Not to long ago, Lauren Cohan (Bela) was interviewed by Ducky about the character that she plays in Supernatural, Bela. As I’ve said many times, I’m wary of the two new supernatural female hunters, but you know what? I’m starting to like them more and more. Warning there are some spoilers in the complete interview.

Ducky reports:

DDTV: I thought the whole uprising was ridiculous and in my opinion the introduction of Ruby in the season premiere proved that you can bring on kick ass female characters that add to the dynamic instead of taking away from it.
LC: That’s very true, I like to think that the female fans are interested in seeing how the boys will face off against the females, it’s just another interesting thing to throw into the Supernatural mix.

After reading the interview I’m starting to like Lauren Cohan more and more. I like the fact that she finds her character a challenge. Not only with the character itself, but she has a challenge of making her character lovable enough for the fans as well. I also liked the fact that she insisted that her character is not being introduced as a love interest. I think that when people hear, that someone is adding a new character of the opposite sex,in a series that is run by characters of the same sex, they automatically assume that the new character is being introduced as a love interest. Maybe it’s because we’ve seen it happen so many times. Either way, Lauren Cohan states that her character is not a love interest. Maybe eventually in a later episode she might evolve into a love interest, but that is maybe. We’ll see. What do you guys think about it?

This post was Authored by Dannylion, Our Resident Authority on all things Supernatural

Back in ‘05, Natasha Eloi from Spacecast here on Canada’s Space Network did a video feature called “It Came From the Basement” where she highlighted a unique Star Wars Toy Collection from Robert Goodwin.

Then just last night while I was watching Smallville there was another featurette about a gentleman named Gus Lopez who runs the Star Wars Collectible Archive online and has a VERY unique home that is completely decorated to illustrate his vast collection.

This guy makes Robert Goodwin look like someone who just happens to have a few Star Wars things around. Gus Lopez was kind enough to send me a link to his home galleries. His ENTIRE home was designed with the intent to show off his collection. There are links to each individual room, themed by the type of collectable. He even has a room dedicated to Star Wars Cereal Boxes. Not kidding.

He has some of the most rare Star Wars collectables in existance. Up to the left there is a replica molded from the original Han Solo in Carbonite prop.

Most often when I see a Star Wars collection, I can say “Hey, I remember that toy. I used to have it” but about 99.9% of his collection is made up of stuff that NO ONE has.

I am a rabidly insane Star Wars fan, but I bow down to the unreachable standard Gus as set in the world of Collectors.

He and his wife also collect Lilo and Stitch stuff, so you may see a lot of that and anime stuff littered among this outstanding pile of Star Wars stuff. Click Here to see the house Gus and Pam call the Boba Cabana

Cheers Gus. The Force is strong in you.

At my mundane day job, I often chat with a co-worker James about our theories and fascination with Heroes.

James was sharing somethings he noticed and it spiraled me to make this connection. The part that I didn’t know was the telling of the hero’s tale - Kensei’s tale - at the Yamagato Fellowship website:

With war threatening to fracture Japan, he went to the Dragon of Kiso Mountain and asked him to teach him the secrets of the sword. The Dragon agreed to help in exchange for all of his love. Takezo loved a princess with all his heart but knew Japan would fall if he did not triumph, so he agreed. The Dragon taught him and he became Kensei (a sword saint).

With his newfound knowledge, Kensei fought and won a great battle – thus saving his people. After the battle, the Dragon came to Kensei’s palace to collect on their deal. The Dragon demanded the life of the princess. Kensei refused and cut out his own heart, handed it to the dragon and said, “My love is in here. Take it.” And then he died. When the Dragon saw what Kensei was willing to sacrifice for his people (and his love) he was so moved that he replaced Kensei’s heart and breathed fire-life back into the swordsman.

Now we know that Kensei is a lot like the story told above, but I have a theory.

Hiro is the Dragon

Look at the story and paralell it with what we have seen so far.

The story begins that Kensei was a great warrior and he is taught valuable lessons from the Dragon which make him the hero of legend that will be written about. Hiro changes Kensei’s selfish path and teaches him what he needs to know in order to become this hero.

Also, the Dragon demands that which Kensei loves most. In recent episodes we see Kensei fall in love with the Japanese princess. We also know that Hiro is ALSO in love with the princess. So much so, that he choose not to return to modern day and chooses to tag along as Kensei’s sidekick.

I believe time will come in the story when Hiro will confront Kensei about his feelings for the princess and Kensei will make gesture (cut out his own heart perhaps) to illustrate to Hiro that he would be willing to sacrifice himself for the princess and Hiro will have to concede.

Time will tell if I am right.

This post was Authored by Rodney Brazeau, Senior Editor for the TVShow Blog and Our Resident Authority on all things Heroes and Smallville

Episode 2, Dummy focuses on relationships. The words left unspoken, the desire to get to know your partner better and unrequited love. These are the undertones of a rather humorous story involving the Dandy Lion Car company’s release of a new eco-safe car and a murdering crash test dummy. Did the presence of the crash test dummies reminded you of the 80s when they were popular car safety commercials or am I aging myself a little bit?

While the first episode set up a rather sweet fairy tale this week the first signs a growing relationship blossom. Chuck wants to know more about Ned. Ned isn’t particularly comfortable sharing too much, mostly due to the secret he’s hiding, which is he was inadvertently responsible for Chuck’s dad’s death. We all know this will come out eventually and while Chuck is a very understanding, even logically thinking woman, one has to wonder what will be her first reaction.

We also have another look at Olive (Kristin Chenoweth ) sweet; wear your heart on your sleeve Olive, the waitress at the Pie Hole, who is in love with Ned. Watching her feel more alone as she watches Ned give Chuck the attention she has long since desired I felt a little sad because I can relate to watching the man you want fall in love with another woman. When Olive break out into song, Grease’s “Hopelessly Devoted To You”, I sighed, but in a good way! It was a wonderful segment, which makes good use actress’ talent.

I’m still in love with this show and the developments between Ned and Chuck are satisfying. They had a couple of “touching” moments and I think most could see the show going in this direction, but I will admit I was surprised it happened so quickly. For me this is satisfying because I am tired of shows constantly dragging out the “when will they” scenario. This unique courtship budding between Ned and Chuck I’m sure will not have some pitfalls most couples run into, but I think that part of the charm is the love knows no bounds attitude. It is enjoyable to suspend reality for an hour each Wednesday evening to revel in those feelings a fairy tale about true love would give me as a child.

With another sweet and dare I say perfect episode brought to us by writer/creator Brian Fuller and director Barry Sonnenfeld I anxiously await next Wednesday. Of course there is still the question: Will the other directors continue with the same feel or will we see a loss of quality? We will find out when the 4 th episode airs on October 24th. I am hopeful that the quality and feel will remain, but I can’t ignore that I am the optimist!

This post was Authored by Meli, Our Resident Authority on all things Pushing Daisies

Since I’m still nursing my emotional fangirl wounds from the Eureka Season 2 finale, I thought I’d hit my own reset switch and post for y’all still in the time vortex that is Space and SkyOne.
Those in Canada currently watching Eureka’s 2nd season, you’ll be able to see Monday at 10EST.

This was one of my favorite episodes of the season. Olivia d’ Abo is back as Dr. Abby Carter; Abby and Jack generate a lot of great chemistry that I sorely missed later in the season.

Even though this ep borrows heavily not only from every other scifi tv show EVER created, it also is nodding much to every other medium of science fiction every produced from game to movie to book. Consequently, the outcome was not surprising, but in the greatest Eureka tradition, it was genuine and EXTREMELY entertaining.

Though I’m posting the link to the SciFi.com recap- I warn against it and encourage y’all to watch it unspoiled.

“Upset by her parents’ conflict about her custody, Zoe Carter seeks comfort from a virtual therapy device that Beverly Barlowe has given her.”

Live| Smart Eureka!

This post was Authored by TaraLeigh- Missouri mommy loving all geeky things SCIFI, especially Eureka!

This and last week’s episode, Small Worlds, were by far my favorite eps of the series, which is saying something, as the show continues to improve with each episode, and is beginning to find sure footing.
I don’t wish to give away much in the way of plot, but it was tightly scripted, and actually scary on a number of levels.
Sure most of the ideas we’ve seen in this episode are staples of horror movies, but at this point, we’re a fair ways into the first series, and perhaps we even care for these characters by now, unlike any horror movie of late, so there seems to be a real sense of threat.

The Torchwood gang go north to investigate a series of missing person reports and the threat they come up against may be one of the most terrifying they have ever encountered.

The entire cast is in top form this week, and everything about this ep is top-notch, though with the gore and the themes, it may not be for everyone.

Torchwood airs Saturdays on BBCAmerica, and Fridays (though a number of eps behind now) on CBC

This post was Authored by TD, Our Resident Authority on all things BBC

In what was certainly an unintended moment of irony, this week’s Bionic Woman revealed that Sarah Corvus has been diagnosed with a terrible truth: her body is killing itself and only an injection of new-and-improved bionics can save her. If only it were that easy.

While Jason Katims may be the new blood running Bionic Woman, I’m beginning to think the problems facing the show can’t be solved by transfusion. Yes, Michelle Ryan continues to underwhelm in the lead. And its true the show is remarkably free of suspense whenever Katee Sackhoff steps off stage. But its the shaky framework of Bionic Woman’s ill-defined and rather bland world that sends my red flag flying high. Week after week, I’ve tuned in to see a vague woman vaguely working for a vague organization against a vaguely-defined threat.

One of the reasons B-movies were so successful in their Fifties heyday, was because they embraced their inner cornball. They told us up front that giant atomic-powered ants were coming to kill us — and then, wham! What’s that coming up over the sand dunes? Giant ants coming to kill us. But Bionic Woman has taken a concept worthy of a B-movie and proven it’s not at all comfortable with the inherited cheese.

If Katims is to breathe any life into this quickly flatlining show, he’d be wise to check out a previous superhuman series for inspiration: 1990’s short-lived The Flash While it lacked a strong direction or a recurring villain, The Flash had one thing that kept it on track for a time: the titular hero used his powers, regularly, in inventive and surprising ways and even — gasp! — actually seemed to be enjoying himself while doing so.

It helped of course, that the Flash had a career, a personality, a weakness, a sense of humor, and an equally fleshed out supporting cast to share the screen with. Michelle Ryan’s Jaime Sommers is thus far a cypher with a sister. And what few supporting players we’ve met are given importance one week but treated like furniture the next, revealing themselves to be nothing more than gears in the machinery of the plot.

I’m trying to like this show. Scout’s honor, I am. But when it presents half-drawn characters and colors its heroes and villains with so much grey as to make them interchangeable — all this while shamelessly recycling dialogue from Return Of The Jedi (Jaime to Sarah: “There is still good in you…I can see it”) — well, it’s not exactly meeting me halfway, is it?

This post was authored by Jim Titus, a man worth significantly less than Six Million Dollars

Three episodes into the new season of NCIS and I’m ready to report on the state of things in Leroy Jethro Gibbs land. After the off season turmoil and the departure of show runner Donald P. Bellasario the show looked as if it was moving toward a more NCIS “lite” version of itself. The show has found a way to retain its high summer ratings and finished last week in the top ten.

But as I said, the show seemed like a lightweight version of its former self. Then this week my fears were put to rest. My worries that the current production staff might miss the underlying angst and darkness that always resides in the background of this show were dashed in literally the last few seconds of the show. These writers get it!
It was uncomfortably pleasant to see all of the dark underpinnings of the show extinguished for a little while (a very little while) but it was a positively celebratory moment when Gibbs as well as the viewers receive a gut wrenching reminder of the pain that still resides close to the surface. I have high hopes for the current team running this show. They have not forgotten their roots.

Remember, you don’t get recaps of episodes from me, only my reflections and passion for the show. What I really want you do is check out this totally uncool show that just keeps drawing viewers in week in and week out. Check out NCIS Tuesdays at 8ET on CBS.

This post was Authored by Rob Walley, Our Resident Authority on all things NCIS

Interested in who’s guest starring on The Simpsons this season or even the next season? Well I got this from TV.com:

“Further into the season, the list of guest stars includes Steve Buscemi as a bank robber, Jack Black as a comic-book store owner, Kelsey Grammer reprising his role as Sideshow Bob, and Grammer’s Frasier castmates David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney as Bob’s family.

Jon Stewart, Maya Rudolph, Dan Rather, Kurt Loder, Placido Domingo, Weird Al Yankovic, Matt Dillon, Beverly D’Angelo, and Topher Grace will also be featured in the next season”

Jon Stewart, Maya Rudolph, Dan Rather, Kurt Loder, Placido Domingo, Weird Al Yankovic, Matt Dillon, Beverly D’Angelo, and Topher Grace will also be featured in the next season”

Quite a few of these people have already made appearances in the past. I’m quite happy to see another return of Sideshow Bob, and it especially interests me to see another appearance of David Hyde Pierce as Bob’s brother.

It’s funny. The Simpsons has had so many surprising cameos (Michael Jackson’s uncredited season 2 cameo being the most interesting) that it is just no longer surprising. I honestly believe they can get anybody to eventually record their voice for the show.

This post was Authored by Josh Kelhoffer, Our Resident Authority on all things Adult Swim

Something I face daily is the realization that having worked for The Movie Blog, I am spoiled with a wealth of “insider movie news” and I am exposed to a LOT of movie geekery. I get to know stuff people don’t know about, and sometimes I have heard of things in movie history that I just assume everyone has heard of.

Today I came across an article and thought I would share it in case some of you are not aware of the “Wilhelm Scream”

ABC News has a story that tells the tale of the most repeated sound effect in movie history:

You’ve probably never heard of it by name, but if you saw “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones” or even “Toy Story,” you’ve heard the Wilhelm scream.

Hollywood’s best known sound effect has been heard by millions of people who probably don’t know that they’re listening to a little piece of film history.

So as the story goes, the movie Distant Drums a soldier screams while being eaten by an alligator. Later in Charge at Feather River the character Pvt. Wilhelm gets shot in the leg by an arrow and they needed a scream to dub in. They used the same sound bite from Distant Drums.

The Wilhelm Scream was born.

The sound clip was used repeatedly in various movies and became an insider gag among sound techs after Ben Burtt noticed the sound was repeated and tracked down its origins. He named it the Wilhelm Scream after the character in its first use as an effect and started to use it much more frequently in movies he was involved in including Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

Since then the clip has been added to movies mostly as an insider gag to pay tribute to its origins.

A complete list of movies and tv shows to use this effect can be found at Hollywood Lost and Found

Also, the following Youtube Video has a compilation of some of the more notable Wilhelm Screams that you probably didn’t notice:

So next time you are at the theatre and you hear that distinct screaming sound, you will know that you have heard the Wilhelm Scream.

Well, there’s another cast-member announced for season 3. Minkowski, also known as “the guy on the radio phone” will be played by Fisher Stevens

Stevens is best known for playing an indian in blackface in the Short CIrcuit films.

Oh, man.

Anyway, what do we know about Minkowski? His Lostpedia entry states:

“Minkowski is the name of the man on the freighter on the other end of the satellite phone when Jack calls at the end of “Through the Looking Glass”.

So, yeah. Stevens will, depending on whether Ben is a liar or not, going to be either a boon to the castaways or, if the laws of drama count, a big ‘ol pain in the Sawyer.

This post was Authored by Justin Mohareb, Our Resident Authority on all things Lost

According to Chucktv.net:

Ex-Alias techie Kevin Weisman can’t seem to shake the spy biz. Sources confirm to me exclusively that the actor has landed a flashy guest stint on NBC’s Chuck.

I didn’t watch Alias myself, and don’t watch Weisman’s current show Moonlight, but this seems to be good news that’s got people talking. The episode airs November 12th, and Weisman will apparently play a ” poisonous” bad guy.Ausiello reports:

Also, Ask Ausiello reveals more about Rachel Bilson’s guest stint:

“”She plays Lou, a sandwich maker who complicates the faux relationship with Chuck and Sarah by possibly being available for a real relationship,” says Schwartz. “But like all characters in Chuck’s life these days… she may not be what she appears.”"

Both sound good, though I wonder if the show is going to be relying on guest stars instead of letting Adam Baldwin and Zachary Levi carry the show, because I think both have the talent to really make it great. Adam Baldwin has stolen every scene he’s had so far.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

Well, Chuck is at least staying on the air a little longer.

Variety Reports:

“Peacock has asked the writers of all of its new shows — “Chuck,” “Bionic Woman,” “Life” and “Journeyman” — to crank out three more scripts of their respective series.”

While this doesn’t constitute a full season, it is a step in the right direction. Though Variety does point out that the networks are also bracing themselves for the possible WGA strike.

Chuck is consistently coming in third in the ratings, and lost viewers two weeks running. But it seems like NBC is willing to let it find it’s niche. Several shows have taken at least a half a season to become hits, so are the networks maybe learning to let a show find it’s feet instead of going for swift cancellation? One would hope that they could learn from the vast mistakes that Fox has made.

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

Though I am unable to watch it till tomorrow evening (long story, not interesting) the third episode of Bionic Woman should be wrapping up as I type this, and if the following story is true, it may be the start of something fresh for the troubled NBC drama. According to Hercules, a staff writer at Ain’t It Cool News, the behind the scenes creative shuffle that plagued the show through the summer has taken a new turn.

You might remember that Jason Katims, he of “Friday Night Lights” and “Roswell” fame, stepped in to pinch hit when Glen Morgan abruptly exited the show early last month. It now appears the “undefined role” Katims assumed included taking hold of the creative reigns of Bionic Woman’s future. According to AICN

As of right now, the show is being entirely run by Katims,” the insider tells Ain’t It Cool. “Make of that what you will.”

What’s might be even more interesting is the article goes on to state that in addition to Morgan, lead writer Laeta Kalogridis and Jason Smilovic are also no longer involved with the series, and that showrunner David Eick has his hands full filming the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica.

Just guessing here…but maybe NBC realized they had a festering corpse hefted atop their fall lineup and brought in a proven heavy hitter for the network to take the show in a new direction. That would leave Eick and company to exit gracefully (which appears to be happening now) and Katims taking the controls in the midst of a ratings nose dive.

Once again…here’s hoping.

This post was authored by Jim Titus, a man worth significantly less than Six Million Dollars

Are you a myspace addict? Dying to know what Pam’s favorite movie is? What Kevin’s favorite band is? Well, most of The Office cast have their own myspace pages. Probably for die hard fans only, but still somewhat amusing, these pages will give you more information on your favorite Office stars than you probably want to know.

Kevin (Brian Baumgartner)

Pam (Jenna Fisher)

Ryan (B.J. Novak)

Toby (Paul Lieberstein)

Angela (Angela Martin)

Meredith (Kate Flannery)

Creed (Creed Bratton)

And even Bob Vance (Bobby Ray Shafer)

Have fun!

This post was Authored by Joe Purcell, Our Resident Authority on all things The Office

This forum entry made my day!
Apparently, there are two Cartoon Networks. The well-known one that sold out it’s target audience, and ditched all the older (and better) cartoons to another channel to fill their line-up fart-filled, Nicheloadian-style cartoons (except that Adult Swim totally makes up for that betrayal). And then, there’s the porno one..NO KIDDING!

British Columbia-based Adult Cartoon Network runs a Web site offering “adult” animated movies and comics. CN sued the company to halt it from using what it alleges is a confusingly similar name.

Wow! It’s just one of those things where I have no idea how to feel. Who should I root for? We all know who is going to win, but it just makes me wonder why they both can’t co-exist.

What do you guys think?

This post was Authored by Josh Kelhoffer, Our Resident Authority on all things Adult Swim

Despite some people still calling “Moonlight” a rip-off of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel,” it’s still doing well in the ratings.

Zap2It.com states that for Friday, October 5:

CBS stayed on top at 9 p.m. with “Moonlight,” 5.4/10

I still like the show and I thought that the second episode of the season did a lot to flesh out the characters. It showed that Mick wasn’t always as moralized as he is now and it showed one of the reasons why he changed.

I still think that this show is good, what do you guys think?

This post was Authored by Emily Hanson, Our Resident Authority on all things Moonlight

Chuck’s ratings are continuing to get lower. According to Zap2Itthe show again came in third in number of households, but fourth in number of viewers.

In three episodes, Chuck has lost 2.09 million viewers. Sadly, I think this is largely because of the disappointment that was “Chuck Vs. the Helicopter.” What makes this especially disheartening to fans of the show is that the third episode, “Chuck vs. the Tango,” was much better.

While the ratings are grim, all is not lost says TV Guide’s Matt Roushsays:

“But like most shows so far this season, it’s not what you’d call a breakout hit. Still, it’s holding its own in a very competitive environment, and if the media stays in its corner, that could also help. I know I’ll do my part, especially if future episodes live up to their potential. But I’d be surprised if NBC doesn’t stand behind this one for a good long while.”

Roush also calls Chuck vs. The Tango the series best episode yet, and while I don’t know if I would qualify it as better than the pilot, it certainly was the caliber I was expecting from the show. If they keep up that level, then I’ll be much more likely to suggest the show to others.

So, did episode three win you back to the show, or have you given up on it already? Do you think it’s likely to get canned, or are they in for a full season at least? With the marketing push behind the show, I have a feeling NBC might actually hang on for a while. Besides, Roush is right, Monday nights is terribly competitive. Would you want to be up against Dancing With the Stars?

This post was Authored by Elizabeth, Our Resident Authority on all things Chuck

In the middle of a seemingly difficult year for Chef Gordon Ramsay, things seem to be taking a turn for the better. While his media ventures here in the states are finding great success, the restaurant empire that is the foundation of his notoriety has take a few hits both here and in the UK. Now comes word that the Michelin restaurant guide has awarded Ramsay’s NYC eatery two of its coveted stars! Ramsay has always graded his success by his Michelin awards and now holds 11 of the stars worldwide. An article at Guardian United that reads:

The 2008 guide awards the London two stars, signifying “excellent cuisine, worth a detour”, praising its consistency in food and service and singling out its seven-course Menu Prestige

So what does this have to do with TV? Well, deeper in the same article lies the answer to a question that came up a few months ago before his current show “Kitchen Nightmares” premiered here in the US. It became known that Ramsay was being sued by one of the very restaurants he featured on his new US show. Exhaustive searches did not reveal which one and as the show began to air its first episodes, I could imagine any one of them pissed off enough to take Gordon to court. Here is the excerpt of interest:

To round off Ramsay’s roasting in the furnace that is New York public life, he is being sued by a former manager of an off-Broadway restaurant that featured in his television series, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, who claims he was unfairly represented on the show.

There you go! This indicates that the restaurant is Purmina, the Indian restaurant from the second US episode. Ramsay was pretty tough (rightfully so) on the egomaniac, cell phone obsessed manager who likes head massages from his waitresses! If there was ever a time for the US version of Kitchen Nightmares to institute the UK versions follow up sequences then this is it! The fact that Ramsay and FOX went forward with airing the episode despite the litigation means they must feel pretty comfortable with what they aired.

Now I want to see the rest of the story!!!

This post was Authored by Rob Walley, Our Resident Authority on all things Kitchen Nightmares

Okay, so the Johnny Galecki and Sara Gilbert reunion on Big Bang Theory happened this week. So what happened? Well, my prediction that this was originally devised as stunt casting appears to have been right on the money.

The scene was an extremely minor part of the show, but also ended up being probably the best scene from the entire series yet. Galecki and Gilbert played two socially inept professors attempting a controlled experiment in impromptu attraction by eliminating the drawn out courting rituals and going right for the most clinical kiss ever staged for TV. The scene was so good, we were backing up our DVRs to catch it all again! My worries about the two coming off as their Roseanne characters was unfounded and I can see why the show’s producers are keeping Gilbert around for more episodes. Galecki and Gilbert have shown that they are indeed better than their previous work and they do have a certain awkward chemistry together that is perfectly suited for this show.

I’m looking forward to more!

This post was Authored by Rob Walley, Our Resident Authority on all things Big Bang Theory