed toward adventure with underlying drama (which is about what you'd expect from the Anla-Shok).
We've been sitting on this information for a while now...such that we're already well into pre-production. We'll be shooting this movie around mid-May, well in advance of any potential actor's strike (the script is done and so far everybody likes it a LOT).
We've already got designs coming in on a new ship, and a new *kind* of ship...and we're going to be getting more into Minbari aesthetics, technologies and philosophy.
It's got some great characters, and it's a lot of fun.
I have other news to announce on other fronts...have since the end of the year, in fact...but I'm still sitting on the details awaiting another press release from another studio. What I *can* say is that I have a firm GO order to executive produce a new series (nominally SF) that will go into production after the potential SAG strike. When that's finally over, if the strike indeed happens, we pull the trigger and go into principal photography and it's an order for a full season's worth of episodes.
I can't give you any details right now on the subject, title, studio or network. That will have to await the studio's release...so don't even ask.
As far as doing both projects at the same time is concerned...it's actually quite common, as testified to by folks like John Wells and Aaron Sorkin and David Kelly and others. So there won't be any conflict.
More later.
jms
(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)
Click here to see J. Michael Straczynski's recent post on the reason for a delay of one month for the release of the first Babylon 5 DVD's.
03/08/2001:
The SciFi Channel will begin showing Babylon 5 starting from the beginning
with the pilot episode on Monday, March 12, 2001 at 7 PM. EST & PST. They
will show the prequel movie "In the Beginning" tomorrow, Friday, March 9,
2001 at 6 PM. EST & PST.
From Fandom.com:
In addition, he also made several other announcements and comments that are generating excitement among B5 fans. Straczynski said that he will be writing a one-shot B5 graphic novel for Wildstorm Comics (an imprint of DC Comics). Plus the series will be released on DVD beginning in July. The first releases will be the series’ pilot film The Gathering and a movie of the week, In the Beginning with the series released thereafter.
I've been going over the artwork and related issues for WBHome Video, and though at this time there's no supplementary material involved, at least as far as I know, it should be pretty cool, he said. Don't know yet which aspect ratio they'll be using, but my guess would be widescreen, now that WB is correcting the earlier versions.
More exciting news is still to come, in about a weeks’ time, said Straczynski. Although he was not authorized to reveal the exact nature of the deals and transactions at this time, his hints are very strong that Babylon 5 or Crusade will return to the airwaves again soon in new films or series.
There's some substantial TV-related news sitting out there waiting for me to talk about it as soon as I'm given the go-ahead to do so, said Straczynski. Suffice to say that one very large deal has now been set and closed, another is in heavy negotiations (with money now on the table from those involved), and a surprise third project is also coming up fast and furious.
In previous confirmations, from last month, we learned that Sci-Fi Channel and Straczynski were in advanced discussions about more Babylon 5 projects. There are conversations ongoing between Sci-Fi Channel, Warner Brothers, myself and Doug Netter about some new projects. I'm not at liberty at this point to be much more specific than that. Could be a movie in the B5 universe. Could be a series set in the B5 universe. Could be a combination of those, plus a little something else. Suffice to say that SFC wants to become the new home for B5 in all its parts and pieces, and there are several possible ways to accomplish this currently under discussion."
He went on to say that we have verified the availability and interest of those who helped make B5 a success among the crew, and everyone we have spoken to is excited and ready to get going. Same crew, same quality, same dedication. Beyond that, I can't comment ... except to say that if we get the go-ahead on what I think may be coming, it could be a very exciting opportunity to do another kind of story that no one's ever done before in SF-TV, just as no one had ever done anything quite like B5 before."
From SciFi.com:
Where are they now? Where can a fan read about the current projects that Capt. Sheridan, er, Bruce Boxleitner will be doing? What about Jerry Doyle, Claudia Christian, Richard Biggs, Mira Furlan, Peter Jurasik and all the others?
The Galactic Gateway is your one-stop site, a cyber-community of sorts, for all your B5 -related needs. Like the five-mile station itself, it could be considered a port of call, in that it contains links to most of the starring actors’ official web pages. But it is much more than just a Web portal. Here you will find details on Pat Tallman’s (telepath Lyta Alexander) efforts with the Penny Lane charity, the results of Jerry Doyle’s (Garibaldi) unsuccessful run for Congress, B5’s latest Nielsen ratings on the SCI FI Channel, Jeffery Willerth’s (Ambassador Kosh) latest production endeavors for The History Channel and Peter Jurasik's (Londo) recent step onto the set of Dawson’s Creek for a guest appearance.
There is also a section which is devoted to episode spoilers. The Galactic Gateway offers more than just a synopsis. The site ties together the story arc of the show bit by bit, and offers the text of never-before-seen footage that was deleted from the final cuts of some episodes. A message board and chat list allow fans to keep in touch with others in B5 fandom, and the online store offers autographed memorabilia that can be personalized. A conventions listing round out the periphery features of The Galactic Gateway.
09/16/2000:
In my opinion Babylon 5 is one of the best Sci-Fi series I have ever
watched. The SciFi channel is going to be showing the entire series in
wide screen format week nights at 7PM starting on Sept 25. I highly
recommend you check it out. You won't be disappointed.
12/14/2001
From Comics2Film.com:
Animation God Bruce Timm recently scooped Toonzone.net on some upcoming DVD releases that will please fans. The animator behind Batman: The Animated Series talked about the upcoming April release of the first DVD for that show.
Timm told that site that he recently did a series of "talking head intros for some of the DVD'S." However, there are no commentary tracks for the episodes. Fans will be pleased to learn that the disc contains "On Leather Wings", "Christmas With the Joker", "The Last Laugh", "Pretty Poison", and "Nothing To Fear", which are the first five episodes of the series.
Timm also commented on plans to release the uncensored version of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker on DVD. "I'm THRILLED that the un-cut ROTJ is coming out on DVD, are you kidding," Timm told Toonzone. "I'd always HOPED that Home Video would release it un-cut, but I'd pretty much given up hope...their announcement of its impending release came out of nowhere, quite took me by surprise. About the only extra feature that I know of will be the original commentary track that Paul, Glen, Curt and I recorded before the caca hit the fan."
In other DVD news, Timm revealed to Toonzone that there will likely be a Justice League DVD as well.
02/01/1999:
From Anotheruniverse.com:
BATMAN/SUPERMAN NEWS
The WB has already announced the second season renewal for Batman Beyond, only two weeks into its run, based on fantastic ratings. The series debuted on January 10th in prime-time with a one-hour episode, then started its 13-episode run the following weekend. Episode 1 and 2 were "Reborn" (the one- hour episode split in half) and told the origin of the new crime-fighting hero. Batman Beyond has now been renewed for a second season, with 13 new episodes debuting in fall 1999.
The renewal of Batman Beyond is bittersweet news for animation fans, as the Batman/Superman producers have stopped working on those two shows while work on Beyond is underway. This mean that although there will be a Batman/Superman show continuing this fall and into 2000, there likely will not be any new episodes until Fall 2000. That is, there won't be any new episodes if Warner isn't holding any cards up their sleeve. To explain. . .
Last weekend, Warner aired what they said was the Batman season finale, "Mad Love," adapting Bruce Timm's comic book origin of Harley Quinn. In a few weeks, they may be airing the season finale of Superman. However, last season, after airing the season finales of the series, new episodes popped up unexpectedly for the May sweeps period. These had been held in reserve for sweeps, and there's no guarantee Warner won't do the same thing here. Given that Warner publicity is very tight when it comes to storylines, but that a few stories hinted at in interviews with the producers have not come to pass as of yet, could we still be seeing a few new Batman/Superman adventures in a few months? Time will tell.
Meanwhile, here's a few of the things coming your way:
Batman Beyond
#3 "Black Out" (airs January 30/31, 1999)
The new Batman faces an all liquid assassin(ette) going by the name of
Inque (pronounced "ink," get it?)
Superman
"In Brightest Day" (airs February 6/7, 1999)
The long-awaited debut of Green Lantern on Superman happens here, as if
you couldn't tell from the title.
"Rise of the Demon" (airs February or May)
Superman and Batman team up yet again to stop Ra's Al Ghul's latest
fiendish plot; this time he plans to return the Earth to it's
pre-dinosaur, pre-human glory.
"Legacy, Parts I and II" (airs February or May)
This two-parter will feature Superman's ultimate showdown with Darkseid,
promised since the end of last season's closer.
07/02/2001:
From Cinescape.com:
Perhaps the last piece of vintage sci-fi to withstand the recent barrage of big budget remakes, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA will soon be making its triumphant return to the small screen thanks to the collaborative efforts of Tom DeSanto, Bryan Singer, Dan Angel and Billy Brown. For those who've spent the past year living in a cave, DeSanto and Singer were the creative team responsible for last summer's box office hit the X-MEN, while Angel and Brown (former X-FILES alums) have a new series of their own debuting on Fox July 12 - the horror anthology NIGHT VISIONS . Combing the sci-fi universe to find the next "sleeping giant," the team of self-proclaimed genre fanboys believes they may have just found it with GALACTICA.
However, this is not the first time a renewal of the 1979-1980 series has been attempted. Both Richard Hatch (who played Apollo in the original) and series creator Glenn Larson have tried to launch their own revival campaigns for the classic sci-fi property. Hatch (who has written three GALACTICA novels and continues to make appearances at events across the country) and his Su-Shan Productions even went so far as to produce a teaser trailer for their high-concept remake (then titled BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE SECOND COMING), a product that they took to sci-fi conventions in an effort to drum up fan support.
However, the difficulty they encountered in reviving the property seems to have stemmed from a rather sticky rights issue, the likes of which made the SPIDER-MAN proceedings of years past look tame. It's no wonder why a revival never made it past the conceptual phase.
"I've been tracking the rights on this for about four years and it was very confusing," says DeSanto. "I had friends at Universal who I would call up and they weren't sure if it was the feature department or the TV department. Then Seagram came into the picture, and things got confused further when Studios USA bought the old library from Universal. So it became this whole hodgepodge of who did what."
As a result, DeSanto opted to steer clear of the property and instead focus his attention on the then upcoming X-MEN feature. The enthusiasm he felt for GALACTICA as a child, however, would not let up and upon the completion of his comic book to big screen adaptation, he found himself succumbing once again to the vintage sci-fi project.
"I was still drawing my Vipers and redesigned Cylon raiders and coming up with storylines and things like that," says DeSanto. "Then around June, which was a month before [X-MEN] opened, I really started to think about what I wanted to do next. I really started to focus on [GALACTICA] and devote a lot of time to it - going back and watching old episodes and really trying to nail the mythology."
With an enthusiasm that was difficult to contain, DeSanto soon found himself inadvertently infecting Singer, who also had been a childhood fan of the series.
"It was on a plane when Bryan and I were headed out to do a press junket in New York when he asked me what I was thinking of doing next," says DeSanto. "I said, 'I think the next sleeping giant with even greater potential than X-MEN is BATTLESTAR GALACTICA .' He said, 'Oh, I remember watching that show as a kid. It was the only show that I watched every week!' It brought back a bunch of memories for him - he got it instantly. So we started to pursue it. Fortunately, X-MEN did very well at the box office and that allowed a lot of doors to open as far as getting the project off the ground."
And get the project off the ground they have. In the course of a few months, the creative duo has managed to "sell" a studio on the concept, secure enough of a commitment to hire show runners and put together a pitch for a potential pilot. Just last week, the production received the go-ahead to create a two-hour television movie that will act as a pilot for a potential ongoing series tentatively scheduled for fall 2003.
"I dreamed of bringing GALACTICA back for over 10 years now and I can't think of a better home for it than Fox," says DeSanto. "The way it's going to work is it's going to be the same way that LAW & ORDER is repeated on USA Network after it runs on NBC. If we get the series, there will be a little more structure - so it'll run the exact next week on the SCI FI Channel."
Starting on the ground floor, just like any other television production, DeSanto and Singer spent months working to secure this commitment. Along the way, the two managed to pick up another creative duo of equal ability.
"Bryan and myself went in and put together the show for Studios USA using concepts, rough outlines of characters and everything," says DeSanto. "Then we got the okay from Studios USA to bring on writers to act as the show runners. We went out and scoured the planet and found a great writing team - Dan Angel and Billy Brown. They've done everything from run GOOSEBUMPS for five years to put together a show coming out this summer on Fox called NIGHT VISIONS , which is a horror anthology. As simple as it [may seem] to find good writers, sometimes that can be more difficult than finding the show's talent. The great thing about Dan and Billy is they get it and they've been in the trenches before with television. Anybody who's done 24 episodes of an anthology show with new sets and a new cast every week has my undying respect and admiration. They've just been great and it's been great collaborating with them."
Bringing their expertise in genre writing and character drama to the table, Angel and Brown look to build upon the best ideas of the original series in order to take them into an unexplored territory.
"We have some really audacious ideas," says Brown of the upcoming pilot. "It's kind of a big, sweeping show that's going to be kind of a family saga set in space with political, military and mystical turmoil and storylines. It's very ambitious. It'll be a two-hour TV movie pilot and we'll probably shoot that starting November looking toward spring or fall 2002."
The question remains, however, why DeSanto and Singer - who have demonstrated a mastery of feature film - would turn to the small screen for a re-launch of the classic science fiction property? The answer, according to DeSanto, is because it just feels right.
"To do this as a feature, it's going to take X amount of years," says DeSanto. "It just feels like it should be on TV and that's not to knock or praise it in anyway. It's just there's nothing like this on television. There's nothing with this type of family drama and a space saga at the same time. So many sci-fi shows are about hardware and tech talk - not a lot of them are about characters. That's why people tune in. That's why I tuned in and loved to watch Kirk and Spock, Picard and Data, and Adama and Starbuck and Apollo. These were cool people and it was nice to spend an hour with them. I think a lot of sci-fi TV has gotten into that niche territory where it's about the creatures and techno babble, not really about human beings."
In order to mount a successful re-launch, an understanding of what originally made the series a hit among fans is necessary. To that end, DeSanto immersed himself in the show's mythology - living, breathing and eating everything GALACTICA.
"I've got sketches from when I was behind a cash register at J.C. Penny's 10 years ago of redesigned Vipers - still being true to the look of the Viper, but trying to make it work a little differently and cooler," says DeSanto. "The key for us is the story - it's all about story. The crux of the story is basically a parallel to the Exodus. This group of people is in search of the Promised Land. They are in search of Earth. I thought it was a great mythology and it also borrowed from CHARIOTS OF THE GODS, which I did a book report on in the sixth grade. But, we're also doing a character driven science fiction show. I think the reason why people latched onto X-MEN was that it was a character driven superhero film. People are going to tune in and want to see the effects, but by week three or four if you're not empathizing with those characters, you're not going to want to watch the show anymore."
Angel and Brown share in this vision, playing up even more so the space adventurers' ties to primitive Earth.
"What was cool about the idea was that there was sort of a wagon train in space," says Brown. "Humans that had begun an exodus from 12 colonies under attack and that they were looking for a legendary planet - the planet Earth. It was the idea that these were the ancestors of earthlings that was so cool."
Modernizing and expanding the mythology, DeSanto believes, is what will freshen up the property and attract a new generation of viewers.
"I remembered the Iron Pillar in India," says DeSanto. "It doesn't rust. They take samples from it and still they can't duplicate the metal. They have these quartz beads on this Peruvian mummy that they found and they can't duplicate those either. Where did the pyramids come from? So it's all sort of this cool little sci-fi twist. What if we did have brothers out in space who were fighting this Great War? It's sort of a romanticized version of where we came from."
While the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that the show will take place "after the seventh millennium time frame of the original series" ("I have no idea what that means," laughs DeSanto. "I think what they did was they probably went back to the original press kit and picked something up from there"), a "from the horse's mouth" explanation puts the revamped series picking up where its predecessor left off, following the adventures of the next generation Colonial Warriors.
"It's in continuity, but it's accessible to non-fans," says DeSanto. "The same way with X-MEN , fans can come in and not know anything about these characters or this mythology and find it accessible and feel the same way with GALACTICA. The great thing, too, is that people from my generation are with kids now. They all have their kids now, so its about them being able to sit down with their family and watch a science fiction show and not have it be inaccessible or so 'techie' that the families can't enjoy it. The great thing about GALACTICA was that it was Middle America science fiction."
Working hard to insure that the revamped GALACTICA does not fit into any one particular classification, Angel and Brown are taking an "everything but the kitchen sink" approach to designing the series' moods and settings.
"It's not a niche show," says Brown. "It's more a broad canvas sci-fi show that really will be sort of a space opera. It's a little more STAR WARS than STAR TREK and yet with some of the sophistication, hopefully, of a WEST WING as well. I don't want to give too many details away, but I think it's going to take the best of the old show and be more sophisticated. At the end of the day, it's going to have all the bells and whistles and hardware, but its really going to be about characters. It's going to be sexy; it's going to have action and political intrigue; and we're going to see some new really cool worlds."
What then of the critically panned GALACTICA 1980 - the one season flop that brought the infamous "ragtag fleet of ships to that shining star called Earth?" If DeSanto has his way, it will be wiped clean from all existence.
"GALACTICA 1980 was a virtual reality simulation of what not to do when you find Earth," jokes DeSanto. "Although 'The Return of Starbuck', which I just watched last month - that's the great thing, I was able to get all the copies unedited from the Universal vault - was just such a great episode. So with the exception of 'Return of Starbuck', GALACTICA 1980 will be a virtual reality simulation that some demented 12-year-old has done."
With a commitment in hand and plans to deliver the two-hour BATTLESTAR GALACTICA pilot to Fox by April, the team must kick the production into full gear - a task that they are more than ready to tackle.
"Now it's about bringing on production designers, costume designers, start the casting process and flush out the script," says DeSanto. "But there's a lot of stuff that we've been working on for the past few months, so we've got a great jump on production. The great thing about this whole thing is that we've got the pre-production time to do it right. That was one of the real problems they had with the first series - they just didn't have the time. They were sort of caught between a rock and hard place, especially dealing with the effects schedules that they had. We have the ability to be more sophisticated in our creation of a mini-feature each week, while at the same time still focusing on maintaining the flavor of the adventure of the original show."
07/02/2001:
From TV Guide:
02/26/2001:
From Fandom Daily Buzz:
Richard Hatch, Apollo on the original Battlestar Galactica TV series and a driving force behind getting the concept revived, responded late last week to X-Men director Bryan Singer's announcement that he'll spearhead Galactica's return.
Read Hatch's statement and additional commentary here.
02/23/2001:
From Fandom Daily Buzz:
The Executive Producer/Co-Writer of X-Men talks what fans can expect from the new one-hour Galactica series and reuniting with partner-in-crime Bryan Singer.
For that story, click here.
From Fandom.com:
X-Men director Bryan Singer will next helm a remake of the '70s TV sci fi series Battlestar Galactica.
Singer inked a deal with Studios USA to executive produce (along with Tom DeSanto) and reinvent the series including directing the pilot episode if it doesn't clash with his X-Men 2 schedule, according to Variety.
"The lesson I learned on X-Men is to have a healthy respect for the fan base of sci-fi fantasy franchises, and I'm confident that the Galactica brand is a sleeping giant," Singer said. "It was a show I watched during its initial run, from the pilot to the final episode. The essence and the brand name is quite potent in a climate where there's a great deficit of sci-fi programming."
USA Television Production Group president David Kissinger told Variety despite frequent pleas from fans, he never considered reviving the series until Singer came to him with the idea.
"I never dreamed a filmmaker of Bryan's stature would be enough of a hard-core fan that he saw this as a franchise that could be reinvented," Kissinger said. ``In the initial meeting, I was wary that he might be just another feature guy looking to slap his name on a TV project, but it was immediately clear this wasn't so. He's got a whole mythology and arc for the series already worked out."
The original TV series, modeled after Star Wars cost $1 million per episode. The new per-show cost will undoubtedly be higher.
"We'll shop it right away with the goal of having it in a prime-time slot on a network, but it's possible that we might be able to do a dual window scenario with the SciFi Channel," Kissinger told Variety. ``With Bryan's vision and a brand name which has international appeal, we're optimistic we'll be able to make it on the grand scale he imagines. The visual imagery he's talking about is unprecedented in its effects and scope."
There was no immediate word on reaction from original series' star Richard Hatch, who had been developing his own Galactica revival.
From TV Guide:
Hilary Swank has rebuffed a return to her boob-tube roots. Asked if she would appear in the rumored Beverly Hills, 90210 reunion flick, the recent Oscar winner scoffed: "No. I don't consider myself a regular on that show. I did 16 episodes. [Not] unless they're going to have all their guest stars back?"
A fellow alumna of 90210's declining years, Emma Caulfield (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) expressed a similar lack of nostalgia for the sudser. "Oh, 90210," she said, rolling her eyes at the very mention of it. Caulfield then told TV Guide Online that by the time she joined the show, "I think [the actors] were getting tired already." Swank echoes that sentiment, saying: "Yes, I felt that. I was on in the eighth season. They couldn't care less."
7/22/2002
From Comics2Film.com:
Like the new face, Mista J.? Comics Continuum reports that Mia Sara has been cast as Harley Quinn for the upcoming Birds of Prey series. Sara is best known as Ferris Bueller's Day Off girlfriend, Sloane, and in Dark Horse's 1994 comic-to-film Timecop.
The role had been given to Sherilyn Fenn for the pilot episode, but the actress was unable to commit to recurring appearances. Scenes from the pilot featuring Harley Quinn will be re-shot using Sara.
From Aint-it-Cool.com:
Some stuff on "Birds of Prey," the new and largely Batman-free "Batman" sequel coming to the WB this autumn.
Mia Sara, best known as Ferris Bueller's girlfriend Sloane, has replaced Sherilyn Fenn as first-season big bad (and longtime Joker associate) Harleen Quinzel.
It's common knowledge that the pilot's villain-of-the-week is a fellow with a Scarecrow-like flair for exploiting one's worst fear; what's less known is the nature of Harleen's subsequent evildoing minions. We've learned she'll be using a mutant assassin named Slick, who can transform himself into water and back. He also likes to drown people with his own body.
Though Barbara Gordon's ex-boyfriend, Wade, was apparently cut out of the pilot, it looks like he'll be turning up later in the series. In those likely-never-to-be-seen deletions, Wade asks why Barbara ended their six-month relationship. Barbara, who clearly still harbors feelings for the guy, will only say, "It isn't you."
Also on the "missing scene" front. One draft of the pilot script established that Barbara taught a computer lab. Though that scene isn't expected to air, it will be established in the Slick episode that Barbara does indeed oversee a classroom at New Gotham High School.
"Prey" producers also seem keen on generating lots of sexual tension between Helena "Huntress" Kyle and Reese, the quasi-adversarial police detective she keeps bumping into as they investigate the same supercrimes.
07/192002
From TV Guide:
07/19/2002
From Comics2Film.com:
Is the small screen world of comic-based superheroes ready for a little "girl power"? Laeta Kalogridis thinks so. In a recent interview with SCI FI Wire, writer of the pilot script for the soon-to-premiere WB series, Birds Of Prey talked about the social role such a television show could play.
"There's a lot of exploration being done on television and in movies of the way in which boys become men, men become superheroes," Kalogridis said. "There's a lot of exploration of that. And ... outside of Buffy, [women haven't] really been explored, and it was an opportunity to do that within a franchise that was so firmly identified as ... having female superheroes that people recognized and knew about."
Rachel Skarsten, who plays Dinah (whom fans fervently hope will make the transition into being the Black Canary) thinks the show will appeal to a wide audience of both genders.
"I think the wonderful thing about the show is ... we have Dina [Meyer], who is a woman in her 30s, Ashley, who is in her 20s, and myself, I'm 17," Skarsten said. "So I think for girls and women, there's all sorts of different characters, age levels, generations that they can relate to. And then of course there's going to be the guys who watch it to see some booty."
But no one said social awareness comes easy. Ashley Scott, who plays the Huntress, talked about the physical rigors involved in her role.
"A lot of wire work," Scott said. "There's a lot of gymnastics and stuff. ... I did all my fight sequences in the pilot, but I wanted to go a little further and do back handsprings and really kind of get into it a little bit more physically. So we're training hard."
Scott went on to say that the wire harnesses were "so uncomfortable, man. It sucks. I had bruises here and here just doing a stinking photo shoot the other day. ... I was going forward, and they cut off my breathing. And I'm a tough chick. But ... at the end I was like, I started to cry. I was like, 'Guys, this is too much right now.'"
Regardless of how hard things got behind the screen, Birds Of Prey is perched and ready for attack. Only time, and ratings, will tell if the world of comics-based television is ready for this newer breed of female leads.
7/18/2002
From Comics2Film.com:
Gotham Clock Tower has come through again with some information about the new WB series Birds of Prey, based on the DC Comic of the same name.
First of all, the site has pointed out that the trailer for Birds of Prey featuring Batman and Catwoman is now online at The WB website. You can find it here at the WB's Birds of Prey page.
Following up on a WB press conference that took place last week, more information was spilled by the series' stars. Dina Meyer, who plays Oracle, revealed that she does not think the Joker is dead in the continuity of the series, but that he is rather locked up in Arkham Asylum.
Meanwhile, Rachel Skarsten said that she thinks her character "will become sort of the Robin to Huntress' Batman."
Finally, Gotham Clock Tower has also revealed some information about the show's second episode, entitled "Slick." Check out their SPOILERS page for all the details.
07/18/2002
From TheWb.com:
In the days when Batman patrolled the dark streets and rooftops of New Gotham, the world's master criminals were drawn to the city to prove themselves against the greatest crime-fighter of them all. Now, Batman has vanished, but New Gotham still seethes with generations of criminals. For the good citizens of this dangerous place, hope comes in the unlikely form of a trio of beautiful and relentless heroines, the "Birds of Prey." In this exciting action-adventure series, the Batman legend takes an unexpected turn.
The story begins on a terrible night seven years in the past when The Joker attacks the two women at the center of Batman's life: Catwoman and Barbara Gordon, who fought at Batman's side as Batgirl. With Catwoman dead, Batman mysteriously disappears from New Gotham. Batgirl, now confined to a wheelchair, redefines herself with a complicated double life ¿ by day, she is Barbara Gordon, a teacher of computer sciences, but by night, she is "Oracle" (Dina Meyer, Beverly Hills, 90210), a master of cybernetics and weapons design, who monitors the activities of New Gotham's criminals from her secret lair in the city's Clocktower.
Barbara takes under her wing the secret daughter of Catwoman and Batman, young Helena Kyle. Helena has inherited Batman's strong sense of justice, along with Catwoman's meta-human abilities. Although she longs for a normal life, she quickly grows into the fierce and beautiful "Huntress" (Ashley Scott, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence). The pull between good and evil is strong within her, and Barbara knows she must guide Helena carefully.
Into the lives of these two remarkable women comes an innocent teenage girl named Dinah (Rachel Skarsten, Virginia's Run) who is drawn to the Clocktower by powerful, haunting visions. Unsure of her background, but impressed by her budding meta-human powers, the two crime-fighters take Dinah in, and the trio is complete. They are now the "Birds of Prey."
In this city full of crime and corruption, there is one honest cop. Detective Jake Reese (Shemar Moore, The Brothers) is wrestling with his own dark secret - he is the son of New Gotham's most ruthless crime lord. Atoning for the sins of his father, Reese is on a personal mission to fight crime wherever he finds it, and he refuses to turn a blind eye to the strange events that always seem to involve the mysterious Helena Kyle.
In the center of this mix of heroes and villains is Harley Quinn, a brilliant madwoman who was the paramour of The Joker. Carrying on his dream of creating a criminal empire, Harley uses her daytime persona as a therapist to achieve her savage purpose - to release all the lunatics from mental institutions and use the resulting chaos to take control of New Gotham. Though Harley crosses paths often with Barbara and Helena, they are unaware of each other's secret identities.
As the leader of the "Birds of Prey," Barbara has gone from being Batman's protégé to the leader of a new generation of crime fighters who are determined to carry on his legacy. To her own surprise, Barbara finds that the responsibility of family - even a self-made family like these three amazing women - is ultimately just as important as any mission to save the world.
>From executive producers Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins and Joe Davola (Smallville), Birds of Prey was written and developed for television by Laeta Kalogridis (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) and is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Tollin/Robbins Productions based on the popular comic books from DC Comics.
1/16/2002
From Comics2Film.com:
The KryptonSite has posted a slew of interesting news concerning the proposed Birds of Prey Pilot episode, created by the same people behind WB's hit show, Smallville.
The pilot stars Birds of Prey regulars Barbara Gordon (former-Batgirl turned computer hacker code-named Oracle) and Dinah Lance (the heroine known as Black Canary). However, popular Batman character The Huntress (described as Helena Kyle, hinting at a relationship to another familiar character) assumes the role of Oracle's headstrong partner, while Black Canary is described as a teenage runaway who comes across the duo's path in the pilot episode. In further departure from the comic books, Dinah Lance is represented as having precognitive abilities which manifest during dreams.
Much like in the comics, however, there is severe tension between Oracle and the Huntress, who both possess very obviously differing views on justice. Oracle is quoted as saying "We don't kill people," to a disinterested Huntress, who replies hastily "Speak for yourself." In fact, the Huntress at one time ignores Oracle's connected pressence altogether by turning her phone off, claiming the battery has run out. She is quickly reminded by her partner that it is powered by "ten-year self-recharging fused power cells."
Continuing the string of interesting twists on the original source material, The Huntress's father is described by Oracle as "Gotham's greatest champion", hinting at a paternal connection to city's own Dark Knight, now out of commision. That same shadowy figure can be seen in silhouette in a scene that should leaved most fans excited. In flashback, Barbara can be seen in her Batgirl costume in battle with the maniacal Joker, a villain responsible for the night's end in tragedy...for both Barbara and Helena.
It should be well-noted, however, that all of these developments are only in the current draft of the pilot and are subject to change, or the series may possibly not be picked up at all.
The best show on television. Never miss it. You should check out
Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the WB on Tuesdays at 8p.m.
![[Buffy - Becoming animated gif]](becoming.gif)
The Official Buffy Site
11/06/2002
07/19/2002
From SciFi.com:
07/19/2002
From SciFi.com:
Anthony Stewart Head, who plays Giles in UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he expects the upcoming seventh season to be the show's last. "It's supposed to be, from what I know," Head told the newspaper. "If it is, it will be born out of everyone wanting to move on."
But the good news is that Head told fans to expect to see more of Giles in the coming season. Last year, Head appeared in only seven episodes; next season, "I'll be in a minimum of 10 and maybe more than that," he said. As for how his character will fit into the now-grown-up Scooby Gang, Head said, "I don't know how they're going to do that. It will be interesting to find out."
07/19/2002
From SciFi.com:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Enterprise helped boost UPN's ratings among total viewers last season by 15 percent, Variety reported. The sixth season of Buffy, which moved to the Smackdown network from The WB, and the premiere season of Star Trek spinoff Enterprise also helped UPN see a 13 percent increase in adult viewers 18-49 and a 19 percent hike in adults 18-34 in the 2001-'02 season, the trade paper reported.
In all three categories, UPN bested its archrival The WB. Looking ahead, it's an open question whether Buffy will continue after UPN's deal with the show's producer, 20th Century Television, expires next spring. Star Sarah Michelle Gellar has been publicly noncommittal about returning for the 2003-'04 season. But Buffy creator Joss Whedon has been planning for such a possibility and might be inclined to continue even without Gellar, the trade paper reported.
01/15/2002:
From Aint-it-Cool:
AGAIN, GIANT GIANT BUFFY SPOILERS AHEAD!! TURN BACK NOW, ALL THOSE WHO FEAR GIANT GIANT BUFFY SPOILERS!!
* The Big Scooby Death does not occur in 6.15.
* We will learn in 6.13 that Buffy did not come back as a demon, or as an angel, or as a soulless being, or as an immortal. Her "coming back wrong" seems closely connected to her feelings for Spike.
* The teaser of 6.16 features Buffy and Willow trying on their hideous bridesmaid dresses.
* There are tons of demons coming to the wedding. Some are even houseguests. Tentacled demons. Bird-like demons. Floppy-eared demons (perhaps to explain Anya's fear of the hare).
* We finally meet Xander's folks (the hard-drinking Anthony and tightly-wound Jessica Harris). Pop Harris isn't too happy to find a warty demon raiding Xander's fridge. Xander explains away the freakish appearance of Anya's friends by claiming they're circus people.
* Xander's dad will come to do a technicolor yawn into Buffy's purse during the rehearsal dinner. The demons come to fear Tony Harris.
* Mrs. Harris routinely refers to the groom as "Alexander."
* We get a good hard look at other branches of Xander's scary family tree, including glimpses of his oft-married fiftysomething second cousin Carol, his never-married fiftysomething second cousin Weezy (another female), his Aunt Betty and the ancient Great Uncle Harry.
* Xander speaks the last words of the teaser: "There is nothing on earth that can stop this wedding now!"
* A creepy old dude turns up rather ominously. At the end of act one, the crusty fellow will claim to be -- FutureXander!!!! (He also claims to carry a magical orb from FutureWillow!)
* Buffy tells Xander: "I kind of missed my chance with you, didn't I?"
* Spike attends the festivities and defiantly nuzzles a non-slayer girl.
* Via magic, we're offered a glimpse of Xander's future, and even meet his alleged offspring, Josh and (wait for it) Sarah! Xander is a beer-swilling oaf, a swollen Anya sells cosmetics, and the little Harrises are borderline-feral. Anorexia and unplanned pregnancy may attend their young-adult years.
* Floppy-eared Sarah takes after her demon parent (and we may not be talking about Anya)!
* When Xander seems to have disappeared by the end of act three, Anya confronts "FutureXander."
Finally, some sweet, sweet plugola for the "Buffy" first-season DVD:
Behold the clippage!
*Click here for "Buffy Meets Angel" 56kps clip
*Click here for "Buffy Meets Angel" 100kps clip
*Click here for "Buffy Meets Angel" 300kps clip
*Click here for David Boreanaz interview 56kps clip
*Click here for David Boreanaz interview 100kps clip
*Click here for David Boreanaz interview 300kps clip
*Click here for "Buffy and Angel's First Kiss" 56kps clip
*Click here for "Buffy and Angel's First Kiss" 100kps clip
*Click here for "Buffy and Angel's First Kiss" 300kps clip
*Click here for the "The Reluctant Slayer" 56kps clip
*Click here for the "The Reluctant Slayer" 100kps clip
*Click here for the "The Reluctant Slayer" 300kps clip
From SciFi.com:
Steven DeKnight, one of the writers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told the BBC's official Buffy site that he and other writers are also working on scripts for the proposed animated version of the UPN series. "We have, I believe, five scripts already written," DeKnight told the site. "I've done one, Jane Espenson has done a couple, and it's a great experience."
DeKnight said that he was originally considered solely for the animated series. "When I was first brought in to interview, I was brought in to interview for the animated show, and I was shown rough sketches of the characters and some of the sets," he said. "I loved what I saw. I was dying to work on the show, and I was hoping once I was hired on the live-action [show], I would still get a chance to work on it. It's going to be an amazing show. It's funny. It's exciting. It's all the huge, gigantic action that we can't do in a live-action show. So, the sky's the limit. There's a lot of ideas that they've had in the past five seasons that were great ideas, but they just couldn't do, budgetwise. So, we get to do all those cool high-school stories that we couldn't tell back in high school. Plus, it's a return to the classic Buffy--the way it all started, with all the teen-agers and highjinks. It's going to be absolutely amazing."
Will the animated show feature Angel or Dawn? "You know, anything's possible in [Buffy creator] Joss Whedon world. I would say, more than likely, you will see a lot of the characters you saw in high school. As to whether or not Dawn will be there, it's completely possible. It could definitely fit into the whole timeline of season five, where Dawn was placed there by the monks, and everybody has a memory of her being there. So, it would be an interesting idea to actually put Dawn there and see how she would fit into all of this stuff."
From E! Online:
SHE LIVES! In its first episode since moving from the WB to UPN, Buffy the Vampire Slayer scoring its second-largest audience ever Tuesday night. The show averaged 7.7 million viewers and hit all-time highs in its key young-adult demographics.
09/24/2001:
Here's
TV Guide's list of Buffy
related shows in the near future:
From Aint-it-Cool:
"Angel" returns to the WB at 9 tonight with a new episode.
But almost as excitement-worthy for the Strong household is FX's early-evening Monday airing of "Welcome to the Hellmouth," the very first hour of the WB version of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
Are you sitting down? When "Hellmouth" originally aired some four and a half years ago, it made no positive impression on me. Whatsoever. Of course I was probably just half-listening to it while balancing my checkbook or downloading porn.
Understand. It was another time. I had no faith in the WB Network and even less in Buffy's nobody creator, Joss Whedon. Like so many others, I'd seen the Kristy Swanson "Buffy" movie and decided it represented some pretty poor filmmaking.
Moreover, as "Buffy's" short, 12-episode first season wore on, I kept checking in with it casually and sporadically and remained wholly underwhelmed. I remember thinking its monster-of-the-week formula was off-putting and confusing. She's a vampire slayer; why is she beset by mantis-ladies and hyena-boys?
I was, of course, a big giant idiot. With the second season came Spike and Dru and Angelus, and I've since grown to regard "Buffy" as the best TV show in production -- perhaps even the finest ever crafted. About a year ago I got to see the original (rejected) half-hour sitcom version of "Buffy" created for the Fox net and thought it superb.
But I've not seen "Hellmouth" since March 10, 1997.
And I can't wait for tonight.
09/24/2001:
Angel also starts it's 3rd season tonight at 9pm on the WB.
From Cinescape.com:
The UPN TV network has released their logline for the coming season premiere of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, a two-parter titled "Bargaining." Here's what they provide:
"BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" PREMIERES ON UPN WITH A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR EPISODE AIRING TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2 (8:00-10:00 P.M., ET/PT)
"Bargaining" Parts 1 & 2 - Buffy's friends try to cope with Buffy's death and are left to defend Sunnydale without her. Meanwhile a gang of marauding demons threaten to jeopardize their plan to bring the slayer back from the dead. To complicate matters, Giles contemplates leaving Sunnydale to come to terms with the loss, on the special two-hour season premiere of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER airing TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET/PT) on UPN.
Guest Stars are Paul Greenberg as Shempy Vamp, Franc Ross as Razor, Geoff Meed as Mag.
"Bargaining" Part 1 was directed by David Grossman from a script penned by executive producer Marti Noxon; and "Bargaining" Part 2 was written by co-executive producer David Fury also directed by David Grossman.
09/06/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
08/31/2001:
From SciFi.com:
Electronic Arts' video-game version of UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer series will come to the Xbox gaming platform, not the PC, the IGN Xbox Web site reported. The game's story will take place between the third and fourth seasons of the show, when the Scooby Gang is still at Sunnydale High.
Buffy will be the only playable character in the game, but all of the other major characters will pop up, with the exception of Oz, the site reported. Buffy cast members, except for lead Sarah Michelle Gellar, will provide voices. Angel will also make an appearance. The villians will include the Master.
The Buffy game is slated for release sometime in early 2002, IGN reported.
From TV Guide:
There's good news and bad news for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and spinoff Angel. First, the good: Although it was announced at this fall's Television Critics Association press tour that, since Buffy is moving to UPN, there will be no more crossovers with the WB's Angel, TV Guide Online has learned that some of the series' stars will still interact. Now, here's the bad news: As the actors in question, Alexis Denisof and Alyson Hannigan, are a real-life item, we won't get to watch!
"I'll still be crossing over with Alyson," promises Denisof, laughing.
The pair met when the Maryland native's Angel character, scholarly Englishman Wesley Wyndham-Price, was introduced during the third season of Buffy , where Hannigan has played the title heroine's sidekick, winsome witch Willow Rosenberg, since the show's 1997 debut. Today, despite the fact that they no longer work together, they talk shop with the empathy of true insiders.
"We understand the difficulties [of the job] - and not even just as an actor understanding another actor's difficulties," offers Denisof. "We know the specifics of the two shows because we've both been on them. So when Alyson tells me whoever's bugging her that day, I know who she means, and the same for me."
Soon, the duo may have an even hotter topic to discuss: This season on Angel, much to the bespectacled heartthrob's delight, his on-camera affairs are going to rival his off-duty love life. "Yes," Denisof chuckles, "this year, Wesley's going to turn into a really big stud."
08/27/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
Here's a link to Herc's review of the 6.1/6.2 script, and a link to a site called "The Spoiler Slayer", which meticulously keeps track of spoiler reliability.
From E! Online:
Brief, July 17, 2001
by Josh Grossberg
Jul 17, 2001, 5:15 PM PT
SLAY 'EM! Buffy debuting on UPN with a two-hour special October 9. The cast will also perform a musical episode of the show for November sweeps.
From E! Online:
What's a watcher to do when his vampire slayer ups and dies on him? Move back to England and start his own series, of course.
Anthony Stewart Head, a fixture on Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the past five seasons, is staking out new territory across the Pond. Head will star in a Buffy spinoff series created especially for Britain's BBC, tentatively called Watcher.
Since Buffy's debut, Head has played Rupert Giles, the vampire slayer's British mentor who schools her in the arts of stomping out the supernatural.
But with Head looking to spend more time with his family in England, Buffy creator Joss Whedon has decided to accommodate the actor and launch the spinoff series.
When last we tuned in, Buffy was presumed dead. Figuring his pal is dust, Giles decides to pack up his bags and head home to the U.K. A member of the Clandestine Watchers Council, Giles will be returning to the organization's stronghold in England. The new series will focus on Giles battling occult threats, but with a strong emphasis on mystery as opposed to horror.
Head says the show will focus more on British-type bugaboos and less on vampires and demons. "We've got ghosts in England, lots of them," the actor tells E! Online.
In a BBC interview, Whedon describes the series. "I want to make a show that's very quiet, very adult, dealing with ghost stories and family metaphors that represent what's wrong with us. It's the same way as in Buffy, but without the kickboxing demons."
The BBC has ordered six episodes of the show. There's no word yet on whether the spinoff will air in the U.S. on BBC America.
Now that he's heading home to battle the baddies, Head's Buffy status will go from regular to recurring--he's slated to appear in just two of the first eight episodes next season. "I'm not leaving," Head tells E! Online. "You'll just be seeing a little bit less of me."
With the emphasis on Buffy's impending adulthood (even though she looked as good as dead, did you really think she had stabbed her last vampire?), the reduced role of Giles makes sense, storywise.
But while Head will pop up from time to time on Buffy, don't expect to see Sarah Michelle Gellar flying Virgin Airways anytime soon. The actress isn't slated to do any crossovers on the BBC show, though other members of the cast haven't been ruled out as guest stars. And with Whedon planning to focus on his two stateside shows, Buffy and Angel, it's not known how big a role he'll play in Watcher, other than developing characters and storylines.
Meanwhile, after five years on the WB, Buffy is ready to make its jump to UPN this fall.
07/05/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
06/18/2001:
From Assignmentx.com:
Whether you agree with this statement or not, the world of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER is getting smaller by the minute. Sure, with each incarnation of the series' characters (animated, comic book adaptation, novelization, etc.) the franchise expands exponentially. However, series creator and executive producer Joss Whedon's increasing involvement with each new project insures that a tight leash remains affixed to the BUFFY mythos.
Perhaps the most recent project to receive Whedon's (and the rest of his Mutant Enemy writing staff's) attention is the recently revamped line of Dark Horse comics. This summer alone will bear witness to four BUFFY-related books - two of which will be written by Whedon - and a fifth anthology book out this winter.
`There's the BUFFY ongoing series,` says BUFFY editor Scott Allie. `There's an Oz miniseries that's three issues long running through the middle of the summer. FRAY, which is eight issues and goes on for quite a while. We're re-launching ANGEL as just a four-issue miniseries and Joss is co-writing that and along the way we have a lot of collections and reprints coming out. In November, we have TALES OF THE SLAYER, which is entirely written by writers from the TV show (if you include Amber Benson who's the one actress from the show who's writing something for this) including Joss and some really big name comics artists: Craig Russell, Gene Colan, Tim Sale and some other guys.`
While Whedon's involvement in the above-mentioned projects not only provides for an instant fan base, it also provides for a fair amount of continuity policing - a guarantee that the story being told falls in line with the creator's vision for the property. However, this was not always the case with Buffy's illustrious comic book career. Allie himself recalls a time when the stories being published weren't quite living up to the standard set by the popular television series.
`For a while, we weren't doing great comics because we didn't really know what the comics could or should be,` admits Allie. `There was this really funny moment one day when we were doing this big conference call with [Fox and the Mutant Enemy team] and they were beating the crap out of me telling me that the comics had to be better. They said, 'You know what the comic should be like? It should be more like this comic HELLBOY. Do you know HELLBOY?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, I know HELLBOY.' Right then Mike Mignola [the writer of HELLBOY ] walks into my office because I've been editing his book for like seven years. I put them on hold, tell Mike what happened, we crack up and when I get back on the phone, they weren't beating the crap out of me anymore. We just started going off in a different direction and ever since then the comics have been so much better and I'm really happy with what we've been doing.`
With a clearer image of what the comics should be, Allie set about re-invigorating the entire of line of books, the results of which are only now beginning to be felt.
`The best thing about the show is the way things evolve, characters change and things really happen to people,` says Allie. `The best thing about working really closely with Joss is he's helped us to do a little bit more of that in the comic - mess around with the characters just a little bit more. The results of that haven't really been seen yet because this is a very new development, but that evolution of the characters that you see in the show is going to be a little more apparent in the comics in the near future.`
FOR STARTERS...
First in line to feel the effects of this new BUFFY was the ongoing series. The creative team of Tom Fassbender and Jim Pascoe - authors of the mystery novel BY THE BALLS: A BOWLING ALLEY MURDER MYSTERY - were brought onboard to work their magic on the series. Attributing their ability to build characters through dialogue as the key to their appointment, the duo was a bit scared to affect any kind of serious change on the pre-established mythos.
`Tom and I had this fear coming into this because these are big characters,` says Pascoe. `Everybody loves these characters; everybody knows these characters. They belong to Joss Whedon. We felt we had to be careful what situations we put them into. We found ourselves as storytellers very naturally coming up in some of our early pitches with secondary characters that we would then inevitably put in jeopardy. We heard from the creative team at 20th Century Fox loud and clear that the comics are about Joss's characters. They are about the gang we've come to know and love. In order for that story to really have a lot of piece to it, we really work hard to put these characters in jeopardy and change them significantly as long as we bring them back to an area that still stays consistent with the show.`
In their latest story arc, Fassbender and Pascoe will be exploring the most recent addition to the BUFFY cast - the character of Dawn. Tentatively titled `False Memories,` the tale will elaborate on and provide back story for the concept of Dawn as the Key (a source of mystical energy disguised as Buffy's never-before-seen teenage sister) in ways the series could not afford (time-wise) to do.
`It's a four-part series within the regular comic book,` says Fassbender. `It's issues #35 through #38. Basically, this comes about at a time in the show's continuity where both Giles and Buffy know that Dawn has not always been Buffy's sister, but nobody else does. So Dawn starts coming up with memories and it's right after Riley has left Buffy and she's a little broken up about that. Dawn keeps coming up with these painful memories about Riley and about things Buffy now knows didn't happen and it's really starting to eat at her because she really can't talk to anybody about it but Giles.`
Adding to the mythology yet steering clear of continuity problems, stories of this nature help enhance the overall experience for fans of the show.
`This provides us with a really fun opportunity to take a look at the rather rich history of BUFFY that we know through five seasons of the episodes,` says Pascoe. `We can look at some events that may be familiar to some of the fans of the TV show and tell them as if Dawn were there because that's the conceit of the show right now.`
While the duo is privy to each episode's script prior to its airdate, the final five minutes of the shocking season finale, which saw Buffy sacrifice herself for her `sister,` was excluded from Fassbender and Pascoe's copy. As a result, a small amount of fine-tuning will be needed to bring their story arc to a fitting conclusion.
`It does give us more insight into the relationship that Buffy and Dawn have,` says Fassbender. `Fox is real good about getting Dark Horse and then us the scripts, so we kind of know what's going on ahead of time. So it really isn't going to change the story that much, but the final five minutes of the show, which we hadn't been privy to, gave us a little more fodder that we didn't have before.`
In terms of future story arcs, the duo remains tight-lipped. However, their enthusiasm for a particular upcoming issue - one that involves all-out monster bashing - can't help but shine through.
`We've got some things cooking up after the Dawn story that we can't talk a lot about,` says Pascoe. `One that might be a little bit fun is we're going to be seeing probably just a single episode of pure out-and-out vampire fighting. Cliff Richards [the artist for the ongoing series] draws great fight scenes and we're going to let him go to town.`
DOING WHAT HE DOES BEST
It's no secret that Whedon is a huge fan of comics - strange then that the creator never took a more active interest in the production of the BUFFY books. However, Allie helped to change all of that with a gift for the ultimate fanboy.
`Jeff Matsuda, who used to do a lot of covers for BUFFY , was a huge fan of the show,` says Allie. `Every time he turned in a cover he would go, 'I want to do a comic with Joss.' I heard that there was this one particular Matsuda cover that Joss really liked so I had Jeff give it to me, we framed it with a big color print of the final version and we sent it to Joss as a gift from Jeff with a note saying, 'Write me a comic and let's do something.' That hasn't materialized yet, but I think that sort of paved the way toward Joss getting involved.`
And Whedon got involved in a big way. First up on the creator's list of projects is the eight-issue miniseries FRAY . Debuting in June, the story takes place in a future world that has essentially become a man-made hell, complete with vampires, demons and other supernatural threats lurking in the shadows. When the forces of darkness come calling, street urchin Melaka Fray is transformed into society's only salvation - a futuristic slayer.
`Joss eventually called me and said, 'Hey, I want to do this Faith comic',` says Allie. `He was throwing around ideas for a Faith comic and then said, 'Hey, why not make up a whole new character.' When we started working on FRAY, we were talking like once or twice a week and so other stuff came up. Then the idea for the TALES OF THE SLAYER book just kind of came up one day.`
Creativity sparks more creativity and soon Whedon found himself involved in a second project. Set for a November release, TALES OF THE SLAYER is an 88-page anthology-style one-shot featuring work from Whedon and other members of the Mutant Enemy team (including Amber Benson, Jane Espenson, David Fury, Rebecca Kirshner, and Doug Petrie). Each story will be illustrated by a different artist and feature a slayer from varying epochs.
If that weren't enough, the overworked creator volunteered to kick-start yet another comic book project - one Whedon holds very close to his heart.
`In that meeting with Joss, we also started talking about ANGEL ,` says Allie. `He didn't like the direction the comic was going in. I didn't really know what we were doing with it. I thought we were being as faithful to the show as we could, but I didn't really know where it was going. Joss was like, 'Well, what if you made it totally unfaithful to the show? What if you made it really a comic book and nothing like the show?' I thought it was a great idea, but that it would be a little hard to jumpstart the title again. And he said, 'Well, what if I wrote it?'
Focusing on pyrotechnics, bizarre looking monsters, and special effects the likes of which would deplete an entire season's budget, the upcoming four-issue ANGEL miniseries (which will most likely launch several follow-up minis) is all about pulse-pounding action.
`The opening of the first issue is just amazing,` says Allie. `Angel jumps off a roof onto the hood of a moving car, punches through the windshield, grabs the emergency brake and yanks it up, bringing the car to a halt. The two guys inside the car go flying through the windshield, smash against a brick wall and, of course, they're demons so c'est la vie. Try doing that on television - you've just spent your whole budget!`
Known primarily as a film and television writer, Whedon has taken to the medium quite easily with FRAY and ANGEL perfect examples of his depth in comics writing.
`The writing Joss is doing on FRAY is really kind of introspective,` says Allie. `It really gets into the character in great detail. You really get close to this character in a way that you can't do on television because you'd have all of this internal monologue that would be so boring. In FRAY, you really get to the heart of the character. With ANGEL , it's not the same thing. It's the same kind of storytelling as the show where you follow the characters through their actions and you don't get a lot of inner monologue, but you get so much more action then you could ever get on TV.`
AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING
With Whedon's involvement in the comic book franchise came the involvement of several other members of the Mutant Enemy writing staff. However, one did not necessarily lead to the other.
`I can't remember how this started, but I think somebody on the show mentioned that Doug Petrie really liked the comics and was interested in writing something,` recalls Allie. `I called him up and he was really into Ryan Sook's work. He asked if he could do something with Ryan and I had a spot in the BUFFY annual a couple of years ago and so we did this little 16-page story featuring Oz and Buffy. That was the first time that I worked with a writer from the show.`
Soon Petrie's contributions became more frequent, with the writer penning a turning point issue of the monthly series, a graphic novel illustrated by Ryan Sook and a featurette in the upcoming TALES OF THE SLAYER. With the domino effect in full force, other writers from the series began contacting the book's editor.
`Another writer from the show, Jane Espenson, called me and we talked about stuff she'd like to do,` says Allie. `She was the writer who wrote the 'Earshot' episode and she really liked the whole Jonathon conceit, so she wanted to do something else with him. In that episode, they wanted to have some Jonathon comic books as props so we slapped some together and gave them to the show. Jane called us up saying that it was cool to see those fake Jonathon covers and if we would be interested in doing an actual Jonathon comic. I said, 'Yeah, why not.' So we did this really good 26-page thing. She took to comics really well and right now she's doing a Faith miniseries for me that won't come out until sometime next year.`
While the concept for a Faith miniseries has been floating around for quite some time (with Whedon originally expressing an interest), Espenson is the writer to finally land the assignment. Illustrated by Richards, the series takes place right after the Sunnydale mayor's failed attempt at ascending to `demonhood.` At this point in the show's history, Faith is in a coma. However, Allie assures that the character will play `an interesting role` in the goings -on of the story (as will the mayor and Buffy) and her first comic book appearance will depict the character in `a really weird way.`
Picking a favorite time period in the show's illustrious history is a prerequisite for any writer interested in penning a BUFFY comic. It then becomes that individual's responsibility to craft a tale that will enhance or elaborate on - as opposed to rehash - the established mythology. A perfect example of this can be found in the numerous stories that take place immediately after a particular season's finale, like Christopher Golden's upcoming Oz miniseries.
`The cool thing about taking a story and setting it immediately after the season finale is that every season when the BUFFY show starts up in September a lot has happened over the summer, but they don't really tell you everything,` says Allie. `The Oz miniseries was just waiting to happen. Chris Golden called up and said, 'Hey, I want to do a story about what happens to Oz when he goes to Tibet to get control of the werewolf side of him.' We would have loved to have done an Oz story anyway, but the fact that there was this perfect story to be told was great.`
Fassbender and Pascoe, the team behind the ongoing series, also have their own upcoming assignment in the works. While still early in the creative process - so early, in fact, that it has yet to be scheduled - the working title of the rather unique project is CREATURES OF HABIT.
`We have something called a graphic story album,` says Fassbender. `It's going to be similar in format to the ALIENS: TRIBES book. Its going to be a Buffy story that's more of a novella - about 50,000 words or so - that Jim and I are going to write and it's going to be drawn by Brian Horton and Paul Lee. There will be 18 full color oil paintings and black and white art throughout the story. Even though this is technically an illustrated story as opposed to a comic, we're working very closely with the artists to give the story a real organic feel between the work and the pictures.`
From Zap2it.com:
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - This week "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon jumps from the visual medium of TV to comics with "Fray," a futuristic slayer tale that follows the perilous life of Melaka Fray, a teenage girl from the rough side of town who is about to find out that she's the chosen one.
"She has no idea what is to come," a demon says in the opening pages.
Whedon's vision of the future is a bleak hellhole riddled with crime and disease and populated by the masses who have been mutated by the sun's radiation. In the future, it's hard to tell the humans and the demons apart. Oh, and cars drive in the air instead of the streets. Very "Fifth Element."
For five hundred years, demons have been able to wander the earth freely without a slayer, but that's about to change with Melaka. Although one might expect another version of Buffy Summers, Melaka is closer to fellow slayer Faith.
Melaka's a thief, on the payroll of her boss Gunther, a creepy mutant who's so changed by the sun's radiation that he must live in a tank of water. Although she's tough on the outside -- with both her kicks and attitude -- a visit from her sister, who's a cop, hints at a softer side and a painful past.
Whedon sets up "Fray" with enough interesting story points to lay a strong foundation to build upon in the future. "Buffy" fans are sure to warm up to this slayer to come -- not only does she have demons chasing her, there's also the law, the shadowy watchers and a guy who's willing to blow himself up for her. What's a girl to do?
05/30/2001:
Scoop by Duff
From The Boston Herald:
From TV Guide:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon wants to set the record straight - so to speak - about the show's upcoming all-musical episode. Contrary to his recent Buffy.com posting, in which he told fans, in jest, that the installment "could be the worst hour of TV ever made," the acclaimed auteur is now singing a different tune.
"I actually think it's going to be good," he says of the episode, which is slated to air next season during November sweeps (it's episode six). "But it is something I've never done before, so it's a little nerve-racking."
Whedon - who will write and direct the hour-long singing and dancing extravaganza (with a choreographer on deck to coordinate the fancy footwork) - reveals that beneath all the spectacle will rest something far more profound than, say, a Busby Berkeley opus. "It's about what it's like to live in a musical world," he previews, "because all our guys are gonna start singing and dancing, and they're gonna be like, 'Did anybody notice that we were just singing and dancing? What's that all about?' It's basically the repercussions of living in that kind of world.
"I think of it as kind of a sequel to [last season's Emmy-nominated episode] 'Hush,' in the sense that 'Hush' was about when you stop talking, you start communicating," he adds. "And the musical is about when you sing, you express yourself, things you wouldn't otherwise express - which can be great or very destructive."
05/25/2001:
From TV Guide:
From TV Guide:
If, after Tuesday night's shocking season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you were to ask the supernatural series's fans what they wanted on their tombstones, the reply no doubt would be a resounding, "Not the name Buffy Anne Summers!" Talk about a showstopper! When the Chosen One perished in the episode's final minutes, millions of viewers (more than 5 million, to be exact), felt their blood run cold. After all, many still were reeling from the untimely passing of the Slayer's mother in February - not to mention the cult favorite's move from the WB to UPN next fall. So, has the heroine really gone on to that big Slayer graveyard in the sky? Did Sarah Michelle Gellar volunteer to be killed off rather than go to UPN? Go on and dry your tears now. Buffy creator Joss Whedon feels your pain, and he has agreed to speed up your grieving process by answering TV Guide Online's burning questions about the bombshell felt 'round the world... and the netherworld.
TVGO: First off, is Buffy really dead?
Whedon: Yes. She's rotting in her grave even as we speak.
TVGO: But Sarah's coming back?
Whedon: Yes.
TVGO: You can understand how some people might be confused...
Whedon: Yes.
TVGO: Are you worried about alienating viewers by bringing her back from the dead? I mean, we saw the tombstone.
Whedon: Yes, I'm always worried about that. The point is, you have to take it seriously and pay it homage and make it as hard and strange for the people in the show as it is for the audience to accept. Then you earn it.
TVGO: If you bring Buffy back, then why couldn't you also bring back Joyce?
Whedon: You could, but we'll explain why.
TVGO: What's the craziest Buffy resurrection scenario you've heard in the last 48 hours?
Whedon: Buffy shows up in an alternate universe, but I don't think that's a good idea.
TVGO: You already know how this will be resolved, then?
Whedon: We've had next season planned out for a long time - before we even knew we were changing networks.
TVGO: Do you think, in retrospect, it's a little confusing? First Buffy leaves the WB, and now Buffy is dead. Some fans are wondering if the show is over.
Whedon: It's our job this summer to make people aware that Buffy - starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy - is coming back on UPN next fall. And I'm just gonna keep saying it to everybody I meet and every chance I get, and UPN is going to start advertising it today. We'll get the word out.
TVGO: Do you think the WB purposely added that farewell message at the end of the episode to further confuse people?
Whedon: You know, it was sort of incredibly classy and slightly underhanded. The whole "Series Finale" thing has been a little cheesy, but actually, I was pretty touched when I saw the message. The fact of the matter is they didn't say, "Goodbye. It's over." They said, "Thank you." So, at the end of the day, I thought that was kind of nice.
TVGO: If and when the day comes that Sarah leaves the show, would you retitle it Dawn the Vampire Slayer?
Whedon: What I would do with it is hard to say, but that's certainly a show I'd watch. Michelle [Trachtenberg ] is a powerhouse. I have the best ensemble that I could ever hope to work with. It could happen, but if it did, it wouldn't be for years because Sarah's coming back.
TVGO: Did anyone else die during the climax? Anya looked like she was in pretty bad shape.
Whedon: She's OK, she made it.
TVGO: What was up with Giles killing Ben? Is that going to be the beginning of a trend?
Whedon: No, that's just the thing he had to do. And you know, Giles will be recurring next year instead of a regular because [Anthony Stewart Head is] going to live in England. We're working on a BBC [spinoff] show for [that character]. So, it's a side of Giles you're more likely to see on his show than you are on Buffy. But, it's not like he's going to become an evil killer or anything.
TVGO: Does Ben's death mean Glory is dead too?
Whedon: Yeah, it does.
TVGO: Whose voice was telling Spike to go rescue Dawn? It was a very Star Wars-type moment.
Whedon: It was Willow... Just yet another example of how Willow's power is increasing.
TVGO: Given that Buffy's death factored into Angel's finale, won't you have to kick off the season with some type of WB/UPN crossover?
Whedon: No, I really won't. And I'm not entirely sure that either network would want to. Not that Angel won't be dealing with the idea of Buffy's death and her rebirth, but the fact is, he's on his own now. He's at the big scary network by himself and he's going to have other very pressing matters to deal with.
TVGO: So you won't pick up Angel next fall where the season finale left off?
Whedon: No. Like we usually do, it will be a few months later.
TVGO: Do you know the date of Buffy's two-hour premiere?
Whedon: I don't know the date. I believe we're looking at early October, but nothing's been set.
TVGO: Will Amber Benson (Tara) be added to the opening credits next season?
Whedon: No, Amber's going to stay at a recurring status. But she will, like this year, be in most of the shows.
TVGO: Any other cast changes on Buffy?
Whedon: Apart from Giles becoming a recurring character? No.
05/24/2001:
From TV Guide:
05/21/2001:
From WizardWorld.com:
05/18/2001:
From TV Guide:
From TV Guide:
Michelle Trachtenberg will not be swayed. The cute-as-a-button Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star feels the pain of viewers dying to know what happens to her character - the title heroine's otherworldly kid sister, Dawn - in the series's May 22 season finale (and WB swan song). But she still adamantly refuses to satisfy the audience's curiosity.
"I was a huge Buffy fan myself [even before getting cast], and I would go on the Internet a lot ," she tells TV Guide Online. "But I'd always stray from websites that revealed any information prior to the airing of the episode. Like in the third season, when Buffy stabbed Angel... if I'd read that he dies, I would have been expecting it, and it would have ruined it for me. So I will not speak of any occurrences in the Buffy world."
As galling as Buffy aficionados may find the whippersnapper's resolve, it is sure to be indispensable to her in a looming real-life battle. "I'm recently eligible for my [learner's] permit," the almost-16-year-old declares excitedly. "My mom is quite terrified. I am not allowed to mention the words 'car' or 'permit' or 'license' anywhere around her."
However, the intractable actress is confident that when she finally puts her foot down, it will be on an accelerator. "I'm sure that over the summer Mom will be teaching me," she says. "She's a very safe driver, and she just wants to make sure that I will be equally safe." - Charlie Mason
From SciFi.com:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon told the Los Angeles Times that the proposed British series based on Buffy character Giles will be more of a "grown-up, quiet show about a cool, grown-up, non-teen-age man quietly solving ghost stories." Whedon is in talks with the BBC for six episodes of the show, which would star Anthony Stewart Head. SCI FI Wire first reported the proposed series last week.
Whedon added that the Giles show "would be very different in tone: slower, more like the series already on TV there. But not too British." It's not clear whether Buffy cast members might make guest appearances on the proposed show.
Whedon told the Times that he is looking for a U.K. partner to oversee production. Whedon would hammer out storylines and draft scripts with the current Buffy writing staff, perhaps shooting an initial episode in L.A. before production shifts to England.
From TV Guide:
Fox's Buffy the Vampire Slayer cartoon won't debut until February 2002 at the earliest, but series creator Joss Whedon already is waging a war against blood-suckers far scarier than any that his heroine will face: network executives. "I thought, 'No, we won't fight over budgets,'" he tells TV Guide Online. "But you're never not going to fight over budgets.
"They're like, 'If you want seven dragons [instead of one], you have to draw them all, and it'll cost more,'" he continues. "But I want the show to look as good as it can, and that's going to cost money."
Despite such pains in the neck, none of Whedon's enthusiasm for the animated Buffy has been drained. "We're getting to do what we wanted to - the things that you can't do on the [live-action version]," he explains. "It's slightly more off-center... whimsical."
Plus, with the Saturday-morning installments set back at Sunnydale High, Whedon now can tell the tales that he couldn't before the Scooby gang's graduation. "It's nice to go back to the well of adolescent stories," he says, "and the very basic dynamic of, Willow likes Xander, Xander likes Buffy, and Buffy can't admit that she's attracted to that Angel guy."
Although the chance to be a teenager again likely will have Sarah Michelle Gellar and her twentysomething Buffy co-stars lining up to be Chosen Ones, Whedon reveals that so far no deals have been struck. "But I'm hopeful that we can get our cast to do it," he concludes. "It wouldn't be the same without them." - Charlie Mason
05/04/2001:
From TV Guide:
05/03/2001:
From TV Guide:
From TV Guide:
As Sarah Michelle Gellar stocks up on blunt instruments in preparation for the May 22 Buffy the Vampire Slayer season finale, viewers might do well to bust open a box of Kleenex. "The emotional stakes are as high as they've ever been," series creator Joss Whedon promises TV Guide Online. "There will be some resolution to the Dawn arc - her being the Key and whether she's Buffy's sister - as well as Buffy's journey about what it means to be the Slayer."
Of course, the showstopper - not only the horror dramedy's 100th episode, but its last original hour on the WB before moving to UPN next fall - is still in no danger of getting mistaken for Lifetime's latest Meredith Baxter movie: The heroine must dispatch demented deity Glory before she can bring about the apocalypse. "Saving the world is what we do here at Buffy Entertainment," Whedon jokes, "so there's going to be some punching and some death, too."
However, the Emmy nominee (for writing last year's half-silent "Hush" installment) maintains that this climax is as likely to leave the audience sobbing as it is to start them gasping. In fact, he puts it on a pedestal next to the classic tearjerkers in which Buffy "killed" blood-sucking boyfriend Angel and he left Sunnydale.
"We did a big finale last year, but not as the final episode, because the story wasn't really connected to the characters," he explains. "This time, it's more like the old days." - Charlie Mason
From TV Guide:
Just days before UPN announced it had successfully snatched Buffy the Vampire Slayer away from the WB, the show's creator, Joss Whedon , confessed to TV Guide Online that the protracted behind-the-scenes contract talks were wearing him down faster than a gang of blood-thirsty demons. "I'm so tired of these negotiations," he sighed. "I'm like, 'I just want to make the show; you guys have a good time.'" Well, one week later, a deal has been finalized - UPN will fork over $102 million to Buffy producer 20th Century Fox for two years (or 44 episodes) of the acclaimed drama - and Whedon is breathing a sigh of relief. Or is he... ?
TVGO: Are you feeling pretty upbeat about the move?
Joss: Yeah, I am. I like being at a network that needs my show. UPN [execs] have made it very clear that they are going to make the same show that I am already making, and we have the budget to do it. And they will probably put a big [promotional] push behind it, which in Year Six is not something you always expect. So, I am pretty sanguine that we will do well there.
TVGO: Will the extra money that 20th Century is getting from UPN for Buffy trickle down to you in terms of an increased budget?
Joss: Well, you know there are budget increases every year, just by nature of people getting raises in their contracts. So, every year the show gets more expensive to make. This will cover that, and it means we won't have to cut back on... We were looking at a situation where we were going to have to cut back significantly on the budget somehow. And now, we're in a situation where, yeah, we can make it for the budget. It's not like I am asking, 'Give me more money. Let me do bigger things.' I try to be fiscally responsible and make the show the way I make it. But because of all the special effects and whatnot, it's inevitably kind of an expensive show.
TVGO: Where will UPN air Buffy?
Joss: The talk is of trying to keep it in the same slot - Tuesday at 8. There is no assurance of that; they may have a different plan. But that's the expectation and the hope.
TVGO: Where do things stand with Angel? [As part of the new deal, should the WB cancel Angel, UPN has agreed to carry the Buffy spinoff for at least two years.]
Joss: The WB is going to look at their schedule and see how strong they think it is, and if it fits in and if it can help them. If they think [it will], then they'll keep it. People thought the decision would be made based on, 'It's just too weird' or 'It can't stand alone.' But it has a slightly different audience than Buffy, and I believe it can stand alone. They're going to make that decision not on the high emotions of the last week, but on just regular old network scheduling.
TVGO: We did a poll this week asking fans where they would like to see Angel end up. The overwhelming majority wanted it to go to UPN.
Joss: That is my hope as well. It's just simpler if they're together - if they're a block. The thing that doesn't come through in the midst of all this fuss is that I have a very good relationship with all the creative people at the WB, and if the show stays at the WB, I know it will be treated well and I will still make it exactly the way I hope to. We are really excited about it creatively, wherever it is. When we have conversations about it, we don't talk about networks, we talk about the characters and what we're going to do with them. And it is starting to shape up to be a really exciting year. It's simpler for me if they're a block, but Angel has been treated well on the WB, and I don't have any problem with it staying there.
TVGO: So you don't harbor any fear that the WB would, in retaliation, sabotage the show and air it on Sunday nights, for example?
Joss: You know, anything is possible. I don't see the WB acting out of spite. And although tempers got very high in this negotiation - higher than they usually do - I think they would put it where it would best serve them. But I can't make any predictions. The only prediction I can make is that they're not going to do something to harm the show even if they give it a tougher timeslot. I still think it can handle it.
TVGO: Sarah Michelle Gellar got into some hot water for saying she would quit the show if it left the WB. [She later retracted those remarks, reportedly after being reprimanded by 20th Century.] Do you know how she's reacting to all this?
Joss: You know, we haven't been able to speak because she's in Australia [filming Scooby-Doo], so I don't actually know. I couldn't really comment.
TVGO: In terms of the rest of the cast, are you finding yourself having to reassure them that this is going to be ok?
Joss: Not at all. I don't think that they mind a bit. You know, they were never really the focus of the [WB's] promotion of the show. My ensemble cast has sort of been in the shadows, so they don't feel like, 'Oh God, we were treated so well; we'll miss it so much.' The network doesn't really matter to them. They don't work for the network; they work for me. They come to these offices, they come to these stages, with the same writers. Nothing in their lives will have changed, unless UPN decides to promote them and to promote the show a little bit more as an ensemble, and that's an improvement. So, basically they don't really stand to lose anything at this point. And they know, what I know, which is we just want to make the show and we have the assurance that we'll make the same show - that's what really matters.
04/23/2001:
From TV Guide:
From E! Online:
UPN has driven a stake through Buffy the Vampire Slayer's run on the WB.
After months of negotiations--and an unusually bitter public battle over the fate of the teen-cult hit--Joss Whedon's critically acclaimed series is jumping from the WB to UPN.
UPN announced late Friday that it has sealed a two-year, $102 million deal with Buffy producer 20th Century Fox Television, ending months of speculation over whether Sarah Michelle Gellar's bloodsucker-battling heroine would leave the WB, her home since Buffy premiered in March 1997.
The Smackdown Network has ordered 44 episodes of the series, which will begin airing this fall on its new home (time and date are yet to be announced). Sources say UPN will fork over $2.3 million per episode for the first season and $2.35 million for season two. The deal also is said to include a provision that would allow UPN to pick up the Buffy spinoff Angel for two seasons if the WB cancels the show.
While it was widely known that UPN had plunked down an offer for the series, few thought the junior net would have enough cash to make any serious moves. But with Star Trek: Voyager ending its UPN run May 23, the network definitely needed another proven hit (other than its WWF juggernaut) to hold onto viewers.
Said UPN President Dean Valentine in a statement: "We are incredibly pleased to have Buffy the Vampire Slayer on UPN, not just because it is one of the best shows on the air and represents a new era in UPN's life and direction, but more importantly because Joss Whedon is one of the finest writers and producers in television. Our main motivation for pursuing Buffy so aggressively was to be in business with Joss and with 20th...and we're very pleased to have that opportunity."
The 100th and final WB episode of Buffy airs May 22.
The announcement comes as a shock to many: Although Buffy is not the WB's highest-rated show (it's actually third-highest, behind 7th Heaven and Charmed ), the series was one of the network's earliest signature hits, boasting a rabidly devoted following from teen and young-adult women.
This season, the show has averaged 4.4 million viewers in its Tuesday 8 p.m. timeslot.
According to sources at the WB, UPN's offer was a great deal higher than the Frog's final offer. Insiders say the WB initially offered 20th Century Fox $1.6 million per episode--up from the $1 million the network currently pays. They later upped their final offer to $1.8 million and also offered to pick up both Buffy and its spinoff, Angel, for two more seasons.
But then, WB sources claim they weren't contacted for a month. "With no response from them, the feeling was we were being pawns," said one network source, who added that the WB finally withdrew its offer for Buffy a week ago.
The WB also claims 20th Century Fox had other, non-monetary motives for jumping to UPN. In a statement released Friday, the WB said it was no coincidence that UPN's Buffy announcement came just a day after the FCC loosened restrictions on network ownership, which would allow Fox (which has a pending merger with former UPN co-owner Chris-Craft) to merge with UPN.
"Twentieth Television has made an inauspicious decision for the television industry by taking one of their own programs off of a non-affiliated network and placing it on a network in which they have a large vested interested, through their acquisition of Chris-Craft and public comments that Fox and UPN are discussing ways to merge," the WB's statement reads. "The WB will continue to develop successful, innovative programming that delivers a high concentration of young adults and teens. We wish Sarah, Joss and [co-executive producer] David Greenwalt well."
Insiders at 20th Century Fox Television also indicated the negotiations had gotten personal. Both Whedon and former WB chief executive Jamie Kellner sparred in the media about Buffy's role at the network. During negotiations, Kellner downplayed the show's importance, telling reporters "it's not our number-one show," and Whedon later lashed back. "It makes me angry to see this show belittled," he said.
"The studio did everything it could to keep the show at the WB," said a source at 20th Television. "But the more Jamie opens his mouth, the more he says things like 'this is a niche show,' 'maybe we should replenish our schedule every year.' We started to realize our vision for the show was not the same as [the WB]."
As for the show's star, there was no immediate comment Friday from Sarah Michelle Gellar, who previously supported staying on the WB. In January, Gellar told E! Online, "I will stay on Buffy if, and only if, Buffy stays on the WB. And you know what? Print that. My bosses are going to kill me, but print that. I want them to know."
As expected, the comments reportedly infuriated her producers. She quickly retracted the statements, saying she would stay with Buffy no matter where it ended up.
Buffy, meet Moesha. Moesha, say hello to Buffy.
04/13/2001:
From SciFi.com:
Jeph Loeb, who will executive produce The WB's upcoming animated version of its Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, told the Comics Continuum Web site that the new show will take Buffy fans to a new place. Loeb is working with Buffy creator Joss Whedon.
"Buffy fans should be very pleased with what he has in mind," Loeb told the site. "What is so exciting is that animation allows Joss' imagination to go in even more extraordinary directions. We're currently writing episode one, putting together the bible [the handbook for the show] and coming up with stories for other fantastic new episodes."
Loeb added that the animated series will have its own life. "But we will be keeping the tone and seeing the characters who have made Buffy such an enormous hit--Xander, Giles, Willow and ... a few surprises, too," Loeb said. "Joss came up with a very unique way that will allow us to stay within continuity and still tell tales Buffy fans don't yet know. Folks who know my work from Superman For All Seasons, Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory will have an idea as to how we're going to pull it all off. At the same time, if you've never seen the live-action show, it will be very accessible. We want to break down the same walls that [the] Batman animated [series] did originally, both in terms of style and content. So Joss really has set the bar very high. The truth is, he doesn't want to do the show if it can't stand toe-to-toe with Buffy and Angel, his live-action shows. His hallmark is quality, and this is no exception." The show could air as soon as February.
04/11/2001:
Finally new Buffy and Angel episodes next week!!!!
ANGEL COMES BACK TO BUFFY - A grieving and confused Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) falls into the loving arms of Angel (guest star David Boreanaz) who comes back to Sunnydale after he gets word about the death of her mother. Meanwhile, a distraught Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) takes it upon herself to perform a magic spell to bring her mom back to life. Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield and Amber Benson also star. Marti Noxon wrote and directed the episode (#5ABB17).
Also the official site finally has the list of series 5 episodes up, but there is not link from the main episode page?? Check it out here.
04/11/2001:
From TV Guide:
From Zap2it.com:
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Today, Variety reports that UPN has joined the fray in pursuit of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the future of which on The WB has been the topic of speculation for months, with The WB reportedly not willing to ante up the kind of money for the show that producing studio 20th Century Fox wants.
"Buffy" principals have jumped into the mix, with star Sarah Michelle Gellar proclaiming -- and then somewhat backpedaling from -- her loyalty to The WB. In a New York Daily News story earlier this week, series creator Joss Whedon responded to comments by WB entertainment chief Jamie Kellner to Entertainment Weekly that the show was not The WB's top ratings draw and that it appealed mainly to teens.
Whedon took this as an insult and fired back zingers of his own, saying of Kellner's comments, "It doesn't breed love."
"Yes, yes, I did," Whedon says. "I said, 'Why is he mean to me? Why does he insult my show?'"
Well, why does he? "'You know, because he's a big bully, and I'm just a helpless kid. He took my lunch money."
Is it at all flattering to be the object of so much attention? "No," says Whedon. "I just want to make my show."
David Greenwalt, who is a consulting producer on "Buffy" and co-creator and executive producer, with Whedon, of "Buffy's" spin-off and Tuesday-night sked-mate "Angel," weighs in with, "I firmly believe that when all the dust settles, these two shows will still be on The WB, but we are ready for all possible alternatives."
"People have been saying a lot of things in the heat of battle here, and we've just had our little noses to the grindstone. 'Buffy' is the little show that could. 'Buffy' started with that silly title and flew under the radar and became quite critically acclaimed and did quite well also, financially."
"'Angel' is quite capable of standing on its own two feet. I absolutely believe that. It's a slightly different audience than 'Buffy,' although we retain many of the hardcore 'Buffy' fans. And 'Angel' is quite capable of anchoring a night if that has to happen, too."
"But I totally believe that come whatever happens after the strike, that you'll be seeing these two shows on Tuesday night on The WB."
Being on the same network and night has always allowed the shows to cross-pollinate. The next time that happens is on April 17, when vampire-with-a-soul Angel (David Boreanaz) comes up from Los Angeles to Buffy's hometown of Sunnydale to see his former lover following the death of her mother.
But if the two shows are separated, won't that torpedo the crossovers? "You'd lose the crossovers," says Whedon, "but we're kind of shying away from that anyway. We still do them every now and then, but 'Angel's' got to stand on its own two feet, and I think it does. It doesn't kill me. I prefer to have them together, but I believe they can both thrive on their own."
Much of the speculation has surrounded "Buffy" possibly going over to FOX network, where veteran TV producer Gail Berman, who is still listed as a executive producer on both "Angel" and "Buffy," is now entertainment chief.
"Believe me," says Greenwalt. "It's never going to be on the FOX network. People keep saying, thinking, Fox network. It's not going to be on the Fox network."
"Of course the mind goes there. Gail's our gal, and she's one of the absolute, original executive producers of 'Buffy.' She's responsible for a lot of stuff, but I don't see it going."
"That was my impression," says Whedon about Greenwalt's assertion, "but I can't say anything definite. This is a loop in which I am not."
"It was a big dust-up," Greenwalt continues, "a lot of ruffled feathers. But again, when this is all over, it'll be on the Frog. You watch. If I'm wrong, I'll call ya. I'll mea culpa."
From Zap2it.com:
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - UPN is hoping to stay in the ring by strengthening its bid on 20th Century Fox Television's "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." UPN has been interested in the series, which currently airs on The WB, for a while, recently making the studio aware of its intention.
Now that The WB's exclusive negotiating window has expired, insiders say UPN is stepping up its efforts to steal the show by placing what one insider called "a significant offer" for the series.
UPN is still considered a longshot to land the series, according to industry sources. The WB is still in active talks for "Buffy" and may have upped its early offer of $1.6 million per episode (the show is asking for $2 million per). The studio may also sell the series to sister network FOX. While "Buffy's" future is still up in the air, insiders say they expect a deal in the near future.
From TV Guide:
Emmy voters, take note - this could save you a lot of time and trouble. Last week's haunting episode of the WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer - in which the Scooby gang mourned the sudden death of Buffy's mother Joyce (Kristine Sutherland) - instantly earned a place alongside ER's "Love's Labor Lost" and Jimmy Smits's harrowing swan song on NYPD Blue as one of the finest hours of television ever produced. Written and directed with paralyzing intensity by series creator Joss Whedon , the bold installment chronicled the four hours following Joyce's passing and featured wrenching performances from the show's underrated cast, led by The Chosen One herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar. Heightening the emotion was the fact that, unlike watershed episodes of other shows, this one was delivered without any good ol' fashioned Hollywood hype, and thus caught practically everyone off guard. "There was a lot of integrity in this," notes TV Guide critic Matt Roush, "not just in how it played, but in how it wasn't oversold."
Of course, true to Buffy tradition, the installment left viewers with a plethora of unanswered questions. And to help fill in the blanks, TV Guide Online called on the brainchild behind the one-hour masterpiece, Whedon himself.
A never-before-seen flashback of Joyce hosting a holiday
celebration for Buffy, Dawn and friends kicked off the episode. Shot from
no one's particular point of view, the joyous scene stood in stark
contrast to the rest of the morbid hour. What was its purpose?
Buffy diehards expecting some kind of profound explanation
are in for a disappointment. "I wanted to get the credits over with,"
says Whedon. "I knew that I had to have opening credits, and I knew that
there was no way in God's green Earth that I was going to put them over
the 911 sequence, so I thought, 'Well, I've got to have a scene.'" Eyeing
an opportunity to remind viewers how beloved Joyce was, the scribe
decided to insert the Christmas-themed gathering. Plus, he adds,
"It gave me a really great transition from happy to dead."
Giving new meaning to the phrase silent but deadly, the episode contained
nary a musical chord. Although we have a good idea what that was about, we
figured we'd ask anyway.
"Music would have been too easy," Whedon confesses. "It would let things
out... it would [tell you] to feel sad. I wanted to not have that safety
net. And where there is no safety net, there is nothing that is going to
keep people [in the moment] unless they really care."
Why wasn't Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Tara's (Amber Benson) overdue
smooch promoted ad nauseum like last season's same-gender buss (or should
we say bust?) on Dawson's Creek?
"They are basically living together so they're probably already kissing.
[Therefore,] to make a big deal of the kiss would have been totally wrong,"
says Whedon, who adds that he waited for just the right moment to script
the liplock. "It belongs somewhere where you least expect it, where it is
completely organic and you breeze by it." Well, WB execs did anything but.
In fact, the suits asked Whedon to cut the kiss - a request he flatly
refused. "The WB sort of balked, but they got over it really quickly," he
says. "I was like, 'The kiss is in, or I'm walkin'.' But not in the sense
of, 'Let's get into a fight,' [but] actually to avert one... Just to say
there is no middle ground here. This belongs in the show... There was one
discussion and there was only one." A WB rep responds: "We had questions
[about the kiss], but after reviewing the final cut, we chose to air it."
The brutal realism of the episode was interrupted by a jarring vampire
slaying in the final act. Why?
"I stayed away from unnatural things as much as possible," Whedon admits.
"I didn't have Glory (Clare Kramer) or even Spike (James Marsters) in the
episode because I wanted everything to be very real. But because the show
is Buffy , vampires are a part of that world. So I wanted to have the
vampire fight, but put it in the context of this occasion, because life
is still going on... things are intruding. [There's a] feeling that
this tragedy has occurred, and the world is supposed to stop."
Is Joyce really dead?
The Internet is abuzz with speculation that Buffy's younger sis
(Michelle Trachtenberg ) will use her unique powers to resurrect her
mother. As it is, at the end of the episode, Dawn was about to place her
magical hands on Joyce's cold corpse. "Dawn's special energy will not
bring Joyce back," Whedon insists. "Some people thought that at the
beginning of the next episode, she was going to touch her and heal her
with her Dawn powers. I'm like, 'People! Missing the point!'" So, Joyce's
never-seen boyfriend isn't part of some big conspiracy? "There is no
mystery to the date," says Whedon, who points out that the idea to leave
Buffy and Dawn motherless was conceived years ago, and adds that "if you
brought her back, it would have to be extremely earned, and there would
have to be a good reason for it."
02/23/2001:
From Fandom Daily Buzz:
Here's a press release from Moore Action Collectibles on the new Buffy series 4 figures.
Moore Action Collectibles, Inc. and Fox Licensing and Merchandising (Fox L&M) are pleased to reveal the characters included in the fourth series of action figures, based on the popular Fox television series, Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The most requested female vampire and Spike's ex-love, Drusilla, is the first included in this line up. Deep, dark, and slightly psychic, Drusilla adds a wicked element to the fourth line of collectibles.
Ex-demon and current love interest of Xander Harris, Anya, was an obvious choice. Her straightforwardness, upbeat attitude, and humorous observations make it hard not to grow attached to such a character. Lastly, we mix in a little trepidation with the infamous demons from the "Hush" espisode, The Gentlemen. These horrifying creatures are known for their quiet demeanor, big grins, and hunger for human hearts. Series four is tentatively scheduled to ship in September.
From TV Guide:
As of this moment, Buffy is officially homeless. By yesterday's midnight deadline, the WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer had not successfully renegotiated their contract to remain on the network As a result, 20th Century Fox (Buffy's keeper) is now free to shop their coveted propertie elsewhere — although the WB retain the right to match the first offer made.
According to Variety, Fox wants the WB to pay somewhere between $2.3-$2.5 million an episode for the hit drama, up from its current $1 million asking price. However, the most the network seems willing to cough up is $1.6 million. "I think it's 50/50, but I'm optimistic that it will fall our way," a WB rep says. "We love the show, we want the show back, and we think we made a very fair offer."
Should Buffy move to another network (insiders predict 20th Century would likely keep the show in the family and sell it to Fox, although ABC and UPN also have expressed interest), the WB would lose not only its Tuesday night anchor, but its signature series.
Whatever the outcome, Buffy creator Joss Whedon doesn't expect a Hollywood ending to the drama. "I'm not optimistic that anybody in any suit will be happy with anything," he sighs. "I think the WB will not reach an amicable arrangement, but I believe they will reach an arrangement... and I believe whatever happens, I will make the show."
Is Whedon concerned how his Buffy spin-off Angel would fare were it to be stranded alone on the WB? "I don't think it would help Angel, but I believe Angel can stand on its own," he says. "I'm not particularly worried — I'm never particularly worried. I'm either going to make the show or they're going to tell me to stop. As long as I'm trying hard to make it good, I don't notice anything else."
Buffy the Vampire Slayer genius Joss Whedon has inked a new four-year deal at 20th Century Fox Television estimated to be worth over $20 million, Variety reports. The pact calls for Whedon to continue overseeing Buffy and its spin-off, Angel, as well as produce new programming for the studio. Whedon already has in the works a new pilot that could debut as early as next season.
So the Buffy DVDs have been delayed here in the States. At least they have finally
releasing the key arc from Season Three on VHS. Documenting the evolution of bad girl
Slayer Faith, the three videos also highlight key Faith moments as well as the Mayor’s
Ascension. Episodes include the now-famous Earshot (a highlight for Danny "Jonathan"
Strong), the episode that The WB decided to delay due to its proximity to the
Columbine tragedy, and the Joss-written-and-directed two-part season finale,
Graduation Day, which has the Scoobies saying good-bye to high school and Angel saying
good-bye to Buffy. Relive the glorious Faith/Buffy battles all over again, and pray
that the former Rogue Slayer gets more guest spots on Angel.
How much: $34.98
Where to Buy: www.amazon.com
From SciFi.com:
Marti Noxon, a longtime writer and producer of The WB's hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper that she's nervous about directing her first episode, the upcoming "Into the Woods." "Directing was something I've always wanted to do--I just didn't feel ready until now," Noxon told the paper. "This is my first job on a television show of any length, and I've been biding my time and learning from the master, from [Buffy creator] Joss Whedon."
Noxon added, "It just got to the point where I realized I couldn't read any more books," she said. "There's a part of directing that just can't be taught. It's very intuitive, and you have to learn by doing it. So I knew that I had my head packed full of ideas, and I had to go have the experience. And it was terrifying."
The Dec. 19 episode will feature Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Riley (Marc Blucas), and it will take them in a new direction, Noxon said. "There's not really a B story, because it is a big Buffy-Riley episode. It was also a good episode for me to direct, because it's arc-heavy, with a little bit more melodrama, which is what I write more than the other stuff."
From TV Guide:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer's James Marsters says he's tired of his defanged character, Spike, pussyfooting around Sunnydale like a declawed kitten.
"He has powers, he just can't use them against human beings because The Initiative put that damned computer chip in his head," the actor tells TV Guide Online. "Basically, the writers had to find a way for Spike to stop trying to kill Buffy all the time, because he can't really kill her — and he can't keep failing at it or he'll look pathetic."
Rather than the obvious solution — getting the offending chip removed from the bloodsucker's brain — Marsters has offered producer Joss Whedon an alternative idea for Spike's destiny. "I'm hoping to go on [Buffy's spin-off series] Angel again because I think I can draw more blood there," he grins. "I could be a full-blown villain over there because I can still mess with other vampires. And I hate the man anyway, 'cause he took my girlfriend, so let's go!"
However Spike's storyline shakes out, the long-anticipated Nov. 14 return of his ex-ghoulfriend, Drusilla (Juliet Landau), means plenty of fiendish fun is coming up.
"She's going to be on a few Angel episodes and at least one Buffy," Marsters reveals. "And I get to kiss her. It's fabulous to have Juliet back again because there's a very romantic side of Spike which I haven't gotten to play on since Dru left. We were supposed to be a Sid and Nancy, so we were always trying to act perverse, in a real subtle way. Doped up and horny, that's Spike and Dru all over!"
10/12/2000:
From SciFi.com:
09/04/2000:
From SciFi.com:
Emmy Award-winning composer Christophe Beck told fans on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer official posting board that he will be leaving The WB hit series next season. "I've decided that it's time to pursue my dream of becoming a big famous superstar movie composer, and I'm leaving Buffy," Beck said. "It was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made, but it's made, and I feel it's the right one, at least for me in the long term." Beck recently completed the score for the upcoming cheerleader movie Bring It On, which stars Buffy alumna Eliza Dushku (Faith).
Beck added that Sony will be issuing a CD of Beck's score music from Buffy in spring 2001 and a second compilation of songs from the show in time for Christmas this year. Beck won an Emmy for his Buffy scores in 1998. Beck has also composed music for the Buffy spinoff series, Angel, and for F/X: The Series.
09/01/2000:
From SciFi.com:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer producer Jane Espenson told Dragon Con in Atlanta that The WB hit show's next season will be the "Year of Xander," according to the Dark Horizons Web site. She added that writers will create a "very interesting" storyline for Riley, Buffy's boyfriend of last season.
Espenson added that Buffy creator Joss Whedon is writing a comic book miniseries for later this year that places the characters about 10 years in the future.
03/06/2001:
My review of last week's Buffy and Angel episodes:
Watched last weeks Buffy and Angel, they were both pretty good episodes,
the Buffy being the better one IMO due to the subject matter. Poor Joyce,
wonder if Kristine Sutherland just wanted off the show to do other things
or not? Tonight's episode seem to be repeats. I'm wondering what the
next new episode of Buffy will hold. Guess it will either deal with Glory
or with Spike and robo-Buffy or both. So how disappointed were you that
Angel didn't turn to Angelus?
From Cinescape.com:
The WB has released info on the coming January 24 episode of CHARMED, titled "Trial By Magic."
While serving on a murder trial, Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) has a premonition that reveals the defendant is innocent despite the overwhelming evidence against him. As she desperately stalls in the jury room, Piper (Holly Marie Combs), Paige (Rose McGowan) and Leo (Brian Krause) frantically try to discover the real killer in time to free the wrongly accused man.
Chip Scott Laughlin directed the episode written by Michael Gleason.
09/06/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
08/27/2001:
From TV Guide:
06/07/2001:
From E! Online:
DO THEY LIKE ALYSSA? The producers of Charmed are eyeing Rose McGowan or Denise Richards as possible replacements for Shannen Doherty, who left the show last month, the New York Post reports.
05/24/2001:
From TV Guide:
05/21/2001:
From E! Online:
05/16/2001:
From TV Guide:
From E! Online:
It's déjà vu all over again for Aaron Spelling and Shannen Doherty.
Seven years after she was fired from Beverly Hills, 90210, Spelling Television has confirmed that Doherty is gone again--this time leaving the WB's witchy hit Charmed after three seasons, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"We have had a long and prosperous relationship with Shannen and we didn't want to hold her back from what she wanted to do," Spelling Television said.
"We wish her all the best and much continued success."
Charmed, starring Doherty, Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs as supernatural sisters working together to fight evil, remains the Frog Network's second highest-rated show, averaging 4.8 million viewers in its Thursday-night timeslot.
But this season, the series has been plagued by rumors of on-set tensions, specifically between Milano and Doherty. The news comes after the 30-year-old actress just finished directing the show's season finale.
Said Doherty in a statement: "I have certainly enjoyed my time with Charmed, in particular the dedicated cast, crew and staff. I had the opportunity to create a character, learn and perform my own stunt work and direct three episodes of the show. At this time, I feel that I have accomplished everything I set out to do when I returned to series television.
"Thus, after three years and 66 successful episodes, the people at Spelling Entertainment and the WB were gracious enough to give me the chance to move on and pursue other endeavors," she said.
The WB is expected to have Charmed on its fall lineup when it's announced this week in New York. But Doherty's departure certainly throws a wrench into things story-wise: The show's founding premise, "The Power of Three," requires that all three sisters must come together to fight the bad guys.
This, however, should all sound oddly familiar. It was on-set tensions that allegedly led Doherty to part ways with Spelling the first time, from Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1994. The erstwhile Brenda Walsh cited "creative differences" with Spelling when she left Fox's hit show after four seasons, but others claimed it was diva-like behavior that led her costars to demand she be fired.
Spelling eventually welcomed her back with open arms, casting her in Charmed as Prue Halliwell, one of three sisters armed with magical powers.
It's already been a tough year for Doherty. Last month, the actress pleaded no contest to drunk-driving charges stemming from a December arrest in which her truck was pulled over for allegedly weaving across a Southern California highway.
She's due back in a Ventura County, California, courtroom June 12 for sentencing.
05/03/2001:
From E! Online:
From Launch.com:
(4/2/01, 12 p.m. ET) -- In the three weeks that The Chris Isaak Show has aired on Showtime, one thing has become evident: There are a lot of naked women in the show's rock 'n' roll world. Take Mona, the show's spinning oracle who nonchalantly offers cryptic advice to Chris Isaak, who is nonplussed by the fact that she's completely naked.
As to where Isaak got the idea for such a character, he told LAUNCH, "That's based on a real character. Bimbo's is a real nightclub in San Francisco. When you play there, they have a woman who, through a series of mirrors, is projected up behind the bar in a fish tank, so she looks like a little mermaid swimming, but she's actually down below the club. And being a musician, you have time between sets and stuff to kill, and sometimes you don't want to go out and just talk to people in the club--it's kind of noisy--so you can go downstairs and hang out with Mona. Go downstairs and talk. She's got nothing to do--she's just spinning around on the table."
At least Mona's getting paid to be naked. Women shed their clothes in practically every episode of the show, and LAUNCH asked Isaak what the deal was with all the skin. "What can I say? There's naked people. They can't keep their clothes on. I keep telling them, 'Leave your clothes on. What are you doing? People are watching,' but they strip off when they get a chance. I know this is something that my band and I, we kind of. . . it's an embellishment. That's a fancier word. I think it's a lie. We just wanted to make ourselves look more attractive."
The Chris Isaak Show airs Monday (April 2) at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime and features a guest appearance by the Eagles' Joe Walsh.
03/12/2001:
From TV Guide:
THE PLAYER
The Chris Isaak Show
(10 pm/ET, SHOW)
Chris Isaak rocks! Actually, Chris Isaak rockabillies!
The talented singer-songwriter with the slicked-back, promontory pompadour, sparkly suits, and haunting voice that resounds with Orbisonic intensity is now the star of his own cable sitcom. In interviews, Isaak comes across as an attractive, personable and clever charmer who's not shy about poking fun at himself, his life and his chosen profession. And that's exactly what he does in this new series.
Isaak plays an affable everyman, "a simple guy [who writes his] name on his toothbrush" and whose drink of choice is Tang. He lives in a homey bayside San Francisco neighborhood where he coexists nicely with his working-stiff neighbors and rehearses with his band, Silvertone. Actually, three members of the band, Kenney Dale Johnson, Hershel Yatovitz and Rowland Salley, are his real-life sidemen; the fourth member, keyboardist Anson Drubner, is played by Jed Rees as a raging, exposed hormone.
The series captures Isaak at the studio, on the road, at video shoots and in concert at an actual Bay Area club called Bimbo's 365. Plots focus on his professional and romantic life and his dealings with his manager, Yola (the enticingly neurotic Kristin Dattilo), the band and other music-world luminaries (among them Joe Walsh, Junior Brown, Stevie Nicks and Shawn Colvin). Think Larry Sanders with a musical backdrop - and a wealth of gratuitous nudity and sex. Remember, it's cable.
I really wanted to like this show, but that was hard at first. Tonight's opener isn't terribly funny or entertaining, and the series's first scene is decidedly off-putting. Mr. Isaak is shown making love to a woman who proceeds to do something repulsive. What they think is supposed to be in-your-face hilarious is really just gross.
But a strange thing happened as I screened the next three episodes. The series improved - comedically and dramatically. We get to see more of the band - and an engaging sitcom-araderie begins to take shape. Plus, the multi-plotted storylines become more revealing, more involving, more credible and - get this - there are subtle climactic surprises and some heartfelt subplots that lean toward the serious.
Like a good, tight musical ensemble, the show finds its groove as the players get a better feel for each other and the material. The one solid positive throughout the first four episodes is the musical performances, with Isaak and Silvertone delivering gems like the wistfully moody "Wicked Game" and the darkly down-and-dirty "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing."
So rock on, Chris! Or is it rockabilly on?
From Cinescape.com:
The DARK ANGEL production company is participating in a fund raising effort with the United Way's September 11th Fund to raise money for relief efforts. A minimum donation of $30 dollars could also get you a copy of the program's second season premiere, "Designate This," which will be autographed by all the members of the DARK ANGEL writing staff.
From Comics2Film.com:
Rick Ungar of Marvel Studios told Rob Allstetter of the http://www.comicscontinuum.com Comics Continuum that they are developing a Daughters of the Dragon TV show. The comic book concept is part of the Iron Fist continuity. It followed the exploits of Iron Fist's friends Misty Knight and Colleen Wing's Knightwing Restorations investigative firm.
However, Misty Knight will not be part of any planned TV show. Earlier this year Comics2Film learned from Iron Fist writer John Turman that the Knight character is slated to appear in the Iron Fist movie. However, Ungar told Allstetter that any Daughters show would likely feature three characters.
Ungar also revealed that Nick Fury and Bloodstone are being considered for TV development.
Also, the new Spider-Man animated show is targeted to air in Fall of 2002.
09/06/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
08/20/2001:
From E! Online:
05/25/2001:
From E! Online:
Will he or won't he?
That's the question posed during the season-finale cliffhanger for Dawson's Creek and Felicity.
Yes, both shows. Yes, like last year. Yes, we're still going to watch.
Tonight's conclusion of season four on the Creek (WB, 8 p.m.) finds angsty teen Dawson (James Van Der Beek) as the "he" in a scenario that leaves us all wondering whether he'll end up--again--with "soulmate" Joey (Katie Holmes).
The Dawson-Joey-Pacey (Josh Jackson) love triangle has been the major storyline since last season's finale (when Joey chose to sail the seas of love with Pacey for the summer). But a nasty Joey-Pacey breakup at the Capeside High prom a couple of weeks ago left the door open for tonight's drama: Joey and Dawson engage in lip-lock action right before he leaves town for the summer.
Meanwhile, Felicity's New York college crew, who wrap the! ir third season tonight (9 p.m.), are also scattering for the summer. This leaves us wondering what will happen when Felicity (Keri Russell) and one of her cutie guy cohorts--and we're not telling which one--decide to share living quarters in the NYC loft for the hot months ahead.
Will he or won't he? Dunno, but we will. Tune in, that is.
04/13/2001:
From SciFi.com:
Former Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Nicole DeBoer told SCI FI Wire that she has landed the female lead in UPN's upcoming TV series The Dead Zone. The actress--who played Ezri Dax on DS9 and was recently seen in an episode of The Fearing Mind--will co-star opposite Anthony Michael Hall (Weird Science). Dead Zone is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.
"I just found out the other day that I got the role," DeBoer said in an interview during a break from signing autographs at Creation's Grand Slam Trek convention in Pasadena, Calif. "It just kind of came together very quickly, and I'm incredibly excited. All I really know so far is that we're going to try to do a pilot and probably one episode before the [impending actors' and writers' union] strikes. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm happy for Anthony. He got a lot of praise for the TV movie he did about Bill Gates [Pirates of Silicon Valley], so this is another big project for him. It's another big project for both of us."
03/28/2001:
From SciFi.com:
From Fandom.com:
The drama is cast-contingent and will be produced by Lions Gate Television, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The novel was made into a 1983 movie starring Christopher Walken as a man who can see the future after having been medically dead for a time.
08/23/2001:
From SciFi.com:
In his first interview since completing the script for Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, Frank Herbert's Dune writer-director John Harrison revealed that the new miniseries will be adapted from both Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, the second and third books in Frank Herbert's best-selling series.
"We are adapting the next two books in the series, Children of Dune and Dune Messiah," Harrison said. "The reason that I chose to do that, as opposed to just doing one book or the other, was because I felt that the two of them together really created a conclusion to the story of House Atreides that we began in the first miniseries. Whereas the first miniseries was really about the rise of Paul Atreides, the next miniseries is going to be about the fall of House Atreides."
Harrison said the two books together tell a story of political intrigue and corruption on the planet Arrakis after Paul Atreides defeats House Harkonnen and Emperor Shaddam IV.
"It's a wonderfully complex and interesting story, in some ways a little darker than the first one," Harrison said. "Whereas the first one had a kind of triumphant quality to it, this second one is a little darker. I guess you can compare it to the difference in tone between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back."
The new miniseries will also feature more of the beautiful Princess Irulan, who Harrison brought to the forefront of the action in his adaptation of Dune.
"That's why I did it — because Irulan is a much bigger player in Messiah and Children of Dune, in the books," Harrison said of his decision to expand Irulan's role in Frank Herbert's Dune. "I think the choice that I made to enlarge her role in the first one will allow everyone to understand her and appreciate her better now in this next one."
As with his first Dune miniseries, Harrison said Children of Dune will be faithful to Herbert's books, although he said that changes are inevitable in any adaptation.
"I'm taking close to 700 pages of text and turning it into a six-hour miniseries," Harrison explained. "So, yes, there will be a certain streamlining of the narrative. I will focus quite a bit on the revolution, and the corruption of the revolution, and the conspiracies to bring it down. So I think that anybody who knows the books will certainly see adaptations, but it will certainly be the stories that Frank created in both books."
Children of Dune also will feature the same epic quality of the first miniseries, and Harrison said he has already talked with the original team about coming back to work on the sequel.
"I want to continue the style of what we did," Harrison said. "I personally like the operatic, theatrical style that we created, and I hope to continue that. The team is coalescing again, and I hope that we'll be able to pull it off with the same guys."
SCI FI hopes to begin pre-production on Children of Dune this summer.
From SciFi.com:
Now that ABC Disney bought out Fox Family Channel, and is now ABC Family Channel, will Dungeons & Dragons , the cartoon series, finally come out onto video and DVD next year? I have been hearing rumors that it will, but I am not sure when in 2002. It is long overdue for us fans since it was just on TV last year during two very boring campaigns. There is also a lost, last, final episode written by the brilliant and talented Michael Reaves, in which we find out that the mission of the kids was not to defeat Venger, but to redeem him back to his father dungeon master, the one thing not within his power to do. It was never produced by CBS at the time who felt that the ratings for the third and final season just weren't there to produce the final episode. It would be great if someone could produce this lost, last episode along with releasing the original 27 episodes of the show onto video and DVD to round out this great American cartoon series.
After all, it was George Lucas who said that great science fiction is never finished or completed, only abandoned, and this great script of Michael Reaves should be made for the legions of fans of us out there who love this great cartoon, and round out the series, even if no new episodes are ever made or a new show comes out of it.
Michael Pelletier
07/19/2002
From SciFi.com:
Enterprise started up production last month on its second season, which is scheduled to debut on UPN Sept. 18 with "Shockwave, Part II," the conclusion to the first-season cliffhanger finale, the official Trek Web site reported. Cast and crew returned from hiatus to start shooting a second-season episode called "Carbon Creek," which included two days of location shooting. Production of "Shockwave, Part II," will begin shortly.
Enterprise co-creator Brannon Braga, meanwhile, told the official Star Trek: Communicator magazine that season two will deal with the Temporal Cold War story arc and added that the founding of the Federation will be a theme at some point, according to a report on the TrekWeb fan site. "We've mapped out a great deal of the [Temporal Cold War] arc and want to make sure that every time we do it, you learn something very tantalizing," Braga told the magazine.
From SciFi.com:
Jolene Blalock, who plays T'Pol on UPN's Enterprise , told SCI FI Wire that the blue-skinned Andorians will return later in the current season--and she couldn't be happier about it. "My favorite aliens are Andorians," Blalock said during UPN's press tour in Pasadena, Calif. "Those little antennas!"
Blalock also said she's thrilled she'll be working again with guest star and Star Trek veteran Jeffrey Combs, who played Shran in the previous "Andorian Incident" episode. "Jeffrey Combs. I love him!" Blalock said. "He's walking around in that little thong with his little antennas, and he's loving it! And he's all blue. [laughs] ... We loved him. I saw his number up on the makeup trailer, so I'm sure he'll be coming back."
Blalock said the show is currently shooting its 19th episode of the season. "I remember [co-star] Scott [Bakula] and I were filming a scene in one of the new episodes that are going to be airing," she said. "And we call it the Love Shack scene, because we're tied up back-to-back. We've got to work our way stomach-to-stomach. And the gag is, we fall down. And obviously we can't move. The entire crew, once we fell down during rehearsal, put on 'Love Shack' from B-52s. And everybody's gathering around, going, 'Love Shack!' [claps hands] And we can't move, because we're tied together. We're going, 'That's really nice, you know?'" Enterprise airs Wednesdays at 9p.m. ET/PT.
From E! Online:
BOLDLY GOING: UPN scoring big with its Wednesday premiere of the Star Trek prequel, Enterprise. The two-hour installment, starring Scott Bakula, beamed to first place from 8-10 p.m., according to preliminary metered-market household numbers
From Cinescape.com:
The UPN TV network has released information on the coming second episode of ENTERPRISE titled "Fight or Flight." The episode is scheduled to hit the tube on Wednesday, October 3rd. Here's what the network provides:
THE CREW COMES ACROSS AN ABANDONED SHIP OF DEAD ALIENS ON "ENTERPRISE" AIRING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 (8:00-9:00 P.M., ET/PT) ON UPN
"Fight or Flight" - As they continue their deep space exploration, the NX-01 crew comes across an alien ship where they discover 15 humanoid corpses that seem to have been part of a scientific experiment. The horrific sight inspires Hoshi to panic and demand a return to Earth, but Archer insists on continuing the mission and finding out more about the abandoned dead. Trouble comes calling when the aliens that were conducting the gruesome experiments return and begin attacking Captain Archer and his team, on ENTERPRISE airing WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on UPN.
Starring Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer, Connor Trinneer as Chief Engineer Charles Tucker III, Jolene Blalock as the Vulcan Sub Commander T'Pol, Dominic Keating as Lt. Malcolm Reed, Anthony Montgomery as Ensign Travis Mayweather, Linda Park as Ensign Hoshi Sato and John Billingsley as Dr. Phlox.
Guest starring Jeff Ricketts as Alien Captain, Brett Baker as Crewman #2 and Max Williams as Crewman.
The teleplay was written by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
The episode was directed by Allan Kroeker.
09/06/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
08/31/2001:
From SciFi.com:
From TV Guide:
With Star Trek: Voyager's Jeri Ryan headed to Fox's Boston Public this fall, Trekkers need a new alien voluptuary to fix their tricorders on. Clearly, newcomer Jolene Blalock will ably fill her form-fitting catsuit as Vulcan officer T'Pol on UPN's Enterprise. Surprisingly though, she nearly turned her nose up at the idea of wearing Vulcan ears!
"I passed on the [Trek prequel] three times without reading the script," she confesses to TV Guide Online. Whether her agent persuaded the 26-year-old actress via neck pinch or mind meld we'll never know, but she came to her senses and got on board with the high-profile project. "Had I passed on this," she says, "it would've been the dumbest move of my life. Talk about regrets! I'm so fortunate to be chosen for this part."
Though Blalock daily must don "Satanic pointy ears" and a wig - "It takes about two hours to get into full costume" - she's always pleased with the end result: "It's really cool. Once I'm in the outfit, I am T'Pol."
And who is this T'Pol, exactly? "She's 65 years old, so she's older than the rest of the crew," Blalock explains. "She is feline in movement. She is diplomatic with her words. And she does not look at humans condescendingly, though she is a superior race, so it may seem that way. She's just learning about human nature and the positives of feeling emotion."
Natch, T'Pol is steadfastly logic-oriented, which reminds Blalock of the perennial Spock/Bones feud on the original Trek. "I loved it," she laughs. "It was like, 'You green-blooded fool!'"
07/05/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
From Aint-it-Cool.com, click here and here.
09/21/2001:
From E! Online:
He sported V-neck sweaters, had a poster of William F. Buckley on his bedroom wall and frequently espoused the virtues of supply-side economics...
Yes, we're talking about Alex P. Keaton, the Nixon-loving character that made Michael J. Fox a household name on the classic sitcom Family Ties. The show joins the Nick at Nite schedule with a weeklong marathon (Sunday-Friday, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.).
The sitcom, which ran on NBC from 1982-1989, concerns the Keatons, a Columbus, Ohio, family led by former hippie parents Steven (Michael Gross) and Elyse (Meredith Baxter). The liberal pair frequently wrangled with oldest son Alex (Fox, who won three Emmys as Alex, though producers originally wanted Matthew Broderick for the role), ditzy middle child Mallory (Justine Bateman) and wiseacre baby Jennifer (Tina Yothers). Then, after Jennifer had outgrown her cuteness, baby bro Andrew (Brian Bonsall) joined the cast.
There were also guest stars aplenty, including goofy neighbor Skippy (Marc Price) and future famous faces like Tom Hanks (as alcoholic Uncle Ned), Courteney Cox (post-Springsteen video, pre-Friends, natch), Geena Davis, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Stephen Baldwin, Hank Azaria and, of course, the future Mrs. Michael J. Fox, Tracy Pollan.
More show trivia: Didja know that the series spawned a short-lived sitcom featuring Nick (Scott Valentine), Mallory's pierced and mullet-ed boyfriend? Or that then-President Ronald Reagan deemed the show his favorite?
Must have been all that talk of supply-side economics...
From TV Guide:
It took nearly three years for Farscape's lost-in-space lothario, John Crichton, to turn butt-kicking, leather-wearing alien babe Aeryn Sun into girlfriend-worthy material - and all this week at 8 pm/ET, the Sci Fi Channel is replaying every episode in the couple's unorthodox mating dance.
"It was never two normal humans having a conversation," Claudia Black , who plays the modern-day Barbarella, explains to TV Guide Online. "Rather, they had exchanges which carried the strain of couples whose languages and cultures are not the same - let alone the fact that they are from different planets!"
Ironically, the Farscape love story only began to feel strange to the Pitch Black bad-ass when it at last began to seem normal to everyone else. "I get creeped out when it feels too Earthbound," the actress admits, "when Aeryn could be walking around in rollers and fuzzy slippers, and at any moment, Crichton's going to walk in and say, 'Honey, I'm home!'"
While fans were taken aback by the warrior's turn as a housefrau ("They were glad to see she was smiling, if a little untrusting of the sticking power of those smiles"), the Aussie has enjoyed the challenge presented by dueling personality traits. "Aeryn's tough, yet extraordinarily vulnerable at the same time. She'll be a hard role to beat."
Despite the series being more popular than ever, the actress already is contemplating the end of both Aeryn's affair with John, and her own working relationship with his portrayer, Ben Browder. "He and I have a natural synchronicity," she says fondly. "When I look back in years to come, I'll always be extremely proud of what he and I achieved on this show."
Who better to put words into the mouth of Farscape rocket man John Crichton than Ben Browder, who has spent two-and-a-half seasons uttering the outlandish, occasionally nonsensical dialogue of the lost-in-space astronaut?
"I've got one of the best jobs in the world," marvels the vivacious actor, who tells TV Guide Online that he jumped at the opportunity to write the "Green-Eyed Monster" episode of the Sci Fi Channel series, airing tonight at 9 pm/ET. "The show has such an eclectic nature, and is just a blast to be a part of."
As tonight's journey takes fans into Browder's imagination, his alter ego's crew must deal with the fact that their living spaceship's offspring (don't ask!) has been swallowed by a giant Budong. Offbeat? Nah. It's just another day for the intergalactic misfits. "The bizarre places we go are, in some ways, the natural places to go," says the neophyte scribe. "To not go there would seem unnatural to me."
It's also not in the actor's nature to spoon-feed viewers plot points. "Our fans are pretty bright," he insists. "I give the audience credit that they're going to make sense of what's happening, [so] I don't try to deliver stuff on a platter and say, 'Here's what I'm doing.' Instead, I try to give them what I think is interesting and real, and assume that they're smart enough to figure it out." — Richard M. Simms
From SciFi.com:
Season Premiere FRI - March 16 at 9PM ET/PT*
The hottest science fiction show returns for season three. Terror,
maddness, fear and adventure kick-start it all.
From TV Guide:
After being lost in space for two years, astronaut John Crichton still can't say exactly how he landed in a galaxy where PeaceKeepers do anything but and a blue plant ministers to his spiritual needs. However, new viewers tuning in Friday at 9 pm/ET for the third-season premiere of Farscape, the stellar Sci Fi Channel series that chronicles his adventures, won't be the least bit confused - provided they show up an hour early to check out Farscape 101, a primer on the show's labyrinthine backstory.
"Farscape has a wonderful anarchy about it," Crichton's alter ego, Ben Browder , tells TV Guide Online. "It's evolved radically since the inception, taking on a life of its own, which has to do with the strange place where it's set. The bizarre places we go are, in some ways, the natural places to go.
"Maybe we carry it too far," he adds with a laugh.
Although sworn to secrecy regarding future plots, the actor hints that one twist promises to go where no sci-fi program ever has. "There's a major development," he declares, "that is one of the boldest strokes I've seen in television."
And if intelligent stories, witty dialogue and out-of-this-world production values aren't enough to entice the uninitiated into Farscape 's orbit, the show has one last trick up its sleeve. "We've got alien sex going on," Browder says, perfectly imitating the sideshow barkers of yore. "It's hot, it's sexy... it's aliens!"
07/17/2002
From E! Online:
01/16/2002
From TV Guide:
From E! Online:
And you thought college graduates were more likely to be employed: Turns out Felicity may be picking up her diploma and bidding farewell at the end of this season.
After four years on the WB, Keri Russell's curly-locked coed is not returning next fall, E! Online's Wanda reports
WB Entertainment President Jordan Levin told reporters Tuesday no decision has been made on Felicity 's fate, saying its future will depend on how the show performs when it returns in April. But one cast member, who asked to remain anonymous, says they were told Sunday that Felicity would not be coming back for a fifth season.
Sources cited several reasons for the decision: When Felicity returns from hiatus with 11 more episodes, not only is its lead character graduating from college, but the show also will have racked up enough episodes to reach the magic number for syndication. Combine that with the fact that series creator J.J. Abrams now has his hands full with the new ABC hit Alias , and it was decided (by whom is unclear) that this season would be a fine time to pack it in.
Ratings-wise, Felicity was showing signs of age, and some observers have pinned the show's fate on whether its midseason replacement, Glory Days, could fare better on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Kevin Williamson's new thriller doesn't debut until Wednesday night, but network suits are expecting it to perform well.
For its part, Felicity wasn't doing horribly--The show averaged 3.2 million viewers on December 19 before going on hiatus, according to Nielsen Media Research. But it was clear that the series--along with its graying Wednesday night partner, Dawson's Creek--faces a limited future on the teen-oriented network.
Felicity , starring Russell as angsty New York college gal Felicity Porter and costarring Scott Speedman and Scott Foley, has had its brushes with cancellation since its 1998 debut. The Touchstone Television production almost didn't live to see a third season, and WB execs forced the series to share a timeslot with Jack & Jill the following season. Fans, rabid about making sure the show survived, even resorted to chopping off chunks of their hair and mailing them to WB execs to show their support.
From E! Online:
FAREWELL: The WB's Felicity not coming back next fall for a fifth season, E! Online's Wanda reports. The WB is not commenting, but the series starring Keri Russell is expected to finish out its run when it returns to the network in April.
09/06/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
08/31/2001:
From TV Guide:
05/24/2001:
From TV Guide:
Noel gets the shock of his life on tonight's season finale of Felicity when his ex-flame, Ruby, makes a surprise visit to attend his graduation. But the former coed - once again played by Amy Smart - does not show up alone. "I had to bring the baby back," says Smart, whose character was preggers by another man when last seen. "It's my first time [playing] a mom."
With Noel (Scott Foley) still pining away for Felicity (Keri Russell ), Ruby faces an uphill battle if she's hoping to reconcile with her college sweetheart. But as Smart explains, her reappearance serves a higher purpose. "So many people are wondering what happened to [Ruby], I felt like I needed to kind of finalize it," she says. "And also, I think everyone was sort of curious if I had a boy or a girl."
And while Smart says she "always loves coming back and working on the show," future Felicity stints will "depend on how my film career goes." In other words, don't expect to see much of Ruby when the drama returns for its fourth season. Buoyed by the success of last summer's sleeper hit Road Trip, the 25-year-old actress was cast in the all-star It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World update, Rat Race (due August 3), as well as the ensemble teen comedy, Sorority Rule, which marks the directorial debut of actress Illeana Douglas.
"I think through every film I do I get more offers, a little more recognition and better jobs," concedes Smart, whose resume also includes 1999's Varsity Blues and the NBC miniseries The 70s. "I think it's a slow progress. I don't feel like I've had overnight success." - Michael Ausiello
04/20/2001:
From TV Guide:
From TV Guide:
Scott Foley — who plays endearing bookworm Noel on Felicity — received confirmation that the WB drama had indeed bounced back from its sophomore slump while at a recent hockey game in Los Angeles. "There were three people standing in front of a wall, and I heard one of them say, 'Ask him... Ask him,'" he remembers. "And then the guy yells over, 'Hey Noel! Who got shot?'"
The nervy fan, of course, is referring to the winter cliffhanger that closed out the first half of Felicity's season in December. (For those who missed it, Molly's loopy ex-beau opened fire at Felicity's holiday mixer.) Although critics called the violent climax a cheap stunt that was beneath the show's dignity, there's no denying its ratings-boosting, buzz-intensifying impact.
"It's nice to be on a show that people give a s--- about," Foley admits, adding that he hopes the WB is "as smart as we all hope they are" and renews the resurgent dramedy for a fourth season. "There's not another show on the network that has gotten the publicity we have this season, because of our ratings and the quality of the show... So I hope they pick it up."
Foley also has a subtle suggestion for those fans disheartened that Felicity (Keri Russell) chose brooding Ben (Scott Speedman) over his nerdy Noel: Don't underestimate the power of a 4.0 GPA. The popular, albeit polarizing, Ben/Felicity/Noel triangle will again take shape in coming weeks — and there's a big surprise in store. But come on, does Noel really have a shot? Hints Foley: "Unless he's in jail or shoots Felicity, I think there's pretty much a chance." Hmmm... Is there a clue in there?
04/12/2001:
From TV Guide:
Former Felicity heroine Amy Jo Johnson - who was written off the show last fall after a handful of episodes - will likely return to the WB drama sometime next season. Of course, that is if there is a next season.
"It's at least for one episode, but it's a good episode," Felicity executive producer, J.J. Abrams , tells TV Guide Online of Johnson's comeback. "I love the story, so I'm hoping if we get picked up [for a fourth year], we'll be able to do it."
When last we saw Johnson's angst-ridden Julie, she had quit college in the wake of her father's death. And although Abrams isn't revealing specifics about how the coed will be reintroduced, he does hint that it will be part of an ongoing plot involving other members of the show's ensemble. "My favorite stories are usually ones that open up a new possibility for someone else," he says. "And I think the story we have in mind could continue if we wanted it to."
Johnson originally was slated to come back this year; however, the WB only ordered 17 episodes of Felicity (the final six of which begin airing Wednesday night when the series returns after a four-month hiatus). "We were only given a certain amount of stories to do," explains Abrams. "It would have been a shortened version of the story, and Amy deserves to come back and have a real story."
Well, for her part, Johnson - who heads to Upstate New York this weekend to begin work on the indie thriller Infested (think The Big Chill meets Arachnophobia ) - is ready, willing and able to pay a visit to Felicity and the gang. "If the story was right," her rep says, "she would definitely be open to coming back."
From TV Guide:
After a four-month winter break, Felicity - the WB's little college dramedy that could - returns in exactly one week with the first of six new episodes and an answer to the loaded question: Who was gunned down at the title heroine's holiday mixer? Unfortunately, it's a puzzle some fans have already solved.
"We were shooting a scene the other day at the library, and there were a lot of extras [on the set] and our new prop guy was explaining to them who the [victim(s)] was," groans leading lady Keri Russell. "I was like, 'Oh great.' Every single one of those 20 kids are going on the Internet right now, saying, 'I know who it is.'"
Well, the fact that anyone actually cares who got shot is a marked improvement over a year ago, when Felicity - still on the mend after a disastrous move to Sunday nights - was itself knocking at death's door. "I was 100 percent sure we were cancelled," sighs executive producer J.J. Abrams. But faster than a speeding bullet, the series bounced back from its sophomore slump this fall with record ratings and the kind of favorable buzz that it hadn't enjoyed since its Ph.D. (Pre-haircut Days). "We're at the best place we've ever been," remarks Greg Grunberg, who plays the show's errant documentarian Sean.
"It's a testament to what can happen with a show if it's given the right environment and the opportunity to be nurtured," suggests Stacey Lynn Koerner of ad-buying firm TN Media, lauding not only Felicity's move from Sundays to the post-Dawson's Creek slot on Wednesdays, but also its no-reruns strategy.
However, because it aired only original installments this year - and networks rely on repeats to recoup costs - Felicity is hardly a big moneymaker for the WB. As a result, the show may not graduate to a fourth year. "Financially, it's a big burden," acknowledges WB co-president Jordan Levin. "It's going to be tough to continue to take that hit." Yet, perhaps in response to the abysmal performance of Felicity's 13-week replacement, Jack & Jill (which wraps its second, and likely final, season tonight), he adds that if the overachieving underdog performs "as well in the spring as it did in the fall, I'm confident that we'll find a way to bring it back."
Not leaving their destiny to chance, Russell and company are pulling out all the stops as they head into what could be their final finals. For starters, Noel's old flame Ruby (Road Trip's Amy Smart) returns with new baby in tow, and Oscar nominee Teri Garr (Tootsie ) checks in as Meghan and Sean's eccentric relationship counselor. Plus, the polarizing Ben/Felicity/Noel triangle - or as resident heartthrob Scott Speedman calls it, "our go-to story" - again takes center stage. "And there's an added element to it," teases Russell. "It gets even trickier."
04/09/2001:
From TV Guide:
From TV Guide:
The back-from-the-brink resurgence of Felicity this fall - in terms of ratings, and some say, quality - has come at the expense of its WB lead-in, Dawson's Creek. Although the North Carolina-taped saga attracted a larger viewership than its Wednesday night cousin last fall (Felicity , currently on hiatus, returns April 18 with the first of six new episodes), there's no denying that in terms of buzz and critical acclaim, Keri Russell & co. have emerged the clear winners.
In fact, many critics, in their praise of Felicity, took the opportunity to bash Creek as nothing more than its inferior Wednesday night companion. TV Guide's Matt Roush called the college drama, "By far the gem in that network's assembly line of youth-oriented serials... especially when you consider the creative decline of the WB's tiresomely self-aware Dawson's Creek."
"I tend to disagree with [the critics], and I think the fans do as well," Creek executive producer Greg Berlanti tells TV Guide Online. "I think if one was to look at both the writing stable that comes out of the show and the things that those people go on to do and what our actors go on to do outside of the show, I think it sort of all speaks for itself.
"But I try and ignore all of that stuff," adds the filmmaker behind last year's indie hit The Broken Hearts Club. "I think posterity is sort of what measures the scope and success of a show."
07/22/2002
From Aint-it-Cool.com:
From E! Online:
And this year's David E. Kelley Award for TV multitasking goes to... Joss Whedon!
Yes, the mastermind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all its myriad incarnations is once again at the drawing board, this time developing a new sci-fi adventure series for Fox slated to debut next fall.
Fox has ordered 13 episodes of the new ensemble series, tentatively titled Firefly , which will take place 500 years in the future and revolve around the rogue crew of a "small, incredibly mobile spaceship whose aft end lights up," Whedon tells Daily Variety (hence the Firefly title).
The series will be produced by Whedon's Mutant Enemy Productions and 20th Century Fox Television, which inked a whopping $20 million deal with Whedon in January so he could develop new shows like Firefly. And with The X-Files currently losing steam in the ratings, Fox is no doubt hoping to have another sci-fi spectacle waiting in the wings if Scully and company don't return next fall.
Fox Entertainment honcho Gail Berman is hyped about the project, calling it, um, "wicked Joss-like."
Whedon, meanwhile, says the Firefly idea had been bouncing around his head "for a couple years," but he finally worked out a concept after reading (oddly enough) about the Battle of Gettysburg and the Reconstruction Era.
"I wanted to make something that's about a guy who fought for the South, lost and doesn't like anybody anymore," Whedon said. "This show isn't about the people who made history; it's about the people history stepped on. It's about their lives and their struggles to keep their ship alive--as well as the search for meaning in a very dark place."
But, he adds, it will be nothing like Star Trek, and there will be no aliens or monsters. "There'll be scary-ass humans," he told Variety. "I can make people that are scarier than anything you can put in latex."
Just what Whedon needs--something else to work on. The writer/producer, who shared a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination for Toy Story, is already juggling a handful of projects, including Buffy's WB spinoff Angel, a forthcoming Buffy Saturday-morning cartoon for Fox, the release of Buffy DVDs in January and another new spinoff for Britain's BBC starring Giles alter ego Anthony Stewart Head.
Of course, such workaholism has caused some Buffy fans to worry, with some cynics even suggesting that the series has suffered because of Whedon's decision to focus on other projects and hand executive producer duties to Marti Noxon.
Others, however, insist the new producer and new network (UPN) haven't changed their favorite bloodsucker-battling heroine. And Buffy is still thriving for UPN on Tuesday nights, averaging 5.7 million viewers and giving the network huge gains in the timeslot among total viewers and young adults.
From Aint-it-Cool-News:
Excerpts from reporter Josef Adalian's Wednesday morning story in Variety:
Locking in a key piece of its 2002-03 development picture, Fox Broadcasting Co. is finalizing a big-bucks deal with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon for a new sci-fi adventure drama.
Tentatively titled "Firefly," the new ensemble series takes place 500 years in the future and revolves around the crew of a ``small, incredibly mobile spaceship whose aft end lights up,'' Whedon said -- hence the name.
He will write, executive produce and direct what's expected to be a two-hour pilot for the series, which is being targeted for a fall premiere.
Fox has committed to 13 episodes, and will likely end up paying a premium license fee of around $1.3 million per episode when a final deal is signed.
Whedon said ``Firefly'' would in some ways be a sort of ``anti-'Star Trek''' with no regular aliens or other monstrous creatures.
``There'll be scary-ass humans,'' he said. ``I can make people that are scarier than anything you can put in latex.''
Read more details of Whedon's new space show here.
09/06/2001:
From TV Guide:
Freaks and Geeks is a great show that was unfortunately cancelled by NBC last season. You can currently see repeats on Fox Family Channel. Creators Judd Apatow and Paul Feig are such cool guys. A couple of fun facts, Allen Covert had a guest cameo on Freaks and Geeks, and Judd Apatow's wife is the lovely Leslie Mann who both appeared in Big Daddy!!! Luckily Judd Apatow is creating a new show Undeclared which stars Freaks and Geeks alum Seth Rogen.
01/10/2002:
From TV Guide:
11/06/2001:
From E! Online: Watch with Wanda:
Pop quiz, kids: Aside from tight pants and home-video cameras, what do Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake have in common?
They both like to pretend they're going to be on TV shows.
At least, it's certainly beginning to look that way. First, there was the rumor that Britney would be on Buffy, then the following season she was supposed to be on Dawson's Creek. Now comes the scuttlebutt that Justin Timberlake will guest on Friends--except he won't.
Oops, they did it again.
There will be a Superstar Mystery Guest, though, as the network's promos have announced. But I assure you, he's neither boy nor bander.
I've got the scoop, confirmed by reliable sources close to the show, about which big-namer will be gobbling some turkey-lurkey with Monica & Co. this Thanksgiving.
But on the off-chance you want to be legitimately surprised (and have the willpower of Calista Flockhart around chocolate cake), consider yourself warned that I'll reveal the person at the end of this column.
First, I've got a little atonement to do regarding my doom-and-gloom Friends prophecy of yesterseason.
As some of you may recall, I abandoned the couch-huggers last year out of disgust for what the show was becoming: Must-Flee TV. I even wrote a column begging NBC to euthanize Friends, saying the once funny "twentysomethings" should be put out of their misery because the show couldn't possibly be saved.
I admit it--I was wrong. Friends is back on top this season--number one in the ratings with 25 million viewers. And what's more, they deserve to be there. The past few episodes were some of the best yet, at least in my sucker-for-Ross-and-Rachel opinion. Sure, the writers resorted to a surefire gimmick, but it's working. And I hear they've got plenty more surprises up those rolled-up sleeves.
So, now that I've reclaimed my seat on the Friends bandwagon, here's a new plea: Please, proud Peacock, can we have some more?
Of course, with all this Friends love running through the Nielsen veins, the net is undoubtedly doing everything in its power to get the supreme six signed for another season.
A source close to the network tells me they're looking into "creative bribes" to keep the actors around, because with ad revenues tumbling, they simply can't afford to fluff up the current gazillion-dollar-per-ep deal.
I'm told the talk is of producing fewer episodes next season--somewhere between 12 and 16, instead of the usual 22. This would free up the actors for any big-screen projects, and keep the network from going claws up.
Still, the biggest issue is whether the actors want another season, because for months now, we've heard rumblings that they're through. David Schwimmer even told a London-based paper in June, "It's sad, but enough is enough...We've all agreed this will be the final year."
Now, that attitude may be changing. A source tells me the cast is reenergized from snuffing Survivor's torch, and a few of the actors are mulling another season--maybe two. (Of course, it doesn't hurt that those movie offers aren't exactly piling up at the doors of those who most expected 'em.)
Who knows? We just might get to see Rachel's baby take his very first swig of java. Awww...
Speaking of Rachel, it's time to get back to that Superstar Mystery Guest. I'm told the character, who's an old high school friend of Monica, is "not exactly Rachel's biggest fan."
So, who'd be the best man to play Rachel's enemy? Mr. Jennifer Aniston himself, of course--Brad Pitt. After much speculation, that's exactly who's going to be mixing with the Friends in the Thanksgiving episode.
However, you might not recognize him. Word is, he's going to play Monica's fat friend, so Brad-babe will be all chubbed up in a latex suit.
From E! Online:
WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR: Tragedy-worn viewers rushing back to NBC Thursday for Chandler and Monica's wedding reception, as the Friends season premiere obliterated its 8 p.m. competition with a 21.7 rating and 33 share, according to preliminary ratings numbers.
09/26/2001:
From E! Online:
The two big questions swirling around Friends this season are: (1) Which character is preggers; and (2) Will this be the sitcom's final season?
Regarding the latter, it's still anybody's guess, as several cast members seem to be wavering on their once publicly stated resolve to end the show at the end of the eighth season, which kicks off tonight (NBC, 8 p.m.) with a special one-hour episode.
As for the other question, stop reading here if you don't know yet and don't want to know.
But probably you do. And just in case you've been out of the tube-loop for a while, it's Jennifer Aniston's Rachel who's the spawning female Friend. Rach tells her fellow Central Perk dwellers that her recent one-night stand is about to lead to a visit from the stork.
Tonight's debut opens as the gang is gathered at the reception for newlyweds Monica and Chandler: the Chan Man is desperately trying to impress his bride with the results of his recent dancing lessons, Joey is desperately trying to impress a Broadway producer, Phoebe is desperately trying to figure out who the father of Rachel's baby is and the hapless Ross is...well, as usual, just desperate.
Oh, and about that paternity issue...we'd love to tell you who the father is. Really, we would. But it just wouldn't be very, you know, Friend-ly of us to spoil the surprise.
From E! Online:
After last week's devastating terrorist attacks, it's not just CIA shows that are getting another look from producers and network execs.
Even NBC's hit comedy Friends is getting reworked following the tragedies, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Producers have reshot the third episode of the season, which takes place entirely in an airport and features Monica (Courteney Cox Arquette) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) arriving several hours before their honeymoon flight.
"A lot of it had to do with how ridiculous it was for crazy, obsessive Monica to want to get there three hours in advance," Friends executive producer David Crane tells the Inquirer. "Two weeks ago, that would have been ridiculous. It's not ridiculous now. Everybody's doing it now. A lot of the comedy in it didn't feel funny, so we reshot the story line."
The episode is still scheduled to air October 11. But it's an odd moment for Friends--a happy-go-lucky series usually only offensive for its portrayal of New York as a city where young people can find or afford a 3,000-square-foot apartment.
09/14/2001:
From E! Online:
09/06/2001:
From TV Guide:
08/28/2001:
From TV Guide:
05/18/2001:
From TV Guide:
04/25/2001:
From E! Online.
Worked well for Ellen. Roseanne, too.
That's right, it's time to watch a celebrity guest star give a same-sex snogging to a favorite sitcom actress. This time--on tonight's new episode of Friends (NBC, 8 p.m.)--the snoggers in question are Winona Ryder and Jennifer Aniston.
And what a coincidence: It's sweeps!
No one knows yet whether we actually get to see the much-ballyhooed kiss between Aniston and Ryder. Rachel (Aniston) claims she once kissed a sorority sister (Ryder), but Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) doesn't believe Rach is hip enough to have planted a smooch on another chick.
Certainly, some physical evidence will be needed before we weigh in on this important issue.
Meanwhile, Chandler (Matthew Perry) wigs with jealousy when he finds out that the tuxedo Ross (David Schwimmer) rented for the Mon-Chan (or "Mondler," as they're known in the newsgroups) wedding was once worn by a big-screen Batman.
Now, back to that kiss...
04/19/2001:
From E! Online:
04/19/2001:
From TV Guide:
From Zap2it.com:
Feature-film star Denise Richards ("The World Is Not Enough," "Wild Things") will guest-star on NBC's "Friends" (Thursdays, 8-8:30 p.m. ET) as the alluring cousin of Monica (Courteney Cox Arquette) and Ross (David Schwimmer) who arrives for a visit but her irresistible beauty causes serious distractions for all the men who meet her.
The episode, "The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin," will be broadcast in May. Richards is a former teen model who started in television with guest-starring roles on "Seinfeld," "Life Goes On" and several episodes of "Melrose Place" in 1992. A few years later, she gained notice for her performances in the films "Starship Troopers," "Wild Things" and "The World Is not Enough" (as "James Bond girl" Dr. Christmas Jones).
Her recent features include 'Valentine," "You Stupid Man" and " The Third Wheel." She also appeared in the TV movies " In the Blink of an Eye" and "919 Fifth Avenue."
"Friends" was created by the writing team of Marta Kauffman & David Crane. Emmy and CableACE Award-winning producer Kevin Bright is executive producer with Kauffman and Crane. Wil Calhoun ("Jesse") and Greg Malins also serve as executive producers. "Friends" is a Bright/Kauffman/Crane Production in association with Warner Bros. Television."
03/23/2001:
From TV Guide:
From TV Guide:
From TV Guide:
NBC's Friends - often criticized for its lack of racial diversity - will be getting a little more colorful this Thursday. Gabrielle Union, star of last year's hit cheerleading flick Bring It On and a resident of CBS's now-defunct medical drama City of Angels, will pop up as a love interest for Ross (David Schwimmer)... and Joey (Matt LeBlanc).
"I'm this random girl that they both find attractive, and I date both of them - unbeknownst to the other," Union tells TV Guide Online, adding that her character moves into the neighborhood and catches the boys' eyes. "Ross comes along first and says, 'Oooh - hot chick.' He asks me out, and then Joey comes around and asks me out."
Though no fuss was made of the racial difference between Union and her leading men, the actress still couldn't help feeling like the 'black sheep' in the Friends family. Keeping an eye out for other African-Americans in the cast or crew, Union notes that "they have a black P.A.,... then, they have this black P.A....
"Maybe I'm being hard on them, but the good thing is that they are trying by hiring me," continues Union, whose latest film, The Brothers, opens March 23. "Their color-blind casting shows me that they are attempting to make an effort towards diversity."
07/22/2002
From Aint-it-Cool.com:
12/18/2001
From SciFi.com:
The long-lost controversial Christmas episode of Futurama will finally find its way onto Fox's schedule this year, executive producer David X. Cohen told Science Fiction Weekly. "This episode was supposed to be on a year ago, and the people at the Fox network decided that it was not appropriate for broadcast at 7 p.m," he said in an interview. "They probably replaced us with some kind Island of Naked People or something like that [laughs]. So we've been waiting a year, and finally they've [scheduled it] to show at a later timeslot."
In the Futurama future, Christmas is called X-Mas because people have forgotten the original name of the holiday, and a robot Santa believes that everyone has been naughty. "So the current schedule claims, and I'll believe it when I see it, we're actually on their schedule for Dec. 23 in the X-Files timeslot. We have a one-hour 'X-Mas' block. They're going to start with our original Christmas episode ['X-Mas Story'], which guest stars John Goodman and Conan O'Brien, and introduces our character of evil robot Santa Claus," Cohen said. "And then at 8:30 will be our long-lost episode, and your readers can judge for themselves whether it was too mature for 7 p.m. Coolio is the guest star in the new episode, and he plays Kwanzaabot. He co-exists along with the other one. It's a multicultural society." Futurama airs on Sundays at 7 p.m. on Fox.
09/06/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
07/20/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
01/08/1999
From TV Guide:
Why to watch: To check out The Simpsons's creator Matt Groening's second act.
Premise: A darker, stranger Jetsons. We see Groening's brave new world through the eyes of a Homerian misfit: Fry (West), a pizza-delivery guy who is accidentally frozen in 1999 and isn't thawed out until New Year's Eve 2999. He awakens in a world that looks a lot like New York City: noisy, crowded, annoying, where consumerism has run amok with products like highly addictive soft drinks and hit TV shows such as The Mass Hypnosis Hour. Fry's cohorts include the alien Leela (Sagal), a Xena-like Cyclops, and Bender (DiMaggio), a neurotic robot with quaint vices like smoking, drinking and shoplifting.
They Say: "This is much more ambitious than The Simpsons. That was about a family," says creator/executive producer Groening, an admitted sci-fi fan who is aiming his subversive humor at bigger targets than Springfield. "This is no utopia. Stupidity is still rampant." The characters will resemble the Simpsons: "They'll still have big eyeballs and no chins, but their skin won't be yellow. It's 1,000 years from now, and there's been some evolution."
We Say: No footage or scripts are available, but there's no ignoring the anticipation surrounding this far-out project.
09/06/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
From TV Guide:
Score one for fans of quality television: The WB is on the verge of renewing its acclaimed freshman drama Gilmore Girls for a second season. "I think you'll see that Gilmore Girls is a long-term piece of the WB's schedule," WB co-president Jordan Levin tells TV Guide Online, adding that the series is a shoo-in to return next year.
Gilmore Girls - which revolves around the bond between a young single mom (Lauren Graham) and her teenage daughter (Alexis Bledel) - was instantly hailed by critics as one of the season's best new offerings. And viewers seem to be catching on: Gilmore Girls has gradually developed into a modest Thursday night hit for the WB, particularly among young women.
"We are thrilled with the creative performance of the show this season, as we are with the ratings trends," adds Levin. "It's a show that we're extremely proud of."
It's also a show that would probably be an even bigger smash were it not for the fact that it's up against Nielsen hogs Friends and Survivor . Still, Levin says no decision has been made to relocate the show to another night in season two. "You never know what your needs are going to be and how a schedule unfolds and what [the other networks] are doing," he notes. "You want to be as open as possible to looking at the situation, but we are happy with the way it's been performing on Thursday nights."
- Michael Ausiello
09/05/2001:
From TV Guide:
From Cinescape.com:
J. Michael Straczynski has been talking about when we can expect to see the Showtime JEREMIAH TV series.
While talking to SCIFI.COM, JMS revealed that the series is likely to debut in March or June 2002, adding, "It begins with a two-hour movie, and it stars Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner."
JMS describes the series' premise, saying, "The main premise is that there's a virus of some kind that gets loose more or less in present day and wipes out about two-thirds of the population -- anybody over the age of puberty. It targets hormones. Whoever has adult hormones gets nailed. It's now 15 years later, and the kids who survived the big death are now coming into their own. They've been riding, if you will, on the ashes of the old world, through clothes they'd grown into and food still in cans. Now they're at a point where they can keep on declining and running out of things, or they can begin to rebuild the world. It's at that cusp of the rebuilding where our story takes place. So it's a story not about endings, but beginnings."
07/02/2001:
From The Learning Channel:
It's the colonies against the empire as the American champions of Junkyard Wars take on the British winners of the program. The goal in this trans-continental bash is to smash a VW Golf into as small an object as possible. The U.S. team, the Long Brothers, decide on a giant sledgehammer-type machine. Their U.K. rivals, the Megalomaniacs, decide to go with a hydraulic crusher. The Long Brothers' machine is simpler and easier to build, but if the Megs are successful with their hydraulics, they could easily squeeze their way to victory. This two-hour special follows each team as they search the Junkyard for parts and attempt to build their crushers within the 10-hour time limit. The next day, they compete to see whose crusher delivers the most "smashing" performance.
Show hosts from both the U.S. and U.K. programs, Cathy Rogers, Robert Lewellyn, and George Gray, speak with experts who reveal how each of these machines work with quick on-screen sketches, and interview competition judges who spot potential mechanical problems.
WORLD PREMIERE
Wednesday, July 4 9 p.m. ET/PT
OTHER AIRDATES
Thursday, July 5 12 a.m. ET/PT
01/7/2002
Comics2Film.com:
The Comics Continuum reports that the episode of Justice League called "Legends" will have a large cast of guest voices. The episode features the Justice Guild of America, a team of "golden age" heroes that serves at the Cartoon Network surrogate for the Justice Society of America.
Guest voices include Jeffrey Jones (Howard the Duck), William Katt (The Greatest American Hero), Udo Kier (Blade), Ted McGinley (Pearl Harbor), Michael McKean (Clerks: The Animated Series), David Naughton (An American Werewolf in London) and Neil Patrick Harris (Starship Troopers).
12/19/2001
From Comics2Film.com:
Voice actor Corey Burton, who provided the voice for Brainiac on Superman: The Animated Series, revealed to readers of his website that he has also recorded a session for the Justice League animated show on Cartoon Network. Justice League correspondent Xum Yukinori uncovered the following facts about Burton's work on the show.
In an August 3, 2001 news posting on his site, Burton told fans, "I can't help but be amazed at the group of fantastic actors I recorded with this week for WB's new Justice League animated series. The cast for this double-episode story includes: Jeffrey Jones, Michael McKean, Stephen Root, William Katt, David Naughton, Carl Lumley, George Newbern, Ted McGinley, Phil Lamarr, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jennifer Hale," Burton said. He also added, "I played the part of DR. BLIZZARD, a Mayor, and an Ice Cream Truck Driver....watch for it next season"
Yukinori followed up with Mr. Burton asking him if the episode he refers to is the "Legends" episode. Burton confirmed that "Legends" is the episode he worked on. That two-parter centers around the team's encounter with the JGA or "Justice Guild of America." Apparently this is the TV equivalent of the JSA.
12/18/2001
From Comics2Film.com:
Fans will have to wait until February before any new episodes of Justice League air. Cartoon Network is repeating the first seven episodes (which make up the "Secret Origins," "In Blackest Night," and "The Enemy Below" story arcs) starting this week and lasting through the first week of February, 2002.
However, the show's producer, Bruce Timm, gave the ToonZone.net website a glimpse at what's to come. Timm provided ToonZone with a complete list of Justice League episodes. Here it is:
Episode # Story Title
1/2/3 Secret Origins
4/5 In Blackest Night
6/7 The Enemy Below
8/9 Injustice For All
10/11 Paradise Lost
12/13 War World
14/15 The Brave and the Bold
16/17 Fury
18/19 Legends
20/21 A Knight of Shadows
22/23 Metamorphosis
24/25/26 The Savage Time
09/24/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
The Comics Continuum reports that Powers Boothe will voice Gorilla Grodd in the upcoming Justice League animated show. The actor appeared recently in Men of Honor starring Robert DeNiro and Cuba Gooding Jr.
08/31/2001:
From SciFi.com:
Producers of Cartoon Network's upcoming Justice League animated series told the Comics Continuum that the individuality of the characters within the group will play an important part in the show. "A lot of the decisions we made about how to approach a character had to with putting together a group dynamic so that each character has a role in the group, so that we understand how they fit in and how they react to the others," producer/story editor Rich Fogel told the site.
"With SuperFriends -and this is not to put it down-but a lot of times they were just the good guys, and they were pretty much interchangeable in terms of what they did or how they reacted to things," Fogel added. "We're trying to get it so they're very specific as to what their concerns are or what issues push their buttons."
Producer Bruce Timm told the site that the creators tried to draw from the Justice League's long history for the show. "Obviously we all had read [Justice League of America ] comics off and on our whole lives," Timm said. "Once we got the assignment to do this show, we did some serious [research and development] and reread thousands of JLA comics. And not just JLA comics, but, like, team comics like Fantastic Four and Avengers and everything. There's a lot of arguing. Early on, when we were looking at the very original JLA comics, the Gardner Fox era, they're full of charm, and we all love them to pieces, and we all have a fondness for them. But they don't really work for what we want to do, because the characters are interchangeable. The only way you can tell the characters apart is by the colors they're wearing and what powers they have. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the more recent [Grant] Morrison stuff, we were looking at it and thinking, 'Wow, this stuff is pretty serious and pretty intense for a mainstream American audience,' because [a] lot of the market is going to be kids and younger. So we kind of have to find a balance between all that stuff. If anything, we're probably going more toward the Grant Morrison version. But it's not as dark and as complicated as that." Justice League premieres Nov. 17.
3/22/2001:
From Comics2Film:
James Harvey of the World's Finest News Page writes in to provide readers with the latest scoop on the Justice League animated show.
Phil LaMarr has been cast to play the Green Lantern John Stewart. LaMarr is a regular on two other comic-based TV shows starring in the animated Static Shock Saturday mornings and doing sketch comedy on Mad TV Saturday nights. He's also been seen in movies like Pulp Fiction and recently did a top-notch turn as a suspected killer on NYPD Blue.
Also cast in the show is Carl Lumbly as J'onn J'onnz, the Martian Manhunter. The actor starred as the made-for-TV superhero M.A.N.T.I.S. and more recently played the father of Cuba Gooding Jr. in Men of Honor.
Harvey also provides these tidbits about the program:
November WILL be the premiere date.
The crew behind the show is still unsure whether the show will air as an hour of 30 minutes. It does look like it'll be in a prime-time slot, though!
There will be episodes focusing on specific characters. A Wonder Woman episode is currently in the works. An Aquaman episode is expected, and a Green Lantern episode has already been greenlighted.
There will be a sub-plot throughout the season, behind each epic battle, that will lead to a big finale. The Injustice Gang? Maybe.
The series will take place in roughly the same universe as The New Batman and Superman Adventures.
From Comic Shop News:
Fox may have been the home of Superman and Batman's animated adventures, but when the two heroes join their superhero allies to combat evil as The Justice League, they'll be waging that war on the Cartoon Network.
Bruce Timm has been tapped as director of the new animated series to be produced for the Cartoon Network by Warner Bros Animation. The initial order is for a full twenty-six half-hour episodes, and the cartoon will feature the League's A-team, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter. Following the premise and storyline of the DC Comics comic books, members of the Justice League will be called upon to battle against allied villains, supernatural creatures and other powerful forces of evil determined to usurp authority over the world and to destroy the Justice League. This series will mark the first time in more than fifteen years that these characters have come together in a television series since first uniting in Super Friends, which ran from 1973-85 on ABC and later on Cartoon Network.
"We know from our experience of airing Super Friends for years on Cartoon Network here in the U.S. and around the world, that Justice League will have a vast, built-in audience hungry for an exciting new look at these classic characters," said Betty Cohen, president, Cartoon Network Worldwide. "We've built a powerful action-adventure block on Cartoon Network called Toonami that will serve as a showcase for the new series. With Justice League, we're strategically positioning Cartoon Network to attract an even broader audience of tweens, teens and adults who are drawn to the powerful DC Comics brand and are seeking smart, exciting, action-packed animation at its very best."
"I can think of no one more appropriate or qualified to bring the JLA superheroes to life than Bruce Timm," said Jean MacCurdy, president of Warner Bros. Animation. "As he so brilliantly demonstrated with Batman and Superman, he is passionate about creating an entertaining and dynamic series that will thrill the legions of JLA fans everywhere, as well as introduce a whole new generation of fans to these classic characters as they come together in a brand new series."
"After working on the Superman and Batman series for the last several years, Justice League is a great opportunity to develop those characters a step further and bring more of the iconic DC Comics superheroes to life," said Timm. "I am looking forward to exploring whole new realms of the superhero world."
Paul Levitz, DC's Executive Vice President & Publisher, added, "Justice League will literally have worlds colliding and the most dynamic action animation ever done, thanks to Bruce Timm and our friends at Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network."
Any chance that the cartoon series might also inspire an animation-style Justice League comic, as the Batman, Superman, and Batman Beyond series have done during their original runs? Insiders at DC indicate that, while it's too early to say for certain, it is certainly a possibility... and as soon as any such series is greenlighted, you'll read about it here in CSNsider!
A year before Buffy brought vamps to mainstream television, Fox and Aaron Spelling
tried and failed with Kindred: The Embraced, a modern-day vamp-fest set in
contemporary San Francisco. That's not to fault the show, though, which was rich in
vamp angst, mortal drama, and a little soap action, too. It was just another one of
those things where the network was at a loss as to how to promote it, and the tragic
death of the show's star, Mark Frankel, the fall after the show ceased airing, ruined
any chance of the show being revived elsewhere. The entire eight episodes are available
on VHS and DVD in a six-hour set and are a worthwhile addition to any genre lover's
library.
How much: $29.99/VHS, $19.90/DVD
Where to Buy: www.videoflicks.com
From E! Online:
King connoisseurs, get ready for the real fear factor.
ABC has announced plans to debut Stephen King's The Kingdom as part of its lineup for the 2002-03 television season.
It will be the frightmeister's first full-blown foray into prime-time TV series-dom. His previous tube work consists of creating the short-lived Stephen King's The Golden Years for CBS in 1991, adapting The Stand, The Tommyknockers and Storm of the Century into miniseries and taking a stab at writing an X-Files episode.
The show will kick off with a two-hour season premiere written by the prolific author and be followed by 13 one-hour episodes, all centering on "shocking and frightening tales" taking place inside a hospital that's been built on an ancient graveyard, according to ABC execs, who announced the project Sunday at the Television Critics Association's semiannual gathering in Pasadena, California.
"This has been a passion of his," Stuart Bloomberg, cochairman of ABC Entertainment, told reporters in a press conference on Sunday. "He might write all [the episodes]. He loves this project."
While The Kingdom bears the King moniker, it's actually based on Danish director Lars von Trier's (Dancer in the Dark) TV soap series by the same name, which became a hit in his native Denmark and was released as a feature film in the U.S.
Bloomberg says that despite drawing from outside source material, fans can still expect vintage King scares in the tradition of Misery, Carrie and Cujo.
"He's going to make it very much his own," says Bloomberg.
Given the novelist's own brush with death and subsequent hospital stay following a car accident two years ago, the author can speak with authority about grim hospital goings-on. In June 1999, King was nearly killed when a van struck him from behind while he walked along a highway near his home in Maine. He suffered a collapsed lung, broken ribs, and fractures to his hip, leg and pelvis.
(The subsequent surgeries, year of rehab and medical bills, said King, ended up costing him an estimated $65 million to $75 million in lost writing income.)
ABC hopes King's Kingdom helps the network out of the ratings morgue--the Alphabet Net flatlined from first to third place during the 2000-01 season.
"In a year when many of us believe that any of the major networks are one big hit away from being number one, we really feel that we are well positioned to find that hit," said network cochairman Lloyd Braun. "I don't think we are really going to significantly improve our position without taking some well thought-out risks. And we are prepared to do that."
![[Dean Hagland picture]](deanmov.gif)
DEAN HAGLUND's page
Langly from the X-files and the new spin-off on Fox, the
Lone Gunmen.
His page includes:
"a bunch of funny stories and
timetables of my life and gigs that I am doing. I
have a variety of pages that offer a variety of
services and interesting tidbits about being on the
set of the X-files and other upcoming events."
From TV Guide:
If you have yet to sample Fox's quirky X-Files spinoff, The Lone Gunmen, tonight's finale may be your last shot. After a strong start in March, Gunmen 's three conspiracy-obsessed computer geeks have watched their viewership disappear faster than data on an "I Love You" virus-infected hard drive. But it's not all doom and gloom. Last week's episode retained a best-yet 86 percent of its adults 18-49 lead-in from Police Videos (granted, a small victory, but a victory nonetheless), and in a recent USA Today poll, Gunmen ranked second only to the WB's Roswell as the struggling series viewers most want to see return next fall. Still, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the show needs to flex some ratings muscle tonight. But short of hacking into Nielsen's mainframe, what is series creator Chris Carter to do? Well, a little stunt casting couldn't hurt, that's for sure.
TVGO: The USA Today survey caught some people by surprise. No one knew Gunmen had such a loyal following. The ratings are certainly pretty stinky.
Carter: Actually, the ratings are respectable. For Friday night at 9, they are good ratings for Fox. Everything is relative in the ratings game because Friday night is a very small night. So, we're actually heartened by what we have done in the ratings, but a show like this takes some time to find an audience. But I know that there is a vocal audience out there because they weigh in every day and every week on the Internet.
TVGO: Would you say the show has met your expectations ratings-wise?
Carter: Well, of course you want to always perform better than expectations. Right now I think we're performing to expectations. So I think if we can start to build on what we've done - certainly through the sweeps period - then the chances for the show coming back will be great.
TVGO: If the show continues to perform at the level it has been, and Fox cancels it, will you be angry? Is this going to be another Harsh Realm? [Carter was miffed when Fox pulled the plug on his last TV venture after only a handful of episodes.]
Carter: Well, it already isn't. That Harsh Realm situation was so peculiar and such an anomaly; it really was driven by someone's gross inexperience. Luckily, now there are experienced people [at Fox] and we are getting our full run of Lone Gunmen episodes, so there really is no comparison. [But] it's not my nature to be content, or contented, and so my feeling is that there are always other ways and other things you can do to promote a show.
TVGO: Speaking of which, I understand David Duchovny will appear in [tonight's] season finale. Why is it such a big secret? This is just the ratings-grabbing stunt the show needs right now.
Carter: Where did you get that information?
TVGO: Um... reliable sources.
Carter: Well, I can't comment on it, of course. On either the question or the pure fact.
TVGO: Well, let's throw out a hypothetical: If David Duchovny were to drop in, wouldn't you want to promote the heck out of it?
Carter: I will promote the show in any way I possibly can. I do what I can under the limitations that I am given, and that's the way I always proceed.
TVGO: Hmmm... so David agreed to do it under the condition that it not be promoted. I get it now.
Carter: I think that is a rather complex hypothetical. Anything is possible, as I always say about The X-Files. I would say the same thing with The Lone Gunmen.
TVGO: Well, let me ask you this: Will there be any big surprises [tonight]?
Chris: Definitely.
From TV Guide:
X-Files creator Chris Carter had absolutely no interest in pumping the first few episodes of his spinoff series The Lone Gunmen with cameos by X symbols Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny and Robert Patrick . "I think that that's a cheap way to get ratings," Carter tells TV Guide Online. "We wanted the show to stand on its own, to live and breathe on its own."
Well, judging by the ratings for last Sunday's premiere, Gunmen got by without a little help from its friends. The quirky Fox series attracted a promising 13 million viewers and won all the major adult demos. Still, Carter "wouldn't rule out" an attention-grabbing visit by one of his X-Files leads down the line, and reveals that he's already scripted a crossover for supporting player Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Skinner). "I don't want to give [the story] away, but I can tell you that [Skinner] gets very, very close to the character of Jimmy Bond (Gunmen hottie Stephen Snedden)," he teases. "It will be very interesting."
Gunmen's true ratings test will come on March 16 when it moves into its regular Friday at 9 pm/ET timeslot after subletting The X-Files's home for two weeks. (A third and final Sunday Gunmen airs March 18.)
To read more about The Lone Gunmen, check out the TV Guide Web Guide.
Tom Braidwood (Frohike) and Dean Haglund (Langley) were interviewed by fandom.com about The Lone Gunmen. You can find it here.
From TV Guide:
The schedule for the Lone Gunmen is as follows:
Date Ep # Title
----------------------------------------
3/04/01 1 Pilot [Sunday 9 pm ET/PT]
3/11/01 2 Bond, Jimmy Bond [Sunday 9 pm ET/PT]
3/16/01 3 Eine Kleine Frohike
3/18/01 4 Like Water For Octane [Sunday 9 pm ET/PT]
3/23/01 5 Three Men and a Smoking Diaper
3/30/01 6 Madam, I'm Adam
The Friday episodes are also 9pm ET/PT.
From SciFi.com:
Henriksen added that he'd love to team up with his old friend, Robert Patrick, on Carter's other gig, The X-Files. Henriksen appeared on the series as Black in a crossover episode a while back. "I'd like to work with Robert Patrick in The X-Files , but nobody's approached me about it," Henriksen said. "I like Robert a lot. We did a film together years ago, but he's a really cool guy. I'd love to go back on The X-Files.
From SciFi.com:
Lance Henriksen, star of Fox's defunct Millennium TV series, told TV Guide Online that he's willing to do a movie version of the show."I would love to play Frank Black again," Henriksen told the site. "[Series creator] Chris Carter wants to do a movie. We'd be able to show and say things that we couldn't on the series."
Henriksen also speaks warmly of Millennium fans. "They didn't like fatuous things," he said. "They were deeply involved with the show."
Henriksen will soon appear in an SF movie, The Lost Voyage. The film is "kind of a sci-fi, Devil's Triangle kind of thing," Henriksen told TV Guide. "I play a salvage operator who finds a ship that vanished and has now reappeared. I try to salvage it, and things go very wrong."
At the MuppetFest! convention being held shortly to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Muppet Show, there will be spectacles galore. Squealing children... eye-popping exhibitions... heartwarming performances. But perhaps no sight at the Pasadena (Calif.)
Civic Center will prove to be as memorable, or as poignant, as that of a little bird with purple plumage, a crooked beak and a fearless gleam in his eye that he probably would never realize all heroes possess. That's right — Gonzo the Great may not be able to fly, but, by always aiming for the clouds, in his own unique way, he soars.
TV Guide Online: On this auspicious occasion, let's take a stroll down memory lane. What do you recall about your Muppet Show audition?
Gonzo the Great: I didn't actually audition for the show. No one did. Which I think comes across in every episode.
TVGO: When you joined the cast, did you have any idea that you would become a role model to all those who ever felt that they'd been held down by their inability to take off?
GTG: I always thought that there were a lot of folks out there just like me — wondering who they were, what they were and how they could get airborne. The Muppet Show gave me an opportunity to share my dreams — and my medical bills — with the world.
TVGO: Speaking of which, what's it like to be shot out of a cannon?
GTG: Imagine being born at 230 miles per hour, backwards, with no rear-view mirror. Kind of like that, only louder.
TVGO: After pulling off that stunt, you became known among the Muppets as sort of the thrill-seeker — the James Dean of the group, if you will. Have you gotten any less daring as the years have gone by?
GTG: Nope. In fact, if anything, I'm even more daring these days. And why not? There's nothing left to break.
TVGO: What's the craziest stunt that you've ever attempted?
GTG: Christmas shopping at an outlet mall during the holiday rush. Talk about a madhouse!
TVGO: Despite your... um, unique look, you've become quite a chick magnet. Why do you think that is?
GTG: I have very cool-looking DNA. You ought to check it out.
TVGO: Many of your Hollywood colleagues have undergone plastic surgery in order to further their careers. Did you ever consider getting your nose straightened?
GTG: I did get it straightened. It used to be more of a corkscrew, which was popular at parties, but made it tough for me to sing tenor.
TVGO: I heard a rumor that you were passed over for the Mel Gibson role in Chicken Run because you weren't, you know, a chicken. Have you encountered such "fowl play" a lot in your career?
GTG: Do you buy your material from the same guy who writes Fozzie's stuff? It's very good. Personally, I have been very fortunate not to be typecast in Hollywood, mainly because nobody can figure out what type I am.
TVGO: You've got to have a lot of guts to call yourself "the great." Do you find that, because of your name, people expect an awful lot of you?
GTG: The truth is that "the great" is part of my given name, and I wear it proudly. As for people expecting an awful lot from me, I try to give an awful lot in exchange for fly-over rights to their air space.
TVGO: On days when you wake up and feel like, say, Gonzo the So-So or Gonzo the Just-Pretty-Good, how do you snap out of your funk?
GTG: Dynamite in my shorts is always a quick picker-upper.
TVGO: Can you do the Funky Chicken?
GTG: No, but I certainly wouldn't mind dating her.
TVGO: As an animal advocate, I always encourage people to eat soybeans instead of our four-legged or fine-feathered friends. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, is there anything that you can say that might sway folks to give tofurkey a second chance?
GTG: Some of my best friends are turkeys.
TVGO: One of the movies that you have in development is called Muppet Time Travel. If you could rewind the clock, is there anything that you would do differently?
GTG: I'd have gone to Bombay to become a movie star. Sure, I made it in Hollywood, but that's the easy way. ...And, oh yeah, I would have invested in custard shields before the market went through the roof.
For more in-depth Q&A's with the Muppets, log on to TV Guide Online throughout the month of September. For details regarding MuppetFest! (which is being rescheduled from this weekend due to the tragic events of Sept. 11), visit MuppetFest.com.
From TV Guide:
In today's fast-paced world of showbiz, tastes change so quickly that few performers manage to get dubbed flavors of the moment, much less entertainers of the year. And far rarer than even flashes in the pan like Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts are Hollywood's true icons, the artists who can boast of not only looks, but vision, too. With impeccable style and astounding versatility, they blaze trails for themselves and set high standards for those with the talent (or at least the nerve) to try to follow. Among this caliber of stars, one shines brighter than all the others - and we'd say that even if she couldn't render us unconscious with a single karate chop to the head.
Her name? Miss Piggy.
Today, in honor of the rapidly approaching 25th anniversary of The Muppet Show , the variety program that introduced the actress-singer-dancer's unique gifts to an audience unprepared for (and, some might argue, unworthy of) such greatness, we risk our necks to present the definitive interview with a larger-than-life character who will always be remembered for her, uh, hits.
TV Guide Online: After The Muppet Show premiered, you quickly graduated from ensemble member to leading lady. To what do you attribute your rapid rise?
Miss Piggy: Talent. Beauty. Intelligence. Wit. And modesty.
TVGO: Did your castmates accuse you of being a ham?
MP: If vous mean in the acting sense - where one commands the stage and screen through sheer star power - yes. If vous mean the other way, you better start running now, buddy.
TVGO: While many leading ladies have porked out and lost their looks, you remain as lovely as ever. How do you do it?
MP: Moi lives according to moi's rules: Eat what you want, exercise your prerogative, and find a good plastic surgeon who gives frequent-flyer miles.
TVGO: Do you feel that, because of your curvaceous figure, Hollywood has sometimes treated you like a piece of meat?
MP: If vous mean a heavenly body the world lusts after, yes. If vous mean the other way, vous can't run fast enough, buster.
TVGO: What's it like to compete for parts with emaciated actresses like Lara Flynn Boyle and Calista Flockhart
MP: Moi doesn't compete for parts with anyone. Moi is in a class by moiself. However, I do enjoy working with actresses like Lara and Calista - there's never a line at the craft-services table.
TVGO: You and Kermit the Frog were together for quite a while before marrying. How did you finally get him to commit whole-hog?
MP: Is this some kind of deathwish you have with the pig references? Because moi is a strong believer in wish fulfillment. That aside, Kermie and moi prefer to keep our relationship personal and private... just like Brad and Jennifer, who, by the way, based their relationship on ours.
TVGO: With Tom and Nicole , Meg and Dennis, and so many celebrity couples coming apart, how have you and Kermit managed to keep your relationship together?
MP: I never let him out of moi's sight. Trust me, girlfriend, it works.
TVGO: Since you've been in the public eye for so long, people feel like they should be on a first-name basis with you. Have you given any thought to dropping the "Miss" from your moniker?
MP: No, it is part of moi's identity. I've got a Q rating that'd knock your teeth out. Though I've recently explored the possibility of doing a J.Lo and calling myself M.Pig.
TVGO: Was Kermit upset that, when you got hitched, you didn't change your name to Mrs. Piggy?
MP: Kermie is in a wee bit of denial about the exact nature of our marital status, so the issue really hasn't come up.
TVGO: Over the years, you've scored all kinds of lucrative endorsement deals. How does Kermit feel about you bringing home the bacon?
MP: Forget moi's Q rating - I'll knock your teeth out!
TVGO: So many of your peers - from Porky to Babe - have faded into obscurity. What's the secret of your enduring success?
MP: Moi has always given the public what it wants: moi.
TVGO: One of the film projects that you have in development is called Muppet Time Travel. If you could turn back the clock, what would you do differently?
MP: Cancel this interview.
For more in-depth Q&A's with the Muppets, as well as details regarding the upcoming two-day MuppetFest! extravaganza, log on to TV Guide Online throughout the month of September.
09/20/2001
From Comics2Film.com:
With the series premiere only a few weeks away, the official Mutant X website is buzzing with activity.
Like many folks in the entertainment industry, the producers of Mutant X are trying to do their part in providing aid for the ongoing relief efforts. To assist victims of the recent terrorist attacks in New York, Washington.D.C., and Somerset County, PA, Tribune Entertainment Company is conducting a drive to raise disaster relief funds. Contributions to the fund may be made online or by check.
Last week the site rolled out a set of new images from the first episode of the show. A few of the screen grabs show the genetically altered heroes using their super powers.
This week the site has also posted a new 30 second promo for the syndicated program.
It also expanded the "MX Gateway", a fun component of the site that takes viewers to other websites in the Mutant X world. Newly opened sites include The Midnight Press.com and GenomeX.net.
Mutant X will be released into syndication the first week of October. Check your local listings for specific dates and times. Check the MutantX.net site to see which stations are airing the show near you.
9/11/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
According to The Comics Continuum, Cedric Smith is set to make a guest appearance in the first episode of the syndicated Mutant X TV show. Smith may be well know to mutant fans of the X persuasion as he provided the voice for Professor X on the long running X-Men animated show. Other than that, Mutant X has no relation to X-Men.
From E! Online:
Looks like it's another case of X-Men said, Mutant X said.
A New York federal court has put the kibosh on 20th Century Fox's preliminary injunction to stop production on Tribune and Marvel Comics' syndicated live-action series, Mutant X. But in typical Hollywood fashion, both sides are claiming victory.
Fox, which produced last summer's box-office blockbuster X-Men, claimed Mutant X, which premieres October 1, was a villainous knock-off of the film's super heroes. Tribune and Marvel argued the characters and premise were actually nothing alike, and since Marvel created both the X-Men and Mutant X, it couldn't infringe on its own trademarks.
"We have always believed that there are no actionable similarities whatsoever between Mutant X and the motion picture X-Men," Tribune Entertainment President and CEO Dick Askin said in a statement.
Despite the court ruling, Fox still saw a silver lining in the verdict.
"We never expected an injunction stopping the show...we sought an injunction stopping an X-Men show," Fox lawyer Ted Russell told The Hollywood Reporter. "The show that we started with was an X-Men show, and as the lawsuit progressed, changes were made that brought [the show] further from the X-Men."
Fox initially accused Marvel of not only using the Mutant X title to capitalize on the X-Men movie's success, but of touting the show as "X-Men-like" in trade shows and advertising. Marvel created the X-Men comic in 1963, but Fox said its 1993 contract with the Marvel explicity states the comic-book giant will not create similar live-action projects without Fox's permission.
Since then, Marvel has dropped its early mutant strategy, and even altered the show's original logo so the "X" in the Mutant X title doesn't resemble the one in the X-Men movie logo.
Despite the victory, Tribune and Marvel are treading lightly. The show's Website lists the following disclaimer: "We want you to know that Mutant X is not based on the X-Men property and is not in any way related to, licensed or approved by, or associated with the motion picture X-Men or 20th Century Fox Film Corporation."
Fox still plans to keep a close eye on the series. The studio issued a statement insisting it still might be able to receive "monetary damages" and that the show could even be barred from using the Mutant X title.
"If Tribune and Marvel decide to use the title Mutant X, they do so at their own peril," Russell noted to Daily Variety.
Mutant X follows a group of fugitives who were genetically altered become "perfect" humans. When they unexpectedly developed superhuman abilities, the government began hunting them down to exploit their powers. John Shea, who played comic-book character Lex Luthor in the ABC live-action Superman series Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman, plays Adam, the hero who leads the Mutant X team.
04/27/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
The Toronto Sun (via Jam Showbiz!) has revealed the four Canadian actors cast in the Mutant X TV show.
Victoria Pratt plays Shalimar Fox (a.k.a. ShadowFox), a half human-half animal mutant. Fans may remember Pratt as the terminally tough Sarge on Cleopatra 2525.
Victor Webster has been cast as the show's electricity wielding Brennan Mulwray (a.k.a. Fuse). Webster is best known for his role on the daytime soap Days of Our Lives.
Lauren Lee Smith plays the telepathic and empathic Emma Desalvo (a.k.a. Rapport). Smith has appeared on an episode of Dark Angel.
Finally we have Forbes March as Jesse Kilmartin (a.k.a. Synergy). Synergy can split his body in to triplicates, each representing an aspect of his personality. He can also take on the appearances of others. March has appeared on All My Children.
The write up states that the role of mutant leader Adam Xero has yet to be cast. Also open is the role of Albion Magnus, head of the evil Genetic Security Agency (GSA).
According the official Mutant X website the foursome will undergo extensive training next month. The blurb on the site states, "we will be harnessing them up with both our Stunt and Fight Coordinators for some real training in wirework. The results should literally blow you away!"
There's been no new news on the lawsuits surround the show. Fox contends that Mutant X is a thinly disguised spin-off of it's movie franchise X-Men. Marvel contends that the show is original and unrelated.
Regardless, current plans are to start production in June. According to The Sun, the show's per-episode budget is just under $2 million. By casting Canadian actors who are under the ACTRA contract, the producers of the show have made it impervious to the possible SAG actors strike.
Other news for the official site: Set designer Rocco Matteo and his crew are busy building the Mutant X Sanctuary and the GSA headquarters on a Toronto sound stage. The Directors of Photography are developing "new and innovative looks" for the series Howard Chaykin and the writing team are cranking out new scripts.
4/12/2001
From Comics2Film.com:
It's mutant against in U.S. District Court this week as both 20th Century Fox Film Corp. and Marvel Enterprises, Inc. filed opposing lawsuits in a dispute over the currently in-development TV show Mutant X.
According to the Associated Press report Fox feels the new TV show cheapens their X-Men movie franchise and violates their contracts with Marvel. The contracts allowed creation of the X-Men movie and sequels in the future. However, the contracts also forbade the development of any related live-action TV shows without Fox's written consent.
Fox alleges that Mutant X characters and premises are virtually identical to X-Men and that the show has been marketed with similar logos and artwork in order to try to link the show to the movie.
Marvel also filed suit against Fox disputing the merits of the studio's case. Marvel asserts that Mutant X is totally different from X-Men in terms of character likenesses, character names, character personalities, underlying premise and individual episode stories. Marvel also asserts that it can't be found to be infringing on its own trademarks and wants a declaratory judgment from the court that it had done nothing wrong.
Marvel points to the timing of Fox's suit stating, "Fox has carefully waited until the last-minute to strike, a time when it would be the most difficult in all ways to cease production of the series." Cameras are set to roll on Mutant X on June 4.
From Fandom.com:
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper in Australia recently reported via their Web site that News Corp.`s 20th Century Fox Film Corp. and Marvel Enterprises Inc. filed civil lawsuits against one another on Tuesday over Marvel`s Mutant X live-action television series.
Fox, which produced the blockbuster X-Men movie last summer, claims Marvel is trying to cash in on its success by creating a knockoff series whose concept, premise and characters are "virtually identical" to those in the X-Men movie.
Marvel owns the X-Men characters, which include Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine and Rogue, but Fox says when it obtained the rights to make X-Men movies in 1993, its contract with Marvel stipulated that no similar live-action television programs would be made without Fox`s consent.
Fox, which is planning X-Men movie sequels, says it will suffer irreparable harm unless the court issues a preliminary injunction stopping Marvel from launching the Mutant X television series. Fox is further peeved that Marvel allegedly has linked its new series to X-Men at trade shows and in industry publications.
Marvel claims in its suit that it reserved television rights to the X-Men characters. The company also said the Mutant X characters are quite different from the X-Men characters, and that the TV series resembles the recently-cancelled Mutant X comic book in name only. Indeed, the company has plans to produce a new Mutant X comic book based on the TV series.
Marvel says its new Mutant X characters - a family of mutant outlaws led by Adam Fox, whose mission is to find victims of the human genome project - are "new, never-before-seen characters" that will be added to the company`s portfolio. Marvel, which first printed comic books in 1939, noted that virtually all of its characters have been "endowed with special powers which set them apart in relation to ordinary mortals."
Marvel`s suit, filed a mere 13 minutes after Fox`s, seeks a declaratory judgment from the court that its series doesn`t infringe on Fox`s trademarks or constitute unfair competition. Both suits were filed in Manhattan federal court.
Mutant X is scheduled to begin filming June 4 for a planned broadcast this fall in syndication. Marvel says the series, developed with Tribune Entertainment and Fireworks, has been sold to television stations covering more than 90% of the country.
03/16/2001:
From Comics2film.com:
A progress report for the Mutant X TV show was posted on the official website yesterday. According to the report, the producers of the show are down to a short list of actors and screen tests are underway.
Rocco Matteo (La Femme Nikita) is working on set designs which include vehicles used by the Mutant X team and the group's "Sanctuary."
Howard Chaykin and the writing team are developing a variety of mutant characters. Chaykin is also overseeing the costume designs for the mutants as well as the government's shadowy Genetic Security Agency.
From Comics2film.com:
Fans looking for a sneak peek at the Mutant X syndicated TV series can now tune their web browsers to MutantXTV.com. The website opened earlier this month. It gives a description of the show's concept, a run down of the creative people involved and ongoing reporting on the production effort.
According to the site, extensive casting sessions have been completed and staff writers are starting to bang out scripts. Howard Chaykin is the head writer for the show. Staff writers include Mark Lisson (Mighty Joe Young), David Newman (Superman I, II, III) and Elizabeth Keyishian (Queen of Swords).
From TV Guide:
07/17/2002:
From TV Guide:
From TV Guide:
Producers of NYPD Blue are hoping the third time's the charm when it comes to casting the show's new female detective. After two unsuccessful attempts at filling the role - first with newcomer Rosa Arredondo and next with Beverly Hills, 90210 grad Vanessa Marcil - they've now recruited big-screen siren Jacqueline Obradors to play Latina cop Rita Ortiz. The star of Six Days, Seven Nights and Tortilla Soup, who debuts in tonight's episode (at 9 ET on ABC), tells TV Guide Online that she's relieved to have made it this far.
"Let's put it this way, I didn't sleep a wink the night before my first day," she admits. "I had to get up at two in the morning just to look at my lines again. I was just so, so nervous. Anytime you're cast in a new role, you're being watched and scrutinized so intensely. And coming in as the third girl, it's three times that."
Of course, it didn't help that the circumstances surrounding Arredondo and Marcil's abrupt exits were hardly ideal. Sources say that the relatively green Arredondo was simply out of her league opposite such powerhouses as Dennis Franz and Charlotte Ross, and was dismissed before making her first appearance. Later, personality conflicts were rumored to have contributed to Marcil's ouster after only one episode. Counters Marcil's rep: "Vanessa's pregnant. It had nothing to do with personality. She's having a baby in April. And as you can understand, I don't think that they were going to have a pregnant detective."
For her part, Obradors confesses that her Blue castmates didn't "really want to say anything" about the axed stars. Also attempting to take the high road, executive producer Bill Clark responds: "I don't want to get into negativity, and there's no way to talk about [Arredondo and Marcil] without getting negative. I just don't think that it worked out. Period."
Well, all indications are that Obradors is a keeper. For starters, she's currently at work on her fourth episode. "Once I knew I was back for a second episode, I thought, 'OK. I can breathe now,'" laughs the thirtysomething beauty, who's being eyed as a potential love interest for fellow rookie Mark-Paul Gosselaar. "That was further than anyone [else] had gone."
From TV Guide:
If you were among those NYPD Blue fans impatiently waiting for something — anything — to happen between Henry Simmons and Garcelle Beauvais's lovestruck characters last season, Beauvais feels your pain. Actually, so does her real-life spouse, CAA talent agent Mike Nilon. Admits the actress: "My husband really wants me to get steamier with Henry."
Beauvais may want to be careful what her significant other wishes for. Considering the ABC cop show's penchant for showcasing its stars' derrières (among other private parts), a full-blown love affair between her ADA Valerie Heywood and Simmons's Det. Baldwin Jones can only mean one thing. "Can I tell you? It's coming," she laughs of her inevitable nude scene. "I don't know when, but probably November sweeps."
Well, if ever Blue producers were going to take advantage of their actors' in-the-raw clauses, now would be the time. This fall, the show moves to Wednesday nights opposite NBC's stronger-than-ever Law & Order. "I tell everybody to watch our show and tape them so we get the ratings," cracks the former Jamie Foxx Show regular. "They're both good shows, they're very similar — it's just a matter of what the fans are going to watch. It's out of our hands. We can only do the work and see what happens."
That was Beauvais's motto when she joined the Emmy-winning drama last January. As it is, skeptical critics weren't the only ones who wondered whether the sitcom star (she also appeared on Aaron Spelling's short-lived soap Models Inc.) had the chops to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Dennis Franz. "I was even a little nervous about taking the role, because I know the work is of such high caliber and so different from what I used to do," she admits. "And I knew people would be like, 'Can she do it?' But I think I've sort of risen to the occasion, if you will."
08/24/2001:
From TV Guide:
08/23/2001:
From E! Online:
From E! Online:
Another NYPD Blue cop bites the dust.
Rick Schroder is turning in his badge and taking early retirement from ABC's hit cop drama after two and a half seasons playing Detective Danny Sorenson.
"The long hours required to shoot NYPD Blue would prevent me from being where I really want to be at this time--which is with my family," Schroder, 31, said in a statement. Schroder and wife Andrea, who prefer their 16,000-acre Colorado ranch to Tinseltown, are expecting their fourth child in August.
"Rick Schroder is a gifted actor who has had a tremendous two and a half years with NYPD Blue ," series creator Steven Bochco said in a statement. "Rick is also a strong family man, and to honor his desire to spend more time with his wife and children, we are regretfully releasing him from his obligations to the show."
The former Silver Spoons star is the latest cast casualty. His character was a replacement for Jimmy Smits, who replaced original series costar David Caruso. The exits by actors Kim Delaney, James Daniels, Andrea Thompson and Amy Brenneman leave only one original cast member--Emmy-winner Dennis Franz.
Of course, the news isn't too much of a shocker to fans, who noticed Schroder's bizarre absence from the series' season finale. The veteran ABC police drama finished its eighth season May 22 with a cliffhanger ending in which Sorenson was MIA and his stripper girlfriend was found dead in his apartment.
The questions for Blue 's writers (Where did Sorenson go? Who killed his girlfriend? Who will replace Schroder?) won't be answered until next fall. The only thing we know is that Schroder's departure will be covered, at least in part, from another former child star, ex-Saved by the Bell star Mark-Paul Gosselaar.
Like its Emmy-winning TV drama peers ER and Law & Order, NYPD Blue has managed to retain solid ratings and maintain a high level of creativity despite the defections of key cast members.
But recently, the show has seen its viewership erode and many critics are saying it has lost its edge. The show may lose even more viewers in its ninth season, when ABC switches it from its usual Tuesday night slot to Wednesdays against NBC's Law & Order. (Ironically, the Tuesday slot will be filled by Delaney's new crime drama, Philly.)
And the demise of Schroder's character isn't sitting too well with hardcore fans. On the Yahoo! bulletin board devoted to the show, several said Detective Sorenson will be sorely missed.
As one Netizen put it: "I guess this frees up one more night for me to do something other than watch TV."
05/24/2001:
From TV Guide:
05/21/2001:
From TV Guide:
From TV Guide:
Charlotte Ross is as anxious as anyone to find out with whom she's going to be paired romantically on NYPD Blue . The two-time Emmy nominee - who joined the force March 6 playing tough gal Det. Connie McDowell - has pretty much narrowed it down to two finalists: Rick Schroder or new lieutenant Esai Morales.
"My guess would be that it's either going to be Rick or Esai," Ross tells TV Guide Online. "But at first, I was wondering if they were going to make me a lesbian."
Such a development would come as a crushing blow to Blue's male recruits, many of whom are single and, as Ross jokingly points out, in hot pursuit. "I don't think they've brought in a new female in a while because [co-star] Henry Simmons said to me, 'Did they bring you in for me?' I'm like, 'I don't know, but I think I'm having an interoffice relationship.' And he goes, 'Did they say interracial?'"
Original castmember Gordon Clapp was also hoping Ross would come to the aid of his unlucky-in-love alter ego. "Gordon says, 'Well, I think they should play something about the fact that you remind me of [former flame] Gail O'Grady,'" Ross recalls with a laugh. "And I said, 'I don't know, they're not really telling me.'"
Personally, Ross - who spent two years chewing scenery on Showtime's showbiz satire Beggars and Choosers - is taking a liking to Morales, who in last night's episode replaced James McDaniel as the precinct's top dog. "He has this natural charisma, along with being very subtle, and obviously a very strong actor... I really like him," she says. "I think he's going to be great in the role."
02/23/2001:
From TV Guide:
02/13/2001:
From TV Guide:
For Hollywood execs, the recent cancellation of Showtime's biting industry satire Beggars and Choosers was a blessing in disguise. Although they would have to make do without their weekly fix of in-jokes and celebrity skewering, finally they could get their hands on the show's break-out star, Charlotte Ross.
"I was really surprised to find that an enormous amount of people in the industry had become huge fans of mine," Ross tells TV Guide Online. "I was shocked by the offers I got."
Perched comfortably in the driver's seat, the regular of such short-lived series as The Five Mrs. Buchanans, Pauly and Trinity passed on most of what came her way (including a role as Chris Elliott's sister on The Weber Show), opting to hold out for a job on one of her four favorite shows: The West Wing, ER, NYPD Blue or Will & Grace. "And then out of the blue [NYPD creator] Stephen Bochco called," Ross recalls. "I was just floored with what he ended up telling me."
The Emmy-winning producer/writer explained that with NYPD leading lady Kim Delaney turning in her badge at the end of the season to star in his upcoming ABC legal drama, he was in need of a new female recruit. "What's funny is, I'd always say, 'I want to be on that show,' but when it actually happened, I had this huge panic attack," admits the diminutive Ross, who was concerned that viewers might have trouble buying her as a cop. "But then [producer] Bill Clark showed me a picture of his wife, who is 5'4", blonde and was a detective and also a lieutenant in New York City, and he said, 'You don't get any tougher than this woman.'"
Ultimately, it was the prospect of such a challenge that led Ross to join the force. Her character Det. Connie McDowell makes her first appearance on March 6, and the following week she's already participating in the show's signature ritual. "I take off my shirt in the second episode," she reveals, adding that the prospect of baring more "is very stressful. I'm sure it's around the bend."
From TV Guide:
Having played vexing vixens on such sudsy fare as Melrose Place and Savannah, Jamie Luner is accustomed to flashing her flesh. But how does she feel about exposing herself?
"That's a little scary," admits the actress, who tells TV Guide Online that her upcoming episode of The Outer Limits (airing August 4 at 10 pm/ET on the Sci Fi Channel) will reveal more to fans than any skimpy outfit she's donned in the past. "I'm more myself in this than anyone has ever really seen."
This time around, her character doesn't just play doctor... she is one. "It was a lot easier to hide behind the character of the sassy, sexy vixen," she says, "whereas this time, I did a lot more tapping into my own feelings, and allowing that to come through."
Having already mastered the art of on-screen seduction, the soft-spoken actress hopes people will welcome this change with open arms. "I know they're going to compare it and say, 'I like her better like this,' but I prefer to be challenged."
And although this role has her slipping into lab coats rather than stripping out of lingerie, don't think Luner has shelved her wicked ways. "I love playing the vamp, and I get sent out [to audition] for a lot of that stuff," admits the woman last seen stalking serial killers in Profiler, adding with a laugh, "maybe because I do it well."
From TV Guide:
If you reported for work and found extraterrestrial velociraptors in place of colleagues, you'd probably start listening for narration by Rod Serling. However, when Just Shoot Me co-star Enrico Colantoni found himself in that scenario, he knew at once that he hadn't entered The Twilight Zone, but simply had arrived for his guest appearance on The Outer Limits, the Sci Fi Channel's update of the 1960s anthology series.
"In this story, Earth's air is becoming poisonous," he tells TV Guide Online, "so these alien dinosaurs bring us a technology that zaps a human being 90 light years away to another planet. The person on Earth gets destroyed while simultaneously being regenerated in this other place."
Unfortunately, in the course of the episode (airing tonight at 10 pm/ET), the process goes awry, and an Earthling winds up in two worlds at once - a scenario that presents to Colantoni's character a devastating dilemma. "I don't want these dinosaurs to think we're not ready for the technology," he says, "so I have to kill this woman who - of course - reminds me of my late wife."
Although he discusses his Outer Limits installment with an ease rarely exhibited by those who don't speak Klingon as a second language, the Galaxy Quest actor isn't really a sci-fi geek - or even a fan. "I just looked at the script and went, 'Oh - I actually get to be on every page,'" he chuckles. "'Let me do that.'"
OUTER LIMITS PREMIERE & NEW WEB SITE!
Season Premiere FRI - March 16 at 10PM ET/PT* Brand new episodes of this anthology series exclusively on SCI FI.
From TV Guide:
08/31/2001:
From SciFi.com:
04/12/2001:
From E! Online:
07/03/2001:
From E! Online:
Who'll strip first? Have a meltdown? Cry like a little baby?
Who knows? But if tonight's 10th season premiere of MTV's The Real World (10 p.m.) is any indicator, this is gonna be another wild, wild season.
This time, the action moves from New Orleans back to New York (the site of the inaugural RW in 1992), where the obligatory "seven strangers" will live in a house--actually, a spacious, swanked-out Greenwich Village loft--and have their lives taped for all to see. And just what will we see this year?
Well, the first episode is action-packed, with frat-boy Mike pissing off roomies Coral and Malik with one of the all-time stupidest things ever said by a Real World-er.
Meanwhile, RW Casting Special flirters Lori and Kevin are more than happy to learn that both are now unattached, though Kevin seems determined to keep the "ha! nd" in the budding affair.
Atlanta student and housing-project resident Nicole, perhaps the most "real" roommate, is psyched about her hip new digs. And this year's naive cast member, Rachel--y'know, the one who said she had never seen a penis--becomes horn-dog Mike's object of lust.
With all these drama hounds to choose from, we're not gonna miss those N'Awlins RW kids at all.
From TV Guide:
Can't wait for the 10th season debut of MTV's The Real World
this June? Fans of the reality series can get their fix with the "Fish Tank
Webcam" on MTV.com, which offers a first look at the new gang and their New
York locale... not to mention their (glub, glub) new goldfish.
From Aint-it-Cool:
AnimEigo has sent a message to those who preordered the Macross Box set saying that while they had hoped to release the series in October, mid to early December is the current estimated time frame.
Several factors conspired to create the additional delay. The major one was that the restoration of the original footage has taken considerably longer than they expected. This restoration is a multistep process of color correction, image enhancement and defect removal; the final results are spectacular. The delay was compounded when, about 1/4 of the way through the restoration, a new restoration sequence (the order in which the various possible restoration procedures are applied) was discovered that further improved the final quality. We were then faced with a decision: use the new procedure only on the last 3/4 of the series, which created a noticeable difference. The process had to be started from scratch to fix the problem.
The current status of preproduction is as follows:
The packaging, box, and liner notes are all at the printers.
The translation, subtitles, dvd menus and other ancillary materials have all been completed.
Most of the episodes have been restored. The rest will be completed by the end of September, well before they are needed for authoring.
The first DVDs are about to be authored. Since all the components have been created (in particular, the tricky part of DVD authoring, the menus), it's mostly an assemble-test-and-tweak job.
When finished they should be able to ship 1000-2000 sets a day.
Included in the Macross box set will be a special "3D" animated lenticular coverplate.
The next set of Robotech will be "Robotech Masters - A New Threat" and "Robotech Masters - Revelations". The volumes will be collected in Robotech Masters: Robotech Legacy - Collection 4 with a special disc of original opening/closing sequences from the original Japanese series; a gallery of the original Robotech Masters comic book covers; production sketches; and more exclusive international clips available exclusively in this 3-disc collector's edition. These will be released on 10/30.
The fifth Robotech boxset has been assigned a street date of 12/11/01. This set concludes the Robotech Masters/Southern Cross saga of Robotech.
From DVDreview.com:
Since the launch of the DVD format in 1997, anime fans have been asking for the successful Robotech franchise to be made available in the U.S. ADV Films and Harmony Gold have now responded to those requests by announcing the release of Robotech the Macross Saga . The two premiere volumes of this collection, "First Contact" and "Transformation" will be available in June and will contain six episodes each.
"First Contact", the first volume begins when a mysterious battleship crashes onto Macross Island in the South Pacific and the future of mankind is changed forever. Realizing that there are hostile forces in the universe, the people of Earth race to rebuild the SDF-1 as their first line of defense against a possible alien attack. But even as they struggle to master the science of Robotechnology, the vengeful Zentraedi armada is approaching the Earth!
In the second volume, "Transformation", the danger continues to mount for the survivors of Macross City and the crew of the SDF 1 as the ship's arrival on Mars sets up a new turn of deadly events. Under constant attack by the giant Zentraedi, hounded at every turn and desperately short of resources, the humans wage a desperate battle for survival. But in the shadow of war, the power of love takes on an unexpected significance, for it is the strength of the human heart that may turn the tide of the battle!
In addition to being released as separate volumes, the discs will also be made available in a box set entitled Macross Saga 1: The Robotech Legacy. The box set will include an additional supplemental disc. The bonus disc will contain the English version of the 75 minute Codename: Robotech which will include an audio commentary track by Carl Macek (Story Editor for Robotech). Additional features on the third disc include production sketches, and an international clip featuring French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese audio tracks.
Streeting on June 16th, the two volumes of "Robotech the Macross Saga" will be priced at $14.98 apiece. The "Macross Saga 1" box set will have a $44.98 price tag.
11/30/2001:
From TV Guide:
From SciFi.com:
Jason Katims, executive producer of UPN's teen-alien series Roswell, told SCI FI Wire that the Smackdown network has picked up seven more episodes of the current season, for a full year's complement. "They picked up another seven, so we're doing 20 episodes this year, a total of 20," Katims said in an interview at UPN's winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif. "Which is good. We're shooting now the 14th episode. ... We're more than halfway into shooting." The season finale, which will count as two episodes, will be aired in a two-hour block.
The show, which has faced stiff competition from The WB's Smallville this year, has been in danger of disappearing altogether, as it has for most of its life. As for whether UPN will pick up the series for a fourth season, Katims said, "For next year, we're essentially where we always are around this time of year, which is we don't know. This is where we were the first season and the second season, which is we're kind of at this point not sure about whether the show is going to come back."
Katims also offered spoilers for upcoming episodes in the rest of season three. "[Episodes] 13 and 14 are also a two-part episode," he said. "I think the first half of the season has been sort of dedicated to reestablishing the character stories of the show, ... headlined by Isabel's marriage. ... And then what we're doing starting in February is ... Liz starts to believe that there's some residual effects that have come about after Max has healed her. And she doesn't know what's happening to her, and at some point she thinks she may be dying. ... [She has] certain almost hallucinatory experiences and finally realizes that she needs to get away, and that's really for her own well-being. And she leaves, and she goes to Vermont. Through February, we're ... doing episodes that are ... raising the story stakes, playing around with both that premise with Liz and some other sci-fi premises, to bring us [to] ... a few episodes that remind me of the last few episodes of the first season, where there was definitely a lot of strong human emotion that came out of it, but there were very high stakes, kind of wild episodes. ... Big things happen. Jesse winds up discovering the truth about Isabel. Things like that." Roswell airs Tuesdays at 9p.m. PT/ET.
12/17/2002:
From TV Guide:
Now in its third season, Roswell - the cult favorite about alien kids coming of age in Roswell, N.M. - has experienced tough going of late. At the end of its sophomore season, its original home network, the WB, dumped it. And although UPN picked it up, the series has been far from a ratings success this year. In fact, although it has increased ratings for UPN in its Tuesday night timeslot, it routinely loses the Nielsen wars to ABC's NYPD Blue, CBS's The Guardian, Fox's 24, NBC's Frasier and the WB's Smallville. Understandable, perhaps, but still - not a good sign. And the news continues to get worse: UPN recently announced that it has reduced its season order of episodes from 22 to 19.
What's unfortunate about all of that bad news is this: Roswell is, in fact, a well-done drama that adroitly mixes paranormal flourishes with comedic and touching moments. Tonight's Christmas-themed episode is a good case in point. While "Christmas Nazi" Isabel (Katherine Heigl) is intent on making her first Christmas with husband Jesse (Adam Rodriguez) a success, brother Max (Jason Behr) meets an autistic boy who he thinks may be a link to his own lost son.
The episode opens with Max commiserating with friend Michael (Brendan Fehr), who can't understand why his girlfriend Maria (Majandra Delfino ) has broken up with him. The two stop by a burger joint known as the Crashdown, where they meet up with Isabel, Jesse, Maria and Max's girlfriend Liz (Shiri Appleby ). While Isabel holds forth about her plans for creating a "perfect" Christmas, Max can't help but notice that a little boy is staring at him. Soon enough, the boy - Samuel - approaches him and says one word: "Daddy." Although his mother quickly corrals him, explaining that he's autistic, Max is stunned, and comes away believing that his own son is attempting to use the child to communicate with him.
Meanwhile, Isabel's efforts to make the holidays memorable include overseeing the town's annual Santa Village, where Maria and Liz volunteer as helper elves to Michael's Santa. The result is some amusing repartee between Michael and Maria, especially in one scene where he tells her to get him something to drink. Fed up with his bossiness, she invites him into her "little elf house" to give him a piece of her mind - only to have the moment interrupted by a child's prying eyes. It's a laugh-out-loud moment, to be sure. Jesse, however, isn't laughing: Isabel's efforts to create the perfect Christmas mean that his cherished stocking, which he made in kindergarten, has been banished to the back of the tree; and his hopes of chilling to football must take a backseat to her whims. In essence, their first Christmas isn't theirs - it's hers, with Jesse along for the ride.
These disparate plotlines ultimately intertwine and do so in delightful fashion. Only a hard-hearted Grinch would fail to be charmed. Myself, I say UPN would do well to not only hold onto Roswell, but find it a new home on its schedule - say, Wednesdays at 9 pm/ET, where it would make the perfect companion to Enterprise.
09/24/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
1) A good part of "Roswell's" third season may focus on the recovery of Max and Tess' baby - but the baby (if there is a baby) may not even be Max's at all.
"Roswell" 3.2, authored by the great Ron Moore, focuses on Michael's new job at Meta-Chem, but we now hear it also contains this telling exchange between Kyle and Isabel:
* KYLE: So you two haven't had sex yet.
* ISABEL: What? Well, no.
* KYLE: Oh, because once he has alien sex with you the cat will be
out of the bag.
* ISABEL: How do you know? (Kyle is silent) Oh my God. You and Tess?
I thought you said she was like a sister.
* KYLE: "Like" being the operative word.
2) In 3.5 (part two of Max's adventure in Los Angeles), Max will discover one of the aliens who crashed in 1947 is a shapeshifter who has been making his living as a big-deal film producer.
3) In the teaser of 3.6, Isabel -- while snacking in the Crashdown -- has a erotic telepathic encounter her old pal Kivar. Which could be very bad news for her new fiance, whom she's marrying this episode.
4) Max learns at Jesse's bachelor party in 3.6 that Isabel's intended used to work for the U.S. government.
For up-to-date "Roswell" info, we continue to recommend Cherie & Gwen's roswellatemysoul.com.
"Roswell" makes its UPN debut Oct. 9.
09/06/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
08/27/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
Does "Special Unit 2" cross over with "Smackdown!"?? No!!
Does "Buffy" cross over with "The Hughleys"?? Absolutely not!!
Does "Enterprise" cross over with . "Roswell"??
It does!
In "Roswell's" fourth UPN episode, authored by Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner and titled "Secrets and Lies," teen alien Max Evans will find himself in Hollywood, investigating the death of a guy we'll see shooting at Michael in the Oct. 9 UPN premiere.
This suspicious demise will lead Max to probe the Paramount Pictures archives (!) in search of proof connecting the present-day murder to one from the past at the hands of the same alien. This proof, insists Max's true love Liz, can be found in the dailies of a Paramount science fiction feature titled "They Are Among Us."
How does Max get on the Paramount lot? A talent agent he meets at the dead man's funeral puts Max up for an "Enterprise" audition. Who is Max auditioning with? "Enterprise" star Scott Bakula. Who is directing the "Enterprise" episode? "Star Trek" vet and "Roswell" executive producer Jonathan Frakes. (Behind the scenes, Frakes is also directing this episode of "Roswell.")
For which "Enterprise" role is Max auditioning? An alien. Specifically "Korgan of the Bantoo," who suspects Capt. Archer has invaded his sector of space to steal dilithium crystals. The audition doesn't go particularly well: Frakes tells Max he's not very convincing playing an extraterrestrial. The pitiless irony!
Some other tidbits:
* Ferrini, the thug who shoots at Michael in the premiere, dies in the 3.4 teaser. He's on Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills with a young hooker. While the hooker wanders off for a smoke, the street is suddenly bathed in blinding light. A shadowy figure is glimpsed running down the street. The hooker, Bunny, quickly returns to find nothing left of her date but a charred husk. The detectives find the number of Michael's license plate in the glove compartment.
* Max meets Ferrini's talent agent, Jules Walters, while attending Ferrini's funeral. Ferrini, it turns out, wasn't only a thug - he played them in the movies and on TV. And now that Jules is down a client, he sees Max as leading man material. "I'm not an actor," Max points out. "And Ben Affleck is?" counters Jules.
* While Jules schmoozes, Max rifles through the agent's palm pilot and learns Ferrini's address. He finds a videotape of Ferrini rehearsing for his "role" in Utah.
* Max encounters Bunny at Ferrini's house, and she leads him to where the spot on Mulholland where Ferrini was incinerated. Bunny tells of a tall man who ran off and seemed to disappear afterwards. When Max asks Bunny about who cast Ferrini for his job in Utah, she replies, "He wouldn't tell me. Said it was a secret. When he got back, he started acting really funny - kept saying he knew something. Something big. Something that was going to make him a rich man."
* Meanwhile, back in New Mexico, Jesse and Isabel are keeping their whirlwind engagement a secret -- and Iz's dad begins to wonder if the reason his handsome new underling hasn't hooked up with some of the local talent is sexual orientation.
* Also back in New Mexico, Liz and Kyle are teamed by a teacher to act as video journalists for a class assignment. They use this circumstance as an excuse to investigate the alien murder from the past. One witness, a seventysomething hair and makeup artist named Bess Covendall, remembers an actress who was "hit by lightning on a clear day." The doomed actress was, at the time, torn between her leading man and a lowly member of the crew. Kyle's cranky grandad thought the crew member was an alien.
* We get to meet Kyle's cranky granddad, who even sees aliens when aliens are not about.
Somebody's shooting at Michael? Isabel's engaged? Max and Liz were in Utah? Herc's extensive precap of the first three "Roswells" to air on UPN can be found here.
From E! Online:
Just how much do some Roswell cast members relish their new life at UPN? So much, apparently, that show producer 20th Century Fox needed to threaten legal action against at least one actor who didn't show up to promote the nearly canceled sci-fi series.
After getting canned by the WB last year and then picked in the 11th hour by hand-me-down happy UPN, most of Roswell's cast members smiled graciously for reporters Monday at the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, California. In attendance was the show's female contingent--Shiri Appleby, Katherine Heigl and Majandra Delfino.
But notably absent were costars Brendan Fehr and Jason Behr--and when reporters asked where they were, an awkward silence fell over the room.
That's because it apparently takes more than free drinks at the Ritz-Carlton to get them to show up. In a letter sent anonymously to E! Online, lawyers for 20th Century Fox threatened legal action against at least one of the show's stars if he didn't make the media rounds in Pasadena.
"Make no mistake, such a cavalier disregard of your documented commitments to the series will not be tolerated," the letter reads. "We are hopeful, however, that [20th Century Fox] has either been misinformed as to your intentions or, if you actually did not intend to appear at the TCAPT, that you will reconsider your ill-advised decision and agree to honor your contractual obligations."
Although the name addressed on the letter was blacked out, sources at the studio confirm it was sent to Fehr, the 23-year-old messy-haired Canadian who plays Michael Guerin on the quirky extraterrestrial series. Another source, meanwhile, claims the letter was sent out to the entire cast.
Either way, the letter seems to make painfully clear that not everyone is thrilled that Roswell was resurrected for a third season. Of course, it's been a running joke that most stars dread the TCA Press Tour and all its mandatory flesh-pressing. But for a series that scraped through last season on the WB (averaging 4.1 million viewers), you'd assume its stars would do anything short of dousing themselves with Tabasco sauce to get the free publicity.
"It's very important for the network to have its stars there for a show as important as Roswell," a studio source said. "When we were told Brendan wasn't going to be able to attend, there was some concern." So out came the lawyers.
Fehr apparently had a reasonable excuse for not showing up Monday: The actor is currently in his native Canada, where he's filming public service announcements for the Ontario government warning kids about the threat of sexual abuse. The other absentee costar, Jason Behr, was also working on another project and later excused by the studio from attending the press day.
Fehr's manager, Jim Sheasgreen, says he doesn't know who sent the letter out to the media, but he adds carefully, "I think it's already been expressed that not everyone was particularly excited about going back for a third season."
As for the rest of the Roswell crew, most of the show's stars remained mum about the subject while schmoozing at a UPN party Monday night. When asked about the letter, Shiri Appleby responded, "I don't really want to talk about the letter. I'm here, I'm being supportive, and I don't want to talk about any of the negativity."
A source close to the show said the studio's biggest concern was with Fehr, but the matter has since been dropped. "He's a good kid," the insider noted, "but Brendan has always been just a big pill."
Fehr's manager, meanwhile, insists the actor will be back in Los Angeles and ready to work when Roswell's production begins July 23.
From Aint-it-Cool:
I am - Hercules!! Alex Whitman's body is barely cool, but Coax's best "Roswell" spy tells us Isabel Evans is already spending the summer dating "Jesse," a new lawyer at her dad's law firm.
It won't last. Despite Jesse's chumminess with the older Evanses, Iz dumps the young attorney and asks him never to call again. When "Roswell" debuts on UPN Oct. 16, we will learn that her ex-flame is actually the evil alien Kivar!
In other "Roswell" news, Jonathan Frakes will be back directing the first UPN episode and Melinda Metz, who wrote the original "Roswell High" young adult novels (in which Max is blonde and Liz's last name is Ortecho), has joined the show's writing staff!
05/04/2001:
From SciFi.com:
E! Online's "Watch with Wanda" column has reported a rumor that UPN may pick up The WB's faltering teen alien series Roswell next year if the frog network cancels it after its second season ends this month. Officially, The WB has said it hasn't made up its mind about the low-rated show, but reruns of Roswell are not currently on the network's summer schedule.
UPN has already agreed to pick up The WB's hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer for two years, following the failure of producers to renew their contract with The WB. UPN also made a commitment to adopt the Buffy spinoff series Angel for two years if The WB dumps it as well.
04/13/2001:
From SciFi.com:
Ronald D. Moore--co-executive producer of The WB's Roswell--told SCI FI Wire that the show will undergo a major change when it returns later this month. The teen alien series returns April 16 with an episode that centers on the high-school prom, Moore said.
"It's very much about the relationships and the kids and things happening within the group, with Max [Jason Behr] and Liz [Shiri Appleby] at the center of it all," Moore said in an interview. "In the next episode, there's a shocking change in the cast. ... There's a death that affects everyone. And in turn, that is the catalyst for everything else that happens, the hows and whys of that character dying affect everything."
As for the future of the Monday-night series, Moore said the network will wait to see how the remaining episodes perform in the ratings during the crucial May sweeps period. "They'll want to see how those episodes do before they make a decision" about renewing Roswell for a third season, Moore said.
Moore added, "I really hope that Roswell comes back. It really deserves to get picked up, and it has a loyal fan following."
04/02/2001:
From Gist.com:
While some people might hesitate to relocate to a city that's a 14-hour plane ride from their family and friends, it was a minor consideration for Roswell's Emilie de Ravin when she left Melbourne, Australia, for Los Angeles.
"I'm very into persevering," says the 19-year-old who plays Tess, one of the four teen extraterrestrials on the WB show. "Nothing stops me. If I want to do something, I'll do it."
De Ravin had the support of her parents and two older sisters when, in December 1999, she visited the City of Angels to find an agent. Her mission quickly accomplished, she went home for the holidays. Meanwhile, a 20th Century Fox casting honcho, who'd seen her as Demon Curupira on the Australia-based syndicated TV series Beastmaster, phoned her Down Under to request an appointment. When de Ravin returned to L.A. for good six weeks later, meetings with the Fox casting people soon yielded her a place on Roswell.
"I was very lucky," she recalls. "I'd just done a year on and off of [Beastmaster] and just decided to give it a go in L.A."
Beastmaster was her first acting job after having pursued a career in ballet since the age of 13. She'd attended a number of ballet academies - including the demanding Australian Ballet School - before deciding to expand her career options by giving acting a two-month try; if it didn't pan out, she'd return to dancing. But Beastmaster came along, and she hung up her toe shoes.
"I totally miss it," de Ravin says of ballet. "It's a wonderful way to express yourself, another form of acting, in a way. But if I were to [resume it], it would take me about five years to get back to the professional standard I was at."
De Ravin's had plenty of time to hone her skills as an actor, though, after guest-starring on Roswell last spring and then graduating to full-time status in October.
"I'm really happy with the progression of the character, especially in the second season," she explains. "It's given me a lot more to work with."
Tess, once an outsider, is now happily ensconced in the lives of the three other alien teens and their human pals.
"She's shown Max [Jason Behr], Isabel [Katherine Heigl] and Michael [Brendan Fehr] what their alien skills are," explains de Ravin, who picked up an American accent in a snap. "She's no longer the new girl on the block, and they're treating her like family. I think she's just trying to work out what's best for the four of them and their planet. She's a very sweet girl."
Tess' otherworldly pursuits aside, de Ravin likes to exercise, paint, shop and spend time with her new American buddies. When asked for pointers on making chums in a new city, her answer reflects her pioneer spirit: "You just go out and meet people. It's actually fun to not know anyone and go out and find friends - or let them find you!"
From Bureau42.com:
This article is a review of "The Pluto Campaign," which is the first five episodes of the computer-animated series Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles strung together to make something that's almost a movie.
07/22/2002
From Aint-it-Cool.com:
To paraphrase the immortal words of one Homer J. Simpson: "Mmm...DVDs!"
Simpsons DVDs, no less, as the much awaited The Simpsons: The Complete First Season (Fox Home Video) hits home(r) video with the Springfield family reliving the first 13 episodes of Matt Groening's Emmy-winning animated classic.
Which episodes, you ask? How about the one where Bart beheads the statue of town hero Jebediah Springfield ("The Tell-Tale Head"), the one where Lisa, Maggie and Bart butt heads with a babysitter on the lam ("Some Enchanted Evening") and the one that brought Santa's Little Helper to the family (and the family to us), "The Simpson's Christmas Special: Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire."
Granted, in the first season the show hadn't really found its voice yet--nor had the really slow-talking early Homer. But it's the supplemental material that makes the three-disc! set a boon for Simpsons devotees.
The package includes bonus features like episode scripts; outtakes; audio commentary by Groening and producer James L. Brooks; a BBC documentary; the original Tracey Ullman Show short that introduced the characters; and some funny foreign-language clips.
Oh, and just a little tip: Don't forget to click on the various character icons throughout the DVD menus, lest you miss out on some cool hidden "Easter eggs."
Mmm...eggs
09/06/2001:
From TV Guide:
![[Sliders group shot]](groupshothalf.jpg)
Sliders
Was a great show...re-runs are on the Sci-Fi channel
Smallville producers Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins told SCI FI Wire that the show will eventually tell stories that take place in Metropolis, future home of its hero, Clark Kent (Tom Welling). Rumors have Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane appearing at some point, but neither producer could confirm when that would happen. "We're going to eventually get to Metropolis more," Tollin said in an interview. "We've just gotten to Metropolis, as you've seen. I couldn't tell you year X and show X, but we're going to slowly see the evolution of Lex, to get closer to what people expect, and these kids are going to head to the big city a little bit more." Tollin acknowledged that Jimmy and Lois would have to be the same age as Clark and the gang, but he added that they may not meet until the whole group is much older. "It's tricky. How long do you keep kids in high school?"
Robbins added that any appearance of Bruce Wayne would also wait until later in the series. "It would be really interesting, but we're not there yet," he said. "We're still dealing with our characters and evolving their relationships. It might be fun down the line. We've talked about it."
The show is already broadening beyond the kryptonite monster-of-the-week formula, and future episodes will focus on crime, Robbins said. "The show that's on [Jan. 15], 'Rogue,' is not a kryptonite story. It's a true-crime story about a rogue cop who sees Clark's powers and tries to take advantage of him. Not every villain can be a kryptonite-infected villain in Smallville, or else there'll be nobody left."
1/14/2002
From Comics2Film.com
Sources at The Comics Continuum have given some information on an upcoming episode of the popular WB show, Smallville.
This is how the network describes the new episode, entitled "Shimmer":
"A teen girl's (guest star Azura Skye) obsession with Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) turns life-threatening when invisible attacks in Luthor Mansion pits Clark (Tom Welling) against an undetectable enemy. Meanwhile, Clark is thrilled when Lana (Kristin Kreuk) looks to him for companionship after Whitney (Eric Johnson) inexplicably pushes her away."
In other Smallville news, Shawn Ashmore (who played "Iceman" Bobby Drake in X-Men) is guest-starring in the upcoming "Leech" episode, which has been shooting this week.
01/10/2002
Comics2Film.com:
DC Comics recently announced that DC Direct will be producing a line of action figures inspired by The WB's smash hit show Smallville.
The three figures will be based on the likenesses of Clark Kent (Tom Welling), Lana Lang (Kristen Kreuk) and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), as they appear on Smallville. They are tentatively scheduled to be solicited in the April issue of Previews (Volume XII #4), and will be released simultaneously in the comics specialty market and other venues. No release date for the action figures has been set yet.
"We're absolutely delighted to be able to offer figures based on such an enormously popular series," says Cheryl Rubin, DC's VP - Licensing & Merchandising.
"Everyone at DC loves the way Smallville has reinvented the Superman mythology for a new audience," says Paul Levitz, DC's Executive Vice President & Publisher. "The Smallville guys have been doing such a great job playing with our toys, now we'll get to play with theirs!"
12/14/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
KryptonSite.com recently interviewed Smallville producer Alfred Gough. The producer commented on a number of aspects of the show including the "freak of the week" syndrome, in which young Clark battles a new, kryptonite-infected super-citizen each week.
"The thing you always want to do when you launch a series, so that people watching it week to week can understand what your series is about, and now it's 'what are the new and exciting and fun things we can do with Kryptonite,' obviously," Gough said. "And then also, what are the other types of stories we could tell, like "Rogue," which airs in January, really doesn't deal with Kryptonite at all, it deals with the much bigger issue of "what happens if somebody discovers Clark's secret."
During the interview Gough also answers questions about the connection between Lana Lang and Lois Lane, returning villains and the possibility of a Smallville DVD. Check out KryptonSite.com for the complete interview.
In other news, the Christmas day episode of Smallville looks to be a repeat of the episode "Cool". Here's The WB's synopsis for the show.
"Clark (Tom Welling) has a chance at an evening out on the town with Lana (Kristin Kreuk) thanks to Lex's (Michael Rosenbaum) matchmaking, but the evening is interrupted when Clark faces an icy enemy (guest star Michael Coristine): the high school lady killer who has a kryptonite-induced case of permanent hypothermia and has to feed off of body heat to survive - starting with Chloe (Allison Mack). Jim Contner directed the episode written by Michael Green.
"Cool" will air Tuesday, December 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
10/29/01:
From Entertainment Weekly:
"No tights, no flights" is the much-repeated quote from the creators of Smallville, a retelling of the youthful Superman story that's been given the full-court WB press: a chiseled star (super-cheekboned Tom Welling) who feels alienated in two senses (he's from another planet, like the hero of "Roswell," and he feels like "a total loser" in his hick-town high school) yet who attracts a fabulous-looking girl (sparkly Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang). Although he demonstrates superstrength and superspeed, Welling's Clark Kent won't don the famous cape and body-sock to do the it's-a-bird-it's-a-plane thing, either because it's a worn-out gesture after all those Superman movies and TV shows, or because it'd superinflate the show's budget.
The creator-producers behind "Smallville," Alfred Gough and Miles Millar ("Shanghai Noon"), had to, if anything, considerably scale back their hero's complex mythology. Over the years, DC Comics has told and retold the Superboy tale in a number of different "origin stories," and comic-book aficionados will have their quibbles about this new version. For the general viewer, though, "Smallville" is smart, tart, and tidy: Jonathan and Martha Kent ("The Dukes of Hazzard"'s John Schneider and "Superman III"'s Annette O'Toole) find a toddler in the rubble of a meteor shower; he grows into a strapping teen who flirts with cheerleader Lana while nursing guilt over the fact that the crash debris caused by his flight from planet Krypton killed her parents.
"Smallville" plays up adolescent loneliness and cruelty. In the premiere, that resulted in an eerie sight: Each year, we're told, the high school football team, the Crows, chooses an unlucky freshman "scarecrow" -- a stripped figure with a Smallville "S" painted on his chest, tied to a wooden cross. The imagery was multi-allusive: the "S" like the one on Superman's suit; the pose from the Crucifixion. But the scene -- used in print ads to promote the show -- also evoked the memory of Matthew Shepard, trussed up and left to die in Wyoming because he was gay. The episode even included a line questioning Clark's sexuality; his straightness was quickly reaffirmed. (A previous "scarecrow," played by Adrian McMorran, became the pilot's vengeful villain.)
That troubling echo aside, "Smallville" seems capable of becoming an intriguing mix of teen angst and bright adventure. B
09/21/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
Sci Fi Wire sat down recently with Tom Welling, the star of the upcoming WB Network show Smallville.
Welling revealed to that site that he is completely unschooled in the Superman legacy. The actor said that he's never seen a Superman comic and did not make use of the background material on the character, provided by the network.
I went into Smallville clear-minded," Welling said. He also stated that he based his performance solely on what was in the scripts.
Welling is also confident that the show will live up to expectations. "I think we've got a great show here. The scripts are solid. I think we've got enough quality and substance that I don't feel the pressure," the actor told Sci Fi. "Also, we're up here in Vancouver, so I'm separated from a lot of the hype. We're just going to do good work and, hopefully, that will speak for itself."
9/11/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Mark Snow is providing the music for the upcoming Smallville TV show. Snow may be best known for his work on the X-Files TV show.
"I'm expecting to do a mix of orchestral and modern-contemporary rhythms. There's going to be acoustic guitar and simple piano, an Americana folk element -- that intimate sound contrasting with the big sound when necessary. Plus, there are going to be a lot of songs geared to the WB's young audience. I don't think it's going to be eclectic; I think it's going to be more like Blink-182 and other contemporary bands. There are music supervisors who are in charge of selecting that music," Snow told The Reporter.
In other Smallville news, the WB network has given the show's website a makeover, and moved it. The redone site is much more extensive than what the network has posted previously. However, WB still seems to prefer an unwieldy URL to the SmallvilleTV.com domain they registered earlier in the year.
Thanks to KryptonSite for the leads.
09/06/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
From TV Guide:
Annette O'Toole's last-minute casting as Clark Kent's mom Martha on the WB's promising new drama Smallville brings her career full circle: The 47-year-old actress played Kent's high-school crush Lana Lang in 1983's Superman III . Jokes O'Toole to TV Guide Online: "Maybe I'll be Lois Lane's grandmother next."
All kidding aside, the red-haired beauty - whose recent small-screen credits include the USA Network series The Huntress and CBS's Nash Bridges - admits there are far worse things than being forever linked to such a popular franchise. "I love Superman," she confesses. "As a kid, I read all of the comic books. I was always drawn to it. And when I was Lana Lang, that was a huge thing for me." Still, she adds that one dream remains unfulfilled: "I didn't get to fly... I really wanted to be able to fly. I'm still not flying [in Smallville], but I'm still with Superman."
O'Toole can take solace in the fact that no one will be winging it in this Man of Steele update - which focuses on Superman's pre-airborne teen years. (Playing Martha's better half is Dukes of Hazard alum John Schneider.) "It's such a different take on the story," explains the Texas native, who in real life is married to Michael McKean ( Laverne & Shirley ). "It's kind of the only way I think you could do it today. It's much more modern and much more sci-fi. [Clark] is an alien after all; you have to go in that direction. He is E.T."
With Smallville - which debuts Oct. 16 at 9 pm/ET - occupying 50 percent of the WB's new post- Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel Tuesday lineup ( Gilmore Girls kicks off the night at 8 pm/ET), it will take something out of this world to fill the void left by Sarah Michelle Gellar and co. (Buffy is headed to UPN while Angel moves to Monday.) But O'Toole refuses to worry about such things.
"I really, really try to keep myself away from that, because what can I do about it?" she offers. "All it does is make me nervous. I go and do my work and hope for the best. The ratings will do whatever they do. I have no investment in that. It's just too painful. Then you have to be committed to looking at it every week and worrying about it. That's somebody else's job."
08/23/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
Craig Byrne's Kryptonsite.com reports that episode #4 of Smallville will be titled "Hothead". The story is said to involve an abusive football coach who has control over fire. Byrne also tells us that the script for episode #3, "Jitters" was written by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld.
08/23/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
Craig Byrne's Kryptonsite.com has the latest news on the upcoming Smallville show. According to that site episode 2 of the show is called "Metamorphosis" and involves a nerdy bug collector with a crush on Lana. Episode 3 is entitled "Jitters" and features the return of Lex Luthor's father.
KryptonSite also directs fans to Zap2It.com. That site features several downloadable clips from the show, as well as interviews with the actors.
05/24/2001:
From TV Guide:
Tom Welling wants to clear up a widely-held misconception about his role on the WB's highly-touted new fall drama, Smallville: He will not be playing the Man of Steel. "I'm not Superman - I'm Clark Kent, before he was Superman," the up-and-comer tells TV Guide Online. "Not many people know that."
It may seem like a silly distinction, but given Hollywood's knack for pigeonholing small screen superheroes - Adam West, Lynda Carter, Dean Cain - Welling clearly has his long-term career interests at heart. "I actually thought that at the beginning," he says of being branded Superman for life. "But, then I read the script, and there's so much to it that I'm not worried. It's quality stuff."
In fact, based on a short clip shown to advertisers last week, Smallville - which will air Tuesdays at 9 pm/ET after Gilmore Girls - has emerged as one of next season's most buzzed about shows. (An opening meteor shower sequence left the audience of jaded Madison Avenue execs spellbound.) Still, the junior Superman, er, Clark Kent, insists the advance hype isn't weighing on him like a ton of kryptonite.
"I know that there is a lot of money and a lot of time and concern invested in this by the WB, but I think it's all worthwhile," says Welling. "Why should I feel pressure? You only feel pressure if you don't think you can perform. I think this is going to perform." - Michael Ausiello
05/15/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
The WB network announced its fall schedule this week. The new Superman based TV show Smallville is on the schedule. The one-hour show will air on Tuesdays a 9pm, following Gilmore Girls at 8pm.
Smallville tells the story of a 15 year-old Clark Kent (played by Tom Welling) growing up in his Kansas home town. A teenage Lana Lange (Kristin Kreuk) and a 21 year old Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) are also among the series regulars. The series deals with Clark coming to terms with his powers, his relationship with Luthor and the general weirdness surrounding Smallville since an meteor crash 15 years earlier.
New show staring my girl Tiffani-Amber Thiessen as a beer-drinking ballsy chick who ditches her fiancé at the altar, loses 70 pounds and becomes a babe. The new half hour comedy will debut on ABC Fall 2001.
Not sure if this is for the show Something About Tiffani or another pilot.
04/06/2001:
From TV Guide:
Those bastards killed Kenny
![[Kenny]](kenny.gif)
South Park
If you haven't seen this show yet I don't know what rock your hidding
under or I pitty you for not having Comedy Central.
Click here to watch Jesus Vs. Frosty in real audio format.
Click here to watch Santa Vs. Jesus in real audio format.
From E! Online:
Oops, they did it again. And again. And yet again.
The expletives really flew on Wednesday's season five premiere of South Park --162 times, to be exact. The Comedy Central staple, infamous for its alien anal probes, Jesus vs. Satan pay-per-view bouts and poultry-raping villains, managed to make the standards and practices people cry once again.
In the episode titled "It Hits the Fan," Stan, Cartman, Kyle, Kenny and company dropped the S-bomb 162 times during the half-hour 'toon with nary a bleep.
Comedy Central wouldn't confirm the amount (the cable network is holding a contest for fans who dutifully count the number of times the S-word is uttered), but a network executive explained the boundary-pushing show, and its creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, just wanted to make a point.
"What the show is saying is that 'shit' is a common word," Comedy Central executive vice president Bill Hilary tells the New York Post. "What does it mean? It means poo."
So what caused the sudden dump of swearing? While watching the nighttime network show Cop Drama , the kids hear a character use the forbidden word, which triggers their expletive diarrhea of the mouths. The fictional network, HBC, seeing the jump in ratings, decides to keep the cusses coming. The burst of profane language somehow awakens the mysterious "Knights of Standards and Practices." It's then up to the four friends and their mentor/school cook, Chef, to save the world from the overzealous censors.
While the show is famous for its countless scatological references and shocking bits, Comedy Central regularly bleeps out any swear words. In their big-screen feature, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut , the characters made liberal use of curse words and other taboo references and images, but this is the first time the TV show permitted such language on television.
Though a very cable-healthy 3 million viewers loved the numerous invoking of feces, the show's creators may be disappointed if they were courting controversy. The New York Daily News reports Comedy Central only received four emails on the episode, all giving a big thumbs up on the crap references.
It's difficult to imagine shocking South Park diehards. Even 162 references to dung hardly tops previous stunts, like the introduction of a magical and very cheerful stool named Mr. Hanky, the Christmas Poo. But that's not going to stop Stone and Parker from stopping. Among the episodes in the, um, pipeline: Cartman grows his first pubic hair and Big Gay Al becomes leader of the South Park Scout Troop.
To get the straight poop, Comedy Central reairs the episode Saturday at 10 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 a.m. and 11 p.m. (all times ET/PT).
From Fandom.com/south_park:
Looks like South Park is up for another award... The 15th Annual American Comedy Award. The awards will be broadcast April 25 on Comedy Central.
Here`s the catagory:
FUNNIEST ANIMATED TELEVISION SERIES
"King of the Hill"
"The Simpsons"
"South Park"
StarGate SG-1 is a great show on Showtime and now repeats in syndication that picks up where a fantastic movie left off
From SciFi.com:
Amanda Tapping, who plays Maj. Samantha Carter on Stargate SG-1, told SCI FI Wire that she's eager to begin shooting the show's sixth season when production starts up next month. The show will move to the SCI FI Channel, beginning in June, from its current home on Showtime.
"I have no idea what's going to happen in season six," Tapping said in a telephone interview from her home in Vancouver, B.C. "It's always frustrating." One thing is certain: series regular Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson) will leave the show at the end of season five. "I kind of saw it coming," Tapping said. "But nonetheless, when it happened--when it actually came down to it--it was very sad. ... It's going to be very strange. I mean, the dynamic is so solidly in place, and now it's changing. I know that for Michael and Christopher [Judge (Teal'c)] and me on the last day, we just hung out together all day, and we couldn't stop crying. We could barely get through a scene without bawling our eyes out. I really have no idea what season six is going to be like without him."
As for Shanks' character, Tapping revealed what may become of him. "There is a possibility that he could come and visit every now and again," she said. "He's ascended basically to a higher plane of existence, but I'm sure that that's not aired yet, so I'm not sure if I can actually say that. ... Any scenes where there's crying involved, it was real."
Will Shanks be replaced? "Certainly the door's been open for another character to come in, but I'm not sure whether or not they're going to use this character or not, and I keep trying to find out, and I keep getting 'We don't know yet, we haven't decided yet,'" Tapping said. "So, it's very frustrating going back into season six with no idea who's going to be on SG-1, or whether it's just going to be the three of us and guest stars, or whether we're going to have a permanent member. We have no idea."
For her part, Tapping said she is continually finding new ways to keep her character fresh. "It would be so easy to lapse into autopilot," she said. "I actually issued myself a challenge at the beginning of season five, because I knew the character had developed so much over the four years, and I didn't know what was going to happen to her in season five. And so I sort of issued myself a challenge of finding a new way into the character. Which meant everything from the way she walks to rediscovering her whole physicality to rediscovering her love of certain things and what makes her tick. ... It helped me to reinvent her in my own mind, which made it interesting then to play her."
09/06/2001:
From SciFi.com:
In 1994, MGM's Stargate became the sleeper hit of the fall-raking in around $70 million. Not too shabby for a film from the pre-Independence Day production team of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. While the duo talked big-an envisioned trilogy of Stargate films-ultimately, the project went no further. But others saw the potential in the project. Producers Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright (both of whom worked on The Outer Limits for MGM) each envisioned the concept of the Stargate -an ancient relic left by another civilization that enables travel through a wormhole-as something which would translate well to a weekly series. MGM agreed, brought aboard Richard Dean Anderson, and in 1997 a series was born. Five seasons later, the series has reached its milestone 100th episode-and we spoke with several members of the cast and crew about what to expect from the 100th episode, and what makes the show what it is. Stargate can currently be seen on Showtime and nationwide in syndication; the series is also seen in nearly 70 countries. Next June, SCI FI will start airing season six of Stargate. The series' 100th episode-"Wormhole Xtreme"-airs Sept. 8 on Showtime.
Richard Dean Anderson plays Colonel Jack O'Neill, the irreverent yet on-the-ball leader of the SG-1 team that explores new planets through the Stargate.
What's your take on the 100th episode?
Anderson: The 100th episode is so anachronistic and so full, it's more of a thank-you to our cast and crew and the writers. And everyone who works for the show who wanted to be on camera gets on camera.
How has your character, Colonel Jack O'Neill, evolved since he was first introduced in the movie?
Anderson: Well, as set forth in the movie, there was a residual demon that O'Neill was harboring-the death of his son at the hands of his own handgun. So as we launched him into the series, we still had that element, that issue to deal with. And we did, in the first season.
In your opinion, what types of stories make the best Stargate adventures?
Anderson: What we've heard consistently, and the thing that sets us apart, is that there's a humanity involved in our storylines, both in terms of character portrayal and in subject matter, in story. When you have those two elements-and we really have a great cast of actors-who can more often than not bring more to an idea than is there originally, which makes it a wonderful team effort.
What's it like working on a show that's so true to real-life military structure?
Anderson: Because my character is a little off the wall for a military colonel, I asked General Michael Ryan, who we had on for a cameo once, "Do you have colonels in the Air Force that behave the way I do?" And he stopped mid-sentence and said, "Yes-and worse." I said, "Thank you very much, I'll take that as a compliment." And he said, "You're doing a good job, son." So there it is from the source.
What are you looking forward to as the series moves toward its final year?
Anderson: What I'm looking forward to now that we've been picked up for a sixth year is that we're going to be able to arc the rest of O'Neill's story. But, as far as I'm concerned, it will definitely be my last year with the show.
Amanda Tapping plays Major Samantha Carter, SG-1's second-in-command and resident physicist.
How did you prepare for your role?
Tapping: I saw the movie [when it was originally released]. And I rented it again when I was going down to L.A. for the audition. I thought, "What a great concept." It actually makes for a better series in a way, because the possibilities are endless. We visit different races who are basically plucked from different periods in our history of our planet by going to other ones. It also shows how fallible we are as human beings, and how egomaniacal we can be-and how many mistakes we make as a culture because of that. I like that moral aspect of it.
Are there any episodes that stand out in your mind as favorites?
Tapping: Yes. In season one there's an episode called "Solitudes," and Richard Dean Anderson and I are stuck in a glacier and we're stuck in this deep crevice and we're going to die. We shot it in a refrigerated studio in real life, and it was challenging, physically. But it was also the first time my character showed her true emotion and fear, and how much she cared about her commanding officer. And in the first season episode, "Singularity," I had a chance to show this character's ability to love, and to be loved, and it showed her more nurturing and motherly side. And any episode with my father, who's played by this wonderful actor named Carmen Argentiano. After that, it's a blur.
Do you like the dramatic episodes or the emotional ones?
Tapping: You go through phases as an actor. I did an episode called "Point of View," where I played two versions of Carter trapped in the same reality. That was a hugely emotional episode, and it was amazing to be able to play that. I love those kinds of stories, where you get to really dig deep and find the dark places. And then, if you do a few of those in a row, you want to go running around in a field and shoot at things. That's when the action episodes become really fun, and the fight scenes become really fun.
Writers Paul Mullie and Joseph Mallozzi have been with Stargate since season four. The duo wrote the comic 100th episode, "Wormhole Xtreme."
What was the origin of the 100th episode?
Mallozzi: It was actually Brad Wright's idea. We had written the episode "Point of No Return," and introduced the character of Martin Lloyd as a very comic character and a nerdy kind of guy to be a foil for O'Neill. We knew we wanted to bring him back, but we just didn't know how. Then Brad had the idea for the spoof TV show, and he gave us the story to start working on.
Mullie: It's fun when it's something special for the fans, because we not only spoof sci-fi in general, but our show in particular.
As co-creators and executive producers, Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright shepherded Stargate , the series, since its inception-building on the foundation set in place by the film, and adding to the mythology to tailor the concept for television. (Glassner has since left the series to helm Invisible Man.)
What was the potential you saw in Stargate, the film?
Glassner: When I saw the movie, I was thinking, literally, this would make a better TV series than a movie. Because of how they set up the technicalities of how the Stargate works, the implication is that it goes a whole lot of places. But [Devlin and Emmerich] played the movie like it only goes to one place. In the movie, I kept thinking, "Why does it have 39 symbols on it if it only goes to one place? And why would they make it that way?" Things kept popping into my head that were holes in the movie that were easily filled by making a series.
Brad Wright: I liked the first half of the feature film, and I think the mistake that Devlin and Emmerich made, is that they used the first stumbling blocks that they encountered as the entire plot of their film. And obviously, in trying to create a television show, you need to go beyond those first obstacles; people speak English.
What sorts of tweaks were necessary when you first changed the idea of Stargate for television?
Wright: We needed there to be more than one enemy. So we decided that Rah was one of many of his kind. And we created the Jaffa to serve them, because obviously they needed an army. And we've explored the pantheon of Egyptian gods in order to create more characters that operate the same way that Rah did in the feature.
Check out Section31.com which is a great news site for all things Trek.
Check out these funny Star Trek cartoons.
From SciFi.com:
Paramount confirmed the rumored casting of Scott Bakula as Capt. Jonathan Archer in its upcoming fifth Star Trek series, now officially called Enterprise. The May 10 announcement described Bakula's character as "a physical and intensely curious captain with a bold personality" who has a strong sense of duty but is also a bit of a renegade.
The announcement is the first official confirmation of the highly anticipated show's name and casting, which have been the subject of weeks of rumors. "Obviously, I love the genre and am a long-time fan of Star Trek," Bakula said in a statement. "I am also thrilled to be working on a TV series again with Kerry McCluggage and Garry Hart, a relationship that dates back to 1988 with Quantum Leap." Bakula is best known to SF fans for his five seasons as Sam Beckett on Quantum Leap, for which he earned a Golden Globe and four Emmy nominations, Paramount announced.
"We couldn't be happier," Enterprise co-creator and executive producer Rick Berman said in a statement. "Scott personifies the charm and intelligence that the role calls for."
Other Enterprise cast members include Jolene Blalock, John Billingsley, Linda Park, Anthony Montgomery, Dominic Keating and Connor Trinneer, the Hollywood trade papers reported.
No announcement has been made about the network on which Enterprise will run, but UPN is expected to add it to its fall schedule.
03/28/2001:
From SciFi.com:
03/26/2001:
From TrekToday.com:
According to the terms of the deal, TNN has acquired 179 episodes of TNG, reportedly set to start airing in summer; 176 episodes of DS9, beginning Fall 2004 and 172 episodes of Voyager, premiering on TNN in late 2006. Viacom has also purchased the rights to air the first five Star Trek movies on TNN, starting this year.
From TV Guide:
LEAP OF FAITH: Former Quantum Leap star Scott Bakula reportedly is in talks to star in the latest Star Trek TV venture, a prequel that takes place approximately 100 years before the original series. According to TrekToday.com, Bakula would play Capt. Jackson Archer, the headstrong leader of the starship who has a grudge against the Vulcans. The new show is expected to debut on UPN this fall.
Trek Today, source of all great rumors, is reporting the wholly unconfirmed rumor that Scott Bakula is "in negotiations" for the role of the ship's captain in the next Trek series (y'know, the one that Paramount still won't even publicly acknowledge is being planned). Tongue planted firmly in cheek, IGN explores the possibilities, from Bruce Campbell to Lucy Lawless. So, assuming there will be a fifth series, who would you like to see as the newest captain?
From CNN:
(CNN) -- Be on the lookout for a guy who can play a Starfleet captain, and a woman who can play a Vulcan.
Essentially, that's one message officials at Paramount Television allegedly sent to talent agents recently in their search for cast members on the new "Star Trek" series, according to the Web site TrekToday.
The site posted a story Sunday detailing the new characters, with brief biographies, for the upcoming series, which is apparently slated for fall release on UPN. It would be the fifth "Star Trek" series to hit television airwaves.
The original "Star Trek," featuring Captain James T. Kirk, Spock, et al., aired in the late 1960s. Along with its sequel television series, it has spawned 10 movies. The latest one is scheduled for a 2002 release.
Paramount has barely acknowledged publicly that it's creating a new TV series for the fall season. But TrekToday says it was able to get its hands on a character breakdown sent to agents by Paramount.
The new show, according to the site, will be set before the original series, in the 22nd century, "at a time when starship travel was a relatively new endeavour ... and the universe really was still filled with strange new worlds, new life, and new civilizations."
According to the site, the cast will include characters that obviously play off the originals, including:
Captain Jackson Archer, a middle-aged, "physical" guy with a "bold personality" who's a "bit of a renegade." William Shatner, anyone?
Subcommander T'Pau, a female Vulcan who is "austere yet sensual." Like Spock in the original series, she's there to monitor humans and no doubt make them feel primitive in her presence. She becomes a "loyal and trusted" crew member.
Doctor Phlox, an alien medical officer who, unlike the conservative, crotchety Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the original, practices a bizarre brand of new age "Intergalactic medicine" with an "eccentric sense of humor."
Lieutenant Commander Malcolm Reed, a British guy who shares the same title as Montgomery "Scottie" Scott in the original. Unlike Scottie, who struggled to keep the Enterprise -- and himself -- together, Reed will be "spit and polish and by-the-book," as well as "soft-spoken, shy and awkward around women."
For good measure, the creators are throwing in an African-American helmsman, a Japanese communications expert and translator, and a Southerner who's not familiar with new civilizations.
Paramount Television's publicity department refused to comment on the TrekToday story.
From Fandom.com:
Viacom reportedly announced the new show at a financial analysts’ conference call yesterday, according to On24’s Rick Ellis, by way of SFX.
"They did officially say, yes, there was going to be a next Star Trek series in the fall," Ellis told SFX. "They were a little vague on what it is going to be, but one of the things that came out in the press conference this morning was that there was going to be a next Star Trek." Some reports have the series set in the early days of the Federation.
Also, Viacom talked positively about UPN’s future. Rumors are that pre-production will begin on the new series within a month unless actors’ or writers’ strikes scuttle the schedule.
10/01/2000:
From SciFi.com:
Star Trek: Voyager stars turned out Sept. 14 for a Hollywood party to inaugurate the show's upcoming seventh and last season on UPN, the official Star Trek Web site reported. In attendance were Ethan Phillips (Neelix), Tim Russ (Tuvok), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) and executive producer Brannon Braga.
Braga spoke about the next Trek series. "We're working on the new series now. [Voyager executive producer] Rick Berman and I are busily writing the pilot, and we don't know when we'll be able to announce anything officially," he said. "I would imagine in the next six months."
Braga added, "Because we're immersed in it, in the writing of it, we're just not prepared to say anything yet until we have everything nailed down, when we know where it's going and when it's going to air, all that kind of thing."
The SFX Web site, meanwhile, reported a rumor that the Hirogen and the Romulans would appear in Voyager's final season. Filming of the Romulan episode has already taken place, SFX reported. Voyager returns with new episodes on Oct. 4.
Voyager To Focus On Janeway
Kate Mulgrew, who plays Capt. Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager, told the official Trek Web site that she'll miss the captain's chair when the series ends its seven-year run this season."For all my talk of getting on, it will be hard not to crack at the end and say goodbye," Mulgrew said.
Much of the final season's story arc belongs to Captain Janeway, the site reported. Early in the season, staff writers plan to force Janeway to examine the consequences of her original decision to strand the crew in the Delta Quadrant. "Janeway's is a maverick courage," Mulgrew said. "She's brave to the final moment. Without hesitation, she would sacrifice herself, go down with the ship. Against her better judgment, she has fallen in love with all eight people dear to her."
Several episodes will also deal specifically with the ramifications of choices Janeway has made along the way, including "Shattered," a time-travel episode in which Chakotay will lead a pre-stranded Janeway around her ship, experiencing different slices of the crew's story, the site reported. "She'll face key moments in her past and a few points in the future that will take place if they can't escape the anomaly that time-shatters the ship," executive producer Ken Biller told the site.
Biller added, "She'll become very single-minded about getting home [in the second half of the season]. She'll be forced to ask herself exactly how far she's willing to go to get home. She must face the possibility the crew really may never get home, because in the second half of the season, Voyager gets in worse and worse shape. It may not be capable of getting them home."
Mourning Inspired Shatner Novel
Star Trek star William Shatner told TV Guide that grief over the death of his third wife inspired him to write Star Trek Preserver, the best-selling Trek fiction novel released in July. In the book, Shatner's Trek persona, Capt. James T. Kirk, struggles to save his dying wife.
"When someone dies, for a while you want to make some meaning out of a life," Shatner told the magazine. "You go on a spiritual journey. And hopefully, you don't stop."
Shatner's wife, Nerine, drowned in the family's swimming pool in August 1999. The coroner ruled that alcohol and the sedative Valium contributed to the accidental drowning, the Associated Press reported.
09/12/2000:
From SciFi.com:
09/01/2000
From SciFi.com:
Production of "Unimatrix Zero, Part II," the upcoming season premiere episode of Star Trek: Voyager, has wrapped, according to the official Star Trek Web site. The episode, which resolves last season's cliffhanger, will open Voyager's seventh and last season.
Production began this week on the next episode, No. 248, entitled "Imperfection," on Paramount's Stage 9, directed by Trek veteran David Livingston. The second episode of season seven began with scenes in Engineering, Sickbay and the Cargo Bay, featuring Roxann Dawson (B'ElannaTorres), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) and Robert Picardo (the Doctor).
Logan To Pen Trek X
John Logan (Bats) will be the primary screenwriter on the upcoming 10th Star Trek film, according to the official Star Trek Web site. Logan worked on the screenplays for Any Given Sunday and Gladiator, as well as the original HBO movie RKO 281.
Star Trek X is tentatively scheduled for a Thanksgiving 2001 release. Star Trek executive producer Rick Berman told the official Star Trek Communicator magazine that the new movie will feature "a very action-oriented story that revolves around a remarkable villain. A higher percentage of this film will take place in outer space than in our previous films."
Meanwhile, the official Trek Web site announced that fans may download a video preview of the upcoming PC game Star Trek: Klingon Academy, a space combat simulation. The game is a prequel to the 1991 feature film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
07/19/2002
From SciFi.com:
SCI FI Channel, DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg wrapped seven months of principal photography in Vancouver on Steven Spielberg Presents Taken, the network's upcoming limited series about the alien abduction phenomenon. Leslie Bohem (Dante's Peak) wrote Taken and executive produced it with Spielberg and Steve Beers. The 10-night television event premieres on SCI FI in December.
Taken tells the story of three families over four generations and their crucial roles in the history of alien abduction and government conspiracy. The story is told through the voice of Allie (Dakota Fanning), a young girl whose journey is at the heart of the stories. The cast includes Catherine Dent, Joel Gretsch, Steve Burton, Eric Close, Julie Benz, Anton Yelchin, James McDaniel, Desmond Harrington, Willie Garson, Matt Frewer, Desmond Harrington, Ryan Hurst, Ryan Earl Merriman, Michael Moriarty, Gabrielle Rose, Heather Donahue, Adam Kaufman, Andy Powers, Chad Donella, Emily Bergl and James Kirk.
03/28/2001:
From SciFi.com:
The miniseries will weave together more than 50 years of alien abduction accounts into the story of three families' experiences. The miniseries is slated to begin production later this year. Les Bohem will executive produce and write Taken.
07/22/2002
From Aint-it-Cool.com:
From TV Guide:
First Lady Laura Bush nearly met her TV doppelganger at a White House press corps dinner on Sunday. Carrie Quinn Dolin — who spoofs Dubya's wife on Comedy Central's That's My Bush! — was slated to attend until a last-minute change in the series's production schedule kept her from flying to Washington, D.C.
Though disappointed, Dolin's a little relieved at having been spared the awkwardness of such an encounter. "I don't know what I would say to her if I was introduced," she admits. "I watched the interview with Mrs. Bush on Larry King Live, and she said she'd heard about our show but never watched it. I don't know how close they would ever let me get to her, but I think my chances of shaking hands with her are pretty slim."
Like the sitcom's irreverent creators — South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone — Dolin makes no apologies for the outrageous humor on That's My Bush! "I don't think we're making fun of Mrs. Bush — we're just taking a little artistic license," she winks. "I took this role very seriously. I watched a lot of tapes of her and read up on her life — as it turned out, I could have saved my time. Matt and Trey are constantly on the set and they're always pushing us to the edge."
For example, Dolin points to the debut episode, when "Mrs. Bush" inadvertently flashed a room full of White House visitors. "It was totally innocent," she laughs. "Mrs. Bush is just trying to get the President into the bedroom. Even though she's supposed to be naked in the scene, I certainly wasn't. It was all done with computers."
Dolin, who paid her dues as a movie extra before landing her plum gig, reveals: "Actually, I'm a Democrat, but I'm really glad that Bush got elected. It's made my career. When Matt and Trey asked me if I'd seen South Park, I had to tell them, 'No.' I couldn't afford cable until I became Mrs. Bush!"
From
by Mark Armstrong
Apr 5, 2001, 4:15 PM PT
This could be Trey Parker and Matt Stone's single biggest achievement since Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo.
West Wing, watch out: That's My Bush!, the bizarre new George W. Bush sitcom from the creators of South Park , pulled in 2.9 million viewers Wednesday night to become the highest-rated series premiere in Comedy Central's 10-year history.
The episode, which ran at 10:30 p.m. immediately following South Park, scored a 3.0 rating in households, beating the previous record held by The Man Show when it premiered in June 1999 (2.8 rating). The network also notes that Bush becomes the only show to have built on the lead-in audience provided by South Park, which notched a 2.7 rating for its repeat episode Wednesday night.
For those who missed out on all the hijinks, That's My Bush! stars Timothy Bottoms in a dead-on potrayal of the Dubya-in-Chief and Carrie Quinn Dolin as long-suffering wife Laura. Parker and Stone have insisted that Bush! is more a parody of classic goofball sitcoms than the President himself--complete with a canned laugh-track, a wacky next-door neighbor (named Larry, à la Three's Company) and a know-it-all maid (think Alice from The Brady Bunch).
The premiere episode, "An Aborted Dinner Date," featured Bush alternately trying to stage a private dinner date with his wife and host a meeting between abortion leaders. The pro-choice side was represented by a butch-looking woman, while pro-lifers were represented by an actual aborted fetus--a tiny puppet made to look like something straight out of Alien.
Needless to say, wackiness ensued and the fetus eventually rode away on a dog. (Don't ask.)
Despite much anticipation over how Parker and Stone would skewer the President, reviews of the show were decidedly mixed. The Associated Press said the series was "juvenile, coarse and impishly determined to offend." But the Washington Post, perhaps more attuned to such highbrow political humor, declared it "tasteless, appalling and funny as hell."
Meanwhile, next week's episode, "A Poorly Executed Plan," will feature Dubya's old fraternity buddies taking over the White House. Someone eventually gets executed. And more wackiness ensues.
04/05/2001:
From TV Guide:
Are Matt Stone and Trey Parker Republicans?
When I first heard about this new series about 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, I expected the South Park creators to thoroughly lambaste the Presidency, regardless of the winner in November's election. When George W. Bush won the most bizarre election on record, I expected the barbs to rush forth from this show like oil gushing from a well. I expected Parker and Stone to crucify Bush for his legendary malaprops and cushy birthright.
Curiously, it didn't happen. In an effort to placate the White House, Comedy Central asked Parker and Stone to drop characters that were based on the President's daughters. They agreed and the sitcom didn't suffer. That's because the show isn't really about President Bush (played by Timothy Bottoms), his family or politics.
Parker and Stone avoided the obvious and have crafted a parody of the situation comedy. It lampoons silly, formulaic plots and stereotypical characters. Carrie Quinn Dolin (Laura Bush) likens it to The Dick Van Dyke Show, while Parker cites influences ranging from Black Adder to Monty Python's Flying Circus. But according to Parker, That's My Bush! is modeled on another British comedy. He says, "When we think of this show, the first thing we think of is Fawlty Towers ... [There's] a guy trying to run a house, guests coming in and out and [he's] always [trying to] make it seem like everything's okay. We [have] studied that show since we were 12, and that's really what inspired it." Parker goes on to say, "It's not political humor... It's not [about] what happened this week in America."
No, it certainly isn't. To achieve their goal of re-creating the classic sitcom, Parker and Stone did their homework. According to Dolin, they revisited a slew of old series and compiled a list of recurring themes that will be woven into future episodes of That's My Bush! The characters are all sitcom archetypes. George is the bumbling, but well-meaning husband. Laura is the loving wife and the voice of reason in the family. There's a wacky neighbor; an earthy, smart-ass maid (think Florence on The Jeffersons); and a dimwitted blond secretary. Kurt Fuller plays Karl Rove, Bush's no-nonsense political advisor, who is continually exasperated by George's incompetence. And in a nod to The Honeymooners and Ralph Kramden's "To the moon, Alice," Parker and Stone punctuate each episode with George's comic threat, "One of these days, Laura, I'm gonna punch you in the face!"
In the opener, George is not spending enough time with Laura. It's a classic storyline, for sure, but That's My Bush! takes it in a new direction. George has inadvertently scheduled a dinner with Laura for the same night as a meeting with the heads of the pro-life and pro-choice movements. Unable to cancel either event, he tries to attend both, running back and forth from room to room in the White House, staying just long enough fulfill the requirements of each engagement.
But this sitcom isn't as tame as it may seem. These guys did create South Park , after all. The leader of the pro-life movement is a bitter, foul-mouthed aborted fetus, who has lived for 30 years but hasn't developed physically. The pro-choice leader is the definition of "butch": an aggressive, tight-lipped woman with short-cropped hair.
Although the President is not the focus of all of the humor, he is the butt of some of the jokes. For example, Laura says to George, "You're the best, even if you are a clueless bastard sometimes." Clearly, Bush is not getting off scot-free, but it could be worse. Parker and Stone could have taken aim at his daughters
From Zap2it.com:
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - It's apparent that audiences are going to be looking for irreverence when they tune into Comedy Central's new series "That's My Bush!" from "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone aren't trying to get in trouble with the government though.
"We're trying to make something that looks and smells and feels just like a sitcom you'd see on NBC," says Parker, in a conference call with reporters. "It's sort of odd, now that we've seen how it's all done, we've been told by the people that work on 'Friends' that yes, [the actors] only come in for one day of rehearsal. Then they only do so much, and you can see it in on the show, it's just kind of like nobody really cares."
Already, there have been snickers about the title. None of which is helped by the assertion that among those considered were "Everybody Loves Bush" and "I Love Bush."
"It was kind of hard, almost any name we came up with kind of could be read two ways just because of his unfortunate last name," says Stone. "'That's My Bush!' had that real sitcom, Alan Thicke, '80s kind of feel to it."
Rather than merely making fun at the expense of a public figure, "Bush!" is set up to be a parody of the formulaic sitcoms that have dominated the networks for years. Five major characters, including a sassy maid, a sexy, dumb secretary and a nosy next door neighbor are joined by a standard-issue couple that just happen to be the President and First Lady of the United States.
In addition to the parodying of the characters, comes the satirizing of the plot lines. At the beginning, the writers wrote down eight red-button issues on one side of a chalkboard and eight sitcom classics on the other before randomly matching them up with one another. That's why Bush's frat brothers come for a visit and end up at an execution.
"Sitcoms are always sort of about something trite and mundane," says Parker. "Let's make a sitcom where the biggest political issues in the world are the B plots. So, the A plot would be something like George lies to his wife and gets caught and learns that he shouldn't lie to his wife The B plot is the entire abortion issue."
Parker and Stone were raised on shows like "Different Strokes" and "The Facts of Life." The popular "South Park" character Eric Cartman is based on "All in the Family" patriarch Archie Bunker. However, their real comic influences were Monty Python and "Blackadder." All of which got thrown into the pot when it came to creating "That's My Bush!"
"We wanted to do a show that basically in the first half just really felt like the American sitcom, and then eventually breaks down into more of a British [one]," says Parker.
In addition to an obviously manipulated laugh track, "Bush!" has a catchphrase, George's creepy endearment to his wife -- "One of these days I'm going to punch you in the face."
"Obviously, it's the 'Honeymoon'-er's thing," says Parker. "I always thought it was funny how he would sort of say, 'Bang, Zoom.' and everyone would laugh. And you're like, 'Dude, he's talking about hitting her.' And I'm like, 'That's not cool.'"
For now though, the show will not feature Bush's twin daughters. While there was a widely circulated rumor that they would be portrayed as lesbians, Parker insists that was merely a myth courtesy of the Internet.
"The truth of the matter is we had already decided that we didn't really have room for them. Then we decided they were off in college. But then that came through: It's like, 'Hands off our daughters.' So now we're probably going to figure out a way to put them in somewhere down the line."
For the record, if anything should happen to the President, the show will be retitled -- "That's My Dick!"
04/02/2001:
From Gist.com:
That's My Bush!
Comedy Central, Wednesdays, 10:30 to 11 p.m. ET
Series premiere: Wednesday, April 4
By Diane Snyder
The creators of Comedy Central's new presidential satire, That's My Bush!, have made a pledge about their protagonist to make to the American people: "We are going to make you love this guy."
A nervy promise, especially coming from two men more accustomed to lampooning than revering: Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the twisted pair behind the foul-mouthed grade-schoolers in the subversive animated series South Park. But they aren't abandoning the art of parody to pen a paean to the 43rd president - they're just using their acerbic wit to spoof sitcom conventions instead of politics.
"We had been waiting for several years to do a sitcom that sort of ripped on sitcoms, because we hate them so much," Parker says. "The whole point of a sitcom is taking a character and forcing you to love that character, like Everybody Loves Raymond.... So what we are going to do is make everyone love George Bush."
Or at least his sitcom counterpart, who's considerably different from the real thing, despite a striking physical resemblance between stars Timothy Bottoms and Carrie Quinn Dolin and the real George W. and Laura. The president of That's My Bush! has to deal with all the responsibilities that come with being a busy chief of state, but his life will also be supplemented by trite story devices, catchphrases and a laugh track.
While the show may not be a political satire, it won't be devoid of politics either - they'll just be handled in a glib and formulaic fashion. "We take the most serious political issue we can and put it with the stereotypical sitcom plot," explains Parker. "It's, like, take the most asinine Three's Company-type of sitcom thing that we've all seen a million times, and then make the theme of it 'abortion.' "
In fact, the first episode does sound oddly reminiscent of a Three's Company show in which Jack ended up with two dates on the same night. Titled "An Aborted Dinner Date," it revolves around George's realization that he's scheduled two very important engagements for the same night. He's invited the leaders of the pro-life and pro-choice movements over for dinner on the same evening that he has a date with his wife. D'oh! Instead of canceling one, however, he goes ahead with both - and tries to keep his myriad dining companions from finding out about one another.
The sitcom Bush is also surrounded by the same quirky associates and acquaintances that you're more accustomed to seeing interact with Bea Arthur or Bob Newhart. Literally. The sassy housekeeper Maggie is played by Marcia Wallace, best known for her role as Newhart's receptionist on his eponymous '70s sitcom. And like just about every sitcom family, the Bushes will have to contend with a pesky neighbor, Larry (John D'Aquino), who always stops by at a bad time. Filling out the 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. clan are presidential adviser Karl Rove (Kurt Fuller) and perky scheduling assistant Princess (Kristen Miller).
But don't look for the Bushes' 19-year-old twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara - at least not yet. Although word leaked out that they would be depicted as incestuous lesbians when the show was in development, Parker and Stone have said they weren't the ones who penned that script. Through the grapevine, Parker says he heard that the powers that be in Washington were not pleased, but adds that the young women could pop up in future episodes.
Remarks Parker, "When you get calls from Washington telling you, 'Don't you dare do it,' it just makes us want to do it all the more."
1/15/2002
From Comics2Film.com:
January 24 will see the final new episode of The Tick on Fox. The episode, airing in its usual 8:30 timeslot, guest stars Dave Foley of News Radio and Kids in the Hall fame. Fox provides this description of the episode:
"Arthur is excited to reveal to his mother and sister that he has become a superhero, but after meeting the socially inept Tick they decide to hire 'superhero deprogrammer.'"
Fox has recently opted not to pick up any additional episodes of The Tick past the initial eight. To learn more about how to SPOON FOX and save The Tick, click here!
01/11/2002
From Comics2Film.com:
After days of rumors official word came down from the Hollywood trades that the fan-favorite TV series The Tick would not run beyond the January 24th episode. The news that Fox is canceling the show has been upsetting for fans who love the show.
The Tick faced an uphill battle being stuck in a killer time-slot. Furthermore there seemed to be little attempt by Fox to help the show by pairing it with a lead-in like The Simpsons (i.e. a highly-rated show that targeted a similar audience).
But the fans have a voice and a spoon and it's time for them to use that voice and rally to the aid of the big blue bug of justice and his bunny-eared buddy!
Letter-writing campaigns have been key in saving shows from Cagney and Lacey to Roswell. We don't need to mention that it was fan-letters that saved the original Star Trek TV series and propelled it on to the legendary status it enjoys today.
Comics2Film encourages any fans who would like to save The Tick to join in the "Spoon Fox" campaign. We ask that you send a letter (yes one of those paper and ink things) to the network asking for the reinstatement of the show.
Everyone knows that Tick's battle cry is "Spooooon!" So too shall it be ours. To emphasize our point, we ask that fans enclose a spoon (even a plastic one...preferably a blue plastic one) in the envelope with your letter.
Fans can address their polite but assertive demands to:
Sandy Grushow
Chairman of Fox TV Entertainment Group
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Building 100, Room 5110
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Webmasters interested in aiding the campaign are encouraged to add this button to their website with a link to this article:
01/10/2002
Comics2Film.com:
As has been rumored all week, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Fox TV has called an end to the weekly patrols of everyone's favorite blue bug of justice The Tick.
The network has opted not to pick up an additional episodes of the hilarious show beyond the initial eight. Six episodes have aired two date. The final two will air on January 17th and January 24th in the show's brutal 8:30 p.m. timeslot.
Although the show enjoyed praise from TV critics and had the approval of the fans, The Tick faced tough Thursday competition against NBC's "must-see" comedy block and CBS' Survivor: Africa. Sadly, the deserving show never found a significant prime-time audience.
Fox has released new publicity stills for the remaining episodes.
"The Tick Vs. Justice" airs on January 17th, while "Arthur Interrupted" serves as the final installment.
01/7/2002
Comics2Film.com:
Fate has dealt us a cruel bout of Family Guy this week, but fear not Tick fans: the big, blue bug of justice returns next week with an all new episode.
On January 17th at 8:30 p.m. Fox will air "The Tick vs. Justice". In this episode, when Batmanuel backs into the car of villain Destroyo, he, The Tick and Arthur discover a treasure-trove of weapons in his trunk. The three go to court to testify against Destroyo, and The Tick winds up in jail in contempt of court. Meanwhile, Captain Liberty is asked to guard the villain while he is in custody, and he ends up chipping away at her confidence a la 'Hannibal Lecter' to Clarice in Silence of the Lambs.
Destroyo is played by Kurt Fuller who appeared in Scary Movie and That's My Bush.
12/20/2001
From Comics2Film.com:
Prevue Magazine recently sat down with the big, blue bug of justice himself, Patrick Warburton better know to fans of fine TV shows as The Tick.
Warburton continues to express enjoyment about bringing Ben Edlund's comic book character to life. "It's really fun. It's so full of possibilities. It can go so many places," Warburton said. "I love doing the show, it's very clever, so full of double entendres."
As one might imaging, having one's entire body covered in latex for an entire workday is fairly difficult. "It can be pretty demanding physically. It sucks your energy," the actor told Prevue. "I have to drink a lot of vodka basically, (laughing) actually H2O or Gatorade because it's a long day of sweating. It's kind of hard to sit in that thing and pick up a newspaper and read, because the suit is very restrictive."
Warburton also said he enjoys the interaction with his co-stars. "We definitely goof on each other a lot. Liz Vassey, who plays Captain Liberty, and David are really good friends. They're very close and they like to sing with each other a lot. They love to sing show tunes," Warburton explained. "Nestor and I like to get on Liz's case and tell her that we're really concerned that she's turning our friend gay. That's some of the silliness that goes on."
Warburton sees big things in store for viewer, should The Tick catch on. "I know we've only scratched the surface with these nine episodes. You give us 100 episodes and I can guarantee you we will give you the most truly creative show ever, because we have no boundaries," he said. "We just started realizing, after episode seven or eight, all the ideas that come to mind and we want that opportunity."
The star also told Prevue that he hopes to direct some episodes of the show, should it get picked up for additional seasons.
12/18/2001
From Comics2Film.com:
Even with the Holidays approaching there's no time off for a super-hero like The Tick. This week the azure arachnid avenger enters your living room not once, but twice.
According to TV listings, the show will air in its regular timeslot on Thursday, December 20th at 8:30p.m. with a repeat showing of the "Couples" episode. That show featured fan-favorite actor Ron Pearlman as the hero Fiery Blaze and Patrick Breen as his sidekick Friendly Fire. The pair hook up with The Tick in Arthur in a humorous study of the superhero sidekick
Then, on Friday, December 21st at 8:30 p.m. it's time for an all-new episode of The Tick. This time The Tick and Arthur get their shot at "The Big Leagues."
An exclusive superhero-club invites our heroes to join up. However, the flirtation leaves Captain Liberty and Bat Manuel feeling snubbed.
9/14/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
Fox TV has released three new images for the upcoming Tick TV show. The show is set to debut in its regular timeslot on Thursday, November 1 at 8:30 p.m. (ET).
The pictures feature stars Patrick Warburton as The Tick, David Burke as Arthur, Liz Vassey as Captain Liberty and Nestor Carbonell as Bat Manuel.
09/06/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
07/20/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
04/11/2001:
From Comics2Film:
Fans eager to see The Tick on the small screen may have to wait a bit longer. Sources close to the show have told Comics2Film that it definitely will not air until the next fall season and will most likely be held until November.
The show was originally slated for a mid-season release this year on Fox. However, the threatened strikes in Hollywood left the network skittish about next fall's schedule. They decided to hold the show in reserve until then. It now seems likely that the show will be pushed until November in order to make way for Fox's sports programming.
Fans eager to see Tick star Patrick Warburton in action can look for his Australian movie The Dish. The movie enjoyed positive reviews during its limited U.S. release last month. It opens in wide release April 27th.
From Fandom.com:
The live action Tick TV series won’t be showing up this spring.
Fox reportedly said the show will be held for as a summer replacement or a fall debut. The network blames the pending Hollywood actors’ strike as the reason as The Tick could fill in for another show if Fox needs it.
07/22/2002
From Aint-it-Cool.com:
From Aint-it-Cool.com:
The "24" second-season premiere will run commercial free, thanks to a sponsorship deal with Ford. (The "Alias" pilot benefited from a similar arrangement last year.)
Sara Gilbert (of "Roseanne" fame) will play one of the new girls at CTU. Laura Harris (one of Harry Knowles' castmates in "The Faculty") will also have a recurring role. A third new cast member, Sarah Wynter ("The Sixth Day"), was hired some time ago.
"24" also took "program of the year" and "new program of the year" kudos from the Television Critics Association on Saturday. Another Fox enterprise, "The Bernie Mac Show," took best achievement in comedy.
Execs also confirm that both Nina Myers and Sherry Palmer will turn up this season. No word yet on Neill, the henchman played by Al Leong.
07/20/2002
From Aint-it-Cool.com:
Echoes of "Alias"! The first scene of the second season will depict two Asians torturing a third Asian with some very painful truth serum. The last words of the scene: "It's happening today."
Echoes of Lloyd Bridges in "Airplane!" Minutes before President Palmer phones Jack up about the nuclear threat to Los Angeles, we learn from a pharmacist that Jack Bauer's physician did not authorize a refill for one of Jack's prescriptions. Jack, on leave from the Counter-Terrorism Unit, is looking pretty scruffy these days.
Moments later, a testy Jack will be confronted at a red light by an overly-aggressive squeegee guy.
By episode two, Jack, undercover as a recent parolee, will be lugging something highly unpleasant in his trunk. He will show it to bad guys.
Also in episode two, Jack's going to meet some angry young white middle-class Tim McVeigh types - anxious to see the U.S. government "pay."
From TV Guide:
While almost nothing is predictable about 24, Fox's twisting and turning drama, one thing you can count on is that, due to the show's real-time narrative, kidnapped Kimberly Bauer will still be wearing the same increasingly grimy T-shirt and jeans.
How does Elisha Cuthbert feel about her character's ready-to-walk-on-its-own wardrobe? "It boils down to two things. One, constantly having to look the same is driving me nuts as a female. I'm going bonkers!" she tells TV Guide Online with a laugh. "Two, I'm being really friendly to the writers, with the hope that Kimberly might someday pull a new outfit out of her back pocket.
"Seriously, when I took the role I didn't pay much consideration to that," she adds. "It's actually kind of cool to see this crazy outfit go through all this stuff. My wardrobe is getting very, um, 'pleasant.'"
Sartorial issues aside, Cuthbert exudes fan-like enthusiasm for 24 's top-secret, tension-filled storylines. But, like a good soldier, she is tight-lipped about what's ahead. "My family's the worst at trying to get information out of me. It's just not happening," she declares with a smile. "I'm like 'Mom, Dad, leave me alone. I don't want to get in a whole bunch of trouble!'"
While all that off- and on-screen drama can take a lot out of an actress, Cuthbert - who now is filming Old School, a comedy - was thrilled when 24 received its full-season commitment. "It's below zero with a lot of snow back home in Calgary," she notes, "so I am quite thankful to be sitting in the Los Angeles sun!"
01/10/2002:
From TV Guide:
Official FOX site for Undeclared
Producer's site for Undeclared
From E! Online:
UNDECIDED: Fox cutting back on its comedy orders, trimming episode commitments for Undeclared, Titus and Grounded for Life. Undeclared creator Judd Apatow is already asking fans to help save the show.
From E! Online:
Freaks and geeks may not perform well on TV, but at least they're effective lobbyists.
That's the lesson learned by Freaks and Geeks creator Judd Apatow, whose NBC high school series was once saved (however briefly) by a rabid "Save Our Show" campaign staged by his devotees.
Now, Apatow is once again asking fans to give it the ol' college try and help save his newest comedy, Undeclared, after Fox this week cut back its full-season commitment to the series amid disappointing ratings on an ultra-competitive Tuesday night.
The ensemble college show, centering on the shenanigans of freshmen at the fictional University of Northeastern California, has gone from pre-season critical darling to potential midseason liability--leading Apatow to take his case to the people.
"I hate to say it, but Undeclared may soon go the way of Freaks and Geeks," Apatow said in an email, distributed this week to many of the same fans who once campaigned for his defunct NBC comedy.
"If you care, now would be the time to write some letters to Fox and the media," he adds. "Last time, it didn't save Freaks and Geeks from the axe, but it definitely kept us shooting the show a lot longer than if you didn't write. Thanks for all your support and if you are not into it, enjoy your day."
At first glance, Undeclared appeared to have a bright future. After a promising October debut, Fox decided to order the show's "back nine" episodes, bringing it to a full-season count of 22 beer-chugging, frat-nasty installments.
But since then, the DreamWorks Television production has tumbled in the ratings, bleeding viewers from its That '70s Show lead-in. All told, the series has averaged less than 8 million viewers, and Apatow says Fox has now decided to order only four more episodes--not nine as originally planned. That means the cast and crew have one last episode to shoot after Christmas break, and only a handful of chances left to prove their worth to Fox.
Fox didn't immediately comment on the would-be campaign. Still, Apatow acknowledged his ratings pressures during an E! Online chat last month.
"They did pull us this week because they're afraid of us going up against celebrity Fear Factor. Which is tough," he said with a laugh. "The worst days are when I wake up in the morning and check the ratings and see that J.Lo kicked my ass. I prefer the nights we beat up on those Three Sisters. We need more Three Sisters!"
Apatow was in luck Tuesday night: Undeclared pulled in 7.5 million viewers, beating NBC's Three Sisters. So we guess not all is lost.
Lately, it seems the executive producer has generated more attention from his emails than his shows. Two weeks ago, he found himself at the center of a gossip whirlwind when media outlets published a nasty email exchange between him and That '70s Show executive producer Mark Brazill, who apparently holds a grudge against Apatow because he thinks Apatow once stole one of his ideas for a sketch on The Ben Stiller Show.
While Apatow tried to smooth things over, Brazill eventually replied by telling him to go "get cancer" and "die in a fiery accident and taste your own blood."
Brazill later said he regretted the harsh words, adding that he had apologized to Apatow.
From TV Guide:
What if the kids from NBC's defunct Freaks and Geeks went to college? Freaks creator Judd Apatow hints at the answer to that query in Undeclared, which debuts Tuesday at 8:30 pm/ET on Fox. As the comedy's lead freaky freshman, Jay Baruchel joins Apatow's pantheon of teen misfits - though his skinny Steven Karp does get the girl in the first episode.
"[For] one night only," Baruchel cautions TV Guide Online. "I'm not going to say what happens, but sure, she has sex with me. And she's very nice about that, but Steven is a geek. He loves Total Recall and collects Spinal Tap dolls; he's got Todd McFarlane posters all over his room. He's a huge geek - as am I, so that's why it's a badge I wear with pride. I think I'll actually make one and put it on sometime!"
All quips aside, the 19-year-old Canadian actor - who spent a year on the Nickelodeon series Popular Mechanics for Kids before landing a small role in Almost Famous - thinks Freaks devotees will enjoy Undeclared . "It's definitely in the same vein," he says. "It's the same kind of comedy based in reality. It's not afraid to be emotional. It's just a little bit off from everything else out there. Hopefully, Freaks and Geeks fans will appreciate that."
As for Baruchel, he's learned plenty from attending the fictional U. of Northeastern California, considering he's never lived the dorm life at a residential college. "I've never experienced what this show is about," he admits. "I think, in a way, that informs my performance. That helps me be a novice to it [like Steven], because I've honestly never done it myself." -
07/20/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
Judd Apatow is creating "Undeclared," which is a college based show airing on fox in the fall. Seth Rogen is the lead character.
An interesting bit from Eonline's Watch With Wanda, about Judd Apatow's mid-season (February) show:
It should survive--as long as they can pick an adequate name in time. In the past month, the series has gone from "The Apatow Project" to "College" to "Undeclared" to (shudder) "The College Experience." Still, word is the Freaks and Geeks creator's latest is well written (of course) and boasts a great cast, including Seth Rogen (former Freak Ken) and Monica Keena (Dawson's Creek's Abby). Plus, one big-name celebrity has already signed on for a guest stint: Adam Sandler appears in the sixth episode."
E! Online picks Undeclared as #27 in 2001: A user's guide, Our Countdown of the Year's 30 Most Anticipated Movies, Shows, Albums and More. Here's what they had to say:
05/21/2001:
From SciFi.com:
Kenneth Johnson, creator of the campy alien invasion TV series V, told SFX magazine that he's talking with about reviving the show, Cinescape Online reported. "It's come up over and over again, and I'm talking to a couple of guys at Warners," Johnson reportedly said. "I have a notion of a way to do the second generation."
Johnson added, "I think the way the story would have to play out is that, at the end of the original miniseries, we send a signal for help out to another alien race that is supposedly the Visitors' enemies. This story would pick up from there. The sea levels have dropped 50 feet, and Faye Grant and Marc Singer are the matriarch and patriarch of the resistance. There's a whole generation of young people who have grown up not knowing anything except occupation. Suddenly there is a new group of people who are saying, 'Hey, we got your message and we're here to help.' But are they here to help? That's the question: are we trading Hitler for Mussolini or vice versa?"
12/17/2002:
From E! Online:
08/23/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
On Tuesday Witchblade wrapped up what is being called TNT's first successful original series. According to Variety the network has now announced that they've re-upped the show for a second, 13-episode season.
The eleven episode run pulled a 2.3 average in its first 10 weeks. Variety claims that's a 64% improvement over movies running in that timeslot last year and it's pulling in the right demographics, increasing the cable net's number of young-men and young-women.
Warner Bros. TV charges the network about $950,000 an episode. However each episode costs $1.3 million to $1.5 million to produce. The studio will make up the difference through sale of the series in foreign markets and future rerun sales to basic cable in North America.
The next season is expected to launch in June.
08/23/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
Yesterday the trades reported that TNT had decided to renew the successful Witchblade TV series for a seconds seasons. Subsequently the net issued a statement confirming the renewal.
The series finale for season 1 closed with a 2.7 rating on Tuesday, Aug. 21 at 9 p.m. (tying its highest rating ever - week one, Tuesday, June 12, at 9 p.m.). The series bolstered TNT's line-up by delivering double-digit increases in rating, household delivery and all key target demos versus the same time period, year to date. During its 11-week run, Witchblade was watched by more than 35 million unduplicated viewers.
"TNT's commitment to the Witchblade series is prompted by the strong performance of the two-hour pilot and our initial series run," said Robert DeBitetto, president of original programming, TNT. "We are thrilled to be able to offer viewers additional hours of a drama franchise they clearly enjoy, while continuing our successful partnership with sister company Warner Bros. Television."
The Witchblade ratings highlights for summer of 2001 include:
* Versus the same time period 2001, year to date, Witchblade was up 44% (2.3) in rating and up 41% in household delivery (1,849,000).
* In key demos, Witchblade was up 45% in delivery of men 18-49 (687,000); up 53% in delivery of women 18-49 (657,000); up 63% in delivery of men 25-54 (748,000) and up 69% in delivery of women 25-54 (757,000).
* Ratings ended on an upward trend, with August episodes averaging a 2.4 rating versus a 2.1 for July.
* Compared to TNT's performance for the same weeks, same time period, last summer (2000), Witchblade's 2.3 rating is a 64% increase.
On Aug. 26, TNT will devote an entire Sunday to Witchblade, featuring the two-hour TNT Original pilot that launched the series, followed by episodes 1-11. The all-day event begins at 10 a.m. (ET/PT).
07/02/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
Need to catch up on the Witchblade series? On July 8th TNT will show a 6-hour Witchblade marathon. The marathon kicks off at 4:00pm ET, with an airing of the original movie. Followed by the first four episodes of the series at 6, 7, 8 and 9pm
TNT also released a description for the July 17th episode of the show. The sixth installment is called "Maelstrom". Here's the synopsis:
"Conchobar (Kim De Lury) is abducted by Irish militants, and Sara will do anything to save him, even if it means compromising the powers of the Witchblade."
The 11 episode mini series winds down in August. The schedule for that month is:
TNT is only providing a description for episode 9 at this point: "Apprehension - Sara (Yancy Butler) is immersed in an investigation surrounding the murder of a pimp when a mysterious package is delivered to her. Her world begins to unravel when clues suggest the enemy may not be who she thought. The only thing she can trust now is the knowing eye of the Witchblade."
04/26/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
The TNT cable network has published its June schedule and Witchblade is on it. The new series kicks off with a showing of last year's two-hour movie on Tuesday, June 5 at 9pm. If you get in late you can catch an encore presentation of the movie that same night at 11pm. The movie will air a third time on Monday, June 11 at 10pm.
The new episodes start on the 12th. The show airs in 9pm slot with encore showings of each episode airing 11pm the same night. This first episode is called "Parallax". It brings Sara Pezzini into conflict with a experimentally bred super-soldier called a "Black Dragon." This episode also has a special encore showing at 11pm on Saturday, the 30th.
Airing on the 19th is "Conundrum." No description is given for this episode.
On the 26th we have "Diplopia." This episode has Pezzini investigating a suspect who always seems to have air-tight alibis. The episode introduces the Madame Boucher character from the comics, as well as the recurring character Gabriel Bowman.
All air times are EST. Check your local cable listings.
04/12/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
The Associated Press reports that 57-year-old rock legend Roger Daltrey has been cast in a episode of Witchblade. According to the report, "Daltrey will portray a Catholic priest caught in a dispute between Nazis and the Vatican." This sounds like the episode entitled "Legion" that we told you about a few weeks ago.
The former lead singer for The Who has appeared in many movies and TV shows.
04/12/2001:
From E! Online:
04/06/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
As if two Witchblade websites weren't enough, a Comics2Film reader named Dex points us to a third site. Warner Television's Witchblade site appears to be the most up-to-date regarding the new summer series. That site features artwork for the show, downloadable trailers and a chance sign up as a "bladewielder," which gives you access to special features on the site.
The site also reveals that the series is set to begin airing on TNT June 5th in the 9pm timeslot.
Other Witchblade sites include TNT's Witchblade Site, promoting the original movie and Top Cow's Witchblade.com promoting all things Witchblade.
3/28/2001:
From Comics2Film.com:
Here's a scoop on the Witchblade TV show which is currently filming in Toronto. Here's the scoop on three more episodes for the TNT original series. The show stars Yancy Butler as Sara Pezzini and David Chokachi as her partner Jake.
Filming wrapped up last week on an episode called "Sacrifice". That episode has Pezzini investigating ritual murders, mutilations and druidic sacrifices. She crosses paths with an Irish rock star named Conchobar whose music is mysteriously linked to the crimes.
"Sacrifice" is directed by David S. Jackson who has helmed TV shows like Dark Angel and The Lone Gunmen.
Filming began last week on an episode called "Legion". In this episode Sara investigates the murder of priest, found killed in his own church. The priest was about to reveal disturbing findings linking the Vatican to "unfathomable evil." The episode pits Sara against a so-called Black Friar, an enforcer of the Vatican. Aiding Pezzini is Father Alyosha Petrosian.
"Legion" is directed by Neill Fearnley. Fearnley directed the recent TV movie Inside The Osmonds as well as sitting behind the camera for episodes of The Net and Earth: Final Conflict.
Finally, an episode called "Parallex" is set to begin shooting next week. The episode puts Pezzini into conflict with experimentally bred super-soldiers called "Black Dragons." Her foe in this one is a Black Dragon named Hector "Moby" Mobius. Moby is inhumanly and impossibly strong and sleek. The socially withdrawn predator seems to be stalking Sara's nemesis, Ian Nottingham.
"Parallex" is directed by James Whitmore Jr. whose credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Roswell and The X-Files. The show is due to air on TNT in June.
03/05/2001:
From Fandom Daily Buzz:
TNT will experiment with scheduling its upcoming super-hero/fantasy series Witchblade, according to Variety. The network will play each of the first 11 episodes during repeat episodes of Law & Order starting this June.
Variety worries that TNT may turn off both Law & Order and Witchblade watchers with the pairing.
02/28/2001:
From Fandom Daily Buzz:
The Witchblade TV series will increasingly incorporate elements from the comic series, according to Comic Book Continuum . The show, which debuts on TNT in June, stars Yancy Butler as Sara Pezzini. Witchblade television series will continue to incorporate elements of the comic book.
"There are a few story elements from the comics that will make their way into the first season of the TV show," Top Cow's David Wohl told Continuum . "The two that will be seen early on are: a version of Dannette Boucher, the fashion mogul with a connection to Kenneth Irons and the Witchblade; and the White Bulls, which is a group of vigilante cops within the police force.
"Other than that, a lot of the background information on the Witchblade that we introduced in the comic will be shown over the course of the series. There will also be other elements that we haven't shown in the comic yet, but are relevant to the origin of the Witchblade in both the comic and the TV show."
From E! Online:
FOX RETURNS! The X-Files creator Chris Carter telling the Post that David Duchovny will likely return to the show for its series finale in May. "David was open to it and now the [legal and logistical] complication of trying to get it done comes," Carter said. "I just have to make the show as interesting as possible, not just for David but for the fans."
From E! Online:
The truth is out there, and the truth hurts: After nine seasons of sniffing out conspiracies, Fox's The X-Files is packing it in at the end of this season.
Creator Chris Carter told reporters Wednesday that it was time for the long-running series to end, and the finale will air in May.
"It's the ninth inning. We wanted to go out on top," he told Daily Variety. "We wanted to go out as a strong show."
Strong, of course, is all relative: The series has tumbled in the ratings this season, with fans grousing that recent episodes aren't living up to the days of David Duchovny. The X-Files has averaged 8.7 million viewers in its Sunday timeslot, and with costs reaching $4 million per episode, there had already been talk that 20th Century Fox Television was going to end the show's run this year.
Both Carter and star Gillian Anderson have previously voiced their exhaustion with the series, with the actress saying last summer that this would be her last season as Dana Scully so she can focus on being a mom and pursue other projects (she's already adapting the novel Speed of Light for her directorial debut).
Carter, meanwhile, said he wants to end the series with a proper farewell, including a clip show and--for the love of all things holy--some answers.
"I want to be able to wrap things up for the fans who have been there from the beginning and throughout," he told the Hollywood Reporter . "My determination was to go out with a series of very, very strong episodes that are going to pull a lot of threads together from the last nine years."
One thread not yet tied together is whether Duchovny will return for any of the final episodes. Carter said he wanted to enlist Duchovny, but the subject has not yet been discussed.
Since its September 1993 debut, The X-Files went from quirky cult fave to pop-culture phenomenon, turning Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) into sci-fi icons. The series also earned an Emmy nomination for Best Drama Series in 1996 and scored Anderson a Best Actress trophy in 1997.
In 2000, Duchovny gradually bowed out of the series to work on a film career, and Carter brought aboard several new cast members to join Anderson, including Robert Patrick, Annabeth Gish and Cary Elwes.
Despite Wednesday's announcement, this probably won't be the last we see of Scully and company. Carter has previously indicated plans to make a sequel to the 1998 big-screen version of The X-Files, starring Anderson and Duchovny.
01/17/2002:
From TV Guide:
From E! Online:
THE TRUTH HURTS: Fox's The X-Files ending its run after nine seasons, series creator Chris Carter told reporters Wednesday. "It's the ninth inning. We want to go out on top," Carter told Variety. "We wanted to go out as a strong show." The series finale will air in May.
From TV Guide:
Fans of The X-Files recall Laurie Holden from her stint as Mulder's two-faced U.N. informant, Marita Covarrubias. When last seen in season seven , the shady lady sent the Cigarette Smoking Man tumbling down a flight of stairs! Any chance she'll come back to stir up more chaos? "I don't think so," Holden says. "I think Marita's had her run. I feel like she had a graceful, great exit.
"I was part of the show for many years," she adds, "and I'm very grateful to [creator] Chris Carter for giving me that shot - because it opened up a lot of doors and opportunities." One such boon is the plum role of Jim Carrey's girlfriend in the Capra-esque heartwarmer, The Majestic (opening Dec. 21).
Considers Holden: "I remember seeing it at an early screening and thinking, 'God, this is such a beautiful movie, but it could be perceived as being a bit corny because it's a very old fashioned film.' After Sept. 11, though, I don't think people will feel that because this is a film about being your best self, love of one's country, honor and courage."
All those patriotic sentiments can't help but move moviegoers in wartime. "I think we're all striving to hold on to what's important," she says, "and I think [The Majestic] is a beautiful reminder of who we really are and what we aspire to be."
09/06/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
08/31/2001:
From SciFi.com:
Frank Spotnitz, an executive producer of Fox's The X-Files, told the Zap2It Web site that Gillian Anderson (Scully) will be a full participant in the show's upcoming ninth season, despite rumors to the contrary. "We have full-time Gillian," Spotnitz told the site. "It's really a three-lead show, because you've got her and Robert [Patrick] and Annabeth [Gish]," who play Agents Doggett and Reyes. "That's what's making it so challenging for us this year, because we've never had to do that before. We had to do it somewhat when Mulder returned, but this is different."
Spotnitz added, "There are a lot of questions about the baby. OK, like, she and Mulder had sex, but she still was barren ... so how did that happen? ... What is the mystery of the baby? Why did the aliens hunt it down and then leave it? Can Scully be at peace with this question? I think that's the biggest issue. Then there's a bunch of new issues that spring up around that."
The ninth season will feature many new story arcs, including one centering on former Xena: Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless, who appears in the first four episodes. "Also, the Doggett-and-Reyes-versus-the-FBI [one], and is it safe to work at the FBI, given the fact that there seem to be aliens walking around the corridors?" Spotnitz asked. "There were a lot of immediate things we knew we had to attend to our first day back at work."
Spotnitz also hinted that the show's signature motto, "The truth is out there," may change. "I think that's going to happen," he said. "You'll see changes there. You'll see a number of changes, actually, which I can't divulge yet. Keep your eyes open, don't go to the kitchen. We'll reward you if you're patient." The X-Files returns Nov. 4.
From E! Online:
With its ninth season looming, The X-Files has embarked on a casting spree that only Ally McBeal could appreciate.
The latest to sign by the "X"? Former Princess Bride star Cary Elwes.
The thespian has swashbuckled his way aboard TV's popular sci-fi drama, signing on for the recurring role of FBI assistant director Brad Follmer, the ex-boyfriend of Annabeth Gish's special Agent Monica Reyes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The announcement comes weeks after former Xena star Lucy Lawless signed on for a guest stint. And it provides further proof that, with David Duchovny gone and Gillian Anderson debating her future, the aging series is hoping to mix things up with a larger ensemble.
While Elwes is probably best known for parts in such slapstick comedies as Robin Hood: Men In Tights and Hot Shots, the actor will get to show a more serious side in the paranormal drama, says X-Files creator and executive producer Chris Carter.
"It's not just adding a terrific actor, it's adding somebody of a certain stature to the show," Carter tells the Reporter. Elwes' character, he says, "is a guy who is a little more buttoned up, a little more polished; he represents a different kind of FBI."
Carter plans for Elwes' character to be the perfect foil for by-the-numbers G-Man John Doggett (Robert Patrick), and, of course, veteran Agent Dana Scully (Anderson).
The X-Files mastermind also notes that the chemistry between Elwes and Gish was exactly what he wished for when he had the 38-year-old actor read with her Wednesday night.
"All of us saw at the same time how he would be the best choice for the dynamic we were trying to create; we liked the energy between the two of them," Carter adds.
Fans can expect to see Elwes delving into conspiracies and little green men when The X-Files kicks off its ninth year November 4 on Fox, with an episode written by Carter and executive producer Frank Spotnitz.
Elwes' other film credits include Days of Thunder, Kiss the Girls, Cradle Will Rock, HBO's From the Earth to the Moon and last year's Shadow of the Vampire.
07/20/2001:
From Aint-it-Cool:
07/18/2001:
From TV Guide:
Anderson would pack it in next year when her contract expires. "Gillian's contract is for next year, [and] whether she continues on into the future, we don't know at this point," he responded. Grushow also hinted that there is a shocking Sixth Sense-type twist planned this season involving Scully's newborn. "Pay attention to Scully's baby," he teased. "[It's] a very important part of what's to come." The X-Files will launch its new season on Nov. 4.
From E! Online:
Chris Carter just can't shake the truth.
After intensive negotiations with 20th Century Fox Television, the mastermind behind TV's most popular paranormal drama has sealed a deal that will keep him on board The X-Files through its ninth season.
Although Fox offered him the option, Carter has no intention of pulling a Steven Bochco or David Kelly and giving up his daily duties for a consultant role on the show.
Instead, Fox executives say he'll be as hands-on as ever, helping veteran producers Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan and John Shiban shape the future of The X-Files in a post-Mulder and Scully world and angle the show in a new direction.
"Chris has so many ideas for this show as we go forward," Gail Berman, Fox's President of Entertainment, told the Hollywood Reporter. "Chris and Frank and John and Vince are the life and breath of this series. We are thrilled that he is coming back with his team in place."
While the show has already lost star David Duchovny, who bowed out at the end of last season to pursue a movie career, the big mystery Carter and his fellow producers face next season is how to keep the conspiracies going once Emmy-winning star Gillian Anderson leaves the long-running sci-fi hit as expected at the end of next season.
Anticipating her departure, Carter hired some new blood last season in hopes of reinventing the The X-Files. Former Terminator 2 villain Robert Patrick was brought in to play hard-headed G-Man John Doggett, while actress Annabeth Gish was recruited to play FBI Agent Monica Reyes, who helped Doggett search for the abducted Mulder.
It's too early to tell whether the new additions will pay off, but Carter's hoping his luck doesn't run out like it did when his X-Files comic spinoff, The Lone Gunmen, was shelved after a poorly rated midseason run.
Fight the future, indeed.
07/03/2001:
From TV Guide:
From E! Online:
Gillian Anderson will soon be another ex in The X-Files.
With her contract up after next season, her daughter now six years old and her plans for a London stage debut in the works, Anderson tells London's Sunday Times that Dana Scully is turning in her badge after next season.
"It feels good. It's time," she said.
After nine years in her Emmy-winning role as the straight-laced FBI agent, Anderson, 32, says she plans to star in a production next summer in London's West End. She's mum on the details, but adds that "the stuff I am going to do is as far from Scully as humanly possible."
But more importantly, Anderson says she's leaving Chris Carter's long-running sci-fi hit so she can spend more time with her daughter, Piper (born in September 1994 to then-husband, X-Files production designer Errol Clyde Klotz). With The X-Files requiring 18-hour days, Anderson said she often felt guilty about trying to find time with her daughter.
"Now, when I am with her, I don't work," she told the Times . "But for the first seven [years of the] series it was very difficult. She spent a lot of time on the set. We all operated under the illusion that was enough. I found a way to come back to the caravan for 20 minutes while they were setting up lights to try to focus on her totally, but when you are five minutes away you get distracted, thinking about the dialogue. She wouldn't tolerate it anymore. She had a really hard time.
"After sacrificing the first seven years of my daughter's life," Anderson added, "she has to be the priority."
The news of Anderson's impending departure is hardly surprising, given that she's talked about leaving for the past few seasons. "Physically, psychologically, I don't think I could do another season," she said in 1999. "I'm just spent."
The exhaustion, however, didn't stop her from signing a deal last July that locked her into the series for another season. Meanwhile, her former partner, David Duchovny, appeared in only a handful of episodes last season and said that he's sworn off any more appearances. Scully picked up a new partner in by-the-numbers G-man John Doggett, played by Robert Patrick.
Outside of TV, Anderson has been working to shed her Scully image, appearing a bit more feminine as a socialite in last year's The House of Mirth. And she told the Times she wants to avoid getting typecast.
"I hope I will be able to act my way out of that," she said. "Sometimes I am struck dumb by the narrow thinking of casting directors. Some actors won't audition, but I have to. Having been Scully for such a long time, I have to prove myself in other roles."
07/02/2001:
From TV Guide:
06/04/2001:
From TV Guide:
05/21/2001:
From TV Guide:
From TV Guide:
When it comes to The X-Files 's highly anticipated two-part season (or series) finale - airing May 13 and May 20 at 9 pm/ET on Fox - the truth is, well, everyone's dying to know what the heck Scully is carrying around in her belly. Is it a boy? Is it a girl? Is it Alf? Of course, as often is the case with the long-running serial thriller, the bigger cliffhanger involves the baby that executive producer Chris Carter delivered eight years ago: the X-Files franchise itself. In this exclusive Q?, he sheds some light on the possibility of a ninth season (Hint: Count on it), the chances that David Duchovny will return (Hint: Don't count on it) and the upcoming plot twists that could send viewers into labor (Hint: Read on...). - Michael Ausiello
TVGO: We finally get Mulder back and you pair him with... Doggett?? Mulder/Scully fans are rightfully infuriated!
Carter: I thought it was an interesting new dynamic. I mean, this is Episode 181 we've just finished filming. We had a chance to change the dynamic this year, and I thought there was another chance to increase the dynamic so that we could, in fact, reunite Mulder and Scully at the end of the show in an interesting way. So, I think infuriation is part of the fun with The X-Files, and certainly with the Mulder/Scully relationship.
TVGO: Is keeping Scully in the background, in essence, a way to give Gillian Anderson some time off?
Carter: No. Gillian had some time this year to spend with her daughter that we've built into the show, so there was no [more or] less given to her in this case. It really was a chance to explore Mulder with a new partner and keep Scully - because she was pregnant - FBI-bound. It seemed natural to us. And I think as you watch the two-part season finale, you're going to see that there is a good logic behind it.
TVGO: For the record, run down the various scenarios that could play out in regards to the birth of Scully's, um, thing.
Carter: First of all, we have a woman who is pregnant when all medical evidence pointed to the impossibility of that pregnancy, so we've got something strange already. We've got the possibility that it is an alien pregnancy. We've got the possibility that... this baby [was] produced by some kind of strange invasive science. And then we've got the possibility that it's a miracle.
TVGO: What about the possibility that Mulder is the father?
Carter: There is that possibility as well.
TVGO: Who else could be the daddy?
Carter: I would rule out the Lone Gunmen, that's for sure.
TVGO: Is the birth basically the centerpiece of the two-part finale?
Carter: Yes, but we get to it in a rather indirect way and then it becomes the centerpiece.
TVGO: What can you tell me about the finale that isn't out there? Give me a big scoop.
Carter: I will say that you can expect the appearance of three wise men.
TVGO: We know the Lone Gunmen are going to be on.
Carter: Do you? Then I will say that you can expect a significant death in the two-parter.
TVGO: Now we're talking. Where do things stand with 20th Century Fox in terms of a ninth season?
Carter: We are in, I would say, constructive negotiation.
TVGO: It's looking good then?
Carter: Constructive.
TVGO: I see. How did you handle writing the final episodes considering you don't know whether or not the show will be back?
Carter: The same way as I really handled last year, which was that I wanted to be satisfied that this could function as either a series or season finale, and that either way it would continue to preserve the possibility of The X-Files movies.
TVGO: Have you spoken to David about what commitment, if any, he might make if there is another season?
Carter: I haven't spoken with him specifically about it, but I know that we had a really good, and I felt sweet, send-off for him his final night a little over a week ago. And whatever decision he makes, we have done eight terrific seasons together, and if there are more, great. And if there are no more, I will figure out a way to hopefully make the show as good as it can be.
03/09/2001:
From TV Guide:
"From here on out, you see [Mulder] in every episode," Carter assures, adding that this is not about "punching a timeclock... this is about storytelling and it's about being true to the story that we set out to tell, which is Mulder's abduction. [Up to this point,] it would be very hard to do episodes with him in them completely."
And regarding another season of The X-Files, Carter reports that "Fox is trying to negotiate a ninth year with me. I would come back under the right circumstances." As would Duchovny, although it appears his terms would translate into even less screen time than he's had this year. Says Carter: "I don't think David would come back except for possibly in a very abbreviated way."
As if an unexpected pregnancy and the loss of her longtime partner weren't enough for Scully (Gillian Anderson) to contend with this season on The X-Files, Sunday's introduction of sexy sleuth Monica Reyes (played by Annabeth Gish) may finally push the perpetually put-upon G-woman over the edge.
"There is tension in the beginning because I am sort of the new girl on the block," Gish tells TV Guide Online. "But my character makes it very clear that I'm of no threat. I'm not coming in to try and take over [Scully's] division."
So, why is she invading Scully's heavily-trod turf? An expert in ritualistic crimes, Gish's alter ego is summoned by Agent Doggett (Robert Patrick) to help solve a case tied to the disappearance of Mulder (David Duchovny ). And while the 31-year-old actress reveals that Reyes and Doggett do indeed have an existing relationship, the nature of their bond remains a question mark. "There is the suggestion of a romance," Gish teases. "But mainly we [once] worked on a case together involving the loss of his son, so bringing me in helps to illuminate his past as well."
The new agent's presence also promises to lighten things up on the notoriously dark and dour series. "[Reyes] is very warm and sunny... she has a spiritual perspective to her work and her life," explains Gish, who co-starred with Julia Roberts in 1988's Mystic Pizza. "I think they're just trying to breathe a little levity into the show with my character."
Gish signed on for four episodes and is slated to become a regular next season should X-Files creator Chris Carter decide to continue on for a ninth year. "It's all up in the air," she offers. "Hopefully [it] will happen. I'm just having such a wonderful time, and it's a family I'd love to continue to work with."
That said, although speculation has it that Doggett and Reyes are being groomed as the next Mulder and Scully (Duchovny is not expected to stick around beyond this season and Anderson's contract expires in a year), Gish is too busy fulfilling her current commitment to ponder what the future might hold. "After 16 years of working in this business, this is the hardest thing I've ever done, just in terms of the hours and the amount of work and the way it consumes your life," she sighs of the X-Files grind. "It's like they make a little movie every week, 14- to 16-hour days are the norm, and it is quite grueling."
12/20/2001
From Comics2Film.com:
Marvel Enterprises and Burger King announced Tuesday that comic fans will soon find special X-Men: Evolution premiums at their local Burger King restaurants.
Fans of the animated show can order up a "Big Kids' Meal" and receive collectible figures and innovative CD-ROMs which contain "Dot-Comics" with their food. The Dot-Comics feature X-Men Evolution characters in a comic book adventure as well as superhero training games and other fun activities.
"This is the highest quality Kid's Meal premium I have ever seen. It offers consumers stimulation on all levels by utilizing the multimedia capabilities of a CD-ROM along with the historically popular collectible figure," said Russ Brown, senior vice president, consumer products, promotions and media sales. "The broad-based appeal of the X-Men characters is at an all-time high, due to the success of the X-Men movie, X-Men comics, and of course the top-rated animated series X-Men: Evolution. This partnership with Burger King Corporation is a perfect opportunity to capitalize on this buzz."
The Burger King X-Men Evolution promotion will feature eight authentically crafted X-Men figures -- molded after the popular characters Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Toad, Quicksilver, Mystique and Magneto -- each sold with its own individual base and CD-ROM. The base doubles as a viewfinder that will enable viewers to learn more about the corresponding character. The CD-ROM component will fully immerse users in the X-citing X-Men universe through several extras:
The Kid's Meal will also come packaged with a $3.00 mail-in rebate coupon for Activision's Game Boy Advance video game - X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse (rated "E" for Everyone).