Archive for the 'Television' Category
— May 15, 2007
News hit yesterday from NBC of a “Heroes” spin-off called “Heroes: Origins” according to the MSN TV Blog. Heroes has been a big hit for NBC this year. I must admit I am a huge of fan of this show, especially as the season finale is coming up.
Reportedly, Origins will temporarily replace Heroes on Monday nights, has been ordered for six episodes, and will introduce a completely new set of characters. The biggest shocker is that Heroes will not be on next fall, but should be back in January. Also, according to the article, the audience will vote on which new character will become a regular cast member on Heroes when it returns.
— September 25, 2006
Here are a few random, upcoming news items that you might be interested in…
X-men 3 comes out on DVD a week from Tuesday on October 3rd. The DVD features deleted scenes and 3 alternate endings. There is also a special collector’s edition that features an exclusive original mini-comic written by Stan Lee. See the web site here.
Also, the pilot episode of “Heroes” airs tonight at 9 PM ET on NBC. Don’t miss it. I’ve been waiting for this all summer long! Check out the “Heroes” web site here.
And last, if you caught “The Simpsons” last night, you might have noticed a little “Star Wars” tribute. Bart and Principal Skinner fought while “Duel of the Fates” played in the background. If you noticed it, it was pretty sweet.
— July 27, 2006
A new reality show aired on Sci-Fi tonight called, “Who Wants to be a Superhero?” I happened to catch it, and I had to say that it is a hit. This show is FREAKIN’ HILARIOUS! My favorite contestant by far is Major Victory. Wait until you get a load of him.
The premise of the show is that the contestants dress and act like superheroes with costumes, super powers, personas and even back stories. They live together in a lair and complete various superhero tasks given to them by none other than Stan Lee himself. One by one they get eliminated, and the winner receives their own comic book and movie to air on the Sci-Fi channel.
Catch it at 9PM eastern on the Sci-Fi channel on Thursday nights. Go to the web site to find out more about Who Wants to be a Superhero.
— July 9, 2006
Last night I happened to catch a documentary about comic book superheroes on the History Channel called, “Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked.” I started watching it and it really drew me in. It covers the history of comics from the stories to the economic side. Here is a synopsis of the program from the History Channel web site.
Comic books–serious or escapist fantasy? This 2-hour special shows how comic book superheroes reflect their times–from the 1930s to the 21st century–and how these wish-fulfillment figures became role models for generations of children. Following the most representative cartoon crusaders and villains, as well as the industry that formed them, we see how they mirrored society–from the Depression, WWII, the Cold War, and the turbulent ’60s to today–and how they proved adaptable to other media.
You can buy the program on DVD online from the History Channel web site here. You can try to catch it on the History Channel. It airs again on the History Channel this week but at wierd times. You can find listings on their site here.
— June 28, 2006
Blade the Series premiers tonight at 10 PM ET on Spike TV. The first episode is 2 hours long. I’m not sure if the other shows will be as long as the first one. It would surprise me if they are all 2 hours long. It is actually on right now, but I am recording it to watch tomorrow. It should be good though. I will be pleased if it is better than the last Blade movie. Check out the Blade site on Spike TV.
— June 24, 2006
TV.com links to a New York Post story on the return of Futurama to television. The story reports that Comedy Central has the rights to produce 13 new episodes of the show for 2008. Futurama is an animated sci-fi show that ran for 5 seasons before it was cancelled by Fox in 2003.
Futurama never found its audience when it was on, but after it was cancelled, Cartoon Network began to air the reruns on their late night animation block, Adult Swim. On Adult Swim, the show gained a huge following, and once episodes were released on DVD, sales were unexpectedly high. The same thing happened to Family Guy, which was also brought back to TV by Fox in 2005, something that was a first for TV.
This news comes after it was announced in February of this year that more Futurama would be produced for 4 straight to DVD movies. Billy West posted this in the forum of his web site and that production would begin in July or August for the movies. No word yet on how this will be affected. It was also announced that all the original talent will be returning for the show.
This is a very exciting time for Futurama fans. This is only the second time in TV history a show has been brought back. It just doesn’t happen. I think the reason for this is DVD sales. Financially, there is no other reason to keep a show like that on the air, let alone resurrect one from the dead. Family Guy was one of the biggest selling DVD’s of all time. TV studios are seeing that DVD sales can be highly profitable for these shows. For this reason, we may keep seeing this happen in the future. In addition, it could affect the way TV is done.
Futurama is one of my favorite animated shows of all time. I personally cannot wait for the DVD’s, let alone the return of the show!
— June 22, 2006
“Heroes,” a new show about superheroes, will air this Fall on NBC, Mondays at 9 PM ET. I first learned of the show when NBC began airing commercials last week for it. It looks to be pretty interesting. Here is the synopsis of the show from NBC’s site.
Some people are born to be extraordinary.
They thought they were like everyone else… until they woke with incredible abilities. In Japan, a lowly office worker can teleport at will. In New York, a struggling artist can paint the future. In Los Angeles, a discontented beat cop can hear the thoughts of others. Elsewhere, a high school cheerleader discovers she is unbreakable and a single mom realizes she has a powerful alter ego. Heroes chronicles the lives of these people and the lives of others like them – whose destiny just might be saving humankind.
The site has a trailer for the show. It also has this quote.
NBC.com weekly exclusives include an original, animated graphic novel that follows new hero adventures.
Not sure what that means exactly, but a weekly graphic novel based on the characters on the show sounds pretty cool. This could turn out to be a really good show from NBC next Fall. NBC has been lucky with new shows lately. “Earl” or “The Office” anyone?
It seems that superheroes are everywhere these days and not just for comic books anymore. I know I will be looking forward to seeing what “Heroes” has to offer this Fall.
