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11-04-2008, 02:23 AM
NEWS OF THE WEEK FOR NOV. 03, 2008
Watch New Potter VI Trailer!
A new international teaser trailer has gone live for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, with footage not seen in the U.S. teaser trailer. The movie, based on the sixth of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, opens July 17, 2009. (Thanks to TrailerAddict.com. (http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/harry-potter-and-half-blood-prince/feature-trailer))
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Mendes To Helm Preacher
Sam Mendes will direct a big-screen adaptation of the supernatural graphic novel Preacher for Columbia Pictures, Variety reported.
Created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, the graphic novel focuses on the preacher of a Texas town, who is struggling to get by and is driven only by his strong moral sense. When the city is decimated by an otherworldly force, he embarks on a journey across the country to take on the evil.
The supernatural project is a departure for Mendes, who is best known for tackling suburban angst in such films as American Beauty
The 75-issue Preacher series, which ran from 1995-2000, has been lauded with numerous kudos, including four Eisner Awards.
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7 Sexy Sci-Fi Girl Costumes!
Girls, looking for a costume that will make you look hot while cementing your SF geek cred?
Forget Iron Man's sidekick, Pepper Potts, or the latest version of Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight or The Mummy's Evelyn O'Connell. All boring.
Try these seven cool costumes--some classic, some new.
Female Darth Vader: There are two basic options here. Get a black Darth helmet and a black catsuit for the sexy look, or get a black Darth helmet and some pink spray paint for a more ironic touch. Neither one is too hard, but we personally like the (ahem) sexy version.
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Femtrooper: If George Lucas had a few sexy femtroopers in Episodes I-III, maybe they would not have sucked so badly. The bad news is that this costume can be kind of hard to pull together, but the good news is there are amazing directions online (http://www.studiocreations.com/howto/stormtrooper/index.html) for making stormtrooper outfits.
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Princess Leia, Slave Girl: Leia's slave girl costume never goes out of vogue because, well, it's Leia in a slave-girl costume! What's not to like? And this one isn't too hard to make. If you have a brown or gold bikini, a chain and something you can use as a loin cloth, your most of the way there already. Add some hair styling and a few gold bangles, and you're ready for a night out with the Hutts.
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Leeloo: Second only to the slave version for sexiness and everlasting appeal is the Leeloo outfit from The Fifth Element. This one is the easiest to make ... some form of not-too-sticky white tape and an orange wig are all you need, along with maybe a year at the gym in advance of when you're going to "wear" this "costume."
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Samus Aran: If you want to really turn heads and score points with the video-game crowd, then Samus Aran is the way to go. This beautiful bounty hunter one-ups even the beloved Boba Fett in terms of having a bad-ass costume. We admit we're a little sketchy on the details of how to make this one. Um, maybe start with some cardboard or something?
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Starbuck: Of course this one's near and dear to our hearts, and it also happens to be easy to make! In fact, we're not even sure why you'd buy this costume for $39 (http://www.urban-collector.com/stcobagabsg.html) when all you need are some black pants, a gray T-shirt, a black tank top and some dog tags to complete your ensemble. It's easy! Make it! So say we all!
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Alien Queen, disco version: Take the alien queen from Aliens and add in a silver catsuit and some stiletto heels, and we're not sure what exactly you end up with, but we really really like it! The only part that baffles us is how she made the tail. Hm, seems like further investigation is required, and probably fun too.
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Straczynski Updating Forbidden
Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, who also wrote Clint Eastwood's upcoming Changeling, is writing a long-in-the-works update of the SF classic Forbidden Planet for Warner Brothers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Joel Silver is producing via Silver Pictures.
Warner picked up the project on the down-low earlier this year. As late as last year, it was set up at DreamWorks, with David Twohy attached to direct. Prior to that, New Line had it. James Cameron, Nelson Gidding and Stirling Silliphant have been associated with the remake over the years.
Released in 1956, Planet told the tale of an expedition sent from Earth to check on a colony of scientists on a far-off planet. They find two members, a man who has found alien technology that doubled his intellect, Dr. Morbius, and his daughter, both of whom have managed to survive an unseen monster roaming the planet. The movie is loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest.
The movie, directed by Fred Wilcox, starred Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen, but is perhaps best known for the character Robbie the Robot.
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Horrors! 10 Best Blu-ray Fright Flicks
Horror movie fans: Blu-ray is the greatest gift to Halloween since carved pumpkins. With the following new high-definition discs, you'll revel in every drop of zombie blood, marvel at the clarity of the massive head wounds, wonder how you ever tolerated low-resolution dismemberment.
Our recommendations for the best Blu-ray shockers:
1. Evil Dead II. OK, how the heck did they make this old movie look so good? It was just Sam Raimi and his buddies out in the woods! Anchor Bay's Blu-ray has such clarity that it looks like Bruce Campbell is backflipping right in your living room. There are a few shots that look like mere film stock, but since 90 percent of this restoration shows off gritty cabin debris and bright red and green blood (depending on human or demon victim), it is an amazing hi-def achievement.
2. Dawn of the Dead. George Romero's original also falls into the category of how the heck did they get a movie this old to look so good? The setting and fashions are definitely of the '70s, but it's so clear it's like looking through a time portal into the era of plaid shirts and moustaches. The colors are bit more muted, since the main setting is a drab mall, but the details are sharp: everything from scuff marks on the floor to chewed-up human flesh between the zombies' teeth.
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Dawn of the Dead
3. Beetlejuice. Warner Brothers has been doing a fantastic job of remastering their catalog titles to make them look superior to even new releases. Even though Tim Burton's ghostly comedy was shot on simple 35mm film more than 20 years ago, they've brought the colors of his surreal afterlife vividly to life. Check out the colors in the desert outside the front door or in the afterlife waiting room. All the hand-crafted details of the prosthetic makeup work are highlighted in this new release.
4. John Carpenter's The Thing. Here's another case of the wows for a nearly 30-year-old film, which looks so clear you might actually believe Kurt Russell is still that young. The snowbound setting of this alien fright-fest are especially tasty: Marvel at the details in the white powder, as well as the science station and its day-to-day wear and tear. Because so much of the film is dimly lit, The Thing also exemplifies Blu-ray's ability to show clarity in low light.
5. Alien vs. Predator: Requiem. Not a terrific movie, it may nevertheless be the shiniest movie on Blu-ray so far. Between the alien scales, Predator armor and metallic industrial settings of the film, everything just shines light off the screen. The original Predator is already available in a substandard Blu-ray version. Let's hope that this AVP:R release augurs a remastered Blu-ray Alien quadrilogy.
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Alien vs. Predator: Requiem
6. The Fly. David Cronenberg's classic 1980s SF movie is stunning in this restoration. Every detail of Jeff Goldbum's mutating Brundlefly comes through sharply, and those big '80s hairdos are equally scary. Also dimly lit, this film benefits from Blu-ray's ability to distinguish the subtle gradations of dark and light often found in the best horror movies.
7. I Am Legend. This vision of the apocalypse is so clear that you believe New York will really look like this a few years after everyone dies. The lush colors of greenery penetrate the cold, crisp cityscape. There's plenty of detail visible in all the crumbling buildings. And Robert Neville's (Will Smith) bright red car radiates as it rips through the solitary city.
8. The Mist. Frank Darabont's visualization of Stephen King's scary novella features striking visuals, considering its mundane supermarket setting. When the monsters creep in, they add a gory dash of color, but even the shelves scattered with colorful cereal boxes add vibrant highlights. The film's action lights up other scattered action scenes with bursts of orange flame.
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9. Pan's Labyrinth. Guillermo del Toro's intense vision of childhood fantasy is a prime candidate for home-theater demos. Set in the lush Spanish countryside, the real-world scenes provide lots of detail. But it is the fantasy that shines brightest: Blu-ray brings to vivid life the movie's glowing fairies and slimy toads. You'll want to freeze the frames of Doug Jones' Faun and Pale Man to study every detail of the fantastical makeup.
10. Cloverfield. Blu-ray adds even more realism to this SF monster movie's faux handheld video camera. The disc doesn't push the colors to surreal levels or amp the clarity beyond that of a typical consumer camcorder. When the Statue of Liberty's head flies into frame, it looks like a tourist camera shot it. When the monster rips through the background, it looks like some dude just got it as he was running away. Since that was the artist's intent, the Blu-ray delivers completely. --Fred Topel
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Cloverfield
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Hunters Prepare To Go Live
The Ghost Hunters (http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters/) guys are hoping to scare up some serious spooks during their live Halloween special, but even if they come up empty, it's gotta be more exciting than Geraldo Rivera's legendary Al Capone bust, right? We're just asking.
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, who appear together on the SCI FI Channel reality hit, will do their thing live on Oct. 31 as they revisit an old, ahem, haunt: the historic Fort Delaware in Delaware City, Del. Thousands of prisoners of war died there during the Civil War, and the Ghost Hunters captured several paranormal activites on camera during their previous investigation, which aired in June.
Hawes and Wilson recently spoke to reporters during a conference call promoting Ghost Hunters Live, which SCI FI Channel will air on Halloween from 7 p.m to 2 a.m. Followed are edited excerpts from the conversation.
So, we've got to ask about the dangers of going live, given the ghost of Geraldo Rivera and Al Capone's vault.
Jason Hawes: Of course, we hope that all the ghosts come out to play, but we can't guarantee that. These things don't work on cue. But, you know, only time will tell. We're just going to pretty much investigate like we investigate and see what comes out of it. You got something to add to that, Grant?
Grant Wilson: All we can do is just investigate like we always do and pull out all our techniques. And, you know, our audience is kind of aware that it doesn't happen all the time. So if nothing happens, ... hopefully we can instruct them in some kind of debunking technique or something and keep it interesting. But we will have some friends on the show that are inexperienced, which should keep it interesting. They should have a lot of questions and probably get spooked out, so it should be good.
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You guys in the past have talked about how the past of a location has a lot to do with what's going on there in the present. Can you talk a bit more about that element and how it applies to what you do?
Grant Wilson: We like to just kind of hear what the stories are of the people who were there and then research the history later. But we've found, interestingly enough, that a newer building can be just as haunted as an old building with a checkered past. So ... the places that have more tragedy to them, unfortunately, seem to have a little bit more activity. But you never know. So that's why we always take places we've already investigated for the live show, because we know there's activity there. We've already "built a rapport" with what may be there. Fort Delaware hasn't really seen too much action as far as battles, though. It was mostly accidents; most of the deaths there were due to accidents. But nonetheless, it was a prison camp at one point, and that's always miserable.
You're going to be filling six hours on Halloween. Give us a breakdown of what's live, what's not, and what viewers who tune in the whole time can expect to see.
Jason Hawes: We're just going to head around [the fort]. We've got Amanda Tapping with us, the rest of the [Atlantic Paranormal Society] guys [and] some of our close friends from GHI, Ghost Hunters International (http://www.scifi.com/ghi/). And I think it's just a really interesting location and a lot of ground to cover. So I honestly think it's going to be a good night. Whether we catch something or not, it's just going to be a wild night. It really is. What do you think, Grant?
Grant Wilson: I think it's going to be an interesting location because it is on an island, and so we have to barge everything over there. Once we're there we can be completely uninterrupted. There's no chance of any kind of c
ontamination or anything like that. But as far as how we're going to spend the time, I don't know. ... Maybe we'll play some cards. We'll see.
Jason Hawes: I believe a part of the episode the first hour--because it's a total of seven hours long--I think they're going to show what it took to make this happen, be able to get in there and do this live show. They're going to show how much chaos [there was] trying to get the actual trailers over to the island and everything else. So that should be interesting.
During the live special, the panic button (http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters/live/) will be back in play, right?
Grant Wilson: We actually pull the audience in as part of it, where they can go online. They can watch special camera angles online. They can report activity.
Jason Hawes: The panic button, yeah.
Grant Wilson: [The audience] has a panic button, which was pressed, I don't know, tens of thousands of times last time when people think they see stuff. And then if it's legitimate, we'll go investigate. And so it's more than just watching it. You actually are interacting and somewhat investigating with us. --Ian Spelling
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Watch Angels & Demons Teaser!
Columbia Pictures has revealed the new teaser trailer for Angels & Demons, the prequel to the hit supernatural thriller The Da Vinci Code. Based on Dan Brown's best-selling book, Angels & Demons reunites director Ron Howard with star Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. The movie opens May 15, 2009.
The trailer also hints at a viral Web site, AltarsofScience.com (http://altarsofscience.com/), and the official movie Web site (http://www.angelsanddemons.com/) leads to a Path of Illumination contest.
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Playwright Penning Spidey 4
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) is in final negotiations to write Spider-Man 4 for Columbia Pictures, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back as director and star, as are series producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad. Kirsten Dunst also is expected to return for the latest movie featuring the Marvel Comics character.
The plot details are under lock and key.
Columbia always has gone off the beaten path during the development process when hiring writers for the Spider-Man movies. Alvin Sargent, a veteran scribe best known for 1973's Paper Moon and 1980's Ordinary People, served as a writer on the second and third films. Michael Chabon, another Pulitzer winner, also worked on Spider-Man 2.
James Vanderbilt previously wrote a draft of Spider-Man 4.
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Zombie Fest: Dead And Loving It
If there's a zombie mecca, then the Monvroevill Mall in this small Pennsylvania town is it. It's the site of George A. Romero's classic Dawn of the Dead--and it's where SCI FI Wire's John Joseph Adams found himself fleeing (OK, palling around with) the ravenous undead at Zombie Fest 2008 last weekend.
The second annual gathering draws lovers of all things zombie like a barrel of fresh brains. Attendees included fans and purveyors of zombie entertainment: authors, actors, makeup artists, etc.
This year's guest of honor was Dawn of the Dead star Ken Foree, who uttered one of the genre's most famous lines: "When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth."
Others in attendance included Day of the Dead star Joe Pilato ("Captain Rhodes") and Leonard Lies ("Machete Zombie" from Dawn of the Dead).
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Stoker Award winners Gary A. Braunbeck (Coffin County) and Kim Paffenroth (Dying to Live) showed up, joined by small-press publishers Creeping Hemlock Press and horror novelists J.L. Bourne, Wade Hunter and Scott A. Johnson. Not to mention the editor of the zombie anthology The Living Dead--me. That's right, I was on hand to hock my wares to the unsuspecting public and photograph and document the Zombie Fest spectacle for SCI FI Wire.
The weekend kicked off with a "Zombie Masquerade Ball" on Friday night at a nearby country club. There was booze, dancing and a silent auction of various zombie memorabilia for charity. Dressing in zombie regalia was encouraged but not required, though most in attendance did come in their rotting best. A costume contest concluded the evening, judged by Foree and Pilato.
Saturday was the big day, with panel discussions and vendor booths. Stuck at my vendor's table, I didn't get to see any of the panels, but several zombies visited me, all of whom I attempted to photograph, with mixed success, and attempted to sell books to, also with mixed success. About 50 feet from my vendor area was the hallway seen in Dawn of the Dead in which our heroes take refuge at a critical moment in the film.
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The main event for Zombie Fest came on Sunday, World Zombie Day, in the form of a Zombie Walk in which hundreds of horror fans put on hideous makeup and shambled through the mall. Though zombie walks take place in nearly 50 cities around the country, Zombie Fest set the Guinness World Record for largest zombie walk last year, and this year's walk--with an estimated 1,375 undead participants--promises to surpass that milestone. --John Joseph Adams
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Madagascar Penguins Do More
Tom McGrath--who co-directed the animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa with Eric Darnell--said that the film's talking penguins naturally evolved into a larger role in the sequel. The fan favorites from the first Madagascar have already had their own short on the Madgascar DVD, and a new animated series based on the hit characters is in the works for 2009 (see below).
"Skipper has 70 lines, so that's more than the first one by 30," McGrath said in a group interview on Oct. 25 in Beverly Hills, Calif. "They are part of the story more in this one. They're engaged with our main characters more than the first one. they had their own mission going to Antarctica and back, so there wasn't as much opportunity."
In the sequel, the penguins pilot a plane that takes the group of animals from Madagascar to Africa. After crash-landing, they spend the film repairing the vehicle.
"When you're juggling, like, 15, 20 characters, you have a wealth of ideas and comedy beats and stuff," McGrath said. "The trick to these movies is that each character could have their own movie, and it's just really what works with the core story and the pacing of the movie. So whatever's funny we'll keep in. We'll cut stuff out, though, if there's too much."
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In a separate interview, producer Mireille Soria described the upcoming Nickelodeon series, The Penguins of Madagascar.
"It takes place in the Central Park zoo," Soria said in a group interview. " King Julien, Maurice and Mort." The chimpanzees also co-star in the series.
Since busy movie stars Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer and Andy Richter voice the lemurs, the show's producers had to recast those roles.
"Sacha is not doing it," Soria said. "A really great actor, Danny Jacobs, is doing King Julien."
Jacobs has experience doing Cohen's voice, since he played a parody of Borat in [I]Epic Movie. McGrath will continue to voice Skipper the penguin in the TV series. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa opens Nov. 7. The Penguins of Madagascar begins airing in March. --Fred Topel
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Q&A: Legend Star Horner
Lucy Lawless, Kevin Sorbo, Gina Torres ... and Craig Horner?
Producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi have a knack for choosing talent, as they tapped Lawless for Xena: Warrior Princess, Sorbo for Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Torres for Cleopatra 2525. And then there's Horner, the handsome Aussie actor the producers chose for their latest syndicated fantasy TV show, Legend of the Seeker.
Based on Terry Goodkind's novel Wizard's First Rule, Legend of the Seeker stars Horner as the title Seeker, a figure of prophecy who--with the help of a wizard (Bruce Spence as Zedd) and a powerful and gorgeous Confessor (Bridget Regan as Kahlan)--is destined to save his people and their world from the clutches of evil.
The following are edited excerpts of SCI FI Wire's interview with Horner. Legend of the Seeker debuts in syndication on the weekend of Nov. 1.
What, if anything, did you know about Wizard's First Rule?
Horner: When I first heard about the audition, I didn't know much, but I have a friend who's a writer, and he's a big fan of the books. He was like, "Dude, dude, you have to do this. It's amazing." He'd read four or five of the books in the series, and he couldn't stop raving about it. Then I went and picked up the book, and I fell in love with the book myself. It's fantastic, a great book.
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So what interested you about Richard?
Horner: He's a great character, man. What you see is what you get with him. He doesn't like dishonesty. He's so truthful. And the only thing he's been taught to reserve his whole life is his anger, and he can release that once he starts to get hold of this Sword of Truth. A Sword of Truth and a Seeker go hand in hand, and so once he finds this he can unveil all those emotions that he's been holding in so long. As an actor, you like that. He's a good character to play. There's light and dark, you know?
What will we see post-pilot?
Horner: After that pilot we're in a land of magic, and anything goes. What's great about this series is that while it will have a narrative and arc over the 22 episodes, a start and a finish, each episode is self-contained. We just go to a new place each time, and we meet new characters each time, and we get into new trouble each time that we've got to get out of. So it'll be cool.
So much of the show revolves around his interactions and relationships with Kahlan and Zedd?
Horner: They're great relationships. He gets taken through this world of magic that he's never seen, that he's only heard about, because the are two worlds that are separated by a magical boundary. No one's allowed in, and no one's allowed out, so he's seeing everything for the first time. And the audience is seeing it for the first time. So his relationships with Kahlan and Zedd, he literally meets them in episode one. You will go along with them on the ride as these characters get closer and closer and go through more and more adventures together.
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Craig Horner and Bridget Regan star in Legend of the Seeker.
How are you enjoying working with Bridget and Bruce?
Horner: Well, Bridget, I can't speak more highly of her. She's really, really good. We're both foreigners to New Zealand. I'm Australian, and Australia and New Zealand are completely different countries, even though they're quite close to each other. And with Bridget being American, we were on our own in this country. Not now, really, because we're making friends. But she and I bonded with that, and Richard and Kahlan need to have that "You guys are on your own" as well. So she's great. She's fantastic. Bruce is an Australian icon. He's an industry legend. I knew about him from a very early age, because I'm very heavily into Australian films. So working with him, with someone of that caliber, is just fantastic. You learn even by being around him, and he's perfect for Zedd, because Zedd is this goofy, wise old man, and Bruce will bring out these gold, gruff pointers and then at the same time put on some sunglasses and wear his hair out and be like, "Hey, man, just chill, man. It's cool, man." He's great. He's a barrel of laughs. --Ian Spelling
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Studios Vie For EA's Hell Game
Four studios are in a high-stakes bidding battle for film rights to a new hell-themed video game from Electronic Arts that hasn't even been publicly announced yet, Variety reported.
The game, which is expected to launch late next year, involves a journey through the depths of hell. EA hasn't officially titled it yet, though sources told the trade paper it's likely to be called Dante's Inferno, as it's a modern interpretation of the epic poem. The publisher has reportedly cleared that title for usage.
EA declined to comment, as did its reps at UTA, which will broker the movie deal.
By Thursday evening, Universal, Paramount, New Regency and MGM were battling for the property, after Warner Brothers dropped out earlier in the day.
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Cyndere Pits Beauty Against Beast
Fantasy author Jeffrey Overstreet told SCI FI Wire that his latest novel, Cyndere's Midnight--the sequel to Auralia's Colors--was inevitable, since his least favorite English-language phrase is "The End."
"When I finished Auralia's Colors, I wanted to turn around, go back and explore the questions that were left unanswered," Overstreet said in an interview. "There were so many characters I wanted to get to know better, and some who I'd left stranded in trouble."
Cyndere's Midnight is the story of a beauty and a beast--or, rather, a beauty and a whole pack of murderous beasts. "The beast is called Jordam; he's one of the half-human/half-monsters from the corrupt, crooked people of House Cent Regus," Overstreet said. "He and his three brothers are a dangerous pack of predators, prowling about the Expanse. But Jordam has encountered Auralia's colors, and the experience changed him, lighting a feeble glimmer of conscience within him. When Jordam meets Cyndere, things get interesting."
Cyndere is the daughter of House Bel Amica's queen. "And her world is falling apart," Overstreet said. "Her husband was slain, her father drowned at sea, and her mother is controlled by malevolent wizards called 'Seers.' So she seeks solitude and solace at her favorite Bel Amican outpost, hoping for solitude and a time to grieve."
The woods, the creatures and the labyrinths of the novel's world came to Overstreet while he was exploring the natural world around him. "Nature, like art, speaks not just to the intellect, but also to the conscience and the heart," he said. "Something speaks to me when I stand at the edge of Puget Sound's glory, just 10 minutes from my house, or when I hike through the woods beside Flathead Lake in Montana, or when I spend time in the desert outside of Santa Fe. It changes me. I want to explore that mystery in these stories."
The world of the beastmen took Overstreet by surprise. "As I explored a world in which beautiful things have become distorted and corrupt, I began to think about how vulnerable we are to similar corruption," he said. "The poisonous nature of fear, pride and appetite are reflected in nature's own afflictions. It took shape in a backward kind of way--but as I wrote down the details of this wasteland, I found myself thinking about spiritual realities." --John Joseph Adams
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Set Report: Friday The 13th
It's dark. It's hot. Silhouetted trees loom over the park like monsters. Insects buzz in the grass.
A group of campers carrying sleeping bags heads to Camp Crystal Lake. Someone yells: "You're damned! ... Don't go to Camp Blood!" Then they laugh hysterically.
It's not a movie. It's the set of Friday the 13th, and the idiots doing the yelling are actually reporters shouting at visitors last June on the movie's set in Austin, Texas. SCI FI Wire was there.
During a visit to the set, reporters watched the filmmakers (who included director Marcus Nispel of Pathfinder) shoot scenes in which Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears) chases the film's protagonists, Clay (Supernatural's Jared Padalecki) and Whitney (Amanda Righetti), through an abandoned school bus at Camp Crystal Lake. The movie is a remake, re-imagining and reboot of the original 1980 film and its sequels and incorporates elements from the other movies to re-introduce Jason Voorhees to a new generation.
The set is outdoors, in Old Settlers Park outside Austin. It's night. Cranes hold overhead lights that illuminate a copse of trees, under which lies the abandoned school bus, overturned on its left side, overgrown with weeds.
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The scene's action takes place within and on top of the bus. Jason--hockey mask, torn shirt, ratty pants--chases Clay and Whitney. They scream, claw, try to crawl away.
"I think I scream more than I talk in this movie," Righetti says wryly. "There's a lot of screaming and, you know, some dialogue, but yes, definitely a lot of screaming."
In one shot, Jason smashes Clay's face through a bus window. Over and over. Although it's fake glass, and Jason's not really using that much force, it's still Jared Padalecki's real face going through that window.
Between takes, Mears as Jason pals around with the reporters, who are only too eager to check him out. Mears' makeup is intense: it includes latex-foam prosthetics over his entire head, neck and torso to give the muscular actor Jason's signature scarring and stringy hair, as well as a scoliosis-like hump.
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Mears, a 6-foot-5 stunt actor, is the opposite of his character. Gracious, friendly, he shakes hands all around: "Very pleased to meet you." He poses for pictures. It's disconcerting to have Jason Voorhees grab your neck, machete raised, even if it's just for a photo op.
Mears certainly looks the part. Over his makeup prosthetics, Mears wears a torn and dirty T-shirt, weathered brown pants and boots and a ragged hooded fatigue jacket. Finishing off the ensemble: a long machete in an improvised holster made from a horse bit.
Producer Brad Fuller explains the approach to the new Friday the 13th: "I think that what we added is we made Jason Voorhees a really viable killer again," he says. "And he doesn't teleport; he's not supernatural, he's not 8 feet tall. He's a real person who lives in the woods, and these kids stumble across what he considers to be his own place, and they pay a price for it. And he's ruthless." Friday the 13th opens Friday the 13th of February 2009. --Patrick Lee, News Editor (scifiwire@scifi.com)
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Tennant To Quit Doctor Who
David Tennant announced that he will quit as the title character in the BBC's Doctor Who, after becoming one of the most popular Time Lords in the history of the BBC science fiction show, the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7698539.stm) reported.
Tennant stepped into the TARDIS in 2005 and will leave the role after four special episodes are broadcast next year.
Tennant made the announcement after winning the outstanding drama performance prize at the National Television Awards. "When Doctor Who returns in 2010, it won't be with me," he said. (Tennant speaks about his time on the venerable show in a video on the BBC Web site (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7698815.stm).)
Rumors have already begun as to who will play the next incarnation of the Doctor, including Paterson Joseph (http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=61490), David Morrisey, James Nesbitt and John Simm.
Tennant, the 10th actor to play the Doctor, left fans guessing about his return at the end of the latest season. In the last episode, which aired in the United Kingdom in July, the Doctor had to defeat his enemies, the Daleks, to save the universe. Almost 10 million people watched as the Time Lord apparently started the process of regeneration--but did not complete it.
Tennant will appear in a Christmas special, titled "The Next Doctor," before filming four more specials in January.
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We Rate Returning SF TV Series
Yikes! And you think the economy is bad. Imagine being a network executive these days. Much like the vanishing honeybees, television viewers seems to have evaporated, and shows across the spectrum are struggling. In fact, the networks are bleeding as they thrash about trying to figure out how to bring viewers back to their favorite shows.
In this second of two stories, we take a look at how returning SF&F series are doing this fall, grading them from best to worst.
[I]Ghost Hunters (http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters/) (SCI FI) Premiered with 2.7 million viewers. Last week, 3.2 million viewers. The future's so bright, these ghost hunters will have to wear shades. Last week our favorite ghost-hunting plumbers reached a series high, which is great news leading into their big live Halloween investigation special (http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=61792). And beyond spawning a successful sequel in Ghost Hunters International, SCI FI just announced it has ordered a pilot for Ghost Hunters: College Edition, in which seasoned investigators lead a group of college students in the hunt for ghosts. Can you say "franchise"? Or, heck, let's just have the Ghost Hunting Channel. Grade: A
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The Ghost Hunters: Jason Hawes (left) and Grant Wilson. (Chris Kontoes for SCI FI )
Ghost Whisperer (CBS) Premiered with 9.31 million viewers. Last week, 9.95 million viewers. While the series hasn't been able to crack 10 million viewers this year, it's come close enough that it is the highest-rated series on Friday nights. And this is one of the few shows that has actually increased viewers since last year on the networks. Grade: B+
Supernatural (The CW) Premiered with 3.96 million viewers. Last week, 3.25 million viewers. Supernatural has also done well this season, increasing in total viewers from last season. This male-oriented show also has seen a dramatic increase among women 18-49, which is very good. And the show did it all in the toughest timeslot on television. Grade: B
Smallville (The CW) Premiered with 4.38 million viewers. Last week, 4.22 million viewers. Down a bit from last season, Smallville is still looking like a champ, compared with The CW's other low-rated programming. It may not be as shiny as it once was, but what show would be as it delves into its eighth season? Ratings should be good enough for another year--if The CW doesn't collapse completely. It's unlikely the network will find another show that can be competitive on Thursday nights with viewers as loyal as those for Smallville. Grade: B-
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Tom Welling as Clark Kent in Smallville. (Michael Courtney for The CW)
Heroes (NBC) Premiered with 9.89 million viewers. Last week, 8.46 million viewers. How the mighty have fallen. While Heroes premiered last year with 16.97 million viewers, the series has taken a significant hit. One bright spot is that the show does very well in DVR viewings later in the week. The bad news is that most of those people don't watch commercials. It's doubtful Heroes is in danger of cancellation at this point, but the show's hit status has vanished. Grade: C (NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.)
Chuck (NBC) Premiered with 6.48 million viewers. Last week, 6.7 million viewers. You've got to love a show about a sweet and adorable nerd who ends up accidentally becoming a spy, and NBC loved it enough in its second season to give it a full-season pickup before it even premiered. Unfortunately, viewers have not been flocking to the series, which is down significantly from last year, and if NBC didn't have other problems, Chuck would be in big trouble. Grade: C-
Eli Stone (ABC) Premiered with 8.82 million viewers. Last week, 8.51 million viewers. Poor Eli Stone! So far it's having a great season creatively, but it's viewer-challenged. Viewers show up at the start of the show, most likely thanks to the Dancing With the Stars Results Show, and then leave by 10:30 p.m. The drop of more than 2 million viewers within an episode is not a good sign. The only saving grace is that Eli's doing better than Thursday's Life on Mars and many of ABC's other 10 p.m. shows. Grade: D+
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox) Premiered with 6.34 million viewers. Last week, 5.34 million viewers. Tough times for this tough series. Sarah premiered last year with more than 10 million viewers. The earlier timeslot hasn't been kind to the series, however, and viewer erosion has been significant. It might be time to give Sarah a tryout in a different timeslot before scrapping this promising series altogether. Grade: D
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Charley (Dean Winters, left) and Derek (Brian Austin Green, right) help Sarah (Lena Headey). (Michael Desmond for Fox)
Pushing Daisies (ABC) Premiered with 6.32 million viewers. Last week, 5.67 million viewers. And then there's the sad case of Pushing Daisies. Last season the show premiered with more than 13 million viewers delighting in the colorful and creative series. Unfortunately, here we are: a great series filled with potential that probably won't last out the season. Too bad. Grade: D-
But that's not all, folks! Headed our way, there are plenty of returning series to embrace, including Lost, Medium and Reaper, which are all set to premiere during midseason. --Kathie Huddleston
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Long Earth Stood Still Trailer Here!
Yahoo! Movies has posted a new five-minute trailer for the upcoming remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, featuring previously unseen footage, including more shots of the updated Gort.
The film, an update of the classic 1950s SF cautionary tale, stars Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, Jon Hamm and Kyle Chandler. It opens Dec. 12.
'The Day the Earth Stood Still' 5 Minute Trailer (http://au.video.yahoo.com/watch/3810106/10430112) @ Yahoo!7 Video (http://au.video.yahoo.com/)
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Brains! 10 Best Zombie Games Ever
Video-gamers love zombies. Zombies are ideal for guilt-free slaughter. You can kill a hundred of these guys, popping their skulls like bloated ticks, and no one will mind. After all, it's not like you're killing anyone, since they're already dead. Plus, zombies aren't the least bit cute, so they rarely get any sympathy.
In honor of Halloween, our sister site, fidgit (http://fidgit.com/archives/2008/10/ten-best-zombie-games-of-all-time.php), has posted a list of the top 10 zombie video games ever (http://fidgit.com/archives/2008/10/ten-best-zombie-games-of-all-time.php). Just don't marry one.
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Final Twilight HD Trailer Is Here!
The final trailer is live for Twilight, the upcoming teen vampire movie based on Stephenie Meyer's best-seller, in HD. The movie opens Nov. 21.
Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer
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Tyro Helmer Scares Up Haunting
Mickey Liddell, who makes his directorial debut with the upcoming supernatural horror film The Haunting of Molly Hartley, told SCI FI Wire that it was time to step behind the camera after years of producing such movies and television programs as Go, Jack & Bobby and Everwood</I>--and to do so with a scary movie.
"I'd decided a couple of years ago that if I didn't kind of branch off and [direct] that, I would never do it," Liddell said in an interview. "And I've always loved horror movies, since I was a kid. The ones that really scared me were The Omen and The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby and Carrie and The Shining; all of the ones that really got under your skin. So I thought it would be a great genre to get into."
Liddell said he found a perfect match in The Haunting of Molly Hartley, which follows the plight of the title character, played by Haley Bennett. Molly is a teen whose mother (Marin Hinkle) tried to kill her years earlier. Now Molly is at a new school and seeking a fresh start, but her past--and future--are about to haunt her.
"I'd loved working with teens on everything from Go to Everwood, and when I saw the Molly Hartley script I thought, 'This is really something I can do,'" Liddell said. "I felt like I could jump into it. It's a supernatural thriller, and what I kept going with the whole time I was working on the script [drafts with the writers], and when I was on the set, was that what's happening to Molly is happening to girls when they're turning 18. They're going out into the world, and they're becoming women. Everything is changing, their lives are changing, and they don't know what the next chapter in their life is going to be."
Liddell added, "And for Molly, things are happening that are a lot bigger and a lot scarier than just going out into the world. She's questioning her own sanity, and she's questioning 'Is this really happening to me?' And, of course, we find out that a lot more has happened. A deal has been made that on her 18th birthday her soul will belong to the devil. So, for Molly, things are a little bigger than for most girls turning 18. And she has to figure out who's on her side and how she can stop it." The Haunting of Molly Hartley, which also stars Chace Crawford, Jake Weber and AnnaLynne McCord, opens nationwide on Halloween. --Ian Spelling
Seeker Spins New Tales
Bridget Regan, star of the upcoming syndicated fantasy TV show Legend of the Seeker, told SCI FI Wire that episodes will spin one-off stories while following the basic trajectory of the fantasy book Wizard's First Rule, on which the show is based. Wizard's First Rule is the first in author Terry Goodkind's The Sword of Truth series.
Regan (New Amsterdam) plays Kahlan, a beautiful, mysterious and powerful Confessor who joins forces with a wizard named Zedd (Bruce Spence) to protect Richard (Craig Horner). Richard is a young man who discovers that he's a prophesied Seeker, tasked with saving his world from the tyrannical Darken Rahl (Craig Parker). Together with Kahlan and Zedd, Richard sets about fulfilling his destiny.
"One of my favorite things about the show is that it changes, and because Richard and Kahlan's relationship is being stretched and pulled and challenged every week, we're put into these situations, whether it be searching down this villain or saving one another from a sticky situation," Regan said in an interview. "I have to protect Richard on the way to getting to this guy who's really an evil dictator trying to gain control over the land, and each week we face different challenges."
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Bridget Regan and Craig Horner star in Legend of the Seeker.
The villains will vary from week to week, Regan added. "Sometimes it may be a sorceress that's captured one of us or declared a prophecy that's going to come true," she said. "We're always pushing things to the limit and seeing how much we can take, how much we can handle. Every day it feels like it's the end of the world, and it's so intense, and the stakes are always so high. And I love that, because it means we have to keep fighting, we have to stay strong and keep pushing."
Viewers can expect mini-stories within the bigger one that is Wizard's First Rule. "The fans that come along for the whole ride will hopefully see that," Regan said, "but each episode is somewhat contained and has its own little beginning, middle and end." Legend of the Seeker, which is executive-produced by Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi, will premiere in first-run syndication the weekend of Nov. 1. --Ian Spelling
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Lost Season 5 Promo Found
ABC has posted a promo for the upcoming fifth season of Lost, which returns in early 2009.
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Princes Grace 007 Premiere
Princes William and Harry were on the London red carpet on Oct. 29 for the world premiere of the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, in which Daniel Craig reprises the role of superspy 007, the Reuters news service reported.
The 40-year-old actor and his co-stars were greeted by hundreds of fans and a sea of camera flashes in central London for the 22nd installment of the Bond franchise.
Craig showed up wearing a tuxedo with his right arm in a sling after a shoulder operation.
Quantum of Solace, which follows on directly from the plot of the last Bond movie, Casino Royale, will be released in British cinemas on Oct. 31 and hit theaters in key U.S. markets two weeks later, on Nov. 14.
The film's stars were joined by Prince William, second in line to the British throne, and younger brother Harry. The brothers have asked for proceeds from the night to benefit the charities Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion.
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Fantasy Outlander To Film?
Essential Pictures has launched development of Outlander as a potential movie franchise based on the Diana Gabaldon series of fantasy novels, Variety reported.
The new company's out to directors with an adaptation from Randall Wallace (Braveheart); the goal is to start production next spring.
Gabaldon's series of six novels center on an 18th-century Scottish Highlander and his time-traveling wife.
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Riddick, Ghostbusters Games Develop
Atari has bought rights to publish the video-game sequel to The Chronicles of Riddick and a new game based on Ghostbusters from Activision Blizzard, which declined to pick up the two projects after merging with Vivendi Games this summer, Variety reported.
The publisher confirmed it will release The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena this spring. It's a follow-up to Vivendi's 2005 movie tie-in Chronicles of Riddick: Escape at Butcher Bay, which sold decently worldwide and was critically acclaimed as one of the best-ever film-based games.
In addition to buying publishing rights to the game from Activision Blizzard, Atari has signed a new licensing deal with Universal that will let it continue Riddick as a video-game franchise. (Universal is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.com.)
Executives at Atari wouldn't comment on Ghostbusters, but sources close to the publisher confirmed to the trade paper that it is also picking up that game, with plans to publish it early next summer in conjunction with the film's 25th anniversary.
It's believed Atari has a similar licensing deal with Sony Pictures to produce further Ghostbusters games should the first one prove successful.
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<DIV class=content>How Did The Fall TV Shows Fare?
As the fall TV season hits its stride, the winners and losers have emerged, and it's a bloodbath out there. Ratings in general are horrible, and the major networks are still reeling from last year's writers' strike and a splintered viewership.
Three series have already been pulled from the airwaves, including CBS' The Ex List.
Herewith, the first of two SCI FI Wire assessments of how new and returning SF&F shows made the grade, in descending order. Today, we look at the new shows. Tomorrow, returning series.
(In the past, if a TV series was on one of the four big broadcast networks, it needed to bring in 10 million viewers or so to prove it was worthy. For The CW, the number was lower, and 3 million viewers did the trick. Oh, how things have changed!)
The Mentalist (CBS) Premiered with 15.55 million viewers. Last week, 15.29 million viewers. OK, he's a fake psychic, and it's not really science fiction, but we'll claim any show that does this well. It's the only certified hit for the new season, drawing great numbers against Fox's Fringe. Beyond that, it manages to keep 90 percent of its viewers from lead-in NCIS. That sounds like a match made in TV heaven. Grade: A+
Sanctuary (http://www.scifi.com/sanctuary/) (SCI FI) Premiered with 3 million viewers. Television's first mostly virtual series kicked off great, and it looks like a worthy successor to exiting SCI FI Friday shows Stargate Atlantis (http://www.scifi.com/atlantis/) and Battlestar Galactica (http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/). Grade: A
Eleventh Hour (CBS) Premiered with 11.59 million viewers. Last week, 12.16 million viewers. Not a hit, this show can't keep up with its lead-in CSI's big numbers. But it has built its audience and consistently does well against NBC's ER and ABC's Life on Mars. Whether the series will stay on Thursdays or be swapped with Tuesday's Without a Trace remains to be seen, but in this ratings environment those numbers look good. Grade: B+
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Rufus Sewell, who plays Dr. Jacob Hood in CBS' Eleventh Hour, between takes on the show's set at Warner Brothers on Sept. 22. (Enzo Giobbe)
Fringe (Fox) Premiered with 9 million viewers. Last week, 9.11 million viewers. This show had the most hype heading into the fall season, so the ratings have been a bit of a disappointment. Still, considering the implosion of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and some of Fox's other shows, 9 million-plus viewers seems pretty good. Grade: B
Knight Rider (NBC) Premiered with 7.3 million viewers. Last week, 7.23 million viewers. This lightweight show with apparent lightweight ratings wouldn't seem to be a keeper for NBC. But Knight Rider appeals strongly to the young male viewer, and that was good enough for a full-season pickup. Grade: C (NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.)
Life on Mars (ABC) Premiered with 11.6 million viewers. Last week, 8.06 million viewers. This British transplant got a strong sampling when it premiered and managed to beat out CBS' Eleventh Hour in a head-to-head ratings smackdown. Since then, it's been losing viewers each week, which is always a bad sign. Between Eli Stone on Tuesdays, Dirty Sexy Money on Wednesdays and Life on Mars on Thursdays, ABC is having a tough time in the 10 p.m. hour. Grade: D
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Watch New Potter VI Trailer!
A new international teaser trailer has gone live for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, with footage not seen in the U.S. teaser trailer. The movie, based on the sixth of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, opens July 17, 2009. (Thanks to TrailerAddict.com. (http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/harry-potter-and-half-blood-prince/feature-trailer))
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Mendes To Helm Preacher
Sam Mendes will direct a big-screen adaptation of the supernatural graphic novel Preacher for Columbia Pictures, Variety reported.
Created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, the graphic novel focuses on the preacher of a Texas town, who is struggling to get by and is driven only by his strong moral sense. When the city is decimated by an otherworldly force, he embarks on a journey across the country to take on the evil.
The supernatural project is a departure for Mendes, who is best known for tackling suburban angst in such films as American Beauty
The 75-issue Preacher series, which ran from 1995-2000, has been lauded with numerous kudos, including four Eisner Awards.
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7 Sexy Sci-Fi Girl Costumes!
Girls, looking for a costume that will make you look hot while cementing your SF geek cred?
Forget Iron Man's sidekick, Pepper Potts, or the latest version of Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight or The Mummy's Evelyn O'Connell. All boring.
Try these seven cool costumes--some classic, some new.
Female Darth Vader: There are two basic options here. Get a black Darth helmet and a black catsuit for the sexy look, or get a black Darth helmet and some pink spray paint for a more ironic touch. Neither one is too hard, but we personally like the (ahem) sexy version.
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Femtrooper: If George Lucas had a few sexy femtroopers in Episodes I-III, maybe they would not have sucked so badly. The bad news is that this costume can be kind of hard to pull together, but the good news is there are amazing directions online (http://www.studiocreations.com/howto/stormtrooper/index.html) for making stormtrooper outfits.
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Princess Leia, Slave Girl: Leia's slave girl costume never goes out of vogue because, well, it's Leia in a slave-girl costume! What's not to like? And this one isn't too hard to make. If you have a brown or gold bikini, a chain and something you can use as a loin cloth, your most of the way there already. Add some hair styling and a few gold bangles, and you're ready for a night out with the Hutts.
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Leeloo: Second only to the slave version for sexiness and everlasting appeal is the Leeloo outfit from The Fifth Element. This one is the easiest to make ... some form of not-too-sticky white tape and an orange wig are all you need, along with maybe a year at the gym in advance of when you're going to "wear" this "costume."
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Samus Aran: If you want to really turn heads and score points with the video-game crowd, then Samus Aran is the way to go. This beautiful bounty hunter one-ups even the beloved Boba Fett in terms of having a bad-ass costume. We admit we're a little sketchy on the details of how to make this one. Um, maybe start with some cardboard or something?
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Starbuck: Of course this one's near and dear to our hearts, and it also happens to be easy to make! In fact, we're not even sure why you'd buy this costume for $39 (http://www.urban-collector.com/stcobagabsg.html) when all you need are some black pants, a gray T-shirt, a black tank top and some dog tags to complete your ensemble. It's easy! Make it! So say we all!
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Alien Queen, disco version: Take the alien queen from Aliens and add in a silver catsuit and some stiletto heels, and we're not sure what exactly you end up with, but we really really like it! The only part that baffles us is how she made the tail. Hm, seems like further investigation is required, and probably fun too.
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Straczynski Updating Forbidden
Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, who also wrote Clint Eastwood's upcoming Changeling, is writing a long-in-the-works update of the SF classic Forbidden Planet for Warner Brothers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Joel Silver is producing via Silver Pictures.
Warner picked up the project on the down-low earlier this year. As late as last year, it was set up at DreamWorks, with David Twohy attached to direct. Prior to that, New Line had it. James Cameron, Nelson Gidding and Stirling Silliphant have been associated with the remake over the years.
Released in 1956, Planet told the tale of an expedition sent from Earth to check on a colony of scientists on a far-off planet. They find two members, a man who has found alien technology that doubled his intellect, Dr. Morbius, and his daughter, both of whom have managed to survive an unseen monster roaming the planet. The movie is loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest.
The movie, directed by Fred Wilcox, starred Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen, but is perhaps best known for the character Robbie the Robot.
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Horrors! 10 Best Blu-ray Fright Flicks
Horror movie fans: Blu-ray is the greatest gift to Halloween since carved pumpkins. With the following new high-definition discs, you'll revel in every drop of zombie blood, marvel at the clarity of the massive head wounds, wonder how you ever tolerated low-resolution dismemberment.
Our recommendations for the best Blu-ray shockers:
1. Evil Dead II. OK, how the heck did they make this old movie look so good? It was just Sam Raimi and his buddies out in the woods! Anchor Bay's Blu-ray has such clarity that it looks like Bruce Campbell is backflipping right in your living room. There are a few shots that look like mere film stock, but since 90 percent of this restoration shows off gritty cabin debris and bright red and green blood (depending on human or demon victim), it is an amazing hi-def achievement.
2. Dawn of the Dead. George Romero's original also falls into the category of how the heck did they get a movie this old to look so good? The setting and fashions are definitely of the '70s, but it's so clear it's like looking through a time portal into the era of plaid shirts and moustaches. The colors are bit more muted, since the main setting is a drab mall, but the details are sharp: everything from scuff marks on the floor to chewed-up human flesh between the zombies' teeth.
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Dawn of the Dead
3. Beetlejuice. Warner Brothers has been doing a fantastic job of remastering their catalog titles to make them look superior to even new releases. Even though Tim Burton's ghostly comedy was shot on simple 35mm film more than 20 years ago, they've brought the colors of his surreal afterlife vividly to life. Check out the colors in the desert outside the front door or in the afterlife waiting room. All the hand-crafted details of the prosthetic makeup work are highlighted in this new release.
4. John Carpenter's The Thing. Here's another case of the wows for a nearly 30-year-old film, which looks so clear you might actually believe Kurt Russell is still that young. The snowbound setting of this alien fright-fest are especially tasty: Marvel at the details in the white powder, as well as the science station and its day-to-day wear and tear. Because so much of the film is dimly lit, The Thing also exemplifies Blu-ray's ability to show clarity in low light.
5. Alien vs. Predator: Requiem. Not a terrific movie, it may nevertheless be the shiniest movie on Blu-ray so far. Between the alien scales, Predator armor and metallic industrial settings of the film, everything just shines light off the screen. The original Predator is already available in a substandard Blu-ray version. Let's hope that this AVP:R release augurs a remastered Blu-ray Alien quadrilogy.
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Alien vs. Predator: Requiem
6. The Fly. David Cronenberg's classic 1980s SF movie is stunning in this restoration. Every detail of Jeff Goldbum's mutating Brundlefly comes through sharply, and those big '80s hairdos are equally scary. Also dimly lit, this film benefits from Blu-ray's ability to distinguish the subtle gradations of dark and light often found in the best horror movies.
7. I Am Legend. This vision of the apocalypse is so clear that you believe New York will really look like this a few years after everyone dies. The lush colors of greenery penetrate the cold, crisp cityscape. There's plenty of detail visible in all the crumbling buildings. And Robert Neville's (Will Smith) bright red car radiates as it rips through the solitary city.
8. The Mist. Frank Darabont's visualization of Stephen King's scary novella features striking visuals, considering its mundane supermarket setting. When the monsters creep in, they add a gory dash of color, but even the shelves scattered with colorful cereal boxes add vibrant highlights. The film's action lights up other scattered action scenes with bursts of orange flame.
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9. Pan's Labyrinth. Guillermo del Toro's intense vision of childhood fantasy is a prime candidate for home-theater demos. Set in the lush Spanish countryside, the real-world scenes provide lots of detail. But it is the fantasy that shines brightest: Blu-ray brings to vivid life the movie's glowing fairies and slimy toads. You'll want to freeze the frames of Doug Jones' Faun and Pale Man to study every detail of the fantastical makeup.
10. Cloverfield. Blu-ray adds even more realism to this SF monster movie's faux handheld video camera. The disc doesn't push the colors to surreal levels or amp the clarity beyond that of a typical consumer camcorder. When the Statue of Liberty's head flies into frame, it looks like a tourist camera shot it. When the monster rips through the background, it looks like some dude just got it as he was running away. Since that was the artist's intent, the Blu-ray delivers completely. --Fred Topel
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Hunters Prepare To Go Live
The Ghost Hunters (http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters/) guys are hoping to scare up some serious spooks during their live Halloween special, but even if they come up empty, it's gotta be more exciting than Geraldo Rivera's legendary Al Capone bust, right? We're just asking.
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, who appear together on the SCI FI Channel reality hit, will do their thing live on Oct. 31 as they revisit an old, ahem, haunt: the historic Fort Delaware in Delaware City, Del. Thousands of prisoners of war died there during the Civil War, and the Ghost Hunters captured several paranormal activites on camera during their previous investigation, which aired in June.
Hawes and Wilson recently spoke to reporters during a conference call promoting Ghost Hunters Live, which SCI FI Channel will air on Halloween from 7 p.m to 2 a.m. Followed are edited excerpts from the conversation.
So, we've got to ask about the dangers of going live, given the ghost of Geraldo Rivera and Al Capone's vault.
Jason Hawes: Of course, we hope that all the ghosts come out to play, but we can't guarantee that. These things don't work on cue. But, you know, only time will tell. We're just going to pretty much investigate like we investigate and see what comes out of it. You got something to add to that, Grant?
Grant Wilson: All we can do is just investigate like we always do and pull out all our techniques. And, you know, our audience is kind of aware that it doesn't happen all the time. So if nothing happens, ... hopefully we can instruct them in some kind of debunking technique or something and keep it interesting. But we will have some friends on the show that are inexperienced, which should keep it interesting. They should have a lot of questions and probably get spooked out, so it should be good.
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You guys in the past have talked about how the past of a location has a lot to do with what's going on there in the present. Can you talk a bit more about that element and how it applies to what you do?
Grant Wilson: We like to just kind of hear what the stories are of the people who were there and then research the history later. But we've found, interestingly enough, that a newer building can be just as haunted as an old building with a checkered past. So ... the places that have more tragedy to them, unfortunately, seem to have a little bit more activity. But you never know. So that's why we always take places we've already investigated for the live show, because we know there's activity there. We've already "built a rapport" with what may be there. Fort Delaware hasn't really seen too much action as far as battles, though. It was mostly accidents; most of the deaths there were due to accidents. But nonetheless, it was a prison camp at one point, and that's always miserable.
You're going to be filling six hours on Halloween. Give us a breakdown of what's live, what's not, and what viewers who tune in the whole time can expect to see.
Jason Hawes: We're just going to head around [the fort]. We've got Amanda Tapping with us, the rest of the [Atlantic Paranormal Society] guys [and] some of our close friends from GHI, Ghost Hunters International (http://www.scifi.com/ghi/). And I think it's just a really interesting location and a lot of ground to cover. So I honestly think it's going to be a good night. Whether we catch something or not, it's just going to be a wild night. It really is. What do you think, Grant?
Grant Wilson: I think it's going to be an interesting location because it is on an island, and so we have to barge everything over there. Once we're there we can be completely uninterrupted. There's no chance of any kind of c
ontamination or anything like that. But as far as how we're going to spend the time, I don't know. ... Maybe we'll play some cards. We'll see.
Jason Hawes: I believe a part of the episode the first hour--because it's a total of seven hours long--I think they're going to show what it took to make this happen, be able to get in there and do this live show. They're going to show how much chaos [there was] trying to get the actual trailers over to the island and everything else. So that should be interesting.
During the live special, the panic button (http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters/live/) will be back in play, right?
Grant Wilson: We actually pull the audience in as part of it, where they can go online. They can watch special camera angles online. They can report activity.
Jason Hawes: The panic button, yeah.
Grant Wilson: [The audience] has a panic button, which was pressed, I don't know, tens of thousands of times last time when people think they see stuff. And then if it's legitimate, we'll go investigate. And so it's more than just watching it. You actually are interacting and somewhat investigating with us. --Ian Spelling
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Watch Angels & Demons Teaser!
Columbia Pictures has revealed the new teaser trailer for Angels & Demons, the prequel to the hit supernatural thriller The Da Vinci Code. Based on Dan Brown's best-selling book, Angels & Demons reunites director Ron Howard with star Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. The movie opens May 15, 2009.
The trailer also hints at a viral Web site, AltarsofScience.com (http://altarsofscience.com/), and the official movie Web site (http://www.angelsanddemons.com/) leads to a Path of Illumination contest.
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Playwright Penning Spidey 4
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) is in final negotiations to write Spider-Man 4 for Columbia Pictures, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back as director and star, as are series producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad. Kirsten Dunst also is expected to return for the latest movie featuring the Marvel Comics character.
The plot details are under lock and key.
Columbia always has gone off the beaten path during the development process when hiring writers for the Spider-Man movies. Alvin Sargent, a veteran scribe best known for 1973's Paper Moon and 1980's Ordinary People, served as a writer on the second and third films. Michael Chabon, another Pulitzer winner, also worked on Spider-Man 2.
James Vanderbilt previously wrote a draft of Spider-Man 4.
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Zombie Fest: Dead And Loving It
If there's a zombie mecca, then the Monvroevill Mall in this small Pennsylvania town is it. It's the site of George A. Romero's classic Dawn of the Dead--and it's where SCI FI Wire's John Joseph Adams found himself fleeing (OK, palling around with) the ravenous undead at Zombie Fest 2008 last weekend.
The second annual gathering draws lovers of all things zombie like a barrel of fresh brains. Attendees included fans and purveyors of zombie entertainment: authors, actors, makeup artists, etc.
This year's guest of honor was Dawn of the Dead star Ken Foree, who uttered one of the genre's most famous lines: "When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth."
Others in attendance included Day of the Dead star Joe Pilato ("Captain Rhodes") and Leonard Lies ("Machete Zombie" from Dawn of the Dead).
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Stoker Award winners Gary A. Braunbeck (Coffin County) and Kim Paffenroth (Dying to Live) showed up, joined by small-press publishers Creeping Hemlock Press and horror novelists J.L. Bourne, Wade Hunter and Scott A. Johnson. Not to mention the editor of the zombie anthology The Living Dead--me. That's right, I was on hand to hock my wares to the unsuspecting public and photograph and document the Zombie Fest spectacle for SCI FI Wire.
The weekend kicked off with a "Zombie Masquerade Ball" on Friday night at a nearby country club. There was booze, dancing and a silent auction of various zombie memorabilia for charity. Dressing in zombie regalia was encouraged but not required, though most in attendance did come in their rotting best. A costume contest concluded the evening, judged by Foree and Pilato.
Saturday was the big day, with panel discussions and vendor booths. Stuck at my vendor's table, I didn't get to see any of the panels, but several zombies visited me, all of whom I attempted to photograph, with mixed success, and attempted to sell books to, also with mixed success. About 50 feet from my vendor area was the hallway seen in Dawn of the Dead in which our heroes take refuge at a critical moment in the film.
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The main event for Zombie Fest came on Sunday, World Zombie Day, in the form of a Zombie Walk in which hundreds of horror fans put on hideous makeup and shambled through the mall. Though zombie walks take place in nearly 50 cities around the country, Zombie Fest set the Guinness World Record for largest zombie walk last year, and this year's walk--with an estimated 1,375 undead participants--promises to surpass that milestone. --John Joseph Adams
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Madagascar Penguins Do More
Tom McGrath--who co-directed the animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa with Eric Darnell--said that the film's talking penguins naturally evolved into a larger role in the sequel. The fan favorites from the first Madagascar have already had their own short on the Madgascar DVD, and a new animated series based on the hit characters is in the works for 2009 (see below).
"Skipper has 70 lines, so that's more than the first one by 30," McGrath said in a group interview on Oct. 25 in Beverly Hills, Calif. "They are part of the story more in this one. They're engaged with our main characters more than the first one. they had their own mission going to Antarctica and back, so there wasn't as much opportunity."
In the sequel, the penguins pilot a plane that takes the group of animals from Madagascar to Africa. After crash-landing, they spend the film repairing the vehicle.
"When you're juggling, like, 15, 20 characters, you have a wealth of ideas and comedy beats and stuff," McGrath said. "The trick to these movies is that each character could have their own movie, and it's just really what works with the core story and the pacing of the movie. So whatever's funny we'll keep in. We'll cut stuff out, though, if there's too much."
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In a separate interview, producer Mireille Soria described the upcoming Nickelodeon series, The Penguins of Madagascar.
"It takes place in the Central Park zoo," Soria said in a group interview. " King Julien, Maurice and Mort." The chimpanzees also co-star in the series.
Since busy movie stars Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer and Andy Richter voice the lemurs, the show's producers had to recast those roles.
"Sacha is not doing it," Soria said. "A really great actor, Danny Jacobs, is doing King Julien."
Jacobs has experience doing Cohen's voice, since he played a parody of Borat in [I]Epic Movie. McGrath will continue to voice Skipper the penguin in the TV series. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa opens Nov. 7. The Penguins of Madagascar begins airing in March. --Fred Topel
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Q&A: Legend Star Horner
Lucy Lawless, Kevin Sorbo, Gina Torres ... and Craig Horner?
Producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi have a knack for choosing talent, as they tapped Lawless for Xena: Warrior Princess, Sorbo for Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Torres for Cleopatra 2525. And then there's Horner, the handsome Aussie actor the producers chose for their latest syndicated fantasy TV show, Legend of the Seeker.
Based on Terry Goodkind's novel Wizard's First Rule, Legend of the Seeker stars Horner as the title Seeker, a figure of prophecy who--with the help of a wizard (Bruce Spence as Zedd) and a powerful and gorgeous Confessor (Bridget Regan as Kahlan)--is destined to save his people and their world from the clutches of evil.
The following are edited excerpts of SCI FI Wire's interview with Horner. Legend of the Seeker debuts in syndication on the weekend of Nov. 1.
What, if anything, did you know about Wizard's First Rule?
Horner: When I first heard about the audition, I didn't know much, but I have a friend who's a writer, and he's a big fan of the books. He was like, "Dude, dude, you have to do this. It's amazing." He'd read four or five of the books in the series, and he couldn't stop raving about it. Then I went and picked up the book, and I fell in love with the book myself. It's fantastic, a great book.
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So what interested you about Richard?
Horner: He's a great character, man. What you see is what you get with him. He doesn't like dishonesty. He's so truthful. And the only thing he's been taught to reserve his whole life is his anger, and he can release that once he starts to get hold of this Sword of Truth. A Sword of Truth and a Seeker go hand in hand, and so once he finds this he can unveil all those emotions that he's been holding in so long. As an actor, you like that. He's a good character to play. There's light and dark, you know?
What will we see post-pilot?
Horner: After that pilot we're in a land of magic, and anything goes. What's great about this series is that while it will have a narrative and arc over the 22 episodes, a start and a finish, each episode is self-contained. We just go to a new place each time, and we meet new characters each time, and we get into new trouble each time that we've got to get out of. So it'll be cool.
So much of the show revolves around his interactions and relationships with Kahlan and Zedd?
Horner: They're great relationships. He gets taken through this world of magic that he's never seen, that he's only heard about, because the are two worlds that are separated by a magical boundary. No one's allowed in, and no one's allowed out, so he's seeing everything for the first time. And the audience is seeing it for the first time. So his relationships with Kahlan and Zedd, he literally meets them in episode one. You will go along with them on the ride as these characters get closer and closer and go through more and more adventures together.
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Craig Horner and Bridget Regan star in Legend of the Seeker.
How are you enjoying working with Bridget and Bruce?
Horner: Well, Bridget, I can't speak more highly of her. She's really, really good. We're both foreigners to New Zealand. I'm Australian, and Australia and New Zealand are completely different countries, even though they're quite close to each other. And with Bridget being American, we were on our own in this country. Not now, really, because we're making friends. But she and I bonded with that, and Richard and Kahlan need to have that "You guys are on your own" as well. So she's great. She's fantastic. Bruce is an Australian icon. He's an industry legend. I knew about him from a very early age, because I'm very heavily into Australian films. So working with him, with someone of that caliber, is just fantastic. You learn even by being around him, and he's perfect for Zedd, because Zedd is this goofy, wise old man, and Bruce will bring out these gold, gruff pointers and then at the same time put on some sunglasses and wear his hair out and be like, "Hey, man, just chill, man. It's cool, man." He's great. He's a barrel of laughs. --Ian Spelling
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Studios Vie For EA's Hell Game
Four studios are in a high-stakes bidding battle for film rights to a new hell-themed video game from Electronic Arts that hasn't even been publicly announced yet, Variety reported.
The game, which is expected to launch late next year, involves a journey through the depths of hell. EA hasn't officially titled it yet, though sources told the trade paper it's likely to be called Dante's Inferno, as it's a modern interpretation of the epic poem. The publisher has reportedly cleared that title for usage.
EA declined to comment, as did its reps at UTA, which will broker the movie deal.
By Thursday evening, Universal, Paramount, New Regency and MGM were battling for the property, after Warner Brothers dropped out earlier in the day.
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Cyndere Pits Beauty Against Beast
Fantasy author Jeffrey Overstreet told SCI FI Wire that his latest novel, Cyndere's Midnight--the sequel to Auralia's Colors--was inevitable, since his least favorite English-language phrase is "The End."
"When I finished Auralia's Colors, I wanted to turn around, go back and explore the questions that were left unanswered," Overstreet said in an interview. "There were so many characters I wanted to get to know better, and some who I'd left stranded in trouble."
Cyndere's Midnight is the story of a beauty and a beast--or, rather, a beauty and a whole pack of murderous beasts. "The beast is called Jordam; he's one of the half-human/half-monsters from the corrupt, crooked people of House Cent Regus," Overstreet said. "He and his three brothers are a dangerous pack of predators, prowling about the Expanse. But Jordam has encountered Auralia's colors, and the experience changed him, lighting a feeble glimmer of conscience within him. When Jordam meets Cyndere, things get interesting."
Cyndere is the daughter of House Bel Amica's queen. "And her world is falling apart," Overstreet said. "Her husband was slain, her father drowned at sea, and her mother is controlled by malevolent wizards called 'Seers.' So she seeks solitude and solace at her favorite Bel Amican outpost, hoping for solitude and a time to grieve."
The woods, the creatures and the labyrinths of the novel's world came to Overstreet while he was exploring the natural world around him. "Nature, like art, speaks not just to the intellect, but also to the conscience and the heart," he said. "Something speaks to me when I stand at the edge of Puget Sound's glory, just 10 minutes from my house, or when I hike through the woods beside Flathead Lake in Montana, or when I spend time in the desert outside of Santa Fe. It changes me. I want to explore that mystery in these stories."
The world of the beastmen took Overstreet by surprise. "As I explored a world in which beautiful things have become distorted and corrupt, I began to think about how vulnerable we are to similar corruption," he said. "The poisonous nature of fear, pride and appetite are reflected in nature's own afflictions. It took shape in a backward kind of way--but as I wrote down the details of this wasteland, I found myself thinking about spiritual realities." --John Joseph Adams
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Set Report: Friday The 13th
It's dark. It's hot. Silhouetted trees loom over the park like monsters. Insects buzz in the grass.
A group of campers carrying sleeping bags heads to Camp Crystal Lake. Someone yells: "You're damned! ... Don't go to Camp Blood!" Then they laugh hysterically.
It's not a movie. It's the set of Friday the 13th, and the idiots doing the yelling are actually reporters shouting at visitors last June on the movie's set in Austin, Texas. SCI FI Wire was there.
During a visit to the set, reporters watched the filmmakers (who included director Marcus Nispel of Pathfinder) shoot scenes in which Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears) chases the film's protagonists, Clay (Supernatural's Jared Padalecki) and Whitney (Amanda Righetti), through an abandoned school bus at Camp Crystal Lake. The movie is a remake, re-imagining and reboot of the original 1980 film and its sequels and incorporates elements from the other movies to re-introduce Jason Voorhees to a new generation.
The set is outdoors, in Old Settlers Park outside Austin. It's night. Cranes hold overhead lights that illuminate a copse of trees, under which lies the abandoned school bus, overturned on its left side, overgrown with weeds.
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The scene's action takes place within and on top of the bus. Jason--hockey mask, torn shirt, ratty pants--chases Clay and Whitney. They scream, claw, try to crawl away.
"I think I scream more than I talk in this movie," Righetti says wryly. "There's a lot of screaming and, you know, some dialogue, but yes, definitely a lot of screaming."
In one shot, Jason smashes Clay's face through a bus window. Over and over. Although it's fake glass, and Jason's not really using that much force, it's still Jared Padalecki's real face going through that window.
Between takes, Mears as Jason pals around with the reporters, who are only too eager to check him out. Mears' makeup is intense: it includes latex-foam prosthetics over his entire head, neck and torso to give the muscular actor Jason's signature scarring and stringy hair, as well as a scoliosis-like hump.
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Mears, a 6-foot-5 stunt actor, is the opposite of his character. Gracious, friendly, he shakes hands all around: "Very pleased to meet you." He poses for pictures. It's disconcerting to have Jason Voorhees grab your neck, machete raised, even if it's just for a photo op.
Mears certainly looks the part. Over his makeup prosthetics, Mears wears a torn and dirty T-shirt, weathered brown pants and boots and a ragged hooded fatigue jacket. Finishing off the ensemble: a long machete in an improvised holster made from a horse bit.
Producer Brad Fuller explains the approach to the new Friday the 13th: "I think that what we added is we made Jason Voorhees a really viable killer again," he says. "And he doesn't teleport; he's not supernatural, he's not 8 feet tall. He's a real person who lives in the woods, and these kids stumble across what he considers to be his own place, and they pay a price for it. And he's ruthless." Friday the 13th opens Friday the 13th of February 2009. --Patrick Lee, News Editor (scifiwire@scifi.com)
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Tennant To Quit Doctor Who
David Tennant announced that he will quit as the title character in the BBC's Doctor Who, after becoming one of the most popular Time Lords in the history of the BBC science fiction show, the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7698539.stm) reported.
Tennant stepped into the TARDIS in 2005 and will leave the role after four special episodes are broadcast next year.
Tennant made the announcement after winning the outstanding drama performance prize at the National Television Awards. "When Doctor Who returns in 2010, it won't be with me," he said. (Tennant speaks about his time on the venerable show in a video on the BBC Web site (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7698815.stm).)
Rumors have already begun as to who will play the next incarnation of the Doctor, including Paterson Joseph (http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=61490), David Morrisey, James Nesbitt and John Simm.
Tennant, the 10th actor to play the Doctor, left fans guessing about his return at the end of the latest season. In the last episode, which aired in the United Kingdom in July, the Doctor had to defeat his enemies, the Daleks, to save the universe. Almost 10 million people watched as the Time Lord apparently started the process of regeneration--but did not complete it.
Tennant will appear in a Christmas special, titled "The Next Doctor," before filming four more specials in January.
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We Rate Returning SF TV Series
Yikes! And you think the economy is bad. Imagine being a network executive these days. Much like the vanishing honeybees, television viewers seems to have evaporated, and shows across the spectrum are struggling. In fact, the networks are bleeding as they thrash about trying to figure out how to bring viewers back to their favorite shows.
In this second of two stories, we take a look at how returning SF&F series are doing this fall, grading them from best to worst.
[I]Ghost Hunters (http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters/) (SCI FI) Premiered with 2.7 million viewers. Last week, 3.2 million viewers. The future's so bright, these ghost hunters will have to wear shades. Last week our favorite ghost-hunting plumbers reached a series high, which is great news leading into their big live Halloween investigation special (http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=61792). And beyond spawning a successful sequel in Ghost Hunters International, SCI FI just announced it has ordered a pilot for Ghost Hunters: College Edition, in which seasoned investigators lead a group of college students in the hunt for ghosts. Can you say "franchise"? Or, heck, let's just have the Ghost Hunting Channel. Grade: A
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The Ghost Hunters: Jason Hawes (left) and Grant Wilson. (Chris Kontoes for SCI FI )
Ghost Whisperer (CBS) Premiered with 9.31 million viewers. Last week, 9.95 million viewers. While the series hasn't been able to crack 10 million viewers this year, it's come close enough that it is the highest-rated series on Friday nights. And this is one of the few shows that has actually increased viewers since last year on the networks. Grade: B+
Supernatural (The CW) Premiered with 3.96 million viewers. Last week, 3.25 million viewers. Supernatural has also done well this season, increasing in total viewers from last season. This male-oriented show also has seen a dramatic increase among women 18-49, which is very good. And the show did it all in the toughest timeslot on television. Grade: B
Smallville (The CW) Premiered with 4.38 million viewers. Last week, 4.22 million viewers. Down a bit from last season, Smallville is still looking like a champ, compared with The CW's other low-rated programming. It may not be as shiny as it once was, but what show would be as it delves into its eighth season? Ratings should be good enough for another year--if The CW doesn't collapse completely. It's unlikely the network will find another show that can be competitive on Thursday nights with viewers as loyal as those for Smallville. Grade: B-
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Tom Welling as Clark Kent in Smallville. (Michael Courtney for The CW)
Heroes (NBC) Premiered with 9.89 million viewers. Last week, 8.46 million viewers. How the mighty have fallen. While Heroes premiered last year with 16.97 million viewers, the series has taken a significant hit. One bright spot is that the show does very well in DVR viewings later in the week. The bad news is that most of those people don't watch commercials. It's doubtful Heroes is in danger of cancellation at this point, but the show's hit status has vanished. Grade: C (NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.)
Chuck (NBC) Premiered with 6.48 million viewers. Last week, 6.7 million viewers. You've got to love a show about a sweet and adorable nerd who ends up accidentally becoming a spy, and NBC loved it enough in its second season to give it a full-season pickup before it even premiered. Unfortunately, viewers have not been flocking to the series, which is down significantly from last year, and if NBC didn't have other problems, Chuck would be in big trouble. Grade: C-
Eli Stone (ABC) Premiered with 8.82 million viewers. Last week, 8.51 million viewers. Poor Eli Stone! So far it's having a great season creatively, but it's viewer-challenged. Viewers show up at the start of the show, most likely thanks to the Dancing With the Stars Results Show, and then leave by 10:30 p.m. The drop of more than 2 million viewers within an episode is not a good sign. The only saving grace is that Eli's doing better than Thursday's Life on Mars and many of ABC's other 10 p.m. shows. Grade: D+
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox) Premiered with 6.34 million viewers. Last week, 5.34 million viewers. Tough times for this tough series. Sarah premiered last year with more than 10 million viewers. The earlier timeslot hasn't been kind to the series, however, and viewer erosion has been significant. It might be time to give Sarah a tryout in a different timeslot before scrapping this promising series altogether. Grade: D
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Charley (Dean Winters, left) and Derek (Brian Austin Green, right) help Sarah (Lena Headey). (Michael Desmond for Fox)
Pushing Daisies (ABC) Premiered with 6.32 million viewers. Last week, 5.67 million viewers. And then there's the sad case of Pushing Daisies. Last season the show premiered with more than 13 million viewers delighting in the colorful and creative series. Unfortunately, here we are: a great series filled with potential that probably won't last out the season. Too bad. Grade: D-
But that's not all, folks! Headed our way, there are plenty of returning series to embrace, including Lost, Medium and Reaper, which are all set to premiere during midseason. --Kathie Huddleston
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Long Earth Stood Still Trailer Here!
Yahoo! Movies has posted a new five-minute trailer for the upcoming remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, featuring previously unseen footage, including more shots of the updated Gort.
The film, an update of the classic 1950s SF cautionary tale, stars Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, Jon Hamm and Kyle Chandler. It opens Dec. 12.
'The Day the Earth Stood Still' 5 Minute Trailer (http://au.video.yahoo.com/watch/3810106/10430112) @ Yahoo!7 Video (http://au.video.yahoo.com/)
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Brains! 10 Best Zombie Games Ever
Video-gamers love zombies. Zombies are ideal for guilt-free slaughter. You can kill a hundred of these guys, popping their skulls like bloated ticks, and no one will mind. After all, it's not like you're killing anyone, since they're already dead. Plus, zombies aren't the least bit cute, so they rarely get any sympathy.
In honor of Halloween, our sister site, fidgit (http://fidgit.com/archives/2008/10/ten-best-zombie-games-of-all-time.php), has posted a list of the top 10 zombie video games ever (http://fidgit.com/archives/2008/10/ten-best-zombie-games-of-all-time.php). Just don't marry one.
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Final Twilight HD Trailer Is Here!
The final trailer is live for Twilight, the upcoming teen vampire movie based on Stephenie Meyer's best-seller, in HD. The movie opens Nov. 21.
Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer
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Tyro Helmer Scares Up Haunting
Mickey Liddell, who makes his directorial debut with the upcoming supernatural horror film The Haunting of Molly Hartley, told SCI FI Wire that it was time to step behind the camera after years of producing such movies and television programs as Go, Jack & Bobby and Everwood</I>--and to do so with a scary movie.
"I'd decided a couple of years ago that if I didn't kind of branch off and [direct] that, I would never do it," Liddell said in an interview. "And I've always loved horror movies, since I was a kid. The ones that really scared me were The Omen and The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby and Carrie and The Shining; all of the ones that really got under your skin. So I thought it would be a great genre to get into."
Liddell said he found a perfect match in The Haunting of Molly Hartley, which follows the plight of the title character, played by Haley Bennett. Molly is a teen whose mother (Marin Hinkle) tried to kill her years earlier. Now Molly is at a new school and seeking a fresh start, but her past--and future--are about to haunt her.
"I'd loved working with teens on everything from Go to Everwood, and when I saw the Molly Hartley script I thought, 'This is really something I can do,'" Liddell said. "I felt like I could jump into it. It's a supernatural thriller, and what I kept going with the whole time I was working on the script [drafts with the writers], and when I was on the set, was that what's happening to Molly is happening to girls when they're turning 18. They're going out into the world, and they're becoming women. Everything is changing, their lives are changing, and they don't know what the next chapter in their life is going to be."
Liddell added, "And for Molly, things are happening that are a lot bigger and a lot scarier than just going out into the world. She's questioning her own sanity, and she's questioning 'Is this really happening to me?' And, of course, we find out that a lot more has happened. A deal has been made that on her 18th birthday her soul will belong to the devil. So, for Molly, things are a little bigger than for most girls turning 18. And she has to figure out who's on her side and how she can stop it." The Haunting of Molly Hartley, which also stars Chace Crawford, Jake Weber and AnnaLynne McCord, opens nationwide on Halloween. --Ian Spelling
Seeker Spins New Tales
Bridget Regan, star of the upcoming syndicated fantasy TV show Legend of the Seeker, told SCI FI Wire that episodes will spin one-off stories while following the basic trajectory of the fantasy book Wizard's First Rule, on which the show is based. Wizard's First Rule is the first in author Terry Goodkind's The Sword of Truth series.
Regan (New Amsterdam) plays Kahlan, a beautiful, mysterious and powerful Confessor who joins forces with a wizard named Zedd (Bruce Spence) to protect Richard (Craig Horner). Richard is a young man who discovers that he's a prophesied Seeker, tasked with saving his world from the tyrannical Darken Rahl (Craig Parker). Together with Kahlan and Zedd, Richard sets about fulfilling his destiny.
"One of my favorite things about the show is that it changes, and because Richard and Kahlan's relationship is being stretched and pulled and challenged every week, we're put into these situations, whether it be searching down this villain or saving one another from a sticky situation," Regan said in an interview. "I have to protect Richard on the way to getting to this guy who's really an evil dictator trying to gain control over the land, and each week we face different challenges."
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Bridget Regan and Craig Horner star in Legend of the Seeker.
The villains will vary from week to week, Regan added. "Sometimes it may be a sorceress that's captured one of us or declared a prophecy that's going to come true," she said. "We're always pushing things to the limit and seeing how much we can take, how much we can handle. Every day it feels like it's the end of the world, and it's so intense, and the stakes are always so high. And I love that, because it means we have to keep fighting, we have to stay strong and keep pushing."
Viewers can expect mini-stories within the bigger one that is Wizard's First Rule. "The fans that come along for the whole ride will hopefully see that," Regan said, "but each episode is somewhat contained and has its own little beginning, middle and end." Legend of the Seeker, which is executive-produced by Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi, will premiere in first-run syndication the weekend of Nov. 1. --Ian Spelling
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Lost Season 5 Promo Found
ABC has posted a promo for the upcoming fifth season of Lost, which returns in early 2009.
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Princes Grace 007 Premiere
Princes William and Harry were on the London red carpet on Oct. 29 for the world premiere of the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, in which Daniel Craig reprises the role of superspy 007, the Reuters news service reported.
The 40-year-old actor and his co-stars were greeted by hundreds of fans and a sea of camera flashes in central London for the 22nd installment of the Bond franchise.
Craig showed up wearing a tuxedo with his right arm in a sling after a shoulder operation.
Quantum of Solace, which follows on directly from the plot of the last Bond movie, Casino Royale, will be released in British cinemas on Oct. 31 and hit theaters in key U.S. markets two weeks later, on Nov. 14.
The film's stars were joined by Prince William, second in line to the British throne, and younger brother Harry. The brothers have asked for proceeds from the night to benefit the charities Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion.
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Fantasy Outlander To Film?
Essential Pictures has launched development of Outlander as a potential movie franchise based on the Diana Gabaldon series of fantasy novels, Variety reported.
The new company's out to directors with an adaptation from Randall Wallace (Braveheart); the goal is to start production next spring.
Gabaldon's series of six novels center on an 18th-century Scottish Highlander and his time-traveling wife.
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Riddick, Ghostbusters Games Develop
Atari has bought rights to publish the video-game sequel to The Chronicles of Riddick and a new game based on Ghostbusters from Activision Blizzard, which declined to pick up the two projects after merging with Vivendi Games this summer, Variety reported.
The publisher confirmed it will release The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena this spring. It's a follow-up to Vivendi's 2005 movie tie-in Chronicles of Riddick: Escape at Butcher Bay, which sold decently worldwide and was critically acclaimed as one of the best-ever film-based games.
In addition to buying publishing rights to the game from Activision Blizzard, Atari has signed a new licensing deal with Universal that will let it continue Riddick as a video-game franchise. (Universal is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.com.)
Executives at Atari wouldn't comment on Ghostbusters, but sources close to the publisher confirmed to the trade paper that it is also picking up that game, with plans to publish it early next summer in conjunction with the film's 25th anniversary.
It's believed Atari has a similar licensing deal with Sony Pictures to produce further Ghostbusters games should the first one prove successful.
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<DIV class=content>How Did The Fall TV Shows Fare?
As the fall TV season hits its stride, the winners and losers have emerged, and it's a bloodbath out there. Ratings in general are horrible, and the major networks are still reeling from last year's writers' strike and a splintered viewership.
Three series have already been pulled from the airwaves, including CBS' The Ex List.
Herewith, the first of two SCI FI Wire assessments of how new and returning SF&F shows made the grade, in descending order. Today, we look at the new shows. Tomorrow, returning series.
(In the past, if a TV series was on one of the four big broadcast networks, it needed to bring in 10 million viewers or so to prove it was worthy. For The CW, the number was lower, and 3 million viewers did the trick. Oh, how things have changed!)
The Mentalist (CBS) Premiered with 15.55 million viewers. Last week, 15.29 million viewers. OK, he's a fake psychic, and it's not really science fiction, but we'll claim any show that does this well. It's the only certified hit for the new season, drawing great numbers against Fox's Fringe. Beyond that, it manages to keep 90 percent of its viewers from lead-in NCIS. That sounds like a match made in TV heaven. Grade: A+
Sanctuary (http://www.scifi.com/sanctuary/) (SCI FI) Premiered with 3 million viewers. Television's first mostly virtual series kicked off great, and it looks like a worthy successor to exiting SCI FI Friday shows Stargate Atlantis (http://www.scifi.com/atlantis/) and Battlestar Galactica (http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/). Grade: A
Eleventh Hour (CBS) Premiered with 11.59 million viewers. Last week, 12.16 million viewers. Not a hit, this show can't keep up with its lead-in CSI's big numbers. But it has built its audience and consistently does well against NBC's ER and ABC's Life on Mars. Whether the series will stay on Thursdays or be swapped with Tuesday's Without a Trace remains to be seen, but in this ratings environment those numbers look good. Grade: B+
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Rufus Sewell, who plays Dr. Jacob Hood in CBS' Eleventh Hour, between takes on the show's set at Warner Brothers on Sept. 22. (Enzo Giobbe)
Fringe (Fox) Premiered with 9 million viewers. Last week, 9.11 million viewers. This show had the most hype heading into the fall season, so the ratings have been a bit of a disappointment. Still, considering the implosion of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and some of Fox's other shows, 9 million-plus viewers seems pretty good. Grade: B
Knight Rider (NBC) Premiered with 7.3 million viewers. Last week, 7.23 million viewers. This lightweight show with apparent lightweight ratings wouldn't seem to be a keeper for NBC. But Knight Rider appeals strongly to the young male viewer, and that was good enough for a full-season pickup. Grade: C (NBC is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.)
Life on Mars (ABC) Premiered with 11.6 million viewers. Last week, 8.06 million viewers. This British transplant got a strong sampling when it premiered and managed to beat out CBS' Eleventh Hour in a head-to-head ratings smackdown. Since then, it's been losing viewers each week, which is always a bad sign. Between Eli Stone on Tuesdays, Dirty Sexy Money on Wednesdays and Life on Mars on Thursdays, ABC is having a tough time in the 10 p.m. hour. Grade: D
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