Sci-Fi Storm

Just found out about this – if you are in the Los Angeles area and want to see some of the best makeup artists in action, Syfy will be throwing a live demonstration of its upcoming Face Off show at The Grove tomorrow (Thursday, January 20th, 2011) starting at 12:30pm PT, where the artists will transform models into the likeness of Mother Earth. Read on for the full details.
(continue reading…)

The premiere of Being Human brought us into a townhouse in Boston where three young adults are just trying to live a normal life, but it’s harder than it looks when you’re a vampire, werewolf, and ghost. In the next all-new episode, Josh starts to become uneasy about having Sally’s former fiancé Danny over to the house. Uneasy is probably a lighthearted term compared to Josh’s state of concern. Sally begs and pleads but Josh fears Danny could potentially sell the place or turn it into an amusement if he’s able to see Sally as a ghost. Aidan stays calm and collected as usual. Will Danny see Sally or will he pass right by her? “There Goes the Neighborhood Part 2” airs Monday, January 24th, at 9PM ET on Syfy.

In the next all-new episode of Merlin, Merlin is tested as he stands up to Gaius. However, Gaius is possessed by a Goblin so Merlin can only attempt to strike fear in the Goblin without hurting Gaius. A bit of magic and secrets are revealed between the two, but Merlin makes a promise that he will not stop until Gaius is his old self. “Goblin’s Gold” airs this Friday at 10PM ET.

A lot of people tuned in for Syfy’s Being Human premiere, netting just short of 2 million people during the 9PM showing, and 3.8 million non-duplicated viewers over the three back-to-back showings to be the most watched winter premiere for the network since 2005. It will be interesting to see if the ratings hold overall, but I was very impressed. In know Syfy had very high hopes for this show and were fighting against an existing fan base of the UK show who saw this as just a carbon copy with American accents. After meeting the cast and seeing them interact, I also could see how the show could work – it needs a great cast.

I think they scored.

Sam Witwer (Aidan the vampire) I think has the rugged look and intensity that I think is fitting for the role, without opting for the “sparkly vampire” image that’s all the rage. Sam Huntington (Josh the werewolf) adds the deadpan humor at a level that I actually enjoy and will laugh out loud at. And Meaghan Rath (Sally the ghost) adds the cute and exciting but troubled character wondering why she’s still there and if she’ll ever leave.

Part 1 did seem to rush a bit of the situation into play (possibly to hook the users), but it wasn’t too bad – there are still plenty of things to in the coming episodes. There were a couple shots of Josh when they meet the new nurse that seemed a bit odd (almost as if they were filmed separately, with Huntington just mugging for the camera), but otherwise I think the filming worked well. Being from the Boston area I could tell a number of shots weren’t actually in Boston (it is filmed in Montreal for its similar feel), and I’d like to see some more “establishing” shots of Boston proper, but I’m not going to hold them to total accurate location shooting (but Syfy, if you do bring them down for location shots, let me know, it would be nice to meet them again and see some of the filming).

I’ve never been into the vampire/werewolf stuff as of late, but I find this orders of magnitude more interesting than Twilight, and I’m eagerly awaiting future episodes – which I really, really didn’t expect. And I’m happy about it.

I haven’t been thrilled with the recent cancellations of Caprica and Stargate Universe, but I think Syfy was right to have high hopes for this program.

Unlike it’s recent siblings Caprica and Stargate Universe, Sanctuary has been renewed for a fourth season. It appears to be a “short” order of 13 episodes like its first two seasons, instead of the 20 episode order of Season 3, but it’s still better than nothing, and it could potentially be expanded. Production will pick up in the Spring with the debut in the Fall. Read on for the Syfy release:
(continue reading…)

And I’m not talking about Ricky Gervais’ borderline insult jokes…not that it is any surprise, since genre-wise there were precious few nominations, with Inception and Alice In Wonderland coming up empty (and it was though that Johnny Depp would have gotten Best Actor for either Alice or The Tourist). But at least related show Big Bang Theory got something with Jim Parsons getting Best Actor, Comedy/Musical – but lost out overall to Glee. Toy Story 3 picked up Best Animated Feature.

Figured I’d address the swirling rumors that have picked up again about David Tennant being cast in The Hobbit – although rumored for months, David Tennant has not yet been confirmed to appear in The Hobbit despite all the recent casting announcements, but more recently the rumors have been more specific – with Tennant taking the role of the king of the Silvan Elves, Thranduil. Tennant may have scheduling issues due to the recent announcement that he and his Doctor Who companion Catherine Tate would star together on stage in London in Much Ado About Nothing, plus his wedding plus rumors of being an expectant father…if you believe The Sun (I’ll wait for another source…)

Also still to be confirmed is Orlando Bloom, rumored to be reprising his role as Legolas. While not specifically appearing by name in the book, there is some logic to his appearance as Legolas was the son of Thranduil and lived among the Silvan elves of Mirkwood, who Bilbo encounters on his journey.

In the same vein as the great Battlestar Galactica recap videos and Re-Caprica, there is now a video that sums up Syfy’s upcoming Being Human in just two minutes, with a twist of humor…
(continue reading…)

Congrats to our friend (and dinner company) Mark Stern, who was promoted to President of Original Programming for Syfy. Mark was already the Executive Vice President, and is also the co-head of original programming for Universal Cable. He will now also oversee Syfy Films. Mark is a great guy and I think we’ll see some cool stuff soon.

In other Syfy news, writers Jane Espenson (Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Warehouse 13, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and more plus the upcoming Torchwood: Miracle Day) and Drew Z. Greenberg (Caprica, Warehouse 13, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) will write a pilot for Syfy based on the British show Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), which had two previous versions in 1969 (as My Partner The Ghost and 2000. The show centers around the private investigators partners Randall and Hopkirk – except Hopkirk is dead and appears as a ghost only seen by his former partner, and helps him to solve crimes.

Ian McKellan updated his blog about what kept him from committing to The Hobbit. “All I had to decide was what to do with the time that is given me.” After setting his schedule to be in the area, delays just kept cropping up. Plus, “I kept wondering was Gandalf what I most wanted to do, more than a new play for instance or indeed a new part? Sequels aren’t necessarily as rewarding to act in as their originals. Could I let Gandalf go? Would anyone else care if I did? Elsewhere, does anyone care that Michael Gambon was not the first to play Dumbledore?” In the end, it wasn’t the money that was the deciding point, but dates. “Gandalf is needed on set over the next 18 months but with sizeable breaks when I can work on other projects. My worry that I could not easily escape from Middle Earth was lifted. I am happy to say I start filming in Wellington on February 21 2011.”