Behind The Screen!
So ‘Big Brother’ has started and seemingly no one cares – they could easily all be dead in there, maybe we should check. The major thing being plugged at the moment though is ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here! USA’ but I’ve no high hopes for that. I mean, look what happened the last time the US entered the Jungle…
So, some proper news…
At the time of print, the first episode of ‘Psychoville’ – the new dark comedy from the ‘The League of Gentlemen’ co-creators Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith – would have aired on BBC2; and being pretty excited about it I hope it impressed. Featuring “An embittered one-handed clown; a desperately misguided midwife; a lovestruck telekinetic dwarf; a blind avaricious collector; and a serial-killer-obsessed man-child” it’s certainly got the ‘League..’ stamp. Also, with character names like Mr Jelly and Mr Jolly, Judge Pennywise, Grumbly and Christopher Biggins we’re headed towards comedy darkness once more.
These are the main, apparently unconnected characters, who we meet in the first episode and who are drawn together through the one thing they share: the receipt of an anonymous, black-edged card bearing the chilling message: “I know what you did…”
The first episode airs on BBC2 at 10pm on Thursday 18th June, for those who’ll get caught short after reading this I’m yet to find any repeat slots but I’m sure BBC i-player will cover it.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcBT2Po59qg
‘Krod Mandoon And The Flaming Sword Of Fire’ began its run last Thursday on BBC2 also, starring Sean Maguire (‘Meet The Spartans’, ‘EastEnders’) and Matt Lucas (‘Little Britain’). Described on the BBC website as ‘a groundbreaking action-comedy’ it was neither groundbreaking nor action, nor comedy. It was pretty useless as, in all honesty anyone who even saw a trailer for ‘Meet the Spartans’, would’ve expected. This will not see series two. Please do not see series two.
Noah Wyle is reportedly being lined up to front Steven Spielberg’s new pilot for TNT. According to Entertainment Weekly, the former ER actor is being pursued by Spielberg for the untitled alien invasion project. Ooo alien invasions – I love them, I’m already overly excited at the prospect of the new ‘V’ series.
The potential series, which takes place six months after evil extra terrestrials descend, would star Wyle as the leader of a group of citizens who try to battle the unwanted newcomers.
TNT announced the pilot at last month’s upfront presentation, but declined to comment on Wyle’s involvement. Let’s hope Mr Spielberg has got the raping of Indiana Jones out of his system and gets back to form on this one eh?
Science fiction drama series Primeval has been axed after “three very successful series”, (yeah right) ITV has confirmed.
Starring Ben Miller, Douglas Henshall, and ex-S Club 7 star Hannah Spearritt, the show followed a group of scientists studying prehistoric creatures. “High quality drama remains a key part of the ITV schedule, although our current focus is on post-watershed production,” ITV said in a statement.
The show had an average audiences of about five million this year. The figure was down from around six million for the first two series. Who was watching this crap?!
Earlier this year, ITV announced 600 job cuts and says it is now aiming to cut a further £40m in 2010. Primeval may have suffered because of the big-budget computer effects needed to generate its fantastical creatures. Big budget my arse – the special effects were pathetic; I’ve been more terrified by the spectrum loading screen for ‘Kokotoni Wilf’ or ‘Atic Attack’.
Website Total Sci-Fi said it had been told by a source that Primeval’s production team were “devastated” but that they had “every intention of keeping Primeval alive in other ways”. Don’t bother losers.
The second season premiere of HBO’s ‘True Blood’ reeled in 3.7 million viewers on Sunday in the US, the highest number for HBO since 11 million tuned in to watch the series finale of ‘The Sopranos’. Though the difference in the numbers is staggering, it appears that True Blood is starting to draw some decent figures.
This seems to be on the back of the whole Vampire thing. ‘Twilight’ was pretty popular at the box office, it earned $70.6 million in its first weekend, and the CW has a vampire show in the works for next season. Looks like we’re set for a Vampire bandwagon! I can live with that, I love Goth chicks – they think I’m being broody and smouldering like Robert Pattinson when I’m actually just pissed off.
So ‘Smallville’ has just finished its season and there is news on casting for next. Brian Austin Green has been cast as the DC Comics villain ‘Metallo’, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.
Green will appear as the kryptonite-powered villain (alter ego “Daily Planet” journo John Corben) in at least the first two episodes of Season 9, which starts in the US on Friday, Sept. 25; no word on when E4 will pick it up over here just yet. ‘Smallville’ fans will still be waiting for news on who will play ‘Zod’, given the events of the Season 8 finale, but that role still has yet to be cast.
I have to say I find it amazing that, as a reaction to the election results in Iran, Twitter was told to reschedule maintenance on the site so that the Iranian people could voice their views. I mean, I can barely fit in the words ‘did you like my picture? It is to scale’ to Britney Spears on there without exceeding the word limit, let alone write a political diatribe. Impressive.
By the way, you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Dave_Ry – it won’t affect the Iranian election though I doubt.
C’mon the Lions!
Related posts:
- Behind The Screen
- Behind The Screen
- Behind The Screen – 3rd April 2009
- Behind The Screen!
- Behind The Screen
