Callum Blue cast as General Zod on 'Smallville'
Jun 24, 2009, 05:58 AM | by Mike Bruno @ Entertainment Weekly



Sources confirm that Callum Blue (The Tudors, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Related) has landed the role as the DC Comics supervillain General Zod for The CW sci-fi show's upcoming ninth season. Terrence Stamp played the character in the 1980 movie Superman II. EW's Michael Ausiello first reported that Smallville was casting Zod last month.

DON'T MISS MERLIN THIS SUNDAY ON NBC!! (premieres Sunday, 8 pm/ET, NBC) - Tardis-Gal



NBC Conjures Merlin, the Once and Future Sorcerer
Jun 19, 2009 05:02 PM ET by Joyce Eng @ TVGuide.com

American networks have made a habit of swiping and remaking British programs, but the latest import from across the pond will be 100 percent authentic. Merlin, loosely based on the Arthurian legends of the famed sorcerer, arrives stateside as the first British drama to air on a U.S. network — un-retouched, un-recast — since The New Avengers more than 30 years ago.

"I think we probably played a fast one on NBC!" star Bradley James tells TVGuide.com. "It's probably quite difficult to recast this one and remake it in an American way. Hopefully it goes over well and it will be worth NBC's while. We'll keep our fingers crossed."

James plays Prince Arthur on the fantasy, sword-fighting series. No, that's not a typo. It's Prince Arthur, not King.

Unlike past incarnations of the legend, Merlin follows the early years of the mythical wizard and the pre-golden age of Camelot, where, as the series opens, King Uther (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Head) has outlawed magic. In the spirit of borrowing, the premise was inspired by that of Smallville.

"I'm not sure who Arthur's character would be, but you've got the obvious link between Clark Kent and Merlin. Those are the guys with the powers eventually," James says. "We have the advantage of building on what's worked for them. The producers have done a good job of recreating the story in a way that people want to tune in even though they know the legend."

As a Brit, James was familiar with the legend, but warns viewers will probably be unfamiliar with his Arthur — a spoiled, arrogant teen who clashes with his mentor Merlin (Colin Morgan). Naturally, as the 13-episode season progresses, so does their relationship — and Arthur himself. "Underneath this bravado, deep down he's got that inner strength and character," James says. "You have to scratch away at it, and with Merlin's help that becomes more evident. We're all aware of the man he'll become; it's just about how he gets there."

And he will get there, right? Currently filming Season 2, James says he doesn't know how long the show can go on for, opting to take the one-season-at-a-time mentality. "If you get it right more often than not, then the show can continue to grow," he says. "But I don't think anyone's interested in flogging a dead donkey, just relying on loyal fans."

Nor are they interested in deviating too much from the tale for a few extra years and extra drama. "How on earth are they doing [Smallville] without Lex Luthor?" James says. "We had a similar situation over here with Robin Hood where for some reason they killed off Maid Marian. It seems a bit daft to me when you know where the story's going and all of the sudden you change it a little bit so it can't get there.

"The producers might find themselves a way, if they need to, to kill me, but hopefully they won't do that! I think we're all enjoying ourselves at the moment. Things are going according to plan."

ATV video: 'Chuck' star Zachary Levi answers your burning Qs
Jun 19, 2009, 02:41 PM | by Michael Ausiello

Categories: Ausiello TV, Chuck, News

What do you do if all-around prince-among-men Zachary Levi shows up at your office unannounced just to say hello? If you're me, you slap some powder on his face, throw a camera in front of him, and then grill him for exclusive scoop about Chuck's third season. And then as a thank you, you hook him and a friend up with house seats to South Pacific and let him have one of your 2009 Smurfs (he picked the cameraman).

(POTENTIAL SN.3 SPOILERS for CHUCK)
Video at http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/06/chuck-video-qa-zachary-levi.html

Linda Hunt joining cast of `NCIS: Los Angeles'


LOS ANGELES -CBS says Academy Award-winning actress Linda Hunt is joining the cast of the new fall drama "NCIS: Los Angeles."

The network said Friday that Hunt will play a tough, efficient department manager who gets government investigators the electronics and other crime-fighting tools they need.
"NCIS: Los Angeles" is a spinoff of the long-running CBS drama "NCIS." The new show stars Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J as members of a Naval Criminal Investigative Service division that goes after criminals who pose a threat to national security.

Hunt won an Oscar for her role in 1982's "The Year of Living Dangerously." Her TV credits include "The Practice" and "Without a Trace."

source: The Associated Press via PopEater.com
2009-06-19 18:20:33

Site of the Day: 'Star Wars' soundboard
May 12, 2009, 04:24 PM | by Margaret Lyons @ EW.com - Site of the Day column


My dreams of a Chewbacca dance party might finally be coming true! StarWars.com has unveiled an official soundboard. You can pick from a whiney Luke's "I don't even know what I'm doing here -- we're wasting our time!" (or 29 other choice Skywalker zingers, like "nooo!") but I'm partial to the Ewok portion of the site. "Yub yub" is a classic, or "no! grrrr!" Seriously, this is hours of fun. I am totally making my ringtone "Why you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy looking nerfherder."

But the soundboard is more than just listening to hilarious Chewbaccaisms ("awrggh!" and "ahhhgh!" sound different, you guys). You can also assembled said clips into a two-line song. If only there were an autotune option, my next album would basically be ready at this point.

http://starwars.com/games/playnow/soundboards/index.html

'Twilight': Casting for 'Eclipse' begins
Jun 1, 2009, 09:47 PM | by Adam B. Vary @ EW.com



With the first trailer for The Twilight Saga: New Moon barely 24 hours old, news has already leaked of casting breakdowns for three characters in the third Twilight film, Eclipse. Casting directors are looking for actors to take on at least three roles for the film, to be directed by David Slade (30 Days of Night):

* Riley "a handsome, blond, clean-cut college boy who falls victim to Victoria [and] plays an integral role in Victoria's attempt to murder Bella Swan."

* Seth Clearwater, a member of the La Push werewolf clan and a "tall, gangly-limbed boy with a huge, happy grin [who] idolizes Jacob."

* Leah Clearwater, Seth's big sister, and the only woman in La Push, who is "tall and slender with beautiful skin and short cropped black hair. She would be considered gorgeous if not for the perpetual scowl she carries due to a broken heart and her anger issues."

Casting directors are reportedly looking to cast the Clearwater siblings with Native American or First Nation actors. (E! Online first reported these casting details.) The film is due in theaters in June 2010.

Jun 19, 2009, 06:00 PM | by Michael Ausiello in Entertainment Weekly


Scrubs boss Bill Lawrence said his cancellation-defying comedy would undergo an extreme makeover in its ninth season, and, man, he wasn't kidding. When the show returns next winter, the action will shift from the hospital to the classroom and make med-school professors of John C. McGinley's Dr. Cox and Donald Faison's Turk.

"It'll be a lot like Paper Chase as a comedy," Lawrence tells me. "It's going to be a different show. It'll still be life-and-death stakes, but if the show is just Scrubs again in the hospital with a different person's voiceover, it would be a disaster and people would be mad."


Of course, Sacred Heart won't go away altogether. Although J.D.'s old stomping ground no longer will serve as the show's base of operations, the students will occasionally rotate through its halls -- and bump into many of its familiar faces. In addition to McGinley and Faison, both of whom are expected to be full-time regulars alongside a quartet of newbies (most of them playing students), Scrubs vets Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes and Ken Jenkins have agreed to make guest appearances. (Neil Flynn has a costarring role as Patricia Heaton's husband in the new ABC sitcom The Middle, so his name-challenged Janitor will be MIA.)

"Med students in their first three years have to spend anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of their time at a hospital," Lawrence explains. "And that's when you'll see some of the [original cast members]. Continuity-wise, Sacred Heart will still exist with those people still working there."

But Lawrence insists "half the cast, if not 60 percent of it," will be comprised of freshmen, one of which will be more recognizable than the rest. "[ABC] is really after us to hire a big name," he reveals. "So one of them will be fairly famous."

See them here @
http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/06/new-harry-potter-posters-love-jealousy-betrayal.html

There's one of Draco (alone), one of Harry & Ginny, two of the Lavender Brown-Ron-Hermione love triangle and one of Luna Lovegood.

Question from Ask Ausiello column (June 18) at EW.com

Question: Obviously the main focus of the House premiere will be House in the "loony bin." But what will the rest of the cast be up to? --Rachel

Ausiello: Enjoying the rest of their vacation. No joke. I'm told the two-hour One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest-inspired season premiere will feature only two of the show's main players: House and Wilson. Everyone else will show up the following week. "It is a bold move," Hugh Laurie acknowledged to EW at last night's Paley Center for Media event, Creating Great Characters. "We are moving into our sixth year and I suppose the writers felt that we couldn't just reprise the same stories, the same sets, the same look, the same problems. We needed to go on an adventure, and this is it."

ABC and "Grey's Anatomy" creator, Shonda Rhimes reveals if Katherine Heigl & T.R. Knight are staying and/or going.

( SPOILER )

In other Grey's news, ABC also officially announced that Jessica Capshaw, whose Dr. Arizona Robbins has been a breath of fresh air in the often angsty halls of Seattle Grace, will continue with the show — now as a series regular.

Jun 17, 2009 09:38 PM ET by Matt Mitovich @ TVGuide.com



It's official — the new season of Smallville can't get here soon enough.

( Name Reveal ) has been cast on Smallville as the DC Comics villain Metallo, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.

That's right — the Terminator alum is now playing a cyborg himself. That is a pretty freakin' super bit of casting, right?

( SEASON 9 SPOILERS for SMALLVILLE )
ps. there's a tease about "The Closer"'s Provenza in the video blog inside

It was the end of the So You Think You Can Dance road for Ashley Valerio and Max Kapitannikov but neither has any regrets about how they handled things in just two weeks of the Top 20 competition.

Kapitannikov, a Russian-born ballroom dancer from Brooklyn, said his pop jazz routine this week was "definitely ... out of [his] comfort zone" — but he did the best he could with Brian Friedman's high-energy choreography.

"I kind of predicted that I was going to leave, when the judges were giving us the [final] comments, when it was just between me and Kupono [Aweau]," Max told TVGuide.com. "I don't have any regrets ... every other guy on the show deserves to be there."

Ashley, a contemporary dancer who divides her time between Arizona and Hollywood, took another look at her hip-hop routine with partner Kupono to understand why she was cut. Their performance came under fire with the judges for lack of synchronicity and, as Lil' C said, not finding calm in the "chaos" of hip-hop.
source: TVGuide.com

week ending June 20th, 2009

Tardis-Gal says: here's Bear McCreary's Blog and you can see the album cover art there --->
http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/

posted at his site on 19 June 2009 - ( 2 discs worth of tracks & the cover art )

The Most Interesting Pitchmen in the World
By Amy & Nancy Harrington, GetBack.com | Wednesday, June 3, 2009


Mr. Whipple for Charmin
( Read more... )


Mikey for Life Cereal
( Read more... )


Ol' Lonely for Maytag
( Read more... )


Madge the Manicurist for Palmolive
( Read more... )


Rosie for Bounty Paper Towels
( Read more... )


Avery Schreiber for Doritos
( Read more... )


Fred the Baker for Dunkin' Donuts
( Read more... )

Frank Bartles and Ed Jaymes for Bartles & Jaymes
( Read more... )


Clara Peller for Wendy's
( Read more... )


Wendy Kaufman for Snapple
( Read more... )

See their pictures and watch some of these classic performances @
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/the-most-interesting-pitchmen-in-the-world--379

By Angel Cohn, TWoP | Friday, June 5, 2009

Why more people didn't watch "Pushing Daisies" when they had a chance will be one of those eternal mysteries of TV history. We're just thankful that ABC deigned to burn off the final episodes of this unjustly cancelled show this summer, letting fans say a proper farewell to this utterly sweet and charming series. As we choke back the sobs over the pending June 13 series finale, we take a look back at the most adorable episodes.



( Let's count the Top 10 Episodes )

Tardis-Gal adds: Unfortunately "Pushing Daisies" aired at a time when I had another show to watch, though I did catch the ocassional episode here and there. What I did see was a cute, quirky, color bursting palate of fun. I'm sad it ended it's television run so soon. :-(

I think I heard that the creator has plans to continue it in a limited comic book form. Am I confusing this show with some other? That has been known to happen sometimes. tee hee!

Several of these lauded chefs have appeared as guest judges on Bravo's "Top Chef". Some on Quickfire challenges and some on Elimination challenges. I've always wondered, and I bet so have some of you on how they would fare on the other side of the chopping block. Now's our chance to see. - Tardis-Gal


The host is Kelly Choi. http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-masters/bio/kelly-choi

**taken from Bravotv.com**
Top Chef Masters will pit 24 world-renowned chefs against each other and see how well they fare in the tried and true format of Top Chef. In each episode, money will be at stake for the chefs, with the winners of eliminations being awarded cash donations for their charities. The first six episodes will consist of four chefs competing against each other to name one winner. The six winners of each episode will then meet up for the final four weeks when one person will get eliminated each episode until the finale where one winner is crowned Top Chef Master. The winning chef will receive $100,000 for the charity of their choice.

Each episode of Top Chef Masters holds two challenges for the chefs.The first is a twist on the classic Top Chef Quickfire Challenge which tests their basic abilities — for example in season 2 of Top Chef where the chef'testants had to create an amuse bouche out of items from a vending machine. Each Quickfire Challenge will be judged by a blind taste test and a five-star system, similar to fine dining reviews.

The second challenge is a more involved elimination challenge designed to test the versatility and invention of the chefs as they take on unique culinary trials such as working with unusual and exotic foods or catering for demanding clients. The food will be tasted and evaluated by the judges and a wide range of tasters for whom the challenge is aimed, whether it is patrons at a five-star restaurant or a room full of hungry kids — the food has to appeal to the diner as well as the critics if the chef is to survive.
**end of material from Bravotv.com

Here is the official site of the show:
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-masters/
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-masters/meet-the-top-chef-masters = Meet all the chefs!


Read some profiles (not all the chefs are listed here), see their picture and find out what charity they are playing for @
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/turning-up-the-heat-meet-the-top-chef-masters--386

from John's sister, Carole's blog, carolebarrowman.com:

Hello Torchsong fans!
I'm sure by now many of you have heard that John had an accident at his house in Cardiff. He fell and has torn all the ligaments in his ankle and is unable to attend the event this weekend. His doctor will not let him fly, and he can't stand for more than ten minutes or so at time. You all know John. I've spoken to him many times today. Not only is he sick about this turn of events and having to cancel his appearance, but also the fact that he's immobilized is making him nuts. Think about it. John not moving! He does plan to make an appearance via Sky/Chat during the weekend.

I told him we'd miss him lots, but we'd all still have fun. I'm coming for the entire weekend and Clare is coming for part of the time too.

See you tomorrow.

Carole


Tardis-Gal says, "Best wishes on a swift recovery."

Question: Any news on The Closer? --Debra
Ausiello: Big news: Someone's leaving the show! Kyra Sedgwick reveals that "a change in the squad" will come early into the new season (debuting June 8). "We lose a squad member," she says. "It'll be quick and painless, and it'll be soon." The departure is fitting given the overarching theme of the season: change. "The first and most obvious change is [Brenda's] married," Sedgwick says. "Which is a big thing. How do you live as an individual you defined yourself as and thought of yourself as and now you're attached to this other person? That's a big change for her." Also, ( VAGUE SPOILERS )

Question: Can you please give us some Burn Notice spoilers -- preferably about Michael and Fiona's relationship? --Jessica

Ausiello: I have a hunch Fi is going to need Michael more than ever in light of this exclusive casting scoop: Lipstick Jungle/The Dresden Files hottie Paul Blackthorne has been tapped to play ( SPOILER )