Tagged: television

‘Heroes’, ‘Chuck’ and ‘Life’ Get the Green Light for Fall

  • News
  • February 14, 2008

Even though the strike is over and many writers, actors, grips and craft service people are now getting back to work, the fate of some TV shows was still a bit uncertain.

Fortunately, according to NBC (via ComingSoon.net) three of my favorite shows, Heroes, Chuck and the underrated Life, don’t have to wait any longer to find out their fates because they have definitely been renewed for next Fall.

According to NBC Co-Chairman Ben Silverman:

"We are thrilled to be bringing back the high-energy dramas’ Chuck’ and ‘Life’ for next season. Additionally, we will be saving and re-launching our #1 drama and most successful franchise, ‘Heroes,’ so that it will run in all original episodes in the fourth quarter."

So, good news for fans of these shows. Although, it would have been great to see some new episodes earlier than next Fall but I guess you can’t have everything. At least they’re coming back, and for now, that’s enough.

 

Writers Strike ‘Officially’ Over

  • News
  • February 13, 2008

As reported by most major outlets that cover this sort of thing, including my old stomping grounds LAist and Cinematical, the Writers Strike is "officially" over.

Even though it was pretty much a foregone conclusion and the ratification vote was basically a formality, the Writer’s Guild of America still had to go through the process of having a vote to determine if the membership at-large would accept their new contract.

Well, no surprise, the writers voted to accept the contract by a 92.5% margin. Read the official letter from the WGA’s leadeship giving everyone the good news after the jump:

  (more…)

The Writer’s Strike Is Over, So What About Your Favorite Shows?

  • News
  • February 12, 2008

With the writer’s strike over, a new contract ratified by the WGA board and a pending vote by the membership at-large looming, I know what you’re thinking: enough of this strike business, when the heck am I gonna see new episodes of Battlestar Galactica, Chuck, Heroes or  "insert name of favorite show here"?

Believe me, I sympathise and apparently so do the folks at TV Guide because they’ve already posted a pretty comprehensive guide to the TV shows that are coming back now, sooner, later or never.

Some of the shows with their fates already determined include:

Battlestar Galactica

Returns April 4 with first half of 20-episode final season. Production on second half could start as early as March. Airdate for those TBD.

Chuck

No new episodes until fall.

Heroes

No new episodes expected until fall.

Lost

Six pre-strike episodes remain. Five additional episodes could air this season.

Smallville

Four pre-strike episodes remain. Expected to shoot 5 or 6 additional episodes to air in April/May.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Four pre-strike episodes remain. Future beyond that TBD.

Bionic Woman

No new episodes expected. Ever.

Check out the complete list, updated regularly, for more details on your favorite shows.

On This Day: The First Science-Fiction Television Program

  • News
  • February 11, 2008

Today in 1938, the Brits did television a mitzvah when the BBC created the first sci-fi TV show, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Capek play "R.U.R.", which coined the term "robot."

For those of you who thought "The Matrix" was revolutionary, it was Capek who introduced androids that rebel against their human creators. We’re also pretty sure she wasn’t the first to think that one up either (the first probably being the golem stories from the Talmud).

Anyway, the piece was translated from Czech to English, which explains the etymology of the word, "Robot." In its original Slo, "robota" means "work."

Sunday’s Free Hot Comics Links!

  • News
  • February 10, 2008
Drained by an overdose of football and politics, this week we’ve got just a few quick links left on the desk to share,  but some great ones.
 
The animation portal MyToons.com launched a branded channel to showcase the work of its community of animators. Take a few minutes and browse through the work – some of it is truly  amazing. 
 
Assuming you really want one, it’s just about your last chance for a replay of your favorite Superbowl commercials. Hulu beta subscribers can check them out here. 
 
Filmmaker Ryan Schifrin, creator and co-writer of the Devil’s Due military horror series Spooks, has launched the official Spooks web site here. The site features a lot of original content, including Spooks music by Ryan’s dad, Lalo Schifrin (Mission: Impossible), and Andy Garfield.
 
From our No Comment Files: Lasagna Cat is a very odd live action series based on the Garfield comic strips. You can see it here. Don’t saw we didn’t warn you. 
 
Just in case this comes up in day to day conversation, there is a list here of every reason why Dr. David Banner (Bill Bixby) turned into The Hulk on that old TV show. And despite what you think, it always wasn’t just about being angry. 
 
It might be all about hearts and flowers in the week to come, but for us it’s the true love of cool new comics and DVDs we showcase for you – and better yet, it’s our First Anniversary Celebration, plus, with a little luck, the end of the Writer’s Strike. See you right here for ComicMix Radio on Tuesday!
And as always, you can subscribe to our podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-1451831 or RSS!

Happy 75th Anniversary to the Lone Ranger!

  • News
  • January 31, 2008

On this day in 1933, to the strains of the William Tell Overture, the first of 2,956 episodes of The Lone Ranger premiered on WXYZ radio in Detroit, Michigan and later on the Mutual Broadcasting System radio network and then on NBC’s Blue Network (which became ABC).

We hope we don’t have to tell you who that masked man is, but just in case, return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear… when a Texas Ranger named Reid, who, as the series begins, was ambushed along with five other Texas Rangers by by Butch Cavendish, leader of the "Hole in the Wall Gang" and a man named Collins, who has infiltrated the Rangers for the gang as a scout, leaving almost every ranger dead.

Reid, the sole survivor, vowed to bring the killers and others like them to justice. So while he recovers, he asks his companion Tonto to make a sixth grave to make people think that he had died as well.

The Lone Ranger has gone on to appear on TV (both animated and the famous series starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels), in movies and serials, and (of course) comic books, most recently in publications from Dynamite Entertainment.

Hi-yo Silver! Away!

Honoring Jerry Siegel

  • News
  • January 28, 2008

Twelve years ago today, the writer and creator of Superman, Jerry Siegel, died.

Siegel and his artist friend, Joe Shuster, were the pioneers behind everyone’s favorite superhero. These days, it seems hard to believe that the character was initially rejected by all of the major newspaper syndicates at the time. Who would’ve guessed that an alien superhero sent to Earth in a space capsule and raised by an ordinary human family would resonate in the hearts and imaginations of the world?

After a long career as a comic book, then a newspaper strip, a radio series, a TV series, another TV series, a movie franchise and countless remakes, Superman remains one of the most iconic comic figures in history. All thanks to you, Mr. Siegel.

Oprah Brings It

  • News
  • January 26, 2008

Not that it’s necessarily geek news, but fantasy writers beware! Using your eighth-grade trauma to inspire your superhero’s journey? Think again!  You can’t mix fiction with non-fiction, or you will get a taste of Oprah’s wrath. Well, let’s be honest. That’s if you claim that you actually were that superhero, and while we all know you’re prancing around in those blue-lined yellow action hero underpants on your own time, at least you’re not on national TV saying that it’s real, or bouncing on couches, like some numb nuts out there.

Today in 2006, James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces, was ripped into a million little pieces by Oprah when it was found that a detail in his so-called autobiographical experience was shall we say, embellished. Let that be a lesson to all writers out there: when presented with the golden calf of Oprah’s Book Club, tread lightly. No detail shall be exaggerated, no recollection blurred, lest her wrath be set upon you and your stories. 

James Marsters Talks Torchwood and Interspecies Romance

  • News
  • January 25, 2008

In a recent, spoiler-filled (we repeat: spoiler-filled) interview with TV Guide, Buffy/Angel actor James Marsters discussed his return to TV on the Season Two premiere of Torchwood.

According to the interview, Marsters portrays a snarky, lusting Brit who quickly becomes a thorn in the side of the series’ main character, an old associate of his who ends up… Wait, doesn’t this sound familiar?

Anyways… The interview is chock-full of behind-the-scenes details about the filming of the Torchwood premiere, as well as some questionable personal revelations from Marsters himself. Unfortunately, most of those sections of the interview are impossible to post here without revealing key plot points, so you’ll have to make do with this short bit about how one of America’s favorite vampires made his way to the BBC:

I was on a concert tour in the U.K. — I broke up my band, so it was just me and my guitar — and my tour manager, Lisa, got me to watch Dr. Who. I thought it was a really well-written show and would be fun to do. So my agent called Russell T. Davies, who wrote Queer as Folk and is responsible for Dr. Who. Russell said no, but he would love for me to come on Torchwood, the spin-off. It’s a funny, subversive show like Buffy. I feel very much at home.

Marsters also sheds some light on the potential demise of a Spike spin-off series:

I don’t think it’s absolutely dead. I told Joss that I didn’t want to do the character as an old vampire, which would be really sucky. [Laughs] But I’m holding up better than I thought I would. With the right lighting, we might be able to get away with it.

Expendable Exposes the Secret Lives of Henchmen

  • News
  • January 25, 2008

expendable-poster-2734549Wednesdays are always big days in the comics world, but this week Hump Day was especially important because it marked the debut of Expendable, the latest film by Wondermark webcomicker David Malki !.

Expendable is a film about one of the most underappreciated cogs in the gears of global domination: the random henchman. Think back to the last spy movie you watched. Remember those guys who were thrown off the catwalk when the laboratory exploded? Well, this is their story.

Better yet, in the words of the film’s creator:

They may wear jumpsuits with skull logos on them, and they may carry assault rifles, but really they’re ordinary guys just like you and me — concerned about health insurance, pension plans, and making it through the workday without being shot, blown up, and/or karate-chopped by smug, oversexed Englishmen. Expendable is their story.

Sure, it’s a great film, but our favorite part occurred in the first four seconds, when the presentation of the production company card ("A Wondermark Presentation") blasted us in the face with some old-school TV nostalgia. We weren’t the only ones, either.

 

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