“Nightline” At Risk of Cancellation August 18, 2008 1:13 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, News, Nightline, Television.add a comment
Despite a trend that shows the long-running newsmagazine Nightline closing the viewer gap against CBS’s Late Night With David Letterman, ABC could cancel the news magazine should the network get the opportunity to pick up Jay Leno in a new late-night talk show.
“It would be hard for ABC not to make a play for Leno,” said Greg Kahn, senior vice president of the ad-buying firm Optimedia. “He is still at the top of his game, and the thinking is that a lot of ad dollars would follow him to another network.”
Starting next year, Leno will step down from The Tonight Show, so that NBC can install Conan O’Brien as the new host, but Leno, 58, isn’t ready to retire and rival studios ABC and Fox are already making a play on the talk show host, whose show earns about $50 million a year profit for NBC.
Source: LA Times
ABC Orders TV Pilot of “The Witches of Eastwick” August 18, 2008 12:43 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, Movies, News, The Witches of Eastwick.1 comment so far
ABC has put in a script order for a new TV series based on the supernatural movie The Witches of Eastwick. The pilot will be written by Dawson’s Creek writer Maggie Friedman.
This marks the third attempt at a TV version of the 1987 film (and book of which it was based), which starred Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer. In 1992, Warner Bros. TV commissioned writers Carlton Cuse and Jeffrey Boam to develop The Witches of Eastwick for NBC and in 2002, Fox developed a version along with Warner Bros. TV titled Eastwick, from excecutive producer Jim Leonard and writers Jon Cowan and Robert Rovner.
Source: Variety
‘Night at the Museum 2’ and ‘Transformers 2’ To Hit IMAX August 18, 2008 12:35 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in IMAX, Movies, News, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.2 comments
20th Century Fox and DreamWorks/Paramount will release Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, respectively, in both conventional and IMAX theaters next year. ‘Night at the Museum 2’ hits theaters on May 22, 2009, while Transformers 2 follows on June 26, 2009.
The original Transformers had a delayed release of more than 2 months back in 2007.
Source: ComingSoon.net
J.J. Abrams Signs Onto Earthquake Disaster Project August 18, 2008 12:30 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News.add a comment
Universal Pictures has announced that J.J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek) is developing an Earthquake disaster film with screenwriter David Selzter (Omen). While details on the project are being kept under tight wraps–surprise, surprise–we do know that it isn’t a remake of Universal’s 1974 film of the same name, Earthquake.
Source: THR
Spingsteen To Anchor Super Bowl Halftime Show August 11, 2008 3:15 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in NBC, News, Super Bowl, Television.add a comment
The NYPost is reporting that the 2009 Super Bowl in Tampa Bay has landed Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for the Super Bowl Halftime show. The Super Bowl this season airs on NBC on February 1, 2009.
Four Consecutive First Place Weekends for “The Dark Knight”; Now Third Highest Grossing Movie of All-Time August 10, 2008 11:14 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Box Office, Movies, News, The Dark Knight.add a comment
The Dark Knight held off comedy Pineapple Express over the weekend, taking in an estimated $26.03M from 4,025 theaters to take first place for the fourth consecutive weekend. That’s a drop of just 39% from the weekend prior. The film’s total domestic gross now stands at $441.54M, good enough to put it into third place on the all-time list, just below #2 Star Wars ($461M). As I noted last week, I’m going to continue tracking the performance of The Dark Knight and my estimate has widened slightly to $496-547M total domestic box office (Although Titanic’s $600.79M record is unlikely, it’s not entirely out of the question just yet. It’s really going to depend on how the movie performs over the coming weeks).
In terms of overseas box office, the film has tacked on an additional $263.1M, growing its worldwide cume to over $700M at $704.64M.
Pineapple Express, meanwhile, grossed $22.4M over the weekend, but the film actually opened on Wednesday so it’s taken in $40.47M over its first five days of release. A good sum for an R-rated comedy.
Click through the jump for the rest of the top 10.
SCI FI Announces 2-Hour “Battlestar Galactica” TV Movie August 9, 2008 8:37 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Battlestar Galactica, DVD, Movies, News, Sci Fi, Television.add a comment
The SCI-FI Channel has announced that they’ll be airing a brand new Battlestar Galactica TV movie in 2009, following the conclusion of the series’ final 10 episodes. The movie will then be released on DVD. Series star Edward James Olmos will direct and Jane Espenson will write. Shooting begins at the end of this month and so far the cast includes Michael Trucco, Aaron Douglas and Dean Stockwell. More cast should be announced in the coming weeks. Here’s the synopsis (the press release follows after the jump):
Starting before the events of the miniseries, our story focuses on familiar characters including Cylon Number One, known as Cavil (Stockwell), Resistance Leader Sam T. Anders (Trucco) and Chief Galen Tyrol (Douglas). In the beginning, the Cylons had a plan, but it didn’t account for one thing: survivors. During the chaotic aftermath of the destruction, two powerful Cylon agents struggle with plots and priorities on the human ships that got away, and among the resistance fighters who were left behind.
Fishburne in Talks to Replace Petersen on “CSI” August 6, 2008 9:37 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, CBS, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, News, Television.add a comment
Laurence Fishburne is in talks to replace William Petersen as the lead star in CBS’s veteran crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sources say that Fishburne is being heavily courted to play a new character, described as a doctor/scientist outsider to the CSI unit who has the same genetic profile as a serial killer but hasn’t previously acted on any homicidal impulses.
THR further notes that Fishburne had been mentioned as one of the CSI producers’ top choices for the role, along with John Malkovich and Kurt Russell.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
“Eagle Eye” Getting Simultaneous IMAX Release August 6, 2008 9:23 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Eagle Eye, IMAX, Movies, News.add a comment
ComingSoon.net is reporting that DreamWorks/Paramount have prepared an IMAX trailer for Eagle Eye that will soon be attached to screenings of The Dark Knight. The studio is expected to soon announce that the D.J. Caruso-directed film will get a simultaneous IMAX release alongside its conventional theater opening on September 26, 2008.
Synopsis
In the wake of his overachieving twin brother’s mysterious death, a young slacker (Shia LaBeouf) learns that he and a single mother (Michelle Monaghan) have been framed as terrorists by an unknown source in this thriller from Disturbia director D.J. Caruso. As a result of the accusation, the desperate pair is forced into an alliance with a dangerous sleeper cell preparing to carry out a high-profile political assassination. Only by infiltrating and exposing the masterminds behind this diabolical plot will the unjustly accused pair be able to prove their innocence and prevent a series of catastrophic events from unfolding. Rosario Dawson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Michael Chiklis co-star.
Source: ComingSoon.net
“Stargate Atlantis” to Return in the Fall August 6, 2008 9:11 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in News, Sci Fi, Stargate Atlantis, Television.add a comment
Some good news for Stargate Atlantis fans. In past seasons, its been common practice for SCI FI to air its original series in two batches of 10 episodes. That looks to be changing this season as it appears Stargate Atlantis will be returning with its last 10 episodes of season five in the fall, not next season as originally expected. The Futon Critic reports that after its 10th episode airs on September 26th at 10pm, the show will take a one-week break (for the premiere of two-hour premiere of Sanctuary on October 3rd from 9-11pm) and then return the following week in a new time slot: 9pm.
Through three weeks (we don’t yet have the numbers for the fourth episode of the season that aired this past Friday) Stargate Atlantis has averaged a 1.2 household rating. That’s slightly above what the fourth season averaged through episodes (1.1 household rating).
A new episode of Stargate Atlantis airs this Friday on SCI FI at 10pm.
Kevin Smith Wins Appeal for R-Rated “Zack & Miri Make a Porno” August 6, 2008 8:57 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Zack & Miri Make a Porno.add a comment
Kevin Smith has won his appeal for his upcoming comedy Zack & Miri Make A Porno, which was recently given an NC-17 rating by the MPAA. The appeals panel revised the rating from NC-17 to Restricted.
Synopsis
Kevin Smith writes and directs his newest comedy for The Weinstein Co. with Zack & Miri Make a Porno, the story of two friends (Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks) who get into the amateur porn business to combat their rising debt, only to realize their underlying feelings for each other while doing so.
Zack & Miri Make a Porno hits theaters on October 31, 2008.
Schwarzenegger Not Sold on “Terminator Salvation” August 6, 2008 8:43 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Terminator Salvation.add a comment
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told the Los Angeles Times that he’s still not sold on Terminator Salvation, despite given a private screening of the comic-con reel by the movie’s producers:
“I’ve seen very little footage so I don’t really have a feel for it. I hope they do well, and I hope it is a huge hit. I do hope it creates a spectacle on the screen. That is what James Cameron created,” Arnold said. “I still don’t know how it will play out with this one. They showed me some footage, but I don’t have a feel for the movie. I didn’t see enough. I wasn’t sure who the Terminator was. I don’t know if there is one or if he’s the star or the hero. These are the things that determine the success and how the strong the movie will be.”
Terminator Salvation hits theaters on May 22, 2009.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Fox Renews “So You Think You Can Dance?” August 4, 2008 6:18 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Fox, News, Renewals, So You Think You Can Dance, Television.1 comment so far
Surprising no one, Fox has renewed its hit summer reality series So You Think You Can Dance? for a fifth season. In announcing the renewal, Fox’s President of Alternative Entertainment, Mike Darnell said, “We’re delighted to have DANCE back for a fifth season next year. FOX is very lucky to have television’s preeminent performance competitions in AMERICAN IDOL and SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, and it’s no coincidence that creator and executive producer Simon Fuller and executive producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe have been a part of both these successes.” The full press release follows after the jump.
Brosnan Returning for Another “Thomas Crown Affair” August 1, 2008 12:12 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Thomas Crown Affair, Thomas Crown Affair 2.add a comment
USA Today is reporting that Pierce Brosnan will soon be returning to reprise his role in a Thomas Crown Affair sequel to the 1999 remake. The sequel will be partly based on 1964’s Topkapi: “We are just using a sliver of that,” Brosnan says. This time, the billionaire thief will be after a rare diamond instead of paintings. Rene Russo will not be returning, and Angelina Jolie is considered in the running for a new female co-star. “This is a different affair, ” Brosnan says.
Paul Verhoeven is returning to direct and the movie should arrive by next year.
Source: USA Today
Broadcast TV Ratings for Wednesday, July 30, 2008 July 31, 2008 9:09 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.add a comment
“Prince of Persia” Pushed Back a Year July 31, 2008 5:09 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Prince of Persia, Release Dates.add a comment
Walt Disney Pictures has moved the release of the Jerry Bruckheimer-producer Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time has been pushed back a year. The film was originally scheduled to hit theaters on June 19, 2009 (just a week before Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) but will now hit theaters on May 28, 2010. The new date wil put the movie sandwiched between Shrek Goes Fourth (May 21, 2010) and Thor (June 4, 2010).
With the new move, it’ll have a four day opening weekend, thanks to the Memorial Day holiday.
Synopsis
Ubisoft’s popular video-game series of the same name gets adapted for the big screen in this sweeping fantasy adventure starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton. The setting is sixth century Persia. A nefarious nobleman covets the Sands of Time, a legendary gift from the gods that allows its possessor to turn back time. Whoever owns the Sands of Time has the power to rule the world, and this villainous lord would use that power to enslave all of humanity. The only person capable of defeating this tyrant and saving the world is Dastan (Gyllenhaal), a youthful prince. Now, with plucky princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) by his side, Dastan will attempt to prevent the Sands of Time from falling into the wrong hands. Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) directs a script penned by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, Jordan Mechner, and Boaz Yakin.
Source: ComingSoon.net
Warner Bros. Developing “Marvin the Martian” Movie July 30, 2008 10:38 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Marvin the Martian, Movies, News.add a comment
Warner Bros. is developing a Marvin the Martian feature film that will blend live-action with CGI. The character, created by Chuck Jones, made his first apearance in a Looney Tunes cartoon in 1948. Steve Crystal, who will be producing the film through Alcon, pitched Warner Bros. a Christmas story with Marvin coming to Earth to destroy Christmas but being prevented from doing so when he’s trapped in a gift box. No writer or director has been signed yet.
Source: Variety
Mike Myers Writing A Fourth “Austin Powers” July 30, 2008 9:51 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Austin Powers, News.add a comment
According to Nikki FInke of DeadlineHollywoodDaily, Mike Myers has started writing Austin Powers 4. An insider tells Finke that the movie will be an homage to Myers’ father: “It’s very personal with a father and son theme loosely based on his own life.” Myer is writing the film along with Baby Mama’s Mike McCullers, who worked with him on the successful sequels Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers 3: Goldmember.
There’s no deal currently in place yet, but New Line is very interested in another outing in the franchise, despite Myers last box office bomb, The Love Guru.
Source: DeadlineHollywoodDaily
Broadcast TV Ratings for Tuesday, July 29, 2008 July 30, 2008 1:55 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.add a comment
A complete breakdown of the night’s ratings follows after the jump.
The Fallen Confirmed As Villain for “Transformers 2” July 29, 2008 4:53 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comics, Movies, News, Transformers, Transformers: Destiny, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.add a comment
Thanks to IDW Publishing, we’ve now gotten confirmation that the main villain of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (June 26, 2009) will indeed be The Fallen. The company announced a five-part prequel miniseries entitled Transformers: Destiny that will bridge the gap between the 2007 film and the 2009 sequel. Here’s what the company told MTV (emphasis mine):
“[We’re going to] explore the background of The Fallen — the main villain of the movie — as well as expand on the ‘Reign of Starscream’ story that we’re doing and tie everything in to what this next movie is going to be,” explained writer Chris Mowry, who partners on the book with artist Alex Milne. “The next movie starts out with just tons of action and there’s obviously going to be a lot of questions, so we’re hoping to answer some of those beforehand.”
Transformers: Destiny will be released this December.
Click here to read the rest of the interview.
Jack White Teams with Alicia Keys for “Quantum of Solace” Theme Song July 29, 2008 4:47 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, Music, News, Quantum of Solace.add a comment
Billboard is reporting that Alicia Keys and White Stripes frontman Jack White are teaming up for the theme song to Quantum of Solace. The song will be titled “Another Way to Die” and will be the first duet in Bond soundtrack history. White wrote and produced the song and will also play drums.
The soundtrack is due in stores on October 28th (score by David Arnold), while Quantum of Solace hits theaters on November 7, 2008.
Comic-Con 2008: The CW’s “Supernatural” Panel July 29, 2008 4:32 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, News, Supernatural, Television, The CW.add a comment
Stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki were joined by creator Erick Kripke and writers on the panel for The CW’s Supernatural. Here are some highlights courtesy TV Squad:
- SPOILERS: After some time in Hell, Dean returns from the dead. The beginning of the season will deal with how he got out of Hell and what has happened to Sam in the four months that he was gone.
- Meanwhile Sam is more and more accepting his role as demon killer. He believes more than ever that his rightful place in the world is for him to get rid of demons and ghosts, just like his father.
- The two brothers will continue to hold secrets from each other. They will work more independently from each other, and they’re relationship will grow a bit darker.
- Asked about the effect of the writers strike on the series, Kripke said it actually made it a meaner, leaner and more concise show. However, there were some storylines that were not covered during the season.
- Someone asked if Kripke still has a plan to run the show for only five seasons, he replied yes, saying that he wanted to avoid jumping the shark adding he doesn’t want the show to ever slip into mediocrity.
- The season three DVD will be released on September 2nd on both DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def.
- There may be a return by the Ghostfacers this season, and there is talk of giving them their own online miniseries. During the panel, Ed and Hary made a cameo apperance.
Comic-Con 2008: The CW’s “Smallville” Panel July 29, 2008 4:22 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, News, Smallville, Television.add a comment
The panel for The CW’s Smallville. The panel was moderated by Joseph Loeb and featured stars Allison Mack, Justin Hartley, showrunners Kelly Souders, Brian Peterson, Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer. New stars Sam Witmer (Doomsday) and Cassiday Freeman (Tess) were also present. Here are some highlights courtesy TV Squad:
- The “No Tights” part of the “No Tights. No Flights” rule that was established at the beginning of the series will be upheld, implying that while Clark won’t be donning the tights, he may start flying during the 8th season.
- Swimmer said that Clark will be starting to think about his destiny in the world and begin working on a secret identity.
- Witmer’s character, Justin Bloom, will start out as an extremely nice paramedic who then starts having blackouts with dire consequences. The blackouts are connected to the apperance of the villain Doomsday.
- Freeman will play Tes, the new girl at Lexcorp, now that Luthor is gone. No one will know why she was picked to run the company.
- WIth Hartley now a regular cast member, there will be more exploration of his Green Arrow and Oliver Queen characters.
- While not returning this season, they said that the door is always open for Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) and Sam Jones III (Pete Ross) to return.
- The premiere will feature an appearance by the Justice League.
- DC Comics writer Geoff Johns will be writing an episode that will introduce the Legion of Super-Heroes later in the season. On that front, Swimmer says that here will be more use of DC characters and mythology this season.
- Mack may direct an episode of Smallville this season.
Comic-Con 2008: ABC’s “Pushing Daisies” Panel July 29, 2008 4:04 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, News, Pushing Daisies, Television.add a comment
The panel for ABC’s Pushing Daisies featuredthe entire cast, who were joined by creator Bryan Fuller and executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld. Here are some highlights courtesy TV Squad.
- The characters will be visiting a new set of locations in season two, including a nunnery, a bee factory and a traveling circus.
- A couple new characters will be joining the cast. One will be David Arquette, who will plaly Ned’s best friend and another a pig named Pigby.
- Viewers will get to meet Emerson’s mother and we’ll see flashbacks of a young Olive, Emerson, Ned and Chuck.
- The aunts will be getting out of the house more often and participating in some of the murder mysteries.
- There will be an arc about Emerson’s daughter.
- While praising the cast as well as the writing staff, Barry said that new talent has been added for season two, including a former writer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
- Kristen will sing in the first episode, with more musical numbers to follow during the season.
- Fuller said he idea for Pushing Daisies came from his work on Dead LIke Me. He wanted to do something sweet and refreshing.
Comic-Con 2008: Fox’s “Fringe” Panel July 28, 2008 11:35 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, Fox, Fringe, Movies, News.add a comment
J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Bryan Burke, Jeff Pinkner, Roberto Orci, Anna Torv, Josh Jackson and John Noble were in attendance for Fox’s Fringe panel. Here are some highlights courtesy TV Squad:
- The presentation began with a screening of the show’s trailer.
- Abrams told the audience that the goal of Fringe is to create an series that doesn’t have the complex mythology of Lost or Alias. Shows like The Twilight Zone and The X-Files inspired him to write Fringe.
- You can hope into the series at any point and not worry about getting lost in what’s happening.
- There won’t be a continous storyline, though there will be “something” there.
- Someone asked if the pilot for the show was purposely leaked or marketing to drum up interest. Abrams was very serious in saying that the leak was definitely not intentional.
- Abrams said yes to a possible comic book.
- Asked about how much of the show he has “fleshed out”, Abrams said that he has what he calls an “internal ending” to the show (just an overall direction, not necessarily a way a show will end). Nor does he have a set amount of years he’d like to see the show run.
- Pinkner said he found feedback from online groups helpful and necessary.
Other topics, not related to Fringe, touched on included a Cloverfield sequel and Star Trek. You can read the panel’s thoughts on those two topics in a prior post I wrote on the site at this link.
Your Entertainment Now 