TV Guide has a first look at Hawkman from the upcoming “Smallville” two-hour event on Feb. 5.  Online reaction has been mixed, at best, but I’m OK with it.  It looks like the comic-book outfit, pretty much, and I’m ready for Clark to go ahead and get himself into a comic-book outfit.  So maybe this will motivate him.

- Matt Price

According to Entertainment Weekly, Fox will not be ordering additional episodes of “Dollhouse” and will burn off the remainder of the 13-episode order in December.   Fox moving it around on the schedule surely didn’t help anything.   Hopefully fans will still be able see the promised episode directed by John Cassaday.

I’ll admit, I’m part of the problem. While I love Whedon’s work, I didn’t get into “Dollhouse” after watching the first couple of episodes.   I planned to eventually catch up on DVD — and I suppose I still will — but that doesn’t help keep the show on.   Overall, I guess it’s a surprise that a nearly naked Eliza Dushku (as seen in the first season promos) didn’t deliver big enough ratings to keep the show going. Those of you who watched “Dollhouse,” feel free to sound off in the comments.

- Matt Price

It could be the power of nostalgia, but I didn’t find the new pilot for “V” to be as intense or as creepy as the original.  ”V” is a new ABC series detailing aliens who come to earth, professing peace, but with a dark secret.   Spoilers ahead as in this review of last night’s episode.

While I like Elizabeth Mitchell, her character seemed pretty clueless about her own son (Logan Huffman), who immediately supports the visitors (largely because he’s attracted to the character played by Laura Vandervoort.)

Morena Baccarin plays Anna, the leader of the Visitors, who addresses the world first via their spaceships, and then later via a very controlled interview with a TV anchor played by Scott Wolf.   Joel Grestch portrays priest Father Jack Landry, who finds his small congregation growing in size once the visitors arrive, though he still doubts their intentions.

As it turns out, the aliens aren’t here for the first time – some of them have been here in disguise for years.  (Though at this time, only a small group are aware of this.)  The infestation of the aliens prior to their arrival was a little too similar to Marvel’s “Secret Invasion” for my taste, though that’s obviously just coincidental.

Slate points out one interpretation reads as pretty hostile towards President Obama.  (The original V was an allegory about the Nazi occupation of Europe.)  In the new “V,” aliens promising hope and universal health care are scaly aliens with secret plans.  Meanwhile, the only people who know the truth are gun-toting conspiracy theorists.

Troy Patterson writes at Slate:

Indeed, if the show is to have the symbolic import that we expect from a science-fiction story, this is the only possible way to read V as a coherent text. The only problem with this analysis lies in its generous presupposition that the text is, in fact, coherent.

And that’s a fair point: the old “V” showcased a thoughtful allegory in the guise of a high-action sci-fi miniseries.  The new show showcases better special effects and higher production values, but I’m not convinced there’s even intended to be an allegory behind it.

ABC is airing the first four episodes this fall, then holding the remainder for spring. (Perhaps somehow like the original “V” aired as a miniseries and was followed up with a season.)   I’m intrigued enough to watch a few, but so far this “V” doesn’t seem to improve appreciably on the original.

- Matt Price

I had missed this NBC PSA about personal responsibility. I found it today via Olivia Munn’s site. It’s a fun little video with a good message, written and directed by Milo Ventimiglia, who stars on “Heroes” and has his own comic book, “Berserker,” from Top Cow.  Masi Oka stars as a guy who just can’t catch a break, and Olivia Munn also appears.  Check it out.

- Matt Price

Elizabeth Mitchell (”Lost”) headlines “V,” a remake of the 1980s series about an alien occupation. Mitchell plays FBI Counter Terrorist Agent Erica Evans. The rest of the cast, as reported by NewsOK’s TV blog, includes Logan Huffman as Tyler; Scott Wolf as Chad Decker; Morena Baccarin as Anna; Joel Gretsch as Father Jack; Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols; Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie; Laura Vandervoort (”Smallville”) as Lisa.  The show airs at 7 p.m. Tuesdays on ABC.

With Mitchell and Vandervoort, the show has some Nerdage-friendly actresses on board.    Last year, I talked to the show’s original creator, Kenneth Johnson, about his book continuing the series.  The new ABC series is a reboot rather than a continuation, however.   You can check out a trailer here in advance of watching tonight’s show.

- Matt Price

Broadcasting & Cable announces that News Corp. Deputy Chairman Chase Carey says “Hulu … needs to evolve to have a meaningful subscription model as part of its business.”  And Carey assumes that will happen by at least 2010.

Paying for a subscription to Hulu when you already pay for a cable subscription seems like double-dipping.  And if you’re using Hulu without cable, it’s possibly because you don’t want to spend a ton of money on your television viewing.

Hulu provided a way to get caught up on shows that you might be behind on in an easy, cleanly formatted way.  And I never had a problem watching a few ads to do that.  I’m not one who wants to pirate anything — I like obeying the law — so going to get illegal torrents just isn’t going to do it for me.  On the whole, if Hulu becomes a pay site, and the cost isn’t relatively negligible, my response will be to simply watch less TV.

Entertainment Weekly already has 200-plus comments on the story, with most promising to stop using Hulu if it becomes a pay site.

- Matt Price

With today’s announcement of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles being purchased by Nickelodeon, let’s find out who the favorite Turtle of Nerdage readers is.

Here’s an excerpt from the interview; click here for the entire thing, which is well-worth reading.

The Beat: Directing? Why directing? How long has this been going on? Was this your childhood goal?

John Cassaday: Directing has always been half the dream for me, the other half being comics. Friends I had growing up would tell you exactly that. I always knew what I wanted, which was to be a visual storyteller…to tell those stories the way that I saw them… I believe there’s a tangible cross-section of thought here. When I read a comic script, I often see the scenes behind a camera—the shots, the movements and sound, the actors… At times, I’ve read screenplays and see the comic page. These things blend in my mind, so I do my best to shape them into what is needed. I believe in cinematic storytelling, whether it’s on a comic page or on film.

I’m looking forward to seeing what Cassaday brings as a director, though I’ll miss his comic work.  However, he says in the interview he won’t give it up completely, so I imagine we’ll still see covers and occasional interiors on projects from Marvel and Dynamite.

Let’s hope Marvel will reprint Cassaday’s currently out-of-print “Captain America” to fill some of the demand for Cassaday sequential art over the next couple of years.

- Matt Price

Monsters, aliens and creatures now have a sanctuary. In the Syfy series “Sanctuary,” airing at 9 p.m. Fridays, Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping, “Stargate SG-1”) leads a team of scientists seeking out often-grotesque creatures. If possible, the team, which includes daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup) and psychiatrist Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunn) will help these strange creatures, in the vast Sanctuary, a repository for the supernatural and otherworldly.

The show is shot primarily on green screen, using virtual sets.

“Building sets the size and the scope of the Sanctuary is nearly impossible,” said Tapping, who is also an executive producer of the show. “It gave us so much more freedom in terms of where we shot and how we shot, and places that we could go.”

Tapping said using green screen allowed for many more locations to become part of the show.

“In Season 1, we were everywhere from the Bermuda triangle to the Himalayas to the catacombs under Rome,” she said. The first season of “Sanctuary” came to DVD last month.

“Sanctuary” had its origins as an Internet show. The original conception of “Sanctuary” was to merge an internet program with gaming and social networking.

“Lofty goals to be sure, and a great idea,” Tapping said. “But unfortunately I think we were quite a few years ahead of our time. And in terms of figuring out how to monetize it on the web, that’s the biggest issue that we had. We had a lot of eyeballs watching Sanctuary, but not a lot of eyeballs were paying for it.”

So while the Web show didn’t make money, it did lead to new opportunities.

“Out of the ashes of the Web series rose the phoenix that is the television series,” Tapping said.

The “Sanctuary” creators rewrote and re-shot most of the pilot once the show was picked up for television. But even so, the groundwork helped.

“We knew the characters, and we knew the creatures and we knew the Sanctuary … so it definitely gave us a leg up rather than starting from scratch,” Tapping said. “Having the web series as a starting point was a huge help.”

Juliet Aubrey in Primeval.

Dinosaurs, knights errant and other entities from the past pass into the modern world through time anomalies in “Primeval,” a British action series now available on DVD.

Volume 2 of “Primeval,” which features the third series, came to DVD last month, and a marathon of episodes is airing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today on BBC America (Cox 176, Dish 135 and DirecTV 264).

Juliet Aubrey stars as Helen Cutter, the wife of Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall). Nick is the scientist responsible for investigating these time anomalies. Nick begins his investigation into the anomalies while searching for Helen, who disappeared eight years ago, but discovers his wife has her own agenda.

Aubrey describes Helen as a driven and ambitious woman who becomes a “time-traveling eco-warrior.”

“Helen … becomes slightly bored with her life and finds out about these rips in time and decides to go and explore,” Aubrey said in a recent phone interview.

“She prefers living with dinosaurs, really, to her husband, so she stays there. … To her, time is a river, and you should be able to dive into it at any point in the past or present or future.”

The series was created by “Walking With the Dinosaurs” creator Tim Haines and Adrian Hodges. As such, the dinosaurs that escape into the world of “Primeval” are particularly well-designed. Aubrey said the appeal of ancient eras added to her enjoyment of the research for “Primeval.”

“I studied archaeology myself, so I’m really interested in those kinds of things, in the past and all of that,” Aubrey said.

Aubrey said the future becomes Helen’s obsession, and trying to prevent an apocalyptic future puts her in conflict with Nick’s team, tasked with stopping the creatures that come through the anomalies. Connor Temple (Andrew-Lee Potts) and Abby Maitland (Hannah Spearritt) are other members of the team. While Helen’s respect for the environment may be admirable, her methods become extreme.

“(She) believes that humanity has completely destroyed the planet and we don’t really deserve to live here,” Aubrey said. “She’s … definitely dangerous to know.”

- Matt Price
From Monday’s The Oklahoman ]]> http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/10/12/dangers-of-past-roar-into-present-in-primeval/feed/ 0 http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/10/06/doctor-who-unveils-new-logo/ http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/10/06/doctor-who-unveils-new-logo/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:55:25 +0000 nerdblog http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/?p=5415

There’s a new Doctor coming in 2010, and the “Doctor Who” show has unveiled a new logo to go along with him. The new logo features stylized letters D and W arranged into a formation to resemble the Tardis. The full name is also spelled out in another version of the logo with new lettering, using the new D and W. Check it out in the above video.

- Matt Price

Rather than spending her spare time playing online video games, actor/writer Felicia Day decided it would be more productive to write about them. Thus began “The Guild,” the popular online program now in its third season.

“Around the time I started writing ‘The Guild,’ I was very bored with what I was doing,” Day said in a recent phone interview. “I’m not necessarily your typical Hollywood girl. And I worked enough to keep the bills paid, but not enough to keep me occupied every day.”

She funneled that energy into “The Guild,” based on her experiences with online role-playing games. “The Guild” features the interactions of a group of gamers.

“If I make fun of the characters, it’s only because I’ve lived that or been that myself,” Day said. “So, hopefully there’s an authenticity to it because I am a gamer.”

Day, who plays Codex in “The Guild,” was in the cast of Joss Whedon’s Web series “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.” The series, which starred Neil Patrick Harris as a singing supervillain, recently won an Emmy.

“It gave a huge boost to online content in general, as well as to ‘The Guild,’” Day said.

“The Guild” soon will make its debut in yet another medium. A comic-book series, to be written by Day and published by Dark Horse Comics, is in the works.

“I like to write very verbosely, so I have to be a lot more Spartan with the words, and also think more visually,” Day said. One thing the comic book will do that the Web show does not is visit the in-game world of “The Guild.”

“We are going to go in the game world. That was one of the reasons that I wanted to do it,” Day said. “Because I could kind of invent this fantasy world that the characters were living in.”

Meanwhile, the Web series continues. Wil Wheaton is a guest star on Season 3 of the series, and Seasons 1 and 2 recently were released on DVD.

“I think that’s a really cool story of empowerment and how you don’t have to wait for permission to make your art and be able to get your creation out there,” Day said. “I just love the idea of opening the door for other people, and also doing things outside the system. Because I’ve lived in the system for a while, and it can be very frustrating for someone who wants to create.”

- by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Wisteria Lane moved forward 5 years since Season 4. The jump through time bred new mysteries explored throughout Season 5. Overall, the newest installment of “Desperate Housewives” made for an entertaining, soapy ride, but failed to match the series’ high points.

Edie Britt (Nicolette Sheridan) moved back into the neighborhood, with her new husband, Dave Williams (Neal McDonough). While Dave seems friendly enough, he has a dark secret that involves Mike (James Denton). Mike and Susan (Teri Hatcher) are divorced as the season begins, and each has moved on.

Bree (Marcia Cross) success as an author and caterer is enough to rival Martha Stewart, though her new career is causing some jealousy with husband Orson (Kyle MacLachlan). Gabrielle (Eva Longoria Parker) has lost her fashion-queen crown to care for her blind husband, Carlos (Ricardo Shavira), and her two young chubby daughters.

In the Scavo family, Lynette (Felicity Huffman) watches someone in her family begin a dangerous affair. Husband Tom (Doug Savant), in the midst of a mid-life crisis, starts a band with Mike, Dave and Orson.

A bright spot is Beau Bridges’ guest starring role as a handyman in the series’ 100th episode, “The Best Thing That Could Have Ever Happened.”

— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Found via Bleeding Cool, this trailer is for The Phantom pilot planned for Syfy.  I enjoy The Phantom well enough.  I recently watched the serial from 1943 with Tom Tyler, and although it’s quite dated, it’s not bad.  I also remember liking the Billy Zane movie well enough, though it didn’t perform well in theaters. The Phantom was created by Lee Falk in a 1936 comic strip.

This modern take, with a different costume and a non-jungle setting seems to me to generic up the concept quite a bit.  Without the costume and jungle, all you have is the generational aspect — which was explored in a sci-fi way in the cartoon “Phantom 2040.”

I realize the amount of hardcore Phantom fans that are out there probably aren’t enough to justify a new series, so the feeling is you have to mix it up from the original.   I tend to prefer films that stick closer to the original concept, however.  I think I’d prefer The Phantom as a period piece, though the generational aspect of The Phantom does tend to mean you can set it any time, just move another Phantom or two into the future.

- Matt Price

A few quick thoughts on the season premiere tonight.  Light spoilers ahead.

* I’m OK with the new Matrix-y suit.  It’s at least closer to a superhero suit than a red jacket. (Though just get the red and blue suit already!)

* Lois pining over the Blur is great.

* Callum Blue has great presence as Zod.

* Good scenes between Tess and Zod.

* OK, you knew they’d go there, but the kneeling before Zod, pretty sweet.

* Lois and Ollie had a nice scene together as she reminds him that she knows he can be a true hero.

* Clark has a good fight scene with solid FX.

* Touching, difficult scene near the end with Chloe and Clark.

* Brian Austin Green put in a nice, suitably unsettling performance as John Corben (whose destiny was more or less revealed in the trailer for next week).

I like how the premiere set up a premise for the season and put Clark on a timeline.  I thought season 8 also started with a bang, but had some slowdowns in the middle and end.  We’ll see if season 9 can stay on an upward climb.

Your thoughts?

- Matt Price

WORD BALLOONS

“Smallville” kicks off its ninth season tonight, as the young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) comes ever closer to his eventual destiny as Superman.

Clark gets closer to the traditional “Superman” costume this year as well, wearing a long, black coat and a shirt bearing the “S”-shield. Clark also finds himself drawn closer to Lois Lane (Erica Durance).

“Lois is dealing with being smitten with Superman, and also still kind of finding Clark irritating,” Durance said at the “Smallville” panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego. “It’s going to be really spicy.”

Welling isn’t just starring in “Smallville,” he’s also a producer.

“I enjoy the production side very much,” Welling said at Comic-Con. “For the last few years, my interest in what happens before we get to set has increased. And this year, I play a larger part in that.”

At the close of season eight, Tess Mercer, played by Cassidy Freeman, encountered the Kryptonian villain Zod (Callum Blue).

“The first episode starts with me and Zod,” Freeman said in a recent interview. “I figure out who he is.”

Zod appeared earlier in “Smallville” when he possessed Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), but now Zod appears in Smallville in the flesh. Mercer replaced Lex Luthor as the head of LuthorCorp after Luthor’s disappearance.

“The relationship between Zod and Tess is very loaded,” Freeman said. “She’s kind of all business.”

“Smallville” moves to Friday nights this year, but Freeman said it shouldn’t be a problem for the long-running show.

“We already have a pretty strong fanbase,” she said. “With Friday nights, you might need a big gun to draw people in, and we hope ‘Smallville’ can be that big gun.”

- by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Stacey Thunder

American Indian actress Stacey Thunder will join the cast of “Crash” in its second season, debuting this Friday, Sept. 18.  The actress will also be honored at the National Center for American Indian Enterprise at the black-tie Native American 40 Under 40 Recognition Reception to be held at the 2009 Indian Progress in Business Event (INPRO) in Tulsa on Friday.

Based on the motion picture “Crash,” the TV series stars Dennis Hopper and Jocko Sims.  Along with Thunder, who will play Judith Turandot, new cast members this season include Eric Roberts (”The Dark Knight”), Linda Park Dana Ashbrook and Jake McLaughlin (”In the Valley of Elah”).

Click past the cut for the full release.

September 17, 2009 (New York, NY) – Native American actress and host of PBS’ “Native Report” Stacey Thunder joins Dennis Hopper and the cast of Starz’s hit original series “Crash” for its second season, which premieres on Friday, September 18, 2009 at 10PM EST. Also on September 18, 2009, in celebration of their 40th anniversary year, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED) will honor Thunder along with 39 other existing and emerging American Indian professionals under the age of 40 at the black-tie Native American 40 Under 40 Recognition Reception to be held at the 2009 Indian Progress in Business Event (INPRO) in Tulsa, OK.

New to INPRO this year, the Native American 40 Under 40 awards young American Indian professionals from across the nation who have demonstrated leadership, initiative, and dedication to achieve impressive and significant contributions in their businesses, communities, and to Indian Country. Thunders’ selection by the NCAIED into the Native American 40 Under 40 reflects and honors her leadership and dedication to the youth in Indian Country as well as her work in TV/Film and with Eagle Thunder Entertainment, the business she owns with her partner, musician Robby Romero.

Based off of the Academy Award®-winning Best Motion Picture of the same name, Thunder joins the “Crash” cast as “Judith Turandot.” The new season features a diverse mix of actors and characters representing the wide variety of individuals in Los Angeles. Along side Thunder, new cast members joining “Crash”-veterans Dennis Hopper, Jocko Sims, Ross McCall and Moran Atias include Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight), Linda Park Dana Ashbrook and Jake McLaughlin (In the Valley of Elah).

Also on September 18, 2009, the short film Magic Wands starring Thunder will premiere in Minneapolis, MN rounding out a trifecta of premieres and honors for the actress of Ojibwe descent.

“I mean, what’s not to like? Custard, good. Jam, good. Meat, good!”

Young Clark Kent moved closer to his eventual fate as Superman in the eighth season of “Smallville.” Clark Kent (Tom Welling) becomes a regular reporter for “The Daily Planet” and begins to have feelings for Lois Lane (Erica Durance).

The eighth season of “Smallville” was the first without show creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, or Clark’s former girlfriend Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk). The show also had to replace Michael Rosenbaum, who had played Lex Luthor on the show since its inception. While the shadow of Lex still looms large over Smallville, two new players held their own as villains of the piece.

The new head of Luthorcorp is Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman), a marine biologist turned hard-hitting executive with ties to Green Arrow’s secret ID, Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley).

Davis Bloome (Sam Witwer) is an EMT who develops a crush on Clark’s best friend, Chloe (Alison Mack). Chloe, however, is engaged to Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore). But the reasons that Bloome is drawn to Chloe may be something more sinister than a simple romantic spark, as Bloome’s character darkens as the season progresses.

The season starts strong and has a great run through episode 11, “Legion,” written by Geoff Johns, who has written some of the best “Superman” comic books of the past decade.

The midseason arc with the return of Lana Lang slows down the Lois-Clark romance and puts a hiccup into the season-long momentum. Some of it is regained in “Eternal,” as Tess figures out Bloome’s secret, but the season doesn’t finish quite as strongly as it began.

- Matthew Price

TV Guide Magazine shares a first look at Metallo, as played by Brian Austin Green, in the upcoming season of “Smallville.”   I gotta say, this actually looks pretty cool.  I’m a little more worried about the rumor that The Wonder Twins may make an appearance on this season.

Still, I’m  excited about the upcoming season, with Zod, something resembling a Superman uniform, and Geoff Johns writing an episode featuring the Justice Society.

For more from “Smallville,” look for a two-part interview with Cassidy Freeman (Tess Mercer) coming up on Nerdage and at NewsOK in the coming weeks, as well as a review of the Season 8 DVD of “Smallville.”

- Matt Price

Robert Kirkman’s zombie comic The Walking Dead has been optioned for television on AMC, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

According to THR, Frank Darabont is on board to write, direct and exec produce the project. Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Pictures and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion are also executive producing.

- Matt Price

Actress Tara Platt. (c)2008 John Phillips. Used with permission.

Oklahoma-raised Tara Platt has voiced superheroes, starred in movies and written a book.

Platt is maybe best known as the voice of Temari on the anime hit “Naruto,” but she has also portrayed superheroes Dream Girl (on “Legion of Superheroes”) and Wonder Woman (on the “DC vs. Mortal Kombat” game). She’s also appeared on “Charmed” and “Gilmore Girls.” But it all got started in Oklahoma, where Platt lived from age 7 to 11.

Dream Girl from Legion of Superheroes.

“I remember we went to see ‘Annie Get Your Gun,’ and there were a bunch of kids my age in the chorus,” Platt said. “They were dressed up in fun costumes and singing and seemed to be having a blast. After the show, I turned to my mom and said, ‘I wanna do that.’”

Platt’s mother told her that it takes lots of skill, time and energy to become an actress, but didn’t discourage her.

“She said that if I read the paper and came across an audition listing, that she would take me,” Platt said. “A few months later I saw an ad for the Jewel Box Theatre’s production of ‘Wait Until Dark’ with a role for a 9-year-old girl. I auditioned and got Gloria, and I haven’t looked back since!”

Wonder Woman from DC Vs. Mortal Kombat

Platt lived in Oklahoma while her father attended the University of Oklahoma’s medical school. She said her overall memories of the state are wonderful.

“I ended up going to elementary school there at Wiley Post Elementary,” Platt said. “We did the Sooners’ Run where we pretended we were pioneers and got to run across the school yard and stake out land with our red wagons and toy guns.”

That imagination is still in play today.

“A definite draw to (voice-over acting) is the ability to not be constrained by looks or age or gender,” Platt said. “Anywhere your imagination can take you, you have the possibility of working as a voice actor.”

Tara Platt and Yuri Lowenthal. Photo (c) Boris Kievsky, used with permission

In the English dub of Naruto, Platt voices Temari, the eldest of the Sand Siblings, who bears an iron fan. Naruto is a Japanese show based on the manga of the same name. The show, about a young ninja who seeks to become the greatest ninja of all, has a large fan base in Japan and the United States.

“There are such strong characters, and really so many that there is a character for everyone,” Platt said. “They deal with real issues; it isn’t just a ‘kids show.’ There are major conflicts that Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and the various other characters … are all dealing with that parallel many things we all must deal with: disappointment, rejection, family conflict, life and death, love, loss and many other important things. I think that is one of the reasons that Naruto is a fan favorite. That and the ninjas, of course!”

Platt’s sharing her knowledge of the voice-over world in an upcoming book. With husband Yuri Lowenthal, also a voice actor, Platt has written “Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic,” which comes out this fall and is available to pre-order at BugBotPress.com.

Voice-Over Voice Actor, from Bug Bot Press

“There are tips, exercises and practice copy in addition to the nuts and bolts about the business,” Platt said.

In addition to frequent voice work, Platt takes on other roles in front of and behind the camera. Platt’s film production company with Lowenthal, Monkey Kingdom Productions, recently finished the psychological thriller “Tumbling After.” They’re also working on a documentary about the world of voice-over with director and documentarian Boris Kievsky.

Platt will be in front of the camera in some upcoming commercials and in a live-action sci-fi romantic comedy feature starting next month.

By Matthew Price
From Tuesday’s The Oklahoman

“With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #IDOL,” Abdul writes. “I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent,but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day1become an international phenomenon.”

Abdul’s exit had been speculated about in recent weeks, especially with the re-signing of judge Kara DioGuardi.   Abdul’s contract with the show expired after last season.

- Matt Price

Lou Ferrigno may join Dancing with the Stars next season, according to Life & Style magazine. (Found via Linda Miller’s excellent Fashion Matters blog at NewsOK.)

From Fashion Matters:

Lou tells Life & Style that while he hasn’t yet signed the contract, he can’t wait to start training for the show. “I had a good meeting with the producers for Dancing With the Stars, it was really positive, and they loved the idea of having me on the show,” Lou says.

More in the link.

Ferrigno is of course best-known for his role as the Hulk in the “Incredible Hulk” television series of the 1970s, in which he played the superstrong, gamma-infused alter ego of David Banner, played by Bill Bixby.

Is this the first superhero to possibly make the “Dancing” roster?

- Matt Price

“Heroes” returns for its fourth season on Sept. 21. Check out NBC’s trailer for the new season below.

ABC has put online the first part of the Dharma Initiative webisodes, airing throughout 2009 online. This first part was also aired at the “Lost” panel at Comic-Con.

Tom Welling’s first appearance at Comic-Con was a hit, as a very full room cheered for the stars of Smallville at today’s Smallville panel at Comic-Con, moderated by Jeph Loeb.  Callum Blue, Cassidy Freeman, Allison Mack, Justin Hartley, Erica Durance joined Welling on the panel, as did Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson.

Here are a few quick notes and impressions from the Smallville panel:

* Clark is finally in some version of a Superman suit, with a black shirt bearing the S-shield and a flowing black overcoat, in preview footage shown at the panel.

* Geoff Johns will write a Justice Society episode.

* Season premiere will touch on the flight issue.

* Green Arrow will be in more episodes this season, as will Lois Lane. Lois will be in 18 episodes.

* Lex is absolutely not dead.

* Tom Welling is directing two episodes this season; Allison Mack will also direct.

* A possible Green Arrow sidekick story is being explored.

* In the first eight episodes this season, we’ll see Green Arrow hit “rock bottom.”

* Smallville is moving to Fridays this fall, debuting Sept. 25.  The DVD and Blu-ray of Season 8 hits Aug. 25.

- Matt Price

Superman is coming to Comic-Con.  Smallville star Tom Welling will appear for the first time at  Comic-Con International: San Diego on Sunday, July 26.

Co-executive producer Welling will join the entire current cast: Allison Mack, Erica Durance, Cassidy Freeman, Justin Hartley and Callum Blue at the show’s panel session on Sunday at 10:30-11:30 a.m. in Room 6BCF of the San Diego Convention Center.

Showrunners Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson will also be on hand.

The session will feature an exclusive sneak peek at clips from the upcoming ninth season of the show and a Q&A with fans.  The panel will be moderated by Jeph Loeb.

- Matt Price

“Planet of the Dead,” one of David Tennant’s final episodes as the Doctor, comes to DVD. Some won’t like the price – it’s one episode for a suggested $15 retail. But on its own merits, “Planet of the Dead” makes for a fine episode, though not a classic.

Michelle Ryan (the recent “Bionic Woman”) plays Lady Christina de Souza, a jewel thief who gets caught up with the Doctor when the bus on which they’re traveling goes through a rift in space.

They are catapulted across galaxies to a barren planet, where the Doctor, Christina and the other bus passengers must find a way back to Earth without destroying themselves. But the desert planet may not be as barren of life as it seems.

At this point, Tennant plays the wisecracking, always-prepared Doctor with ease. The Doctor is the last Time Lord, a human-looking alien who saves the day in times of crisis and frequently travels through time and space in the TARDIS, a ship that resembles a 1950s police call box. He’s stuck without the TARDIS on the planet of the dead, however, and must come up with another way back.

The desert adventures of, and charisma between, the Doctor and Christina will be enough to keep fans entertained, as will the Doctor’s interactions with a secret military unit back on Earth.

- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Devil’s Due will provide a four-issue miniseries tying into the series, which stars Lucy Lawless and Andy Whitfield.  The panel, which Lawless will attend, will offer a first look at the series, as well as the motion comic and iPhone game.

- Matt Price

Full release after the break.

San Diego, Calif. – July 23, 2009 – Fans will be able to enter the arena of the eagerly anticipated Starz original series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con July 24 from 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM PT (room 6BCF). Starz is bringing some of the leading creative and on-air talent for fans and critics to meet in person to the leading industry fan event. Set to debut exclusively on Starz in January 2010, the violent and epic gladiator tale will have a graphic novel look and style unlike any other series on TV.

Join Lucy Lawless (”Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Battlestar Galactica”), actor Peter Mensah (300, Avatar), Executive Producers Rob Tapert (Evil Dead 1-2, Drag Me To Hell) and Steven S. DeKnight (”Angel,” “Smallville, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), and actress Erin Cummings (”Dollhouse”). They will discuss the fresh narrative approach to the ancient legend and offer exclusive first look footage at the ground-breaking series. Andy Whitfield, who plays the title character, will deliver a video message and Comic-Con greeting from New Zealand.

Ultimate “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” Fan Packs to first 2,000 Fans at Comic-Con Panel

The first 2,000 fans attending the “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” panel will be treated to complimentary “Ultimate Spartacus: Blood and Sand Fan Packs,” which will include:

* Limited edition copy of “Spartacus: Upon The Sands of Vengeance, ” issue #1 in the “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” comic book mini-series with an exclusive Comic-Con cover
* Autographed 8X10 headshots, featuring 1 of 10 randomly selected autographed photos from a member of the cast of “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”
* “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” trading cards
* “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” USB flash drive featuring cast/unit photos, graphics, poster art, cast and series biographical background information, and more.
* “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” poster with mailing tube
* “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” collectible t-shirt (one of four being created)

“Spartacus: Blood and Sand” iPhone Game, Motion Comic Details

Starz Digital Media also revealed plans to jointly develop the official “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” mobile game designed for iPhone and iPod touch with Artificial Life, Inc (OTC BB: ALIF). The games will utilize the touch screens and motion sensitive features of the popular mobile devices and bring to life the action, violence and sex soon to be seen in the series.

Also, in association with Double Barrel Motion Labs, Starz Digital Media will bring to market a four-part “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” motion comic series. These action-packed videos will feature gladiators battling for eternal glory in a gore fest derived from Devil’s Due Publishing (DDP)’s official upcoming “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” comic book mini-series, to which DeKnight contributed. “Spartacus: Upon The Sands of Vengeance” is the first in the four-part comic book mini-series. A sneak preview of the “Spartacus: Upon the Sands of Vengeance” motion comic episode will be available after the “Spartacus” Comic-Con panel at www.starz.com/spartacus.

“‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand” is the most ambitious project ever undertaken at Starz,” said Bill Hamm, executive vice president, originals production and development for Starz Media. “Comic-Con offers a terrific stage to introduce the series to fans and we are delighted to have such a strong lineup for our debut appearance in San Diego.”

“We look forward to working with a number of key production and distribution partners in bringing ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand’ to life across multiple platforms and media,” said Marc DeBevoise, senior vice president, digital media, business development and strategy for Starz Media and lead executive for Starz Digital Media. “The projects we’re developing around this franchise offer a tremendous opportunity for us to reach mobile gamers, comic book fans and online video viewers with incredibly unique and compelling content, all prior to the series’ premiere of “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” on Starz.”

On July 24, DeKnight, along with the comic book’s editorial consultant R.H. Stavis, will sign limited edition copies of issue No. 1 in the “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” comic mini-series, with an exclusive Comic-Con cover. The autograph session will be from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM at the DDP booth (#2229).

Comic-Con attendees can swipe their electronic credentials at Starz’ Anchor Bay/Manga booth (#3345) and “enter for a chance to win a one-of-a-kind shield; an authentic prop from the battlefield of “Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

The official “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” trailer, “Spartacus: Upon the Sands of Vengeance” motion comic episode trailer and behind the scenes videos will also be available post-panel at www.starz.com/spartacus and via the Starz “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” Twitter feed, Twitter: @spartacus_starz. “Follow us,” then “direct message” to receive the videos and future “Spartacus” exclusives.

About “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”

Debuting exclusively on Starz, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” is produced by Starz Media with Executive Producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi (Spider-Man and Evil Dead), Joshua Donen The Quick and the Dead), along with DeKnight .

The UK-born and Australia-based Andy Whitfield portrays Spartacus, a soldier in the Roman Auxiliary who is taken prisoner. As punishment for defying a Roman Legate, Spartacus is sentenced to die in the gladiator arena. But after surviving numerous fights, his sentence is commuted and is sold as a slave to be trained as a gladiator. A newcomer in the U.S., Whitfield has gained acclaim in numerous Australian drama series (”McLeod’s Daughters,” “Packed to the Rafters,” “The Strip” and “Out of the Blue”) and also starred in the feature film Gabriel, one of the highest grossing films at the Australian Box Office in 2007. He recently wrapped shooting on the Australian feature, The Clinic.

Lawless is cast as Lucretia, who along with her husband Batiatus (John Hannah), own the slave Spartacus and the Ludus (a gladiator camp) where the former soldier learns the ways of the arena fighter. The couple has fallen on hard times financially and has bought Spartacus hoping his fighting prowess will help them regain their status in the brutal world of gladiatorial contests. Among her many roles, Lawless is best known for portraying “Xena: Warrior Princess” in the long-running global hit series, and has appeared in Syfy’s critically acclaimed “Battlestar Galactica.”

Hannah is the BAFTA Film Awards nominee best known for his work in The Mummy trilogy as well as Four Weddings and a Funeral and on a number of successful British TV series, including “Rebus,” “New Street Law” and “MDs.”

Additional cast members include: Cummings as Spartacus’ Thracian wife, Sura; Mensah as Doctore, Batiatus’ most loyal and trusted slave; Manu Bennett (30 Days of Night, The Condemned) as Crixus, the top gladiator at Batiatus’ Ludus; Antonio Te Maioha (”Xena: Warrior Princess,” “Legend of the Seeker”) as Barca, a big, hulking brute of a man who is Batiatus’ bodyguard and hit man; Craig Parker (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, “Legend of the Seeker”) as Glaber, a Roman Legate, who blames Spartacus for his failed military campaign; and Nick E. Tarabay (”Crash,”
“The Sopranos”) as Ashur, a former gladiator who is now the Ludus’ resident bookie.

DeKnight is the head writer for the series, which is being produced in New Zealand by Starz Media. DeKnight recently finished consulting on Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” and will be writing the upcoming eighth installment of the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” comic book series.

Starz’s new “Spartacus” series was inspired by the actual slave of the Roman Republic who in 73 BC led a slave revolt that grew to more than 120,000 fighters. Defying the Roman Republic’s legions of soldiers, they campaigned for two years through much of what is now Italy before succumbing to a much larger army. The new series will tell a new set of stories rich in character, action, sex and combat.

Anchor Bay Entertainment will hold exclusive worldwide home entertainment distribution rights to “Spartacus,” while Starz Media’s Worldwide Distribution group will handle international television and domestic syndication sales and Starz Digital Media will be responsible for all digital distribution globally.

“Spartacus” is just the latest original series for Starz. Its first dramatic series, “Crash,” a co-production from Starz Entertainment and Lionsgate, premiered in October 2008 and is set for its second season in September 2009. Starz Media also produced “Party Down” for Starz, which debuted in early 2009 to high critical acclaim and which was recently renewed for a second season and is set to air in 2010.