Alan Hinton

Latest Eagles CD News

2007-09-01T04:40:34Z

Here's an update along the Long Road to the release of Long Road Out Of Eden: the track list has been revealed! The first Eagles studio album in 28 years will have 2 discs and 20 songs total, as follows:

Good News For Tim Minear Fans (Like Me)

2007-08-29T03:45:01Z

ABC, 'Wonderfalls' Duo Get Religion

Tim Minear, Todd Holland producing televangelist drama

August 28, 2007

Having had a rough run of luck at FOX -- "Drive," "The Inside," "Wonderfalls" -- writer-producer Tim Minear is taking his next project to ABC.

Minear and fellow "Wonderfalls" alum Todd Holland will executive produce "Miracle Man," a drama about a disgraced televangelist who finds a path to redemption. ABC outbid FOX for the project by offering a pilot commitment.

"It's about losing everything and starting over and finding that there is a higher purpose in life," Minear tells The Hollywood Reporter. "It's about a man who says, 'I don't know how to be good, but I'll try to be better.'"

The show will cover familiar ground for Minear, who attended evangelical schools growing up and whose father is an engineer for Christian radio shows. "Miracle Man" will take some cues from the scandals that brought down the likes of Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker, but Minear says the show won't make light of anyone's beliefs.

"It's a love letter to the religious," he tells the HR.

The show will focus on a fallen televangelist who has lost all faith -- until he discovers that God is working through him to perform actual miracles. Minear will write the script and Holland, who's also an exec producer of ABC's midseason comedy "Miss/Guided," will direct. Twentieth Century Fox TV is producing the pilot.

Eagles-How Long

2007-08-24T05:24:15Z

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZtCmIYpfUHY

About Damn Time

2007-08-16T04:26:21Z

New Eagles music on the way

The first Eagles album of new tracks in more than 28 years will be out in October. And Thursday, the first single, How Long, from the album Long Road Out of Eden, hits radio at noon ET. The video for How Long premieres at midnight ET on Monday on Yahoo.com and later on Country Music Television. The album will be sold only through Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Walmart.com.

Joss Whedon News

2007-07-29T05:35:46Z

Joss Whedon announces new script, updates projects

By Tamara Brooks

July 28, 09:26 PM

"Before [the Q&A], I want to answer the question that's been on all of your minds. I can see it in your beady little eyes - What have I done of you lately? Well, I wrote Wonder Woman...and that's enough about that."

And thus began fan-favorite Joss Whedon's panel Saturday late-afternoon. A lot of people showed up to honor the man many call their master now, greeting him with two lengthy ovations.

Breaking News:
"I'm getting sick and tired of not entertaining you guys enough." To that end, Joss is concentrating on doing "smaller scale" projects in order to get more works finished and out to the mass on a faster pace. "There are so many really creepy things swimming around in my head and I really need to get them out." That got the crowd very excited, and rightly so.

Starting with "Drew Goddard is tall and kinda sexy," Joss then announced that the two of them have collaborated on a script called Cabin In The Woods - "The horror film to end all horror films. Literally." It's not on the market yet but with a statement like that, it should be pretty dang interesting to say the least.

Projects in the works:

Goners - Joss is in the process of rewriting the fantasy/thriller and is his primary focus.
Ripper - The Buffy spin-off featuring Giles the Watcher is in talks/negotiations and, depending on the script, "there's a very real possibility that in the next year [he'll] finally be able to film" it. Stating that he had diner with Anthony Stewart Head "the other night" about it, "As [Head] said, "I'm for it." It will be a 90-minute piece produced for the BBC with distribution later. There are more discussions to be had but "everyone seems to be on the same page...[and it] can happen, should happen, will happen soon."
Sugar Shock - Joss' first original comic creation with Fabio Moon doing the art. Launched yesterday on Dark Horse's MySpace and is 100% free.
Serenity - A new comic is launching in late Winter from Dark Horse. Also, the Collector's Edition of the movie will be released August 21st. When someone shouted out for a sequel to the film, Joss responded by saying the new DVD edition of was coming out because "people keep buying the damn thing," implying that it's a possibility.
He's also composing the score for a short ballet he's doing with Summer Glau. The crowd dug the idea prompting Joss to state in surprise, "Boy, was I expecting silence." Entitled The Serving Girl, he's already found a choreographer and will film it once he's finished the score.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Comic - In regards to the current volume, officially known as Season 8, when asked if and when Oz (played by Seth Green) returns, Joss stealthy replied, "I can't tell you when but you don't have to ask if." He later added that while he doesn't know how long Season 8 will be ("I can't stop writing the Buffy comic. It's like a drug."), he "definitely know[s] how [it] ends and [he knows] how Season 9 begins."
When asked if he was doing anything more with the character Fray, a vampire slayer of the future, he replied with a yes. Adding "[I'm] not sure if I'm supposed to be saying that...but I did."
Angel: After The Fall - The comic he's working on with Brian Lynch, who will be the writer. It will be a twelve-issue maxi-series from IDW that shows what happens after the series finale battle with the evil law firm known as "Wolfram and Hart. " "What happens is very bad," he says conspiritiorily.

Projects not in the works:
Angel movies - "It's called Bones - Season 2."
Heroes - He was asked if he's been asked to direct any episodes and if he would. While he loves the show and would be honored, Joss regretfully doesn't have the time to really get involved, especially since he "can't do a little bit of anting."
Writing for Other Comics - Coming to the end of what his wife refers to as his "Merry Marvel Midlife Crisis", Joss wants to "concentrate on smaller, creator-owned things and filmed entertainment" and will only do solo-shot issues here and there, if any.
When asked if he was working on a musical, while he'd love to, Joss state that "musicals are the single hardest thing to write...Not only is it my dream, it is a plan. As I live, it will happen but I'm not sure when."
A fan brought up the possibility of Joss directing the seventh and last Harry Potter film when the time comes. Whedon expressed his interest in his usual understated manner - "Yeah, I could probably find a weekend for that."

Other Highlights:
An fan requested he do the "Dance of Shame". His response? "Guys...you're killing me. I love you, but I'm not going to dance."
A young boy got up to the microphone and really won everyone over. He became a fan because his dad wanted him to watch Firefly. Initially reluctant because his father usually has "lame taste," five minutes into it and he was hooked. His question: "What was going through your mind when you came up with the idea? Were you watching Star Wars and said, wow, I wonder what would happen if Clint Eastwood was in this?'" Joss responded, "No, but from now on yes."

This Just In......

2007-07-27T05:00:10Z

07.26.2007
Big Movie News from Comic-Con

J.J. Abrams and his creative team for the new Star Trek movie wowed the audience at Comic-Con in San Diego this afternoon as they revealed a casting coup: Heroes star Zachary Quinto will be playing Spock! And, to the delight of all 6,500 in the capacity crowd, Leonard Nimoy joined Quinto on stage as Abrams confirmed the elder Spock's involvement in the new film.

We've been waiting for over a year now since the next Star Trek movie was originally announced, but there hasn't been any real hard news other than who is writing and directing. But now, we have something to go on! Abrams also revealed new artwork for the second teaser poster. The lettering may be familiar — and once again we get an Original Series look — but this time the logo is inverted and written with starry letters, all on a white background. You can see a larger version by clicking here

Yahoo

2007-07-15T04:59:12Z

It was 9 months ago yesterday (the 13th) that I quit smoking.

Buffynews

2007-07-07T03:58:33Z

Scott Allie, Editor
BUFFY NEWS

Updated 7/6/2007

I was going through some old mail, and came across this email. Edited for secrecy . . . ! We were making plans for Tales of the Vampires, even as I was wrapping up the original Buffy monthly.

From: Scott
Date: July 7, 2003 4:01:59 PM PDT
To: Joss
Subject: Tales of the Vampires & Buffy

Joss,

Hope you had a good 4th of July. I spent it with hillbillies, so of course it was great.

You should have received a package of art samples by now. Please note the paintings by Eric Powell (The Goon, Arkham Asylum) and Ben Templesmith (Criminal Macabre); both of these are guys I'm considering for covers. Your feedback appreciated ...

Also, I would love to get some input from you on what to do with the regular Buffy comics series. My (modest, attainable?) dream: You give me one page telling me where to go after the conclusion of Season Seven. I really want to move beyond the TV show, but I don't want to do it without your approval and a little of your guidance. I could have said my dream is you writing this for me, but I'm trying to be realistic. I would of course do whatever you wanted with the damn thing, and would really like some direction. What do you say?

Scott

Note the date. July 2003. That was the first time I asked Joss to guide the comic beyond the show. We wrote back and forth a couple times that day, and his immediate response was that it sounded good, but not that he'd have any more involvement than what I suggested. It was another email, two years later, when he first used the terms "Season Eight" and "exec produce."

I seldom go through old email, but we're working on the Buffy Panel to Panel art book, which includes Tales of the Vampires, so I was doing some digging. I no longer have the email when Joss sent Season Eight #1, but as you can see, this email, four years old, set those wheels slowly in motion. It was more than two years before I had the first script-lo and behold, from Joss himself-and so much more than a page of direction.

When he first used that term, "exec produce," in October 2005, I didn't think much of it. I never know what people mean when they apply film terms to comics. "Cinematic storytelling"? For a lot of people that just means panels that are wider than they are tall. "The comic writer is the director"? Then who's the writer? I think I've seen people use the Executive Producer credit in comics, and usually it's either been the editor (who should more accurately be called Best Boy, Caterer, or Assistant to Mr. Bonaduce), or the Editor in Chief or Publisher, or maybe the rights holder. Joss is actually none of those things on the Buffy comic.

He's the Executive Producer.

The job that Joss did on the TV show, there's no perfect parallel in the world of comics-just as no title in comics is exactly the same as "director." Hell, even "writer" in comics doesn't really mean the same thing as it does in film. He was the boss, to whom everyone had to defer-including any writers, directors, or Assistants to Mr. Bonaduce. He guided the creative direction. Executive Producer can mean different things, and involve different tasks, but in Joss's case on Buffy--comics or TV--it means that the overall story comes from him, that the individual stories are worked out directly with him, and that each script goes through him. All talent is hired under his direction. Just the other day, we sent the script for Buffy #10, written by Joss, to artist Cliff Richards, my old buddy from the old run of Buffy comics. But it was Joss's idea to hire him. I offer opinions, sometimes Joss even asks for 'em, but it's all up to the big guy. Another advantage--with an Executive Producer like Joss on board, Fox gives us a pretty open field to play in. There's no better way of doing a licensed comic--because the studio has no desire to interfere with the guy who gave them the thing in the first place. Thank god.

Joss has years of experience of making great stories while working with talented writers. That was his job on every episode of Buffy, though he shared it on Angel and Firefly, and later season of Buffy. He knows how to give those writers the room to do their best work, while making sure that everything stays true to the vision and style. But just as Jane Espenson's episodes of Buffy (or Angel or Firefly) were usually the funniest, you can expect her contribution to be a crackup--and Brian K. Vaughan's Faith arc, starting in September, will absolutely read like a BKV comic.

I mean, why else would the Executive Producer have approached him?

Don't forget about the Equality Now auction on Ebay. Go to this link http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=joss-whedon-supports-charity, or type in www.ebay.com/josswhedon. The auction doesn't end until July 12, so turn in them bottles and cans and do your part for Equality Now and Joss.

See you in San Diego!

Cloverfield?

2007-07-06T03:50:04Z

'Cloverfield': What the heck is it?

One of the coolest things about Transformers actually happened before the movie started: A trailer for an unnamed J.J. Abrams project premiered before the film, and it's been causing huge amounts of speculation and discussion online.

The movie -- its working title is Cloverfield -- appears to be a monster flick told from the point of view of people on the ground. The trailer depicts a group of New York partygoers who are suddenly interrupted by a huge explosion. Go here for a more detailed description and here to watch it on YouTube; if the video disappears, just search "Cloverfield" to find it again.

A website for the flick has popped up, though right now it only features a photo. It will reportedly be directed by Felicity's Matt Reeves and written by Lost's Drew Godard.

The rumors are swirling: Why all the secrecy? Is this an original monster movie, or does Cloverfield have anything to do with Lost? Is it a Godzilla movie? Is it a Voltron movie? Whatever it is, the publicity campaign is already working.

Posted at 11:21 AM/ET, 07/05/2007 in 'Lost', Movies | Permalink | Comments 26

Great Popcorn Movie

2007-07-05T04:28:07Z

Happy 4th

2007-07-04T04:34:21Z

76 of a Kind: O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

alan0825 @ 2007-07-03T23:33:00

2007-07-04T04:33:36Z

Harvey Birdman going down

Who will protect me from these lawsuits now?

The New York Post (I read it only for the Page 3 girls, honest) reports that Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is ending its run after 39 episodes. The series, which helped launch CN's "Adult Swim" block back in the carefree days of September 2001, will air a new episode Sunday, July 15 (11:45 PM). That'll be followed by a 30-minute sendoff special July 22 (also 11:45 PM), in which Harvey falls into a drunken spiral after his methods are questioned and his past legal wins are overturned.

No word on what will happen to the characters, although I understand Peter Potamus is supposed to appear on the next season of The Biggest Loser, Avenger has something lined up with Animal Planet, and Myron Reducto is going to show up on Heroes -- although it will be a small part.

Comments (0)

Tue Jul 3, 2007 1:57PM by Mike Raub

Oh No! Not Harvey.

2007-07-04T04:21:12Z

Harvey Birdman going down

Who will protect me from these lawsuits now?

Comments (0)

Tue Jul 3, 2007 1:57PM by Mike Raub

One of the Greats

2007-07-04T04:09:33Z

And now, a very special presentation! And isn't this poster one of the most

Funny Commentary

2007-07-02T04:09:50Z

No, I don't have an iPhone

I’ve been asked to leave Los Angeles. The iPhone has been out for over three days now and I don’t have one yet. In this town that’s unacceptable.

Okay, I didn’t get one Friday when they came out. All of the CAA agents made their assistants sleep out in front of Apple stores for four days to secure the first shipment. That’s understandable.

But by Saturday afternoon I was starting to get the threatening calls. Did I not understand WHY I had to have an iPhone? Did I really think I could exist in the world without visual voicemail, the ability to activate my itunes, or with no touchscreen capability? How was I going to browse the web while driving? If I wanted to live in the stone age, fine, but not in SoCali.

I pleaded: My Sony Erickson allows me to text message, take photos, download ringtones, play games, set alarms, IM, organize my calendar, and make phone calls. “Sony Erickson?!” they scoffed. They hung up and two hours later my pet was missing.

I called the police to complain. They asked what I was calling on. When I told them they sent over a black-and-white and took me downtown for questioning. Did I not understand the iPhone allowed me to activate and sync video? I said I was allowed one phone call and they said, “Not on a Sony Erickson you aren't.”

On Sunday I went to the local park pool for a dip. All of the mothers became hysterical and yanked their kids out of the pool. I heard one yell, “We value keyboard video in this neighborhood!”

The pressure continued. On Sunday night someone burned an apple in my lawn.

Someday I’ll get an iPhone. I’m sure the price will go down, more keen features will be added, and I’ll again be able to rejoin civilized society. I just have to time it right. I don’t want to get thrown out of Cleveland either.

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<h3 class="post-title">No, I don't have an iPhone </h3><div class="post-body"><p> </p><div style="CLEAR: both"></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_isUvlzkZPIQ/RoWR0aFWhkI/AAAAAAAAAYk/IfI2rj0Jb3A/s1600-h/iphone_b.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081628084098467394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 256px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 208px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" border="0" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_isUvlzkZPIQ/RoWR0aFWhkI/AAAAAAAAAYk/IfI2rj0Jb3A/s320/iphone_b.png" /></a>I’ve been asked to leave Los Angeles. The iPhone has been out for over three days now and I don’t have one yet. In this town that’s unacceptable.<br /><br />Okay, I didn’t get one Friday when they came out. All of the CAA agents made their assistants sleep out in front of Apple stores for four days to secure the first shipment. That’s understandable.<br /><br />But by Saturday afternoon I was starting to get the threatening calls. Did I not understand WHY I had to have an iPhone? Did I really think I could exist in the world without visual voicemail, the ability to activate my itunes, or with no touchscreen capability? How was I going to browse the web while driving? If I wanted to live in the stone age, fine, but not in SoCali.<br /><br />I pleaded: My Sony Erickson allows me to text message, take photos, download ringtones, play games, set alarms, IM, organize my calendar, and make phone calls. “Sony Erickson?!” they scoffed. They hung up and two hours later my pet was missing.<br /><br />I called the police to complain. They asked what I was calling on. When I told them they sent over a black-and-white and took me downtown for questioning. Did I not<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"> understand</span> the iPhone allowed me to activate and sync video? I said I was allowed one phone call and they said, “Not on a Sony Erickson you aren't.”<br /><br />On Sunday I went to the local park pool for a dip. All of the mothers <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_isUvlzkZPIQ/RoWRqqFWhjI/AAAAAAAAAYc/L5sh_QoOLuM/s1600-h/apple-macworld-iphone.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081627916594742834" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" border="0" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_isUvlzkZPIQ/RoWRqqFWhjI/AAAAAAAAAYc/L5sh_QoOLuM/s200/apple-macworld-iphone.jpg" /></a>became hysterical and yanked their kids out of the pool. I heard one yell, “We <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">value</span> keyboard video in this neighborhood!”<br /><br />The pressure continued. On Sunday night someone burned an apple in my lawn.<br /><br />Someday I’ll get an iPhone. I’m sure the price will go down, more keen features will be added, and I’ll again be able to rejoin civilized society. I just have to time it right. I don’t want to get thrown out of Cleveland either. <div style="CLEAR: both; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.25em"></div><p> </p></div><p class="post-footer">posted by Ken Levine @ <a title="permanent link" href="http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2007/07/no-i-dont-have-iphone.html"><font color="#334477">7/02/2007 04:07:00 PM</font></a>   <a class="comment-link" location.href="http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=19336675&postID=516651544578781046;" href="http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=19336675&postID=516651544578781046"><font color="#334477">2 comments</font></a> </p>

My All-Time Favorite TV Show

2007-06-29T04:46:49Z

Good News

2007-06-25T03:26:24Z

That woman deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die.

It's about frickin' time:

KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR

On November 6, the two Kill Bill films will finally be released as a single 4-disc special edition DVD set. If, like me, you held off on buying the individual DVD releases of Volume 1 and Volume 2, because you knew a combined set would eventually be issued, your patience, at long last, is about to be rewarded.

I expect a plethora of brand-new shiny extras will be included in the set (two whole discs' worth, it would seem!). And some shiny new gore, as well: Amazon says the set will be rated NC-17. (More likely, it'll be unrated, since the MPAA doesn't give official re-ratings to DVD director's cuts.)

Via ADDTF, further via Cinematical.

This Sounds Pretty Good

2007-06-24T05:14:34Z

Pilot Inspektor: NBC's "Journeyman"

What is it exactly that sparks our imagination when it comes to time travel? Is the notion of traveling beyond our lifetimes to catch a glimpse of a future world, unfettered by the bonds of our mortality? Or is the sense that we all would love a chance to travel backwards in time and get a shot and fixing the wrongs in our own lives?

In NBC's new fall series, Journeyman, Dan Vassar (Rome's Kevin McKidd) gets an opportunity to do the latter when he finds himself unwittingly traveling back in time to points within his own life. It's the first time travel story on television that I can think of that doesn't use a time machine (thank god!); instead the wherefores and hows of Dan's ability are left a mystery... for now, anyway.

Created by Kevin Falls (The West Wing), Journeyman deftly manages to combine several different genres--sci fi, relationship drama, action, romance--into one slickly produced package that is beautifully directed by Alex Graves (The Nine). The effect is more akin to The Time Traveler's Wife than Quantum Leap, presenting us with a series that can be at the same time procedural and loosely serialized, as Dan is forced, each week, to prevent/cause some change in the past and figuring out the limitations and causes behind his time traveling ability.

This being a drama rather than a wish-fulfillment fantasy, Dan's ability is more of a curse than a blessing and, as a lead character, Dan is a wholly flawed hero (the very best kind, one could argue); he's married to a beautiful woman, Katie (Gretchen Egolf), with whom he has an adorable moppet of a son, but their marriage is tested by several factors, including the fact that Dan is a recovering gambling addict who drove his relationship to the brink of failure. He's a brilliant reporter, but his job is in jeopardy already when he begins to have unexplained absences... and time-travels while behind the wheel of a car, resulting in a spectacular auto collision. Oh, and did I mention that his wife Katie was once the girlfriend of Dan's estranged police officer brother Jack (Reed Diamond)?

There's also the ghost of Dan's dead fiancee, the beautiful Livia (Moon Bloodgood), haunting the proceedings. Livia died years before in a mysterious plane crash, putting Dan right into the orbit of his bro's girl Katie, who is seen in the past giving Dan the once-over. We're not told what exactly led Katie to leave Jack for Dan, but it's clear that her decision is one factor in the distance between the two brothers.

In the past, Dan saves the life of Neal Gaines (Christopher Warren), a man attempting to kill himself; not unsurprisingly this has major consequences in the present day and Dan is forced to clean up the mess he created... while also attempting to save his marriage in a dramatic and romantic reveal after Katie begins to believe that, rather than time traveling as Dan claims to be doing, he has turned to drugs. If you've seen the teaser trailer, you know exactly the moment I'm talking about, but rather than spoil it for everyone else, I'll be deliberately vague and just say that it involves Katie's wedding ring, a toolbox, and a certain patio.

Of course, this is a weekly drama, so there's never a happy ending at the end of the first hour. In the past, Dan is lead into temptation by a run-in with Livia; if he sleeps with her in the past, is he really cheating on Katie? (Short answer: yes.) But it underscores the notion that he's still, after all of these years, in love with his dead fiancee. And with the power to travel through time, couldn't Dan alter the past and save her life? The pilot episode doesn't answer this question though it does raise several others with a jaw-dropping reveal late in the game. As for what that is, you'll have to watch the series this fall. (I can't spoil everything now, can I?)

Besides for the lush visuals (check the scene with the falling bits of calendar) and taut plot, Journeyman also sports a fantastic cast. Gretchen Egolf (Roswell, Martial Law) is wholly believable as a suspicious but loving wife, going out of her skull trying to figure out what's going on with her husband and whether she wants to hold onto him. Moon Bloodgood is perfectly cast as the mysterious Livia; you can see why, years after her death, she has still managed to infect Dan's thoughts and dreams. As Dan Vassar, Kevin McKidd is absolutely magnetic in this role, presenting Dan as a man of constant inner conflict, propelled by a reporter's need to seek the answers to all of life's mysteries. McKidd presents Dan as a wounded man, humbled by his circumstances, attempting to atone for his past and unable to fix his present life. In the hands of a lesser actor, Journeyman could have crumbled under the audience's disbelieve at Dan's time traveling abilities; instead McKidd grounds the series with a palpable gravitas. You do believe that this guy's guy can really travel through time and that he has as difficult a time wrapping his brain around that as the audience at home.

NBC has given Journeyman an amazing sign of confidence by granting it the plum post-Heroes timeslot on Mondays at 10 pm. It's a testament to the depth of this series, the creativity of its creators, and the strength of McKidd's leadership that the network would get so fully behind a high concept like this one.

If Journeyman proves as thought-provoking and thoughtful as the pilot episode indicated (as well as lure in both male and female audiences), the Peacock may have finally found a promising companion for its sole break-out drama hit. Fingers crossed

Mure Heroes:Origins

2007-06-23T05:06:23Z

Heroes Spin-off Talk: Origins Begins When Original Ends

Shedding new light on the game plan for Heroes: Origins, series creator Tim Kring told reporters on Thursday that the companion piece to NBC's freshman hit — which will introduce several "specially enabled" newcomers — will surface once Heroes' sophomore run winds down. "Right now, the idea [is] that Heroes will run as continuously as we can throughout the season; obviously, there are a couple of breaks along the way," Kring said. "Then, when Heroes ends at the end of April, Origins will begin and run through May sweeps." — Additional reporting by Dana Meltzer Zepeda

For more on Heroes' second season and the show's "global" plan to drum up interest in it this summer, see the TV Guide News Report.

Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark

2007-06-20T04:58:35Z

Exclusive: David Anders Is a Hero!

Categories: heroes

Omigod! Omigod! Omigod!

Honestly, I'm downright giddy to be breaking the news to you that David Anders—known as the wonderfully sinister and sexy Sark to Alias fans—is joining the cast of Heroes!

Though NBC has not yet announced it, my Heroes moles tell me it's official: Anders has been given the much coveted series-regular role of Kensei, a Sark-ish character who just so happens to be 1,000 years old, for the upcoming second season of Heroes. I'm told Anders starts work on the show on Monday.

Hear that? It's the sound of Alias fans around the world shouting "Yippee!" as they bust out a happy Snoopy dance. And you Heroes fans should be, too, because, hot damn, the show just got even better.

Anyone else excited? Well, spill it in the Comments section below, will ya?

Comments (25)

Posted by Kristin Veitch on Tue, Jun 19, 2007, 11:37 AM
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For Those Needing a LOST Fix

2007-06-20T04:30:52Z

OFF THE WALL WEB: Finding ‘Lost’

Here’s a YouTube flashback for you -- the original plane crash from ABC’s “Lost,” re-edited into chronological order from various points of view: Jack and Kate on the plane, Desmond in the hatch, The Others in their compound.

The five-minute compilation doesn’t cover everything. (YouTube commenters seem most unhappy that Charlie’s plane-lavatory fix was left out.) And it was put together last October, before all the revelations of the third season unfolded.

A later editor/poster compiled this eight-minute alternative, with more on-plane details (including Charlie) and fewer elsewhere. Its pace doesn’t feel as tight or compelling.

Some other crash montages can be seen here and here.

There’s also this flash-fast "Lost" music video revealing all the characters’ “dirty little secrets” (fun but also dated, posted last fall).

These fan montages make interesting re-introductions to the universe that’s kept so many viewers guessing for so long. And we do need something to tide us over till ABC's fourth season starts in 2008.

I Love This Show The Closer Season 3 Opener

2007-06-19T06:17:55Z

Amrie’s Take on TV: THE CLOSER

One of the greatest things about this column and this website is the incredible chances we get to talk to the brilliant minds that make our favorite shows more terrific than we think possible. Case in point, I recently had the opportunity to spend some time on the phone with the very charming creator, executive producer, and writer of the TNT original series, The Closer, Mr. James Duff. James was well spoken, smart, friendly, and he truly cares about every single aspect of his baby, his show.

James talked about what’s in store for the season, starting with the season premiere. “I think we reintroduce all of the characters in an up front and unusual way,” James said. “Crime scenes are being video taped now and this is going on across the country. You get a video-graph of the crime scenes. This is a great way to start watching the show.” James went on to add, “You get stand-ups with every single member of the squad, while you’re being introduced to one of our most heinous grimes. You see how police procedure works via our characters.”

“You get a feeling for whom each one of these characters is. They’re all introduced up front. It’s a very easy way to meet everyone again. It’s also authentic.”

As we continued chatting, he added, “There is one other thing. We have 2 of our most amazing guest stars, [and] an interview unlike any we’ve ever had before. She’s [Brenda] either got to get a confession from this boy or have him put on suicide watch and he’s not suicidal. Or she’s going to have to let him go. That’s a pretty severe dilemma. It’s at the second act, you can tell we’re not anywhere near through. That particular challenge is a difficult nut for her to crack.”

He summarized again, “[It’s] the best way to meet our characters and one of the best interviews ever.”

When asked to expand on what to expect this season for our various characters, James continued to talk about the season premiere. “The season starts with budget cuts for the LAPD. Provenza is being pressured to retire. They are being told there’s no overtime.” In another one of his informative asides, James went on to mention that “the LAPD just announced no overtime [for real]. We felt like that was coming. It was life imitating art.”

But back to the characters we know and love (or love to hate in some cases)! “Gabriel is stepping up. He wants to be more of a force on the squad. For the last two years, Taylor has been [Brenda’s] nemesis. Brenda has had to confront him on several occasions. Taylor is either getting with the program, or playing a much, much deeper game. [We see something] instead of protagonist/antagonist going at each other. Though it doesn’t look like it at first, Brenda and Gabriel are going to have a lot of issues with each other as they go along. It creates a lot of conflict. In the 4th episode, Ruby, the best episode we’ve ever done [editor’s note – keep reading for more info about that ‘sode], it creates a huge problem in both solving the crime, and getting a confession and keeping the squad together. Brenda faces the worst and most awful person she’s ever sat across. It looks like Sergeant Gabriel might lose his job. He does something that’s pretty shocking.”

The ever important question of relationships was brought up and James had this to say about what we can expect. “[Gabriel and Daniels] have been very under the radar. They’ve been trying to not let anyone in the squad know. They’ve been very successful. Eventually, that information may come out. They may have to deal with the fact that everyone knows that they’re dating and what that means to the squad and how the squad will function.”

As for what we can expect when Brenda’s parents come to town (played by the wonderful Barry Corbin and Frances Sternhagen), Brenda “finds herself in a different situation because she has a security detail that she didn’t anticipate. She’s also not on active duty at the time they arrive. The bungalow [she’s started sharing with her boyfriend Fritz] is very small. [Her parents] were going to be staying in a hotel, but they find out that she’s got a security detail and her father refuses to leave her.”

Things get a little rough for Fritz and Brenda, if only for the fact that Brenda’s parents “are very interested in the Fritz and Brenda relationship. Fritz is worried about how the father is going to take them.” James goes on to add, “Not without reason, I would say!”

Have you every wondered about the idea of Brenda having a baby? Well, so have James and the writers. “That’s a discussion we’ve had and it’s an interesting questions. She’s going to go through a health crisis this year, and that issue will come up…it’s definitely something we’ve discussed. Her biological clock is ticking. Some people might say it’s about to explode….I think she’s afraid of pregnancy.”

James went on to detail what we can expect from this season’s 4th episode, the episode that he calls their best ever. The episode is called Ruby and it’s about an 8 year old African American girl that is abducted. “That’s how it starts,” James begins, “child abductions are very serious. If you don’t the child in the first hour, I think there’s a 75% likelihood that the child is dead. She’s trying to get her admission. The guy is a racist. It creates some pretty explosive tension. It involves Provenza, it involves Buzz, it involves Daniels, and the whole squad.” The question becomes “how do you get a confession twice? I don’t want to say anymore because I’ll give it all away. This would be an interesting episode of television, no matter who was involved in it. It’s actually a super-sized episode, too; it runs over the hour.”

Throughout the interview, James threw out so many random facts that the casual observer would never know. To satisfy my curiosity, I asked him where he gets his information and where he gets his ideas for the amazing stories that they tell each week.

He had so much to say on the subject! “The more authentic the world is, the more authentic our characters appear. There’s not a lot of Science Fiction. DNA doesn’t solve a lot of crimes because it doesn’t in real life. DNA is great when you’ve got the criminal and you can tie them to a place. It doesn’t generally lead you to anyone.”

As for his technical advisors, whom he thinks are “fabulous?” “Detective Mike Birchum. He’s a member of robbery homicide at LAPD. Their elite detective team. He’s worked on several high profile cases. We also have Former DA Gil Garcetti. He worked in the district attorney’s office for almost 30 years. We have it from both sides. What’s legal and what’s real, and what would really happen. Gil and Detective Mike don’t always agree. Gil’s looking at it from the legal way, and Detective Mike is about how do we actually catch these guys. We split the difference a lot of times.

As for where he gets his story ideas? “Most of them come from stories that allow us to explore a theme. The theme of the first episode signals our overarching theme. How do you keep a family together? That’s sort of the struggle that we’re going to face all the way through the year. The theme of the third season is family.”

James took a minute to reflect on some other show’s choices. “Other shows say ‘ripped from the headlines’. We like to say our stories are ‘ripped from the heart’. We try to find crimes where a lot of time, though you don’t want to, you sometimes find yourself identifying with the murderer. It’s sometimes easier to do than you think. Murderers look at themselves as victims.”

James was filled with great information, and he went on to explain what he experienced growing up. “I also have a lifelong interest in the intelligence community. My uncle was part of the military intelligence. He was Chief of the Internal Security in the US Air Force for two years in Vietnam. I sort of grew up with it in my family. He told me chilling stories. There were some things I heard as a twelve year old that I shouldn’t have heard!”

James was incredibly likeable, and seemed genuinely thrilled to be discussing his show. He wanted to summarize what to expect for the upcoming season of The Closer. “For starters, I hope I was okay,” he said. “The only thing that I would say is that we have our first five episodes all cut together and put together. We’ve done something a little odd. Last year we did protect and serve. Things just don’t go as you would like. We’re concentrating much more on the characters this year. I hope that this pays off. We’re going to be doing that.” Hey, I think it worked for Without a Trace when they hit the 3 year mark and started exploring characters. It can only help an awesome show get that much better!

You can catch the season 3 premiere of The Closer, presented without commercials, at 9PM. You don’t want to miss it – it sounds like it’s going to be one great season!

-Amrie (mytakeontv@thetvaddict.com)

Popularity: 1% [?]

This entry was posted on Monday, June 18th, 2007 at 5:38 am and is filed under My Take on TV. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS

Gotta Get This One

2007-06-16T04:10:30Z

G-8

2007-06-15T04:24:14Z

G-8 and His Battle Aces

I stumbled across this excellent cover gallery of a pulp series called G-8 and His Battle Aces that ran from 1934 - 1944. I have never read a G-8 adventure but now I want to, if only to find out if they really fight zombies pilots or flying Viking ghosts or if the covers are just heavily metaphorical.

Go check it out.

My favorite:

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<div class="post"><a name="4674589258466717417"></a><h3 class="post-title">G-8 and His Battle Aces </h3><div class="post-body"><div><div style="CLEAR: both"></div>I stumbled across <a href="http://bill_mann.home.att.net/"><font color="#3366cc"><strong>this excellent cover gallery</strong> </font></a>of a pulp series called G-8 and His Battle Aces that ran from 1934 - 1944. I have never read a G-8 adventure but now I want to, if only to find out if they <em>really</em> fight zombies pilots or flying Viking ghosts or if the covers are just heavily metaphorical. <br /><br />Go check it out.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075831694890269890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" border="0" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_YUUAn5bgpwo/RnD6CJmafMI/AAAAAAAAAfw/64iF3JU74Dw/s400/g8wtf5.jpg" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_YUUAn5bgpwo/RnD8y5mafNI/AAAAAAAAAf4/Cd1ShpB1qgA/s1600-h/g8wtf8.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075834731432148178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" border="0" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_YUUAn5bgpwo/RnD8y5mafNI/AAAAAAAAAf4/Cd1ShpB1qgA/s400/g8wtf8.jpg" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_YUUAn5bgpwo/RnD53ZmafKI/AAAAAAAAAfg/I3bEDj1uwLc/s1600-h/g8wtf3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075831510206676130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" border="0" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_YUUAn5bgpwo/RnD53ZmafKI/AAAAAAAAAfg/I3bEDj1uwLc/s400/g8wtf3.jpg" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_YUUAn5bgpwo/RnD5xJmafJI/AAAAAAAAAfY/R46IbDMbveo/s1600-h/g8wtf2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075831402832493714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" border="0" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_YUUAn5bgpwo/RnD5xJmafJI/AAAAAAAAAfY/R46IbDMbveo/s400/g8wtf2.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="center"><strong>My favorite:</strong><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_YUUAn5bgpwo/RnD5r5mafII/AAAAAAAAAfQ/MYIhy526H_s/s1600-h/g8wtf1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075831312638180482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" border="0" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_YUUAn5bgpwo/RnD5r5mafII/AAAAAAAAAfQ/MYIhy526H_s/s400/g8wtf1.jpg" /></a> <div style="CLEAR: both; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.25em"></div></div></div><p class="post-footer"><font color="#999999" size="2">posted by David Campbell at </font><a title="permanent link" href="http://daveslongbox.blogspot.com/2007/06/g-8-and-his-battle-aces.html"><font color="#3366cc" size="2">6:16 AM</font></a> <a class="comment-link" location.href="http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=11827637&postID=4674589258466717417;" href="http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=11827637&postID=4674589258466717417"><font color="#3366cc" size="2">7 comments</font></a> <span class="item-action"><a title="Email Post" href="http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=11827637&postID=4674589258466717417"><span class="email-post-icon"><font color="#3366cc"> </font></span></a></span><span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1925581382"><a title="Edit Post" style="BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=11827637&postID=4674589258466717417"><span class="quick-edit-icon"><font color="#3366cc"> </font></span></a></span> </p></div><h2 class="date-header">from Dave's Long Box</h2>

Help Cast Supergirl

2007-06-13T05:22:14Z

Help Cast SMALLVILLE’S SuperGirl

June 12th, 2007

Hoping to inject some new life into an already aging franchise, the CW announced yesterday that SuperGirl would be joining the cast of SMALLVILLE next season. Yes, SMALLVILLE has officially run out of ideas. Yet rather then rip the show for going to the ’superhero well’ once again (see: last season’s addition of Green Arrow), we thought we’d think positive and offer up a few SUPER suggestions for who we would like to see in the role of SuperGirl come September 2007.

Naturally, the first name that comes to mind is an adorable and feisty detective who unfortunately finds herself among the ranks of the recently unemployed. Yes, we realize Kristen Bell isn’t from Krypton, but really, isn’t Neptune close enough?

Second on our list is a more unconventional choice, but a casting coup nonetheless. Not only would Liza Weil bring some serious acting chops to SMALLVILLE, we’re confident that by channelling her inner Paris Geller, krypto-freaks don’t stand a chance.

A few more choices include TRU CALLING’S Eliza Dushku (hottest SuperGirl ever!), Amanda Seyfriend (love her on BIG LOVE) or Gabriel Union (isn’t about time the whitest city in America — Smallville, KS — got a little more diverse?)

Agree, disagree, post away with who you would like to see as next season’s SuperGirl. And no, this girl is not an option!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Posted in Smallville