I know, I know, I know. It’s been 50 years since the movie. But I’m still not interested. As Variety has the news.

Wyler, whose father William helmed the 1959 classic Oscar-winning feature starring Charlton Heston, is producing the new version as a miniseries with Alchemy TV.

Christian Duguay (“Coco Chanel,” “Human Trafficking”) will helm the $30 million project, which is due to start lensing later this year.

The new version will be based more specifically on the 1907 Lew Wallace source novel than either the 1959 version or earlier 1925 adaptation.

Wyler is looking to skew the lead role younger into his mid-20s. New version will also likely downplay the religious aspects of the source material.

I’ve never read the novel, but it’s now on my list. Although I have seen the 1925 version a dozen times or so. It is an interesting silent film.

For me, “Ben Hur” is the greatest movie I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched it over a hundred times since I was a child. I consider it perfection, and I don’t think you should try to improve upon perfection. A ‘younger’ lead and downplaying ‘the religious aspects’ will go far in making it a different movie. It seems that they are trying to make it politically correct.

Curious timing that this is announced so soon after Heston’s passing. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I don’t object to any form of entertainment being remade. But it doesn’t mean I have to be interested in it.

Tricia Helfer is a integral part of the BSG success. She’s a talented actress who’s constantly given difficult situations to perform in. She’s now making plans for her post Galactica career as The Hollywood Reporter reports:

“Battlestar Galactica” co-star Tricia Helfer has inked a talent holding deal with Fox Broadcasting. Under the one-year pact, the actress will star in a series project for the network, probably a drama.

Unlike Katee Sackhoff, Tricia hasn’t taken any high profile gigs since BSG started. The mere style of her character ( abortion in Baltar’s head) must be difficult to play. She’s a great actress I’d love to continue to see on television. Her performance as Gina Inviere was close to Emmy winning (IMO).

What are your opinions of Helfer?

After the NBC announcement that The Office Spin-off would be on the winter schedule, no further information has been released about the upcoming series. Previously, producers planned on having no one from the current show cross-over, but looks like they may be considering other options. TVGuide’s Ausiello has:

Question: What do you know about the Office spin-off? — J.R.
Ausiello: I know that, contrary to speculation, it will not revolve around Dwight. According to an insider, the Michael-Dwight dynamic is “too integral to the show.” The likelier scenario, according to a Peacock insider, has Ed Helms’ Andy headlining Office 2.0. “That idea was batted around prior to the strike,” whispers my source, “and NBC seemed interested.” Personally, I hope NBC sticks with its original plan and looks outside the Dunderverse for the offshoot’s boss. Speaking of which….

I like the idea of one of the new characters moving over to the new branch. Andy or better yet Karen would be a good choice. I’d like to a new character as the boss, and have Andy and/or Karen be an employee in the office. Rashida Jones may be looking for a job soon with the failure of “Unhitched”.

What are your hopes for the spin-off? Do you want friendly faces, or new characters?

From “Veronica Mars” to “Heroes”, Kristen Bell has proven she is a talented actress. MovieHole.net got an exclusive interview while Kristen is promoting her new film, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”. In the interview, Kristen discusses her “Heroes” character:

The character you played in Heroes, how much fun was it to play? I mean we really don’t know what her motivation was. And she has some rather unpleasant things to do throughout the show. Was it fun to explore your dark side.

BELL: Absolutely. When it was pitched to me, they pitched her problems and where she was going and what was gonna happen to her. And it was really interesting. I think that they exposed her as a cautionary tale of what could happen to the heroes if they are completely engulfed by their power and lose their humanity and are raised by the company. But I also think that they are starting to, and will more, show her broken side, which is why she acts as tough as she does.

The interview also covers her upcoming movie, and a possible “Veronica Mars” feature. Since I discussed the Elle character just last week, I’ll dwell on the “Veronica Mars” movie part. In the interview she says:

And I know all of us would be involved, but the inception has to come from– A, Rob has to have the free time, and he doesn’t. He’s a very desirable show runner and writer in Hollywood right now.

I really do think that a “Veronica Mars” movie would work, if not a straight to DVD. If you’ve seen the short pilot they did for season 4, the FBI years (unfortunately pulled from YouTube) you’d agree. It was smart, funny, and still Veronica Mars

Would you watch/buy a “Veronica Mars” movie?

We here at the TV Show Blog obviously love our Science Fiction. But what about those shows that we love too much? io9 asks what the most overrated sci-fi show of all time is:

We’ve all had the experience of looking back at a movie or TV show that rocked our worlds a few decades ago, and going, “Oh.” Suddenly, the awesome classic of the 1970s or 1980s looks kind of cheesy and silly. The robot pets, the speechifying, the Klingons in cowboy hats. You expect the special effects not to be that special or effective, but you’re not prepared for the dialog or the acting.

Right now, Star Trek: The Original Series is winning by a mile. Star Trek: The Next Generation and the original Doctor Who are in a close second place. The Twilight Zone is in last place, as it should be. Of all the shows on the list, I can see what problems people have with them. But The Twilight Zone easily had some of the best writing to grace television, in an era when writing wasn’t that well rewarded. Especially not such subversive stories like Rod Serling liked to tell.

But I wonder how much of the poll is really people voting for something that they feel is overrated, or something that they’re just tired of or have a specific complaint against. Since Babylon 5 is rarely “rated” at all, and sadly has been mostly forgotten, I can’t imagine it being “overrated.” I admit to being a huge fan, but at the same time I think it deserves quite a bit of the praise it gets, despite the terrible fifth season.

To me the term overrated applies to a show that is consistently praised while it’s faults are consistently ignored. I’d say until recently, Battlestar Galactica fits that bill pretty nicely. But Alien Nation? Was it even that big a hit when it first aired?

Who did you vote for? I personally cast my vote for classic Trek, simply because I think people are all too willing to pretend it was so much better than we all remember. But it really wasn’t, it was a good show, and it was innovative. But it had some pretty big faults too.

I admit it, I’m a huge Project Runway addict. So this news completely baffles me. Project Runway is leaving Bravo and going to…Lifetime? The The New York Daily News reports:

The deal, estimated to be worth upward of $150 million, has officials at Bravo and owner NBC Universal feeling way too last season.

So much so that NBCU has filed a breach of contract suit against “Runway’s” owner, the Weinstein Co.

I don’t know what NBC Universal did to the Weinstein brothers, but this move is just ridiculous. It has to be motivated by money (but then, everything in television is). But Bravo was the perfect home for Project Runway, and to suddenly move it to Lifetime? I don’t even know if I get the Lifetime channel, I never watch it. The article says it’s a channel known for reruns of the Golden Girls, but I personally only think of overly melodramatic films about cancer.

I don’t know much about the general buzz, but I know most of my friends and I were very unhappy with the last season (which is a bit of an understatement). The general critical reception early in the cycle was lukewarm. Moving networks at this stage, especially to one that half their viewers don’t even, seems like a very bad idea to me.

Did you enjoy last season? Will you actually tune into Lifetime for the new season in November?

I was looking forward to “New Amsterdam”. It had enough similarity to “Angel” to pique my interest. But I admit, I haven’t watched a single second of the show yet. I do have every episode sitting on my DVR, and will probably blow through them on some rainy Sunday.

What I’d like to know is if “New Amsterdam” is living up to its hype. Is it interesting? Is “Angel” a good comparison, or is “CSI” closer? If you like it…why? If you don’t…why? Also, are you still watching?

Please let us know in the comments.

Only just over two weeks left until the next new “Lost” episode, “The Shape of Things to Come”. ABC has released some light information on the upcoming episode. SciFi Wire has:

ABC released information about “The Shape of Things to Come,” the next original episode of its SF series Lost, which returns later this month in a new timeslot, Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

In the episode, Locke (Terry O’Quinn) sees his camp come under attack, while Jack (Matthew Fox) tries to discover the identity of a body that has washed ashore, ABC said.

The promos for this episode make it look very intense. I’m assuming this is the climax of the season, if not the series.

Any ideas on what the shape of things to come are?

“The Shape of Things to Come” debuts on April 24.

The show that wouldn’t die, “Jericho”, may yet have some life. IMDB is reporting:

Jericho, the CBS television series that was canceled because of low ratings, then revived following protests from fans, then canceled again because of low ratings, may be revived a second time, the New York Times reported today (Monday). The newspaper said that CBS may follow NBC’s recent example with Friday Night Lights in which it sold the DirecTV satellite service the right to air the series before it goes on network TV. The Times said that CBS is considering a similar option in negotiations with cable provider Comcast. Meanwhile, although DirecTV executives have expressed confidence that the Friday Night Lights deal could drive new subscribers to their service, some analysts are expressing skepticism about its ability to do so and forecasting that the DirecTV episodes will wind up being pirated on the Internet.

Wow, I didn’t see this coming. I understand that this is a good show with a lot of potential, but I don’t think it’ll get the ratings that they are looking for.

Jericho’s numbers highly skew towards online viewing, and I imagine DVRs. I don’t believe putting it exclusive on Comcast is going to help.

It would be a shame to get hope (picked up by Comcast) and then by under performing, the show gets cut early. Maybe it’s time to say goodbye to a “Jericho” television show.

Showing complete faith in Whedon, FOX has decided to build the Dollhouse instead of spending money on a pilot. The Wall Street Journal has:

Fox Broadcasting Co. decided to forgo a pilot for its new series “Dollhouse” by “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon, opting to invest money instead in building the elaborate, life-size dollhouse that will be the show’s set.

Committing to series without seeing full pilots may help the networks save money now, but it carries risks. The pilot system, as expensive as it is, evolved as a way of avoiding the disasters that occasionally occur when a terrific script yields a miserable show.

“It’s going to require a little bit more creative thinking on the part of buyers and researchers to gauge how these shows are going to perform,” Mr. Adgate says.

I think it shows that FOX likes what it’s hearing from Joss and co., and they already feel a hit on their hands. Hopefully, advertisers can be convinced as well. Without strong advertiser support, a show like “Dollhouse” would struggle. Fox isn’t know for giving shows a chance to find an audience.

One of the best and newest sitcoms on television, “Samantha Who?” returns with all new episodes tonight. The TVGuide synopsis for “The Girlfriend” is:

Samantha has to move back into the apartment when she learns that she could be evicted for subletting it to Todd. Meanwhile, Dena and Sam’s mom bond when Sam doesn’t show up for a makeover night with her mother. Chloe: Kiele Sanchez. Audrey Rhodes: Beth Littleford.

Fans of “Lost” may recognize fan non-favorite, Kiele Sanchez. I’m assuming that she is the girlfriend, and the A-story for this episode revolves around Samantha dealing with Todd’s girlfriend in the apartment.

Christina Applegate has awesome comedic timing, and I haven’t seen an episode yet of “Samantha Who?” that I didn’t enjoy. I’m glad to have it back, but I worry that ratings will suffer with it being pushed out to 9:30PM. After an hour and a half of “Dancing with the Stars”, will anyone stick around?

I came to CSI via Gary Sinise (”CSI:NY”). Eventually, I became a fan of all 3 shows. For me, the core of “CSI” Las Vegas is Grissom and Willows. In this episode, I don’t believe either of them were an interesting part of the show.

The show was very slow and uninteresting. The storyline seemed more “Matlock” than “CSI”. More a mystery than forensic drama. I couldn’t actually keep my attention fixed on the show, and about a half hour in, began multi-tasking on my computer.

I really hope that things pick up this season. “CSI” is a smart show, and needs to retain its title as the CSI-flagship program.

What did you think of this episode? Do you agree that it was lacking in quality?

The lovely and talented Anna Friel was put through an embarrassing ordeal in preparation for her role on “Pushing Daisies”. IMDB has this story.

British actress Anna Friel was forced to have her teeth fixed for her role in TV drama Pushing Daisies. The 31-year-old was encouraged to improve her appearance for the part after the show’s producer noticed her teeth were discolored and crooked. Friel was upset by comments at first but went on to book a whitening treatment and have an orthodontic brace fitted in a bid to improve her smile. She says, “When I first started filming Pushing Daisies, my agent and the producer told me I needed to have my teeth whitened. I’m very good at brushing them. So I refused . Everyone just shrugged and told me they’d do a test film. When I saw it, I couldn’t believe what I looked like on screen. I’m not kidding, compared to everyone else my teeth looked green. I was horribly embarrassed.”

Honestly, I’m just using this as an excuse to talk about “Pushing Daisies”. It was my favorite new show this past season, and I miss it quite a bit. I really wish that ABC would start reairing the season soon, as there is no news on a DVD release.

I feel a little teased that the Daisies season was so short. As with “Heroes”, they understandably decided not to bring it back after the WGA strike was resolved. But it still sucks.

Do you miss “Pushing Daisies”?

With the series premiering theatrical movie getting closer, news on LucasFilm plans for SWCW is coming out. TheForce.net has news from Lucas Licensing’s director of publishing, Carol Roeder. Some of the highlights are:

• The release date for all the movie tie-ins is July 26th.
• There’s a much more concerted effort for kids’ tie-ins here than there ever has been before.
• A novellization of the movie from DelRey will be released. As I said, PW are reporting that the movie tie-ins will all be on-sale on July 26th, so I’m guessing this must be the Karen Traviss novel we’ve heard about already, which has an official release date of 29th July.
• Three more novellizations will accompany the TV series. I’m guessing the first of these is “Untitled K. Miller 1″, probably followed by another book apiece by Karen Traviss and Karen Miller. The two Karens certainly seem to be working closely on their Star Wars projects.

Interesting is the “concerted efforf for kids’ tie-ins”. Not that Lucas ever not targeted kids, but as he’s said before, SWCW is for the kids, and the live action series for adults. Personally, I’ll watch both…probably with my kids.

Will the novels be interesting? Does it matter that it is targeted to kids?

Even NBC agrees that “Knight Rider” needs some work before it debuts next fall. Over a Zap2It they’ve got a few suggestions for replacement cast. I like the first one especially.

Mike Traceur
If you’re going to get a brooding hero who looks good behind the wheel of a car, why not ring up Nathan Fillion? Okay, Nathan’s a favorite here at Misfits Central, but for good reason. In Drive, Mssr. Fillion played a high-speed good guy with a dark side, perfect preparation for Knight Rider. Plus, Firefly showed us Nathan can portray the sort of hero who swoops in, rights wrongs with either charm or fisticuffs, and rides off into the sunset. That’s perfect for Mike Traceur.

I whole heartily agree. Fillion would be perfect for the role. He has the charisma and likability that Justin Bruening lacks, and does “look good behind the wheel of a car”.

Michael Clarke Duncan as the voice of K.I.T.T. is interesting. Though i didn’t like Val Kilmer in the TV movie, I believe he’ll grow into it. And to top it off, you can never go wrong adding Kevin Weisman to a cast.

What do you think of the Misfits of Sci-Fi list?

Felicia Day will shine as the lone female lead in Joss Whedon’s new web series, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog“. As you’ll find out in this inteview with DynamicForces, she’s no stranger to web content. Also, there’s some insight into Dr. Horrible:

BD: You’ve entered the big leagues of geek fandom now by being cast in another Joss Whedon project. What can you share about Doctor Horrible?

FD: I can say the music is about as addictive as World of Warcraft. To be involved in this project is a dream come true, I am so privileged to be working with actors of the caliber of Neil [Patrick Harris] and Nathan [Fillion], they are inspiring and intimidating and hilarious all at once! And the story runs the gamut of emotions: It is a true epic. The writers, Joss, his brothers Zack and Jed and Jed’s fiancé Maurissa, are SO TALENTED! I’m excited because, as a scripted web creator, we haven’t gotten any mainstream respect for our work, and having Joss do his thing on the internet will legitimize the media format, and to do something as experimental as a musical…the man is the most talented person on the planet.

To me, Felicia is most memorable as Vi from Buffy. Her perfect portrayal is what made Vi the most memorable of the “potential slayers”. I have yet to see her award winning web series, The Guild, but it has been on my list of ‘must-sees’.

Fresh off a frak-tastic season premiere, Katee Sackhoff again sits down with Cort & Fatboy for an interview.

Download the interview here.

In the interview she discusses season 4, the finale and other experiences on BSG and “The Bionic Woman”. Much of it is experiences on set, and interactions with other cast members. Also, she discusses the increased security/secrecy for this, the final season of BSG.

The last interview I heard with Katee on Cort & Fatboy was hilarious, and this one is almost as good. Go on over and give a listen, it is not extremely spoilery.

While we’re talking BSG, what did you think of the premiere?

I love Batman! I was am especially a huge fan of the animated series from the early-to-mid 90’s. To me, none of other Batman animated series have lived up to the style and feel of that series, not even it’s sequal series, The New Adventures of Batman & Robin, which altered the style to be slicker and a little bit more like the other superhero cartoons at the time. Batman’s more recent series, The Batman, hasn’t interested me one bit. For starters, I can’t get past the look.

Anyways, I was shocked to find that a new Batman cartoon is in the making. It will be called “Batman: Bold and Brave.”ENI has the details.

So basically, it’s the Super Friends?

Judging by the two pictures I have seen, I like it’s look, though not as good as the 90’s series I love so much, but I like it a lot more than The Batman. There’s just something about this new cartoon that has me in doubt. I just can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it’s the subtly retro quality that feels out of place? I don’t know. I just know that something about this just makes me feel like it won’t last too long.

I’ve been really wanting to chime in on the Star Wars television series, but I haven’t really had the chance since there’s only so many nuggets being delivered at a time, and I’m usually too late. Truth be told, I only know so much about this series, and probably even less than the usual Star Wars fan. I may not be the biggest Star Wars fan in the world, but I do want something completely balls to the wall Star Wars. I’m not going to spend a thousand words on how much I was upset with the prequals. There’s a thousand writers out there blogging about that, so I’ll spare you from that.

What I do know about the series is that it is supposedly set between Rvenge of the Sith and Star Wars (I refuse to call it A New Hope) and that it will supposedly be kind of like the Young Indiana Jones tv show. The first part interests me, the second part worries me. The way it sounds is that they are making “The Tales of Star Wars” and each episode will be set in a different world with a different protagonist, and if thats the case, I’m not all that excited about that.

I want to see a continuing story, not necessarily one that continues the ones told in the films, but one that is at the forefront of the series. Why not the growth of the rebellion? It’s birth ended up on the cutting room floor, and it is something I’m interested in seeing.. And I’m sure many others would be too.

Seeing characters like Boba Fett again are cool and all, but it’s characters like Darth Vader and the Emporer that I truly want to see come back from time to time, and if they did chose to focus on the rebellion from time to time, it could be quite plausible for us to hear James Earl Jones deep voice again, and I really hope we do. Seeing the younger version of Boba Fett was quite awkward in the films (I think), but with the tv series, they will have more time to drop in cameos from familiar characters. Seeing a young Han Solo wouldn’t feel as thrown in as it would have if they did it in Revenge of the Sith, as long as they don’t dilliy dally too much. C’mon George! Give us more Vader! Give us the real Vader doing what he does best.

It would also be quite possible that they would reflect on some Jedi that survived the Order 66. In fact, I believe it’s more than posisble. I believe that is a direction they will go in.

It’s Star Wars, so balls to the wall action is comething we probably wouldn’t have to ask for, but I don’t want that interrupted with Senate meetings and the politics of war. Here and there is OK, but I don’t want pointless meladrama to drag out what could be an amazing episode.  I swear, showrunners must really think that just because they have a show means that the show can used to develop a character more. Yes, that maybe true, but you can still develop a character without completely stopping the show, like the prequals did, where they halted the build up so Padme could say “Hold me like you did in Naboo.” That scene felt so awkward. We know they love each other. We know it leads to Anikin’s doom, but does the romance have to be overplayed and boring? No! This isn’t “As the Galaxy Turns,” it’s Star Wars, one of the biggest franchises to ever grace an audience, so please don’t stop the show for romantic cliche’s and if you do, please, please make it seem real.

I also think it would be cool if every episode opened like the movies did. It starts with the Lucasfilm logo, and then the “Long, long time ago” text and then BOOM! The name of the series against the stars and then the opening crawl with the episode number and title rolling up to the tune of the great John Williams. That would be so cool!

If I had to guess which channel the series will air on, I would say Spike. They are now showing the all of the films, which is my primary reason for the guess. I think SciFi Channel would be cool, too. It already has the built in audience and on a channel, in which the audience already expects all things science fiction, that would be so perfect, yet I doubt will air on SciFi. At one point, I would have said FOX, but a part of me really doubts it too. So, I still say Spike.

I’m not saying this stuff will make a better series, but it is what I want so see. So, I want to know what you want to see. If there’s something you wish for this epic series, feel free to speak up in the comments section.

Also, would it be too much to ask for Spielberg to direct an episode?

The Great Christopher Walken joins the Seventh Timers Club tonight as he is once again set to host Saturday Night Live. About.com reports.

Walken has always been one of my favorite SNL hosts. His Blue Oyster Cult skit has gown on to be one of the most quoted SNL skits of most recent history, although, sadly it has become of his most quoted lines despite his great acting resume. Too bad, the musical guest is Panic At the Disco. I’ll just flip the channel when they come on.