Watchmen Hearing Canceled January 14, 2009 3:25 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Watchmen.add a comment
Here’s some good news, hopefully. Next Tuesday’s court conference between Fox and Warner Bros. has been canceled, indicating that a settlement in the case could be near.
Settlement talks between the two sides became serious before the weekend and continued throughout the weekend.
The settlement could cost Warners tens of millions of dollars. Warner Bros. actually had a similar copyright ownership issue ruled against them in 2005 for The Dukes of Hazzard. That settlement cost the studio a reported $17.5 million. Interestingly enough, the same Judge, Gary A. Feess, blocked that release.
The film’s budget is somewhere in the $130 million range, but advertising and other expenses make Warners stake higher (I’ve seen it reported at $150 million, the advertising budget is likely around the $20 million range). THR reports that Fox is asking for upfront fees as well as a percentage of the back-end.
McG Wants Will Smith for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea + Talks Possible Arnold Cameo in Terminator January 14, 2009 3:11 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, Casting, Movies, News, Rumors.add a comment
LatinoReview got the opportunity to speak with director McG, and the topic of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, for which he was recently announced to helm, came up.
“How do you go from Terminator to the Captain Nemo story?”
McG talked a bit about his idea and frankly I was getting my jacket to get out of there when all of a sudden I heard him say, “The character Nemo in this film is more about obsession, he is obsessed and people tend to forget that when you become so obsessed you end up being the villain.”
AND THEN THE KILLER ANSWER!! (In an interesting way.)
McG continues, “’Man I’m trying to get Will Smith to do it, been trying to get a hold of him. I’ve been wanting to work with him for a long time already. That guy’s great”
McG was also asked about whether Arnold would make a cameo appearance in Terminator Salvation, where he gave another wait and see answer:
“What the hell. Are we seeing Arnold or not?” to which he responded with a grin saying, “You have to wait and see, can’t give that away cause we’re in the Warner Bros. building and they will shoot me if I say anything”
Jackie Chan In Talks To Join Karate Kid Remake January 14, 2009 12:40 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Karate Kid, Movies, News.add a comment
Hmm, I’m not so sure about this bit of casting news, if only because of it sorta hints at the direction that the project will take. Variety is reporting that Jackie Chan is in final negotiations to join Columbia Pictures’ remake of The Karate Kid. The Film, helmed by Harald Zwart, stars Jaden Smith (Will Smith’s son) in the starring role.
Although its not specified, Chan would likely play the character Mr. Miyagi, who was portrayed by the late Pat Morita in the 1984 original, and subsequentent sequels.
Set in an exotic Asian locale, the new film will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth (Smith) learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor (Chan). Chris Murphy penned the screenplay.
Shooting begins this summer in Beijing.
WWE Friday Night Smackdown Sets New Record on MyNetworkTV January 13, 2009 11:55 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, myNetworkTV, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television, The CW, WWE Friday Night Smackdown.add a comment
Last Friday’s telecast of WWE Friday Night Smackdown set viewership records for MyNetworkTV.
The January 9th episode drew 3.9 million viewers, the most ever for the network, and also matched a network high among households with a 2.2/4 household rating/share.
While they didnt’ make much money from the show, it just really wasn’t such a good idea for The CW to drop ‘Smackdown’ and allow MyNetworkTV to pick it up. MyNetTV has been beating The CW in ratings over the last several weeks, while The CW is struggling, especially on what use to be a reliable night for them, Friday.
By way of comparison, The CW’s lineup that night: original episodes of Everybody Hates Chris and The Game and a repeat of the new reality series 13–Fear is Real, averaged just 1.12 million viewers and a 0.8/1 household rating/share. Yeah, enough said.
24 Season Seven Down Double-Digits January 13, 2009 11:39 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, Movies, myNetworkTV, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television, WWE Smackdown.add a comment
While still drawing respectable ratings, the seventh season premiere of 24 was down by double-digits among households, viewers and adults 18-49 from its sixth season debut back in January 2007. This year’s two-night/four-hour event averaged a 7.1/11 HH rating/share, 12.46M viewers and a 4.2/10 A18-49 rating/share. Now, as I noted, that’s still a good performance, but it’s a good deal below how the show started off back on Sunday, January 14, 2007 and Monday, January 15, 2007: 9.0/13 HH rating/share, 15.76M viewers and a 6.0/14 A18-49 rating/share.
That translates into a decline of 21% in household rating, 21% among viewers (-3.30M) and 30% in adults 18-49 rating.
Full ratings results for this year’s two two-hour episodes (with comparisons to their prior season numbers in parenthesis) follow below.
24 – Season Seven Premiere Night 1 (Season Six)
- Households: 7.0/10 (8.8/13 — -20%)
- Viewers: 12.61M (15.79M — -20%/-3.18M)
- Adults 18-49: 4.3/10 (6.1/13 — -29.5%)
24 – Season Seven Premiere Night 2 (Season Six)
- Households: 7.1/11 (9.2/13 — -23%)
- Viewers: 12.31M (15.73M — -22%/-3.42M)
- Adults 18-49: 4.1/10 (5.9/14 — -31%)
Broadcast TV Ratings for Monday, January 12, 2009 January 13, 2009 4:56 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.1 comment so far
Fox Cancels Prison Break + Schedules Sit Down, Shut Up January 13, 2009 4:05 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Cancellations, Fox, News, Prison Break, Shut Up, Sit Down, Television.add a comment
After four seasons, the ride that was Prison Break is coming to an end. Fox has announced that the currently running fourth season will be the show’s last.
Fox will shift the series to Friday’s this spring starting on April 17th at 8pm. Four episodes remain. The show will be taking over for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles once that show ends its first season.
“The show is just played out,” says Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly. “Creatively everybody feels enough stories have been told … we want to finish strong and not just give out next season.”
They might shoot extra series-ending episodes, but Reilly assures: “They have a cool ending.”
In other Fox news, the network announced that Mitch Hurwitz’s animated comedy Sit Down, Shut Up, will premiere on April 19, 2009, filling in for the King of the Hill slot on Sundays at 8:30pm after The Simpsons. ‘Sit Down’ will take over after the series finale of King of the Hill.
Source: THR
Could Linda Hamilton Return for Terminator Salvation? + McG Offers T5 Hints January 13, 2009 3:00 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Terminator Salvation.1 comment so far
During a special event on Monday night for McG’s Terminator Salvation, ComingSoon.net asked the director if they’ve put any thought into doing a recap that would be placed at the beginning of the film as an introduction for new viewers. McG responded by saying that they were still trying to figure out what to do, but one of the options under consideration is to have Sarah Connor do a voiceover to open the film. Just another bit of news to add to the rumor mill.
McG was also asked about plans to shoot two back-to-back sequels to Terminator Salvation, and he ended up giving a few hints about what to expect from the fifth movie it were to be released:
He has spent some time with Jonah Nolan arcing out what the story for the next two movies might be and he hinted that “time travel has yet to be explored” in the upcoming movie, and that it would be one of the themes of the next movie. Since the plot of “Salvation” involves Christian Bale’s John Connor trying to save Anton Yelchin’s Kyle Reese, who would later go back in time and father John, a sequel may deal with some of the things leading up to Kyle going back in time to save Sarah from the original T-800.
Terminator Salvation hits theaters on May 22, 2009.
Chris Pine Talks Trek January 13, 2009 2:30 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Star Trek.add a comment
Chris Pine, who plays James T. Kirk in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, spoke with The Associated Press about the upcoming film. Here are some excerpts:
“For Kirk and Spock, it’s charting their lives to a small extent from boyhood and their first encounter, which is a bit contentious, to kind of the beginning of the relationship we all know,” Pine said.
“They are at odds at first. The conflict of the relationship actually gives Zachary a couple moments where he’s not as controlled and rational as Mr. Nimoy’s character was. He has a couple of outbursts that aren’t exactly the classic Spock.”
Star Trek hits theaters on May 8, 2009.
via ComingSoon.net
Terminator: Salvation Movie Prequel Comic January 13, 2009 2:16 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comics, Movies, News, Terminator Salvation, Terminator: Salvation Movie Prequel.add a comment
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In January, IDW Publishing will debut a new comic book that will serve as a prequel to the upcoming film Terminator Salvation. The publishing firm today released a description of the comic. It follows below.
“Terminator: Salvation Movie Prequel” is written by Dara Naraghi (“Lifelike”) with art by Alan Robinson and cover by Nick Runge.
The year is 2018. With John Connor as the voice of the resistance, the scattered remnants of humanity find themselves united against their common enemy: Skynet and its Terminators. Through a patchwork system of radio transmitters, hacked satellite phones, and encrypted computer networks, resistance leader Elena Maric in Detroit, and Nigerian mining engineer Bem Aworuwa, have formed an unlikely friendship and drawn up battle plans to take the fight to the Terminators!
Like the film they tie-in to, IDW’s Terminator comics will push the timeline of the franchise past Judgment Day and into all new territory, allowing for stories and visuals previously only hinted at on film. The series will take the core concept of the Terminator films and give them a more global scope showing not just John Connor, but other humans who are either trying to survive or are actively part of the resistance. Writer Dara Naraghi says he was interested in exploring new themes—not just the action of a monumental battles, but also the game of basic survival the characters find themselves facing in such a war torn and desolate future.
“All over the world, people find themselves having to band together regardless of what their previous station in life or prejudices might have been,” Naraghi explained.
The 32-page comic will retail for $3.99. Terminator Salvation hits theaters on May 22, 2009.
Source: IDW Publishing (via ComingSoon.net)
No Series Finale Bump for Stargate Atlantis + Sanctuary Ratings and Analysis January 13, 2009 12:48 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Cable TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Sanctuary, Sci Fi, Stargate Atlantis, Television.4 comments
There was no bump to be had for the season five/series finale of Stargate Atlantis last Friday. While registering season highs among key measures including total viewers (2.02M), Adults 18-49 (973,000) and Adults 25-54 (1.15M), the show actually posted slight declines in all three categories vs. the season four finale on March 7, 2008: 2.12 million total viewers, 1.06M Adults 18-49 and 1.25M Adults 25-54.
Measured against that season four finale, ‘Atlantis’ was off by 5%/100,000 among total viewers , 8%/80,000 among Adults 18-49 and 8%/100,000 among Adults 25-54.
Both episodes received an identical 1.5 rating among households.
The first season finale of Sanctuary aired out of Stargate Atlantis and drew a 1.6 household rating, 2 million total viewers, 900,000 Adults 18-49 and 1.13 million Adults 25-54. Those numbers were the highest for the show since its series premiere back on October 3, 2008 among total viewers and Adults 18-49.
I have to admit that while I’ve watched every episode of Stargate Atlantis, I’m not much of a fan these days so I don’t much care one way or the other about its cancellation (but I always, always feel for the fans) but I do find it very interesting that the new series Sanctuary is performing only as well as the just-canceled five-year series.
Moving back to the ratings, the fifth season of Stargate Atlantis (including all available timeshifting data), averaged a 1.6 HH rating, 2.1 million total viewers, 1.06M Adults 18-49 and 1.24M Adults 25-54. Compared to season four, ‘Atlantis’ was up (again, this includes live+same day and all available timeshifting data): 14% in HH ratings, 5% in total viewers and 5% in Adults 25-54. SCI FI didn’t list the yearly change for Adults 18-49 so I imagine the show actually decreased some in that all important demo figure. (Incidentally, while it’s not nearly as important in cable television as in broadcast television, Adults 18-49 is considered the most important demo).
Sanctuary, meanwhile, had a slightly better season than ‘Atlantis’, save among Adults 18-49 where the later had a ever-so-slight advantage, drawing an average (live+same day plus all available timeshifting data) 1.8 HH rating, 2.35M total viewers, 1.04M Adults 18-49 and 1.36M adults 25-54.
SCI FI notes that this is the best performance for a first-year original scripted series on the network since the 2006 debut of Eureka. The network introduced three scripted shows in 2007: The Dresden Files; Painkiller Jane and Flash Gordon, but they were all poorly received and were canceled after just one season.
And about that SGA finale — SPOILERS for any one who hasn’t seen it yet — please tell me I’m not the only one that finds it — oh what’s that word I’m looking for..oh yes– stupid that the show ended with Atlantis on Earth? I know they’re working on a TV movie, but Earth, really?
Source: SCI FI
SCI FI Orders Third Season of Destination Truth January 12, 2009 11:54 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Destination Truth, News, Renewals, Sci Fi, Television.add a comment
Following its hit second season, the SCI FI Channel has renewed the reality series Destination Truth for a third season. Josh Gates will return to host nine all-new episodes, slated to premiere on SCI FI in fall 2009.
The show premiered in the summer of 2007, but season two was its strongest, outperforming that first season in all key demographics: household rating (+9%) , total viewers (+15%), Adults 18-49 (+17%) and Adults 25-54 (+28%).
Source: SCI FI
TNT Greenlights Ray Romano’s Men of a Certain Age January 12, 2009 11:44 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Men of a Certain Age, News, Television, TNT.add a comment
TNT has added another show to its lineup of original programming with the pick up Ray Romano’s midlife crisis drama Men of a Certain Age. 10 episodes were ordered by TNT and the network is targeting a January 201o premiere.
The pilot was written by Romano and Everybody Loves Raymond alum Mike Royce and is focused on three forty-year college buddies — Joe (Romano), Owen (Andre Braugher) and Terry (Scott Bakula) — who are each coming to terms with a midlife that hasn’t lived up to their expectations.
“The show isn’t ever going to be weighty tome,” said Royce, who calls his series a “dramedy.” “We’re really just trying to write out of our own experience and make the show relatable.”
Just last week, TNT gave similar 10-episode pickups to the Jada Pinkett Smith-starring medical drama Time Heals and the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced cop drama The Line, which stars Dylan McDermott. On January 26th the network will debut its fifth hour-long series, Trust Me, which stars Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh as Chicago ad executives.
Source: Variety
ABC Considering Bringing Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Back to Primetime January 12, 2009 11:23 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, News, Television, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.add a comment
Given the critical and commercial success of Golden Globe-winner Slumdog Millionaire, it’s hard not to have seen this coming. ABC is considering bringing Who Wants to Be a Millionaire back to its prime time lineup this summer.
The show went premiered on ABC 10 years ago, and the discussions revolve around an August return. TVWeek reports that the show would likely air as a “multi-night event over one or two weeks…as a commemoration of the 10-year anniversary of the show’s American debut.”
ABC also wants Regis Philbin to return as host, but since he’s currently working on another game show, CBS’s Million Dollar Password, it’s unclear if he’d be able to.
If the show does return, it would mark it’s second revival on ABC. Philbin hosted a few “Super Millionaire” events in 2004, with a top prize of $10 million. There’s also a five-day-a-week syndicated version, hosted by Meredith Viera, that has been on the air for several years.
66th Annual Golden Globe Awards Down By Double-Digits January 12, 2009 8:44 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, Movies, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television, The 66th Annual Golden Globes.add a comment
While The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards was the most-watched non-sports program last night, it was far from a success for NBC. According to final national numbers, the event was off 5.43 million or 26% among viewers, 30% among households and 25% among adults 18-49 from the 2007 telecast.
- Households – 13.2/20 to 9.3/14 (-30%)
- Viewers – 20.04M to 14.86M (-26%/-5.18M)
- Adults 18-49 – 6.5/15 to 4.9/12 (-25%)
Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, January 11, 2009 January 12, 2009 7:09 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.add a comment
New Behind-the-Scenes Avatar Photo January 12, 2009 6:06 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Avatar, Movies, News, Photos.add a comment
So far, all we’ve seen from James Cameron’s sci-fi epic Avatar has been production photos. The same is true today, with yet another release of Cameron on the set of the film. Courtesy New York Times, this latest photo shows a little more of the set than we’ve seen in the past. Check it out in full below.
Avatar hits theaters on December 18, 2009.
Video of the Day: SNL Digital Short – Orchestral Doogie Howser January 11, 2009 7:50 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Clips, News, Saturday Night Live, Television.add a comment
SNL has been on a roll of late. Neil Patrick Harris hosted Saturday Night Live last night, and was featured in this awesome new Digital Short. Watch it below.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Saturday, January 10, 2009 January 11, 2009 7:42 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.add a comment
Danny Elfman Scoring Terminator Salvation January 11, 2009 5:24 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, Music, News, Terminator Salvation.add a comment
Composer Danny Elfman has confirmed to MTV that he’ll be composing the score for McG’s Terminator Salvation. Elfman also revealed that the classic theme song isn’t in the film yet, but promises “if it comes up and it seems appropriate, we will [included it]”.
Terminator Salvation hits theaters on May 22, 2009.
Sam Raimi Wants Mobius in Spider-Man 4 January 11, 2009 5:19 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Spider-Man 4.add a comment
Director Sam Raimi spoke with Empire and told the magazine that he would most like to see Morbius as the next villain for Spider-Man 4:
“I like it in the Marvel comics when Spider-Man fights Morbius,” said Raimi. “He’s really cool. A vampire! I like that combination of superhero plus supernatural.”
via JoBlo
Will The Joker Return for ‘Dark Knight’ Sequel? January 11, 2009 5:11 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, The Dark Knight.add a comment
The Dark Knight producer Charles Roven was asked by MTV whether they would’ve done anything different with Ledger’s Joker if they knew the actor wouldn’t be reprising the role:
“We have to separate the actors from the role,” said Roven.
“On a personal level, Heath was a friend of mine. We had worked together before ‘The Dark Knight,’ but I still think that ‘The Dark Knight’ is its own thing, and we have to separate them,” added Roven.
That certainly seems to indicate that they’re willing to recast the role, should the story call for the character to return.
Watchmen Trial Update January 11, 2009 4:59 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Watchmen.add a comment
The chances are looking up that Watchmen will make its March 6th release. The two studios at the center of the conflict, Fox and Warner Bros, have asked federal judge Gary A. Feess to delay the upcoming hearing because “settlement talks have been productive”. That’s great news considering the sides had been assumed to be very much apart on settling. The request surprised Feess, who noted that earlier in the week Warner Bros. asked to move the trial to before January 20th because they wanted a quicker decision on whether or not they could release the film on 6th of March.
Lou Karasik, who is representing Fox, told the judge that the delay would be “very, very helpful” to settlement discussions he calls “productive.”
In other news related to this lawsuit, producer Larry Gordon has joined Lloyd Levin in talking about the legal issue. The producer sent a lengthy letter to judge Feess. Read about it at THR.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Friday, January 9, 2009 January 10, 2009 6:15 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.add a comment
On the strength of the return of original programming and the second season premiere of Flashpoint, CBS easily won the night. Ghost Whisperer was the night’s most-watched program, but Flashpoint is really the highlight. It improved upon last July’s season premiere by an impressive 24% among viewers (+1.93M) and 16% among adults 18-49.
ABC followed in second place with better than average showings from Wife Swap and Supernanny, which returned with new episodes, and 20/20, which capped off the night as the network’s most-watched program.
NBC even got in on some of the good ratings, with the premiere of Howie Do It posting a respectable near 8-million viewers and improving upon last week’s time-slot occupant Deal or No Deal by 50% in the key A18-49 demo.
The CW failed to break 1.5 million viewers for either of its returning comedies Everybody Hates Chris or The Game, each of which was off by double-digits from their last new episodes.
Fox placed fourth place with a repeat of the movie Bruce Almighty.
Mad Men Season 3 and The Prisoner Premiere This Summer January 9, 2009 4:10 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in AMC, Mad Men, News, Television, The Prisoner.add a comment
At AMC’s Television Association panel on Thursday, president Charlie Collier announced that the period series Mad Men will return for its third season this summer. That despite continued contract negotiations between producer Lionsgate TV and creator/executive producer Matthew Weiner:
“As long as we get the writers’ room up and running over the next few months, we’re fine (for a summer launch),” Collier told reporters after the sesh, adding that he’s optimistic that an agreement with Weiner will be reached soon.
AMC also announced that Mad Men will lead into the launch of The Prisoner, the network’s six-part series remake of the classic 1960s British drama of the same name.
Source: Variety
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