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Tricia Helfer joins second season cast of Powers
by Doc on Oct.07, 2015, under Television
Actress Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Ascension, and who I know consider my bowling nemesis) has been named to the second season cast of Powers, the Playstation Network series, that started production last week in Atlanta.
Powers, an edgy dramatic series, follows the lives of two homicide detectives, Christian Walker (Sharlto Copley, District 9, Maleficent) and Deena Pilgrim (Susan Heyward, Poltergeist), who are assigned to investigate cases involving people with superhuman abilities, referred to as “Powers.” Set amidst today’s paparazzi culture, Powers asks the questions, what if the world was full of superheroes who aren’t actually heroic at all? What if all that power was just one more excuse for mischief, mayhem, murder, and endorsement deals? Enter the men and women of the Powers Division, the brave people in charge of protecting humans like us and keeping the peace over commercialized, god-like men and women who glide through the sky imposing their power over the mortals who both worship and fear them.
Helfer will play FBI Special Agent Lange, who, like the comic book character, shares a history and palpable sexual tension with Detective Walker. Lange walks a fine line between the Powers world and the government, and can be both ally and enemy when it suits her agenda.
CBS wants MacGyver back as a series
by Doc on Oct.03, 2015, under Television
CBS is picking up the idea of a MacGyver reboot, and James Wan (Furious 7 director) is running with it. In fact, Wan has been interesting in working on MacGyver for some time, to the point that he had already developed a “Young MacGyver” feature film.
While they aren’t actually calling it a “Young” MacGyver, it does appear that they are setting the character about 10 years younger than the original (played by Richard Dean Anderson), and plan to show how he gained his abilities to “macgyver” contraptions to save the day.
MacGyver was previously being eyed for a feature film from creator Lee Zlotoff and the De Laurentiis clan behind it for New Line Cinema, but it apparently went nowhere.
This new potential series will bring back original executive producer Henry Winkler, to be joined by R. Scott Gemmill (NCIS: Los Angeles), who will also write the pilot, Wan (who will direct) and Michael Clear, who runs Wan’s shingle Atomic Monster.
The series will come from the network’s corporate sibling CBS Television Studios, who owns the rights to MacGyver through its merger with Paramount Network Television.
HotShot Clip: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 – “Star Squad”
by Doc on Oct.02, 2015, under Movies
“Welcome to the 76th Hunger Games…” – and it’s taking place right in the Capitol!
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 begins November 20th, with tickets on sale now!
BBC Three announces new Doctor Who spinoff Class from author Patrick Ness
by Doc on Oct.01, 2015, under Television
BBC Three just announced Class, a spinoff of Doctor Who aimed at the Young Adult (YA) audience, being led by YA author Patrick Ness ([asin=0763676187]Chaos Walking[/asin] trilogy, [asin=0763660655]A Monster Calls[/asin]).
“Class is a YA series set in contemporary London. Incredible dangers are breaking through the walls of time and space, and with darkness coming, London is unprotected. With all the action, heart and adrenalin of the best YA fiction (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Hunger Games), this is Coal Hill School and Doctor Who like you’ve never seen them before,” according to the release.
“No one has documented the dark and exhilarating world of the teenager like Patrick Ness, and now we’re bringing his brilliant story-telling into Doctor Who,” said showrunner Steven Moffat. “This is growing up in modern Britain – but with monsters!”
“I’m astounded and thrilled to be entering the Doctor Who universe, which is as vast as time and space itself,” said Ness. “There’s so much room there for all kinds of amazing stories, and to work with Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin to find a place to tell one of my own has been an absolute joy. I can’t wait for people to meet the heroes of Class, to meet the all-new villains and aliens, to remember that the horrors of the darkest corners of existence are just about on par with having to pass your A-Levels.”
Class will be an 8 x 45 minute series produced by BBC Cymru Wales in association with BBC Worldwide for BBC Three. The series will film in and around Wales from Spring, 2016 and be on air next year.
Fear The Walking Dead web series kicks off when TV season ends
by Doc on Sep.28, 2015, under Television, Video/DVD
If you like Fear The Walking Dead, you won’t have to fear the season finale coming up on October 4th – because a 16-part web series kicks off that day called Fear The Walking Dead: Flight 462.
The series will premiere on amc.com, with new one-minute episodes debuting every Sunday thereafter, both online and during commercial breaks of The Walking Dead.
The web series tells the story of a group of passengers aboard a commercial airplane during the earliest moments of the outbreak. Over the course of the series, the plane and the lives of its passengers are put in jeopardy once they discover an infected traveler. The series is written by L. Signorino and Mike Zunic and directed by Fear director of photography Michael McDonough. Producers are Fear showrunner Dave Erickson and co-exec producer David Wiener.
Profiles In History auctions Star Wars props and lots of other cool stuff this week
by Doc on Sep.27, 2015, under Fun Stuff, Movies, Television
Profiles In History kicks off their “Hollywood 74” auction this week, and they have lots of cool toys up for auction, including stuff from Star Wars, Star Trek and many, many more!
Some examples from the Star Wars collection:
An original “Rebel Fleet Trooper” helmet from the opening scene of Star Wars: A New Hope
The original Blockade Runner filming miniature from Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars “Ridgeback” Stormtrooper helmet
Carrie Fisher’s “Slave Leia” costume from Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi
The catalog is MASSIVE at over 600 pages. Take a look at the online version but prepared for a lot of time and clicking!
Syfy’s annual 31 Days of Halloween kicks off screaming this week
by Doc on Sep.27, 2015, under Television
Be afraid. Be very afraid. Syfy’s 8th annual 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN spook-a-thon will unleash more than 600 hours of blood-curdling programming October 1-31, including ghoulish Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Witness holiday-themed episodes and four spooky new original movies.
Some of the highlights include:
Night of the Wild (New original movie, Saturday, October 3 at 9PM) — When a large meteor crashes into a quiet town, pet dogs become mysteriously aggressive, attacking and killing the residents. Night of the Wild stars Rob Morrow (Northern Exposure), Kelly Rutherford (Gossip Girl) and Tristin Mays (The Vampire Diaries).
Ominous (New original movie, Saturday, October 10 at 9PM) — Michael and Rachel are devastated when their six-year-old son dies in a tragic accident. When a stranger offers to bring the boy back to life, they take the offer. However, the child who returns is not the child they once knew. Ominous stars Barry Watson (Masters of Sex, 7th Heaven) and Esme Bianco (Game of Thrones, The Magicians).
They Found Hell (New original movie, Saturday, October 17 at 9PM) — When a group of gifted college students run a secret teleportation experiment, they accidentally open a portal to another dimension, trapping them in Hell. One by one they are hunted, tortured and killed by the denizens of Hell who are bent on stealing their souls. They Found Hell stars Chris Schellenger (Hacker’s Game), Katy Reece (When the Pile is Crooked) and Austin Scott (Prep School).
The Hollow (New original movie, Saturday, October 24 at 9PM) — On Halloween, three troubled sisters attempt to find tranquility by moving in with their aunt, but instead face a mysterious creature that threatens to kill everyone on their secluded island town. The Hollow stars Stephanie Hunt (Californication), Alisha Newton (Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters) and Sarah Dugdale (Sorority Murders).
Ghost Hunters Halloween Episode (Wednesday, October 28 at 9PM) — In this special Halloween episode, “Darker Learning,” Jason Hawes and the TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) team go on location to investigate the legend of a mysterious love triangle that could be at the root of frightening paranormal activity at Southern Vermont College in Bennington, VT.
Paranormal Witness Halloween Episode (Wednesday, October 28 at 10PM) — The true story of a Rhode Island family’s terrifying battle with the spirit of a murderous witch in their home will be explored in this special episode of the series. Titled “The Real Conjuring,” the episode details the frightening basis for the hit 2013 movie The Conjuring, which will also air on Syfy Saturday, October 31 at 9PM.
31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN will also summon a coven of Syfy theatrical premieres ranging from I Am Legend and Orphan to Insidious: Chapter 2, as well as all-new episodes of chilling scripted series such as Z Nation, Haven and Dominion (season 2 finale airs October 1).
The scarefest will also include encores of spooky treats such as Blade II; Underworld; The Fog; Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning; Cabin In The Woods; The Omen (2006); The Last Exorcism; Fright Night (2011); Hostel and Silent Hill: Revelation.
Check out this 3D video experience from Star Wars: The Force Awakens
by Doc on Sep.23, 2015, under Movies
This is cool…Facebook is now offering 3D video, which allows you to rotate your view while the video plays. And of course, this gets applied to Star Wars: The Force Awakens with a video where you speed along on the desert planet of Jakkku…check it out right here!
Just start the video, then click and drag in the frame…
2015 Primetime Emmys wrap-up
by Doc on Sep.21, 2015, under Awards, Television
Game Of Thrones was the big winner not just among the few genre programs nominated, but overall and even for all time, taking home 12 different Emmys – the most ever taken by a single series in a single year! And this was with writer George R.R. Martin in attendance.
The series took home the Outstanding Drama award at the conclusion of the night, after it had already won Director (David Nutter), Supporting Actor (Peter Dinklage), and Writing (David Benioff and D.B. Weiss). The other eight were awarded last week at the Creative Emmys.
Alas, no other genre shows won anything at the Big Show.
Jenna Coleman to leave Doctor Who this season
by Doc on Sep.16, 2015, under Television
With Season 9 poised to start, companion Jenna Coleman, who currently plays Clara Oswald on Doctor Who, will be leaving at some point, likely before the Christmas Special.
What was apparently a tightly-kept secret, Coleman was given the starring role in ITV’s eight-part, £10 million drama Victoria, about the 19th century (and until recently the longest-serving) British Monarch.
Her three years opposite both Matt Smith and now Peter Capaldi has made her the longest serving companion to the Doctor since the show was revived in 2005.