The members have voted, everything has been counted, there’s a fat lady singing somewhere, the writer’s strike is officially over, says The Washington Post:

Writers who voted in New York and Beverly Hills were overwhelmingly in favor of ending the strike: 3,492 voted yes, with only 283 voting to stay off the job.

I think there’s not much to be said except: finally. The members of the WGA were obviously as tired of all of this as everybody else. The Academy is happy that the Oscars will go ahead exactly as planned on the 24th, and some shows are getting back into action as soon as possible. A few seasons are being cut short or scrapped, as reported here earlier.

The thing I wonder about are the footprints this is going to leave on the industry. I think this strike is going to have far reaching consequences that nobody has thought of yet, and I worry about what they’re going to be. For one thing, several networks no longer are going to have pilot seasons. That decision was said to be unrelated to the strike, but I can’t help but wonder if it was a part of the change all the same.

We were originally promised 16 episodes for this season. Now with the WGA strike causing most series to shorten their season, Lost producer Carlton Cuse lays out the new plan. From TV Guide.com:

Damon [Lindelof] and I are going to try and make five more episodes before the end of May, which is ambitious. But, we’ve found ourselves in situation where we had eight episodes of story planned, and we’re going to try to fit that into five hours of the show. Even though it’s going to be very hard to execute, we felt like any less would be doing a disservice to the story we had planned. We really want to give the fans the best possible experience and ending that we can to Season 4.

The rest of the interview goes on to explain more of the challenges ahead in completing the season. Also, he mentions that there will most likely be a 4 week break between episode 8 and 9 (originally it was supposed to run continuous).

Even with the WGA strike coming to a close, we won’t be getting any of 24 season 7. An article at TV Squad has:

When FOX made that announcement, some of us predicted that the show wouldn’t return until at least mid-August. Since the network is known for starting it’s fall season a bit early for certain shows (e.g., Prison Break), maybe the series could have aired from mid-August until the end of December with a few 2-hour long episodes. But it looks like this option won’t happen. Instead, we will have to wait 11 months to see what happens next in Jack Bauer’s life!

The irony is that if Fox would have approved the original season 7 “Africa” storyline, it would have worked for the fall. This storyline involved a break from the “24 hour” format in the middle of the season for Jack to travel back to the U.S. from Africa (~14 trip). The first half could have been pre-Christmas, and then pick up in the U.S. in January.

Will this long wait between seasons (almost 2 years) be a turnoff for fans? Will they come back? Will you?

Just announced on StarWars.com (even has tomorrows date) is the word that a feature film version of Star Wars: Clone Wars will appear in theaters before the television series kicks off.

A new era of Star Wars entertainment begins in 2008 when Star Wars: The Clone Wars, from creator George Lucas, premieres as an all-new feature film in August, followed by the television series debut in the fall, in a partnership announced today between Lucasfilm Ltd., Warner Bros. Pictures and Turner Broadcasting System Inc.
…
Star Wars: The Clone Wars will open in North American theaters Friday, August 15. International release dates will be announced soon.

I’ve heard criticism that this is the wrong era of Star Wars to focus on, but I disagree. This is when Jedi were Jedi. Remember, Episode 2 gave us the start of the Clone Wars, and Episode 3 the end. Star Wars: Clone Wars tells the story between the 2 movies. So I guess this would be Episode 2.5.

By the way, this will be the first Star Wars film not to be distributed by Fox. It’ll be strange not to hear the familiar fanfare at the beginning of the movie.

Tonight’s episode of The Sarah Connor Chronicles was entertaining, but started to show signs that it might start to focus to much on the school. When John and the other shop student started talking about “Cheryl Weston”…”she’s damaged goods”, I started to get worried that we’d be getting more school room drama. After last week’s suicide jumper, it wasn’t looking good.

I don’t mind the interactions between Cameron & John in the school. Those scenes help with the character development. But I don’t want to see them solve cases in the school. It doesn’t appear that isn’t going to be a “school issue of the week” type of thing…that is good. But there was great Terminator-on-Terminator action, and for that I can’t complain.

On another note, Brian Austin Green did well to dispel the fears I had of “David Silver” on Terminator. He played the part well, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of him on the show. There’s a nice interview with him over at TVGuide.com.

Top on my list of most anticipated new projects is the upcoming Joss Whedon/Eliza Dushku thriller, Dollhouse. The WGA stike worried us, but it was already ordered pre-strike, so Joss is getting back to work on the scripts post-strike. An interview with IO9 has more on Joss’ current projects.

What about Dollhouse will draw in your Buffy and Firefly fans?

Well, Eliza (Dushku). Duh. It’s very different than the stuff I’ve done before, but at the same time it’s still a very hardcore examination of the human condition. It really sort of boils it down to who are we, how are we programmed, what do we need, what is okay about us, and what is really not okay. It’s the most morally gray thing I’ve ever done. I think it might actually anger a lot of my fans, but there are questions I still have to ask. Ultimately I think it will intrigue them because that.

This type of show is perfect for Joss and Eliza. I enjoy when he explores the “morally gray” as he sometimes did in Firefly and Angel. Eliza’s character seems similar to her “Tru Calling” character, with a little of dark-Faith sprinkled in. The more I hear about this project the better it appears.

Yes, there were many problems with the Star Wars Prequels. But you have to admit that one of the coolest things that was accomplished by them was bringing Samuel L. Jackson into the Star Wars Universe. In a recent interview with MTV, Sam dropped hints that he may be voicing Mace Windu in the upcoming Star Wars: Clone Wars television series.

“And Sam Jackson sounds game to return.”Yeah, absolutely,” Jackson told MTV News today when asked if he’s interested in voicing the Mace Windu character in the new series. “I would love to,” Jackson said when asked if he’s ready to be the ill-fated Jedi warrior once again. Most exciting of all? Jackson confirmed that Lucas and company have expressed interest. “I have talked to them about it,” he said.”A lot of people love that character,” Jackson continued, pondering the continuing adventures of the only Jedi on record to wield a purple lightsaber.”

Having Jackson voice the character would be amazing. He is a great talent, and has such a distinct voice that I believe would enhance the series if he were a part. Yes, voice acting is a special talent that not every actor can do well, but Jackson has already proven he can pull it off.

(via theforce.net)

While the critics have loved Friday Night Lights from the beginning, the ratings have never really been as good as they could be. Which is why many people are speculating that the show is about to leave the airwaves. Co-Chairman of NBC Entertainment tells Radar to start watching something else:

I don’t want to watch 30 Rock. I want to watch FNL. I love it.

I love it. You love it. Unfortunately, no one watches it. That’s the thing with shows. People have to watch them. We’re NBC, we have a reputation to uphold. And, man, with this writers’ strike … well, we’ll see what we can do. But start watching 30 Rock.

This news has of course started a a campaign to save the show. This time, Best Week Ever is encouraging people to “Keep the Lights On” by sending lightbulbs to NBC.

But as Silverman said: people need to watch shows. You can send in as many light bulbs as you want, if the ratings are bad, what is the network supposed to do? I’ve touched on this topic before, but I’m starting to worry at how often these campaigns are cropping up. Yes, every show is going to have fans. But if the network isn’t making money on a show, they can’t really afford to keep it on the air.

What do you think, should they take a chance with Friday Night Lights? Are you going to send in some lightbulbs?

Best known for his roles in Jaws and as Captain Bridger on Seaquest DSV, Roy Scheider passed away on Sunday. Variety reports:

Scheider died Sunday at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital in Little Rock a hospital spokesman said. The hospital did not release his cause of death…

Scheider was easily one of my favorite actors and I’m very sad to read this news. Seaquest was a show that most people my age remember very fondly. He was a fine actor, and will be missed.

Action-Figure reports.

You all know about the Clone Wars animated Series coming out, right? Well it’s hitting this September, and will kick off (in the UK at least) with a cinematic release of the first 3 episodes (note this was confirmed by a couple of Star Wars licensees other than Hasbro). The rest of the episodes will then come out on a yet undecided TV channel.   

Nothing seems to have been said about a release in US theaters, but this is killer news for Star Wars fans living in the UK and I think it’s an interesting way to premiere the new animated series.

Last weeks episode, “Siren”, proved that the producers of Smallville aren’t serious about Superman. The opening scene itself made the entire 90s Superboy series look like Emmy material. Over the last few seasons, the producers have been adding more “heroes” and more teen angst drama, in turn creating less quality.

They added Green Arrow, Flash, Aquaman, Bizzaro, Cyborg, BRANIAC, Supergirl, Zod, and now Black Canary (I probably missed a few). Every time the show has them in their ‘tights’, the quality degrades. It is as if the writers/producers want you to think that a superhero show is cheese, so that you accept more emo-Clark and dual-personality Lana.

Nearly every major Superman-universe character has been on Smallville, save Bruce Wayne. It has become it’s own mythos, one that will never continue, one that doesn’t work. This Clark can never become Superman…a global hero with a secret identity. I know the show isn’t “Superman”, but it should a least function as a prequel to a Superman story. Not to mention, Clark isn’t even close to becoming a reporter.

Imagine a show called “Gotham”, with a young Bruce Wayne. Several future Justice League characters show up occasionally, and learn his identity. His parents aren’t dead. The Joker lives in Gotham and secretly operates as a crook, and Bruce’s best friend. How can that Bruce ever become “Batman”?

Am I off base? Without the Superman connection, it is a poor mans “Dawson’s Creek”. Should I be evaluating Smallville standalone, and not within the context of the Superman mythos? Honestly, if it wasn’t Superman related, I would have given up along time ago.

Entertainment Weekly reports.

J.J. Abrams is adding another J.J. to his team: The writer-producer has just cast Joshua Jackson as one of the leads of his new Fox drama, Fringe. Jackson — best known as wise-cracking Pacey from Dawson’s Creek — will play a member of a unit investigating sci-fi mysteries.  

We all know that it seems like this show is an X-Files wannabe, even though we haven’t seen a lick of footage, and we are only judging by the synopses of the show, which makes it so easy to judge. Personally, I think that the only thing the X-Files and Fringe will have in common is the premise.

As far as Jackson’s casting goes. I don’t mind, even if I am having a hard time getting his teenage melodramatic Dawson’s Creek/WB stink out of my head. I’m sure he’ll do fine.

Dr. Weir is officially jumping ship, according to Gateworld.

Stargate Atlantis and the actress behind Dr. Elizabeth Weir seem to have gone their separate ways. The actress has turned down an offer to appear in an episode of the show’s fifth season, which the writers hoped would be the start of an on-going arc, according to executive producer Joseph Mallozzi.    

It sucks because apparently the writers had come up with a new storyline for her character.

“As Season Four wrapped, Carl [Binder] and Paul [Mullie] got to spinning and came up with a terrific storyline that picked up where that last scene of ["Be All My Sins Remember'd"] left off,” Mallozzi said. “We had a story in place for one episode, the starting point of a potentially bigger arc. The script was written and we eventually contacted Torri who, after much consideration, turned down the offer to reprise the role of Elizabeth Weir for the episode.    

I’m now incredibly curious to what this story arc was. Stargate fans, what do you think of this?

Looking for that The Office fix? NBC.com has put up Adventures with Angela, a video blog with Angela Kinsey. Jenna Fischer mentions on her blog:

I’m rushing off for a day of errands but I wanted to let you know that NBC.com just posted some video diaries of me and Angela! I’ll write a longer blog later…I’ve got photos!…but the short version is that Angela and I went to New York together for Fashion Week!!! It was a total girl-fest. We made a video diary and they will be posted at NBC.com one at a time over the next few weeks. The first two are up now. Enjoy!

In one of them Angela tells the story of when she told me she was pregnant! It was 6am on the set of The Office!

These little videos are cute, and give a nice insight into some of our favorite actors. Jenna and Angela have always seemed very accessible celebrities. I am really missing “The Office”. One would hope that once the strike is over that “The Office” will continue to produce a few more episodes this season.

The fate of the Oscars isn’t certain, so who knows what exactly will go on the stage come February 24th, but the Academy is trying to generate some good press by revealing the design of the Oscar Stage. The Press Association reports:

Creating this year’s set is production designer Roy Christopher, whom Gil called “a genuine artist”.

“He has an ability to use space and to make space work for him, unlike any other scenic design artist that I know,” he said.

\

Reactions around the internet are mixed. I like it quite a bit, but I’m a big Oscar fangirl. I think I like almost everything they’ve done since I started watching it so religiously about fifteen years ago.

The Academy is asking the WGA to tell them what kind of ceremony they’ll be allowed to have, and hasn’t heard any definitive word yet. But the WGA is rather busy these days.

I know I will watch no matter what, but I’ll be very sad if it turns out to be as boring and useless as the Golden Globes.

Hollywood Insider reports:

J.J. Abrams is adding another J.J. to his team: The writer-producer has just cast Joshua Jackson as one of the leads of his new Fox drama, Fringe.

This is his sci-fi show that is being compared to X-Files. I’m intrigued by the idea, but I wonder if it’s going to be another mythology heavy show. Abrams seems to favor those, but I’m starting to think people are getting burnt out on Lost-style plots where there are more questions than answers. I know that I am, I like shows where I can forget to watch one week, come back, and not miss anything too important.

I enjoy long story arcs as well, but I think a good mix is nice. Right now, it seems every show I watch is at least linear enough that I can’t miss one episode and jump back in. I forgot to watch Lost two years ago and still haven’t caught up.

The WGA and AMPTP are finally talking about the strike being over, things are being ratified, and the Hollywood Engine is starting up again. What does this mean for our favorite shows? TV Guide’s Ausiello has the word:

At long last, a strike chart you can get excited about!

With an end to the three-month-old WGA strike imminent (yay!), the networks have quietly begun outlining plans to salvage what’s left of the current TV season. At the same time, I’ve been quietly picking at my moles to get a preview of those plans …

Keep in mind that the following information remains extremely tentative and is subject to change (and probably will).

While none of this is firm or official, it does confirm a lot of rumors. Among the tidbits? Bionic Woman is gone, Chuck will not return until fall, all CSI incarnations will shoot a few new episodes, Lost could finish out their season, and Pushing Daisies won’t be back until fall.

While I wish new episodes of Chuck were coming, I think this sounds like everybody is getting back on the horse pretty quickly. That is very good to hear.

Torchwood’s new series has definitely found itself on stronger ground. Whereas series one had more than a fair amount of shaky episodes (Sex Fogs? Never again!) series two has managed to produce a good run so far. Particularly, the characters are a lot strong this time around, and significantly more sympathetic.

Even Owen, which I think is something of a miracle; he is something of a wiz with a chemical set, though.

Last night’s episode, Meat, dealt with the team investigating the source of extra-terrestrial food entering into the Welsh food chain (which would probably only be beneficial). I think the X-Files and the Fantastic Four both had this same plotline, but handled quite differently.

Overall, the season is improving. I wonder how much of it is a need to reduce the sophmoric sexuality to a minimum in order to keep the pre-watershed edition from being 8 minutes long.

Only a few weeks before the debut, Will Arnett has been replaced as the voice of K.I.T.T. in the upcoming Knight Rider TV Movie/Pilot. Knight Rider Online has the original announcement:

I mentioned last week there would be an announcement, well here it is, and only on KRO.

Will Arnett has had to back out of voicing KITT because of a contractual conflict. This happened a few weeks ago.

I was asked not to release this information until they figured out what they were going to do. Finally, as of last night, contracts with the replacement have been signed.

The new voice of KITT will be…Val Kilmer. He’s a bona-fide movie star who has not done a lot of television, a very smart guy with and great voice and a lot of range, and the producers are very happy with the choice. They start today to re-voice the movie.

This may work well for the show having a big name, and recognizable voice like Kilmer’s involved. I really have hope for this show, and this news though disappointing at this late in the game, is encouraging. But you’d think that Arnett would have settled the GM/Ford conflict a long time ago.

After a pretty strong opening to the season last Thursday, Lost is set to rule the air for at least the next 8 weeks. One thing that was lacking were the “Sawyer-isms” that we’ve grown to love. ABC is giving us a chance to get our own Sawyer nickname. My results are pictured to the right here. Go to ABC.com to get yours.