Sexpionage! Violence! Romance! Steven and Samantha Bloom (Boris Kodjoe & Gugu Mbatha-Raw) are ready to kick ass and take names in the J.J. Abrams/Bryan Burk/Josh Reims spy series. The Abrams-directed pilot airs Wednesday night (9/22) at 8PM on NBC.
[Via IGN]
The FOX musical sensation is back. No, not American Idol…Glee! Another year at McKinley High is about to begin, so brush up by reintroducing yourself to all the main charachers in the gallery below. Don’t forget to peek into gallery #2 to get a sneek peek at the premiere ep called “Auditions.” Glee premieres tonight (9/21) at 8PM.
[Via IGN]
The new FOX comedy from the mind that brought us Arrested Development is almost here! Check out these premiere stills from Mitch Hurwitz’s Running Wilde and plop on your couch tonight (9/21) at 9:30PM to catch the absurd and the funny. Stars Will Arnett, Keri Russell, and a bearded David Cross make up the majority of the stills.
[Via IGN]
“F–k SNL and the whole cast; Tell ’em Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass.” So much for that “Power” verse. Kanye West is slated to make a triumphant return to Saturday Night Live on October 2; Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston will serve as host. Perhaps ‘Ye will use this time in the spotlight to formally introduce his next single “All of the Lights”? Whatever goes down, you can expect one helleva performance because Kanye is on his game right now.
[Via EW]
It’s mid-September, my favorite time of year. Brand new television programming begins and old favorites return. I’m going to run through the new network and cable shows that I’m most anticipating, let you know which returning shows you should be watching, and I’ll hypothesize about which new shows are likely to get the axe. Not so interested in my opinions? Simply click here to view the 2010 fall schedule for the big four networks (including synopses, cast/creator info, and trailers) and decide what to watch on your own terms.
CBS: There’s a reason why CBS is the most watched network–they mostly air procedural crime dramas that do not force viewers to tune in every week. Take, for example, the CSI franchise (which now includes CSI, CSI: NY & CSI: Miami) and the NCIS franchise (NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles). Sprinkle in some fantastic comedies like The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother plus popular reality shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race, and Undercover Boss and you’ve got a worthy lineup that does not require weekly viewing. Though I am not not the biggest fan of the procedurals, The Mentalist does a fine job of drawing me in when I happen to channel surf to the network. Also, I’ve only heard good things about The Good Wife, so you might want to give that a try as well.
Of the five new shows premiering this fall on CBS, there’s only one that I’m fully interested in: Hawaii Five-O. Again, crime procedurals are usually not my cup of tea but there’s no denying how action-packed and fun this 1960s reboot looks. (The show originally aired on CBS for 12 seasons from 1968-1980.) Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Fringe) serve as executive producers and stars Alex O’Loughlin (Three Rivers), Scott Caan (Entourage), Daniel Dae Kim (Lost), and the beautiful Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica: The Plan) will work together to take down the villains. Except tons of explosions, violent action scenes, and quick, witty banter from Caan. It only helps that the backdrop to all of this is Oahu! Premieres Monday, September 20 at 10PM.
Getting the axe? $#*@ My Dad Says.
Are you the ultimate LOST fan? I know I am, and that is why I purchased the LOST: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray. Besides the 36 Blu-ray discs, the detailed and textured set is packed with tons of Lost related goodies including a “recovered Black Rock journal entry”, the senet board game complete with black and white stones, a replica image of the Island, and an exclusive episode guide. This being a LOST package, it comes to little surprise that hidden easter eggs are aplenty. The included ankh stores a “secret message from Jacob” and a Dharma branded black light torch can be used to search the set for clues.
I invite you to look after the break and watch my encompassing unboxing video; I detail all of the set’s contents and reveal the hidden easter eggs. Also, peer into the galleries below to gander at still images of all the content. The first gallery is an extensive look at every item; the second gallery focuses on the Blu-ray sleeves for each season.
Continue reading Unboxing: LOST: The Complete Collection [Blu-ray] (images + video)
J.J. Abrams, creator of Felicity, Alias, Lost, Fringe, and the upcoming NBC spy show Undercovers, is readying two new dramas for network TV. Variety reports that FOX has picked up Alcatraz, a series based on the famous island prison that was shut down in 1963. The spec script was written by Elizabeth Sarnoff (Lost, Deadwood). Sarnoff will serve as executive producer along with Abrams and Bryan Burk (Alias, Lost) on the Warner Bros. TV/Bad Robot project.
Next up is Person of Interest, another Abrams-backed project that was just picked up by CBS, according to NYMag. The source describes it as an hour-long crime thriller. Jonah Nolan, brother of film director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight), is penning the pilot script and serves as co-creator with Abrams. Can someone say dream team?! This marks the first time Nolan contributing to a TV series. He is best known for his collaboration work with his brother on The Dark Knight & The Prestige; he also wrote the short story that inspired Memento. The fact that CBS of all networks reportedly picked up this particular series is somewhat startling. CBS is known for playing it safe by strictly airing procedural shows that people can tune into at any time without worrying about missing key plot developments (think the CSI franchise, The Mentalist, etc.). The Abrams/Nolan series might just break the CBS mold by premiering a more serialized show that demands weekly viewing. And that makes me very, very giddy.
As you might guess, very little to no information regarding plot and casting has leaked about these new Abrams projects. But you can be sure I’ll report back when things start to ramp up. If all goes according to plan, I’m hoping the new dramas will be ready to premiere next fall.
Yeah, yeah I know; we’ve already been privy to cast stills from NBC’s upcoming conspiracy thriller The Event. Well the network has decided to issue a new set of publicity shots, this time including a new cast group photo and stills from the series premiere. You know the drill–cast and premiere photos are categorized into the two galleries below. Go crazy.
The Event premieres Monday, September 20 at 9PM on NBC.
[Via IGN]
Princeton Plainsboro Hospital is almost open for business. The mad doc has finally found love in Cuddy, Thirteen will be taking some time off, and young Amber Tamblyn will be joining the cast in the beginning half of the season. Check out these House cast and season premiere stills (organized in the two galleries below); add ’em to the collection that includes the awesome season poster and cast group shot.
House premieres Monday, September 20 at 8PM on FOX.
[Via IGN]
Way back on February 11, 2009 actor-turned-rapper Joaquin Phoenix made his memorable visit to the Late Show with David Letterman. Next Wednesday (Sept. 22) Phoenix is set to return to the late night show and will not be reprising his role as a crazy rude bearded freak show. Instead he will be there promoting his new (mock?)-umentary film I’m Still Here. Relive the craziness here and anticipate an explanation for all this next week.
In related news, director Casey Affleck told The New York Times that Phoenix’s two-year stint as a retired actor-turned-rapper riddled with drug abuse was “a terrific performance.” In other words, it was all an act. “I never intended to trick anybody,” said Affleck. Well there’s goes all the hype leading up to the movie. Now that we know almost everything was fake, are you still interested in seeing the movie?
Last night the MTV Video Music Awards made big winners out of Lady Gaga and Eminem. Gaga, who was nominated for a record-breaking 13 moon mans, was awarded Best Female, Pop, and Dance video for “Bad Romance” and Best Collaboration for “Telephone” (featuring Beyonce). Eminem took home Best Male and Hip Hop awards for “Not Afraid.” Video of the Year–you guessed it–went to Gaga for–right, again–“Bad Romance.” When she accepted the top prize (covered in meat, mind you), Gaga announced the name of her second record (it’s called Born This Way) and she even recited a line from a new song: “God makes no mistakes. I’m on the right track baby. I was born this way.” Look after the break for the full list of winners.
11.4 million viewers tuned into this year’s VMAs making it the third most-watched telecast in MTV history. See MTV? People want music videos, not crap reality shows. The over-the-top performances really made the show worth watching. Eminem started things off with a bang by performing his smash hit “Not Afraid” followed by “Love the Way You Lie” with a surprise guest appearence by a red-headed Rihanna. The Bieb followed with “Baby”, “Somebody to Love”, and a drum solo. Next his mentor Usher lit up the stage (literally) with an amazing dance routine for “DJ Got Us Falling In Love” and “OMG.” I really didn’t mind that he dropped most of his vocals from the performance; he is a dance god. And that light up floor was beyond cool. Florence + the Machine performed “Dog Days Are Over”, proving to be a huge contender in the music industry. That Florence Welch can sing. A bit later young miss Taylor Swift took the stage barefooted to sing her song about the Kanye West incident that happened last year. The song was introduced by a brief video recap of the incident; without that you might not have been able to tell it was even about the controversial night. I will have to scan the lyrics to find clues; anywho, let’s all move on from that fateful night, shall we? Swift looked great and the performance was classy, per usual. Drake, Mary J. Blige, and Swizz Beatz did “Fancy”, and boy did they sound great together. This marked Drake’s first time performing at the VMAs, and he proved he can work the crowd. I’m looking forward to what he’s got in store for next year. Linkin Park nailed it with a fun performance right outside the Griffith Observatory. And then came Mr. West.
Comedian Aziz Ansari hopped onto stage to give a hilarious introduction to the main (and closing) event. Anticipation built as Kanye walked onto stage donned in a red suit to meet his sampler. As ballarinas began to flutter around the stage, Kanye dropped the heavy beat to a never-before-heard track called “Runaway”. And the chorus goes: “Let’s have a toast for the douchebags, Let’s have a toast for the assholes, Let’s have a toast for the scumbags, Every one of them that I know/Let’s have a toast to the jerkoffs, That’ll never take work off/ Baby, I got a plan, Run away fast as you can.” With “Runaway” Kanye acknowledges his past mistakes in a rather tongue-in-cheek manner, but at the same time retains his comeback stature. In other words, it was a runaway success. Can’t forget to mention fellow G.O.O.D. Music artist Pusha T who added a worthy verse to the mix. Any “booos” that might have lingered before the epic performance had quickly turned into “Kanye, Kanye, Kanye” cheers by the time the song was over. Jump after the break to watch the performance, complete with Aziz’s intro.
A few more highlights.. Host Chelsea Handler did a great job (when she came out wearing that house I was in stitches, plus seeing Chuy there was a nice treat); house DJ Deadmau5 looked freakin’ sweet in his LED mouse head piece; Nicki Minaj’s pre-show performance (featuring will.i.am) was a ton of fun; and how amazing did MTV do up LA’s Nokia Theatre? Continue reading 2010 MTV VMA highlights, winners enclosed
Heroes fans–where are you, oh there you are. According to EW, a “key source” from the NBC series claims that the potential Heroes TV movie to wrap things up is not happening. After the show was officially cancelled after a four-year run last May, there was chatter about creator Tim Kring possibly working on a two or four hour TV movie to give a definitive ending to the series for devoted fans. With the actors moving on to other projects and NBC’s aim to let go of the dying, low-rated series it doesn’t come to much surprise that Heroes the TV series is over. Back in June Kring talked with EW and inadvertantly spilled that even if the TV movie was not to be made, the franchise might live on in some other form.
“…the Heroes brand is an extremely broad premise. It was a premise about ordinary people, an undisclosed number of people all over the world, who were waking up to these extraordinary abilities. Any number of stories could happen around that. We never posited a single ending or a single premise. It wasn’t about getting off of an island or stopping something from happening. We told stories in volumes that had a beginning, a middle, and an end. Those volumes could go on and on and on with many different characters. As a result, that Heroes universe is something that can be tapped into again in many ways.”
Interesting, huh? Heroes is no stranger to the comic book and web series worlds. Perhaps we may see the characters one last time in either (or both) of those mediums. It’s unfortunate the creative path that Heroes decided to take. In the end, though, we can always think back to season one–an exciting, intense character-driven ride that very much played out like, well, a movie.
[Via EW]