Monthly Archives: November 2008

‘Smallville’ Season 9? Could Be

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But now EW.com’s Michael Ausiello says the TV version of the Man of Steel could be sticking around for at least another year. Most of us who are long time fans feel the series has improved greatly this season, and asked by one such excited fan if the show could return for Season 9, Ausiello replies, "I hear The CW will likely take the don’t-fix-if-not-broke approach and keep its Thursday line-up intact next season," implying both Smallville and Supernatural will be back for the 2009-2010 season.

Also the CW may be more keen on keeping "Smallville" now because "The Graysons" project they had in development has been scrapped and laid to rest. That potential series about a young Dick Grayson before he becomes Robin the Boy Wonder was perceived as a potential replacement for "Smallville". However, with "Smallville" still pulling in the ratings for the network and "The Graysons" no longer happening, The CW may be thinking it’s just best to stick with their proven series and Thursday night line up.

Ausiello also says that a recent rumor that The CW had already renewed "Supernatural" for a fifth season is not true. However, considering the very respectable numbers that show is pulling in this season, it would be a surprise if it didn’t come back next fall.

So are you looking forward to another new season of Smallville?

 

Chuck vs Tricia Helfer

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In this role Helfer will be a CIA agent in charge of Chuck and thus work alongside Casey when General Beckman decides that Sarah might no longer be an effective handler, due to her increasingly apparent feelings for the "asset."

But fear not you Yvonne Strahovski fans, because Helfer’s CIA spook turns out to be just another one of those deep-cover FULCRUM agents, seeing as the BSG gal’s role is just for a single episode airing about two-thirds of the way into the season.

So do you like these spook roles that Trica has been doing?

 

Fox’s ‘Dollhouse’ Trailer

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ECHO (Dushku) is an "Active," a member of a highly illegal and underground group of individuals who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Hired by the wealthy, powerful and connected, the Actives don’t just perform their hired roles, they wholly become – with mind, personality and physiology – whomever the client wants or needs them to be. Whether imprinted to be a lover, an assassin, a corporate negotiator or a best friend, the Actives know no other life than the specific engagements they are in at that time.

Confined between missions to a secret facility known as the "Dollhouse," Echo and the other Actives including SIERRA (Dichen Lachman) and VICTOR (Enver Gjokaj) are assigned engagements by ADELLE (Olivia Williams), one of the Dollhouse leaders. After each scenario, Echo, always under the watchful eye of her handler BOYD (Harry Lennix), returns to the mysterious Dollhouse where her thoughts, feelings, experiences and knowledge are erased by TOPHER (Fran Kranz), the Dollhouse’s genius programmer.

Echo enters the next scenario with no memory of before. Or does she?

As the series progresses, FBI Agent PAUL BALLARD (Tahmoh Penikett) pieces together clues that lead him closer to the Dollhouse, while Echo stops forgetting, her memories begin to return and she slowly pieces together her mysterious past.

Click here to view Dollhouse trailer.

 

‘King of the Hill’ Canned, But the Show Goes On!

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A "King of the Hill" pickup would give ABC a well-known franchise to bolster the chances for "Goode Family." It’s a de facto network scheduling rule, learned at Fox through years of trial and error, that animated half-hours fit best with other animated half-hours. But just in case that falls through with ABC, other potential homes for the toon include Comedy Central, FX and Cartoon Network. But the show, which would be entering its 14th season, is believed to be too expensive for a cable network at this point by many of the suits out there. I for one disagree, Cartoon Network has already got a few heavy hitters under there belts where as Comedy Central and FX have picked up drastically in ratings

Fox’s decision not to order any new episodes of "King of the Hill," meanwhile, came just three days before the animated comedy posted its best ratings in a year, averaging a 4.3 rating/10 share in adults 18-49 on Sunday night.
Still, network insiders said Fox won’t likely change its mind on the cancellation. Net executives are looking to freshen up their animated stable, and after 260 episodes, they believed "King of the Hill" is ready for retirement.

But here maybe some bad news though, given the lengthy lead time on animated projects, the 14th season of "King of the Hill " probably wouldn’t be available to ABC or other network until late 2009 or early 2010.

So do you hope "King of the Hill" stays on the air?

 

Pushing Daisies Maybe Cancelled?

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Pushing Daisies is part of ABC’s Wednesday-night block, which has been one of the season’s more puzzling disappointments. Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money, and Pushing Daisies are all down in the ratings department, and none of the suits seems to know why. Maybe they should ask some of us that are out here on main street, I bet we could tell them, it’s called a recession! None the less, " Private Practice" received a full-season pickup about a week ago, but so far no word has been given on both Daisies and Dirty Sexy.

Kristen Chenoweth, who plays fan favorite Olive Snook, is concerned about the show’s future.

"It looks like we could possibly not be getting picked up. We have not gotten our order for the back nine [episodes] yet," Chenoweth told The National Ledger. "We finish November 12, and if we don’t get any more news, then that means we’re done. We just don’t know what’s going on. It’s the not knowing that is driving everybody crazy. We’re still doing our show and keeping positive, but I think deep down people just want to know."

What Daisies has going against it is the show’s high production values; it isn’t a cheap show to make. And with the economy sluggish (and that’s a euphemism), ABC has to take a business-first approach. On the other hand, critics and executives are high on the program, so it’s really a case of cross your fingers and wait and see.

An online petition has been started that currently has more than 29,550 signatures on it. If you’re a fan, we highly recommend signing up.

Whats your thoughts on Pushing Daisies?

 

‘Legend of the Seeker’ Pilot Review

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The cast are certainly likeable in their roles, although it did take the entire two hours for us to warm up to Zedd the wizard (Bruce Spence). Meanwhile, Kahlan (Bridget Regan) and Richard (Craig Horner) had us rooting for them from the first time we met them. To be sure, there is a certain cheese factor here (which isn’t necesarily a bad thing – didn’t we all love Hercules & Xena??), and some of the story elements pushed the boundaries of things that most of us would take for granted. Wasn’t it lovely for the soldiers to pause and allow that touching death scene? Did anyone else wish to own only those white clothes that would not only wash & repair themselves when the audience isn’t looking, but also jump back onto your skin when they’ve finished all that? And who wouldn’t smack their brother for taking the word of a stranger, over the word of his own kind & honest sibling??? This list could be a lot longer, believe me, but you get the idea.

But the thing is, if you can get yourself to just sit back and enjoy the ride, that’s when you "get it." Grab the popcorn, turn off the nit-picking, and just be. Two fun lead characters, an eccentric old kook of a wizard, a bad guy with a black heart, and plenty of magic to go ’round: what more could you want?

For now, the series is earning a solid 7 out of 10 from us – loosely translated, that’s "good, but with the potential to be so much better!" (But that poor chicken is never gonna be the same!! wink wink)

So what did you think of the first two episodes?

 

‘Legion of Super Heroes’ Coming to ‘Smallville’

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Smallville
Well the guys over at IGN Comics recently spoke to prolific comic book write Geoff Johns. Johns has written an episode of Smallville for this season, which will see the introduction of DC Comics’ Legion of Super Heroes into the series which is awesome news for us Smallville fans.

Asked about that episode, Johns said, "I’m actually in Vancouver all week for the filming. Wait until you see it. So far it’s been amazing to be involved with the writers in Los Angeles, particularly Darren Swimmer. And the cast and crew have been awesome – Tom [Welling], Allison [Mack] and Kristin [Kreuk] are in my episode and they are freaking amazing. Tom came up with a fantastic addition to the Legion Code, he impresses the hell out of me. He keeps the energy up on the set, keeps things fun, and he’s unbelievably smart. He approaches everything with incredible intelligence."

He also talked about the Smallville actors in which , Johns said, "Allison is not only an amazing actress, and she had to do some pretty intense things in this episode, she’s the nicest person ever. She’s also incredibly respectful of the fan base of the show and how far reaching it is. Every line she delivers makes you smile. Kristen is an unbelievable actress too. She delivered such a powerful scene Tuesday, it was more heartfelt than anything I could ever deliver on a page. She made the scene come to life. And, like Tom and Allison, [she’s] super nice."

Johns went on to add, "I love who they have playing the Legion. They look great. I’ll talk more about them when they’re announced. But they freaking rock. Legion rings, the villain’s weapon — holy s**t, wait until you see HIM– "Grife!", they are the Legion."

Johns was very happy about his experience on set, noting, "James Marshall, the executive producer up here, has put together an unbelievable crew. The crew up here is really a family, many of them having worked together for eight years. I’ve been up here for a week and I already feel like I’m a surrogate member. I’ve never enjoyed myself this much on a set, ever. Watching everyone work so hard to bring the Legion to life is a dream. But the superhero of the show for me has been the director, Glen Winter. I’m amazed to watch him, how instinctual he is on the set, how much he’s embraced the Legion, how he directs the actors and his shot choices… I worked for Richard Donner when I got out of school and he had an incredible instinct and talent for making the set come alive, making it all fun and really letting the love for the material shine through. Glen’s the same way. If there’s a season 9, I’d kill to do another episode with Glen. It’s been an unbelievable experience all around."

Asked if he had to make any tough compromises to make the Legion fit in the Smallville world, John replied, "I’m actually surprised by how faithful the Legionnaires will be to the comics. It’s really faithful to the comic book series. Who they are as people, what they do, it’s all in there. Obviously it’s going to be a little different because they’re just coming back for the first time to meet Clark. They’re uniforms are the Smallville versions, not spandex. But I’m really happy with how faithful it is. And writing the first live action of the Legion is an honor."

So will you be tuning in to see this episode when it airs?

‘Heroes’ is Having Major Problems

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"Heroes," produced by Universal Media Studios, has struggled in the ratings its third season. It’s understood that Alexander and Loeb were let go because of the frustration by NBC’s executives with the creative direction of the show.

It is also said that "Heroes" has been grappling with hefty budget overruns this season, that are going well beyond its already sizable $4 million per-episode pricetag.

So the question is how much longer do you think "Heroes" will last?