Torchwood writer PJ Hammond has claimed that his upcoming episode for the cult show is "not for those of a nervous disposition".
"It's going to be terrifying," he told SFX. "One thing I can say is that I’ve borrowed something from my Sapphire and Steel days. I think one of my favourite Sapphire and Steels was the one with Mr Shape going in and out of photographs. Torchwood takes this a bit further and it’s people coming out of moving films from the ’20s. There are some lovely ‘black and white’ people in it."
Hammond previously wrote the 'Small Worlds' episode for the first season of the Doctor Who spin-off, with the plot revolving around evil fairies. He created Sapphire and Steel, which starred Joanna Lumley and David McCallum as mysterious time travellers. The show ran between 1979 and 1982 on ITV and is heralded as a cult classic.
Source: Digital Spy
Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart has revealed that he would love to appear in Doctor Who.
The 67-year-old said he is a fan of the hit sci-fi show and is disappointed that he has never been invited to make a cameo.
He said: "I have been a fan actually, yes, and deeply dismayed that I was never asked to be in it! I think it's a terrific series."
The actor will star with current Doctor David Tennant in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet next year.
Source: Digital Spy
Rome Sweet Rome
Overseas filming for ambitious episode (Spoilers!)
The Doctor and his new companion Donna are set to travel back in time to the Roman Empire for the fourth series of Doctor Who.
In one of the most ambitious episodes to date, The Doctor, played by David Tennant and Donna (Catherine Tate) arrive in Pompeii in AD 79, on the eve of the historic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
The Time Lord and his companion are posed with an immediate dilemma; should they warn the residents of Pompeii of the forthcoming catastrophe or leave them to fend for themselves?
"Arriving in Pompeii marks the start of another exciting adventure for the Doctor and Donna," said Doctor Who's Executive Producer and Head Writer, Russell T Davies. "Donna is stunned to find herself in the midst of history's most famous volcanic eruption. Viewers can expect many more ambitious storylines and a whole host of guest stars in 2008."
The Thick of It actor Peter Capaldi guest stars as Caecillius. He's joined by Quadrophenia and Rose and Maloney actor Phil Davis as Lucius. Further guest stars include Howards Way and Born and Bred Actress Tracey Childs, who plays Metella.
The filming of the episode took place at Cinecitta studios in Rome, which the Doctor Who team expertly transformed into Pompeii for a week of filming in September of this year.
Source: Doctor Who Official Website
NickBrendon.com reports he starts filming this week on the CBS drama series.
According to his site: He'll be playing "Kevin," a computer expert who's part of the investigative team. There's also a chance Kevin could return after his initial episode.
The Sci Fi Channel is wrestling with a pair of key decisions for its acclaimed “Battlestar Galactica” series: whether to break the highly anticipated final chapter into two 10-episode seasons, and deciding whether to greenlight a two-hour pilot for the long-gestating “Caprica” spinoff.
Sci Fi executives attending the NBC Universal pre-Emmy party at Spago in Beverly Hills Saturday said the decision whether to split the final season was an ongoing discussion, but at least one network programmer was firmly against the idea.
As is often the case with the lavishly produced series, the issue is “the money people,” as one executive put it. Since “Battlestar” eats a considerable portion of the Sci Fi programming budget, the network might be forced to spread the resulting product across two seasons.
Showrunner Ron Moore shrugged off the issue. “It doesn’t affect my job either way, since we’re shooting it straight through,” he says. “It might be better to get it all done [in the same year] for the fans so they don’t have to wait.”
Ideally, the programming department prefers to stick to its original game plan to wrap up the series in the first half of next year. HBO broke up the final season of “The Sopranos” across two years – which makes more sense for a popular series on a premium network that’s seeking to retain subscribers – but still managed to antagonize fans and lost some viewership.
With “Battlestar” fans already waiting about a year for the return of the series -- not counting the two-hour “Razor” stand-alone movie coming this fall -- returning with only 10 episodes could spark a revolt.
Moore’s storyline also could make fans demand rapid closure, one person close to the project says, since “when people see the ending of the 10th episode, they’re gonna freak out.”
The final decision might not come until January. A key factor is what new shows are in the pipeline that could be paired with “Galactica” – and how much those shows will cost.
One such title is the oft-discussed “Caprica” spinoff series. Most recently presumed a dead project, Sci Fi executives seem to have renewed enthusiasm for the idea, especially with the looming prospect of losing Moore following the conclusion of “Battlestar.” Moore has about four projects in development at NBC and a flurry of theatrical deals (more on that in a moment), and the network wants to find a way to keep the talented showrunner in-house.
Plus, executives say “Caprica” has the potential to retain and expand the passionate “Battlestar” audience. The tone is lighter and more of a character-driven drama than an action series. The network is considering ordering a two-hour pilot that could serve as a stand-alone event – just like the miniseries that launched Moore’s “Battlestar” remake. The movie would be accompanied by a consecutive DVD release.
Especially if the similarly conceived stand-alone “Razor” performs strongly, the thinking seems to be that a two-hour “Caprica” pilot could justify its expense. Worst-case scenario: The pilot is aired and sold as a DVD, recouping some costs. If the pilot is strong, then the network has a new series.
Either way, by the time “Battlestar” returns next year, Sci Fi Channel will have launched its high-definition simulcast channel, allowing viewers to finally see the show in HD during its premiere run.
As for Moore’s other anticipated sci-fi project, he says he just turned in his script for Universal's motion picture update of John Carpenter’s 1982 version of “The Thing.”
“I’m happy with it,” Moore says, and described the script as “a companion piece” rather than a remake of the Carpenter version. “That film doesn’t need to be remade,” he says. Moore’s script includes segments set long before the modern discovery of the shape-shifting alien in the Arctic, including an encounter with the Inuit natives.
Moore was Emmy-nominated for writing in a drama series, but he wasn’t very optimistic about winning. Up against the “Sopranos” finale, Moore wrestled with whether to write a speech.
“I’m very prepared to hear David Chase’s name float across the auditorium,” he said.
Source: TV Week
Just heard from reliable sources that AMC's Mad Men will be coming back for a second season. Hurrah!
I can tell you that as of Sunday night, not even the cast knew of the show's fate (I ran into a couple of castmembers at the HBO soiree), but they said they've loved being a part of the series and were crossing their fingers it would return. Ditto for us fans!
If you're happy, holler in the Comments below!
Mad Men airs Thursday nights on AMC.
Source: E!Online
USA is psyched about "Psych," ordering a third season of the drama.
Net has picked up 16 episodes of the show, which revolves around a psychic cop (James Roday). Dule Hill, Corbin Bernsen and Maggie Lawson also star.
"The series has been a critical and ratings sensation since it premiered last summer and continues to gain new viewers and grow its fan-base," said USA exec VP of original programming Jeff Wachtel.
"Psych" debuted last year as the top-rated new show in cable. Skein has been averaging 4.6 million viewers this summer, easily winning its Friday timeslot vs. cable competition.
Steve Franks ("Big Daddy") exec produces "Psych," which is produced by Universal Media Studios and Tagline Pictures.
Source: Variety
The cast of hit US TV show Frasier have agreed to reunite together as a family once more for an upcoming episode of The Simpsons.
Actor Kelsey Grammer, who plays Frasier in the sit-com, will make an animated appearance on the 19th season of the hit show as his recurring character Sideshow Bob, alongside his father and brother in the programme, John Mahoney and David Hyde Pierce.
In the episode 'Funeral For A Fiend', Bob attempts to kill the Simpsons but is arrested and put on trial when he accidentally reveals his plan. His father (Mahoney) testifies for him, while Hyde Pierce again makes an appearance as Bob's brother Cecil.
Other stars who have signed to make appearances during the series include singer Lionel Richie, opera star Placido Domingo and Jon Stewart.
Source: SpoilerTV
How similar are you to your character Stephanie? Have you based her on way anyone in particular?
"I am very similar to Stephanie in that I am very girlie, always looking for love and will drink cocktails over beer any day, but where we are different is that I am a T-shirt and Jeans girl. This character was written so well as this sassy, feminine just go for it girl and so I haven't really had to go and base her on anyone. We have all gotten really lucky in that the writers are so great on this show and as we have gone on they have started to incorporate parts of my personality into her as well as incorporating everyone else into their characters too."
I have done some interviews with other cast members and they have let the cat out of the bag. They told me that the snarky attitude that Stephanie has with Kenny all started at the first table read when you broke out in a little improve. What made you decide to do that? And if you could write the backstory behind why they don't get along what would you choose as the reason.
*Laughs* " That is funny. What happened is I was the last person to be cast on 'My Boys' so I went in and did a screen test and as I was walking out to the parking lot my agent called and said you got the job but you need to go back right now because they are doing the first table read today. I was in such a whirlwind. So excited and so nervous because everyone else already had the chance to get to know one another and looked like they got along so well. So my first line was 'Hi Mike', and then 'Hi Kenny' and I thought you know when you have such a big group of friends there are always those two that just don't get a long as well as everyone else so why not it be Stephanie and Kenny. When I said the line I said 'Hi Mike' with a smile and then 'Hi Kenny' kind of snarky and Michael who plays Kenny just with no pause gave this look back at me that would confirm that they didn't get a long and he just went with it. So the dislike was born from there."
"As far as what the history is I don't know. PJ and Kenny dated for a little while in the past so maybe he did something that upset Stephanie or maybe Kenny and Stephanie hooked up and no one knows but it just didn't work. I would love for the writers to do an episode where each person has a theory as to why they don't get along and than in the last few seconds of the episode it is revealed. I know the writers will do something eventually."
What is your favorite behind the scenes moment?
"Anything that Jim does cracks me up. He is seriously the funniest guy. I would have to say that watching the Poker scenes really are the best moments. I am never in the poker portion of the scenes but I like to stick around and watch the filming because you are guaranteed to laugh. The guys are so funny with one another. They give each other a ton of crap and are totally friends who will punch one another in the shoulder and just raz each other. They totally improv and try and get each other to mess up. It is so great."
So speaking of improv, how much do you guys get to do and how much makes the final cut?
"We usually get to do a little improv for all the scenes. We film it completely to the script a few times and than they usually let us go at it to see where it will go. Sometimes it makes the final cut and sometimes it doesn't."
You don't usually get to do much with the boys on the show will that change?
"Being a part of PJ's life means you have to accept the guys into your life as well so as you have seen this year Stephanie has been around a bit more and I think she will continue to but I also think it is good for PJ to have those one one one girl moments where you can see her feminine side."
Have you loved working for TBS?
"TBS is so embracing and has given us the time to be creative and make this show fantastic. They allow us to make people laugh and I don't know that a network would let us grow the way they have. And I think the audience response has been fantastic."
A little off topic from My Boys but I know that you were in the movie "Guess Who" with Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher. What was that like working with those two comedians?
"It was my first movie and such a fantastic experience. It was great working with Bernie Mac who has a very "old school" style. He is always on time and he just knows how to tell the joke and make it work. He knew this was my first movie and he really took me under his wing and gave me tons of advice that I will cherish. Ashton is a total fool *laughs* he is so funny and such a great person and a lot of fun to work with. I also did an episode of Punk'd where we punk'd one of our co-stars and we just had so much fun working together."
When do you find out if you have been picked up for a new season?
"I believe we find out in September."
Source: Seat42f
Showtime is getting ready to engage in some more "Californication."
Cabler has greenlit a second season of the David Duchovny starrer, which has emerged as a frosh hit. Twelve additional episodes of the half-hour comedy have been ordered, with lensing expected to start in April.
After a strong debut last month, "Californication" has impressed Showtime execs by adding viewers. Its last three Monday premiere telecasts have averaged 18% more viewers than the show's Aug. 13 debut, scoring Showtime's best ratings for a new series since 2004.
Most cable shows tend to premiere well and then lose eyeballs, making "Californication's" perf all the more encouraging for Showtime.
When the multiple weekly plays of "Californication" are added up, skein is averaging just shy of 2 million viewers each week and is holding onto roughly 90% of its "Weeds" lead-in. Showtime is seen in about 14 million homes.
"Californication" is the latest in a string of success stories for Showtime and entertainment prexy Robert Greenblatt. Other shows that have performed solidly for the net recently include "Weeds," "Dexter," "The Tudors" and "Brotherhood."
Source: Variety
Doctor Who to return for fifth series in 2010.
After months of media speculation, the BBC can confirm that the BAFTA award-winning Doctor Who will return for a fifth series in Spring 2010.
Viewers are in for a treat this Christmas, as a special episode starring David Tennant and Kylie Minogue will be broadcast on BBC One in December 2007.
Series Four, which went into production in July 2007, will hit UK screens in Spring 2008, followed by a special episode for Christmas 2008.
In 2009 Doctor Who will return with three specials starring David Tennant, with Head Writer, Russell T Davies.
The full-length fifth series will transmit in 2010.
Jane Tranter, Controller, BBC Fiction, says: "Doctor Who is one of the BBC's best loved and most successful dramas. Its journey over the past three series has been one of the most ambitious and exciting that we have had, and I'm delighted to be able to confirm not only three exciting specials for 2009, but a fifth series in 2010. "
Menna Richards, Controller, BBC Wales, says: "The success of Doctor Who is a fantastic tribute to the dedication and expertise of the production team at BBC Wales who have worked on the project from the outset. This announcement is marvellous news for all involved, and more importantly for the programme's amazing fan base and audience. BBC Wales is looking forward to producing the fifth series."
Following the critically acclaimed season three finale, the BBC has announced that Catherine Tate is set to return to the TARDIS for the complete 13-week run of series four, reprising her role as Donna from the 2006 Christmas special.
Freema Agyeman, who won praise for her portrayal of Martha Jones in series three, is also set to return mid series four.
Source: BBC Press Office
