Persons Unknown followed the story of seven people who were abducted and placed in a seemingly abandoned town in the middle of nowhere. They wake up in a hotel with no knowledge of how or why they are there. The hotel, the streets of the town, and the other buildings are all filled with cameras and microphones. During the first few weeks of their captivity, they are subjected to psychological and physical stresses (torture). They also try to escape several times without success since the town is surrounded by some sort of impassable microwave energy wall. Once, they actually make it through the wall only for all of them to pass out, possibly due to an implant, and awaken back in the town.

The secondary plot follows Mark Renbe, a journalist and the ex-husband of one of the abductees, Janet Cooper. Renbe is attempting to find Janet to not only investigate the unusual circumstances of her disappearance but to also reunite her with their daughter, Megan. Another subplot involves Joe Tucker who at first seems to be an abductee like the other six people but is later revealed to be an agent of “The Program,” those responsible for the abductions and what is going on in the town.

Now that I’ve explained the important plot details, let me explain why I think the show failed in the end. Initially, the show was advertised as a mini-series event and that “All will be answered” at the end of the summer. The only thing that the show didn’t do was to provide answers, or at least the answers for which I wanted answers. 1) How did they decide who to abduct? 2) What is the purpose of “The Program? It has to be more than just finding individuals who show great promise. 3) What is The Program? 4) What’s going to happen to Kate Damatto and Ambassador Fairchild? Those are just a few of the questions that I have. These questions wouldn’t be so bad if I knew that there was going to be another season.

I will commend the writers for creating a show with an original premise. The series finally was a well written episode, if they were setting up more seasons. Am I supposed to just assume that The Program continues on? Why not go out with a bang and have the characters that we (the audience) grew to care about escape and somehow expose The Program, or find a way back to their lives, or even make new lives, instead of being stuck in a loop. Usually, when a series or mini-series comes to an end, there is closure. Fans of this show, however few there may be, won’t have any closure. The conspiracy continues and the plight of our characters isn’t changed. It would be like Battlestar Galactica ending after Crossroads Part 2 with the revelation of who the hidden cylons are. Or it would be like Lost ending after the fifth season finale The Incident when Ben kills Jacob, Ilana opens the metal crate to reveal Locke’s body, and Juliet smashes the nuclear core and detonates the bomb. You can’t end a series that you know is coming to an end with a cliff hanger and not expect people to be a little perturbed.

Maybe it was a case of the writers not knowing how to end the show, but that’s ridiculous. You knew going in that it was going to end. There really isn’t any excuse. I might have been happy with just showing Joe and Mark in a new town starting the cycle over again, but you also show me our original abductees (minus Joe) in a hotel built into a ship out at sea in the middle of nowhere (incidentally the ship is named Almas Perdidias which translates into Lost Souls). They are then told “Welcome to Level 2,” by a now sinister looking Night Manager. What the hell is Level 2? Why didn’t they just scrap this group like the normally would do? If The Program is trying something new, what exactly are they trying? The writers seem to have no problem with raising even more questions.

Maybe I’m being too hard and literal. I actually did like the show, and if there were going to be more seasons, I would watch. But the ending bothered me. I dislike false closure on my TV shows. Maybe this’ll spawn comic books or webisodes, or even some decent fan fiction. One can only hope.

Sherlock

Sherlock is a modern day version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.  The show is brilliant.  I love the production quality of the show.  So far, each of the first three episodes have been 90 minutes long and that’s great. There is more time to watch Sherlock work through a case and still have time to explain how he comes up with much of his conclusions.  I also love how they display the information that comes through on mobile phones like text messages, caller IDs and web searches on the television screen.

The great thing about this show is how Sherlock (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) is really a modern day version of the sleuth.  Of course he chronicles his exploits in a blog and possess an iPhone. from which he deftly sends text messages and does internet searches for information that isn’t readily available in that big brain of his.

To me, the true gem of the show is Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson.  Like many of the Dr. Watsons before him, he is a perfect complement to the self-described “high functioning sociopath”.  He’s a marksman and former soldier, and a medical doctor.  He’s proving himself to be down right dependable, a trait common in all versions of the character.  We also get to meet the devious and manipulative Moriarty.  I haven’t decided if I like this version of Moriarty.  He seems more like the Joker than the Kingpin, not that the Joker isn’t brilliant, but he is crazy.  However, I’m not entirely convinced that the man we saw as Moriarty might be him at all.  Sherlock might or might not be in your local listings, but you should watch it if you can.

UPDATE:  BBC announced that Sherlock would get a second season in the fall of 2011.  Man, that’s a long time to wait for a good show.

Haven

Haven is loosely based on Stephen King’s “The Colorado Kid”.  The first season is trucking right along on SyFy.  I can’t say that I am a fan of the show even though I’ve watched every episode.  The show is like Eureka with a supernatural twist.  Unfortunately, it’s not the only show that fits that description that started this summer (see The Gates).  I don’t think there is any chemistry between the 3 leads and that’s why the show isn’t pulling me in.  I keep watching each week thinking something is going to kick in but it hasn’t.  I can tell where the show is going, and the writers aren’t really giving me anything that would make me want to keep watching.  The long arc has something to do with the main character Audrey Parker trying to find out about a woman in an old newspaper article from Haven that looks just like her, who could be her mother.  However, we haven’t been given a whole lot to go on as far this storyline goes.  If you aren’t watching it you aren’t missing anything.  There are no main characters of color on this show.

Persons Unknown

I like this show.  If you haven’t been watching it don’t start now, you pretty much have to start from the beginning.  It’s much better than AMC’s remake of The Prisoner.  A group of people were kidnapped by a group known simply as The Organization, and dropped into a town that they cannot leave.  The actors in the cast are all believable and they all have good chemistry together.  There aren’t any big names in the cast, so that probably helps.  The secondary arc follows one of the persons uknown’s ex-husband journalist who’s trying to find her for the sake of their daughter.  The show is like a dark version of CBS’s Big Brother (a guilty pleasure of mine) which is probably why I like it.

The producers promise that all questions will be answered at the end of the series.  I like the idea of having a series with a definite ending.  I kinda felt that this is how Lost should have been (no nasty emails please).  It is apparent that this show couldn’t go longer than 13 episodes or even more than one season.  For some reason, this show makes me miss Defying Gravity.

Again, don’t watch Persons Unknown now if you haven’t been watching it all season.  NBC moved the show to Saturday night which means they have given up on it and are just trying to get rid of it, but to tell you the truth, how many episodes of Dateline NBC can one watch in a week?  Hulu and NBC have a few episodes, but not all of them.  I don’t understand why the network did that, but there are probably other ways to find all the episodes online. Chadwick Boseman (Lincoln Heights) and Kandyse McClure (BSG) both star as Persons Unknown.

The quality is okay, but it should be good enough for Smallville fans.

“The Event” is a new show coming to NBC this fall.  It’s being touted as a show with a Lost vibe.  It has an ensemble cast with multiple storylines centered around an “Event.”  The main plot appears to follow Sean Walker played by Jason Ritter who, while investigating the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée, ends up unraveling the biggest cover-up in U.S. history.

The show premieres September 20.  Check out the following interview with Blair Underwood who plays President Eli Martinez. (A black man as President brings back memories of President Palmer on 24).  Apparently, the crowd response to “The Event” at the San Diego Comic-Con was rousing.  Check out the entire panel for “The Event” below, courtesy NBC.

Souce: Blastr (formerly SciFi Wire)

Smallville fans always speculate on whether or not Tom Welling would ever don the most iconic costume in the comic book world.  This article over at Blastr has some interesting quotes from Smallville executive producers Kelly Souders and Brian Wayne Peterson.  I hope it’s true.  The show has teased fans with glimpses of the cape in several episodes over the years, but have never actually shown Welling in the costume.

The Jensen Project is the second movie from Walmart Family Moments. The movie centers around The Jensen Project which is basically an independent think tank of geniuses gathered on a compound researching and developing projects that can save the world.  The movie stars Kellie Martin (E.R., Life Goes On), Patricia Richardson (Malcolm in the Middle), and LeVar Burton (Roots, Star Trek: TNG).  It was also a backdoor pilot for a possible television series for NBC.  It aired this past Friday night.

Let me start by saying that the only way I knew anything about the movie was from LeVar Burton (@levarburton) on Twitter.  I don’t think NBC or Walmart promoted this movie.  I didn’t see any ads online, on NBC or in any magazine or newspaper.  Which is odd, because NBC is notorious for promoting their productions across all NBC/Universal media.  Apparently, NBC wasn’t going to give Walmart and P & G their money’s (or is it monies’) worth.  Mistake 1: Lack of promotion. 

Mistake #2 is dumping it on Friday night.  Friday night and Saturday night are for shows and original movies to go and die in peace, unless you are the SyFy network, which leads me to….

Mistake #3:  Scheduling it against  SyFy Friday.  I will go as far as to say that most of the people who would watch The Jensen Project are also Eureka fans and are probably going to watch Haven (Based on Stephen King’s The Colorado Kid). I will not assume that everyone has a DVR.

That being said, I think the movie was actually not bad.  It was the type of movie that a family could sit down together and enjoy, thus the whole “Walmart Family Moments” theme.  The writing could have been a little tighter and the characters could have been developed some more.  Personally, I would have introduced The Jensen Project first and began the movie with the dramatic departure of Dr. Edwin Jensen stealing all the projects from the compound, instead of a less significant scene that happens more than half-way into the movie.  I don’t like movies or T.V. shows that start out with a scene that is going to occur later and then jump back with a title card that says “5 Days Ago.”  It only ever works when there is some sort of twist involved, like a main character about to die, or a character doing something that is not in their nature.

The effects weren’t bad considering they probably didn’t have a whole lot of “resources” to produce top flight effects.  The product placement for Walmart’s Great Value brand was entertaining as well as the showcasing of Microsoft’s Kinect (the motion sensor add-on for the XBox 360) All the actors delivered and sold me on their roles despite having mediocre dialogue, but they did as good as you can do with bad writing.  I was completely sold on LeVar Burton as a former NSA operative and Kellie Martin as a genius mom who wasn’t sure of herself.

Should you see it?  If you like shows like Eureka, Chuck, Jake 2.0, and a movie like Spy Kids, you might enjoy this with your kids.  I’d give it 2 1/2 raised fists, but I don’t have any 1/2s, so I’ll give it 3.

This is a person who understands how we view things around here.

You can find more of Andre at blacknerdcomedy.com.  You can also find him on Twitter and Facebook.

Source Scifiwire

Syfy has  a short interview with Pounder on her Mrs. Fredric  from “Warehouse 13″   Here’s some of her thought’s on the character.   On a side note if they ever make a Justice League movie she has to play Amanda Waller. ( she has already done her voice on the Justice League animated series)

1) She is autonomous. “We don’t know who she answers to,” Pounder said. “They haven’t appeared yet.”

2) We don’t know what exactly Mrs. Frederic is. “We don’t know whether she’s flesh and blood, whether she’s a hologram, whether she’s been living 40 years, 60 years, a thousand years,” Pounder says. “Whether she has been at the very beginning of the first Warehouse or whether she’s part of the reincarnated 13th Warehouse, which is what this one is.”

3) We’ve never seen her enter a room. “She arrives, and she’s there, which always gives Artie trouble [and] freaks him out completely,” Pounder says. “Her leaving, her arriving; her comings and goings are always, ‘Oh, my God, she’s in the room.’ So it just sort of leaves one to believe that … Mrs. Frederic is some other kind of entity, but we don’t know.”

4) She hasn’t changed her look in 40 years. “She also has a remarkably ’60s look, so she seems to be stuck in a time warp of some kind,” Pounder says.

5) It’s unlikely we’ll learn more … at least for now “Any questions about Mrs. Frederic [are] off the table,” Pounder says about her relationship with the show’s writers. “It’s like a gag order until the script comes. So they have been keeping her [as] Madame Mystery, and it’s kind of fun for the actor. It’s kind of fun to not know any history about the woman until the script shows up and you can go, ‘Oh, that’s what I’ll be doing today.’”

6) Pounder has a theory. “I think she’s a hologram,” Pounder says. “That’s my theory. I think she’s a device from some higher place. … She has a lot of personality for not being real. … Maybe [she's] another entity that should be in the Warehouse that they’ve put to use. You never know.”

The fall schedule on TV has several new shows that have black actors in featured roles.  A couple of old shows have added a couple.  Here are a few faces to look for this fall on Television, and I think we should do our best to support their shows lest they fall victim to the ratings axe.

Katerina Graham has already started her role on the CW show Vampire Diaries as Bonnie Bennet.

L.L. Cool J is starring this fall in the NCIS spinoff, NCIS Los Angeles.  The show follows the undercover unit of NCIS stationed in L.A. He will play Sam Hanna, an ex-Navy SEAL and expert on Middle Eastern culture.

Courney B. Vance and Gabrielle Union will be starring in ABC’s Flash Forward, a highly anticipated series from Brannon Braga (Star Trek: TNG, Threshold) and David S. Goyer (Blade, Batman Begins).  A mysterious global event causes everyone to simultaneously experience for 2 minutes and 17 seconds their lives 6 months in the future.

Ernie Hudson and Rick Worthy are joining the cast of Heroes.  Ernie Hudson joins the cast as a Baltimore detective tracking down one of our Heroes.  Rick Worthy will be playing Mat Parkman’s partner in the LAPD.

Morris Chestnut will be starring in the highly anticipated re-imagining of “V”.

Source: Sci Fi Scoop

Lance Reddick (Agent Phillip Broyles) in ‘Fringe’

Hollywood The Write Way recently interviewed Fringe star Lance Reddick, aka Agent Phillip Broyles.

Reddick offers relatively spoiler free comments about his character arc in the upcoming second season, identifies his favorite season 1 episode, and explains with complete honesty that he devotes zero time and effort to Fringe fan sites.

So tell me about where your storyline goes in the new season of Fringe.

You definitely find out more about my personal life and who I was before Fringe.

Is that going to be done through flashbacks?

No, it’s more kind of how I’m referred to and what I do. In my personal life, you will find out why I’m divorced and what my relationship with my ex-wife is like.

What can you tell us about what we will see in the first few episodes of Fringe?

I’m not sure what I can say…hmmm…Olivia’s reemergence back into this universe will be shocking. The developments with Charlie will be mind blowing. You’ll find out just how deep my relationship with Nina goes.

Read the rest of the interveiw here

via Lance Reddick Talks ‘Fringe’ Season 2.

Ernie Hudson of Ghostbusters fame will be joining the cast of Heroes.    Hudson will be playing Captain Lubbock, a Baltimore cop who’s seeking to capture one of the other characters.   The new season premieres on Sept 21st

via Hudson Joins Heroes Cast.

Source: Sci-Fi Wire

In an article posted on Sci-Fi Wire, Gabrielle Union talks about the diversity on ABC’s new show FlashForward and her on-screen marriage to John Cho (Star Trek’s Sulu). You can read the interview by clicking here.  The last time we saw Union in a major TV role it was opposite Damian Lewis (Charlie Crews, Life) and before that it was with Stuart Townsend (Kolchak, The Night Stalker).  Its good to see minorities making a comeback on network television. I’m not as optimistic as she is about the future of minorities on TV.  Okay, she doesn’t actually address it, but she alludes to it in her comments about some networks giving lipservice to diversity and some actually doing something about it.  Personally, I don’t think networks care about minorities on television.  If they do care, its just to keep people from pointing it out.  Now they can say, “look we have John Cho and Gabrielle Union on a show.”  So, what other shows are there minorities on your network?  Do you have any other shows the center around minorities?  What about that commitment to diversity?  I think she’s a fine actress, but if I were her, I wouldn’t get too comfortable.

"A lot of people give lip service to ‘We want to increase diversity,’ and then you just never see any people of color. They actually really mean it. If one thing doesn’t work out, they come up with more opportunities. So they’re like, ‘We want you back in the family,’ and by chance, the next day the Goyers [executive producers Jessika Borsiczky Goyer and David Goyer] called them, and they were like, ‘Do you think Gabrielle would ever be interested in returning to television?’ They’re like, ‘Funny you should ask. We just talked to her about this.’"

Maybe David Goyer has a crush on you, Gabrielle.

Source:  Scifi Wire

“No flight, no tights.”  Those were the rules established at the beginning of Smallville’s run.  We have seen Clark fly (as Kal-El), and he’s been running around as the Red/Blue Blur.  Now it appears that they are going to put him in tights, well sort of.  Here it is.

Source: G4TV

True Blood is one of the best new shows on TV.  If you aren’t watching it then you should catch up.  Currently, its in Season 2 on HBO, Sunday nights at 9 PM.

If they take the same approach they did with the recently completed Battlestar Galactica this should be a success.    I’m actually very excited about this, I always thought the original series was canceled to soon.   It was on Fox so it shouldn’t have been a surprise.

Source: Variety

Sci Fi is developing a new take on “Alien Nation,” the 1988 feature that previously spawned a spin-off series on Fox.

“Angel” alum Tim Minear — no stranger to sci-fi tales, having worked on “The X-Files,” “Firefly” and “Strange World” — is penning the fresh take on the franchise. Fox 21, the alternative production arm of 20th Century Fox TV, will produce.

“Alien Nation” centers on the partnership between a veteran cop and his alien detective partner, set against the larger tale of alien “newcomers” who move to Earth and attempt to assimilate into society.

Fox 21 topper Chris Carlisle said he believed “Alien Nation” could rep the next franchise revival for Sci Fi, which found huge success in dusting off “Battlestar Galactica” and reworking it for today’s auds. Carlisle said “Alien Nation” works both as a sci-fi piece and a procedural drama.

“It’s absolute perfect timing for this type of show,” Carlisle said. “They’re looking for more grounded sci-fi and close-ended episodes, and at the heart of ‘Alien Nation,’ it’s a cop movie. It’s grounded. And it has a tremendous amount of dramatic possibilities and humor.”

The new “Alien Nation” would include a mythology that evolves over time and will also touch on some of the issues of the day, such as the immigrant experience and how society integrates an incoming culture.

Minear is currently busy outlining the “Alien Nation” script and mapping out the project’s mythology. The new “Alien Nation” will likely take place in the Pacific Northwest, and will take place about 20 years after the first ship of aliens – who have been banished as slaves – crash lands into Earth.

By the time the show begins, some time in the 2020s, the alien population has multiplied from a few thousand to 3.5 million. And much of the “newcomers” live their own segregated existence, in what Minear compares to the North African ghettos in France.

“You can take (the original ‘Alien Nation’) a step forward and really do a show that encompasses the clash of civilizations, and the idea of a ghettoized minority,” he said. “You can touch on racism, terrorism, assimilation, immigration. And there’s room for satire.”

I am really disappointed in the Smallville finally.   A whole seasons worth of build up for one super jump and a explosion and the doomsday fight was over. I feel cheated, but its my fault for have any sort of decent  expectations.    Despite the disappointing showdown,  the writer have left wth two interesting questions and one interesting twist.   Where did the legion time ring take Lois?  Is that really Zod making an appearance at the end?   The best part of the whole episode occured at Jimmy Olsens funeral (who was killed by Davis) or should I say Henry James Olsen,    Chloe gave James (Jimmy) Olsen  his older brothers camera the implication is that the younger Olsen is the “Jimmy Olsen” from the comics

I finally watched all of  season two of  Primevial just in time for the season premiere of season 3 on BBC America     The show follows a team of five scientists tasked with investigating the appearance of temporal anomalies across Great Britain and containing prehistoric and futuristic creatures which enter the present.  Its great sci-fi television.   You can catch reruns of the first season on the Sci-fi channel on Friday nights 

New episodes this week  and DVD releases after the break 

• Medium ”The First Bite Is the Deepest” (5×17). Allison seeks out help from disgraced private investigator Cynthia Keener (Anjelica Huston, reprising her guest-star role) when her paranormal visions center on a young kidnap victim (Rumer Willis) who was rescued by Keener years earlier. Balthazar Getty guest stars. Series star Patricia Arquette directed the episode.
• Reaper ”Business Casualty” (2×12). The Devil places Sam in a company that is a front for capturing souls. Also: Sam receives a message from his dad in hell with information about possibly escaping his deal with Satan.
• Legend of the Seeker ”Reckoning” (1×22). Season 1 finale: Darken Rahl and his Mord’Sith interrupt Richard and Kahlan as they prepare to unleash the power of Orden, which would destroy the tyrant once and for all.
• Primeval ”Episode 3.02″ (3×02). Several years back, three teenage boys broke into a supposedly haunted house that came alive when a terrifying creature attacked them. In the aftermath, the only survivor was arrested for murder. Years later, the hapless young man is free, but is still too tormented to confront what really happened. Cutter’s research leads him to predict the next anomaly will open in this same so-called haunted house but soon into the investigation they discover the house is actually home to a terrifying camouflage creature from the future, a beast that can change shape and form to disguise itself until it is practically invisible. The team also find themselves in trouble with the law when suspicious police detective Danny Quinn (Jason Flemyng) takes an instant dislike to them and their interest in the house, culminating in Connors arrest.

New DVD releases
True Blood: The Complete First Season (HBO Series) [Blu-ray]

Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.0 and 2.5

Heroes: Seasons 1 & 2

Dragon Ball Z: Season Nine (Majin Buu Saga)

I’m referring to the actor Walter Emanuel Jones who played the original Black Ranger  Zack Jones on the Power Rangers television show.   He was written out of the series midway through the second season after appearing in 81 episodes, apparently due to disagreements over wages and fee.   Since then he has been doing voice over work , starred in several independent films and made appearances on several television shows like  “CSI” and “The Shield”.

Walter currently resides in Los Angeles, California and spends his free time Salsa Instructing and Dancing, Camping, Scuba Diving, Snowboarding, and Traveling.

Source:  Sci-Fi Wire

Jasika Nicole plays Astrid Farnsworth on ABC’s Fringe.  Astrid is an FBI agent assigned to assist Walter Bishop in his lab.  Sci-Fi Wire has posted an interview with Jasika about plans for Astrid in season 2 of Fringe, now that Fox has renewed it.

Jasika Nicole, who plays Astrid Farnsworth on Fox’s sci-fi series Fringe, told SCI FI Wire that the show’s writers have promised to explore her character’s backstory in future episodes—though likely not before the end of the first season. Astrid is an FBI agent who works as Walter Bishop’s (John Noble) lab assistant and usually serves basic mechanical functions like hooking up electrodes and monitors.

"They’ve been working on that for a really long time, and they want to make sure that it’s perfect," Nicole said in a phone interview last week. "That’s why we haven’t seen it yet. So I’m hoping that it’s going to come in season two. We will not get that episode in season one, but I’m pretty sure that it will happen in season two, and I can’t wait to find out what’s in it, let me tell you."

Read the full interview at Sci-Fi Wire.

 The death of Nathan on Heroes was a wasted opportunity for character development for the Petrelli’s, Claire and HRG .   It would have been interesting to see how his death would have changed  things.  Instead we get this Nathan in Sylar body storyline.  Nobody ever changes on the show they always end up where they started character wise. We have plenty of plot development and very little character.   If you pay attention to the  show you will notice that all of the characters are stagnant, they haven’t evolved or changed since season one.     One more thing about Heroes before we put it  away for the summer.   Why can’t they ever show anybody really cut lose with their powers.   If your going to have  a big fight then show it.   You can’t  lock Sylar, Peter and Nathan in a room,  show some flashing lights under the door and call it a fight or expect anybody to be satisfied.   You can save the budget restraint comments because they should have come up with a another way to tell the story if you know it won’t make it to the screen.    

The writers on Smallville have to be reading  because they have changed Chloe into one of those women.   The book  gives insight into women  who send love letters and/or marriage proposal to serial killers like David Berkowitz, Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy.    One of the main points of the book is that these women are attracted to these guys because they have a sense of control over them because they are in jail (or in this case locked in the basement in the Talon),  they tend to have painful childhoods (abandoned by you mother),  and are willing to give up their entire life for them (leave my friends to go on the run).    They have tried to make Davis/Doomsday  sympathetic character so that we can relate to Chloe’s choices but its not working it just makes her look stupid and makes him irritating.   I really need Clark to kick his ass.   

New epsiodes below the break

Mon 

9 PM (NBC) Medium “How to Make a Killing in Big Business: Part 1″ 5×13. Allison resigns at the DA’s office when she’s lured by a fellow psychic (Tracy Pollan) to work at a formidable corporation. And Ariel begins taking pills, hoping they’ll block out her visions of a ghost.
10 PM (NBC) … “How to Make a Killing in Big Business: Part 2″ 5×14. Allison basks in the opulent corporate lifestyle, but she’s haunted by visions of a serial killer’s murderous fury in Phoenix. Meanwhile, the territorial company bigwig (David Morse) forbids Allison from sharing her dreams with Devalos and Scanlon.

Tue 
8 PM (The CW) Reaper “My Brother’s Reaper” 2×10. Nina moves in with the guys after her place burns down. Unfortunately, so does Morgan, who flirts with Nina and puts Sam in an awkward position. Meanwhile, Sock throws a party at the Work Bench, but it doesn’t go quite as planned.
9:01 PM (Fox) Fringe “The Road Not Taken” 1×19. The investigation of a suspected case of spontaneous combustion coincides with Olivia’s detailed but inexplicable visions, Walter’s focus on the ZFT manifesto and a potentially pivotal revelation from Peter.

Thu 
8 PM (The CW) Smallville “Injustice” 8×21. Unable to control Davis, Chloe asks Clark to kill him. Seizing the opportunity, Tess gathers Plastique (Jessica Parker Kennedy) and a crew of meteor freaks to track down Davis, all the while planning a double cross. Things go awry, however, when Tess’ true plans are discovered.
9 PM (The CW) Supernatural “When the Levee Breaks” 4×21. Sam is locked inside Bobby’s panic room to allow him to detox from demon blood, but Bobby wants to free him early to help fight in the anticipated apocalypse. Dean disagrees and seeks help from Castiel.
10 PM (Comedy) Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire “Thrilla in the Villa” 1×06. Upon learning that they’ve been played for fools in a diabolical conspiracy, Krod’s gang races against the clock to disable Dongalor’s secret weapon before it destroys the resistance.

Fri 
8 PM (CBS) Ghost Whisperer “Endless Love” 4×22. While making wedding-day preparations, Melinda finds time to help a girl who claims she’s been visited by vampires. Guest starring Alexa Vega. Gail O’Grady.
9:01 PM (Fox) Dollhouse “Omega” 1×12. The Season 1 finale finds Alpha’s Echo obsession growing ever more dangerous, Ballard’s search for the Dollhouse coming to a conclusion, an Active being permanently deactivated and another’s surprising past coming to light. Stephen Kepler: Alan Tudyk

Just thought I would list a couple of the DVDs being released today.    The Star Trek Blu-ray is interesting to me because I wonder how many people have bought these episodes onVHS, then on DVD and now on Blu-Ray.    I missed the release of Caprica last week on DVD.   I wonder if the DVD first strategy works out better financially for the Sci-fi channel.   Im starting to think it does because they  have already done it a couple of times with the Stargate DVD’s    

Star Trek: The Original Series – Season 1 [Blu-ray]

X-Men, Volume 1 (Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection)

Marvel X-Men Volume 2 (2-Disc)

Caprica

Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 4

Smallville has been on cruise control until the finally,  they basically wasted another episode this time Lois is playing superhero (Stiletto).   This  season seems to have a problem with pacing.   Things where going fine with the setup for the showdown with Clark and Davis (Doomsday)  and then they slowed to a crawl .     It seems like they couldn’t find  away to make the story stretch the whole season, which is why we are seeing  a number of throw away episodes.  

 Heroes has its finally this week, NBC is behind the show so it should be back next season.   Every time I think of Heroes, I think of a young baseball pitcher.   It was this one year wonder that once  held great promise.   Now he  cant seem to throw a strike and doesn’t know how to fix it.    It seems like NBC has decide to leave the show on the mound and hope for the best.   They have plenty of great ideas that never seem to hit the target.   Hopefully tonight’s episode will at least make it across the plate.

For those of you wondering what to watch during the summer.   Syfy will  give us new spisodes of Eureka on 7-10-09 and the premiere of Warehouse 13 on July 7th.

New epsisodes for this week are below the break

Mon 4/27
8 PM (NBC) Chuck “Chuck Versus the Ring” 2×22. In the Season 2 finale, Ellie and Awesome’s wedding day arrives, but Chuck must spring into action to save his sister from evil Fulcrum forces and one Ted Roark (Chevy Chase). Guest stars include Scott Bakula, Morgan Fairchild, Bruce Boxleitner and Tony Hale.
9 PM (NBC) Heroes “An Invisible Thread” 3×25. Nathan takes on Sylar in order to shield the president in the third-season finale. Elsewhere, Hiro discovers unexpected side effects from recovering his ability, and Matt takes extreme measures to protect his family.
10:01 PM (NBC) Medium “The Devil Inside: Part 2″ 5×12. Conclusion. Allison continues to be mercilessly persecuted by her demonic stalker, who even penetrates her visions, making her an unreliable source during an investigation into serial killings. Meanwhile, Joe tries to save his company by exploiting Marie’s newfound gift of predicting stock movement.

Tue 4/28
8 PM (The CW) Reaper “No Reaper Left Behind” 2×09. The Devil sends Sam an attractive tutor to train him for the end times, but Sam plans to seduce her to gain information about how to defeat Satan. Meanwhile, Nina decides to take revenge against Ben and Sock.
9:01 PM (Fox) Fringe “Midnight” 1×18. When a serial killer is draining victims of spinal fluid, the investigation by Olivia, Peter and Walter leads to a scientist who may be linked to a ZFT cell of bioterrorists.

Thu 4/30
8 PM (The CW) Smallville “Beast” 8×20. Clark discovers Davis is alive and confronts Chloe about her role in hiding him. Meanwhile, Oliver and Jimmy are attacked by Davis at Chloe’s apartment.
9 PM (The CW) Supernatural “The Rapture” 4×20. Castiel visits Dean in a dream and tells him he has important news. Dean and Sam set out on a search for Castiel, only to find his human vessel, Jimmy, who yearns for a normal life and to return to his family.

Fri 5/1
8 PM (CBS) Ghost Whisperer “Cursed” 4×21. A girl’s dollhouse is haunted by ghosts.
9:01 PM (Fox) Dollhouse “Briar Rose” 1×11. Alan Tudyk guest stars as the Dollhouse designer, who finds himself the focus of Ballard’s investigation. Meanwhile, Echo helps a young girl cope with her painful past; Adelle searches the attic for answers; and Alpha reveals himself.

Sat 5/2
9 PM (Synd) Legend of the Seeker “Cursed” 1×19. King Gregor persuades Shota the sorcerer to transform him into a vicious beast at sundown each day so he can protect his realm from the D’Harans. But that viciousness takes an unintended—and tragic—turn, leading to a dilemma for Richard.

Mon 5/4
9 PM (NBC) Medium “How to Make a Killing in Big Business: Part 1″ 5×13. Allison resigns at the DA’s office when she’s lured by a fellow psychic (Tracy Pollan) to work at a formidable corporation. And Ariel begins taking pills, hoping they’ll block out her visions of a ghost.
10 PM (NBC) … “How to Make a Killing in Big Business: Part 2″ 5×14. Allison basks in the opulent corporate lifestyle, but she’s haunted by visions of a serial killer’s murderous fury in Phoenix. Meanwhile, the territorial company bigwig (David Morse) forbids Allison from sharing her dreams with Devalos and Scanlon.

Sci-fi’s most dysfunctional family the  Petrelli’s (on Heroes) has another family member, it seems  Mama Petrelli has a long lost sister that controls the weather, who she thought was dead (because you abandoned her).    It makes you wonder if can find a more screwed up family in Sci-fi.   Anakin killed Padme and later on he tried to off his kids Luke and Leia,  which makes the Skywalkers a close second.    If you can think off any more families in need of counseling post a comment.    

Here’s the new episodes for this week.   

Monday
8 PM (NBC) Chuck ”Chuck Versus the Colonel” 2×21. Chuck and Sarah go AWOL in a stealthy quest to rescue Chuck’s father (Scott Bakula), and they soon inch closer to one another while free from the governmental surveillance that usually eyes them. Meanwhile, Casey works to pinpoint their secret location. And Morgan turns into a Buy More outcast after he unwittingly gets Emmett promoted. Chevy Chase guest stars.
9 PM (NBC) Heroes ”I Am Sylar” 3×24. Sylar has an identity crisis while working with his partner; Hiro and Ando plot to destroy Building 26; fatherhood shifts Matt’s perspective; and Nathan plans to repair the damage caused by his former operation.
10 PM (NBC) Medium ”The Devil Inside” 5×11. Part 1 of 2. Allison’s nightmares center on her stalker, a zealot who’s devoted to ending Allison’s paranormal work for good. Those chilling dreams then come to life when the stalker makes an actual appearance, putting Allison and her family in danger. Meanwhile, Joe struggles over crucial decisions that could save his company.

Tue 
9:01 PM (Fox) Fringe ”Bad Dreams” 1×17. An actual suicide at New York City’s Grand Central station is witnessed by Olivia—in Boston—in a dream, kicking off a baffling series of nightmares that may be linked to the ZFT manifesto, the drug Cortexiphan and her own childhood. Written and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind).

Thu 
8 PM (The CW) Smallville ”Stiletto” 8×19. Pretending she is the superhero Stiletto, Lois secures her star-reporter status by scoring exclusive interviews with the city’s newest crimefighter. Clark fears for her safety until she ably saves him from Kryptonite-wielding thugs.
9 PM (The CW) Supernatural ”Jump the Shark” 4×19. Sam and Dean agree to meet with a 19-year-old man named Adam (Jake Abel). Adam claims to be John Winchester’s son, but they suspect that he’s really a demon attempting to trap them.
10 PM (Comedy) Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire ”O Biclops, Where Art Thou?” 1×04. Krod must retrieve a gem from a deadly cyclops to prove himself to the Elite Resistance Council.

Fri 
8 PM (CBS) Ghost Whisperer ”Stage Fright” 4×20. When a soap opera shoots scenes in Grandview, a young and restless ghost haunts the beautiful cast and causes trouble on the set.
9:01 PM (Fox) Dollhouse ”Haunted” 1×10. After a friend of Adelle’s is slain, Adelle has Echo programmed with the dead woman’s memories and personality in order to find the killer. In other events, Ballard investigates Mellie’s past and Topher imprints Sierra for a secret

First posted 10-25-2007

I thought we should revisit the list.  If the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles or Dollhouse bites the dust, where would they  fit on this list?  What about Journeyman?  Life on Mars?  Eli Stone?  Pushing Daisies?  My Own Worst Enemy?  Stargate Atlantis?  Anyone else have any suggestions?

Let’s face it, we’ve all had television shows that we wish weren’t canceled. But for some reason, science fiction fans have been denied quality shows. Actually, we do know the reason: ratings. You can go to any science fiction convention and still find people getting together and having panel discussions about shows that have been long gone. It isn’t like these shows don’t have fans or even in some instances started out with good ratings. Many times the shows were killed when the network got greedy and wanted to move a show to take advantage of high ratings only to lose the audience, or moving a show to get higher ratings, and the low ratings the show had disappeared. Sometimes, budget, production problems, or conflicts between producers and studios sent shows to an early death. Here is a list of shows that we thought were pretty good and were canceled before their time. Be wary, there are spoilers ahead.

10. Batman Beyond

Even though it was on for three seasons, we should have been given more of this very well written animated series. Set forty years in the future, Bruce Wayne has retired from being Batman and has forbidden his proteges, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Robin, from continuing their alter egos. Terry McGinnis, an athletic bad seed, and Bruce Wayne fend off the Jokerz at Wayne Manor. Wayne’s heart condition gets agitated and Terry helps him back into the house. Inside, McGinnis comes across the entrance to the bat cave and decides to come back later to borrow the bat-suit so he can seek revenge for his father’s death. Bruce Wayne eventually relented when he realized that Gotham needed the Bat and that Terry would be perfect.

The series is built on the relationship between McGinnis and Wayne, who guides Terry by communicating with him through the bat-suit, and serves as a father figure in Terry’s personal life. Which is ironic, because we later learn that Terry is genetically Bruce Wayne’s son. The show was so well received that it had cross-overs with Static Shock and Justice League Unlimited, and spawned a spin-off, The Zeta Project. Technically, the show wasn’t canceled; it was placed on hiatus to make way for the new Justice League series, though there hasn’t been any talk of bringing it back.

9. John Doe

“I woke up in an island off the coast of Seattle. I didn’t know how I got there … or who I was. But I did seem to know everything else. There were things about me I didn’t understand … the brand, being colorblind, extreme claustrophobia. And while my gifts provided answers for others, I still search for my own. My name is John Doe.”

The intro sums up the whole series. In the one and only season, we see John use his gift of knowing everything to help solve crimes. We also learn, though very little, about a secret organization called the Phoenix Organization. Aside from the rather mundane mix of CSI and Sherlock Holmes, the long story arc provided enough mystery to keep us entertained from week to week. The writers knew how to give us just a little bit of John’s story and purpose to get us to suffer through the crime solving. Whether this series would have made it past year 3 or 4 is a question we can’t really answer. But after finding out his best friend is the leader of the Phoenix Organization, season 2 would have been very interesting. Bouncing time slots and never gathering enough viewers brought this show to an end.

8. Millennium

Frank Black moved his wife a daughter to Seattle to get them away from the evil he saw everyday in his job as a profiler for the FBI. Frank wasn’t a psychic, but he did have the gift of viewing crimes through the minds of the killers. His visions allowed him to hunt down some of the worst serial killers TV writers could conjure up. Recognizing his talent, the Millennium Group recruited him. The organization was made up of former law enforcement individuals who consulted with law enforcement in criminal investigations.

The show started out as a straight crime drama but later evolved into the paranormal. (To be expected of something created by the man who brought us X-Files.) The show was well written. It gave a weekly serial feeling along with not one, but two long story arcs. The first story dealt with the serial killer sending Frank photos of Frank’s wife and daughter and Franks attempt to use his gift to find the killer, and the second story thread dealt with the true machinations of the Millennium Group. The show ended after three seasons and was wrapped up clumsily with a one shot episode cross-over with the X-Files that was supposed to wrap up a rather complicated storyline with the help of Mulder and Scully. Persistently low Friday night ratings brought this show to an end.

7. Miracles

Miracles followed a man who had been a priest who investigated reports of miracles for the Vatican. When he found out that the Vatican wasn’t interested in proving the truth of these miracles, he left to find his faith. Now, as a member of a group of people investigate miracles, Paul Callan becomes a miracle himself after being saved from death by a boy named Tommy. Paul sees the phrase “God is now here” in the boy’s blood. He’s informed that only six other people have seen this phrase, sometimes interpreted as “God is nowhere.” ABC only aired 6 episodes, so unless you have the complete 13 episodes on DVD, you’re not going to catch this one in syndication. I thought the show was well written, and if you watch the first episode you will be hooked. Despite the fact that 10 million people watched the premiere, ABC decided to change its time slot, not once, not twice, not three times, but four times, even sending it back to the original slot once. Let’s face it, humans are creatures of habit, and unfortunately 9 of those 10 million viewers never could find the show again. I even missed an episode because I couldn’t find it.

6. Dresden Files

Based on the popular novel series of the same name, Dresden Files was an original Sci-Fi channel show that lasted one 12-episode season. It was about a private detective who happens to be a wizard and uses magic to help solve crimes, usually of a paranormal kind. I really liked this show. It was a good companion show to Eureka. It was kind of cool seeing magic being used as an investigatory tool. (Charmed doesn’t count.) The stories were pretty good. The long story thread dealt with Harry Dresden’s culpability in his uncle’s death, and also his uncle’s role in the death of his parents. The minimalist effects were good. It didn’t take a lot of magic to move the stories along, and most of the magic use was practical. There was also hints of the politics of the Wizards Council which only added to the depth of the story. Don’t really know why Sci-Fi canceled this show. It had decent ratings for the network and a pretty good following (click here for the Drumstick campaign.) All is not lost however, it has been reported that the Dresden Files have been optioned as a graphic novel, for those of us who miss the TV show but don’t really want to read the novels.

5. Dark Angel

Dark Angel is the creation of film director James Cameron. It tells the story of Max (Jessica Alba) who is a genetically-enhanced human prototype hunted by her former military handlers through the edgy, underground street life version of 21st century America. Max is aided in her quest – both to avoid capture and reunite with her “siblings” scattered in the aftermath of their escape – by Logan Cale, an idealistic cyber-journalist battling repression and corruption in post-apocalypse. The show was a ratings hit for FOX on Tuesdays in its first season. For its second season it was moved to the graveyard called Fridays where shows seem to die very quickly. Fox justified this move saying that they wanted to improve the Friday night ratings and to open up Tuesday for the series “24″. Dark Angel’s ratings suffered to the point where its budget could longer be justified and it was replaced by another show on this list, Firefly. It would have been nice to see what the show would have become if it remained in its original time slot. Fox did a poll where viewers were asked what show would they like to see returned. Apparently, Dark Angel won beating out Tru Calling, Angel, Buffy and Futurama. However, Fox has not said whether or not the series will return.

4. Threshold

Threshold is about a secret government organization designed to not only hide possible alien invasions but to also stop them. The name comes from a plan design by Dr. Molly Caffrey, a high-level government crisis management consultant who creates contingency plans for emergency use. She never thought that her “just in case” idea of an alien invasion would ever come to fruition. Her plan called for putting together an elite diverse team capable of managing the situation. The appeal of the show lies more in the moral ambiguities of the main character and the rest of her team. In every episode they are faced with life or death decisions and are almost always making morally questionable judgments for the benefit of the majority.

The show was produced by Brannon Braga (Star Trek), David S. Goyer (Blade) and David Heyman (Harry Potter). The writing was good and the chemistry between the main characters was better than your average ensemble cast. Each episode was like a puzzle piece in a larger picture. Though the stories seemed to be self-contained, they almost always moved the long story thread. The show was canceled before the last four episodes of season one aired; however, you can get the complete series on DVD. The show had low ratings in its Friday night slot before the hit show Numb3rs, but rather than wait it out, CBS moved the show to Tuesday to boost ratings, a move that actually created even lower ratings. (Probably because people who were watching it couldn’t find it, or were already committed to a show on that night.)

3. Firefly

The show is set in the year 2517 A.D., following the depletion of Earth’s resources and an expansion of the human race into the frontier of outer space. The show takes its name from the “Firefly-class” star ship operated by the central characters; the ship’s class name is itself a reference to the appearance of the ship, whose tail section blinks during acceleration. Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds is the veteran of a war of resistance against “The Alliance”—an organization that attempted to achieve the unification of all mankind under a single imperial government. A central “core” of planetary systems have fallen under Alliance control, while settlers and refugees in the farther reaches of space enjoy relative freedom from the long arm of the government but lack many of the amenities of a high-tech civilization. Mal now owns a small Firefly-class star ship called Serenity, making cargo runs and performing various other tasks—legal or otherwise—to scrape together a living for himself and his crew.

Sounds good doesn’t it? So, what happened? Fox handicapped this show from the start. IT marketed the show as drama/comedy instead of the drama that it was. The network also broadcast the show out order. What would have been the second episode became the premiere episode. Fox aired 10 episodes before it broadcast the two hour premiere episode (which gave the back-story of the characters and laid the foundation for the whole series). What should have been the premiere episode ended up being the series finale because FOX canceled the show after airing only 11 of the 14 filmed episodes. Firefly wouldn’t go away after cancellation. Its creator, Joss Whedon (of Buffy and Angel), managed to make a feature film called “Serenity” that was fairly successful.

2. Space: Above and Beyond

Space: Above and Beyond chronicled the ongoing war between the Humans and a mysterious alien race known as the Chigs. The war is the main arc and back drop for a plethora of smaller story arcs. One arc following the trials and tribulations of the United States Marine Corps Space Aviator Cavalry, 58th Squadron, or the “Wildcards.” Another arc followed the plight of the Invitros, the artificially created humans, also called “tanks,” as well as the Silicates, androids that rebelled against the humans and are now Chig mercenaries. We could also follow the political machinations of the new U.N. and the new united Earth forces. These are just a few of the story lines that demonstrate the depth of the story writing on the show. The strength of this show was its underlying motifs. The show encompassed subjects such as racism, prejudice, loyalty, sacrifice, revenge, and many other humanistic subjects and ideas, and they weren’t always related to war.

The military structure was much more rigid than in other shows such as Star Trek or Babylon 5. Considered one of the great science fiction shows of its time, Fox never gave the series a chance. The show had reached cult status and its popularity are evidenced by the fact that the second run on Sci-Fi had much higher ratings than the original run on Fox. Originally planned for a five season run, Space: Above and Beyond was canceled at the end of the first run. Fox killed this show by frequent time slot changes, preemption by sports broadcast, non-existent marketing, and just all around bad network management.

1. Babylon 5: The Crusade

This Babylon 5 spin-off starts just after the events of A Call to Arms, in which the Drakh infected Earth with a Nanovirus that will wipe out all life inside of five years. Captain Matthew Gideon is summoned to Mars, where he is to take command of the IAS Excalibur to begin a mission to find a cure for the Drakh Plague somewhere in the depths of space. Captain Gideon was handpicked to command the IAS Excalibur by ISA President John Sheridan, due to the fact that Gideon has proved that he is willing to take chances and would not let diplomacy interfere with completing his mission. The first challenge Gideon faced was assembling his crew; there was some reluctance about bringing Dureena Nafeel onto the crew as she was a member of the Thieves Guild; however, Gideon was able to get her on board. She then informed him of Galen. Galen met with Gideon on a planet, and after questioning Gideon, he agreed to join the crew. With his crew assembled, Gideon left in search of a cure.

This show had a lot of potential but never got a chance to live up to it. The show was going to follow a 5 year arc like Babylon 5. The series only lasted 13 episode before creative differences between its creator J. Michael Straczynski and the network TNT resulted in cancellation. The Sci-FI channel made attempted to pick the show up but couldn’t due to budget restraints. (Which is why all you people who bitch about wrestling on Sci-Fi need to get over it. Rasslin’, as we say in the South, brings in enough revenue to pay for other shows like Flash Gordon. OK, maybe that’s a bad example, but you get the point.) I really wanted to learn more about Galen and rest of the Technomages and to see the how they dealt with the Nanovirus. It’s a shame that TNT and JMS couldn’t find a way to make it work. I think we all missed out.

Terminator the Sarah Conner Chrononichiles aired it last episode for the season (hopefully not the last one ever) and it was the best of the season.  We finally got to see glimpse of the man John will eventually become, he finally shows some leadership.   The writers did what every finale should do they gave you a cliff hanger,  unanswered questions, and a WTF moment.     In regards to the shows future, I think we will hear something from FOX in June.   Hopefully they will factor in DVR numbers, Sci-fi shows like TSCC, Lost and Smallville get nearly a 30% jump whne you factor in DVR.

New this week

• Chuck “Chuck Versus the First Kill” 2×20. When Chuck’s father (Scott Bakula) is abducted by Fulcrum forces, Chuck attempts to rescue him by putting his faith in a most unlikely person – his double-crossing ex-girlfriend, Jill (Jordana Brewster). Meanwhile, at Buy More, the nerd herd tries to derail a corporate evaluation supervised by Emmett (Tony Hale).

• Heroes “1961″ 3×23. Angela delves into her past and reveals long-held secrets. Elsewhere, Mohinder finds out that his dad was involved in an old government operation.

• Medium “Then…and Again” 5×10. When a shooter guns down Allison and Devalos, Allison awakens five years earlier in her own past – and nine months pregnant with third child Marie. Now in 2004, Allison’s weaving dreams inform her that an innocent man will be convicted of murder, so she works to clear his good name.

• Reaper “The Good Soil” 2×07. The Devil orders Sam and Morgan to spend time together, but Morgan bails when it’s time to capture a soul. Meanwhile, Nina tries to take Ben flying, but his fear of heights gets in the way.

• Fringe “Unleashed” 1×16. An animal-rights organization’s rescue mission at a laboratory backfires when it releases a vicious beast, almost mythological in appearance with a lion’s body and eagle’s talons, and Charlie is in danger of being its latest victim.

• Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire “Our Bounties Ourselves” 1×03. Krod fights bounty hunters hired by Dongalor, who worries that the arrival of a weapons inspector will put his relationship with his new girlfriend in danger.

I’m really looking forward to the season finale of  “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles“.   You would think that the upcoming film would give some buzz to the show.   I think this may be the last season for the show.   If  Fox has to choose between it and “Dollhouse”.  “Dollhouse” needs to go.  It has a flawed premise how can you connect to a main character that essentially a different person every week.   At least on “Quantam Leap” you always knew it was Sam stuck in a different situation.   We don’t know who Echo is as a character, so how can we connect to her.

Reccomendation are highlighted in green.

— NEW EPISODES —

Mon 4/6
8 PM (NBC) Chuck“Chuck Versus the Dream Job” 2×19. Chuck’s life takes fortunate turns: Not only does his long-estranged father (Scott Bakula) return, but Chuck scores a coveted job with Ted Roark (Chevy Chase), a heroic figure in his life. But there may be more to both of these men than meets the eye.
9 PM (NBC) Heroes “Turn and Face the Strange”3×22. Danko’s operation endangers someone close to him; Noah’s marriage takes another blow; Hiro and Ando continue their quest to make a special delivery; and Angela confronts troubles from her past.
10 PM (NBC) Medium“All in the Family” 5×09. Allison scrutinizes the vanishing of a mother, but the case takes bizarre turns when her investigation turns to the missing woman’s oddball children. Elsewhere, Joe’s sister (Amanda Detmer) arrives. James Van Der Beek guest stars.

Tue 4/7
8 PM (The CW) Reaper “Underbelly” 2×06. The guys go on a road trip to locate an escaped soul, and they encounter a tentacled beast that is taking over a small town and is eager to dine on them. Meanwhile, Ben tries to give Nina more freedom, and Sock attempts to sleep with his stepsister.
9:01 PM (Fox) Fringe “Inner Child” 1×15. Olivia establishes a silent bond with a mute child who has been living under a building targeted for demolition, and their connection coincides with the reappearance of a serial killer who is known for macabre public displays of his deadly deeds.

Fri 4/10
8 PM (CBS) Ghost Whisperer “Thrilled to Death” 4×19. Melinda and Eli help a ghost as he tries to settle a matter with a mysterious woman (Hilary Duff) who may be connected to another man’s death.
8 PM (Fox) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles “Born to Run” 2×22. Season finale. The Connors encounter Weaver, and the resulting confrontation becomes a pivotal event for John in the second-season finale.
9:01 PM (Fox) Dollhouse “A Spy in the House of Love” 1×09. Echo and Sierra are turned into spy hunters in order to track down a Dollhouse traitor. Meanwhile, Mellie delivers surprising news to Ballard; and Adelle has a secret.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

“V” was the miniseries and short lived television series staring Marc Singer about an alien invasion that began disguised as a mission of peace.  Chestnut is slated to be the male lead who’s the boyfriend of the female lead who’s a Homeland Security Agent that will be the leader of the resistance.  But the irony of the situation is that unbeknowngst to her, Chestnut is one of the invading aliens.

I am all for brothers getting the lead in TV shows.  But I hope that this isn’t a set up for him to be killed in a future episode.

All this assumes that the show will last more than 12 episodes and I seriously doubt it.  What made “V” good television was the cool effects and the ensemble cast.  Also, Diana was an excellent villian.  She was a baddie that you loved to hate.  The show might seem cheesy now, but I doubt that ABC can pull off what Sci-Fi channell did with Battlestar Galactica.  I fear that this will be the same as the Bionic Woman:  An epic failure.

In a previous post, I said that Dualla was the 5th cylon.  I was wrong.  It has since been revealed that Ellen Tigh is the final cylon.  Point of fact, she was not even on my list of possible cylons.  I mean, how was I supposed to know that she would die and be resurrected?  Does it all make sense?  I don’t know.  She collaborated with the cylons on New Caprica.  Twice Saul has thought that she was dead.  However, I still hold out hope that there is something to Dualla.  I know she killed herself in “Sometimes a Good Notion” but that doesn’t mean she’s going to stay dead.  She was humming the song and she also seemed to have a connection to the doll that she found on Earth.  But back to Ellen.  Anyone who says that they saw it coming is lying.  But I will say that the whole story, or at least the part that has been revealed so far, by Anders is quite intriguing.  It raises many questions.  Who created the cylons that lived on Earth?  How did they come to leave Kobol and separate themselves from the other Tribes?  Were the skinjobs and the centurions created by the same person or people?

Next, I wanted to talk about the whole issue of Daniel, the seventh cylon.  Ellen Tigh talked about Daniel with John.  John corrupted Daniel and his whole line out of jealousy.  I think Daniel is Starbucks father.  I think Starbuck is a hybrid like  Hera.  At first I thought Starbuck was Daniel.  That somehow the corrupted  Daniels had survived and maybe the DNA corruption done by John  actually caused the Daniel line to change into a female, but that seems farfetched.  After watching “Someone to Watch Over Me” and seeing that Starbuck had “imagined” the piano player, it occurred to me that that could only be her father. 

Now, lets say that Daniel did not die when John destroyed or corrupted the line.  What if his programming survived John’s machinations and somehow  bouncing around everyone’s head.  I think he’s the Deus Ex Machina.  He’s in Baltar’s head.  He was giving Caprica Six and Roslin visions.  He played the song in the final five cylon’s head.  Think about it.  He has undone everything that John Cavil has tried to accomplish as it relates to the final five.  Who’s behind putting the song in the final five’s head?  It had to be Daniel.   Is it a coincidence that the visions stopped when Caprica Six got pregnant?  Could that have been Daniel trying to be reborn?  And visions return when the baby dies?  Who else could have been pushing Kara to help them find Earth?    When Kara was a child, in a flashback her father said that he too was an artist.  Ellen said that Daniel was an artist.  And now we know that he was also a musician.  It adds up to me.

Finally, I have a rant about that simp Tyrol.  Roslin told him not to listen to Boomer.  That she was basically a manipulative bitch.  And what happened?  She played on his feelings for her and she got Hera for Cavil, punked Helo, and beat Athena’s ass.  But is it really that possible that Tyrol could be so stupid. 

So lets get it started with a little show called Star Trek: The Next Generation that made its debut on  September 28, 1987  with a two hour pilot called “Encounter at Far-Point” (which drew 27 million viewers).    The show ran for 7 seasons and aired 178 episodes.  Set in the 24th century and decades after the adventures of the original crew of the starship Enterprise, this new series is the long-awaited successor to the original “Star Trek”(1966). Under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the all new Enterprise NCC 1701-D travels out to distant planets to seek out new life and to boldly go where no one has gone before. 

ST:TNG was significant for several reasons,  it made first-run syndication a viable option for genre shows and it gave new life to a 20 year old franchise.   Check out the promo trailer.  

On July, 11th 1987 the newly started Fox network aired “Werewolf”.   Werewolf was about young Eric who was  bitten by a werewolf. However, he’s not particularly thrilled by this turn of affairs and wishes to escape his curse. To do so, he must find and kill the founder of his particular werewolf clan. The series traces his efforts to (A) track down the founder; (B) keep from hurting innocent lives due to his lycanthropy; and (C) stay one step ahead of folks who wish to kill him due to his werewolf nature.

Beauty and the Beast premiered on Sept 25th, 1987 on CBS. It featured two genre star Ron Perlman (Hellboy) and Linda Hamilton (Terminator).   Beauty and the Beast is a modern fairytale that tells just how powerful love is. The show takes place in New York. Catherine Chandler is a wealthy woman who thinks that her life has no meaning beyond anything superficial. She longs for something more.

Vincent is from a different world. He lives below the city in tunnels that have been forgotten. He must stay hidden because of his appearance. Though his appearance is different he has the heart of a man. He and Catherine share a bond that is stronger than friendship or love.

The show ran for 3 seasons and had 56 episodes. Linda Hamilton decided to leave the show before the third season which caused a ratings drop leading to its cancelation.

Okay.  I don’t do reviews.  I leave that up to the big wigs.  So this isn’t a review.  This is a problem I have with Life on Mars.  Not the original British show, but the American remake that comes on ABC.  Life on Mars starts out with a detective, who happens to be a white guy, who gets hit by a car and is thrown back into 1970 something.  I am not spoiling this for anyone since he tells us and the writers remind us over and over again, that he’s in a coma and is dreaming the whole thing, but I’ll save that for whoever is going to do a review.  I have been watching this nonsense every week its been on instead of watching Eleventh Hour, another American remake of a British TV show that comes on CBS at the same time incidentally. 

In the first episode we meet our main character, Det. Sam Tyler, who is deeply in love with Det. Maya Daniels (Lisa Bonet), a woman of either biracial or black background.  So much so, that he’s planning to propose to her.  When Det. Tyler gets thrown back to 1973, his new “love interest” is Anne Norris (Gretchen Mol) a blonde hottie.  And he’s also been caught up with another blonde in the second episode of the series.  Given, it is 1973, and black people were viewed a little differently, but is was 1973 in New York, which was a fairly liberal state then.  But the more and more I watch this show, the more it bothers me that he started out with a black girlfriend and is now cavorting around with a blonde white woman.  Call me biased or whatever.  But I think I am done with the show.  It wasn’t very good to begin with anyway, and American remake of British shows is so unoriginal, uncreative, and uninspiring.

Eleventh Hour is based on the BBC show by the same name (BBC America was nice enough to show it).  One problem I have is that it is completely exactly like the BBC show.  I mean the dialogue is the same minus the British accent.  So, CBS loses points for lack of originality.  Now that that’s out of the way, I liked everything about the show.  This show plays more like the X-Files then any other show that has ever tried to copy Fox and Scully.  The show doesn’t leave you asking more questions than when it began.  Its like what Fringe would be if it were streamlined and you combined Joshua Jackson and John Noble’s characters.

I don’t normally mention this but I do read message boards.  There seems to be a lot of people out there on the net who don’t like this show.  They fall into two categories, those who like Fringe (and are J.J. Abrams die-hard fans) and calls this a rip-off, and those who are former X-Philes who are still searching for that perfect replacement.  As a fan of genre shows, I think this is the best new genre show on T.V.  It gave me a self-contained story with an ending, plus planted a seed for a long arc story.  Rufus Sewell’s Dr. Jacob Hood is obviously a brilliant scientist, but he isn’t all knowing.  I say watch this show, and see how it plays out. 

Friday night the highly anticipated Star Wars: Clone Wars animated T.V. show aired two episodes on Cartoon Network.  I’ll make this brief.  The movie that was released this summer should have been the aired on the Cartoon Network first.  That movie was much more suited for T.V. and not the big screen.  But that’s beside the point.  I liked it.  There was enough of Lucas’s classic heroes in distress to keep me on the edge of my seat.   The one thing that I am looking forward to is how the writers have given the clones identites and personalities.  I think this is what is going to drive the show.  I also like Yoda, but then again, who doesn’t.  The one thing that bothers me, even though I know its for the kids, is the corny droid humor.  I can do without it.  But overall, it was entertaining.

I think this is a bad idea.  I can’t see why anyone would be interested in a Dick Grayson before he became Robin.   Curiosity will get people at first, but it will fade pretty quickly.   How interesting can you make a show about a teenager in the circus?  They show they should be doing is Nightwing which starts with him leaving Batman to strike out one his own.   For some reason DC is really hesitant to green light its characters for the small screen.  I would assume they are saving them all for potential films.    In this case I doubt they will ever make a Nightwing or a Robin film, so I don’t understand the logic in developing a show based on Robin, and handicapping it by making it pre-Batman.   It’s set up to fail.

Source: Variety

Holy prequel, Boy Wonder, the CW is prepping a series based on Batman sidekick Robin’s pre-Caped Crusader days.

“Smallville” exec producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson, as well as “Supernatural” exec producer McG, are behind “The Graysons,” which has landed a put pilot commitment at the netlet.

Just as “Smallville” focused on Clark Kent in the years before he became Superman, “The Graysons” will follow the world of Dick “DJ” Grayson before he takes on the iconic Robin identity and aligns himself with Batman.

Project reps the latest DC Comics franchise to be mined for the smallscreen by sibling Warner Bros. TV. McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision label is also attached.

Souders, Peterson, McG and Wonderland’s Peter Johnson will exec produce.

“The Graysons” is seen as a potential replacement for “Smallville” should that show end its run this season, which has been speculated. Should “Smallville” return next year, “The Graysons” might also make a strong companion piece.

CW insiders said they also see the “Graysons” development as a validating gesture by Warner Bros. that the company is still behind its 50% investment in the netlet, particularly following this fall’s strong openings for “Gossip Girl” and newbie “90210.” They believe the studio wouldn’t risk bringing one of its prized franchises to CW if it believed the net was in dire straits.

In the one-hour “Graysons,” which will be set in modern times, young DJ will face challenges involving first loves, young rivals and his family as he grows up. Souders and Peterson have come up with an original take on the character.

In the original Batman mythology, Grayson was a young acrobat and part of the family act called “The Flying Graysons.” He was orphaned when a gangster sabotaged his parents’ trapeze equipment. Bruce Wayne took him under his wing and trained him to help fight crime.

Grayson later morphed into the character of Nightwing, as part of “The New Teen Titans,” and a series of new Robin replacements were introduced.

Souders and Peterson serve as showrunners (along with Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer) on “Smallville,” which has just entered its eighth season. They’ve been with the hit drama since season two, and helped successfully transition the show following the departure of longtime toppers Miles Millar and Al Gough.

In features, Peterson wrote “But I’m a Cheerleader,” while Souders was behind “Tell Me.”

McG’s credits also include NBC’s “Chuck” and the upcoming feature “Terminator Salvation.” “The Graysons” reps McG’s second DC Comics sale this year: Wonderland is also behind the Fox project “Human Target,” which Jon Steinberg is writing.

CW predecessor the WB tackled the Batman mythology with 2002’s short-lived “Birds of Prey,” which followed a group of female superheroes who flew in to protect Gotham after Batman disappeared.

Burt Ward, of course, played Dick Grayson/Robin in the campy 1965-68 TV series “Batman.” And several animated versions of the Batman story have appeared on the smallscreen through the years, most recently KidsWB’s “The Batman.”

I am one of the people who think that African Americans are missing from primetime television.  However, I am impressed with the lineup that genre shows have trotted out.  Heroes once again has a diverse cast which has expanded to include Hispanic characters.  So, here is me giving props to some new characters on genre shows.

You can check out Rutina Wesley as Tara Thornton and Nelsen Ellis as her cousin Lafayette Reynolds on HBO’s True Blood (which is actually pretty good). 

You can find Jasika Nichole as Agent Astrid Farnsworth and Lance Reddick as Agent Phillip Broyles on Fox’s Fringe. 

Heroes in its second season add villainous “Knox”  Washington played by Jaime Hector and cryptic mystic Ntare Mwine as Usutu.

But let’s not talk about how they killing off the other brothers in prime time.  Spoiler after the break.

Why did they have to kill off Warrick on CSI and Pratt on ER.  Damn shame.  Two of the best written characters on two of the most popular shows on TV.

I thought it was a mixture of Lost and Alias.  There were too many questions for the first episode.   The stuff about the mysterious corporation sounded too much like Dharma.  The “Pattern” sounded like the Dharma Initiative.  The weird things that were happening sounded like Rambaldi devices and inventions run amok.  I liked Alias during the first three seasons of its run until it got too convoluted.  I liked Lost before it got weird and I had to go on the internet after every episode to understand what was happening.  I will probably watch this until it gets weird or convoluted, whichever comes first.

Source: Variety

MGM Domestic Television Distribution has optioned U.K.-based online graphic novel “The Many Worlds of Jonas Moore” for development as a series. MGM execs say the move is part of a burgeoning effort to put the Lion back into the TV production biz in a significant way.

Studio aims to develop “Jonas” into an action-drama, with a U.S.-U.K. co-production deal a possibility, according to Chris Ottinger, exec VP of worldwide TV for MGM. Film Collective‘s Ruth Vitale is attached to the project as an exec producer.   “Jonas” revolves around a fugitive vidgame player in a futuristic world where the British empire still reigns supreme and America is just one of thousands of virtual worlds in a global game network.

Howard Webster created and produced the graphic novel for his London-based Factory Publishing imprint and Triumph Motorcycles.

As for distribution of TV skein, “It’s more likely to be a cable series here in the U.S.,” Ottinger said. “But it has a real shot to be on terrestrial TV in the U.K.”

MGM is shopping for a writer to adapt the novel for TV. Ottinger hopes to have a script commissioned in the fall so the series is ready to go next year.

“We’re really trying to restart our television business, and we’re looking for hot properties that we can turn into hourlong dramas,” he said.

The “Jonas” novel is available for download on iPod or PC as a combination of traditional comicbook animation and 3-D animation. Brit thesp Colin Salmon provides the voice of the lead character. The graphic novel incorporates 3-D animation, live-action photography and newsreel footage.

A two-minute trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars will debut simultaneously across five Time Warner networks on Thursday, May 8, Warner Bros. announced today.

The theatrical trailer will air at 7:58pm in all US time zones on Cartoon Network, TNT, TBS, CNN, and Boomerang, and then be made available for viewing at www.starwars.com. It will debut in movie theaters on Friday, May 9, along with the first poster for the movie.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars will open in theaters on August 15.

Honestly, I stay away from blogging about Battlestar Galactica for several reasons.  One of which is that they made Col. Saul Tigh a white man and totally white-washed the main cast. (disparaging the memory of original cast member and excellent actor Terry Carter)  Except for a minor character (who we will discuss in a moment), black cast members are few and far between.  But that’s neither here nor there. Sometimes it rambles on and gets caught up in its own mythology and politics, but overall its a well written show,  which brings me to another reason I don’t blog about it. 

It can be difficult to follow, but that’s because I have no patience.  I like sci-fi shows, and I don’t like soap operas.  Battlestar Galactica is a mixture of both.  Soap operas are short on action and long on exposition.  The payoff of any particular storyline or action is similar to waiting around for the consequences as the result of the butterfly effect.

I am intently watching this final season of Battlestar Galactica for one reason and one reason alone.  I want to know who is the fifth cylon.  This storyline has got me anticipating every episode and watching every episode intently for clues.  It has me scouring the internet looking for hints, theories, and explanations.  It has me watching previous seasons’ episodes for clues that I missed.  Is it Agathon, Adm. Adama, Lee, Kara Thrace, Pres. Roslin, Gaeta, Baltar, or Dr. Cottle?  Or is it Anastasia Dualla?

I have been convinced now that it’s Dualla.  Why?  I found a very  convincing theory here, more convincing than any other theory that any one else has come up with, even my own.  I was thinking that it was Pres. Roslin.  Roslin’s had too many visions and too many second chances at life.  But after reading that theory and the arguments behind it, I am convinced that he’s right.  I am not going to go into too deep other than point out what convinced me.  I was convinced by D’Anna.  In her vision she was surprised at who it was and apologized.  Dualla was assigned to escort D’Anna around treated Dualla like crap.  Also, Number 2 whispered to Roslin that Adama was a cylon.  At first this could be a deception. However, could Number 2, a self proclaimed prophet, be talking about Dualla, who’s surname later legally became Adama after marrying Lee.  The theory is not perfect, but I that those are the most convincing ideas from the article.  There are a lot of other reasons.  Like the Caprica series theory, but I have no idea how the person who wrote their article got all that information about a series that is still in pre-production.  And you can look at the “Last Supper” and fold it and cruch it, and twist it all you want, but the picture isn’t compelling enough for me, since its just a promo pic. (except that Ron Moore says that the last cylon isn’t in the picture)  Read it for your self and see what you think.

Souce:  The Final Cylon Will Be Revealed

The “Last Supper” Picture, click picture for a closer look.

 I didn’t forget that Boomer (Grace Park)  was orginally a black man also.

She’s definitely easier on the eyes.

The episode entitled “Hero” marked the return of Pete Ross (played by Sam Jones III) to Smallville.  The story revolved around Pete gaining a superpower and then getting on his high horse and telling Clark that he wasn’t going to be like him and not keep his “gift” a secret.   On paper, the story’s a fairly good idea.  But, the best laid plans of mice and white men oft go awry.  WIthout going into a litany of powers that white male “meteor freaks,” were endowed with, let’s just say that it seems as Pete got leftovers.  

Pete “Stretchy Man” Ross.  You are asking yourself what’s wrong with being stretchy?  I’ll give them that Plastic Man and Elongated Man are cult favorites of fans of the Justice League B Team, and let’s not forget the ever popular Reed “Mr. Fantastic” Richards of the Fantastic Four.  But come on people!!!  Why you giving the only black man on your show some lame ass power?!?!  Sweet Christmas!!!  Hopefully, he’s done.  I was so distracted by the lame ass power that I didn’t even pay attention to the subplot that was moving along the long story arc. 

It’s not bad enough that the show has been white washed, but to bring Pete back with this lame ass power goes to show you that the writers on the show have completely lost touch with reality.  At least in the comic book world, African American characters are treated with more respect.  Honestly, I have never liked Pete Ross’s character on the show, but it was okay since it added diversity to the show.  But maybe I’m overlooking the main point.  Television has been white washed.  Name a major network that has a show with more than two African American characters.

 I admit that I was one of the thousands of people who got nostalgic about the return of one of my favorite shows as a kid.  I also admit that the first commercial for the show and all of the t.v. spots that have aired over the last couple of months had me excited.  But, once again, I was let down (see Bionic Woman).  I don’t have a problem with networks reworking old television shows in an attempt to update them.

So, why should I not be surprised that Knight Rider was a let down.  Maybe because I wasn’t expecting it to be an hour long Mustang commercial.  The director used the camera to make love to the car.  That’s the only way to describe it.  The camera caressed the car, stroked the car, filled the frame with shiny visuals and angles of the car.  I am sure that 12 million viewers is going to get a series put on fast track, but I am not going to get my hopes up for an improvement over this T.V. Movie/Pilot.

On a side note:  Why can’t we get a token brother to be the mechanic buddy?

Previous Post:  Knight Rider Teaser, Knight Rider Pictures and Video

Source: eonline.com

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

What We’re Hearing:  The crown jewel of the Sci Fi Channel should finish out its fourth and final season, but per writer Jane Espenson, it’s almost certain that, schedule-wise, the story will be split into two separate miniseasons. The show completed 14 episodes before the strike hit, and at least the first 10 will air beginning Apr. 4. The second batch could premiere in the fall or even sometime in 2009.

HEROES (Updated)

What We’re Hearing:  It looks like Heroes won’t return until next season-but it could launch a little earlier than usual (late summer). Insiders tell us Milo Ventimiglia just signed a movie (scheduling conflict) and, moreover, executive producer Tim Kring is busy at work crafting a “series bible.” Word is, he wants to map out exactly where the series is headed (for many seasons) before Heroes goes back into production. We hear from crew members that they’ve been told they aren’t expected back on set anytime before June. 

LOST 

Executive Producer Damon Lindelof Says:  “Indeed, it would appear that we are in the endgame of the strike. Personally, I couldn’t be more psyched to be part of this union. Like any negotiation, some parts suck and some parts surpassed my wildest expectations for what we could accomplish, but most of all I’m left with a feeling of pride.

“As for Lost (pending the actual lifting of the strike, which we vote for on Tuesday), a game plan should begin to manifest by the end of the week. All I can say is that Carlton and I and the rest of the writers have every intention of making sure you guys get more episodes this season beyond the eight already completed. How many and how they will be aired is a conversation we’ll be having with our bosses, but as soon as we’ve got a plan, we’ll tell the fans first.”

What We’re Hearing:  Lost‘s actors are on standby, and the show is expected to produce more episodes this season. Fingers crossed! The bigger question is who’ll keep the golden Thursday at 9 p.m. time slot once those Seattle Grace docs also return…How ’bout we put Sawyer and McDreamy in a cage and let ‘em duke it out? (‘Cause we know who’d win…)

SMALLVILLE

What We’re Hearing:  Our all-time favorite Smallville source (SWAK!) tells us the CW wants the show to produce five more episodes this season.

I’ve watched the first two episodes of Terminator:  The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and I must say that I am somewhat impressed. I don’t know if it’s because of the lack of new shows due to the writer’s strike, and one can only take so much of American Gladiators.  The effects are good for a television show.  The writing has been pretty good so far, especially how they’ve managed to work much of the existing Terminator universe into the story.  I usually have problems with time travel, but the writers seem to have handled any issues fairly well.    They start out in 1999 and by the second episode they’ve traveled to 2007.  This totally dismisses Terminator 3 as if it didn’t exist, but from what I read the producers like to think of this show as existing in its own version of the Terminator universe.  That’s fine with me.  They do however hold over the fact that Sarah’s going to develop cancer.  Consistency is good. 

Summer Glau brings her kick ass attitude to her Terminator “Cameron”  model character.  But her dead pan performance is, in a word, dead.   Thomas Decker, as the savior, John Connor, comes off as a whiney brat.  Richard T. Jones shows up as Agent James Ellison, the FBI agent tasked to bring in the fugitive Sarah Connor.  I won’t dog the brother for collecting a paycheck, but I will say he needs to either watch The Fugitive or U.S. Marshals and see how much passion Tommy Lee Jones brought to the role of Sam Gerard as a fugitive hunter.  If anything, he should watch a few episodes of the original Fugitive series, because he looks like he’s sleeping through his lines.  But he does have a few episodes to shape up since Sarah had dropped of the map for 8 years.  The bright spot is Lena Headey of 300 fame.  She brings a level of complexity to the titular character that echoes Linda Hamilton.  She makes the show worth at least giving it a chance.

We here at Blackgeekdom embrace the Klingons as our own. So, here’s a short video of our favorite Klingon, Worf, Son of Mogh.

Okay…I wasn’t really caring that much about Knight Rider’s new look.  It’s starting to grow on me.  And then I saw this teaser promo from NBC during the Sunday night football game.  Now, I can’t wait .

I recently watched the “Roots The Gift” on TVONE which features two characters Kunta Kinte and Fiddler from Alex Haleys ground breaking 1977 mini series “Roots”. In this movie the two of them accompany their owner to another plantation at Christmas time and they learn that the son of the owner helps slaves escape.  The two of them try to help him and also see this as an opportunity to escape themselves. While watching my geekdar picked up a couple of familar faces. I saw two Captains and two Lt. Commanders from Star Trek.  Then again Q may have transported them all to 1775.

Source: IGN Sam Jones, III, who played Pete Ross in the first 3 seasons of Smallville, is returning to the show during the second half of the season according to an exclusive by IGN. Pete Ross was the first person outside of the Kent family to learn of Clark’s secret. The character moved to Wichita with his mother and was never heard from again. However, in an episode titled “Hero,” Pete returns having gained superpowers from meteor rock exposure.Fans have wanted Sam to return for several seasons, but scheduling conflicts kept the actor away. I am just glad to see some diversity return to the show. It would be better if he returned as a recurring character. (I know Phil Morris is black, but he’s playing an alien, so that doesn’t count).

“Tin Man” is the Sci-Fi channel’s re-imagining L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz. I watched the first and second night of this three part miniseries. Sci-Fi promoted this series almost as much as Flash Gordon was promoted. That should have been my first warning. The second was Sci-Fi’s scheduling of the second night to run against Chuck and Heroes, which are two of the Sci-Fi channel’s target audience’s favorite shows, especially since these were the mid-season finales. Thankfully, Sci-Fi repeats their “television events” almost immediately after airing.

Briefly, the story follows D.G. (originally Dorothy Gale) who works a dead end job as a waitress dreaming of bigger and better things. We find out that she isn’t from this world but from another world called the O.Z. (Outer Zone) and that she is the key to saving it from an evil sorceress, Azkadellia (the Wicked Witch). She is joined on her journey down the old road by Glitch, a man who lost half his brain as a punishment for being a criminal, Raw, a cowardly beast with psychic abilities, and Cain, a former cop, known as tin men in the O.Z. We get the classic characters of munchkins, the Mystic Man (the Wizard) played by Richard Dreyfuss, and even the flying monkeys who spring from the cleavage of of Azkadellia. Literally.

The effects aren’t bad for a television series. Obviously, the network wanted this to be a success. The visuals are pretty good, despite the filter that the director, editor, or director of photography went with. What I mean is that everything seemed to be in perpetual early evening, an almost dusk. It’s a decent story for the most part, but it could have been done better. Many of the puns and allusions to the original story don’t have to be so blatant. Anyone watching has probably seen the Wizard of Oz dozens of times. I can do without lines like “If he only had a brain,” or “They’re off to see the Wizard.” Side note: It may not be suitable for your under 5 crowd, but that’s a parent’s call. There are hookers, a pimp, torture, some pretty gruesome scenes, and the Mystic Man is a drug addict who uses on screen. But I digress.

If you don’t have anything else to watch, especially with the writer’s strike, give this a shot. If you miss it, you won’t miss much. Rent The Wiz.

Two fists for making Toto a black man.

 Here’s the ratings for all the shows this year. Just to give people an idea on of how there favorite genre shows were doing.   Heroes is the number one genre show at #20.     Chuck must be a winner as far as NBC is concerned, it the #54 ranked show and was recently picked up for a full season by the network.   I wonder why they haven’t picked up Journey man (#62) for a full season considering its pretty close to Chuck in the ratings.  Also I wonder how many shows are avoiding cancellation due the writers strike.   I think the strike has extended the life of a couple shows (Reaper) because the networks need programming.     

      
                                 NO/OF  VIEWR  VIEWR

RANK                               T/C     2+     2+  

                                          (000)   RTG 

—–                             —— —— ——

    1   CSI                            8  21670    7.6

    2 * DANCING W/THE STARS-MON        9  21240    7.4

    3 * GREY’S ANATOMY-THU 9PM         8  20780    7.3

    4 * DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES           8  19450    6.8

    5   HOUSE                          8  18850    6.6

    6 * DANCING W/STARS RESULT-TU      8  18010    6.3

    7   NCIS                           9  17370    6.1

    8   NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL      8  16170    5.6

    9   WITHOUT A TRACE                7  15970    5.6

   10   CSI: MIAMI                     9  15920    5.6

   11   CRIMINAL MINDS                 9  15530    5.4

   12   SURVIVOR: CHINA                8  15060    5.3

   13   TWO AND A HALF MEN             9  14250    5.0

   14 * SAMANTHA WHO?                  6  14220    5.0

        60 MINUTES                     9  14220    5.0

   16   CSI: NY                        9  14030    4.9

   17 * EXTREME MAKEOVER:HOME ED.      8  13850    4.8

   18   COLD CASE                      9  13450    4.7

   19 * BROTHERS & SISTERS             8  12940    4.5

   20   HEROES                         9  12600    4.4

   21 * PRIVATE PRACTICE               8  12590    4.4

   22   LAW AND ORDER:SVU              9  12230    4.3

   23   AMAZING RACE 12                4  12160    4.2

   24   UNIT, THE                      9  11650    4.1

   25   SHARK                          9  11590    4.0

   26   DEAL OR NO DEAL-WED            4  11410    4.0

   27   RULES OF ENGAGEMENT            9  11330    4.0

   28 * BOSTON LEGAL                   7  11190    3.9

   29 * UGLY BETTY                     8  10970    3.8

   30   SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK      8  10930    3.8

   31   OT, THE                        4  10710    3.7

   32   NUMB3RS                        9  10380    3.6

   33 * PUSHING DAISIES                7  10230    3.6

   34 * WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB            6  10090    3.5

   35 * EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-7P      2   9970    3.5

   36   BIONIC WOMAN                   7   9930    3.5

   37   E.R.                           8   9900    3.5

   38   OFFICE                         8   9890    3.5

   39   SIMPSONS                       7   9790    3.4

   40   GHOST WHISPERER                9   9760    3.4

   41   DEAL OR NO DEAL-FRI            8   9580    3.3

   42 * BACHELOR, THE                  9   9570    3.3

   43   FAMILY GUY                     7   9530    3.3

   44   BONES                          8   9320    3.3

   45 * DIRTY SEXY MONEY               8   9120    3.2

   46   CANE                           9   9040    3.2

   47   BIG BANG THEORY, THE           9   8990    3.1

   48 * BIG SHOTS                      7   8770    3.1

   49   FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3       8   8670    3.0

   50   SMARTER THAN 5TH GRADER        6   8650    3.0

   51   LAS VEGAS                      8   8550    3.0

   52   HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER          9   8490    3.0

   53   MY NAME IS EARL                8   8410    2.9

   54   CHUCK                          9   8350    2.9

   55 * AMER FUNN HOME VIDEOS          6   8250    2.9

   56   MOONLIGHT                      9   8220    2.9

   57   LIFE                           8   8040    2.8

   58   PRISON BREAK                   6   7880    2.8

   59   KING OF THE HILL               5   7680    2.7

   60   KID NATION                     9   7610    2.7

   61   BIGGEST LOSER 4                9   7400    2.6

   62   JOURNEYMAN                     9   7220    2.5

   63   AMERICAN DAD                   6   7180    2.5

   64   48 HOURS MYSTERY               7   7060    2.5

   65   HOUSE-MON 8P                   1   6990    2.4

   66 * CARPOOLERS                     6   6980    2.4

   67   30 ROCK                        6   6920    2.4

   68   CRIMETIME SATURDAY             8   6840    2.4

   69   BACK TO YOU                    8   6760    2.4

   70   COPS 2                         5   6750    2.4

   71   SCRUBS                         4   6740    2.4

   72 * MEN IN TREES                   6   6690    2.3

   73 * 20/20-FRI                      8   6680    2.3

   74   PHENOMENON                     5   6620    2.3

   75 * CAVEMEN                        6   6610    2.3

   76   VIVA LAUGHLIN                  1   6500    2.3

   77   SINGING BEE                    4   6490    2.3

   78   TIL DEATH                      8   6380    2.2

   79   AMW: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK       6   6370    2.2

   80 * SAT NIGHT FOOTBALL             8   6230    2.2

   81   FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS            7   6200    2.2

   82   KITCHEN NIGHTMARES             8   6120    2.1

   83   COPS                           6   5940    2.1

   84   SIMPSONS-SUN 7:30P             5   5930    2.1

   85   DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS        5   5920    2.1

   86   CRIMETIME SATURDAY 8PM         8   5770    2.0

   87   DON’T FORGET LYRICS-FRI        2   5590    2.0

   88   K-VILLE                        7   5440    1.9

   89   LAW & ORDER:SVU-SAT            7   5310    1.9

   90   SMARTER THAN 5TH FRI-8P        2   5240    1.8

   91   SMALLVILLE                     8   5050    1.8

   92   AMERICA’S TOP MODEL-3          9   4860    1.7

   93   FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN         8   4680    1.6

   94 * SAT NIGHT FTBL PRE-GAME        8   4590    1.6

        FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 2       9   4590    1.6

   96   KING OF THE HILL-SUN 7P        3   3840    1.3

   97   BIONIC WOMAN-SAT               3   3460    1.2

   98   SUPERNATURAL                   7   3260    1.1

   99   CHUCK-SAT                      4   3240    1.1

  100   BEAUTY AND THE GEEK-2          9   3020    1.1

  101   REAPER                         9   2940    1.0

  102   NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND       5   2890    1.0

  103   GAME, THE                      9   2540     .9

  104   GOSSIP GIRL                    9   2520     .9

  105   EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS          9   2440     .9

  106   GIRLFRIENDS                    9   2240     .8

  107   ALIENS IN AMERICA              8   2060     .7

  108   EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS-MON      1   1790     .6

  109   AMERICA’S TOP MODEL-3-ENC      9   1440     .5

  110   LIFE IS WILD                   8   1280     .4

  111   ALIENS IN AMERICA-SUN          6    960     .3

  112   CW NOW                         9    800     .3

  113   ONLINE NATION                  3    670     .2

 We recently posted the Ratings for all shows this  year.   Just to give people an idea on of how there favorite genre shows were doing.   So hears this weeks ratings.   Heroes is the number one genre show at #33 which I think it pretty decent since its up against Monday night football.  All of the Genre shows seem to be sliding as the season progresses.    I wonder how many of these shows would have gotten the axe if the WGA strike wasn’t happening.   The networks really can’t cancel a show until they have a replacement.

                                  VIEWR  VIEWR
 RANK                                2+     2+
                                    (000)   RTG
 -----                             ------ ------
     1   CSI                        21940    7.7
     2   WITHOUT A TRACE            21680    7.6
     3 * DANCING W/THE STARS-MON    20470    7.1
     4 * GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM     19500    6.8
     5 * DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES       18630    6.5
     6   HOUSE                      18170    6.3
     7   NCIS                       18150    6.3
     8   NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL  17330    6.1
     9 * DANCING W/STARS RESULT-TU  17060    6.0
    10 * CMA AWARDS                 15950    5.6
    11 * EXTREME MAKEOVER:HOME ED.  15030    5.2
    12   SURVIVOR: CHINA            14860    5.2
    13   CRIMINAL MINDS             14650    5.1
    14   CSI: MIAMI                 14070    4.9
    15   TWO AND A HALF MEN         13800    4.8
    16   60 MINUTES                 13120    4.6
    17   CSI: NY                    12920    4.5
    18 * SAMANTHA WHO?              12860    4.5
    19   COLD CASE                  12780    4.5
    20 * BROTHERS & SISTERS         12350    4.3
    21   LAW AND ORDER:SVU          11700    4.1
    22   SHARK                      11460    4.0
    23   SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK  11100    3.9
    24   UNIT, THE                  11080    3.9
    25 * UGLY BETTY                 10830    3.8
    26   RULES OF ENGAGEMENT        10770    3.8
    27 * BOSTON LEGAL               10620    3.7
    28   SIMPSONS                   10530    3.7
    29   AMAZING RACE 12            10480    3.7
    30   FAMILY GUY                 10390    3.6
    31   OT, THE                    10300    3.6
    32   NUMB3RS                     9940    3.5
    33   HEROES                      9870    3.4
    34   GHOST WHISPERER             9850    3.4
    35   DEAL OR NO DEAL-FRI         9630    3.4
    36 * WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB         9600    3.4
    37   BONES                       9520    3.3
    38   BIG BANG THEORY, THE        9370    3.3
    39 * BACHELOR, THE               9230    3.2
    40   FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3    9070    3.2
    41   SMARTER THAN 5TH GRADER     8850    3.1
    42   HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER       8770    3.1
    43   E.R.                        8440    2.9
    44   OFFICE                      8270    2.9
    45   PRISON BREAK SP-11/5 9P     8000    2.8
    46   MOONLIGHT                   7900    2.8
    47   BIGGEST LOSER 4             7880    2.8
    48   CANE                        7780    2.7
    49   AMERICAN DAD                7770    2.7
    50   PRISON BREAK                7690    2.7
    51   MY NAME IS EARL             7660    2.7
    52   CHUCK                       7650    2.7
    53   KING OF THE HILL            7600    2.7
    54   48 HOURS MYSTERY            7490    2.6
    55 * AMER FUNN HOME VIDEOS       7400    2.6
    56   CRIMETIME SATURDAY          7030    2.5
    57   KID NATION                  7010    2.5
         LAS VEGAS                   7010    2.4
    59 * BIG SHOTS                   6960    2.4
    60 * 20/20-FRI                   6930    2.4
    61   COPS 2                      6810    2.4
    62   30 ROCK                     6600    2.3
    63   DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS     6520    2.3
    64   TIL DEATH                   6510    2.3
    65   BIONIC WOMAN                6480    2.3
    66   BACK TO YOU                 6450    2.3
    67   LIFE                        6390    2.2
    68   KITCHEN NIGHTMARES          6360    2.2
    69   AMW: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK    6350    2.2
    70   DON'T FORGET LYRICS-FRI     6290    2.2
    71   SCRUBS                      6270    2.2
    72 * SAT NIGHT FOOTBALL          6220    2.2
    73   PHENOMENON                  6100    2.1
    74 * MEN IN TREES                6030    2.1
    75   CRIMETIME SATURDAY 8PM      5990    2.1
    76   COPS                        5950    2.1
    77   FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS         5560    1.9
    78 * CARPOOLERS                  5490    1.9
    79   LAW & ORDER:SVU-SAT         5370    1.9
    80   JOURNEYMAN                  5130    1.8
    81   AMERICA'S TOP MODEL-3       5100    1.8
    82   FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 2    4950    1.7
    83 * CAVEMEN                     4880    1.7
    84   FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN      4850    1.7
    85 * SAT NIGHT FTBL PRE-GAME     4660    1.6
    86   SMALLVILLE                  4640    1.6
    87   BIONIC WOMAN-SAT            3370    1.2
    88   CHUCK-SAT                   3170    1.1
    89   SUPERNATURAL                3010    1.1
    90   BEAUTY AND THE GEEK-2       2650     .9
    91   NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND    2600     .9
    92   GOSSIP GIRL                 2520     .9
    93   EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS       2450     .9
    94   REAPER                      2420     .8
    95   GAME, THE                   2260     .8
    96   GIRLFRIENDS                 1990     .7
    97   ALIENS IN AMERICA           1780     .6
    98   AMERICA'S TOP MODEL-3-ENC   1410     .5
    99   LIFE IS WILD                1170     .4
    100  CW NOW                      1000     .4
    101  ALIENS IN AMERICA-SUN        850     .3

It seems like the WGA is officially on strike and its going to have a impact on a number of things.   In case you didn’t know the WGA is on strike for the following things.

• An increase from 4 cents for every DVD sold to 8 cents 
• Digital distribution revenues (ads and downloads )- Writers want 2.5% and the Studios are offering .3%; one of the sticking points is producers want to call some stuff “promotional material” which would be exempt.  The writers are countering that if you have ad revenue associated with its then its fair game.

Seems like they would just meet in the middle and be done with it, but its not my money to give away.   Now to the important stuff how does it affect me.  

• After the first of the year Current prime-time shows will likely run out of new episodes, so have about 3 months before it hits the fan  .
• More crappy reality shows to avoid
• Movie studios will be OK for the short term,  if it goes on longer than 4 months it may push back some stuff Im looking forward too.
• Maybe all the part-time comic writers will finally have some time to get some  movement on a new “Young Avengers” series (Allan Heinberg) and the completion of “Ultimate Wolverine/Hulk” (Damon Lindelof)
• More time to read all the Graphic Novels I have back logged
• I can finally re-watch all those Batman Beyond DVDs
• Spend time with my spouse   College football
• Catch up on house work   I can start to organize all my comics. 

Hopefully this won’t be and extended strike and we can all get back to bitching about the Sci-fi Channel.  

We recently ran a list of Top 10 Canceled shows and according to the networks,  ratings (or to be more specific low ratings) were the primary reason for canceling a show.   Since these shows live and die by their ratings, I thought it would be interesting to track how our favorite genre shows are doing this fall,  so we can see who maybe on the way out.  The highest ranked genre show this week is Heroes at #17 .    For fans of shows like Reaper you may want to start last rites because I don’t think it will be around much longer.    Theses numbers are for the season to date.   I plan on posting the weekly numbers  so stay tuned.   I have highlighted the genre shows in bold. 

                                   NO/OF  VIEWR  VIEWR
 RANK                               T/C     2+     2+
                                           (000)   RTG
 -----                             ------ ------ ------
     1   CSI                            5  21490    7.5
     2 * DANCING W/THE STARS-MON        5  20680    7.2
     3 * GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM         5  20190    7.1
     4   HOUSE                          4  19390    6.8
     5 * DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES           5  19170    6.7
     6 * DANCING W/STARS RESULT-TU      4  17130    6.0
     7   NCIS                           5  16840    5.9
     8   CSI: MIAMI                     5  15860    5.5
     9   CRIMINAL MINDS                 5  15050    5.3
    10   WITHOUT A TRACE                4  14880    5.2
    11   SURVIVOR: CHINA                5  14720    5.1
    12   NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL      4  14630    5.1
    13 * SAMANTHA WHO?                  2  14060    4.9
    14   TWO AND A HALF MEN             5  13980    4.9
    15   CSI: NY                        5  13880    4.8
    16 * EXTREME MAKEOVER:HOME ED.      5  13420    4.7
    17   HEROES                         5  13370    4.7
    18   60 MINUTES                     5  13220    4.6
    19 * PRIVATE PRACTICE               5  13200    4.6
    20   COLD CASE                      5  13100    4.6
    21 * BROTHERS & SISTERS             5  12820    4.5
    22   LAW AND ORDER:SVU              5  12690    4.4
    23   UNIT, THE                      5  11740    4.1
    24   DEAL OR NO DEAL-WED            4  11380    4.0
    25   SHARK                          5  11370    4.0
    26   RULES OF ENGAGEMENT            5  11220    3.9
    27 * PUSHING DAISIES                4  11130    3.9
    28   BIONIC WOMAN                   5  11000    3.8
    29 * BOSTON LEGAL                   4  10870    3.8
    30 * UGLY BETTY                     5  10790    3.8
    31   OT, THE                        2  10700    3.7
    32   NUMB3RS                        5  10200    3.6
    33 * WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB            3  10100    3.5
    34   SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK      4   9930    3.5
    35   E.R.                           5   9910    3.5
    36   OFFICE                         5   9800    3.4
    37   CANE                           5   9730    3.4
    38 * DIRTY SEXY MONEY               5   9630    3.4
    39 * EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-7P      1   9570    3.3
    40   GHOST WHISPERER                5   9450    3.3
    41   DEAL OR NO DEAL-FRI            5   9290    3.2
    42 * BACHELOR, THE                  5   9180    3.2
    43   BONES                          4   9120    3.2
    44 * BIG SHOTS                      5   9000    3.1
    45   BIG BANG THEORY, THE           5   8950    3.1
    46   SIMPSONS                       3   8780    3.1
    47   LAS VEGAS                      5   8770    3.1
    48   LIFE                           5   8640    3.0
    49   PHENOMENON                     1   8550    3.0
    50   MY NAME IS EARL                5   8540    3.0
    51   CHUCK                          5   8500    3.0
    52 * AMER FUNN HOME VIDEOS          4   8410    2.9
    53   HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER          5   8370    2.9
    54   FAMILY GUY                     3   8350    2.9
    55   MOONLIGHT                      5   8280    2.9
    56   SMARTER THAN 5TH GRADER        3   8230    2.9
    57   JOURNEYMAN                     5   7990    2.8
    58   PRISON BREAK                   4   7930    2.8
    59   FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3       4   7900    2.8
    60   KID NATION                     5   7740    2.7
    61 * CARPOOLERS                     4   7720    2.7
    62 * CAVEMEN                        4   7460    2.6
    63   BACK TO YOU                    4   7320    2.6
    64   KING OF THE HILL               3   7190    2.5
    65   BIGGEST LOSER 4                5   7110    2.5
    66   SCRUBS                         1   6950    2.4
    67   30 ROCK                        4   6910    2.4
    68 * MEN IN TREES                   3   6800    2.4
    69   TIL DEATH                      4   6740    2.4
    70   SINGING BEE                    3   6730    2.4
    71 * 20/20-FRI                      4   6710    2.3
    72   48 HOURS MYSTERY               4   6700    2.3
    73   COPS 2                         1   6680    2.3
    74   CRIMETIME SATURDAY             4   6580    2.3
    75   AMERICAN DAD                   3   6570    2.3
    76   KITCHEN NIGHTMARES             4   6520    2.3
    77   VIVA LAUGHLIN                  1   6430    2.2
    78   AMW: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK       2   6310    2.2
    79   FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS            4   6120    2.1
    80   K-VILLE                        4   6090    2.1
    81   COPS                           2   5910    2.1
    82   DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS        3   5680    2.0
    83   CRIMETIME SATURDAY 8PM         4   5520    1.9
    84 * SAT NIGHT FOOTBALL             4   5310    1.9
    85   SIMPSONS-SUN 7:30P             3   5300    1.9
    86   SMARTER THAN 5TH FRI-8P        2   5240    1.8
    87   LAW & ORDER:SVU-SAT            4   5220    1.8
    88   SMALLVILLE                     5   5130    1.8
    89   AMERICA'S TOP MODEL-3          5   5090    1.8
    90   FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN         5   4570    1.6
    91 * SAT NIGHT FTBL PRE-GAME        4   4440    1.6
    92   FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 2       5   4280    1.5
    93   KING OF THE HILL-SUN 7P        2   3720    1.3
    94   BEAUTY AND THE GEEK-2          5   3310    1.2
    95   NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND       2   3250    1.1
    96   SUPERNATURAL                   4   3210    1.1
    97   REAPER                         5   3190    1.1
    98   GOSSIP GIRL                    5   2770    1.0
    99   GAME, THE                      5   2610     .9
   100   EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS          5   2470     .9
   101   GIRLFRIENDS                    5   2310     .8
   102   ALIENS IN AMERICA              4   2300     .8
   103   EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS-MON      1   1790     .6
   104   AMERICA'S TOP MODEL-3-ENC      5   1470     .5
   105   LIFE IS WILD                   4   1360     .5
   106   ALIENS IN AMERICA-SUN          2   1020     .4
   107   CW NOW                         5    760     .3
   108   ONLINE NATION                  3    670     .2

Last night Spike aired its 2007 Scream Awards which honors the best in Horror, Sci-fi, Comics and Fantasy.   I think they should rename it the Fanboy awards because that’s the audience.   The awards were very entertaining, lots of energy and plenty of genre stars, and its nice to actually see some of the comic guys get some screen time.   Some of the major highlights other than announcement of the category awards, was Harrison Ford winning the first ”Hero” award which recognizes the legends of the genre,  a reunion of the original “Star Trek” cast for the 25th anniversary of “Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan”, and Neil Gaiman winning the  ”Comic-Con Icon Award”

I like the fact the the show also premiered never before seen trailers (great marketing gimmick for fanboys)  for upcoming films like Beowulf.   My only real complaint was the musical performers, Ozzy Osbourne, Avenged Sevenfold and Alice Cooper who won an award for “SCREAM Rock Immortal”.   Its amazing that people seem to think this is the only genre of music that Sci-fi, Comics and Horror fans like.   I guess we can only tackle one stereotype at a time.    

Here are the categories and nominees for the awards the winners are in bold.

    THE ULTIMATE SCREAM
    — 28 WEEKS LATER
    — 300
    — BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
    — THE DESCENT
    — HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
    — HEROES
    — PAN’S LABYRINTH
    — PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END
    — SPIDER-MAN 3
    — TRANSFORMERS

    BEST HORROR MOVIE
    – 28 WEEKS LATER
    — 1408
    — THE DESCENT
    — GRINDHOUSE
    — THE HOST
    — HOSTEL: PART II

    BEST FANTASY MOVIE
    — HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
    — PAN’S LABYRINTH
    — PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END
    — SPIDER-MAN 3
    — STARDUST

    BEST SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE
    — CHILDREN OF MEN
    — THE FOUNTAIN
    — THE PRESTIGE
    — SUNSHINE
    – TRANSFORMERS

    BEST TV SHOW
    — BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
    — DOCTOR WHO
    – HEROES
    — LOST
    — MASTERS OF HORROR

    BEST COMIC BOOK
    – 30 DAYS OF NIGHT
    — ALL-STAR SUPERMAN
    — THE BOYS
    — ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR
    — Y: THE LAST MAN

    SCREAM QUEEN
    – KATE BECKINSALE, VACANCY
    — ROSARIO DAWSON, GRINDHOUSE
    — JORDANA BREWSTER, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING
    — BIJOU PHILLIPS, HOSTEL: PART II
    — ROSE MCGOWAN, GRINDHOUSE
    — MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD, BLACK CHRISTMAS

    SCREAM KING
    — JOHN CUSACK, 1408
    — SAMUEL L. JACKSON, SNAKES ON A PLANE
    — SHIA LABEOUF, DISTURBIA
    — ANGUS MACFADYEN, SAW III
    — FREDDY RODRIGUEZ, GRINDHOUSE
    — LUKE WILSON, VACANCY

    BEST SUPERHERO
    — MICHAEL CHIKLIS, FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
    — CHRIS EVANS AS THE HUMAN TORCH, FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER
       SURFER
    — TOBEY MAGUIRE AS SPIDER-MAN, SPIDER-MAN 3
    — MASI OKA AS HIRO NAKAMURO, HEROES
    — MILO VENTIMIGLIA AS PETER PETRELLI, HEROES

    SEXIEST SUPERHERO
    — JESSICA ALBA, FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
    — ALI LARTER, HEROES
    — HAYDEN PANETTIERE AS CLAIRE BENNET, HEROES

    FANTASY FOX
    – JESSICA BIEL, THE ILLUSIONIST
    — KIRSTEN DUNST, SPIDER-MAN 3
    — LENA HEADEY, 300
    — KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END
    — EVANGELINE LILLY, LOST
    — EVA MENDES, GHOST RIDER
    — SIENNA MILLER, STARDUST

    FANTASY HERO
    — GERARD BUTLER, 300
    – JOHNNY DEPP, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END
    — MATTHEW FOX, LOST
    — EDWARD NORTON, THE ILLUSIONIST
    — DANIEL RADCLIFFE, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

    SCI-FI SIREN
    — CLARE-HOPE ASHITEY, CHILDREN OF MEN
    – MEGAN FOX, TRANSFORMERS
    — SCARLETT JOHANSSON, THE PRESTIGE
    — KATEE SACKHOFF, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
    — RACHEL WEISZ, THE FOUNTAIN

    SCI-FI STAR
    — CHRISTIAN BALE, THE PRESTIGE
    — HUGH JACKMAN, THE FOUNTAIN
    — SHIA LABEOUF, TRANSFORMERS
    — CILLIAN MURPHY, SUNSHINE
    — CLIVE OWEN, CHILDREN OF MEN

    BEST CAMEO
    — DAVID BOWIE, THE PRESTIGE
    — JAY HERNANDEZ, HOSTEL: PART II
    — KEITH RICHARDS, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END
    — QUENTIN TARANTINO, GRINDHOUSE
    — BRUCE WILLIS, GRINDHOUSE

    BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
    — CLARE-HOPE ASHITEY, CHILDREN OF MEN
    — ZOE BELL, GRINDHOUSE
    — MEGAN FOX, TRANSFORMERS
    — LAUREN GERMAN, HOSTEL: PART II
    — SHAUNA MACDONALD, THE DESCENT
    – HAYDEN PANETTIERE, HEROES
    — RODRIGO SANTORO AS XERXES, 300

    MOST VILE VILLAIN
    — SERGI LOPEZ AS CAPTAIN VIDAL, PAN’S LABYRINTH
    — MICHELLE PFEIFFER, STARDUST
    — ZACHARY QUINTO AS SYLAR/GABRIEL GRAY, HEROES
    — KURT RUSSELL AS STUNTMAN MIKE, GRINDHOUSE
    — RODRIGO SANTORO AS XERXES, 300
    — TOBIN BELL & SHAWNEE SMITH, SAW III
    — THOMAS HADEN CHURCH, SPIDER-MAN 3
    — TOPHER GRACE, SPIDER-MAN 3
    – RALPH FIENNES, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

    MOST MEMORABLE MUTILATION
    — BATTLE VS. THE IMMORTALS, 300
    — CRANIAL SURGERY, SAW III
    – DISMEMBERED IN CAR CRASH, GRINDHOUSE
    — EATEN ALIVE BY CANNIBAL, HOSTEL: PART II
    — MOUTH SLICED OPEN AND SEWN BACK TOGETHER, PAN’S LABYRINTH

    BEST COMIC-TO-SCREEN ADAPTATION
    — 300
    — FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
    — GHOST RIDER
    — SPIDERMAN 3
    — TMNT: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

    BEST SEQUEL
    — 28 WEEKS LATER
    – HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
    — PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END
    — SAW III
    — SPIDER-MAN 3

   “JUMP-FROM-YOUR-SEAT” SCENE OF THE YEAR
    — ATTACK OF THE UBER IMMORTAL, 300
    – FINAL BATTLE: MEGATRON VS. OPTIMUS PRIME, TRANSFORMERS
    — MID-AIR BATTLE: SPIDER-MAN VS. THE NEW GOBLIN, SPIDER-MAN 3
    — THE RAIN OF ARROWS, 300
    — ZOMBIE ATTACKS GLASS WINDOW, 28 WEEKS LATER

    BEST DIRECTOR
    — MICHAEL BAY, TRANSFORMERS
    — DANNY BOYLE, SUNSHINE
    — ALFONSO CUARON, CHILDREN OF MEN
    — GUILLERMO DEL TORO, PAN’S LABYRINTH
    — NEIL MARSHALL, THE DESCENT
    — ELI ROTH, HOSTEL: PART II
    — ZACK SNYDER, 300
    — SAM RAIMI, SPIDER-MAN 3
    – QUENTIN TARANTINO & ROBERT RODRIGUEZ, GRINDHOUSE

    BEST SCREAM-PLAY
    — 300, WRITTEN BY ZACK SNYDER & KURT JOHNSTAD
    — CHILDREN OF MEN, WRITTEN BY ALFONSO CUARON, TIMOTHY J. SEXTON, DAVID
       ARATA, MARK FERGUS & HAWK OSTBY
    – GRINDHOUSE, WRITTEN BY ROBERT RODRIGUEZ, QUENTIN TARANTINO, JEFF
       RENDELL, ELI ROTH, EDGAR WRIGHT & ROB ZOMBIE
    — THE DESCENT, WRITTEN BY NEIL MARSHALL
    — PAN’S LABYRINTH, WRITTEN BY GUILLERMO DEL TORO
    — SUNSHINE, WRITTEN BY ALEX GARLAND

    BEST F/X
    — 300
    — HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
    — PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END
    — SPIDER-MAN 3
    – TRANSFORMERS

    BEST FOREIGN MOVIE
    — CELLO (SOUTH KOREA)
    — DEATH NOTE (JAPAN)
    — THE HOST (SOUTH KOREA)
    — INITIAL D (HONG KONG)
    – PAN’S LABYRINTH (SPAIN)

    BEST COMIC BOOK WRITER
    — BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, CIVIL WAR: THE INITIATIVE/DAREDEVIL/NEW AVENGERS
    — GARTH ENNIS, PUNISHER: MAX/THE BOYS/GHOST RIDER/CHRONICLES OF
       WORMWOOD/MIDNIGHTER
    — FRANK MILLER, ALL-STAR BATMAN & ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER/FRANK MILLER’S
       ROBOCOP
    — ALAN MOORE, LOST GIRLS/YUGGOTH CULTURES
    — BRIAN K. VAUGHN, EX MACHINA/RUNAWAYS/Y: THE LAST MAN

    BEST COMIC BOOK ARTIST
    — JOHN CASSADY, ASTONISHING X-MEN
    — DARWYN COOK, THE SPIRIT
    — PIA GUERRA, Y: THE LAST MAN
    — STEVE MCNIVEN, CIVIL WAR
    — BEN TEMPLESMITH, WORMWOOD: GENTLEMAN CORPSE/FELL

    BEST SCREEN-TO-COMIC ADAPTATION
    – 28 DAYS LATER: THE AFTERMATH
    — ARMY OF DARKNESS
    — FRANK MILLER’S ROBOCOP
    — GEORGE A. ROMERO’S NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD:
       BACK FROM THE GRAVE
    — THE HILLS HAVE EYES: THE BEGINNING

    MOST SHOCKING COMIC BOOK TWIST
    –  ALICE IN WONDERLAND AND DOROTHY FROM OZ HAVE LESBIAN SEX!, LOST GIRLS
    – CAPTAIN AMERICA DIES!, CAPTAIN AMERICA
    — PETER PARKER REVEALS THAT HE IS SPIDERMAN!, CIVIL WAR
    — SABRE-TOOTH IS BEHEADED BY WOLVERINE!, WOLVERINE
    — SUPERMAN KAL-EL IS KILLED BY SUPERBOY-PRIME!, INFINITE CRISIS

Huey, Riley and Grandpa are back with a vengeance and they are whooping ass.   Its been almost a year and half since we have had a new episode and it was worth the wait.   Aaron McGruder has written a classic with tonight’s episode “Or Die Trying”.   The episode is a satire on Black Folks at the movies theatre.  Grandpa and the boys are going to school young and naive Jasmine on proper movie etiquette Boondocks style.  Which means

1. Sneaking in without paying. 
2. Bringing there own food because the popcorn costs too damn much.
3. Bringing a camcorder to tape it
4. Watching a  movie called “Soul Plane 2: the Blackjacking!”  (definite Oscar winner) the sequel to one of the worst movies ever made.
5. Having  a kung fu showdown  (complete with nun-chucks ) with Uncle Ruckus who is a usher at the theatre

The episode is basically a documentary on a typical Saturday night at a Magic Johnson Theatre.   If the rest of the season is anything like tonight’s episode you should definitely drink some Mountain Dew and stay up for it.   The Boondocks airs Sundays at 11:30 on Cartoon Networks Adult Swim.

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Journeyman, a new offering from NBC, debuted Monday night after the hit show Heroes. I watched it and was pleasantly surprised. At first I thought it was going to be a ripoff of Quantum Leap, but the show was not anything like Quantum Leap, except for the time travel. I’m not going to go into a comparison of the two shows.
I recommend that everyone watch it and give the show a chance. It seems to be the perfect complement to Heroes. Obviously, NBC is hoping that fans of Heroes will be interested enough to stay tuned. Technically, it is a genre show, but I found myself thinking in the back of my mind how long will it be before I get an explaination as to how Dan travels. However, I was paying so much attention to the story that I didn’t get a chance to think about the “hows” and “whys.”
It’s both well written and well acted. Kevin McKidd (Lucius Vorenus in HBO’s Rome) leads a pretty good cast. *Its worth mentioning that Kevin McKidd somewhat confirmed rumors about being cast as Thor (click here for story from SciFi Wire). Anyone who’s seen him in Rome, like me, would think he’d make an excellent Thor.
Shows like this make me wonder why terrible shows like Painkiller Jane and the current version of Flash Gordon make it past pitch stage.

TV Guide has an interview with George Lucas about the upcoming Animated and live action Star Wars television shows. I’m really looking forward to the the Live Action show.  I can’t believe that I will be able to get new SW stuff on a weekly basis.  The Animated show is set to premiere in 2008 follwed by the live action show in 2009. The animated show would be a perfect fit for a certain science fiction channel that that seems to have problems coming up with new programming.

I don’t know how many shows Sci-Fi has left to air. And at this point it doesn’t matter. The show that myself and many other fans of the character Flash Gordon had been waiting with baited anticipation for has been, in my opinion, a resounding failure.

After the first episode, I realized at the time that many new shows have growing pains; however, the fact that Flash had had been reimagined as a marathon runner who lived at home with his mom should have been my first clue of impending doom. Two more episodes in I figured it was bad enough that it could only get better, and I still thought that the show had potential. When I read that this week’s episode would feature Vultan, the Hawkman, coming to Earth to find his son I thought, “Finally, the show is going to take off!” I was wrong. Spoiler Alert

There was taking off, but guess what…It wasn’t on wings. What!?! No Wings! Are you kidding me? They glided with capes. Taking a page right out of Batman. Okay. Maybe I expected too much. Someone suggested to me that they didn’t want them to look hokey. But they couldn’t look any more hokey if they tried. A bunch of shirtless men running around flapping their capes like wings and screeching like hawks. That was pretty damn hokey. So I’m done. I can’t watch anymore. It’s a moot point anyway since Flash was given the axe for next season along with Dresden Files, one of the best series Sci-Fi had ever done, and Painkiller Jane, one of the worst. But to me, this season of Flash Gordon is over.

Where did Sci-Fi go wrong? They got away from the things that made Flash Gordon a cult classic for the last 70 years.
1. There was no sense of serialization. I know that doing serials is not popular with producers since it complicates syndication. 2. There was always a diverse set of alien races that made the political situation on Mongo interesting.
3. They spent more time on Earth than on Mongo. There couldn’t have been a cost issue, because Stargate Atlantis takes place on other planets. Stargate SG 1 takes place on other planets more than on Earth, and Battlestar Galactica takes place on a space ship.
4. Flash, in every previous incarnation, had been an adventurer. He was always a person with uncanny skill placed in extraordinarily alien circumstances. This most recent Flash was an average guy looking for his dad who just bungles around hoping to stumble across his dad. Flash Gordon was supposed to be just a rallying point for the different races of Mongo to come together to overthrough Ming the Merciless. (At least that’s my interpretation)

Though all these things could be coming to a head on the show, or maybe the writers needed a little more time. But nothing I have seen have indicated any sign of realizing the potential of the show. My biggest problem and the main reason I am not going to watch anymore is that the writers and producers didn’t even seem to try. They didn’t put forward their best effort. The show always feels like no one in the production cares, least of all the actors. They just go through the motions. That’s most evident in the three female lead characters who all have the same characterizations, look the same, and are almost completely interchangeable.

I am going to long into my Netflix account and request the old Flash Gordon serials. I need to drown out my memory of this terrible Sci-Fi Channell effort.
blackgeekdom

For those of you not watching “Dr Who” on the Sci-FI Channel your missing out on some great performances by Freema Agyeman as the Doctors traveling companion medical student Martha Jones. Freema is scheduled to play Martha for the rest of season three. She will also guest star on the second season of the new “Dr Who” spin-off “Torchwood ” premiering on September 8th here in the states on BBC America.

It’s a little pretentious for my taste, but this was my favorite show on television last season. Look for and in-depth look at this show and others in the Blackgeekdom.com/blog fall preview coming soon.

Source: Trekmovie.com

Is the NBC hit Heroes becoming a proxy for Star Trek?. First there was the popular recurring role for George Takei (TOS: Sulu), then Dominic Keating (ENT: Malcolm Reed) was announced to recur in the 2nd Season and then series regular Zachary Quinto was announced as the new Mr. Spock for the new Star Trek movie. Earlier this week Heroes creator Tim Kring told E! News that he was looking “for another face that will have a very similar impact” to Takei when he came onto the show. Now TrekMovie.com can reveal the ‘face’ Kring was talking about is none other than Nichelle Nichols, the original Uhura. Last week TrekMovie.com was told by a source  about the Nichols casting and today had a chance to ask the actress herself about it (at the Las Vegas Creation Star Trek Convention). Nichols confirmed that she will have a recurring role, but couldn’t give any more details – noting the show’s penchant for secrecy. According to our source Nichols will appear in 5-6 episodes of the second season of Heroes.

Due to her hectic con schedule Nichols didn’t have much time, but did talk a bit about J.J. Abrams’ new Star Trek film. She said she was looking forward to the movie and was pleased to learn it will include the character Uhura. The original Uhura wasn’t aware of the latest report about Sydney Tamiia Poitier auditioning for a role in the film (possibly Uhura). However, Nichols said she knew Sydney Poitier (the father) well and gave her a bit of an endorsement saying “that would be beautiful…she’s beautiful.”

Kevin Feige producers of the new Hulk film explained that this is “part one of a new Hulk saga.” Hurd further explained the differences between this and 2003′s Ang Lee Hulk by saying “We are not going to have a Hulk that is three different sizes in this movie.”

Although no footage is yet available, one concept sketch of the Hulk was briefly shown. Similar to the Hulk’s look from the last film, this version appeared to be a darker green Hulk, but again, it was early, computer-rendered concept art.

The explosive, action-packed adventure in one of the all-time most popular superhero sagas unfolds with a cure in reach for the world’s most primal force of fury: “The Incredible Hulk.” We find scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) living in shadows, scouring the planet for an antidote. But the warmongers who dream of abusing his powers won’t leave him alone, nor will his need to be with the only woman he has ever loved, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler).

Upon returning to civilization, our brilliant doctor is ruthlessly pursued by The Abomination (Tim Roth)–a nightmarish beast of pure adrenaline and aggression whose powers match The Hulk’s own. A fight of comic-book proportions ensues as Banner must call upon the hero within to rescue New York City from total destruction. And on June 13, 2008…one scientist must make an agonizing final choice–accept a peaceful life as Bruce Banner or the creature he could permanently become: The Incredible Hulk.

Babylon 5 is one my favorite Sci-fi shows of all the time. I think it gets lost in the shuffle when people mention great genre shows. The series was created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on the Babylon 5 space station, a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and wars. The series is noted for its heavy reliance on pre-planned story arcs over its five-year run (which is the way every show should be written, I hate throw away episodes). Every time I watch the show is reminds me of how mediocore the Star Trek franchise had become (excluding DS9). Its been almost 15 years since the show initially aired. You can watch the pilot movie here. Enjoy the show and don’t forget to post your comments on the show.

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Dania Ramirez (She Hate Me, X-Men: The Last Stand) has been added to the cast for the second season of “Heroes.” She will play a character named Maya. Her powers are being guarded like a national secret. This is just one of several new characters being cast, hers may be the only regular cast member.

Increasing the diversity of the cast, the other characters reportedly include a boyfriend for Claire, a 28-year-old black mother, a surrogate for Niki’s son and an Irish mobster.

Ramirez was recently seen on HBO’s “The Sopranos” as A.J.’s (Robert Iler) ex-fiance.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The trailer for the new Star Wars Clone wars cartoon was released on the official Star Wars website. The 3D animation looks good. Its going to be hard to top the Genndy Tartakovsky’s version. The success is more than likely going to depend on how good the stories are mixed with the fix that Star Wars fans are going to be looking for.

I have reluctantly watched Lost each season it’s been on. I am not going to write anything about the lack of minority characters because the cast is refreshingly diverse. But I have one thing to criticize has to with the final act of the season finale.
Spoliers to follow….

So, whose funeral did Jack go to? We may or may not find out next season, considering how the writers like to leave questions unanswered. What clues do we have? 1) It’s a man, 2) He’s from New York, 3) Jack’s guilt is exacerbated by his death, and 4) No one, especially from the island, cares that he died.
My problem with all the speculation has to deal with the assumption that people are making that it has to be a black person. The funeral takes place in a funeral home in a black neighborhood. That doesn’t mean that he’s black. Whoever made the arrangements probably went with the best available option. I’m not going to write anymore about it because it’s obvious what my problem with those assumptions.

1. American Idol Wednesday
2. American Idol Tuesday
3. House
4. Grey’s Anatomy
5. America’s Next Top Model
6. Dancing with the Stars
7. CSI Miami
8. CSI
9. The Game
10. Law and Order

These are the top ten shows viewed by African American’s during the week of May 14, 2007. Of the 13.28 Million television households in America, 1.94 million tuned into The Game. Impressive.