Sanctuary at Comic Con

Comic Con was months ago, but we decided to hang on to this report until closer to Sanctuary’s premiere so the information would be fresh in our minds.

What started out as a small internet project two years ago with only a small booth at Comic Con has become a full-fledged hit, filling a panel room full of over 2000 fans; and breaking records for the SyFy Channel as the only internet project to get a second season.

I am talking about the innovative series Sanctuary that stars Stargate SG1 alum Amanda Tapping as Dr. Helen Magnus, a 157-year-old protector (and in some instances, captor) of ‘abnormals’ and Robin Dunne as Dr. Will Zimmerman, a brilliant forensic psychiatrist who works with Dr. Magnus. Along for the ride at the Comic Con panel with Ms. Tapping and Mr. Dunne were Executive Producers Martin Wood and Damian Kindler and guest moderator Michael Logan from TV Guide.

As the cast and crew took their seats, the audience was treated to a clip of old and new scenes from the show and were told that almost all of Season 2 is complete except for the extensive CGI work for which the show has become famous. In the words of Mr. Wood, the “CGI still has a long way to go to be done” in time for the October 9 return of the series. He also stated that, “if you liked what you saw in the first season, you have no idea what’s coming next”, including seeing inside the other Sanctuaries throughout the globe.

One of the greatest things about the show to Mr. Dunne is that “they push the envelope” and aren’t afraid to “be outside the box”. He and Ms. Tapping spoke at length about one particular upcoming episode entitled “Next Tuesday” where they filmed a difficult helicopter scene and spent an inordinate amount of time in grungy water. “There were no stunt people, it was all Amanda and Robin,” recounted both Mr. Kindler and Mr. Wood.

It was shared that the second half of the season premiere was filmed in Japan rather than using the elaborate green screen technique that has become a staple of the series and both stars recounted a harrowing stunt scene in which Ms. Tapping was actually racing a car with Mr. Dunne in the passenger seat. He quipped that he was “terrified of Amanda’s driving” and the reactions you see him display in the episode were “very real”. The Executive Producers also gave credit to the Emmy nomination that was received by the show’s visual effects department, explaining that it takes 60 artists 29 weeks to work on all the effects for the show.

Ms. Tapping was also excited about getting to direct an episode; this one entitled ‘Veritas’. She described the episode as being when Magnus “loses her marbles” and she raved about Mr. Dunne’s performance in that episode. Mr. Wood and Mr. Kindler also spoke about a post-apocalyptic episode that will prominently feature “Will in a very different light and see the Sanctuary ‘all messed up’.”

And when asked about injuries sustained in the making the show, Mr. Dunne joked “do you have 4 hours?” and Ms. Tapping quipped that she should never do her own stunts, but that’s precisely what she “has done over the past 13 years”.

A new character will be introduced in Season 2 – Kate Freelander, who is a freelance operative who, as the Executive Producers explain, is a “lost soul who would never admit it”. She is street-wise who speaks from the gut and is a “cool cowboy character” who will be introduced in the season opening two-parter.

Guest stars this new season will include Michael Shanks (Stargate SG1), Chris Gauthier and Erica Cerra (both from Eureka) and Callum Blue (Dead Like Me).

You can learn more about Sanctuary, its cast, watch full episodes and even see the Comic Con trailer on the Sanctuary website. And, mark your calendar for the season premiere on October 9 at 10 p.m.

Smallville at Comic Con

The journey into the Comic Con panel for Smallville was not an easy one. It started out with my friends and I getting in line to enter the convention center at 7 AM. We then worked our way upstairs to the line that was formed outside the entrance hall to the ballroom for which the panel would be held.

When that line was finally allowed down the entrance hall, we were ushered into yet another line that wound its way down several hallways then outside to a tented area, where we stood waiting for roughly 2 hours before the line eventually moved into the ballroom.

Once we were all seated, the excitement slowly started to boil to the top; and once Jeph Loeb, former Supervising Producer and Writer on Smallville, took the stage, you could cut the anticipation with a knife. The thrust of the excitement was mainly due to the first-time ever appearance by star Tom Welling. The other cast members in attendance included Justin Hartley (Oliver Queen), Erica Durance (Lois Lane), Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan), Cassidy Freeman (Tess Mercer) and new cast member Callum Blue (Zod). Executive Producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson finished off the panel table.

Before the cast and crew took the stage, however, an exclusive Comic Con only Season 9 sneak peek was aired. As the last scene faded in the clip, the audience went – in a word – crazy! Each cast member and the Executive Producers were then introduced with Mr. Welling being the last to take the stage. The applause grew louder as each took the stage and reached a deafening roar for Mr. Welling.

Once the cheers subsided, attention was given to the writers who were in the audience with Mr. Loeb asking them to stand and get the credit they deserved. Shortly after that Mr. Welling made mention he was told 6000 people were in the room (and while that may have been the amount of people trying to get into the room that particular ballroom can only accommodate about 2000 people, but the large number certainly made the cast and crew very pleased).

The audience was then told that Mr. Welling is now a producer on the show and he enjoys the new title very much. Mr. Loeb then asked if the actors could give some insight into where each of their characters are at in terms of development this new season with Ms. Durance stating that Lois is “very smitten with the red, blue blur” and that it will be a “spicy and great season”. Ms. Mack added that Chloe is the Watchtower now and “I love being in control”. And, new cast member Mr. Blue stated, he is “having such fun playing an evil character.” The Executive Producers also informed that the cast is now a few episodes into the new season (as was confirmed by numerous clips from the exclusive footage).

A very long line had formed for the question and answer session, including audience members dressed as Batman and Superman as well as some very eager and excited fans. Among the things learned during the Q&A included:

• Ms. Souders stating they’re “gunning for Season 10”;

• Mr. Peterson confirming they do read the blogs and that Lex may not necessarily be dead (which received quite a positive response from the audience);

• Ms. Mack stating that she would be directing another episode again as will Mr. Welling;

• Where the “flight and cape” issue is concerned, the audience was simply told to “check out the season premiere” (which got the crowd all revved up again);

• Mr. Peterson stating that he would bring it up to the powers that be about a score soundtrack, as one has not been released (the other albums released for the show have been music featured in the show not the instrumental music);

• Geoff Johns, a former writer on the show, came up on stage to confirm that he will be writing another Justice League episode; and the Executive Producers stating they have two more seasons worth of stories to tell;

• Mr. Hartley revealed that his character Oliver will “hit rock bottom over the course of the first 8 episodes”;

• Ms. Souders stating that they have the “hardest working cast and crew, who are very dedicated”;

• Ms. Freeman explained that she is “way different” from her character Tess, but that she “loves playing her once she is in character”; she also stated that she admires Tess’s “strength and inability not to do what her heart asks her to do”;

• Mr. Blue admitted that he listens to hard core music because his “character is so intense” and he is “looking forward to getting into his skin”;

• The Executive Producers refuted the rumors that should the show return for another season beyond the upcoming 9th season, that the shows name would NOT be changed to Metropolis; and,

• Some hints at upcoming storylines were briefly discussed with a Green Arrow sidekick story possibly being explored; confirming that Brian Austin Green would be appearing as Metallo and that the return of Toyman and Roulette would be happening, but the Executive Producers would not elaborate on any other details.

Smallville will be moving to Friday nights on the CW with the premiere scheduled for 8 PM on September 25. In the meantime, if you would like to get show information, learn about the music featured on the show, visit the photo page or even see a video of Mr. Welling at Comic Con (and much, much more), visit: http://cwtv.com/shows/smallville.

What I’m Excited About for Fall TV

Tonight is the start of the new fall season with the debut of Melrose Place on the CW and the returns of 90210 on the CW and Sons of Anarchy on FX. While none of these shows are of interest to me, there are a number of new and returning shows that I am eager to see over the next few months.

Starting with the new shows, I look forward to the debut of Glee on FOX tomorrow night (Sept. 9 at 9 PM). Even though I’ve seen the debut episode twice and got to see the 2nd episode at Comic Con, I cannot wait for this unique musicomedy (musical/comedy) to air. And, I really hope that the viewing audience will tune in and enjoy the silliness (and the terrific musical numbers).

The series premiere of The Vampire Diaries on the CW will air at 9 PM on Thursday (Sept. 10) – based on the books by L.J. Smith – is another new series I have been anticipating. I had the chance to see the debut episode at Comic Con and really enjoyed what I saw. Yes, it is reminiscent of Twilight (which was published AFTER The Vampire Diaries books); features vampires which, for now, seems to be the hot “theme” of the past year or so, and had many images that reminded me of scenes from Roswell and Smallville; but I still enjoyed it. I would like to see this show succeed and garner an audience at least close to that of True Blood (if not better).

Not quite two weeks later on Tuesday, Sept. 22, the spin-off series NCIS: Los Angeles will air (CBS at 9 PM) following its namesake series. While I started out as a JAG fan and followed by being a loyal fan of its spin-off series NCIS (because I really enjoyed the stories and the cast), I want to believe this new show will also perform well, but I am slightly uncertain if the viewing audience and the loyal followers of NCIS will become attached to the cast.

The following night, Wednesday, Sept. 23, the debut of Eastwick on ABC at 10 PM will air. This was another new show that I was able to see at Comic Con and while I had my doubts about the cast (I couldn’t buy Paul Gross as the “heavy” or really see the pairing of the three ‘witches’ – Rebecca Romijn, Jaime Ray Newman and Lindsey Price) and the storyline, I was pleasantly surprised at how convincing Paul Gross was as Darryl Van Horn and how likeable the leading ladies are in their roles. This show may not win over the audience right away, but I believe that it will work on the hearts of viewers and slowly but surely become the guilty pleasure of the fall.

One of the most anticipated new shows of the fall will air on ABC on Thursday, Sept. 24: FlashForward (at 8 PM). A worldwide event takes place with everyone in the world blacking out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds with nearly everyone having visions of their life 6 months in the future. Being touted as the new Lost, FlashForward could, indeed, be just that. Only the first two acts of the series were debuted at Comic Con, but if the audience reaction from that panel is any indication of how the show will be received, then this is the show to watch.

Jumping over to cable, Stargate Universe will debt on Syfy on October 2 at 9 PM; and while this new series is not like its predecessors SG1 or Atlantis, it will reveal a new, darker side to the well-known storyline and world of the Stargates. I, for one, am really looking forward to it. I was unable to attend the presentation for the series at Comic Con so my anticipation level is at an all-time high, especially the more I read about the show and the more clips I see.

Sticking with cable for one other new show on cable, White Collar will debut on the USA Network on Oct. 23 at 10 PM. It stars Matthew Bomer (Chuck) and Tim DeKay in roles that are tailor-made for both of them. This ‘to catch a thief’-inspired series is sure to please audiences who have come to expect nothing but thrilling series from this network. It will also be entertaining to see Tiffany Thiessen in a respectable role where she can show that she is more than just a pretty face.

Lastly, the remake of the 80’s mini-series (and short-lived TV show) V will debut on ABC at 8 PM on November 3. While I was a fan of the mini-series, looking back on it now it seems pretty cheesy; but from what I know of the debut this newly-minted version is going to be cutting edge, thrilling and engaging. The terrific cast doesn’t hurt either.

SIDEBAR: While I want to be excited about the debut of the medical drama Three Rivers (CBS at 9 PM on October 4) – mainly because it stars a personal favorite of mine, Alex O’Loughlin – I am doubtful about the longevity of this series for a number of reasons: the timeslot competition, the fact the pilot was recast and completely reshot (which is an exact repeat of Alex’s former show Moonlight) and all the negative reviews that I have read. I will tune in for a few episodes, but if it doesn’t catch my attention and hold it, I will have to bid the show adieu.

As for the returning shows this fall, I am anxiously awaiting Supernatural (The CW, Sept. 10 at 9 PM), Bones (FOX, Sept. 17 at 8 PM), Heroes (NBC Sept. 21 at 8 PM), Castle (ABC, Sept. 21 at 10 PM), NCIS (CBS, Sept. 22 at 8 PM), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, Sept. 24 at 9 PM), Dollhouse (FOX, Sept. 25 at 8 PM), Smallville (The CW, Sept. 25 at 8 PM), Brothers & Sisters (ABC, Sept. 27 at 10 PM), Sanctuary (Syfy, Oct. 9 at 10 PM) and Legend of the Seeker (Syndication, Nov. 7).

SIDEBAR: Of course, I am anxious for the returns of Chuck and 24 and the final season of Lost; but we all have to wait for those in 2010.

What new shows are you looking forward to and which returning shows are your favorites? Please share them with us.

Heroes at Comic Con

As silence filled the room and the intensity of the audiences’ excitement for the Heroes panel at Comic Con built to a resounding crescendo, Blaire Butler, a host for the G4 program Attack of the Show, who was the moderator for this panel, approached the podium, making the grand announcement of the cast members in attendance.

First on stage was series creator Tim Kring, followed by original cast members Jack Coleman, Masi Oka, Hayden Panettiere, Adrian Pasdar, Zachary Quinto and Milo Ventimiglia as well as new cast members Robert Knepper, Dawn Olivieri, Ray Park and Madeline Zima.

After the audience calmed down enough for the moderator to speak, the cast and Mr. Kring stood, giving the audience a standing ovation for its continued support of the show. This was followed by Mr. Kring’s explanation of the “theme” behind the new Volume 5 of the show known as Redemption. The “new wrinkle” in the show is a family of people – a traveling carnival – who powers have been “hiding in plain sight”.

With that introduction, a teaser trailer of clips for the first three episodes, which Mr. Kring explained have been filmed thus far, is shown to an exuberant audience. The roar once the clip was aired was deafening and proved that the once nearly-vilified series is back to Season 1 excellent form.

The first question posed to each cast member is what is in store for each of them this new season. Mr. Coleman explained that Noah is setting up a new company while his marriage and world are falling apart around him. He stated that, “he’s an island trying to find solid ground.”

Mr. Oka then stated that Hiro is still having the nose bleeds and alludes to Hiro’s illness possibly being “terminal”. He stated that, “he realizes his true destiny and goes back to Yamagata and starts a business with Ando.” It was also stated that Hiro’s powers are out of control and he is “trying to fix the mistakes of his past”.

Ms. Panettiere explained that Claire is now a college freshman, getting the “taste of a normal life and making friends, meeting interesting people like her roommate” (played by Madeline Zima). However, Claire is like “a fish out of water in college.”

Mr. Pasdar is a bit more restrained with his explanation of Nathan’s life now, as he and Sylar (Zachary Quinto) are sharing a body, allowing for a “Jekyll and Hyde-type thing” with events that will be happening mid-season described as “interesting.” Mr. Quinto then stated that Sylar will “exist in two places; inside Matt’s head and in Nathan’s body”.

Mr. Ventimiglia explained that Peter is back to being a paramedic and that there will be more humor in his life, but he will “still fight when needed.”

The new cast members were then asked to explain their characters:

Mr. Knepper then explained his character is a “carnie” named Samuel, who inadvertently ends up as the leader after the unexpected death of his brother. His plan is to lure the “heroes” into a schemed that would not be alluded to. His power is earth moving.

Ms. Olivieri stated that her character, Lydia, is a mystery, but did explain that she is an empath with tattoos that appear all over her body that move and change as circumstances move and change. Her character has an unusual bond with Samuel.

Mr. Park will be seen as Edgar, a man who likes to play with knives and has unbelievable speed and skill with these weapons. He is sent out in the “world” by Samuel on a special mission.

Ms. Zima will be Claire’s college friend, Gretchen Berg, who is the first real friend Claire has had since high school in Texas. During the teaser clip there was a shared kiss between Claire and Gretchen shown and, of course, that set off the audience, but when a question was posed about romantic entanglements for the two, the cast and Mr. Kring were rather mum on any details.

Some highlights for the upcoming season and more that were discussed during the question and answer session at the end of the panel included:

• Mr. Coleman was excited about the clip show in the teaser that depicted Noah being trapped in a car filling up with water;

• Mr. Oka’s excitement about working with Mr. Knepper;

• Ms. Panettiere looking forward to going back to more “heartfelt stuff” within the episodes;

• Mr. Pasdar was excited about working with Swoozie Kurtz, who will be back as Angela’s old friend Millie and was looking forward to the “new powers” Nathan would be experiencing;

• Mr. Quinto stated he got to work a lot with Greg Grunberg (who was unable to attend the panel because his son’s Bar Mitzvah was being held), got to work with a baby and climbed out of a grace, which was shown in the teaser clip;

• Mr. Ventimiglia explained he spent time in Iraq and joked he was holding a 50 caliber machine gun; then he stated it was great working with Mr. Park, Mr. Knepper and Mr. Coleman for very specific scenes, some of which were featured in the clip;

• Mr. Knepper talked about filming a scene in “Central Park” with a green screen when suddenly coyotes started howling and it was hard for the cast on set at the time to keep a straight face because obviously they were filming in Los Angeles;

• Ms. Olivieri joked about looking forward to “stirring up trouble” this season;

• Mr. Park explained that he is a “fanboy” and stated he “can’t believe I’m working on the show” and getting “to do all the things he wanted to do”;

• Ms. Zima said she enjoyed “working with Hayden” since that is who she spends most of her scenes with;

• When asked the worst injury received on set, Ms. Panettiere stated it had to be the “crispy cream burn” from the house fire;

• Mr. Quinto was asked who would win: Sylar or Spock. He answered succinctly that Spock would win hands down, as “Leonard would drop me in 30 seconds”; and

• Mr. Kring explained this season would be more evenly split between characters and only three main storylines will be the focus of the season.

At the close of the panel a sneak peek scene between Edgar (Ray Park), Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) and Noah (Jack Coleman) was shown where Peter and Noah learn about Edgar’s power, which Peter is able to mimic, of course; and the crowd went wild.

To see Heroes return to its former glory, please tune in to NBC on September 21. Until then you can learn more about Heroes Volume 5: Redemption as well as past seasons by visiting NBC.com.

Human Target at Comic Con

The panel for Human Target during Comic Con was primarily focused on the airing of the pilot episode, which introduced the characters Christopher Chance (Mark Valley) who is a unique private contractor/security guard hired to protect people in essence becoming a human target in their place. His business partner, Winston (Chi McBride), who was formerly involved in law enforcement and hired gun Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley) round out the rest of the cast.

Without giving away too much away about the pilot, Chance is shown taking down a bomb-wielding bank hostage taker in the opening scene and the rest of the episode focuses on his becoming the human target for the designer of the Los Angeles Monorail line (played excellently by Battlestar Galactica star Tricia Helfer), who seems to have a price on her head.

Once the pilot finished airing, the cast (Valley, McBride and Haley) were introduced to the stage by panel moderator, Rich Sands from TV Guide, followed by Executive Producers Brad Kern and Peter Johnson, Series Creator and Executive Producer John Steinberg and Creator of the Characters in Human Target Len Wein.

During the short question and answer session, the audience learned that Mr. Steinberg’s reason for bringing the characters to the screen was because he “wanted to put an action hero on TV”, but that has proven to be hard, as it is “hard to make it real, look real.” It’s easy to put down the action in written word, but can prove to be difficult to translate into real life action.

Mr. Wein stated that he created the characters in 1972 and Chance was the very first character he ever pitched, but he sat on the story for 5 years before it got published.

The audience also learned the following:

• The character of Christopher Chance is darker than any character that Mr. Valley has played before;
• Mr. McBride believes that his character of Winston is the yin to Chance’s yang;
• Mr. Haley stated that he thinks Guerrero is an “interesting, fun character” and it “seemed like a really cool job”. He liked reading the scripts and is looking forward to “spending a lot of time with one character”;
• Mr. Valley explained Ms. Helfer insisted on doing her own stunts in the pilot so, of course “so I had to do my own stunts too”;
• Mr. McBride also stated that he enjoyed watching shows similar to Human Target, like the ones done by Stephen J. Cannell in the 1980’s and explained that Winston will be different from that of his role as Emerson in the now-defunct Pushing Daisies;
• A special cameo is made in the pilot (for which I do not want to spoil for the readers), but Mr. Steinberg stated he wrote this particular actor a “fan letter” about being in the show and the actor agreed much to Mr. Steinberg’s (and the rest of the cast and crew’s) delight;
• The show is filmed in Vancouver and the storylines will be focused on one set piece each week with an action film-type scene included in each episode.

To learn more about Human Target, which should debut during mid-season on FOX, you can visit the official website.

Flash Forward at Comic Con

The Flash Forward Comic Con panel started with Entertainment Weekly writer Jeff Johnson acting as the moderator, introducing Executive Producers Marc Guggenheim (Eli Stone), David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) and Brannon Braga (Enterprise) to the stage. They, in turn, provided the audience with the first “public glimpse” of the series, which will debut on ABC on September 24 at 8 p.m.

The first two acts were aired and well-received by the audience. The basic premise of the series, loosely based on the Robert Sawyer novel of the same name, depicts a modern day Earth where everyone on the planet suffers a black out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, seeing a specific moment in their lives: April 20, 2010 at 8 p.m. The aftermath of this massive black out is, as you can imagine, catastrophic: cars have collided, people have drowned, planes have fallen from the sky and destruction reverberates all over the world. Like everyone else, though, the audience in the panel room will have to wait until the series premiere to learn more about this inventive show.

In the meantime, it should be noted that it is because of Mr. Goyer’s wife that this project truly came to fruition, as she gave him the idea to develop the book into a series since they shared the same passion for the novel; but rather than have the series jump 21 years into the future (as is the time leap in the book), the series will merely see into the future 6 months. And, much like its predecessor, the soon-to-be-ending Lost, this series will feature one flash forward each episode; and will cover three countries in the first three episodes.

The cast that was on hand for the panel included Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love), John Cho (Star Trek), Courtney B. Vance (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and newcomer Christine Woods. Since filming was actually taking place during Comic Con, the rest of the cast was otherwise occupied; and the audience learned that filming had been taking place for several weeks prior to the convention.

During the moderator-led question and answer session, much joking was placed at Mr. Fiennes feet since this will be his first appearance on American television in something other than frilly shirts and pantaloons. And Mr. Vance routinely ripped the Executive Producers about wanting to grow old on the show, stating “It’s going to be like Gunsmoke, running for 21 years”.

Unlike the aforementioned series Lost, though, the masterminds behind Flash Forward claim to know the end game, having had time to fully lay out the storylines and story archs for the show. They informed the audience they had the first half written out before the writers’ strike and the remainder completely once the strike came to an end. Mr. Goyer freely stated they “had a lot of time to plan it out.”

As a surprise to the audience, a spoiler reel was aired near the conclusion of the panel, which featured yet another surprise (of sorts): that of Dominic Monaghan’s involvement in the show and his appearance in the panel room. This brought the house down with the audience going crazy over the confirmation that Mr. Monaghan was indeed involved in the show. For those unaware, there had been rampant speculation that he was either returning to Lost for the final season or was to be involved in one of the new fall shows when he appeared in an ABC publicity commercial.

Another surprise was a recorded message from Flash Forward co-star Sonya Walger (Lost), who was unable to attend the convention due to the fact she was getting married. The clip was short but sweet in that costumed crew members (Spiderman, Batman and the like) were walking around in the background. Then as Ms. Walger completed her message, she stood up, removed her bathrobe to reveal she was wearing a Wonder Woman costume and asked for her “damn tiara” as she walked off the set. This, of course, set the entire panel room in raucous laughter and a mad flurry of activity as people attempted to get to the main table due to Mr. Monaghan’s appearance.

You can learn more about Flash Forward by visiting ABC.com.

Vampire Diaries at Comic Con

Just like the Human Target panel, the Vampire Diaries panel was mainly focused on the screening of the pilot episode of the CW series. Based on the L.J. Smith novels, this new drama will debut on September 10 at 8 p.m.

I’ll avoid giving too much of the plot away, here, so if you’re avoiding spoilers you should be safe. The basic premise of the show follows Elena (Nina Dobrev), a high school student, and her brother who lose their parents in a tragic car accident. When the new school season begins, she meets a mysterious new student, Stefan (Paul Wesley) who happens to be a centuries-old vampire; learns her best friend might be “psychic”; and an attack on a local girl has the town scared of what might be lurking in the dark. We also learn that Stefan has a brother, Damon (Ian Somerhalder), who is also a vampire.

The panel included Lynnette Rice from Entertainment Weekly, as the moderator, Kevin Williamson, Bob Levey and Julie Plec, the Executive Producers, and cast members Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley.

As can be imagined, The Vampire Diaries is being compared to the highly successful Twilight book and movie franchise, but the cast and crew all agreed the two are completely different with Ms. Plec even joking  that “nobody sparkles” in the show.

It should also be noted that The Vampire Diaries series of books originally came out in 1991, while the Stephanie Meyer Twilight books were released throughout 2005 and 2008.

During the question and answer session at the end of the panel, the audience learned the following:

• Mr. Somerhalder had a horrible experience during his audition with the network, stating he “bombed”, but “Julie and Kevin wanted me” and he eventually won the role;
• Ms. Dobrev’s audition process was much easier, as she got the lead role simply based on a taped audition; she did not have to go through a network or studio audition;
• Mr. Williamson is a fan of True Blood and Ms. Plec is a fan of Twilight;
• The pilot episode was filmed in Vancouver, but the rest of the series will be filmed in Atlanta, Georgia;
• Mr. Williamson repeatedly kept saying no to this project, but eventually said yes; and they “will stick to the books where possible”;
• Ms. Plec was asked by an audience member about the possible history of her former series Kyle XY (which aired on the ABC Family Channel) to which she stated there is interest (not from the network) for a DVD movie to provide closure so “they’ll keep pushing”; and,
• Lastly, Ms. Plec stated they’re praying the show will “capture the over-burdened (vampire) market” as well as True Blood and Twilight both have.

To learn more about The Vampire Diaries the series, you can check out sneak peeks, details on the cast and more at the CW’s website. You can also learn more about the Vampire Diaries books at the official website.

A “Typical” Week for A NiceGirl

What is a “typical” week like for a NiceGirl? If it’s anything like my past week it was filled with getting over a nasty head cold brought on by my attendance at San Diego’s Comic Con, catching up on endless hours of shows that I recorded while I was gone, getting tons of articles written for the panels for which I attended at Comic Con and going to three movies in the span of 24 hours.

One of those movies was a quirky independent film called Adam, starring Hugh Dancy (Confessions of a Shopaholic), Rose Bryne (Damages), Frankie Faison (The Wire), Peter Gallagher (The O.C.) and Amy Irving (Alias). Adam is about a young man with Asperger’s syndrome and the rather unconventional relationship he develops with a grade-school teacher (and would-be children’s book author) named Beth who lives in the apartment downstairs.

This presentation was held at the Hollywood Arclight Theatre and featured an appearance by Ms. Bryne and the film’s writer/director Max Mayer. Their appearance included a question and answer session during which the audience learned the film was shot in 25 days and was based on an interview Mr. Mayer heard during a National Public Radio broadcast.

If you get a chance to see Adam, it is not the easiest movie to watch, but it is realistic in its portrayal of the characters, has wonderfully tender moments and even comedic scenes. The ending is bittersweet but well worth the 99-minutes running time.

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A part of my (upcoming) week will be marking the 15th anniversary of the unexpected passing of my father. This may seem like an unusual moment in my life to include in my blog, but my dad was (and still is) the most important person in my life. I owe everything that I am…to him, including my love of television.

You see my dad loved cartoons (especially Tom and Jerry) and he shared the joy of those crazy, madcap creatures with me on a regular basis. In fact, everyone in my family would know that my dad was watching cartoons when the small den in our home would erupt with his raucous and infectious laughter. He just could never get enough of their misadventures.

He also loved watching war movies and westerns, especially anything starring John Wayne. Anytime those movies were on was our special time together. We didn’t have to talk; we’d just share a meal (or a snack depending on the hour) and the movie. Those times were very special to me and I miss them dearly so anytime I find a western or a war movie airing (and have the time to enjoy it), I tune in and remember all those times I shared with my dad.

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Artist’s Spotlight: This month the artist’s spotlight is on Laura Tigu, a diversified artist, who grew up in an artistic Romanian family in Adrian, Michigan. Art is in her blood and drawing is her passion, but she also enjoys doing portraits, cartoons, paintings, graphic design and ceramics.

Her featured piece is entitled Bride – inspired by a picture found in a bridal magazine with added designs of her own creation – is done in graphite on medium tooth drawing paper in the realism style. Laura states, “this particular bride looked so peaceful and beautiful that she inspired me to capture her beauty in a drawing.”

Drawing for Laura is “relaxing, peaceful, and brings me joy. I am a perfectionist which, makes getting certain projects done stressful, but the finished piece of art is always rewarding. With every piece of art I create I go through a journey and grow in my technique.”

If you would like more information about Laura Tigu’s artwork, please contact me at rueben@nicegirlstv.com or visit her Facebook page at estera_vegeta@yahoo.com.

Torchwood and Doctor Who Come To Comic Con

In a very small press room on Saturday afternoon, I was privileged enough to talk with Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner, Euros Lyn and David Tennant. The group split their time between two tables, providing various insights into both Torchwood: Children of Earth and Planet of the Dead.

My table had the pleasure of speaking with Gardner and Tennant first, and after a few minutes quelling Tennant’s nerves about the Doctor Who panel the next day, we finally got down to business. The first question asked was about the reason behind the decision for four specials instead of a traditional season for Doctor Who. The answer was in part to give new Executive Producer Steve Moffat time to get his season ready, and in part to make the stories bigger.

Next question asked about the gap between when the show airs on BBC 1 and when it is brought over to BBC America. That segued into when the next special Waters of Mars is airing (late Autumn) and the dates of the last two specials.

Any questions about the fifth series were artfully dodged by Gardner and Tennant, mostly because they have no connection to the show. They are just as excited as all of us about the new series, though (the first set of photos had been released before Comic Con).

Tennant, after being asked about how the transition process was going, said that he doesn’t think people will miss him as The Doctor once Matt Smith has been seen by audiences for a few episodes. He hasn’t ruled out coming back for a special some time, but he doesn’t have plans for that right now. The last we will see of Tennant as The Doctor will be in The Sarah Jane Adventures, airing before the finale special around Christmastime.

Back to the body of work, a question was asked about which time in the show Tennant has enjoyed the most. He can’t answer, much like he “can’t choose children.” Gardner went on to talk about the differences between working at The Globe or on a sound stage.

Some of the discussion about shooting led into questions about how filming Planet of the Dead went – not well, as the bus was mangled en route and a sand storm.  Tennant kept describing his hair as Tina Turner or Mad Max in Beyond Thunderdome.

The final question related to the show asked about Tennant’s relationship with Matt Smith. While we all wanted to know what sort of advice Tennant passed along, Tennant went on to talk about how it’s more about creating your own man in the same general role.

Switching guests, we next talked to Russell T. Davies, Executive Producer and Head Writer, and Euros Lyn, director, both about the Who franchise and Torchwood.

The table started out saying that “no one here was upset by the Torchwood finale.” Without beating around the bush, Davies started to talk about the decision to kill off one character in this series. Lyn chimed in to say that “great drama has death in it” and without it, they were “selling the audience short.”

Another asked if it was a big decision to kill off three-fifths of the characters between the end of Series Two and Series three. While fans have had difficulty coming to terms with the death in Series Three, Davies commented that the death wasn’t “a heroic death”, which might explain more of the discontent from fans.

Talk of a Torchwood Series Four is still up in the air, so there are no definite plans about the show coming back, though the BBC was delighted with the numbers.

When asked about how much of Jack’s storyline might be addressed in Doctor Who, Davies remained mum and told us to just sit back and watch.

The coincidence of some actors coming back between previous episodes of the show and now, is just that, the producers claimed. Davies does find it hard to go back to the “monster of the week” pattern that Torchwood had previously after the tone of Children of Earth.

The last three episodes of Doctor Who will air between November and Christmas, according to Davies, with the final part of the specials to be seventy-five minutes (compared to the normal sixty). The exact dates for the final two specials are unknown,  though it sounds like one part will air Christmas Day and the other sometime after.

There aren’t any stories Davies wasn’t able to tell–in part because he knew when he was leaving.

Regarding the Entertainment Weekly interview he’d done, he didn’t mean disrespect to Supernatural, because he loves the show.

Bones at Comic Con

Following a fun-filled reminder of what makes Bones the show we either go “aww” or “eww” over, the short panel at Comic Con started with one half of the crime fighting duo Emily Deschanel (David Boreanez was in LA due to his wife’s pregnancy) and creator Hart Hanson. David, feeling remorse for not being there, did send a very nice video explaining his absence before entering into a ramble about what he would have done had he been able to attend.

The first point of discussion during the panel had to deal with Booth and Brennan “sleeping” together at the end of last season. Hanson has decided that he should never give spoilers out to fans because it only ends badly for him. When pressed further about the finale, Hanson described it as a “love letter to the loyal fans”, despite some fans calling it a “failnale”, as a series of inside jokes to the fans who had been with the show for all four seasons. The moderator, William Keck from TV Guide, then went on to ask the audience their opinion of whether Booth and Brennan be together. Deschanel called foul after the screams, saying that some people double voted in the couple versus non-couple straw poll.

When Bones returns for a fifth season, the action will pick up six weeks later with Booth still confused about what is going on (is what happened in the finale what’s real, or is it what we’ve seen for the last four years?). There were some teases about Booth either being confused as he comes back to work, or something else, while Brennan has left for Guatemala to escape the issue all together.

Brennan wanting to be a mother will be addressed this season, although Hanson tried to tell Deschanel to lie about the specifics. This lead to an amusing game of wordplay with both of them basically stating that anything they said on the panel may or may not be true.

Along the lines for other notes about season five, Boreanaz will be directing the one hundredth episode of the show. Deschanel said she’d be interested in directing at some point, at which point Hanson got defensive about the time it would take her to pull that off considering she already works 75-80 hour weeks.

After Deschanel sang a Cyndi Lauper song during the third season, that led to a conversation with Lauper appearing in this season’s premiere. Details revealed that Lauper will play Angela’s psychic, who will have some connection to the case of the week.

Deschanel’s interest in animal rights was the next topic—noting that the episode with the circus had no animals at all, and that the episode with the zoo would also suggest that not everyone is in favor of captivity. There’s an episode this season with a chicken farm.

Before the panel ended, Deschanel talked about going out on a date with Jared Booth (the wrong Booth). Jared will be back at some point this season although details are scarce.

The fan questions led to a brief conversation about Tamara being the most squeamish about the bugs and bodies when she first joined the cast. Another asked if Eric Milligan, and Zach Addy, would be back. Hanson replied that it depends on Eric’s new schedule (he’s moving back to New York) and some technical aspects of getting him from New York to LA. The final question asked was about the letter that Brennan wrote after the Gravedigger episode, which will be addressed in the fifth or sixth episode this season.

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