Random posting… 'The company'

If you have been watching a lot of the ‘conspiracy among us’ shows out there you might have started to notice a couple of re-occuring developments. There is always one big bad shady business with an even shadier past which keeps getting more and more intricate until even the story tellers mix things up. This firm is most often represented by a middleaged/older character with common attributes that we would not normally think twice about, but in this case these attributes become almost notoriously well known (like, say, the horn rimmed glasses). And of course our heroes, they all have gray scales and dark sides, they are targeted by what initially appears to be random badness but turns out to be closely connected with their backgrounds.

My personal favourite among these has for the past three years been Prison Break (starring Wentworth Miller and Dominic Prucell amidst others). Season one had little brother Michael Scofield put himself in a prison in order to be able to break out big brother Lincoln Burrows who, as it happened, was sitting on death row convicted of the murder of the vice president’s brother.

Tough…

Of course, Lincoln was innocent as overly focused and smart (but slightly damaged and with a shitty background) Michael soon figured out. The engineer aka little brother put blue print tattoes all over his upper body and cleverly begun forming a plan to bust his brother out. Love is in the air fellas… And really, who could resist that concept?

Slowly but surely the conspiracy became clear, and well into season two the audience was already familiar with that vague but oh so meaningful term: ‘the company’. The shady firm had a name, a quite general and, well, gray name but nonetheless.

While logic and reason spiralled away rapidly towards the end of season two this show survived into a third season where the consiracy as well as the prison busting has reached new heights (or lows… depending on the perspective), but the audience is not as devoted any more. The angsty cliffhangers at the end of each episode just don’t hold the same desperate ‘I need to know what happens next’ sensation as they did throughout season one.

Still though, back to the red thread of the evil mysterious company. And onto another recent hit, Heroes.

The ensamble casts of both these shows has also been part of the success ingredients. Personally I think the brotherly aspect was what really pulled viewers in during season one, but the ensamble development was what kept them around during season two (when the brotherly connection begun loosening up). Heroes on the other hand has since day one been all about the group and the very different characters.

Season one held mystery and suspence as a scientists son came to New York to find answers regarding the truth in his father’s theories about evolution, Hiro from Japan travelled through time and space to be a hero and save a city from blasting to smitherins, Jessica/Niki battled multiple personalities (one of them murderous) and tried to keep the family together, and brothers Petrelli approached the un known from different perspectives. Yes, the brother factor again. Seems to be quite the re occuring success ingredient huh, and I must admit it draws in a crowd.

Ok ok, getting off topic again. So onto it then. There was something a bit off here, people with these special abilities (paint the future, hear thoughts, fly, bend the space continum), these future heroes, kept getting targeted both by a maniacal superpower collector who killed them and some big organization who appeared to enjoy treating them like occasionally dangerous lab rats a bit too much. And of course this organization soon became represented by one man (remember that in prison break we had several, the vice president, the asian man, the silent man), the man with the horn rimmed glasses. Also nown as cheerleder Claire’s (Hayden Panettiere) father.

Now, I didn’t think much of it as a conspiracy of crazies trying to keep these heroes under control, or some of them maybe even wanting the random blowing up of the city to occur, as it was another re occuring recipe that seemed to work alright. Then they started referring to it as ‘The company’.

Really? Guys? Imagination? Or is it some kind of internal thing I’m just not supposed to get. Or is it on purpose, a sorta general gray zone name that rings ‘evil’ and ‘danger’ so deeply it just has to be used, again and again in different scenarios.

Even though the storylines are still holding together (occasionally… somewhat) I’d say that ‘the company’ is loosing it’s impressive meaning. Everytime I hear it nowadays I feel a giggle coming on. I don’t do giggling. But it’s there, threatening, everytime. It just seemes so blatant, and maybe I’m wrong and way off here, but I wish they’d have had a few more names. Hey, maybe ‘evil empire of crazies’, or ‘big bad organization’, or ‘the horn rimmed glasses inc.’ Now that last one, that’d have scared me. Imagine their promotional campaign? *shudder*

/Desideria

Mood: randomly expressing thoughts in responce to having just finished watching Prison Breaks’ latest eppi… I miss the brooding Michael. I miss the desperation. I even miss Bagwell’s nasty comments. I miss that damned edge… Get them on the run again, or get some serious twists and actions that can’t be foreseen two hours ahead. I’ll just shut up now, cause we all know I’ll keep watching…

Heath Ledger is dead

Heath Ledger was found dead in NYC at his downtown Manhattan residence by his housekeeper around 3.26 p.m. on Tuesday.

The established and amazingly talanted actor was born on 4 April 1979, Australia, and died on the 21 January 2008. He leaves behind a family which includes a beautiful baby girl, Matilda, with ex Michelle Williams.

Recent projects include the coming Batman film, The Dark Knight where his performance as the Joker (a role previously done by Jack Nicholson) has already reaped a lot of praise and left audiences around the world excitedly anticipating the release date.

His resume of course also includes Brookeback Mountain, the amazingly touching and emotional film about two cowboys who fell in love with each other against the odds and against the norms of the world they lived in. Presumably his performance and the role as it was written will stick out as some of his most memorable achievements. It was a brave role to take, he did a great job, and he recieved a lot of respect and admiration around the world for it.

He's also to be recognized in films like Ten things I hate about you (which was hillarious, come on you've gotta love the singing on the bleechers scene), Casanova, and a stint in The Patriot.

A great actor, a person deserving a lot of respect for his art and his actions, and a name that'll live on in Hollywood. It SUCKS that things like this happens, that people leave the world far too soon. He will be greately missed, as will his precense in the world of arts. May he rest in peace...

/Desideria

Sarah Connor Chronicles- The mother of all destiny (eppi1&2)

In the midst of a coming dry spell on television a new FOX series featuring a continuation of the first two Terminator movies provides a shred of light. Personally my hopes for this project first took off when I heard David Nutter was producing and directing (the guy who directed the Supernatural pilot). Plus I always had a childhood crush on the Terminator series.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles revolve around the mother and son we left to their fates back in T2. Sarah (here played by Lena Heady, and back in the movie portrayed by Linda Hamilton ) and her kid John (played by Thomas Dekker, you’ll recognize his face from the first season of Heroes) are now fighting to survive and remain under the radar. Sarah herself has spent time at a mental institution for telling the truth about the future (machines take over, 3 billion dead, ladida, Arnold-machines saying things like ‘I’ll be back’). In the pilot mommy Connor freaks out after a dream where John ends up shot, and ups and moves the little family from her would-be fiance.

So they head to Texas where John goes to school and meets an odd but pretty girl. The next day, voila, the step-in teacher rips up his own leg, pulls out a gun, and starts shooting at our boy, the future leader of mankind… Or something along those lines. Actually he shoots the pretty girl too, only she turns out to be bit more mechanical than averege and saves John from a messy parking lot death by ramming a truck into the teacher from the future.

Right, so basically they start running, end up time travelling over to 2007 (yep, story starts back in 99), and the adventure and strive to make sure Sygate (that badass computer system that pretty much brings about apocalypse) is never created begins. Oh the fun.

I have to be honest. Apart from the robots, the flashy eyes, the gun fights, and the general ass kicking the show promises, the biggest draw-in for me was the fact that the story centered on this little trio of characters with so much potential beyond the ordinary cliches of drama. This is an action series with humanity.

Cameron, robogirl played by Summer Glau, does an good job so far as a slightly more human machine. In the fight scenes you can catch glimpses of the actress failing to not blink or reacting instinctively to a blow, but at the same time you see those dull eyes, that focus, and the always so creepy crooking of the head in response to a statement or action that just does not entirely make sense to ‘her’.

Ah the possibilities… Obviously a romance between John and Cam aka tincan would be complicated, which is wonderful because that leaves so much more room for angst and a whole lot of fight scenes and general terminator mood. Sarah’s character has interesting depths and (!) non-depths that will be nice to explore. And of course, it is the Terminator series on TV. This can either go really pretty well or really very badly.

So far the start is rocky but with a direction. The writing seems a bit messy at times, like there is too much to explain, too much to be shown and said and done all at once to get a jump start into the real story, but overall it works and they have stayed true to the concept. The action is nicely performed. There is a good deal of speed and a whole lot of artistic qualities to the show. Now it just needs to keep getting better, and by next season this could well be a big hit.

As stated before I had a childhood crush on this series, but I really can’t recall much detail, so as far as accuracy and staying true to the movies goes I really have no clue at the moment. Will need a Terminator movie eve for that, and that just doesn’t fit into the schedule anytime soon. Feel free to drop comments on that issue though.

Oh, and the new identities thing, John explaining how his new self is from Lawrence, Kansas. Any other SPN fan who reacted to that? Just curious, really… All in all, exciting watch primarily because it has so much potential to grow into. I’ll definitely stay tuned.

Plus, check out that promo picture of Sarah (Lena Heady) holding the gun. Bad ass, and makes me proud of the girlies on screen.

Golden Globe winners

Here's the list of Golden Globe winners to be expecting mailed parcels with the fancy inside. Cause, you know, there're no awards. Cause of, you know, the writers strike... Yeah...

Actually kind of nice, isn't it? Plus, just think of all the money and extravaganca saved on not hosting this thing.

As for the actual winners... Well, I'll just shut up about it. The major high light, though, seems to be Sweeny Todd and Johnny Depp recieving some recognition. Still haven't actually benched down and seen it, but I will I will...

The Sarah Connor Chronicles premieres tonight!

The new series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles premieres on Sunday, January 13, 8/7c and you can catch the continuation already on Monday January 14, 9/8c on FOX.

Basically it's the continuation of Sarah and her son's story post T2. And it looks awsome. There's pleanty of fighting, there's guns blazing, all kinds of crazy machinery, a presumable ass kicking mother and son team, and of course the girl from Serenity, Summer Glau, (happiness) is back to portray Cameron, John's protector, and she just happens to be a machine... Oh the dramz and the action. Maybe there's hope for the TV world after all *grins*...

Check out the Sarah Connor Chronicle's blog with pleanty of photos and videos for more fun and randomness.

Oh and there's also a great interview clip over at TV.com, so head there and watch if you're up to it. Oh, and of course fest on the good old movies too.

Supernatural fresh episodes Jan. 31st

Supernatural returns on Thursday of January 31st at 9/8c on The CW. Tune in, enjoy, and spread the word.

As for the rumors out there that SPN is being canned for Reaper, not true. Reaper will be airing in that time slot a bit later on, allowing the CW to put out all the fresh episodes they've got avaliable. SPN re-runs will probably be returning once Reaper is out of epis, and as for survival chances there have been indicators online (that low but steady buzzing sound you hear) that a fourth season is prob more likely for SPN than a re-newal for Life is Wild or alot of other shows...

Oh, and the ratings of the season shows SPN and Smallville beating Gossip Girl and Life is Wild once into the season.

Now let's only keep our fingers crossed for the writers strike to come to a swift and just end so that everyone can get back to work. Crews have been fired left and right, and as for the SPN's Vancouver based crew approximately 250 people were let go before the hollidays according to Kripke and Singer. Hopefully a majority of them can be re-hired once (if...) production starts up again in the winter/spring.

Vintage Kripke, Satan's head writer

Found a vintage (i.e. summer ala 2007) interview with Eric Kripke (creator/writer/producer/director of Supernatural) from the Comic Con event, wittily entitled Eric Kripke: Satan's Head Writer. It is hillarious, and a great fun read for the fans. He discusses (mentions) the turbulence behind the scenes for getting to season three (I'm guessing getting terms and cutting deals with the CW people in suits), freaky coincidences, and what's up ahead.

Here're some extracts for you

Eric Kripke can top that. " Sometimes we worry that we're Satan's writer's room because we'll come up with something and it will happen in reality."
The joke hit a bit closer to home however, when Kripke's new baby boy was born on Sam Winchester's birthday! In the pilot episode of Supernatural, everything begins on the sixth month anniversary of Sam's birthday when the demon visits and kills Sam's mother.
"Yes, November 2 (his son's sixth month birthday) is going to be a very nervous day in our home. It's really troubling and weird and honestly a little scary."


"We did not know we were coming back. I would say we were hopeful, but Season Three was not a fait accompli by any means. Frankly, behind the scenes there was some fighting going on to make sure we came back but you can't let that affect your storytelling. I have to tell the story I want to tell, at the pace that I want to tell it and hope for the best."


"We have a show that is as cool as Battlestar, we just a happen to be on the same network as America's Next Top Model. But tune in because we're there and we'll have interesting conversations about death and revenge and immortality and suicide."
"We have the best fans in the world and we want to mobilize that army to tell their friends. We want to come back for Season Four but that's much more in the audience's hands than it is in ours. So tell your friends! Have parties!
And he even has a slogan you can use. "Come on in, the water's bloody."
Sounds like we have another exciting year in store for us at Supernatural!


For more, click here to read the whole thing.

AMPTP vs WGA- the dirty practices

So I was doing my daily update of Nikki Finke's deadline hollywood daily page, and I stumbled accross this very interesting posting about the AMPTP's bratty attempts at putting the WGA in a bad light. Now, obviously, both sides have had their moments of... less than admirable behaviour. But really, this one just seemed so desperate I almost feel the tinsiest bit sorry for the AMPTP people. No disrespect intended.

For example:

-->The other day, an AMPTP consultant tried to start a rumor that a WGA exec was connected to child pornography.
-->The AMPTP repeatedly lies that the WGA has "a $30 million PR fund" to spread public information about the strike when the reality is that the WGA's entire communications budget is several hundred thousand dollars.
MORE

Check out more goodies here, and have a nice little high pitched and terrified laugh. These are the people who need to sit down and actually make a deal with the WGA?

Speechless- Zach Braff

Adorable! *claps hands*




CAST: Zach Braff
CREATIVE TEAM: George Hickenlooper, Jill Kushner, Alan Sereboff, Justine Bateman, Dean Alioto, Steve Pink
MUSIC: Anthony Marinelli
TECHNICAL TEAM: Justin Shumaker, Dean Alioto, Robert Campbell, Chad Carter, Clint Bennett

Ask Hillary

Oh, and this is in no way me taking a political stance... I just thought it was an interesting video, and it's nice seeing youtube used in this way.



Although you've gotta admit, she's got a convincing attitude about her as she speaks...

Why We Write- Damon Lindelof

The latest (hilarious and slightly insane, which is why we love them) Why we write quote, this time from Damon Lindelof, Co-Creator and Executive Producer of Lost.


"So that’s why I write.
I write because I can’t help but make things up.
I write because I love to tell stories.
I write because my imagination compels me to do so.
I write because if I didn’t, I’d be branded a pathological liar.
Oh, and also because I’m still trying to make my dead father proud of me.
But that’s none of your goddamn business."

Oh... It gives me such hope. I might not be insane after all? Eh *avoids sideways glances*

And yes, strike's still on. And now the FOX SUV employees are hitting Law & Order writers with their cars too...

TV throwdown poll- Supernatural and OTH takes win (and they both return)

So, onto some news here. E Online's Kristin has been managing a TV throwdown poll where fns could vote for their favourite 2007 tv show. Turns out she wasn't quite expecting fans to go berserk, but the one tree hill and supernatural leagues did.

One tree hill scored a whoopping 28% and Supernatural got 29% of the votes of a total of about 100 shows. A new poll has now been posted where these two shows have been removed to give the other series a fair chance, but still this is good news. Both these shows have been in the gray zone regarding renewals before, and while fans all over the world are putting their will power together and craving a season four (...and five, and six, and seven if Kripke expresses the wish for it) of Supernatural and the remaining ten (un-filmed) episodes of One Tree Hill's season five nothing is for sure yet.

Thus, polls like these are great as they end up being considered and most of all noticed by those big bads holding the power of giving the 'go ahead' light.

And as for return dates, One Tree Hill is back on Tuesdays (starting with the double ep on the 9th), and Supernatural will take back Thursdays with a storm starting on the 31st of January (with four filmed episodes to be aired).

I gotta say I'm not a big fan of Kristin's interviews (there's just something... so gossipy about them), but her tv-addict blog is pleanty of fun and there's always the occasional scoupe. Check it out here.

One Tree Hill- four years into the future

They're back. And the CW is celebrating. Because while last tuesdays double-episode was very well done, the Nielsen Live Plus ratings the next day were if possible even better. The premiere put The CW in second place overall in the Tuesday adults 18-34 and women 18-34 slot, behind NBC. The netwoork placed first that evening among total teens and female teen viewers.

As for the show... Well, honestly this has been my dirty little secret for a long time. I fell for the pilot, got bored with the Blucas dramz, and have been falling again every once in a while ever since. Yesterday we were taken four years ahead (from the high school grad finale), i.e. skipping the college years. Which was probably the wisest decision made on a teen show... ever.

The kids are young (21/22) adults, there's a kid involved (little Jamie Scott), there're careers peaking and barely moving, and the standard warmth and old school Steinbeck quoting feel to it remains. They aren't all successful, there is no bad start which immediately moves into a new storyline we've already followed, but at the same time the gang ends up back at home and they are moving their lives ahead. Some people have tasted success, but nothing is completely utterly impossible if you really think about it. Sure, they stretch the limits... alot. But it's a tv show.

In the end, hearing Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and the rest of the cast doing their start-and-finish voice overs each episodes, drabbling about the philosophy of life and change, makes it work. It puts the show on another level... No 90210 or OC extravaganca here. Family, real friendships, and backstories, blended with a lot of good (although the whole K fed idea makes me very nervous... because of his singing range) music make this drama. Now let's just hope they don't jump too far into the Brooke-Lucas-Peyton triangle again... It's so over.

Plus, Paul Johansson (Dan Scott) directed, and that's always bound to be interesting at the very least. Good job Dan.

Oh and a big shout out on little mister Jackson Brundage who portrays four year old Jamie Scott (Haley and Nathan's kid). He does such a great job, delivers his lines so well, and just turns me into a blubbery mess... Adorable I say, just keep the kid in North Carolina or wherever and far from the Hollywood insanity work over dose. We all saw what happened to Culcin.

As for the strike's impact, the CW had apparently ordered 22 episodes for season five, but only 12 were shot before the WGA went a striking. The 12th episode also happens to be the 100th for OTH, so big celebrations ahead there. And what with fan reactions, who knows about a sixth season?

Little Jackson Brundage is the new man on campus... or the tree hill basket court.

The non-political election

The first votes are in, and both Hillary and Obama were victorious. However, news reports were raving Obama's victory, while the chick was taunted with "awww... did the little girl cry?" statements.

This seems to have become a race increasingly focused on two things, skin color and sex. Apparently, the white house isn't ready to see a woman age (apparently her wrinkles are a danger to the politics of the US), and the black man really only needs to flaunt his racial heritage and voters swarm.

Could this election get any further from the issues at hand? Like, say, who has the most experience for taking on the role of president, who would be most secure in the role, and/or who is most prepared for the job (to reference to Clinton's statement of which of the candidates knew today what they would be doing the first day in the office?)? If we pick the chick we're being racist to the dude, if we pick the dude we're being sexist to the chick. Apparently, according to the media, right now picking the chick is worse... What does that say about us? And how sad doesn't that make us?

Speechless

CAST: Jason and Justine Bateman
CREATIVE TEAM: George Hickenlooper, Alan Sereboff, Jill Kushner, Kamala Lopez, Michal Shemesh
MUSIC: Anthony Marinelli
TECHNICAL TEAM: Clint Bennett, Joel Marshall, Justin Shumaker, Chad Carter, Amy Gollnick


Funny...
...
I love the fact that writers can't stay not-creative for long periods of time. GET THEM BACK TO WORK! And give them their fair deal, like yesterday...

Ten Inch Hero trailer

The new years gift from the kind folks behind Ten Inch Hero have put up an official trailer for the flick on youtube and their homepage.

It's a movie about Love, Sex, and Sandwiches Sold by the Inch...

Starring Elisabeth Harnois, Clea DuVall, Sean Patrick Flanery, Jensen Ackles, and Danneel Harris
With Alice Krige and John Doe

The film wasfinanced entirely by private equity secured by Brave New Films. They're still looking for a vendor guys, for someone to step up and make sure all of us out here get to take a part of it, so show your support by watching, commenting (via youtube) and spreading the word to your friends...

Happy new years bthw, hope 2008 treats you amazingle...
/Des