CBS Orders Five More Episodes of Eleventh Hour December 2, 2008 12:49 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in CBS, Eleventh Hour, News, Television.add a comment
CBS has ordered an addditional five episodes of the freshman drama Eleventh Hour, bringing the season order to 18. Eleventh Hour is based on the British series of the same name, and follows government scientist Dr. Jacob Hood (Rufus Sewell) and his FBI partner Rachel Young (Marley Shelton) as they try to stop scientific experiments gone bad.
Through seven aired episodes thus far this season, Eleventh Hour has drawn solid and consistent ratings, averaging a 7.4/13 HH rating/share, 11.36 million viewers and a 3.0/8 A18-49 rating/share. However, the problem is that the show performs poorly as a lead-out to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, with retention levels of just 62% among households, 58% among viewers and 56% among adults 18-49.
Source: TV Week
HBO’s Rome Could Get Film Treatment December 2, 2008 12:47 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Cable TV, HBO, Movies, News, Rome, Television.add a comment
HBO’s two-year drama series Rome may be getting a wrap-up courtesy a feature-length film. Creator Bruno Heller, who is also the creator of CBS’s successful series The Mentalist, says that he wants to produce such a feature for the canceled series: “There is talk of doing a movie version,” he said. “It’s moving along. It’s not there until it is there. I would love to round that show off.”
Although the second season of Rome was lower rated than the first, the show did well without a Sopranos lead-in and HBO executives now admit that it was a mistake to cancel the show.
“I discovered halfway through writing the second season the show was going to end,” Heller said. “The second was going to end with death of Brutus. Third and fourth season would be set in Egypt. Fifth was going to be the rise of the messiah in Palestine. But because we got the heads-up that the second season would be it, I telescoped the third and fourth season into the second one, which accounts for the blazing speed we go through history near the end. There’s certainly more than enough history to go around.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Glenn Beck Fox News Premieres January 19th UPDATE: Premiere Numbers December 2, 2008 12:46 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Cable TV, Cable TV Ratings, Fox News Channel, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.7 comments
UPDATED on 1/22/2009:
The numbers are in for the first episode of Glenn Beck’s new Fox News show. The first episode, which was helped tremendously by an interview with former Republican Vice Presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin, the show drew a time-period high 2,388,000 total viewers and a second place 467,000 adults 25-54.
In total viewers, Beck’s show was up 92% over the January ’09 average of America’s News HQ and up 124% over the Q1 ’08 average of the same show. In the demo, it was up 70% and 106%, respectively.
Growth was even stronger compared to the last month of Beck’s HLN show. His first show was up a whopping 321% in total viewers and 119% in the demo.
Original article follows below.
Conservative talk radio personality Glenn Beck, who hosted a primetime show on CNN Headline News, will debut his new show on Fox News Channel sooner than originally expected. His 5 p.m. program will now debut on January 19th, a few weeks earlier than the originally expected February debut.
SCI FI Greenlights Caprica; Will Premiere in 2010 December 2, 2008 12:39 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, News, Sci Fi, Television.2 comments
The SCI FI Channel has greenlit the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica. The network has already produced a two-hour backdoor pilot, and plans are to air the show in early 2010, with production set to begin around the middle of next year.
Caprica stars Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker, and will be set 50 years prior to “Galactica’s” seminal attack on human civilization by those dreaded ‘droids the Cylons. Family-drama-themed series will focus on the Earthlike planet of Caprica as two rival families deal with, among other topical issues, the broader implications of their society’s emerging artificial intelligence technology sector.
” ‘Battlestar Galactica’ was absolutely our flagship show. It put us on the map and helped transform the perception of the network,” said Sci Fi prexy Dave Howe, noting that the cabler hopes to draw a broader audience to a series it sees as more compelling family drama than “space opera.”
“We want people to come to this who have never heard of ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ ” he added. “I think, because (‘Galactica’s’) backdrop was space and spaceships, there was a barrier to entry for some viewers. ‘Caprica’ has none of that. It’s an intense family drama set on an Earthlike planet, in the near future, speaking to a lot of the ethical dilemmas that we as a human race are going to have to face very shortly.”
The decision to wait until 2010 was made to give the producers time to regroup the core of the ‘Galactica‘ writing staff, says SCI FI programming executive Mark Stern:
“One of the other things we have going for is, this is one of the first shows we’ve done in conjunction with our new cable studio,” Stern added. “There will be a lot of coordination between the studio and the network, not just on production, but how the series is launched, as well.”
The final 10 episodes of the fourth and final season of Battlestar Galactica begin airing on January 16th, culminating with the series finale on March 20th. A two-hour movie adaptation, Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, is slated to air in early summer.
Source: Variety
David Gregory To Take Over Meet the Press? December 2, 2008 12:35 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in News, Television.add a comment
The Huffington Post is reporting that David Gregory will be taking over as moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press. Gregory has been a leading candidate to take over the spot ever since Tom Brokaw stepped in in an interim role following the death of long-time host Tim Russert in June.
For their part, NBC has denied the story, telling Politico “I don’t know where they are getting this. We have nothing to announce.”
Meet the Press has averaged 4.5 million viewers in November, finishing in first place to ABC’s This Week (3.5 million), CBS’s Face the Nation (3.1 million) and Fox’s Fox News Sunday (1.5 million). Meet the Press also leads among the key new demo, adults 25-54, drawing a 1.3 rating compared to ABC’s 1.0, CBS’s 0.9 and Fox’s 0.5.
Brokaw ends his moderating duties this weekend, where he’ll be interviewing President-elect Barack Obama.
George Miller Off Justice League Project [Update: Miller Still Onboard] December 1, 2008 6:42 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Justice League, Mad Max, Movies, News.add a comment
UPDATE: 12/02/2008: George Miller is still on board. Via Dark Horizons:
A representative from Kennedy Miller Mitchell has categorically denied Monday’s scoop that Dr. George Miller is off the ‘Justice League’ project. They have confirmed that Miler did not appear on the ‘Sunrise Morning Show’ let alone discuss anything to do with “Justice League” or “Mad Max”.
The original scooper, a usually reliable source, also seems to have vanished into the electronic ether. As for their current status? The KM rep says both ‘League’ and ‘Max’ are “being seriously worked on.”
Original post follows below
Director George Miller has confirmed that he is no longer involved with Warner Bros.’ Justice League project. According to Dark Horizons, Miller also indicated that if the project gets going again, he expects that it will be recast because “the studios seem to want bigger stars in their superhero movies now.”
Miller also said that he would like to work with Mel Gibson again and revealed that although Gibson doesn’t want to do the Mad Max script he has written, he hasn’t given up on the possibility.
Rob Zombie Returning for Halloween 2? December 1, 2008 6:42 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Halloween, Halloween 2, Movies, News.2 comments
ShockTillYouDrop.com is reporting that Rob Zombie will be returning to direct a follow-up to 2007’s Halloween. The site is also reporting that because of this, Zombie will be putting his film Tyrannosaurus Rex on hold for the moment, due to Halloween 2‘s expected start of filming in March.
Fresh Details on New Planet of the Apes December 1, 2008 6:42 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Caesar, Movies, News, Planet of the Apes.add a comment
You know that post I wrote just yesterday (read it here) about the new Planet of the Apes prequel film in development over at Fox? Well, we’ve got some new details and it will NOT be a prequel. 20th Century Fox has hired writer/director Scott Frank (Minority Report) to develop a new film currently titled Caesar, but it will not be a remake of the film Conquest of the Apes, nor will it be called Genesis: Apes as was previously rumored [courtesy CHUD]:
Caesar is not a remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. This is a fact that Frank can’t stress to you enough – his film will not feature talking monkeys, and it will not end with chimpanzees running wild in the streets, taking over the world. But it isn’t entirely divorced from the world of Planet of the Apes, either. In fact, Frank sees his movie as the opening chapter in a saga that could span the thousand years between today and a world where apes rule.
What’s most exciting about Caesar is that Frank is committed to telling a hard science fiction story. The science that creates a hyper-intelligent chimpanzee is based on current real world research – this film would just take that science one step further. He’s also committed to telling a story based on character, not antic ape action. His plan for Caesar is one where you come to really feel for this ape, even as the final act sees him taking actions that may be hard for us to agree with.
Be sure to head on over to CHUD to read the rest of the article.
Wonder Woman on DVD and Blu-ray March 3, 2009: Details, Photos and New Q&A November 30, 2008 8:09 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Blu-ray, DVD, Movies, News, Wonder Woman.1 comment so far
Warner Bros’ has announced that their latest straight-to-video film Wonder Woman will be released on both DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def on March 3, 2009. Check out some new photos from the film, including artist renderings, a new Q&A with the film’s director Lauren Montgomery and more after the jump.
Synopsis [Official Website: http://www.wonderwomanmovie.com]
Produced by the multiple Emmy® Award winning animation legend Bruce Timm, Wonder Woman is an origin– story and features a stellar celebrity voice cast including Keri Russell (Waitress, Felicity), Nathan Fillion (Desperate Housewives), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Rosario Dawson (Sin City), Oliver Platt (The West Wing) and David McCallum (NCIS). Wonder Woman begins on the mystical island of Themyscira, where a proud and fierce warrior race of Amazons resides. They have raised Princess Diana, a daughter of stunning beauty, extraordinary strength and incredible fighting prowess. Diana possesses a host of super human powers granted to her by the gods and goddesses of Olympus and her strength and stamina are unparalleled. When Air Force fighter pilot Steve Trevor crash lands on the island, the rebellious and headstrong Diana defies Amazonian law by accompanying Trevor back to civilization. Meanwhile, Ares (the God of War) has escaped his imprisonment at the hands of the Amazons and has decided to exact his revenge by starting a world war that will destroy them all. It is up to Princess Diana to save her people and the world by using her gifts to become the ultimate Wonder Woman.
The Hobbit to Shoot for 370 Days November 30, 2008 7:21 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings.add a comment
During Guillermo del Toro’s recent BD Live chat for the Hellboy II: The Golden Army Blu-ray disc, he was asked a few questions about the two Hobbit films and in one of them, he revealed that filming will begin in 2010 and they “will shoot for about 370 days or so…”
Source: BilboHobbit (via ComingSoon.net)
Coming Soon: Another Planet of the Apes? November 30, 2008 6:47 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Planet of the Apes.2 comments
Last month, CHUD reported that 20th Century Fox had a new “Planet of the Apes” script being worked on titled Genesis: Apes. At the time the site reported that the project was essentially a remake of the fourth film in the franchise Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. Now it seems like that project may be close to becoming a reality.
This weekend, the Fox Movie Channel was airing Planet of the Apes movies and after one of the airings, studio exec Tom Rothman talked about the possible prequel film:
“We are very close at Fox on a new Apes script- this one a kind of prequel story before the first story, with a return to the social thematics that mark the first one, but with an entirely contemporary setting – Earth 2009”.
Source: CHUD
Taylor Kitsch as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine November 30, 2008 6:21 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Photos, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.add a comment
The latest issue of Empire Magazine has the first official photo of Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Synopsis
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is set to star Jackman and will be directed by Gavin Hood (Tsotsi, Rendition). The producers are Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter (who produced all three previous “X-Men” films), along with Jackman and his Seed Prods. producing partner, John Palermo. The film will be executive produced by Marvel Films’ Kevin Feige.
Leading up to the events of X-Men, X-Men Origins: Wolverine – written by David Benioff (The Kite Runner, Troy) – tells the story of Wolverine’s epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine hits theaters on May 1, 2009.
Will Twilight’s Success Pave the Way for a New Buffy Movie? November 30, 2008 6:01 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Movies, News, Television.add a comment
The success of Summit Entertainment’s Twilight, people are starting to talk about the possibility of a return to film for the cult fave Buffy the Vampire Slayer could be making a return to the big screen. Here’s what the Herald-Sun Newspaper wrote (via Moviehole.net):
The monster success of girly vampire pic Twilight at the US Box office last weekend could kick open the door for a big-screen return of Joss Whedon’s much-loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Rumors are circulating in Hollywood that Whedon has a feature-film script based on his hit TV series ready to roll as soon as a studio is prepared to commit. The Buffy concept was first unveiled as a movie in 1992 with long-forgotten Kristy Swanson in the title role.
Fourth Futurama Straight-to-Video Movie, Into the Wild Green Yonder, Hits DVD and Blu-ray in February November 26, 2008 7:13 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Blu-ray, DVD, Futurama, Into the Wild Green Yonder, Movies, News, Television.1 comment so far
The fourth, and currently final, Futurama direct-to-video movie has been given a release date and title. Into The Wild Green Yonder will be released on February 24, 2009 on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def.
Synopsis
All the other galaxies will be green with envy! In this all-new Futurama extravaganza, mankind stands on the brink of a wondrous new Green Age. But ancient forces of darkness, three years older than time itself, have returned to wreak destruction. Even more shocking: Bender’s in love with a married fembot, and Leela’s on the run from the law – Zapp Brannigan’s law! Fry is the last hope of the universe…so if you’re in the universe, you might want to think about going somewhere else. Could this be the end of the Planet Express crew forever? Say it ain’t so, meatbag! Off we go, Into the Wild Green Yonder!
Here are a few photos, click here for more and to read the entire press release.
Source: TVShowsonDVD.com
Empire Magazine Wolverine Cover + New Photo November 26, 2008 4:41 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Photos, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.8 comments
Empire Magazine visited the set of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the film is featured on the magazine’s cover (pictured right–click to enlarge), plus there’s a new character photo inside the issue. Here’s a brief segment from the article:
“There’s a scene in the first X-Men movie,” said Jackman, “where Wolverine’s introduced in a bar, fighting in a cage, and you felt that he did this every night of his life. If this movie is successful, you should feel that this guy can walk straight off the end of this film and into that bar. “
Check out the rest of the article here. X-Men Origins: Wolverine hits theaters on May 1, 2009.
Source: Empire Magazine (Photo Source: ComingSoon.net)
NBC Announces January 2009 Schedule November 26, 2008 4:34 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in News, Television.add a comment
NBC has announced its lineup for January 2009. The lineup features the premieres of Superstars of Dance (January 4) and Howie Do It (January 9) and the returns of The Biggest Loser: Couples (January 6) and Friday Night Lights (January 16).
Chuck, Heroes and Life all return in February.
The full press release follows after the jump.
Terminator Salvation Running Time 2 hours+ November 26, 2008 3:19 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Terminator Salvation.add a comment
In an interview with a German newspaper, Terminator Salvation director McG revealed that the final running time for the film will be around 2 hours and 10 minutes. Good new for those of you nervous about these kinds of things.
Terminator Salvation hits theaters on May 22, 2009.
Braff Confirms His Departure from Scrubs November 26, 2008 3:09 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, News, Scrubs, Television.add a comment
Scrubs star Zach Braff has confirmed that the upcoming eighth season of Scrubs will be his last. Braff told Israeli site Haaretz.com that he has already left the show (which wrapped its eighth, but not necessarily its last, season over the summer) because “there’s so much I want to do with my life.” Scrubs premieres on ABC in January, 2009. In the meantime, check out this new promo.
Source: Haaretz.com (via TV Squad)
Wolverine Trailer Will Be Attached to The Day the Earth Stood Still November 26, 2008 2:57 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movie Trailers, Movies, News, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.add a comment
ComingSoon.net has confirmed that the first trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine will hit theaters with 20th Century Fox’s The Day the Earth Stood Still on December 12th. The trailer will only be made available to studios and is not expected to debut online or on TV until some time later.
Looks like those of you unwilling to check out the The Day the Earth Stood Still in theaters will just have to rely on a leaked version of the trailer hitting the net.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine hits theaters on May 1, 2009.
Twilight Stars Get Big Pay Raise November 26, 2008 2:42 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Twilight.add a comment
Twilight stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are in store for a huge pay raise of the recently greenlit sequel New Moon. The two stars, who were each paid $2 million for the first film, will be paid $12 million each for the sequel. Looks like the budget is going to be substantially increased for the sequel. Twilight was made for just $37 million.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
The Sarah Jane Adventures Renewed for Third Season November 25, 2008 12:16 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in BBC, News, Renewals, Television, The Sarah Jane Adventures.1 comment so far
The BBC has announced that they’ve given a third season renewal to Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures. The show is scheduled to return with new episodes in autumn 2009.
From the release:
On CBBC, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) returns for a third series of The Sarah Jane Adventures in Autumn 2009, produced by Doctor Who supremo Russell T Davies.
Together with her companions Rani and Clyde and her adopted son Luke, Sarah Jane once again comes face to face with a whole host of weird and wonderful alien beings.
Source: BBC
Tim Blake Nelson Talks Hulk 2 November 25, 2008 12:11 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, The Incredible Hulk.add a comment
Tim Blake Nelson, who played Dr. Samuel Sterns in The Incredible Hulk, told Ain’t It Cool News that the plan is for his character to become the villain The Leader in a possible sequel:
Quint: Great well what about a potential HULK sequel? Gale Anne Hurd’s been going around talking about how you might be The Leader and the main villain of the next one.
Tim Blake Nelson: That’s the plan. That’s what they tell me, but I don’t know when that’s happening or what the details are but I am eager to do it and I hear that’s in the works. I would tell you if I knew more, but I honestly don’t.
Quint: Yeah, but you haven’t played a comic-book villain yet right?
Tim Blake Nelson: No, but I had a great time doing HULK, so if they want me for HULK 2 I’m there, it certainly was the plan going into HULK 1. When I met with them they said this is where it’s headed so I’m eager to do it.
Source: Ain’t It Cool News
Details and Promotional Image for Star Trek Prequel Comic, Countdown November 25, 2008 11:53 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comics, Movies, News, Star Trek, Star Trek: Countdown.add a comment
IDW Publishing is teaming with Paramount Pictures, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, Kurtzman/Orci Productions and CBS Consumer Products to publish a four-issue comic book series tied to next summer’s Star Trek. The first comic in the series, Star Trek: Countdown #1, will be released in January 2009. The story is written by Mike Johnson (Superman/Batman) and Tim Jones, featuring art from David Messina (Star Trek: Mirror Images). Messina will also be providing the covers for the series. Check out a promotional image on the right hand side (click to enlarge).
“There was a lot of back and forth about doing this project, how to do it, what it would be about, but what all parties agreed on was that we needed the right story and that it needed to matter. It had to count both on its own merits and when read in conjunction with the new movie,” said series editor Andy Schmidt. “I couldn’t be happier with the project and what it means to the overall Star Trek franchise!”
“‘Star Trek: Countdown’ lays the groundwork for what happens in the movie,” said Roberto Orci. “It’s our way of passing the baton from the ‘Next Generation’ characters and their movies to the new film.”
Source: IDW Publishing (via ComingSoon.net)
Star Trek in IMAX? November 25, 2008 11:25 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in IMAX, Movies, News, Star Trek.add a comment
FirstShowing.net is reporting that J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek will be released in IMAX theaters next year. The site reports that the film will be converted to 70mm for projection on IMAX screens, since Abrams didn’t use IMAX cameras to shoot the film. That means it’s just going to be a straight large-screen conversion, with no additional features. That contrasts with other high-profile IMAX releases including The Dark Knight, which had a few segments shot with IMAX cameras and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which will have several minutes of bonus footage.
It’s going to be a crowded summer 2009 for IMAX. Here’s what’s currently in store for the large screen format:
- Star Trek (May 8, 2009)
- Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (May 22, 2009)
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (June 26, 2009)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 17, 2009)
Source: FirstShowing.net
Hulu Expands HD Content November 25, 2008 11:19 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Hulu, Movies, News, Television.add a comment
Hulu’s HD section of its website will no longer be relegated to trailers. Beginning this week, the site will begin adding full length 720p high definition content in its HD Gallery. The move is part of Hulu’s “Hulu for The Holiday’s”, which is set to showcase new movies, TV shows and features every day until December 26th.
The first programs made available in HD are NBC shows, including the latest episodes of 30 Rock, The Office and Heroes. Joss Whedon’s web-feature Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is also available to watch in high definition. So far, only 10 full-length shows are available, and Hulu is not setting a time table as to when they may roll out more.
“Ultimately, Hulu is committed to leveraging and developing innovative technologies that deliver the best possible online video viewing experience,” said a Hulu spokesperson. “To that end, the Hulu HD gallery is the first step in making HD quality videos available on Hulu.”
Source: Broadcasting & Cable
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