Busy For Fun Blogs: July 2010

AS SEEN ON TV: HORACE GREELEY

Horace Greeley said, "Go West, Young Man!" and that's what we're going to do in what has now become the traditional look at historical figures of the Old West As Seen On TV.

So who better to kick off the rush than Mr. Greeley himself?

HORACE GREELEY

AS SEEN IN:
'Branded'

AS PLAYED BY:
Burgess Meredith
(seen here with Jason McCord played by Chuck Connors)

From Wikipedia:
Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American editor of a leading newspaper, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, and a politician. His New York Tribune was America's most influential newspaper from the 1840s to the 1870s and "established Greeley's reputation as the greatest editor of his day." Greeley used it to promote the Whig and Republican parties, as well as opposition to slavery and a host of reforms. Crusading against the corruption of Ulysses S. Grant's Republican administration, he was the new Liberal Republican Party's candidate in the 1872 U.S. presidential election. Despite having the additional support of the Democratic Party, he lost in a landslide. He is currently the only presidential candidate who has died during the electoral process.

In a July 13, 1865 editorial, he famously advised "Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country." Some have claimed that the phrase was originally written by John Soule in the Terre Haute Express in 1851, but it is most often attributed to Greeley. Historian Walter A. McDougall quotes Josiah Grinnell, the founder of Iowa's Grinnell College, as saying, "I was the young man to whom Greeley first said it, and I went." Researcher Fred R. Shapiro questions whether Greeley ever used the term at all and cites, instead, an occurrence of Greeley writing "If any young man is about to commence the world, we say to him, publicly and privately, Go to the West" in the Aug. 25, 1838, issue of the newspaper New Yorker.

BCnU!

SOUP'S ON!

Mark Evanier, whose "News According To ME" blog can be found listed to the left, claims that using a picture of a Cream Of Mushroom Soup can is an "ancient" internet symbol meaning that a blog will be on hiatus for awhile. But so far, I've only seen it used in three sites - Mark's, Ivan's "Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear", and here at Inner Toob.

Oh well. Here we go again......

It's not going to be a true hiatus. I'll have stuff set up to be posted while I'm gone. It just won't have any spontaneity.

Here's what's going to happen when Toobworld Central goes on vacation again this year:

There won't be any particular theme to the "As Seen On TV" gallery, but we will continue to run that feature with the focus on historical figures from the Old West, as we traditionally do during the month of August.

But as an added treat, there will be an occasional Tiddlywinkydink which will be centered around my all-time favorite TV Western - 'Maverick'. And to make it more interesting for myself (Who cares about you.), I've set myself the challenge to write only about the two episodes I recently saw at the Paley Center for Media: "Seed Of Deception" and "Red Dog".

Writing about 'Maverick' is easy for me. Getting fourteen stories out of just those two episodes? "Tricky", as Deep Thought once said. Some of them may only be the most tangential references, but at least they'll be connected.

Hopefully that'll keep you coming back until my vacation is over......

BCnU!

"It's going to be a long, dry summer...."

Charley Plank

'Maverick'

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: August 2010

2 AUGUST

Doctor Who: Series 5, Volume 3 [DVD] [BLURAY] (** out of four)
From Paris With Love [DVD] [BLURAY]
I Love You Phillip Morris [DVD] [BLURAY]
Shutter Island [DVD] [BLURAY]
The Spy Next Door [DVD] [BLURAY]

9 AUGUST

The Blind Side [DVD] [BLURAY]
The Infidel [DVD] [BLURAY]
Legion [DVD] [BLURAY] (* out of four)
Psycho [DVD] [BLURAY]
Spiral: Series 1 & 2 [DVD]

16 AUGUST

Clint Eastwood: The Director's Collection [BLURAY]
Centurion [DVD] [BLURAY]
Dexter: Season 1-3 Box-set [DVD] (***1/2 out of four)
Dexter: Season 3 [DVD] (** out of four)
The Joneses [DVD] [BLURAY]
Monk: Season 7 [DVD]
Sons Of Anarchy: Season 1 & 2 [DVD]
Sons Of Anarchy: Season 2 [DVD]
Whip It! [DVD] [BLURAY]

23 AUGUST

Dear John [DVD] [BLURAY]
Dogtooth [DVD] [BLURAY]
Going Postal [DVD] [BLURAY]
Little Dorrit [BLURAY]
Repo Men [DVD] [BLURAY]

30 AUGUST

Cemetery Junction [DVD] [BLURAY]
Four Lions [DVD] [BLURAY]
Hot Tub Time Machine [DVD] [BLURAY]
Jericho: Complete Box-set [DVD]
Medium: Season 5 [DVD] [BLURAY]
Mission Impossible: Complete TV Series [BLURAY]

Novo trailer de "Saw 3D" aka "Saw VII"

De Kevin Greutert
Com Tobin Bell, Cary Elwes, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Sean Patrick Flanery.

Sinopse: “Saw 3D” irá acompanhar um grupo de sobreviventes das terríveis armadilhas de Jigsaw que procuram algum apoio psicológico junto de um especialista, Bobby Dagen (Sean Patrick Flanery), também ele uma vítima do psicopata e cujos próprios segredos sombrios irão libertar uma nova onda de horror.

Trailer

Apple

Novo trailer de "Eat, Pray, Love"

De Ryan Murphy
Com Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, James Franco, Billy Crudup, Richard Jenkins.

Sinopse: Um mulher casada deseja ter uma vida diferente e abandona o marido para poder viajar pelo mundo.

Trailer

Novo trailer de "The Expendables"

De Sylvester Stallone
Com Sylvester Stallone, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren.

Sinopse: "The Expendables" segue uma equipa de marcenários numa missão para derrubar um ditador Sul Americano.

Trailer

Novo trailer de "The Social Network"

De David Fincher
Com Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield, Joe Mazzello, Rashida Jones.

Sinopse: "The Social Network" é inspirado no sucesso mundial em que se tornou o Facebook, e é baseado na obra literária de Ben Mezrich, The Accidental Billionaires: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal.

Trailer

Novo trailer de "Going The Distance"

De Nanette Burstein
Com Christina Applegate, Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Ron Livingston, Charlie Day.

Sinopse: O filme mostra-nos um olhar sobre os ensaios e atribulações de um relacionamento à distância.

Trailer

Novo trailer de "Flipped"

De Rob Reiner
Com Madeline Carroll, Rebecca De Mornay, Anthony Edwards, John Mahoney, Callan McAuliffe, Penelope Ann Miller, Aidan Quinn, Kevin Weisman.

Sinopse: A história de um menino e de uma menina que se conhecem aos 7 anos de idade e, até os 13 anos, compartilham as primeiras experiências amorosas, incluindo o primeiro beijo.

Trailer

Human Target hires Janet Montgomery

The Human Target producers seem to value British actresses. A few days after signing Indira Varma for season 2, as the team's new wealthy boss, they've now added Janet Montgomery (Entourage, Wrong Turn 3) as a master thief called Ames.

Is the addition of two women to the existing three-man team a step in the right direction? We'll find out when Human Target returns to Fox on 24 September.

WNU-TOOB: BUD & LOU

With "WNU-Toob", we take an occasional look at fictional characters shared by Toobworld and the Wold Newton Universe (which brings together not only TV shows but plays, movies, pulp novels, short stories, radio plays, comic books, comic strips, even a song lyric or two!)

From the Wold Newton Universe, Toobworld has accepted such theories as Dracula's soul-clones and the Diogenes Club serving as a cover for the British Secret Service branch specializing in the occult and the supernatural - any aspects that could help splain away discrepancies or help tighten up the theoretical links in the mosaic that is the TV Universe.

And there are times when the shared characters are just too different to be interchangeable. This would usually happen with the placement of those characters on their respective timelines. For the most part, the WNU accepts the original timelines, but Toobworld Central has to go with how the character is presented on TV.

Edgar Rice Burroughs may have written about Tarzan as a Victorian/Edwardian era figure, but for Toobworld, the Lord Of The Jungle had his heyday in the 1960's. Batman and the Green Hornet may have been operating during the late '30's and the 1940's, but again, the 1960's was the decade in which they shined in Toobworld. And in Toobworld, Superman was a 1950's icon who has since passed away; any other variants on the character have been "slid" over to alternate TV dimensions.

Today, I've chosen an off-beat couple of characters shared by Earth Prime-Time and the Wold Newton Universe to examine their differences:

BUD ABBOTT and LOU COSTELLO

The comic duo did vaudeville, several hit movies, radio programs, and finally TV - which is the only medium Toobworld can concern itself with. So we can only accept what was presented within their TV series back in the 1950's, which was a combination of sitcom and sketch comedy variety show.

With the Wold Newton Universe, they've combined that variation of their characters with almost all of their movies (I think "The Time Of Their Lives" must be excluded because of the circumstances with Costello's character.) so that they are all the same duo. (They've even tossed in at least one comic book appearance!) And that even includes the movies - like "Abbot And Costello Meet Dr. Jeckyll And Mr. Hyde" - which were set during the Victorian age. For the WNU, Bud & Lou are immortal, perhaps even of the same "race" as Duncan MacLeod of 'Highlander' fame. They just keep changing their names and moving on to new lives.

But for Toobworld, Abbott & Costello are still struggling comics trying to survive the day to day routine as they hope to strike it rich any way they can. Routines from their stage shows and movies were incorporated into the show, but there is no acknowledgement that they ever made those movies. So there's no connection to "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" and their other classic comedies.

Turns out I've written more about Bud & Lou today than I expected. I was planning to keep this short and fill it up with clips so that I could have more time getting ready for vacation. No matter, they were a fun couple of guys so this was a pleasure.

Just remember to check out the link to the left for the Wold Newton Universe and perhaps you might want to get Win Scott Eckert's books on the topic - the two-volume "Crossovers" as well as "Myths For The Modern Age". They're all a fascinating read into that shared fictional universe.

If you want to watch episodes of 'The Abbott & Costello Show' uninterrupted, visit the VintageTV4U website. But for now, here are a couple of episodes to be found on YouTube. I've included just the first segments of the two full episodes, but they should lead directly into their following segments.

"THE TV SHOW"

"THE TV PRIZE"

THE WRATH OF MR. FIELDS

Abbott and Costello also exist in the Tooniverse, but when this series was made only Bud was still alive and able to provide his own voice.......

Any selection of Abbott & Costello video wouldn't be complete without this famous routine:

Well, that's all from him this week. I'll be off on vacation the next two weeks, but the Inner Toob will keep chugging along with pre-programmed material. The daily "As Seen On TV" showcase will continue, of course, and there will be 'Maverick'-themed posts each day (Too bad, Mark!) as part of the August salute to the TV Western.

Until such time - if any! - that I return, happy viewing!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: PLATO

I'm about to retreat into vacation, which inspired me to choose Plato as the subject of today's "As Seen On TV" showcase. (Plato? Retreat? Get it? Nudge nudge wink wink!)

PLATO

AS SEEN IN:
'You Are There' :
"The Death Of Socrates"

AS PLAYED BY:
John Cassavetes

Plato (428/427 BC – 348/347 BC), was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science. Plato was originally a student of Socrates, and was as much influenced by his thinking as by his apparently unjust execution.

Plato's sophistication as a writer is evident in his Socratic dialogues; thirty-six dialogues and thirteen letters have been ascribed to him. Plato's writings have been published in several fashions; this has led to several conventions regarding the naming and referencing of Plato's texts.

Plato's dialogues have been used to teach a range of subjects, including philosophy, logic, rhetoric and mathematics.

The first Tetralogy of dialogues by Plato, Socrates' student, has the trial and execution of Socrates as central theme: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Phaedo. Also Xenophon wrote the Apology of Socrates to the jury.

The death of Socrates, as presented by Plato, has inspired writers, artists and philosophers in the modern world, in a variety of ways.
(from Wikipedia)

(seen here with Xenophon)

BCnU!

'THE IT CROWD' 4.6 - "Reynholm vs Reynholm"

[SPOILERS] A limp end to what's been a disappointing fourth series. I failed to see the sense in focusing on Douglas (Matt Berry) for this finale, despite the fact he's become a more prominent part of the show. The core trio, with the possible exception of Jen (Katherine Parkinson), were essentially pushed into cameo roles! Fact is, while I loved Berry's fruity-voiced overacting in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (and to a lesser extent The Mighty Boosh), that joke's run thin and nothing about Douglas's unctuous misogyny is particularly clever or hilarious.

In "Reynholm vs Reynholm", Douglas's dead wife Victoria (Belinda Stewart-Wilson), who went missing years ago while she was washing their car, walked back into his office alive and well. The couple tried to rekindle their two-week relationship, but within another fortnight the Reynholm's were at each other's throats again -- only this time the snooty Victoria started legal action that could bring Reynholm Industries to its knees.

This episode was the second time this series that The IT Crowd's attempted to draw laughs from the collision of silly comedy and court room seriousness. There was even a call-back to "Something Happened" when Roy took the stand, revealing how he's still traumatized by his male masseuse kissing his bottom, but "Reynholm vs Reynholm" actually had even less of a plot.

It was nice to see Belinda Stewart-Wilson as the main guest star; familiar to viewers of Primeval as a bitchy civil servant, or as the yummy mummy of Will in The Inbetweeners. Appearing here as a posh ice queen, Stewart-Wilson made a good impression, even if Victoria wasn't given a truly memorable moment, killer story, or funny line of dialogue. The closest she came was playing footsie with Douglas's crotch under a restaurant table, but that scene was more focused on Douglas's reactions than anything.

One big problem I had with this episode (which extends to this show in general these days), is how predictable Graham Linehan's joke-writing has become. When a judge asked Douglas to cross-examine a witness, was there anybody watching whose mind didn't jump to the obvious fact Douglas would mistake "cross" to mean "angry"? The IT Crowd is at its best when it's fast-paced and blissfully absurdist, so there's less chance of you remaining ahead of the characters, but series 4 never found that pace and invention.

I could exhaustively pick this episode apart, but that would get supremely boring. Suffice to say, episode 6 wasted the idea of Douglas having to grapple with a dominant "ex" hellbent on destroying his firm, and made the error of sidelining Moss (Richard Ayoade) and Roy (Chris O'Dowd) almost entirely. Jen and Douglas aren't strong enough to hold an episode together alone, they certainly don't make a funny duo together, and while there were a few amusing ideas at times, there was a sluggish and empty feel to the storyline.

The highlights were a brief scene of physical comedy with a nervous Moss in court with a temperamental chair, followed by the fan-servicing return of office goth Richmond (Noel Fielding), who's since become a successful businessman, dyed his hair blonde, and created a company called "Goth2Boss" (the promotional video of which earned the episode's sole laugh from me).

Really, you have to worry when any modern-day comedy series trots out a tired pastiche of gaudy 1960s-era Star Trek, particularly one where the only joke seemed to be the crew are hot women.

It's sad, but I really want to 'Ctrl Alt Delete' this episode, and the majority of this series, from my memory.

Asides

Apparently, the court room scenes in "Something Happened" only came about last-minute to boost Roy's storyline, as Graham Linehan knew they had that set built for "Reynholm Vs Reynholm".
As mentioned in previous comments, The IT Crowd will definitely be back for a fifth series, but Linehan is actively seeking help in writing it. It's a good sign if he realizes he's struggling to keep the show going alone, so I hope fresh blood will help stir some life into this sitcom.

WRITER & DIRECTOR: Graham Linehan
GUEST CAST: Belinda Stewart-Wilson (Victoria Reynholm), Noel Fielding (Richmond), Joanna Bobin (Journalist), Gemma Chan (Female Sulu), Suzy Kane (Female Bones), Simon Kunz (Judge), Alexandra Roach (Stenographer) & Nick Sidi (Lawyer)
TRANSMISSION: 30 July 2010 - CHANNEL 4/HD, 10PM

TRAILER: Caprica Season 1.5

I had mixed feelings about Caprica, but ultimately I think it showed great potential amidst the missteps and awkward uses of character. I also found it hard to dismiss the feeling Caprica's story is crippled because it's heading towards an ending the majorit of its fanbase (Battlestar Galactica fans) know already. To counteract that, the journey needs to be compelling in its own right, and there were admittedly enough moments that achieved that.

Anyway, Syfy have released an extensive teaser for the remainder of season 1 (see above), which unfortunately won't air until January 2011. I think it's too early to be trying to whip the fans into a frenzy, but I guess this trailer makes it clear the show is becoming more action-packed and exciting. I'm actually very surprised by how far the story appears to be developing, if this trailer isn't cleverly misleading us. It almost makes me wonder if Caprica has enough story for a second season and beyond. But, as of right now, this trailer succeeds in making me pine for the show to return, and hopefully blow us away with a more focused and unpredictable feel.

Yvonne Strahovski is... 28 today!

Chuck cutie Yvonne Strahovski was born 28 years ago this very day. There's no other reason for this post, other than the opportunity to upload a sexy photo of Ms Strahovski and wish her a happy birthday. Mission accomplished. Many happy returns!

DATELINE: TOOBWORLD - FAIRLY ODD NEWS

There's no hard and fast rule at Toobworld Central about characters in the Tooniverse having live-action counterparts in Earth Prime-Time. (The main points of contention are the aging factor for those characters and the anthropomorphic animals like Brian Griffin of 'Family Guy'.) It's something that would have to be taken on a case by case basis. At best, the live-action cartoon characters usually end up in Skitlandia.

Word has come out though that Nickelodeon will produce a TV movie in which Timmy Turner and most of the characters of 'The Fairly Odd Parents' will be translated into flesh and blood rather than pen and ink.

The basic plot has Drake Bell (of "Drake and Josh") playing Timmy Turner as a twenty-something who's still in the fifth grade. Timmy refuses to grow up because it would mean the loss of Cosmo and Wanda and all that they could do for him.

"A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!" also stars Jason Alexander as Cosmo and Cheryl Hines as Wanda, and it will be shown next year.

BCnU!

Yoba & Mennell join Alphas

Syfy have a superhero drama in the making called Alphas, about a team of people with extraordinary mental powers. It's written by Zak Penn (X-Men III, The Incredible Hulk), the 90-minute pilot's directed by Jack Bender (Lost), and they've just added Malik Yoba (Defying Gravity) and Laura Mennell (Watchmen, left) to the cast, alongside David Strathairn (Good Night, And Good Luck). The press release with full details is below:

MALIK YOBA AND LAURA MENNELL JOIN THE CAST OF SYFY'S ALPHAS

Yoba Portrays the Fiery Bill Harken and Mennell Portrays the Seductive Nina Theroux in 90-Minute Pilot Directed by Lost's Jack Bender and Starring Acclaimed Actor David Strathairn.

New York, New York - July 29, 2010 - Syfy has announced additional casting for its previously announced pilot Alphas, inking actors Malik Yoba and Laura Mennell to co-star in the wry action-adventure project from writers Zak Penn (X-Men: The Last Stand, The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk) and Michael Karnow, it was announced today by Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Syfy and Co-Head of Content for Universal Cable Productions, which is the studio for the project. Alphas is executive produced by Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein for BermanBraun Television and will be directed by Jack Bender (director and executive producer of Lost). It is slated to commence production next month in Toronto.

Alphas follows a team of ordinary citizens whose brain anomalies imbue them with extraordinary mental and physical abilities. Taking the law into their own hands, the unlikely team, led by Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn) investigates cases that suggest other Alpha activity to uncover what the CIA, FBI and Pentagon have not been able or willing to solve. These gifted individuals must balance their quirky personalities and disparate backgrounds with their not always visible powers as they work to solve crimes, stop the ticking time bomb and catch the enemy.

Yoba plays Alphas team member Bill Harken, a former FBI agent from working class roots. Harken's Alpha skill allows him to intentionally activate a "fight-or-flight mechanism" producing a power surge of adrenaline giving him increased strength, speed and immunity from pain.

Mennell plays the complicated Alpha team member Nina Theroux. Seductive, intelligent and confident, Nina's Alpha ability allows her to influence people into doing whatever she wishes but her power can sometimes spin out of control. Her skill also comes with a personal drawback in that she can never be sure if anyone's feelings for her are real. Nina was the first team member enlisted by Dr. Rosen to whom she remains extremely loyal.

"Malik and Laura are perfect additions to an already impressive ensemble cast. They both have great intensity and charisma," said Stern. "We look forward to seeing them breathe life into the complex characters of Harken and Nina."

Malik Yoba is well known for his co-starring role as NYPD detective J.C. Williams on the popular police drama New York Undercover from 1994 to 1998, and has also appeared in the feature films Why Did I Get Married? (2007), Why Did I Get Married Too? (2010), Cool Runnings (1993) and Criminal (2004). He has made numerous television appearances including on the series Arrested Development as Ice, a bounty hunter whose real love is party planning, and the recurring character Brock Harris on the sitcom Girlfriends. Yoba also appeared in the crime drama Thief and the NBC crime drama Raines, and portrayed astronaut Ted Shaw on the futuristic drama Defying Gravity.

Malik Yoba is represented by Kieran Maguire of The Arlook Group and Steve Muller at Innovative Artists.

Laura Mennell is a Canadian actress best known for her portrayal of Janey Slater in the feature film Watchmen, Lily Mercy in television movie Montana Sky (2007) and the Emmy nominated television movie Flight 93 (2006), which chronicled the events aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.

Laura Mennell is represented by Vicki Petronio-King for Play Management Inc.

Leading the cast will be critically lauded actor David Strathairn, who earned rave reviews and received Best Actor Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and Academy Award nominations for his portrayal of Edward R. Murrow in the film Good Night, and Good Luck. Strathairn plays the unconventional, eccentric Alphas team leader Dr. Lee Rosen. Though he comes across as somewhat of an absent-minded professor at times, he is also a cunning and manipulative power-player willing to bend the rules in pursuit of his objectives and in support of his Team.

About BermanBraun

BermanBraun is an independent media company whose three divisions -- television, feature film and digital media -- create and exploit entertainment content and advertising solutions throughout the world. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based company, founded by principals Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun in January 2007, has separate strategic global alliances with NBC and Microsoft to create and distribute creative content across all platforms. In February 2009, BermanBraun launched WONDERWALL -- the primary celebrity destination on the MSN Network, ranking ahead of TMZ.com and People.com in traffic, with number one user engagement in the celebrity news space. In April 2010, partners BermanBraun, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) and MSN launched GLO, a lifestyle destination site. BermanBraun is currently producing THE CAPE for NBC's 2010/2011 television season. They are also producing DECODED for the History Channel for Fall 2010. BermanBraun also produces SWORDS for The Discovery Channel and IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? on MTV.

About Universal Cable Productions

Universal Cable Productions creates quality content across multiple media platforms for USA, Syfy and other networks. A leader in innovative and critically acclaimed programming, UCP is the studio behind USA's Royal Pains, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Psych, In Plain Sight, Covert Affairs and Facing Kate, along with Syfy's Eureka, Warehouse 13 and Caprica. The studio also produced both long-running series Monk and Battlestar Galactica. UCP is a division of NBC Universal.

About Syfy

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in 95 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

Novo trailer de "The Disappearance Of Alice Creed"

De J Blakeson
Com Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan, Martin Compston.

Sinopse: Dois sequestradores planeiam o rapto da rapariga rica interpretada por Gemma Arterton. Porém, tudo se complica quando os três se vêem numa trama que envolve desejo, amor, sexo e violência.

Trailer

Sky's HBO deal not water-tight

Sky's announcement that they've struck a £150m deal with HBO for exclusive UK rights to their back catalogue and future commissions isn't quite as comprehensive as first thought...

FX have stepped in to assure viewers that they still retain the pay-TV and first-run rights to True Blood, Eastbound & Down and The Wire. It's also been confirmed that the majority of HBO's archive will find a home on Sky's video-on-demand service Anytime, rather than be spread out amongst its suite of broadcast channels.

It's not yet clear if this means HBO shows will become unavailable to rival video-on-demand services (like Virgin Media's OnDemand), but that does seem very likely.

Sky have also revealed that Entourage (which has been shown in the UK on ITV2) will be the first HBO show to join its network soon.

DATELINE: TOOBWORLD - FROM THE AXE FILE

During last week's annual Comic-Con, it was revealed that there will be a 'Burn Notice' prequel starring Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe. It will be an action-adventure story with Sam on a Latin American mission.

'Burn Notice' plays it pretty realistically when it comes to world geography, so I don't expect we can hope for such fictional country names as Chaqueo, Costa Mateo, Santa Coste, San Cordova, San Pascal, or Santales - all of which came from 'Mission: Impossible'.

Nevertheless, Sam Axe will rack up another appearance in Toobworld and will now be ⅔ of the way to membership in the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: PERICLES

AS SEEN IN:
"The War That Never Ends"

AS PLAYED BY:
Sir Ben Kingsley

From Wikipedia:
Pericles (also spelled Perikles) (c. 495 – 429 BC, meaning "surrounded by glory") was a prominent and influential statesman, orator, and general of Athens during the city's Golden Age—specifically, the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars. He was descended, through his mother, from the powerful and historically influential Alcmaeonid family.

Pericles had such a profound influence on Athenian society that Thucydides, his contemporary historian, acclaimed him as "the first citizen of Athens". Pericles turned the Delian League into an Athenian empire and led his countrymen during the first two years of the Peloponnesian War. The period during which he led Athens, roughly from 461 to 429 BC, is sometimes known as the "Age of Pericles", though the period thus denoted can include times as early as the Persian Wars, or as late as the next century.

Pericles promoted the arts and literature; this was a chief reason Athens holds the reputation of being the educational and cultural centre of the ancient Greek world. He started an ambitious project that built most of the surviving structures on the Acropolis (including the Parthenon). This project beautified the city, exhibited its glory, and gave work to the people. Furthermore, Pericles fostered Athenian democracy to such an extent that critics call him a populist.

"The War That Never Ends" presented the major figures of the Peloponnesian Wars in contemporary fashion as though it was a news broadcast on the eve of war. And it was presented on the eve of war.....

From Wikipedia:
In 1991, the BBC broadcast a new version of John Barton's 'The War that Never Ends', which had first been performed on stage in the 1960s. This adapts Thucydides' text, together with short sections from Plato's dialogues.

From the IMDb.com:
The Peloponnesian Wars (Athens vs. Sparta for 27 years) told in the format of newsbroadcast-like monologues by Theucydides, Plato, and others

BCnU!

Novo trailer de "Devil"

De Drew Dowdle e John Erick Dowdle.
(com argumento de M. Night Shyamalan e Brian Nelson)
Com Chris Messina, Geoffrey Arend, Bojana Novakovic, Logan Marshall-Green, Caroline Dhavernas.

Sinopse (disponibilizada só em inglês): "A group of people trapped in a elevator realize that the devil is among them." IMDB

Trailer

Novo trailer de "Flipped"

De Rob Reiner
Com Madeline Carroll, Rebecca De Mornay, Anthony Edwards, John Mahoney, Callan McAuliffe, Penelope Ann Miller, Aidan Quinn, Kevin Weisman.

Sinopse: A história de um menino e de uma menina que se conhecem aos 7 anos de idade e, até os 13 anos, compartilham as primeiras experiências amorosas, incluindo o primeiro beijo.

Trailer

Novo trailer de "Salt"

De Phillip Noyce
Com Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Yara Shahidi, Gaius Charles.

Sinopse: Em "Salt", Angelina Jolie interpreta Evelyn Salt, uma agente da CIA honrada e comprometida com o seu país. Após ser acusada de ser amante de um espião russo, ela precisa usar toda sua experiência e conhecimento adquiridos em anos de carreira para limpar seu nome.

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Syfy's Being Human remake starts filming

Filming is now underway on the US remake of Being Human in Montreal, Canada. We already know the main lineup (Sam Witwer as vampire Aidan, Sam Huntington as werewolf Josh, and Meaghan Rath as ghost Sally), but Mark Pellegrino (Supernatural, Lost) has also joined the show as Aidan's vampire mentor Bishop. This recurring character could be a brand new addition to the US version, or perhaps a different take on vampire leader Herrick?

The director of the pilot is Adam Kane (The Mentalist, Heroes), and the 13-part Syfy series is expected to premiere in 2011.

Novo trailer de "Resident Evil: Afterlife"

De Paul W.S. Anderson
Com Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Spencer Locke, Boris Kodjoe, Wentworth Miller.

Sinopse: Resident Evil: Afterlife mostra-nos o mundo devastado por um vírus e a jornada de Alice para encontrar sobreviventes e protegê-los. A batalha contra a Umbrella torna-se mais violenta e a heroína recebe a ajuda inesperada de um velho amigo. Los Angeles parece ser um local seguro para quem ainda não foi infectado, até que a região é invadida por milhares de zombies que colocarão em risco os dois, por meio de uma armadilha mortal.

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Millennial Group Sessions 27: Top Five Fan Panel Part 1

Millennium Group Sessions returns with a brand new fan panel. This podcast is in two parts. We have no less than eight voices discussing which are their top 5 Millennium episodes of all time, and more importantly why!

So enjoy part 1 - expect some favourites, and a few titles that may surprise you! Join myself, Troy, Peter, Peter, Fredrick, Robin, Brian, Adam and Anthony for the ultimate Millennium debate! Do you agree? Let us know!

If you can't see the above player, or the player refuses to play ball (as can happen on IE browsers), you can download the MP3 here, or sign-up and download from ITunes - search for "Millennium Group Sessions".

Novo trailer de "Rango"

De Gore Verbinski
Com Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root, Ray Winstone, Beth Grant, Ned Beatty, Harry Dean Stanton, Alfred Molina.

Sinopse (disponibilizada só em inglês): "A chameleon that aspires to be a swashbuckling hero finds himself in a Western town plagued by bandits and is forced to literally play the role in order to protect it." ComingSoon.net

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Superhamm?

There are unconfirmed reports that Mad Men star Jon Hamm is being seriously considered for the Christopher Nolan-produced Superman reboot. I just wondered what everybody thinks about this. Personally, I think Hamm is a fantastic choice, if slightly too old (in an ideal world). But maybe Nolan's reboot is factoring in the idea of a middle-aged Superman, or it will be an interesting new wrinkle.

At the very least, we know Hamm's a wonderful actor, he'd look great in a suit as Clark Kent, and he reminds me of the Max Fleischer-style Superman in physicality. I think he'd be a very interesting choice and I'd love to see him get the job. The only way this could get better would be setting the film in the 1940s.

And why not add some other Mad Men cast members into the mix? January Jones as Lois Lane? Vincent Karthesier as Jimmy Olsen? John Slattery as Perry White? C'mon, you know that sounds brilliant!

Sky to develop original British comedy

Hot on the heels of the news Sky have secured the rights to every HBO show for the next five years, the satellite broadcaster have also announced their commitment to original British comedy.

The broadcaster is set to invest millions into developing UK comedy talent, and has already financed a new show from Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey) called Stella. Sally Lindsay (Coronation Street) will also take the lead in Mount Pleasant, a comedy about a thirtysomething woman's "not-so-perfect-life" in Manchester; This Is Jinsy will revolve around the peculiar residents of the fictional island of Jinsy; and a series of autobiographical shorts called "Little Crackers" will also air at Christmas, featuring comedy talent like Dawn French, Stephen Fry and Catherine Tate.

Lucy Lumsden, Sky's Head Of Comedy:

"It's been an exciting time spreading the good news about Sky's investment in comedy and I'm delighted that we've been able to attract a wealth of comedy talent. Sky's investment in original comedy is testament to our long-term commitment to original and innovative programming."

Lumsden made her name working for the BBC until June 2009 and is credited with developing shows like Gavin & Stacey, Little Britain and The Mighty Boosh.

Stuart Murphy, Director of Programmes for Sky 1, Sky 2 and Sky 3:

"[Lucy] is the leader in her field and has made sure that customers benefit from her considerable experience and brilliant sense of humour. This really will be content worth paying for."

This is great news. I'm so glad Sky are beginning to use their increasing muscle and money to create original content, rather than rely on sports, movies and US imports. Their similar initiative to fund original drama gave us Skellig, The Take, Going Postal, and Strike Back, so hopefully similar successes awaits them in comedy.

'SPARTACUS: BLOOD & SAND' 1.10 - "Party Favors"

[SPOILERS] I think it's safe to say "Party Favors" was a little lacking in plot, which is perhaps part of the reason it opened with an extended (and very bloody) battle, with Spartacus (Andy Whitfield) partnering Varro (Jai Courtney) in the arena against multiple enemies. This scene also reinforced their friendship and camaraderie, which swelled even further after Varro's missing wife was found by Mira (Katrina Law), the slave girl Spartacus had sent to find her. The two gladiators share a bond that's been part of the show from day one, so giving it a belated focus caused apprehension that proved justified...

In "Party Favors", Batiatus (John Hannah) agrees to host a coming-of-age party for the magistrate's son Numerius (Lliam Powell), the highlight of which will be an exhibition fight between reigning champion Spartacus and former-champion Crixus (Manu Bennett). It's an opportunity Crixus intends to take full advantage of, by breaking the rules and killing his nemesis during the fight to regain his title.

Meanwhile, the traumatized Ilithyia (Viva Bianca), still seething over the "mix-up" that resulted in her having sex with Spartacus and killing a socialite who laughed at her misfortune, plotted her revenge by sleeping with the virginal teenager Numerius and manipulating him into forcing Spartacus to fight Varro instead of Crixus. A last-minute change that foiled Crixus's plan, but caused equal torment for Spartacus when Numerious unexpectedly demanded the death of the defeated Varro...

Like many episodes of this series, "Party Favors" overcame the show's continuing problems (relatively thin stories, bloated dialogue) because the character dynamics have an undeniable allure and simple, gritty charm. The show is also at its best whenever it involves surreptitious maneuverings, particularly if the end result is a tragic one. We've already seen this with Batiatus ordering the death of Spartacus's wife to keep him at the ludus, and with Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) teaching Ilithyia a lesson out of jealousy, and this episode was equally as engrossing in its tense climax. It wasn't as unexpected as the death of Spartacus's wife mid-season, but it was certainly a more gut-wrenching one because we've had 10 episodes to build the relationship between Spartacus and Varro. And while Spartacus: Blood & Sand is hardly a complex show, it does a good job building sympathy and interest in its characters.

Overall, "Party Favors" wasn't a great episode but it ended fantastically well. Varro's unfair death will likely be the moment to reset Spartacus's opinion of gladiatorial life, and refocus his mind on escape (if only to see Varro's widow and ease his guilt), and I have a suspicion that compassionate slave Mira is being positioned as Spartacus's new love-interest after she arrived to comfort him in his cell.

Aside

If there was any doubt Spartacus: Blood & Sand is essentially targeted at teenage boys, the scene where young Numerious popped his cherry with Ilithyia felt designed to cause hormone overload in schoolboys of equivalent age.

WRITERS: Brent Fletcher & Miranda Kwok
DIRECTOR: Chris Martin-Jones
GUEST CAST: Peter Mensah, Manu Bennett, Nick Tarabay, Viva Bianca, Katrina Law, Jai Courtney, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Craig Walsh Wrightson, Ande Cunningham, Daniel Feuerriegel, Tania Nolan, Craig Parker, Mia Pistorius, Lliam Powell, Brooke Williams & Craig Walsh Wrightson
TRANSMISSION: 27 July 2010 - BRAVO, 10PM

Novo trailer de "Bran Nue Dae"

De Rachel Perkins
Com Rocky McKenzie, Jessica Mauboy, Ernie Dingo, Missy Higgins, Geoffrey Rush

Sinopse (disponibilizada só em inglês): "Set on Australia’s west coast, Bran Nue Dae is a road movie, coming of age, comedy musical which celebrates the adventure of finding home." Apple

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Novo trailer de "It's Kind Of A Funny Story"

De Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Com Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts, Viola Davis, Zoe Kravitz, Aasif Mandvi, Lauren Graham, Jim Gaffigan.

Sinopse: "It's Kind Of A Funny Story" fala-nos de um rapaz de 15 anos chamado Graig. O menino sofre de depressão e acaba internado em um hospital psiquiátrico na ala adulta. No decorrer do internamento, ele envolve-se com uma rapariga e com alguns pacientes mais problemáticos do que ele imagina.

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Apple

Trailer de "Sinbad The Fifth Voyage"

De David Winning
Com Patrick Stewart, Shahin Sean Solimon.

Sinopse: Quando a sultã primogênita, é levado por um malvado feiticeiro, Sinbad é incumbido de viajar para um deserto de magia e criaturas para salvá-la.

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Apple

Channel 4 get The Event

Channel 4 have acquired the UK rights to NBC's new conspiracy drama The Event, which is generating a great deal of buzz after the L.A Screenings and San Diego Comic-Con last weekend. The series concerns a man (Jason Ritter) searching for his missing fiancée, who stumbles upon the biggest government cover-up in history -- specifics of which is the show's mystery element, begging the question "what is The Event?"

Julian Bellamy, Head of Channel 4:

"The Event was the stand out show at this year's pilot screenings and so I am delighted to bring it to Channel 4 for its UK premiere. Ambitious, clever, fast-paced and gripping -– the series is the perfect addition to Channel 4's slate of quality US series. UK viewers should prepare themselves for an autumn of thrilling drama."

The Event premieres in the US on 20 September. Channel 4 are expected to start showing it in October.

Trailer de "Yogi Bear"

De Eric Brevig
Com Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Tom Cavanagh, Anna Faris, Andy Daly.

Sinopse: O parque Jellystone está a perder visitantes, por isso o prefeito Brown (Andrew Daly) decide fechá-lo e vender as suas terras. Isso quer dizer que as famílias não poderão mais apreciar a beleza da natureza – e pior, Yogi Bear e o seu amigo Boo-Boo Bear perderão a única casa que eles conhecem. Frente ao maior desafio de sua vida, Yogi Bear terá que provar que ele realmente é “o mais esperto de todos os ursos” e com seu amigo Boo-Boo Bear ele irá unir forças com o Guarda Smith (Tom Cavanagh) para encontrar uma saída e salvar o parque de ser fechado para sempre.

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Sky sign exclusive HBO deal

In an astonishing move, Sky have acquired the rights to HBO's entire TV archive and future programming for the next five years, in a £150m deal. This will assumedly provide the broadcaster with high quality programming to fill its newly-acquired suite of channels from Virgin Media (Living, Bravo, etc.)

What does this mean for viewers? Expect the schedules for those channels to be filled with repeats of Sex & The City, The Sopranos, Flight Of The Conchords, Band Of Brothers, Rome, Six Feet Under and The Wire; while current/future content like True Blood, Treme, Entourage, In Treatment, and Boardwalk Empire will likely get their UK premieres on Sky-branded channels (Sky1, Sky Movies, etc.) In the case of True Blood and Entourage, Sky will have to wait until existing deals with FX and ITV2 expire, respectively.

What do you make of this news? It certainly boosts Sky's drama output and will appeal to British fans of HBO. I just hope Sky don't put too many prestige shows on Sky Movies (as they did The Pacific), because you need an additonal movies package to get those channels. On the positive side, it looks like Living and Bravo will get an injection of quality if they become the home of HBO's older hits. Update: Sky are apparently planning to boost their video-on-demand service with the majority of HBO's back catalogue.

DOUBLE VISION: POLITICAL HANDLEYS

Back in 1965, twin brothers by the name of Handley had reached their political zeniths in Toobworld. George C. Handley had become the governor of North Carolina ('The Andy Griffith Show'); while his brother became the mayor of Mockingbird Heights, which was a small town outside of Los Angeles ('The Munsters').

When we met them, Mayor Handley was planning on a bombing campaign in the town's sewers in order to get rid of the monsters reported down there. (Actually the monsters were Herman Munster and his pet dinosaur Spot.)

Meanwhile, his brother, Governor Handley traveled to Mayberry to speak at a town celebration, during which Deputy Ferguson and Goober Pyle set off an old cannon. Luckily it blew out the tire on a station wagon carrying a couple of thieves.

TOOBNOTE: Both of the Handley Brothers were played by J. Edward McKinley.

BCnU!

WNU-TOOB: KOLCHAK AND THE ROCKFISH

I've got to send out a big thanks to Win Scott Eckert, heir to the Wold Newton throne - as I read his two "Crossovers" books, I'm finding little nuggets of trivia that are a boon to the research that goes into the Toobworld concept.

Toobworld Central has accepted the theory of "soul-clones", first proposed by Wold Newton scholar Chuck Loridans, to splain why there are so many televersions of Dracula. (With the Wold Newton Universe, all of Mankind's fictional universes are combined into one; Toobworld just deals with television.) When I read William S. Baring-Gould's seminal work on Sherlock Holmes back in the 1970's, I accepted his proposal that Nero Wolfe is the son of "The Great Detective" (even though he better resembles brother Mycroft in appearance and intellect). And there's also the "Famous Individual Syndrome", a term I've adapted to "Famous Impostor Syndrome", which splains why there are so many recastaways of historical figures like Doc Holliday and Abraham Lincoln running about the TV Universe.

As I was reading the book on the subway while on my way to work last night, I hit upon another bit o' trivia that serves as a link between two shows - in an episode of 'The Rockford Files', Jimbo worked with Carrie Osgood, a reporter from the Independent News Service. This is the same news organization which employed Carl Kolchak in Chicago. So that brings in 'Kolchak: The Night Stalker' series as well as the preceding two TV movies "The Night Stalker" and "The Night Strangler".

There must be some fanfic out there that directly unites Kolchak with the Rockfish, isn't there?

Thanks again, Win!

BCnU!

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