Showing posts with label syfy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label syfy. Show all posts

Friday, October 2, 2009

Live Blogging "Stargate Universe"

And after all these months of waiting to see what the new Stargate series is going to be like, we're live blogging commentary as the the Stargate Universe premiere airs! The standard warning about spoilers (lots and lots of spoilers) applies . . .

9:02PM - Kinda liking the new theme song. And did they just list Lou Diamond Phillips as a guest star?

9:04PM - Note to self: never chuck things through or jump through a stargate. You never know who you might be conking on the head on the other side. Robert Carlyle's character seems far too satisfied and calm with this outcome (ie: them ending up on the ship Destiny).

9:05PM - Another note to self: never be the commanding military officer when coming through the gate. According to what just happened to the head military guy here and what happened to the guy in the same position during the Stargate: Atlantis premiere, it's a total red shirt position.

9:08PM - Yay! Richard Dean Anderson. As sarcastic as ever, I see.

9:10PM - *sniff* They're aboard the Hammond -- the ship they named in tribute to General George Hammond and the late Don S. Davis. And I'm not sure if it's funny they beamed up David Blue's character the same way they did Jeannie (McKay's sister) in SGA or if it's cliche.

9:12PM - Michael Shanks better not only be appearing in an orientation video in this ep!

9:20PM - Epileptic colonel perhaps? Have the feeling that he's not going to last long in these circumstances. Twenty minutes into the show and I'm not hooked yet . . .

9:24PM - E.T. not phoning home just this second . . . And Dr. Nicolas Rush is creeping me out. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to like having such a morally ambiguous character as the lead.

9:30PM - And now the senator is sick too? Is anyone on this ship not broken?

9:32PM - Rush is wearing a wedding ring. They wouldn't do the "scientist who lost his wife and has gone off the deep end trying to find an alt universe version/turn back time" storyline, would they?? Oh, please tell me they wouldn't.

9:35PM - Oh, they did. Weepy, desperate Rush with a picture of his wife. Immediately followed by the "accident" that propels them all through the stargate. Not crazy about this storyline. At all.

9:40PM - Love seeing Sam Carter commanding the Hammond. And so Ronald Greer's (Jamil Walker Smith) character sounds like he's the Tom Paris character on this ship. Yes, I'm busting out with a Star Trek: Voyager reference.

9:44PM - Okay, so I guess Rush isn't responsible for a bombardment from outer space.

9:46PM - Wow. That's a new Stargate record for killing off a head doctor.

9:53PM - Matthew Scott (first guy through the gate) has bigger cojones than just about anyone. Anyone who's been part of the stargate program knows that anything could be on the other side of that wormhole. On another note, what female military officer spends time doing up her hair in a fancy coif like Tamara Johansen? Wouldn't that be a great way to not get respect from all the guys?

9:56PM - So Rush gave intel to the enemy to get them to bombard Icarus base and force them to dial the ninth chevron. Peachy.

10:04PM - "Really? Do we really?" At least one guy on this ship has watched his Star Trek and his horror movies. Good on him for knowing better!

10:10PM - Okay, I know this is a motley crew assembled on this ship, but there seems to have been a heck of quick breakdown in the chain of command and in military discipline. This just isn't feeling like the Stargate I've watched and liked. Am trying to give it the benefit of the doubt still. Maybe I'm not picking up on enough details or getting engaged enough because I'm blogging while watching?

10:15PM - Mysterious Ancient crates that can be tapped for future storylines. Got it. Seeds so they can set up a hydroponics farming system to provide them with a sustainable food source (that I'm sure will also be tapped for future storylines).

10:17PM - Does anyone else feel like someone's going to whip out a lightsaber and start training when that kino flying camera starts floating around?

10:27PM - Now the show has started to get interesting. I think everyone yelling at each other and trying to establish their relative bad-ass-ness was turning me off. Now that they're working on the ship problems, I'm more intrigued.

10;39PM - Well, I guess we jus found out which character was committing suicide in the first episode. The producers had said that would be happening. I'd guessed it was the paralyzed colonel, with the senator as the second choice.

10:44PM - I still don't believe a word Rush says when he says he wasn't responsible for creating the situation that brought them to the ship. And I found it rather satisfying when Chloe was wailng on him in anger.

10:48PM - I'm liking this scene between Chloe Armstrong and Matthew Scott right now. I think they're the characters I'm connecting with the most so far. Anyone feel differently? Scott seems like a truly good guy doing the best he can in a mindboggling situation. And Chloe . . . it seems like she has a strength and intelligence that could make her an fascinating character to watch as she grows into her own.

10:55PM - Kinos = the SGU MALPs. Saw that one coming.

10:58PM - Hmmm . . . still not sure what I think of this series. I'm going to give it one more ep next week to see if it really hooks me in. Am definitely looking forward to next week's premiere of Sanctuary though!
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Friday, August 21, 2009

TV News: "Lost" and "Scrubs" Casting News, Locklear Returns to "Melrose Place?"

- Well that didn't take long! Hot on the heels of the leak of a character description for a new Lost character, it was announced today that actor John Hawkes will be joining the show as the recurring character Lennon. The casting side described the character as "the spokesman/translator for the president of a foreign corporation" who's "far more powerful than his lowly position would seem to indicate." Hawkes is a veteran of shows including Deadwood and Eastbound & Down. [TV Guide]

- The three new regulars who will play the next generation of Scrubs doctors have been cast.  Dave Franco (yes, he's James Franco's younger brother and has also starred in Greek and Privileged), Michael Mosley (The Proposal) and Kerry Bishé (Virtuality) will be the new med students under the tutelage of series veterans Donald Faison and John C. McGinley. [Hollywood Reporter]

- Speaking of Scrubs, congrats to actress Sarah Chalke and her fiancé, who recently announced that they are expecting their first child! [People]

- Heather Locklear may return to Melrose Place. The erstwhile Amanda Woodward is now in talks to reprise her role on the rebooted series, which now stars Ashlee Simpson-Wentz. Several of Locklear's fellow cast members from the original series have also signed on, including Laura Leighton, Thomas Calabro, Josie Bissett and Daphne Zuniga. [TV Guide]

- Syfy has reupped their new original series Warehouse 13, ordering a 13-episode second season of of the show. Evidently Warehouse 13 is the most-watched show in the channel's history.  [Variety]

- In some groan-worthy tv news, ABC is looking to turn both the '80s "Brat Pack" movie St. Elmo's Fire and the novel The Time Traveler's Wife into television series. A feature film version of The Time Traveler's Wife was, of course, was released into theaters last weekend.  Click here to read Pop Wench Radhika's review of the movie. [TV Guide and MTV.com]
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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

TV News: Gina Torres Gets "Gossip"-y, Lots of "Idol" Guest Judges, Marsters to Terrorize "Caprica"

- Gina Torres (who has, of course, appeared in everything from The Matrix Revolutions to Firefly to Angel) is joining the cast of Gossip Girl next season.  Torres will play Gabriela Abrams, whose daughter is the home-schooled Vanessa, in two eps next season but will have a recurring role throughout the series. [TV Guide]

- In the wake of Paula Abdul's departure, a whole slew of celebrities have been announced as guest judges on the upcoming season of American Idol. Confirmed guest judges to date include Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Joe Jonas, Katy Perry and Shania Twain. Why is it that only two of these judges have had respected music careers for more than a couple of years? [US Magazine]

- Oliver Stone and Showtime have announced that the controversial director will helm and narrate a 10-part documentary series titled Secret History of America. The series will revolve around events that "at the time went under-reported, but crucially shaped America's unique and complex history of the last 60 years"—events including the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan, the Kennedy administration, the origins of the Cold War, the Vietnam War and America's changing role on the global scene since the fall of Communism.  The series is set to debut on Showtime in 2010. [Hollywood Reporter]
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- TNT has extended the summer leg of Leverage's second season by two episodes, one of which features Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager, Shark) in a guest starring role. It has yet to be seen if TNT will order up additional eps of the Timothy Hutton-starring drama, since this announcement leaves only six episodes on order for the winter half of the show's season. [TV Guide]

- James Marsters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame (also Angel, Smallville and Torchwood) will join the Battlestar Galactica prequel, Caprica, during its freshman season on SyFy. According to EW's Michael Ausiello, Marsters will play Barnabus Greeley, "a dangerous terrorist leader . . . driven by desires both moralistic and carnal," for at least three episodes. [Entertainment Weekly]

- Michael Ausiello also shared another juicy bit of news— a casting side for a new, recurring Lost character. The search is on for a mid-30s to late-50s actor to play Lennon, who is described as:
Scruffy, edgy, charismatic, and slightly stir-crazy, Lennon can be deferential when it's called for. He's the spokesperson/ translator for the president of a foreign corporation. He's a wily negotiator, and far more powerful than his lowly position would seem to indicate.
I'm guessing Lennon is a translator for Sun's father, who is the head of Paik Heavy Industries. Do you agree or do you have another guess? [Entertainment Weekly]
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

TV News: Dollhouse Premiere Moved, SCI FI Is Now Syfy, Small Screen Casting News

- Fox has pushed back the Dollhouse fall premiere by one week. The show's second season will now being on September 25. [Hollywood Reporter]

- Cable channel SCI FI has rebranded itself as Syfy, with the tagline "Imagine Greater." A major motivating factor for the new identity is that "sci fi" cannot be trademarked as a brand name. A spokesman at the relaunch event emphasized that the rebrand is intended to make the channel more accessible to a wider, non-sci-fi fan audience. [SCI FI Wire]

- Kal Penn (whose character on House was dramatically and abruptly killed off last season) began his new government career on Monday. Penn is now working for the Obama administration as an associate director with the White House Office of Public Engagement in DC. In this capacity, Penn (who will be using his given name of Kalpen Modi) will serve as a liason between the administration and the arts and the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. [UPI]

- In Desperate Housewives news, Andrea Bowen will be returning to the cast as a regular next season, reprising her role as Susan Mayer's (Teri Hatcher) daughter Julie. Maiara Walsh (Cory in the House) has also been added to the cast as a regular after her two-episode stint last season as Carlos Solis' (Ricardo Chavira) niece and a thorn in Gaby Solis' (Eva Longoria Parker) side. [Hollywood Reporter]

- Prison Break's Wentworth Miller will guest on Law & Order: SVU for one episode next season. Miller will play an NYPD police officer who crosses paths with the show's main characters. [TV Guide]

- Speaking of one-off guest roles, Rumer Willis will join the 90210 crowd for one ep as "a punky lesbian named Gia" who works at the West Beverly High newspaper with some of the main characters. [Los Angeles Times]

- Christian Slater is taking over the lead role in The Forgotten, a new crime drama set to premiere on ABC in late September. Brit actor Rupert Penry-Jones was originally set to play lead character and former lawman Alex Donovan. [TV Guide]
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