Category: Television

Lots of 'Smallville' goodies

Well, after the fun "Wonder Twins" episode of "Smallville" Friday (coulda used more of them, but I like the way they snuck Gleek in), I thought I'd do a little hunting to see what was up with the Justice Society ep that's coming later this season.

Turns out Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly has all kinds of cool SPOILERS. You've been warned.

What was originally one episode, then two, now has turned into a two-hour event to air Jan. 29. Stargirl, Hawkman and Dr. Fate will be in it, as will Amanda Waller, known in the DC Universe for keeping an eye on all the metahumans. Pam Grier ("Jackie Brown") will play her. (I'd have preferred CCH Pounder, who provided her voice in the "Justice League" and "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" cartoons, but it'll be cool to see her.)

Other tidbits: Sexy magician Zatanna will be returning, and Chloe may get a new love interest, both at the Metropolis Wonder-Con.

And, you never know. Lex Luthor and/or Perry White might show up by season's end, too.

Another favorite spot for "Smallville" spoilers is KryptonSite, which has some info on the Justice Society movie from Michael Shanks ("Stargate: SGU"), who plays Hawkman.

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Category: Television

'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' turn 25

It's been 25 years since I held the first issue of "Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles" in my hands and put it down because I couldn't see spending my hard-earned allowance on a black-and-white comic book about something as silly as teenage mutant ninja turtles.

I've been kicking myself for 20 years.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the megaselling franchise of comics, TV shows and movies, the CW4Kids block of Saturday morning cartoons is presenting "Turtles Forever," a retrospective that looks at the comic, the 1980s-'90s series and the latest animated incarnation. It's a sort of last hurrah, I guess, before the Turtles move over to new corporate owner Nickelodeon. (Nick plans a new CGI series and movie in 2012.)

The 90-minute "Turtles Forever" is scheduled to air at 10 a.m. Nov. 21 on WKBD-TV (Channel 50).

For a trailer, visit the CW4Kids Web site.

Turtle power!

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Category: Television

Fraggle-mania!

I'm dubbing today "Fraggle Rock" day for no other reason than a few tidbits have crossed my desk recently, and I really like the show.

First, more DVDs are on the way! In addition to next week's Season 4, complete series and "A Merry Fraggle Holiday" releases, TVshowsondvd.com has news of two other upcoming titles. Feb. 9 will see the release of the single-disc "Fraggle Rock Easter." And now there's word Lionsgate is releasing "Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series" complete on Jan. 19. It wasn't as good as the original series, of course, but all you completists will be glad to see it.

In comic book news, Archaia has pushed back its launch date for the new book, according to a Long Beach Comic Con roundup at Comic Book Resources. Originally scheduled for the spring, it will now come out at an undetermined time, launching the company's line of Henson books (other licenses include "Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth" and "Mirror Mask"). But they still seem to be really into the book, which should appeal to kids and their parents:

"We are taking our time to make sure this is something special," said Stephen Christy, the Director of Development at Archaia. "The whole reason we went into this is, these are not normal licensed books. These are books that we are putting so much time, and so much heart, into. We want it to be something that is completely different from any sort of licensing you've seen."

Also, via UberSciFiGeek, the Jim Henson Co. recently announced a big line of Fraggle products coming to stores next year. It's called the Fraggle Rock Forever collection and includes more stuff than I would ever have expected to see, especially so long after the show debuted. The line includes apparel, tote bags, belt buckles, jewelry and adult Halloween costumes! According to the CBR article, the line also includes puppets. Sweet! And be sure to check out their Dr. Romanelli link.

And, finally, back in August, Brian Henson (son of Jim) assured MTV that the "Fraggle Rock" movie is in "very active development" (as is the sequel to "Dark Crystal"), though it's still waiting on final financing.

I couldn't find any updates on the the computer-animated spin-off "The Doozers," which apparently is still on schedule for its fall 2010 debut.

Whew -- that's a lot of Fraggles!

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Category: Television

For the love of Wil Wheaton

For my money, there's no better "Star Trek" than "The Next Generation." Brent Spiner made one heck of a robot: Data is still one of my favorite characters of all time. Patrick Stewart took his a shiny pate and British accent, and made the character of Captain Jean-Luc Picard just as sexy -- if not more so -- than his womanizing second-in-command Will Riker (though I never found Jonathan Frakes all that attractive). But there was another Wil on "TNG" that had my heart, mostly because he was closest to my age range when I watched in the early '90s. Wil Wheaton played Wesley Crusher, the son of the Enterprise's chief doctor, who worked his way through the Star Fleet Academy to join the crew. Wheaton was one of my first-ever celebrity crushes.

After the series ended in 1994, I had only syndicated reruns to rely on to get my Wil Wheaton fix. Nerdy as I might be, I never followed the actor as he kept busy on various sci-fi television shows and the occasional small movie role. A few months ago, I asked myself, "Whatever happened to Wil?" and, having a lot of time on my hands, I Google-stalked him. It was a happy day when I found the @wilw Twitter account and Wheaton's blog: "WWdN: In Exile."

I'm here to tell you: This man is hilarious, smart and the coolest geek ever. Observe such tweets as: "Dog: I haz Kong! Me: You sure do. Dog: Throw it for me! Me: Ok. Dog: NO YOU CAN'T HAVE IT HAHAHA! Me: You're doing it wrong. Dog: Am I?" and "After having celebratory coffee in a 'beam away Wesley' mug from 88, I am now having celebratory green tea in a 'TNG 20' mug from 07. /nerd" And when some horrible person posted Wheaton's audiobook "Just a Geek" on a Web site for people to steal, Wil responded with a fantastic blog post in the theme of a McSweeney's open letter, saying, "Maybe it's just me, but that strikes me as what we would call 'a real d--- move.' "

Best of all, through Wheaton's Twitter I learned some fantastic news: Wil Wheaton will play Wil Wheaton on the next episode of "The Big Bang Theory," which airs Monday night. Check out the CBS promo:

God bless the good folks at CBS for bringing back my childhood crush. In the words of "The Big Bang Theory" writer Bill Prady (via @wilw): "RT *squee* @billprady All right, time to focus on what's important. Monday Wil Wheaton is on #bigbangtheory. Shout it from the rooftops!"

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Category: Television

'Stargate Universe' blasts off on Syfy

"Stargate Universe" (9 p.m. Fridays on Syfy) -- I'm sure I'm not the first one to say it, but "Stargate" is becoming the "Law & Order" of the Syfy (still hate that name) channel.

The latest incarnation seems a lot more character-driven in its pilot than the previous series. And we'll see just how that affects the franchise. It certainly adds one more comparison to a previous show. Let's call it "Last Starfighter: Stargate Battlestar Voyager."

Here's the set-up, starting from the beginning: Stargates are portals to other planets and galaxies scattered around the universe by a race called the Ancients. In the original movie and series, a team of earthlings bopped around from world to world, saving the Earth, various planets and the entire universe from a variety of bad guys.

As this series opens, people and luggage are being flung from a stargate into the hold of an empty spaceship. Turns out they're fleeing from an attack on their base, but instead of setting the stargate to take them to Earth, the head science guy set it to take them to some unknown destination they'd been trying unsuccessfully to reach. The attempt is successful this time because the government had cleverly hidden the puzzle in a video game, and a guy solved it a few days earlier. That mysterious destination is the decrepit Ancient ship Destiny.

There are a bunch of characters to introduce, so we only get glimpses of them really. It was enough to make me add a Season Pass on Tivo, but I wasn't wowed.

First let's get all the inevitable comparisons out of the way: "Star Trek: Voyager/Lost in Space" (lost billions of light years from home in an unknown galaxy), "Battlestar Galactica" (grim and gritty setting in a ship on its last legs -- could strike a more even character/action balance), "The Last Starfighter" (video game as recruitment tool). And I'm sure there are more that aren't coming to me on a Monday morning.

The mix of characters could prove interesting. The stargate program has civilians and military. There was also a senator caught up in the mix. The lead scientist, Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle), is a confusing character, too loosely defined for the lead of a show like this, even taking into account how many other characters had to get screen time. He's just too hard to read.

Then there's Eli Wallace (David Blue), the kid who beat the video game and is recruited to assist Rush.

On the military side, there's the base commander, Everett Young (Justin Louis), and his second, Matthew Scott (Brian J. Smith). There's also a medic, Tamara "T.J." Johansen (Alaina Huffman -- the requisite beautiful blond all sci-fi shows must have), and previously incarcerated soldier Ronald Greer (Jamil Walker Smith).

We barely get to see her, but Ming-Na plays Camile Wray, a high-ranking civilian. The senator's daughter, Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque), is also part of the core cast.

Whew.

For the most part, the two-hour pilot was a pretty good introduction to the series. It flowed well and highlighted the show's potential. The ship will be making stops, so there will be lots of opportunities to see new aliens, good and bad.

And except for Nash, it gives a strong sense of what we can look forward to from everyone. But they are just glimpses, and I hope the show's two main minority characters, Jamil Smith and Ming-Na, quickly rise above the stereotypes presented as angry black man and witchy lesbian. More diversity would have been nice.

As for Nash, a little mystery can be good, but he's just all over the map here.

Like I said, it's good enough to get the Tivo treatment. I didn't instantly like "Battlestar Galactica" -- or even the first "Stargate" series -- so I'm willing to give it a chance.

You should, too.

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Category: Television

'Vampire Diaries' adds bite to CW programming

I got an excited call from my sister one afternoon this summer, one of those screechy "you're-not-gonna-believe-this" moments shared between girly girls. She saw a teaser commercial for a new series on the CW network called "Vampire Diaries."

My initial response might have been something along the lines of "Oh geez, another attempt to cull some of the rabid young adult women market that's addicted to all things vampire" ... except for one small bit of history: The series is based on the story created in the early '90s by L.J. Smith. It just so happens my sister and I, in our teenage years (and maybe a little after that), adored all the supernatural young adult novels penned by Smith, especially the four-book "Vampire Diaries."

It's the story of Elena Gilbert, who gets tangled up in a love triangle with two brothers who were turned into vampires in Renaissance Italy. Elena is a dead ringer for the woman who sired the vampire brothers, and she's also the most sought-after girl at her high school in small-town Virginia.

Even before I saw the pilot episode Thursday night, I realized I should not expect to see the story I grew to love in those fantastic pages translated accurately to the small screen. The TV version of "Vampire Diaries" has that undeniable CW feel - loads of attractive people, vapid female characters and don't-make-me-think-too-hard story lines. The most heart wrenching change is the loss of the Meredith character: Elena's two best friends in the books (Bonnie and Meredith) seem to have been melded into Bonnie's character, played by an actress who has yet to impress me with the challenge of being the psychic, down-to-earth best friend.

The lead actress, however, is a fresh face who brings just the right energy to the role of Elena. Sure, the pale blond hair is exchanged for dark brown locks (a decision many of Smith's loyal readers took great issue with in the discussion boards), but the most important element of Elena's character is what's underneath the hair: She's a very mature mix of confident, smart, emotional, loyal and sweet. The dialogue written for her in the pilot episode did a good job introducing audiences to Elena, played by Bulgarian-born Nina Dobrev. Dobrev has a very unaffected way of portraying Elena that makes me hopeful she'll be able to capture audiences when the story starts to get more intense.

Intensity wasn't lacking in the pilot episode by any means, which shows the CW is ready to compete with the other shows/films that are catering to all these fans of fangs. "Vampire Diaries" modeled the look of their vampires in action after the fast-motion filming used in "Twilight" and "True Blood," where the vampires move at breakneck speeds when attacking. Combined with the dark, moody sequences and quick-cut editing, this makes "Vampire Diaries" stack up pretty well on the excitement meter.

The show's got just the right hints of scary mixed in with the all-too-traditional high school setting, thank goodness. My criticism will fly, however, if the character of Stefan - Elena's true love - does not improve. This is a tortured, soulful vampire along the lines of "Buffy's" Angel (though it pains me to make that comparison, as I've always found Angel to be a bit of a tool) and right now I'm finding it difficult to fall in love with him as I did in the books. The spunky character of Damon - Stefan's evil brother - is much more exciting (like "Buffy's" evil Angelus, a much more intriguing character than poofy Angel) and could very well steal the show from his as-of-yet boring brother.

The little changes here and there aren't enough to get me to turn back yet, however. The writers seem to be sticking with the general plot of the books, so I've decided that's enough to keep me coming back each Thursday. Here's hoping the CW series stays true to the magic that made L.J. Smith's novels such a fan favorite. And if a few of my vampire-fiction loving compatriots pick up Smith's original work at the library or bookstore, so much the better.

Anyone who thought the "Twilight" books were even moderately good will weep with enjoyment reading "Vampire Diaries" - that's a guarantee.

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Category: Television

'Merlin' isn't quite magical

It's no "Torchwood," but the UK is providing us with some other summer fun.

NBC is airing "Merlin" Sunday nights, and while I don't think it'll be up for any Emmy Awards next year, it is kinda fun.

The series stars Colin Morgan and Bradley James as the famed sorcerer and Arthur, respectively. Think of this series more as "Young Merlin," as both are teens living under the oppressive thumb of Arthur's father, Uther Pendragon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer's" Anthony Head).

Merlin is just starting top learn about his powers, but he must do it under the secret tutelage of court physician Gaius because Uther has banned all magic from the kingdom (never mind all the mystical creatures and nasty mages and sorceresses on the loose).

In this version of the legend, Merlin and Arthur become best buds after Merlin saves Arthur's life and becomes the prince's servant (some reward). Mogana is Uther's beautiful ward, and Gwen (Guinevere) is her servant and the daughter of a local blacksmith.

Other key aspects of the legend appearing so far include Lancelot and the evil Nimueh.

The series works on the goofy charms of its title character and the affable Arthur, who starts out as a pompous jerk but quickly shows more signs of the hero he will be. Morgan and James have a comfortable chemistry. Katie McGrath is a bit blah as Morgana, but Angel Coulby's Gwen shows spunk. (If only the women were given more to do.) Head does a great job as the unmovable Uther.

The series' weakest point is its writing. Granted, Merlin's powers are just manifesting, but they're still woefully undefined. In the premiere, he could move objects in his mind without an incantation (they made a big deal of it), but he's done it both ways since. And sometimes he spends time studying and trying really hard to master a piece of magic he doesn't know, and other times he pulls it off effortlessly. He's pretty much just as powerful as he needs to be to satisfy any given plot point.

But this is summer, and I don't necessarily want high drama. I had my share with "Torchwood." Now, it's time to turn the brain off.

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Category: Television

'Torchwood' will blow you away

Recently, I had the privilege of watching the first three episodes of BBC America's upcoming "Torchwood: Children of Earth."

The network saved me airfare to London when it sent the final two episodes, which I had the chance to watch this weekend with a small group of friends. All were sci-fi fans, but not familiar with the show. I wanted to test my assertion that you don't really need to have seen "Torchwood" before to get into this show.

We watched all five episodes, and it was a big hit.

The series follows the members of the UK's top alien-busting team on the run from the government that desperately needs their help. A race of aliens has returned to Earth, and it wants our kids. When you find out why, well, be ready to shudder.

The show was so good, I was having weird dreams about kids all night, and I don't have any of my own. I think it's a sign of a great show when it digs that deep in the psyche.

SyFy (the former Sci-Fi Channel) should take note. With "Battlestar Galactica" gone, it needs something strong and heavy. Spin-off "Caprica" has potential. The new "Stargate" incarnation is still up in the air, but the precedent is good. "Warehouse 13" and "Eureka" are fun but lightweight. It's too bad the channel couldn't get "Torchwood" bundled in with its "Doctor Who" deal.

And it's too bad this is all the "Torchwood" we'll get for a while. These five episodes make up the entire third season. No word yet on what's next.

Tune in July 20. BBC America will also be launching it's HD channel with the show.

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Category: Television

Go digging through 'Warehouse 13'

When Detroit News TV Critic Mekeisha Madden Toby reviewed "Warehouse 13" the other day, I got a good giggle out of the fact that she brought up "Friday the 13th: The Series."

Until DVD season sets were released recently, I didn't think people even remembered that show. It usually drew blank stares when I mentioned it.

But the comparison is apt. I finally had a chance to watch it last night, and SyFy's (STUPID name) "Warehouse 13" is totally "X-Files" meets "Friday the 13th: The Series" as a couple Secret Service agents go chasing after artifacts and other objects that assert an otherworldly power on their surroundings.

And that's a very good thing, since I enjoyed both shows.

Eddie McClintock, especially, is an enjoyable, fresh take on the believer archetype perfected by David Duchovny's Fox Mulder in "X-Files." He's not just some kooky guy -- he's mildly psychic and knows it.

Joanne Kelly is the skeptic, but it looks like she'll be warming up to the possibilities fairly quickly.

And Saul Rubinek as Artie is the lovably quirky guy who's their boss.

There are plenty of hints at the show's mythology -- missing former agents, Artie's personal anguish at things that happened in the past that may come back to haunt him (literally), a mysterious innkeeper, the awesome CCH Pounder as the enigmatic Ms. Frederic.

And, of course, there's an endless supply of mystical artifacts for our heroes to go chasing.

Plus, there's a cute ferret! What more could you ask for? Maybe a guest spot by Robey.

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Category: Television

Latest 'Torchwood' is better than ever

If you don't have access to BBC America now, call your cable provider every day and beg until July 20.

Not only does BBC America launch its HD channel that day, it does so with some of the best sci-fi you're going to see this year. Period.

"Torchwood: Children of Earth" starts a five-night run that night (after airing earlier this month in the UK). The first three episodes were sent for review, and it's all I can do not to fly to England and rip the last two out of their vault.

You don't need to know a lot of "Torchwood" mythology to get into this story of alien contact. It's doled out in subtle bits, and before you know it, you know all you need to in order to enjoy the tale.

And what a story. Creepy kids can be scarier than any alien, and when every child in the world suddenly stops in place and starts chanting, "We are coming," you know whatever it is is going to be bad.

The three remaining Torchwood agents (after the sad events of last season) are uniformly strong in character and performance. John Barrowman (as the perhaps-immortal Capt. Jack Harkness), Gareth David-Lloyd (as Ianto) and Eve Myles (as Gwen) find new depth to their characters while delivering lots of solid action.

I'll leave the bulk of the commentary on this show to our TV Critic, Mekeisha Madden Toby, but I couldn't stay completely silent after watching these episodes.

If you're already a fan, you're in for a great ride. If you've never seen the show, you couldn't ask for a better jumping-on point.