New Game of Thrones Season 2 Trailer

Hungry for more Game of Thrones Season 2 goodness?  Chomp on this:

 

Season Two premiers on HBO April 1.

Review - Alcatraz

Boy do J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot people know how to do a pilot.  The latest venture from him (Lost, Alias, Fringe, Person of Interest) and Elizabeth Sarnoff (executive producer of Lost) are taking you to another island full of mystery and intrigue - Alcatraz.

"On March 21, 1963, Alcatraz officially closed.  All the prisoners were transferred off the island, only that's not what happened.  Not at all."

This, along with a very cool title opening, carry you right into this shadowy new crime series, the premise of which is this:  On March 20, 1963, two guards walked the halls of Alcatraz prison one stormy night, confused and scared as all hell because all the residents - 256 prisoners and 46 guards - seemingly vanished into thin air.  After all, this is Alcatraz, and no one ever escaped The Rock ... well, except for three men, as dramatized in films like Escape From Alcatraz (great film starring Clint Eastwood), but there's no proof they actually survived the attempt, so I should say "successfully" escaped. 

Anyway, Alcatraz was known for harboring some of the worst of the worst criminals, so when the missing prisoners begin turning up in present day San Francisco - having not aged a day from the time of their disappearances and itching to pick up right where they left off - you know things aren't going to bode well.

**Episode details follow**

Enter Detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones, Sons of Anarchy), a homicide detective whose partner was killed during a foot pursuit and who now works solo.  Arriving at a murder scene, she finds victim E.B. Tiller, who she soon learns was deputy warden of Alcatraz decades earlier.  Prints found at the scene match one Jack Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Nine) - one of the missing prisoners and a man who supposedly died 30 years prior.  At the scene, Masden encounters Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill, Happy Town, The Tudors), a G-Man who does not appreciate her presence and promptly dismisses her.  Like that's going to stop our heroine...

Needing an expert on the prison, Masden meets Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia, Lost), a comic book vender who holds Ph.D.s in criminal justice and Civil War history and has written four books on Alcatraz.  Together they head out to the island to investigate, but in the process are gassed and knocked out, only to awaken in a bunker (Soto appropriately calls it the "bat cave") underneath the prison where Hauser runs what he calls "a special division in charge of criminals who hold a particular allure for our government,"  i.e., "The 63s" - our missing prisoners and guards.

It's not long before Sylvane is captured and questioned about what happened to him, where he's been, whose behind his and the others' disappearances, etc., but this is the pilot, folks - and an Abrams show to boot, so you KNOW we ain't getting answers so quickly.  No, there's much, much more to come.  And, as said by Tiller in his warden days, "This is Alcatraz.  Things can always get worse."

The show itself has established that it will be a case-of-the-week format with the overlying mythology weaved through, revealing piece by piece and in its own sweet time exactly what happened to "The 63s." (the new Others, Lost fans?).  Each episode will also include jumps between present day and the time the prisoner-of-the-week resided at The Rock.  Other mysteries:  there's the character of "Uncle" Ray Archer (Robert Forster, Heroes, Karen Sisko), a retired cop and the man who raised Masden who, when she informs him about Alcatraz's ties to her case, compels her very strongly to walk away.  Guessing he knows something.  Another mysterious character is Lucy Banerjee (Parminder Nagra, ER).  She's not all she appears to be, as we learn at the end of the second episode.

Then there's Hauser.  Turns out he was one of those two guards who made the discovery of the missing all those years ago and has been waiting for these events ever since.  Seems he always meant to involve Madsen, being that her grandfather, Thomas, was one of the prisoners - and coincidentally the man who killed her partner.  Hence the Alcatraz Secret Task Force is born.  Abrams's shows do seem to like trios:  Alias had Sydney, Vaughn and Jack Bristow; Fringe has Olivia, Peter and Walter.  I like the pairing of Madsen and Soto, an unlikely duo who work well together and have a common drive to unravel this mystery. And Hauser may be a hiccup to them, but you know they need his input.

Oh, and there's another hatch ... well, sort of.  Actually, it's a secret bunker out in the middle of the woods which turns out is the new Alcatraz - a collection of cells just waiting to welcome the returned and newly recaptured inmates.

I liked the pilot a lot.  In just that first hour the writers clearly laid out who the players are, how they relate to each other, what the story is and set up oodles of questions and stories to come as the series pushes forward.  I wondered prior to the premiere how confused I would be - being a huge Abrams fan, I prepared myself for it - but it was very easy to follow and I am interested to see where we're going to go.  The momentum kept up well in the second episode, which aired directly after.  Overall a nice introduction for the series.

I wonder if Katee Sackoff (Battlestar Galactica)was considered for the Madsen role - Sarah Jones and she are like types and the character of Madsen - tough, a bit of a loner, not afraid of the chase and danger - are like that of Sackoff's Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, only less of a powder keg ready to explode.  Curious...

The music score is perfect for the show, it's well cast and well-written and I think it's going to find a good following early on.

Bottom line:  Let Alcatraz "Rock" your world.

Catch Alcatraz Mondays at 8 p.m. on FOX.  I also recommend checking out other Bad Robot shows Lost, Fringe, Alias and Felicity.
 

Revisit This Show - Felicity

Browsing through my Netflix options for viewing TV series instantly, I came across a show that I had originally watched from start to finish when it first aired back into 1998, a quiet but poignant little series by J.J. Abrams, the genius behind other great series like Lost and Alias - Felicity.

The WB series (pre-CW days) put actress Keri Russell (and her trademark, luscious golden locks) on the map and supported her a terrific cast that included Scott Foley, Amy Jo Johnson, Greg Grunberg, Amanda Forman and Ian Gomez, among others.  Beauty Russell was a natural in the role of Felicity Porter, a shy, smart high school graduate from Palo Alto, Calif., who forgoes a predetermined, pre-med college destiny laid out for her by her achievement-obsessed parents for an uncharted future as an artist at the fictional University of New York. 

Her initial motivation? Ben Covington (Scott Speedman), a boy she fell in love with from afar who, on the day of their graduation, wrote something so deep and meaningful in her yearbook, she immediately dropped all previous plans and made the leap into a scary, unpredictable journey thousands of miles away both physically and academically.

The pilot, written by Abrams, is strong in setting up Felicity's story - why she makes her 11th hour choice to switch schools, the uncertainty she feels during her first weeks in the Big Apple, the rollercoaster of emotions she feels as she tries to reconcile her feelings for Ben, her spur-of-the-moment confrontation with him about why she made the move, her doubts and fears about her choice and ultimately, why she decides to stay. Russell shines in the role, bringing believability and authenticity to the character, and you can't help but root for her to stay and make it work. 

Right from the jump, Abrams sets up the inevitable, albeit classic love triangle in Felicity, Ben and resident advisor Noel Crane (Foley).  I was on Team Noel from the start, but you knew Felicity would bounce between the two over the course of the series - it was a WB drama after all.  But week to week great writing and plot points, along with well-structured B-storylines with other characters, made it an enjoyable ride (you'll have to watch to see who ends up with whom).

What I always liked about the series was that it lasted exactly four years, each season representing Felicity's four years in college.  It was the right length for the show and I never felt like I wasn't watching a group of young people going through all the trials, tribulations, joys, sorrows, ups, downs and all that went with finding yourself through the college experience.  It stayed real, the drama never reaching or pushing too far (unlike, say the original Beverly Hills, 90210, which jumped off every over-dramatic cliff it could find). It was nicely paced, well acted and written, beautifully shot and was a very enjoyable series.

So whether a first timer or a re-viewer as I am, Felicity is definitely worth a watch.  Available on DVD and through Netflix streaming.

So Who's Been Watching What?

Many thanks to Entertainment Weekly online (www.ew.com) for compiling a wrap-up of the most-to-least watched network (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX and The CW) programs of the fall (September to December). 

Alas, my fave network, the CW, rounds out the bottom, but that won't stop me watching its awesome shows (of particular note, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries and Nikita).

Other shows I recommend:  Hawaii Five-0, Criminal Minds, How I met Your Mother, 2 Broke Girls, Suburgatory, Castle, Big Bang Theory, Ringer, Revenge, Glee, Body of Proof and Parenthood.

So where do your fave shows rank? (shows in red are cancelled)

1. NCIS (CBS, 21.4 million)
2. Sunday NFL Football (NBC, 19.9)
3. Two and a Half Men (CBS, 18.9)
4. Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 18.5)

5. NCIS: LA (CBS, 17.4)
6. DWTS: Results (ABC, 16.65)
7. Big Bang Theory (CBS, 16.61)
8. Modern Family (ABC, 15.066)
9. NFL Pre-Kick (NBC, 15.063)
10. 60 Minutes (CBS, 14.67)
11. Mentalist (CBS, 14.6)

12. Criminal Minds (CBS, 14.4)
13. The OT (Fox, 14.0)
14. 2 Broke Girls (CBS, 13.6)
15. Mike & Molly (CBS, 13.56)
16. Unforgettable (CBS, 13.532)
17. Person of Interest (CBS, 13.531)
18. Hawaii 5-0 (CBS, 13.4)
19. CSI (CBS, 13.2)
20. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 13.1)

21. Blue Bloods (CBS, 12.9)
22. X Factor Wed (Fox, 12.5)
23. Survivor: South Pacific (CBS, 12.5)
24. X Factor Thurs (Fox, 12.3)
25. Castle (ABC, 12.2)
26. Once Upon a Time (ABC, 12.0)
27. Good Wife (CBS, 11.9)
28. How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 11.5)
29. Last Man Standing (ABC, 11.47)
30. Rules of Engagement (CBS, 11.45)
31. CSI: Miami (CBS, 11.42)
32. CSI: NY (CBS, 11.34)
33. Football Night in America 3 (NBC, 11.1)
34. Amazing Race 19 (CBS, 11.05)
35. Body of Proof (ABC, 11.03)
36. Desperate Housewives (ABC, 11.0)
37. Bones (Fox, 10.2)
38. New Girl (Fox, 10.0)
39. Terra Nova (Fox, 9.98)
40. Glee (Fox, 9.90)
41. Revenge (ABC, 9.8)
42. Middle (ABC, 9.82)
43. House (Fox, 9.7)
44. Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 9.1)
45. Suburgatory (ABC, 9.0)
46. Harry’s Law (NBC, 8.99)
47. Private Practice (ABC, 8.98)
48. How to be a Gentleman (CBS, 8.6 million)
49. A Gifted Man (CBS, 8.5)
50. Fear Factor (NBC, 8.5)
51. Pan Am (ABC, 8.2)
52. Simpsons (Fox, 7.77)
53. Happy Endings (ABC, 7.70)
54. Hell’s Kitchen Mon 9 (Fox, 7.4)
55. Hell’s Kitchen Mon 8 (Fox, 7.3)
56. Office (NBC, 7.29)
57. Family Guy (Fox, 7.26)
58. Parenthood (NBC, 7.1)
59. Grimm (NBC, 7.0)
60. Charlie’s Angels (ABC, 6.919)
61. Man Up (ABC, 6.915)
62. America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC, 6.8)
63. Biggest Loser 12 (NBC, 6.7)
64. Raising Hope (Fox, 6.6)
65. Sat. Night College Football (ABC, 6.30)
66. Up All Night (NBC, 6.14)
67. Prime Suspect (NBC, 6.12)
68. I Hate My Teenage Daughter (Fox, 6.0)
69. Football Night in America 2 (NBC, 5.97)
70. Dateline Fri (NBC, 5.93)
71. American Dad (Fox, 5.7)
72. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC, 5.77)
73. 48 Hours Mystery (CBS, 5.75)
74. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 9 p.m. (ABC, 5.4)
75. Whitney (NBC, 5.3)
76. Playboy Club (NBC, 5.2)
77. Sing Off (NBC, 5.17)
78. Cleveland Show (Fox, 5.14)
79. 20/20 Friday (ABC, 5.10)
80. Cleveland Show Sunday 8:30 (Fox, 5.07)
81. You Deserve It (ABC, 5.03)
82. Crimetime Sat 9 p.m. (CBS, 4.5)
83. Middle Tuesday (ABC, 4.48)
84. Allen Gregory (Fox, 4.45)
85. Parks and Recreation (NBC (4.42)
86. SVU Saturday (NBC, 4.3)
87. Kitchen Nightmares (Fox, 4.29)
88. Prime Suspect Sat. (NBC, 4.26)
89. Sat. Football pregame (ABC, 4.22)
90. COPS Sat. 8:30 (Fox, 4.19)
91. Community (NBC, 4.18)
92. Fringe (Fox, 4.10)
93. Rock Center (NBC, 4.01)
94. Free Agents (NBC, 3.9)
95. Chuck (NBC, 3.888)
96. Suburgatory Tues. (ABC, 3.886)
97. COPS Sat. 8 p.m. (Fox, 3.77)
98. Up All Night 8:30 (NBC, 3.72)
99. Comedytime Sat. 1 (CBS, 3.6)
100. Harry’s Law Sat. (NBC, 3.5)
101. Comedytime Sat. 2 (CBS, 3.3)
102. Vampire Diaries (CW, 3.1)
103. Terra Nova Sat. (Fox, 2.5)
104. America’s Next Top Model 17 (CW, 2.37)
105. Secret Circle (CW, 2.34)
106. Supernatural (CW, 2.25)
107. Hart of Dixie (CW, 2.1)
108. Nikita (CW, 2.06)
109. Ringer (CW, 2.02)
…112. 90210 (CW, 1.7)
113. Gossip Girl (CW, 1.68)
114. Bob’s Burgers (Fox, 1.65)
…120. H8R (CW, 1.2)

Revisit This Show - Battlestar Galactica (2004)

I have to confess, it took me a long time to give this show a chance.  When it was first announced that an updated remake/revisioning of Battlestar Galactica was being done and that it was going to be a much different show, I didn't know how to feel. Sure, they were keeping most of the character names and the look of the ship was going to be similar, but just how different was it going to be?  I was a huge fan of the original - still am - so I wasn't sure how I felt.

What eventually made me literally boycott the new series at the time it premiered was all the trashing of the original 1978 series that followed.  I mean, you'd have the thought the old series was pure crap, had absolutely no merit and should be utterly dismissed in lieu of the new.

The original, for me, was thrilling, had great characters, told a terrific story and I loved it.  Was it ground-breaking, critically acclaimed TV?  No.  But that didn't mean it wasn't a good, fun show.  Many say it was a direct rip-off of Star Wars, which had come to theaters just the year before.  For me - also a huge fan of the Wars - aside from the fact that both had individually piloted ships (X-Wings for SW, Vipers for BSG) and a couple of hot heroes, I see very little direct similarity.  Of course, this point can be debated extensively, I'm sure ... let's not do that here.

Suffice to say, when the new series premiered, with all the bad-mouthing about my Galactica that had taken place, I had a hard time giving it a chance.  But, as a dedicated TV watcher, I committed to watching the pilot miniseries.  I did had a hard time with it, particularly with the way it was filmed (that flash-zoom, docu-cam style is not a favorite of mine) ... and the fact that Starbuck, my favorite character (still crush on Dirk Benedict to this day) was turned into a woman! (though I cared less about the same thing being done to the character of Boomer ... go figure).  So I didn't watch beyond that.

Recently, having had enough distance in addition to having heard so many incredible things about the revamped series - and the fact that the entire series is available through Netflix streaming - I was able to go back to it with a new perspective, and I am so glad I did.  Having just finished the last episode, I can say now with hearty confidence and no malice, it is a truly outstanding piece of cinematic work and I am a bonified fan.

BSG has some of the richest, meatiest, fully-rounded characters and were portrayed by a cast of extraordinary actors, not just the main stars but down to ones who were only in a few episodes, and that's saying something.  Plus the fact that many of those smaller, less assuming characters - Cally, Dualla, Gaeta - later became such pivotal players in the overall story is a testament to the writers, the actors and the show itself.

I can't even begin to go into detail about the overall story and all its intricacies - how could I with so much that happened over the four (was that it?) seasons - and I don't want to.  Unfortunately, due to my withholding watching for so long, I happened to accidentally learn of certain plot elements over the course of the original airing and since then (big reveals, character deaths, etc.), which didn't ruin the overall viewing for me but did disappointment a little, and I wouldn't dare do that to those of you who haven't seen it but plan to (In case I haven't made it clear, PLEASE DO!)  Believe me, there were more than enough other "OMG!" shocking moments and developments to go around.

The show's premise is this: The world ended with no warning, and all that was left … was hope. Cylons were created by the humans of the Twelve Colonies. Intelligent robots, they were used as slaves and soldiers to fight humanity's wars. But the Cylons became sentient and they rebelled. Man and machine fought to a bloody stalemate, then the Cylons withdrew to a remote region of space.

A tense, quiet truce between the two races lasted 40 years until the Cylons launched a genocidal attack on the colonies, all  but eradicating the human race and leaving to 50,000 odd survivors to abandon their homes and flee into deep space aboard a rag-tag fleet of ships led by the lone surviving Colonial warship, the battlestar Galactic.  Driven by the prophetic visions of the Colonial president and in desperate need of a new home, the fleet sets upon a quest that will take it into the farthest reaches of unexplored space … in search of the mythical, lost "13th colony" — Earth.

There were some standout performances that I do have to note.  James Callis is perfection as the tortured, sorely misguided Gaius Baltar. Played with menacing delight by the late John Colicos in the original series, this new Baltar was disturbingly, hopelessly flawed, often hateful but at times sympathetic.  His journey is an incredible study in human behavior when one makes the wrong choices and doesn't know how to reconcile them.  There should have benn some Emmy love for this guy.

Katee Sackhoff is a fully-cocked pistol as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace.  Remember, I myself had to come to terms that my beloved handsome rogue was now an oft-cursing, angry, self-destructive bitch, but hers is also an amazing journey to watch.  You want to both clock her and root for her, often multiple times within a single episode, and Sackhoff's commitment to the role and all the levels it tasked her to play is magnificent to watch.

It was fun to see actors that I have watched in other programs show up here (though for many, they appeared in BSG first), particularly Grace Park (Sharon "Boomer" Valerii), who I currently enjoy as Kono on Hawaii Five-0 (funny thing, Park again plays a character who was originally male).  I had seen Tahmoh Penikett (Karl "Helo" Agathon) on Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, Michael Trucco (Sam Anders) on USA's Fairly Legal and Mark Sheppard (Romo Lampkin) on, oh take your pick - X-Files, Firefly, Supernatural.

In fact, a great many people who were on BSG have since been on Supernatural - Sheppard, Samantha Ferris, Rheka Sharma, Michael Hogan.  Not surprising since both are genre shows that were/are shot in Vancouver, which uses many of the same actors.  I don't doubt that fans of one show are fans of the other.  On a side note,  Supernatural being my favorite show, I have to give a hearty "WATCH IT!"

While I did love Lorne Greene as the original Commander Adama, Edward James Olmos brought much to his Adama, a man dealing with so many ongoing crises and tragedies, you wonder how he doesn't just blow himself out the nearest air duct.  But he deals, and watching Olmos do it with all his power and  presence is masterful.

Having been a big Xena fan, it was nice to see Lucy Lawless again, this time as a completely different kind of character.  Sometimes it's hard for me to follow an actor who has played such a distinctive character for so long to another role, but Lawless made it easy, and she got to use her real accent to boot! (Another case in point, albeit unrelated: see Michael C. Hall as both David Fisher on Six Feet Under and as Dexter Morgan on Dexter).

I was pleased to have this new series give frequent nods to the original, sometimes using the original, iconic theme music, sometimes onscreen appearances by the original Cylon centurians.   Guess the old show couldn't have been that bad, huh?  And kudos for giving a juicy role to the original Apollo, Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek).

About BSG, there is so much more to say but I don't quite know how to without giving anything away, so I'll leave it at this: this is a terrific, engaging saga with outstanding characters, intellectual themes, extraordinary writing, compelling storytelling and is racked with emotion, power and heart.  It was great to be able to watch the whole series start to finish in a short time frame - helped keep the flow of the story.  And don't discount the original 1978 series - it really was pretty darn cool!

Both the 1978 and 2004 versions of Battlestar Galactica are available on DVD and are currently streaming on Netflix.

Game of Thrones - Season Two Trailer

I'll admit, I have not read the Game of Thrones book series, but the HBO series based on it is more than enough to satisfy me.  I was eager to watch when it premiered, and it took a few episodes for me to get all the many characters straight and how they connect/relate to each other, but before I knew it, I was enthralled and hungry for more.  And then suddenly, season one was over and I was left to anticipate with everyone else the next installment.

Fortunately, HBO has been kind enough to provide a trailer for Season Two, due in Spring 2012.  Enjoy it here:

Prime Suspect Shuts Down Production

Actually one of the good ones ...

Can't say I understand what's going on over at NBC.  Shifting a good portion of their schedule around, tabling new previously-planned pilots, etc.  Their latest move is shutting down the Thursday drama Prime Suspect, starring Maria Bello. 

Granted, the show hasn't been a runaway hit (averages approx. 5 million viewers), but it is a decent program with a strong lead character.

The show hasn't officially been axed, but this isn't a good sign.

Do you watch Prime Suspect?  Comment below and let me know your thoughts.