The Dark Knight: Teaser Trailer

The 2 Spocks

More Lost Season 4 Tidbits from Carlton Cuse

via Kristin from E! Online:

Carlton Cuse revealed: We aren't changing any of the format of the show. We are just adding the flash forwards as an element. They have made a radio call to a freighter, and there are people on that freighter, and it might be logical to imagine that that storyline will continue... The situation is going to be very intense this year. Charlie wrote on his hand 'not Penny's boat,' and the message he wrote on his hand was very important.

It was really funny because the clip at Comic-Con showed Mr. Friendly saying, 'by the time you see this, I'm gonna be dead, but I am telling you it's a shame because whoever is going to come after the Others is going to be a hell of a lot worse than we ever were.' Damon and I were listening to him and sort of nodding our head going, 'That's pretty prophetic.'

With Jin and Sun there is a very dynamic situation at work. She's pregnant... the fate of her child, the fate of their marriage, all those questions Damon and I will get to and more this season.

Walt will be back. You will see more of Jacob."

Alan Moore (& Art Spiegelman)... on The Simpsons???

Now, this is unexpected:

I mentioned last year that Alan Moore, creator of the seminal graphic novel The Watchmen, would be appearing in an episode of The Simpsons. Now comes word that the episode, "Husbands and Knives," will air on October 7 and will feature not only Moore, but two other big comic book names: Art Spiegelman (Maus, Maus II, In the Shadow of No Towers) and Daniel Clowes (Eightball, Ghost World, David Boring).

Source

Meanwhile, the movie made nearly $72 million in its opening weekend, almost doubling studio estimates, slaughtering the competition and ensuring at least a couple of sequels. Woo-hoo!

Gaiman's Death: The High Cost of Living Movie

Another looong-gestating project moves forward. Death: The High Cost of Living is definitely one of Gaiman's best graphic novels. The plot, in a nutshell: once every hundred years, Death (Dream's older sister--Lovely girl) spends a day as a mortal (in this case, hanging around the West Village, blending in perfectly).

So it's a "day in the life" -- of Death. And it's utterly charming.

Gaiman went on to reveal that the project is moving along at a fairly decent clip. Guillermo del Toro will executive-produce the film, and it will likely be shot under the auspices of Picturehouse, for which del Toro directed the award-winning dark fantasy Pan's Labyrinth. "We have a budget," Gaiman said. "The biggest problem that Death has had is, because it's got Sandman characters, it all has to be somewhere under the giant Warner Brothers umbrella. So we started out at Warner Brothers, moved to New Line, went from New Line to Warner Independent Pictures, and we have now moved to Picturehouse. It's all Time-Warner, but it's weird, because you're like dancing from one tentacle to the other of the corporate octopus. So I believe right now that Picturehouse is closing their version of the deal with Warner Brothers and with New Line."

Source: Sci-Fi Wire

Ripper in 08?

“Ripper,” a Rupert Giles-centric BBC project Joss Whedon has been talking about since the fifth season of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” may yet manifest.

Speaking at a Dark Horse Comic Con event in San Diego Saturday, Whedon says he now hopes to launch “Ripper” as a 90-minute BBC movie in 2008.

They've been talking up this project for so long that I have to say, I'll believe it when I see it... but I *want* to believe.

When Rippre was first proposed, it was meant to be a pilot. No word on whether that possibility has survived.

Source: Ain't-It-Cool-News

Meanwhile, the Buffy Season 8 comic (which is *outstanding*) is about to launch its second 4-issue story arc under writer Brian K Vaughan. In it, Giles offers Faith an "early retirement package" if she agrees to hunt and kill a rogue slayer. Kinda ironical, huh?

Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd

*gulp*

Angela Lansbury... Patti LuPone... Helena Bonham Carter. (Which one of these is not like the other?)

Karen Allen Joins Indy 4 Cast

Karen Allen is joining the cast of the upcoming "Indiana Jones" movie, reprising her role as spirited Marion Ravenwood, it was announced today during Comic-Con International in San Diego.

My expectatoins for this film just rose dramatically. I just hope that Marion isn't presented as a shitty, drunk mom -- as she was in the Jeff Boam draft from years ago (when Shia LeBouf's character was envisioned as a plucky 10 year old). Source

Lost Season 4 Spoilers

from Comic-Con via Kristen at E! Online.

Among the highlights:

The panel opens with a clip... Must be deleted scenes from last season, because they don't start shooting this season for another three or four weeks. In the clip, Ben (Emmy nominee Michael Emerson) refers to the Others as a "Rebel Sect" (not exactly earth-shattering)

Mr. Firendly (who Sawyer killed in the season finale) apparently left a video: "By the time you see this I will be dead"

Voice-over: "The survival of the Island is now at stake."

Lindelof says, "Don't get too attached [to Richard]"--the Other who appears to be eternally young--because actor Nestor Carbonell has a new series on CBS

Harrold Perrineau is not recurring, he's back as a full regular

Michael was the man in the coffin in the season finale (as many of us suspected)

The show will now feature flashbacks and flash-forwards as needed. "There's a whole chapter of the story that takes place off the island"

They intend to get to Libby's flashback this season (Libby was accidentally killed by Michael in Season 2, but in her flashbacks appeared to work for Dharma or The Others)

Rousseau's flashback may come this season, but maybe not until Season 5

Do the link for more, though that's the bulk of the info.

Trek Casting: Quinto Confirmed for Spock, Nimoy Cameos

Appearing at San Diego Comic-Con today, director JJ Abrams confirmed that Zachary Quinto will play Spock in the Star Trek reboot due to begin shooting in the fall.

Leonard Nimoy will also appear (as "Old Spock") in a "substantial cameo." By the time the movie premieres, it will be 17 years since Nimoy last donned the pointy ears (for The Next Generation episode "Unification 2" in 1991), and 44 years since the first time (for the original series' 1st pilot in 1964).

They also released this new teaser poster:

Watchmen Cast Revealed

*gulp*

"Watchmen," the long-gestating big-screen adaptation of the seminal DC Comics limited series, has finally found its superheroes.

Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Malin Akerman have been cast in the Warner Bros. movie, which Zack Snyder is directing. Larry Gordon, Lloyd Levin and Deborah Snyder are producing.

Set in an alternate America, "Watchmen" follows costumed hero Rorschach, who is living a vigilante lifestyle because most masked heroes have retired or been outlawed. While investigating a murder, Rorschach learns that a former masked-hero colleague has been killed, prompting him to begin investigating a possible conspiracy.

Aint-It-Cool News has a list with headshots. I like Patrick Wilson for Night Owl, and Billy Crudup for Dr Manhattan works, too. But what happened to Jude Law for Veidt?

Overall, I just wish this would fall apart and go back to development hell for a few more years. I want it to be good, but I just have no confidence Zack Snyder can pull this off... (and, really, to do the book justice, it shouldn't be a movie... it should be a 12 part limited series from HBO.)

Harrold Perrineau Returns To Lost

Woo-hoo!

9:31 am: An ABC rep interrupts the session when she walks over to McPherson and whispers something in his ear. Two seconds later, he announces that someone on his team got in touch with Damon Lindelof and he gave his blessing to share the big news with us: Harold Perrineau is returning to Lost!

McPherson also told the assembled press that there would be "several" major announcements tomorrow at Lost's Comic-Con panel.

Y: The Last Man Movie

Y: The Last Man: The Movie is moving forward, according to today's Hollywood Reporter.

D.J. Caruso and Carl Ellsworth, the team behind the hit thriller "Disturbia," are reteaming for "Y: The Last Man," New Line Cinema's adaptation of the acclaimed Vertigo comic book. J.C. Spink, Chris Bender and David Goyer are producing.

Caruso is developing and directing, with Ellsworth on board to write.

The comic, created by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, centers on Yorick, an escape artist who is the last survivor of a mysterious plague that has killed every single male mammal in the world. With his male pet monkey, he sets out to find what might have wiped out the world's male chromosomes.

I'm happy for Vaughan, who is without a doubt one of the top three or four writers in comics at the moment, though I can't help but feel Y--which is very much based on The Fugitive/X-Files model--would make a much better TV series.

They're gonna lose a lot of great stuff shoe-horning this sprawling story into two hours.

Trek Casting Update: Zachary Quinto as Spock?

E! is reporting that a deal is "in place" for Zachary Quinto to take on the role of Spock in JJ Abrams' upcoming, big budget Star Trek reboot.

On Heroes, Quinto plays Sylar as a psychopathic (and superpowered... oh, and quite possibly cannibalistic) Mr. Spock... so this is not a stretch.

Trek producers Abrams & Damon Linelof (who also created Lost) have been saying that they intend to reveal major casting (if not the entire cast) for the movie at ComicCon this weekend, so there's a decent chance this rumor is true.

Meanwhile, Matt Damon has gone out of his way to debunk the rumor that he will play Kirk in interviews for The Bourne Ultimatum, saying that although he was interested, he was never asked. He did meet with Abrams, who told him they were looking to cast younger. Kirk is apparently early-to-mid 20s in the film.

The movie--which is called, simply, Star Trek--will open Christmas Day 2008... Oddly enough.

Update: Quinto confirmed, though it still hasn't hit the trades.

According to a new report by TV Guide's Michael Ausiello, "Heroes" evil brain-eater Zachary Quinto (Sylar) is neither confirming nor denying reports that he's in line to play a young Spock in the new J.J. Abrams-helmed "Star Trek" movie. When asked about the rumors, Quinto contended that he's "under strict orders not to say anything."
Greg Grunberg, who plays nice cop Matt Parkman, on the other hand, seems to be bursting at the seams about the possibility of his cast mate playing Spock.

"How exciting is that?" Grunberg said. "Now I've got to beg, plead and scrape to get in that movie! I mean, what's wrong with me as Scotty? Down in the engine room, rotisserie chicken ..."

For what it's worth, I think Grunberg (Abrams' best friend since childhood) would make a *fantastic* Scotty. (I think it's safe to assume that he will be in the movie in some capacity.)

Sunshine

Oh my god, did this movie suck. So pretentious, and so stylish, yet so truly free of substance. Did I mention boring? For the most part, it was like watching hair grow... Interspersed, to be fair, by a couple of tense, but nevertheless predictable, set-pieces.

Note to Danny Boyle and Alex Garland: if you want to do the 2001 thing, it would help to keep us riveted by the subtext. Which is difficult when you've left nothing *in* the subtext... And if you want to do the Alien thing, it would help to bring the alien into it before Act 3.

Oh, and while you remembered to bring the soapbox, you forgot to bring the fun. I hear a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down... Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, which are among my favorite movies, remembered this. Oh, well.

Avoid, avoid.

Bush Approval Rating: 25%

A total of 71% of Americans say they disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president according to the latest survey from the American Research Group.

Among all Americans, 25% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 71% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 23% approve and 73% disapprove. ...

This is the highest level of disapproval and lowest level of approval for the Bush presidency recorded in monthly surveys by the American Research Group.

Generation Chickenhawk

Oh. My. God. Especially make sure to stick around through the "officially not gay" section in the middle.

What is John from Cincinnati About?

“I don’t know what it’s about. I don’t know the bottom line,” “John From Cincinnati” mastermind David Milch told Craig Ferguson Thursday night. “But if God were trying to reach out to us, and if he felt a certain urgency about it: That’s what it’s about.”

And why, pray tell, would He feel a certain urgency? For the traditional reasons, one expects (and hopes).

The second season, if it materializes, should be very interesting.

Ferguson also asked him if there would be more Deadwood. Last week, new HBO original programming chief Richard Plepler told those assembled for HBO's TCA presentation that it was "50/50" -- and he wasn't even sure Milch wanted to do it. Which was obviously bullshit. He's not sure *he* wants to do it, because it's something his predecessor (Chris Albrecht) committed to.

"Will there be more “Deadwood”?

“One hopes,” Milch told Ferguson and his CBS late-night audience. “It’s kind of a fluid situation over [at HBO] right now.”

No shit.

Hat tip: Aint It Cool News

2007 Emmy Nominations

For the most part, the usual suspects snagged Emmy noms this morning.

But... lo and behold... there are some genre shows among the Outstanding Writing--Drama category nominations!

No, really.

Ron Moore scored his first-ever writing nomination for the Battlestar third season premiere "Occupation/Precipice" -- his only solo writing credit on the show since the first episode of Season 1 ("33"), and arguably the best episode *since* then.

So good for him! Let's hope he writes more of the final season than he has of the series-to-date. (To be fair, he probably rewrites almost every episode to some extent, and is certainly involved in breaking every plot in the writers room -- but that's not quite the same thing as a solo writing credit.)

And Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof were nominated for the brilliant, paradigm-shifting season finale of Lost, "Through The Looking Glass."


The Sopranos took up the other three slots in the category, with David Chase scoring two nominations himself (nothing new there). And he will probably win (again, nothing new there)... though with luck, the vote will be split, letting Moore or Lindelof & Cuse squeak out a victory.

For God's sake, honor a sci-fi show in this category just once!

In the comedy category, (my beloved) The Office and (my be-liked) 30 Rock scored two nominations each.
Office showrunner Greg Daniels was nominated for the hysterical episode "Gay Witch Hunt," and 30 Rock creator/showrunner/star Tina Fay for the "Tracy Does Conan" ep.

Ricky Gervais & Steven Merchant were nominated for the Daniel Radcliffe episode of Extras Series 2 (which, to my mind, was probably the least of that season's episodes... The Orlando Bloom seg was clearly the funniest and best of the series).

***

Anyway, among the other notable nominations was:

Felix Alcala for directing Battlestar's "Exodus Part 2"

Michael Emerson (Ben Linus, Lost) for best supporting actor--drama (though, sadly, not Elizabeth Mitchell for Juliette--maybe next season)

Judith Light (Claire Meade, Ugly Betty) as guest actress--comedy (by far, the best actor on that show)

Martin Landau (Bob Ryan, Entourage) as guest actor--comedy (now, that's something I might be interested in)

However, Deadwood failed to garner nominations in anything other than technical categories -- which is fucking criminal. (Cocksuckers.)

Anyway, find the full list of noms here.

Deadwood Movies & Other HBO Notes

Notes of interest from last week's HBO presentation to the television critics association.

In the wake of original programming chief Chris Albrecht's departure (amid allegations that he beat the crap out of his girlfriend in Vegas), HBO is waffling on its promise of delivering closure to Deadwood fans in the form of a pair of original movies, which were to shoot late this summer for an early 2008 premiere.

[HBO co-president Richard] Plepler put the odds for greenlighting a film at "50-50," citing the fact that members of the cast are committed to other projects and the willingness of the series' creator, David Milch, to pursue it.

"If David is game for this and we can figure it out, we'll figure it out," [HBO co-president Michael] Lombardo said.

Those cocksuckers-by-choice. I knew they were gonna pull this shit.

Another factor that will play a part in resuming production in "Deadwood" will be the fate of Milch's new series, "John From Cincinnati," which Plepler spoke supportively of but stopped short of a renewal announcement.

"The show is really finding an audience, and the audience is staying consistent," he said. "I think it's important to see where it goes, where David takes us, and we'll make that decision at the end of the season."

If the show--which I think is absolutely brilliant (though still not a substitute for a proper Deadwood Season 4)--was doing *that* well, they would've renewed it already, as they've done in the past with other series.

***

Meanwhile, HBO announced that the Extras Christmas Special (a one hour episode that will serve as the series finale) is currently shooting. HBO will also likely air a Ricky Gervais stand-up special (he's been on tour for months--mostly in the UK).

***

Finally, HBO has commissioned a spin-off of sorts to Little Britain.

HBO has handed out a six-episode order to "Britain" stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams. In the original series, the two play a variety of recurring characters in sketches that spoof contemporary life in the U.K.

"The new series will be a sketch show set in contemporary America," Walliams said. "We are taking some existing characters and writing new material for them, as well as introducing new characters and ideas."

The HBO series, which will be filmed in the fall for a 2008 debut, will be produced by HBO Entertainment in association with 19 Entertainment and MBST and Little Britain. Fuller is executive producing with Larry Brezner, David Steinberg, Lucas and Walliams.

Coram Boy: The Movie

Alan Parker will direct and write "Coram Boy," the feature version of Jamila Gavin's novel with Scott Rudin and Allison Owen producing.
Adaptation has been set as a co-production of Scott Rudin Prods., Owen's Ruby Films and BBC Films, in partnership with Miramax and the U.K. Film Council.

Novel, winner of the Whitbread Children's Book Award, is an epic adventure about two orphans -- one rescued from an African slave ship, the other the abandoned son of the heir to a great estate. The duo are raised in Britain's Coram hospice in 1741.

Novel was separately turned into a play by Helen Edmundson that was a hit at London's National Theater and has just opened on Broadway.

Actually, it just closed on Broadway... and not "just." It couldn't even hold on til the Tonys (where it was nominated for, but did not win, best play). I blame the marketing (people just didn't know what they'd be getting if they went in there, so they didn't go in), because word of mouth was uniformly fantastic. Well, maybe not uniformly--My buddy Chris didn't care for it, but eveyrone else I know who saw it, including myself, was pretty much blown away.

Coram Boy (the play) was meaty, scary, funny, touching, disturbing -- a true Dickensian yarn on stage (and it was apparently the most expensive non-musical ever produced on Broadway, which is evident from the brilliant staging). It will make a great movie... if they do it right.

Superman Sequel and Mayor of Castro Street in 2009?

Superman director Bryan Singer met with Spacey in New York while the latter was appearing on Broadway in Eugene O'Neill's recently wrapped "Moon for the Misbegotten."

Singer was about to pitch his "Man of Steel" sequel to Warner Bros.; "Superman Returns" scripter Michael Dougherty is now writing the screenplay.

After Singer completes "Valkyrie" and "The Mayor of Castro Street," he plans to start production on "Man of Steel" next year for a 2009 release.

There's been some back and forth on whether Bryan Singer directing The Mayor of Castro Street is truth or memorex.
Variety seems to think he's doing it. And that he's gonna bang it out in between Valkyrie and Man of Steel... while keeping the latter's Summer (or Fall) 2009 release date. Which is just insane--No one works that fast. (OK, Spielberg does.)

I'd rather see Castro Street first, even if Kevin Spacey does inevitably end up playing assassin Dan White... and even if it does mean delaying Man of Steel another year, to 2010. Superheroes can wait. Castro Street is way more important, and Singer is exactly the right director to make it. I hope he does.

Dogs Against Romney

It was inevitable.

Previously... Romney: Dog Torturer

More More More

Sex and the City: The Movie...?

Yep.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon are all set to reprise their roles, with longtime exec producer Michael Patrick King directing a script he wrote.

Whatever. Michael Patrick King--the man responsible for taking a brilliant comedy about sex (Seasons 1 and 2, run by creator Darren Starr) and turning it into a depressingly unfunny, mediocre soap about relatoinships. *Yawn*

The pic got close to happening about two years ago, but progress halted when Cattrall backed away. She wanted script control and a salary close to that of Parker, who was more highly paid than the others because she was co-executive producer of the series. Whatever tensions existed are gone now, sources said. Cattrall has a deal she’s happy with, one the sources said gives her input on her scenes, a fat salary and a future series deal with HBO.

It shoots in the fall.

Fight The Ban

Hat Tip: Bill in Exile

The Jones Boys (Redux)

In what looks to be a call-back to the motorbike set-piece from Last Crusade (Indiana Jones rescues his doddering academic dad from a Nazi castle), here we have a grey haired, sixtysomething Professor Jones holding on for dear life while the "Junior" he never knew he had does the rescuin'... Previously: Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skulls?

Love Me, Love Me

Various other assorted clips from The Office are embedded (options pop up after you watch this clip).

Outing Fred Thompson??

Andrew Sullivan says "[Thompson] has had a colorful and wide-ranging sex life, as I'm sure we will soon find out."

Wonkette responds:

Translated: COUGH COUGH GAY COUGH COUGH FRED THOMPSON IS GAY GAY GAY COUGH COUGH

Sullivan is not even close to the first person we’ve heard float this particular rumor, not that that says anything as to its truth. Because we’ve also heard ... that Fred Thompson has an enormous dick, which is how he manages to get all of the hundreds upon hundreds of hot ladies he sleeps with.

Hat Tip: JoeMyGod

Emmy Finalists Leaked

According to the Los Angeles Times-operated site, the drama finalists are ABC's "Boston Legal," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Lost"; NBC's "Friday Night Lights" and "Heroes"; Fox's "House" and "24"; Showtime's "Dexter"; and HBO's "Rome" and "The Sopranos."

The comedy finalists, according to the site, are ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Ugly Betty"; NBC's "My Name Is Earl," "The Office," "Scrubs" and "30 Rock"; CBS' "Two and a Half Men"; HBO's "Entourage" and "Extras"; and Showtime's "Weeds."

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which oversees the Primetime Emmy Awards, declined comment on the accuracy of the lists. The final five nominees in each category -- or six, if the vote is close enough -- will be unveiled on July 19.

French & Saunders: Guess The Song/Dr Who: Guess The Companion

In honor of the latest bit of Dr Who Christmas Special 2007 news, one of my favorite F&S sketches...

Update: the new female lead for Dr Who Series 4 will be Catherine Tate, who guest starred in last year's Christmas Special. (If this is a pattern, it does not bode well for Series 5.)

Coward-in-Chief Commutes Libby's Sentence

Well, we all knew our erstwhile President wouldn't let his own, personal felon (no, not Cheney--Libby) serve a single night behind bars, and indeed he has commuted the thirty month prison sentence rather than face the wrath of a former senior aide (and chief of staff to the VP) who knows too much.

Which is the coward's way out for Mr. 26% approval rating. I think it's clear he will issue an actual pardon--but not until his last day in office, when he can defer the political fallout. Whattaguy. Not to mention: issuing the commutation right between a weekend and a holiday, when no one is paying attention. In Washington parlance, this is known as "throwing out the trash."

Let's try not to forget that Libby was convicted of perjury and obstructing the investigation into who leaked the name of a covert CIA operative -- whose husband... coincidentally, mind you... had just infuriated the administration by daring to tell the American people the truth about those aluminum tubes. You remember the ones... The ones that were supposed to prove Saddam Hussein was about to acquire, or had already acquired, nuclear weapons. Which would, in turn, lead to "mushroom clouds over American cities" if we didn't invade immediately--No, not after UNSCOM finished its unfettered investigation on the ground in Iraq, there was NO TIME for that. The nukes were coming! The nukes!

Ah, 2003. Good times.

Uh-hem... Where were we? Oh, yeah... So now Bush has cowardly commuted the sentence of the designated fall guy for all these crimes, arguing that thirty months for perjury and obstruction of justice in a senior counselor to the President of the United States is too harsh a sentence.

Should be interesting to see what this does to Bush's 26%... A few more ticks down? Or up? A lot of Republicans were agitating for Bush to take action here, after all.

And let's remember: the Republicans who argued so vigorously for the President to overturn this sentence are the self-same people who voted to impeach President Clinton over just one of the crimes for which Libby was convicted: perjury. Remember that the next time the GOP claims to be the party of "law & order."

In any case, Libby-defenders are right about one thing: they convicted the wrong fuckin' guy(s). (Hm... The President can't pardon himself, can he?)

Previously... Pardon Watch

Update: Editor & Publisher has editorial excerpts from the leading newspapers

Ratatouille

Go see this fucking masterpiece.

That is all.

Update: And it's that raresst of creatures: a box office champ that deserves to be a box office champ.