23 years of this site still chugging along...
More behind the scenes of The Hobbit from Peter Jackson
by Doc on Jul.11, 2011, under Movies
It’s been almost three months since Peter Jackson posted a video from the set of The Hobbit, but here is the second video from the set, featuring Andy Serkis, Ian McKellan, and some of the dwarves, other cast and crew and what they are going to do while they take a short break, plus some location scouting…and just 200 shooting days left!
Falling Skies renewed for 10-episode second season
by Doc on Jul.07, 2011, under Television
It looks like TNT liked the returns on the first few episodes of Falling Skies – TNT has ordered a second season of the hit post-invasion show starring Noah Wyle from Dreamworks Television and Steven Spielberg, which will air in the summer of 2012. The premiere on June 19th drew a Live+7 viewership of 8 million, making it the most successful cable launch so far in 2011, and through three episodes as averaged more than 6.4 million blended (live and time shifted) viewers.
“Falling Skies is a true standout series, from its ambitious storytelling, high-profile cast and production team to its phenomenal success when it comes to international and time-shifted viewing,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “We’re reaching new audiences with Falling Skies and look forward to seeing where this fascinating and exciting series takes us next.”
“Falling Skies is a true standout series, from its ambitious storytelling, high-profile cast and production team to its phenomenal success when it comes to international and time-shifted viewing,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “We’re reaching new audiences with Falling Skies and look forward to seeing where this fascinating and exciting series takes us next.”
The first season of Falling Skies is currently airing Sunday nights at 10/9c on TNT.
A talk with the Warehouse 13 stars, plus a season premiere sneak peek and a webisode
by Doc on Jul.06, 2011, under Television
Syfy’s Warehouse 13 returns next Monday at 9/8c, and earlier today I was on the phone with three of the stars – Saul Rubinek (Artie), Eddie McClintock (Pete) and Allison Scagliotti (Claudia). I should have more a more complete article about the call this weekend, but here is a “sneak peak”, along with a sneak peek of the premiere as well as part one of the “webisode” tie in, “Of Monsters and Men”.
I asked each of them to describe the direction that we’d see their character’s take this season – spoiler free, of course (Saul said he wanted to give spoilers though…). McClintock said we’ll see “more insight into the people who influenced him…more about his dad…his mother…[his arc will be] centered around Pete’s past.”
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Eureka preview: “Liftoff”
by Doc on Jul.06, 2011, under Television
Eureka returns next Monday, July 11th at 8/7c on Syfy, and in the town where anything is possible returns with all-new adventures. In our sneak peak “Liftoff”, Fargo is busy working on a spaceship when Zane hops on board to grill him about Lupo, closing the hatch behind him. Unfortunately for both of them the ignition switches were on and with the hatch closed the ship’s engines ignite and launches both of them into outer space! Catch the extended clip to see how things went terribly wrong and tune in to the premiere this Monday to see if Sheriff Carter can get them safely back to Earth.
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Harry Potter‘s Radcliffe turned to alcohol to live the “lifestyle”
by Doc on Jul.05, 2011, under Movies
Perhaps not a great surprise versus his alter-ego’s clean image, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe revealed he turned to alcohol as he attempted to live a “famous person’s lifestyle”, in an interview for GQ magazine. Reportedly he turned to drinking during filming of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and “I became so reliant on [alcohol] to enjoy stuff. There were a few years there when I was just so enamoured with the idea of living some sort of famous person’s lifestyle that really isn’t suited to me.”
But he dropped drinking last August, around the time he got together with his unnamed girlfriend. “I’m actually enjoying the fact I can have a relationship with my girlfriend where I’m really pleasant and I’m not ****ing up totally all the time.” Kudos to Daniel for recognizing it and fixing it before it was too late.
Could there still be Stargate movie sequels?
by Doc on Jul.05, 2011, under Movies
If you remember way back when in 2006 when Dean Devlin mentioned that Stargate was originally envisioned as a trilogy of movies (doesn’t everyone do that now?) but with MGM having control and moving to a series he and co-creator Roland Emmerich disavowed, it seemed unlikely that they would get made…but now that the Stargate TV franchise is at least in hibernation, Devlin is still hopeful that parts two and three could still happen, although it may be changed a bit from their original ideas owing to so much time having passed.
I’m still not sure that a movie franchise that ignores the multiple series would help, but who knows…with the state of MGM and how much the word “reboot” is thrown around Hollywood, is they can see any money in it they’ll do it…
Twilight Zone creator Serling to get biopic
by Doc on Jul.04, 2011, under Movies, Television
Twilight Zone and Night Gallery creator Rod Serling, who also co-wrote the original screenplay for Planet of the Apes, will get a movie about his life. Andrew Meieran through his Bureau of Moving Pictures acquired the rights and will produce along with Serling’s widow, Carol Serling. Stanley Weiser (Wall Street) will write it.
Serling was more than just the guy who introduced and narrated Twilight Zone episodes. He was a paratrooper and a member of the demolition squad in WWII stationed in the Philippines, and even boxed for a time – a life from which he drew experiences for the many episodes of various drama programs and TV movies in the 50s and 60s. He passed away in 1975 at the age of 50, attributed to his life-long chain smoking, but his legacy included several revivals of his programs and even a thrill ride at several Disney theme parks around the world.
Magic fails Camelot
by Doc on Jun.30, 2011, under Television
Starz has reportedly canceled a second season of it’s freshman Arthurian fantasy drama Camelot after disappointing ratings (averaging a little better than 900,000 viewers, steady by not good). It did have the unfortunate luck of debuting against the heavily buzzed Game of Thrones), which enjoyed closer to 3 times the audience.
Although I liked the series, it seemed like I was always waiting for Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) to finally whip up some magic, or something a little more profound from Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower), and occasionally getting confused between Igraine (Claire Forlani) and Morgan (Eva Green) even without Morgan’s disguises.
Update: Hearing that scheduling conflicts may have also played a part in the decision, and that ratings had actually risen towards the end, with 1.5 million viewers in the finale.
Fox and Harris jump from World War Z?
by Doc on Jun.30, 2011, under Movies
World War Z, the post-Zombiepocalypse movie based on the [asin=0307346617]book by Max Brooks[/asin] being directed by Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace), penned by J. Michael Straczynski and Matthew Michael Carnahan (Lions for Lambs) and starring Brad Pitt, reportedly lost two of its other stars: Matthew Fox (Lost) and Ed Harris (The Abyss) – just as production is starting. Fox reportedly has a scheduling conflict (he is also scheduled to star in I, Alex Cross with Tyler Perry), but no word on why Harris has backed out. Auditions have already begun for replacements.
World War Z is a historical account of first-hand experiences of the zombie crisis garnered by the “author” as he travels to gather information for a United Nations report a decade after the war.
Dollhouse‘s Dichen Lachman joins Being Human
by Doc on Jun.30, 2011, under Television
Syfy just announced that Dichen Lachman, who starred as Sierra on Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse on Fox and appears in the upcoming Torchwood: Miracle Day, as well as guest appearances on Hawaii Five-0 and NCIS: Los Angeles, will play Izumi, a reclusive, centuries-old vampire royal whose unexpected return to Boston’s vampire society throws main character Aidan (Sam Witwer) and the city into disarray. Being Human begins production on its second season this month in Montreal and will air in 2012.
Being Human became an instant hit for Syfy when it premiered in January 2011 averaging 1.8 million viewers making it the channel’s most successful winter season scripted series launch in 6 years.
In the series, leading everyday lives is a lot harder than it looks for three supernatural roommates – vampire Aidan (Sam Witwer), ghost Sally (Meaghan Rath) and werewolf Josh (Sam Huntington) – who share their secrets and a Boston brownstone. Together they learn that there are fates worse than death and more to life – and the afterlife – than most “normal” humans could ever imagine.