The eighth season of the CW series “Smallville” comes to DVD today, featuring Clark Kent’s battle with Doomsday, the character that in the comics, killed Superman.

Season 8 of “Smallville” introduced another villain to the mythos – Tess Mercer, played by Cassidy Freeman. Freeman has an Oklahoma connection – her grandmother lives in Tulsa, and Freeman visits the state frequently.

Freeman provides commentary on episode 7 of “Smallville” Season 8 for the DVD, along with director Mairzee Almas and executive producer Brian Peterson.

It’s Freeman’s first DVD commentary, though she said she often provides commentary during “Smallville” watch parties with her and her brother.

“We watch as much as we can in real time,” Freeman said in a phone interview. While some actors don’t like to watch their performances, Freeman finds it helpful.

“You want to learn from everything you’re doing,” she said, saying that sometimes she’ll notice something new watching a scene again on television.

Freeman had nothing but praise for the work of the “Smallville” cast, which includes Tom Welling (Clark Kent), Erica Durance (Lois Lane) and Justin Hartley (Green Arrow).

“They really did a good job of getting quality people,” Freeman said.

Freeman knew Hartley before joining the cast of “Smallville,” from working on a CW pilot called “Austin Golden Hour.” When that fell through, she moved over to “Smallville,” as Tess. In Season 8, Tess is running Lex Luthor’s company, as Luthor was presumed dead.

Tess Mercer is a new character, though she has some similarities in her name to two former Luthor assistants, Miss Tessmacher from “Superman: The Movie” and Mercy from the comic books and “Superman: The Animated Series.” But Tess’ story is uniquely part of “Smallville.”

“It lends itself to a lot more complexities,” Freeman said. “It’s more fun to play the passionate person. I get to do good and bad things depending on how I feel, on my passion and what drives me. And that’s human, and that’s more interesting than playing what’s already been written.”

- by Matthew Price
From Tuesday’s The Oklahoman

RICHARDSON, Texas – Yancy Butler, who starred as NYPD detective Sara Pezzini on the TNT drama “Witchblade,” will take on another comic-book role, in an upcoming film based on a comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.

Butler appeared at the Dallas Comic-Con in Richardson, Texas, last weekend, and appeared on a panel hosted by Devin Pike of redcarpetcrash.com. She talked about her career and current projects with the gathered fans.

“I was asked to do a small cameo in a Nicolas Cage film called ‘Kick-Ass,’ that a lot of you might know.” Butler said. “It’s based on a comic book, at the time we did it there were only four of those comics … the nemesis to Nicolas Cage is a gangster, and I played the moll, his wife.”

The movie features children who want to become superheroes, even though they have no superpowers. It’s a dark comedy which is extremely violent.

The film was directed by Matthew Vaughn and was picked up this week for distribution by Lionsgate. Butler described a scene shown to her by Vaughn while she was working on the film.

“Nicolas Cage’s daughter (in the film), who wants to be a superhero basically, climbs up this gangster’s back … shoots him from below, and it turns into a comic book, where you see this blood splat like you would, but in pink,” Butler said. “And you could see through the hole in his head. It’s completely fascinating.”

Also upcoming for Butler is a Syfy channel film currently titled “Wolvesbayne.” She plays Lilith, who according to some legends was the first wife of Adam.

“They got rid of her, because she was just horrible and really corrupt,” Butler said. “And (in this film) they made Lilith the queen vampire.”

Butler compared working in film and television, as she has experience with both.

“You have a lot more time to prepare everything for a film. The role, the script, the costumes,” she said. “In television, I liken it to the ‘I Love Lucy’ episode with the chocolate conveyor belt, and they’re shoving chocolate in their mouth as quickly as they can … that’s television. It can’t go fast enough, it’s just this beast that goes so quickly because if you don’t have something you can put on the air, you’re looking at dead air space.”

“Witchblade” was originally planned to be a TV movie, but it was so successful, that it was expanded to a series, which ran for two seasons. The entire series is now available on DVD. Butler said she was aware of trying to keep two different fan bases entertained with the property.

“It was hard to straddle that line making sure we were making fans of the comic book happy … and also establishing a fanbase of people who were unfamiliar with the comic book,” she said.

Butler said she enjoyed her time as Sara Pezzini, and would enjoy a return to the character if such a project came together.

“I had a blast. It was a character that I really felt like the writers and producers and I were all collaborating,” she said.

By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Sawyer's jumpsuit at the Dharma Initiative

SAN DIEGO — I stopped by the Profiles in History booth to get a look at some of the props and costumes from Lost that will be auctioned off after the series wraps in May 2010.   I was able to get an up-close look at items like Sawyer’s jumpsuit as “LaFleur” and Charlie’s DriveShaft ring.  The postcard promoting the auction also had some mysterious, Lost-like qualities.

- Matt Price

Click past the cut for the full release about the display and auction.

PROFILES IN HISTORY TO OFFER A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE “LOST” AUCTION AT THIS YEAR’S SAN DIEGO COMIC CON

Original Props, Costumes And Set Pieces From The Hit ABC Television Series “LOST” To Be On Display July 23-26, 2009

Calabasas, CA, July 21, 2009- Fans of the hit television show LOST will be getting a sneak preview. No, they can’t see it on TV, but they CAN see it at Comic Con!

ABC is pleased to announce the “LOST” Auction will take place after the series finale in May 2010. “In celebration of our fans around the world, Profiles in History has been selected to auction a selection of original props, set pieces, costumes and collectors’ artifacts from the entire series in order to give our fans a chance to own a piece of one of the greatest, most iconic shows in history. A first look at some of these items will take place at this year’s San Diego Comic Con.”

Profiles in History, the world’s largest Hollywood memorabilia auctioneer, will host this four-day sneak preview at booth #315 at the San Diego Comic Con July 23-26, and conduct this historic auction in May 2010. Kate’s toy plane, Hurley’s winning lottery ticket, Locke’s hunting knife, Sawyer’s letter, Charlie’s guitar, Mr. Eko’s club as well as other key props, costumes and set pieces from the first five seasons of LOST will be on display at Comic Con.

Profiles in History President, Joseph Maddalena: “Profiles in History is thrilled to be holding the LOST Auction. LOST is one of the most iconic TV shows ever created, and we are working in conjunction with ABC to offer fans from around the world an opportunity to own a memento of this amazing show. This is a once in a lifetime auction event that will celebrate one of the most beloved shows in television history.”

For more information about Profiles in History and to download complete catalogs from previous auctions, please visit http://www.profilesinhistory.com

According to Cinema Blend, a Smurfs live-action film is in the works, with a planned release date of Dec. 17, 2010.

It’s coming from Sony, and Cinema Blend assumes it’ll be something in the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” vein, a live-action Gargamel with GGI Smurfs running about.

I haven’t personally thought much about the Smurfs since the 1980s, though I did once own the first three issues of the comic book.  Smurfs was largely something I watched because it was on, rather than something I sought out.  Is there enough Smurf nostalgia to fuel a successful remake? I didn’t think 20th Century Fox’s “Alvin and the Chipmunks” would work, but my kids loved it, and it was a financial success.

“The Smurfs are one of the best-known franchises, and among the most beloved collection of characters in the world,” Columbia co-president Doug Belgrad said in a release at smurf.com. “We’re very excited to introduce a new generation to Papa Smurf, Smurfette and the other smurftastic Smurfs in all of their ‘three-apple-tall’ glory.”

- Matt Price

The upfront trailer for “V,” a new series coming from ABC, updates the 1980s series as mysterious Visitors come from space claiming to offer help. From the trailer, it looks like the series has lost a lot of the World War II occupied Europe metaphor, but it could be coming later. It looks interesting, if different from Kenneth Johnson’s original. I talked to Johnson last year after he wrote V: The Second Generation, and there was some hope then of continuing “V” in that form. However, given the success of reboots like “Battlestar Galactica” and “Star Trek,” making a fresh version of a classic series seems to be more popular now than working with previous continuities. (Though it should be noted that “Star Trek” does both, to some degree.)  Morena Baccarin, Elizabeth Mitchell and Scott Wolf are among the show’s stars.  The only bad news there is it seems to indicate we won’t see Mitchell’s Juliet much in the next season of “Lost.”

- Matt Price

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Source: ENI News

Comedy Central mixes medieval action with satirical slapstick in “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Thursday.

Sean Maguire (”Meet the Spartans”) plays the titular hero, described in the show’s promo as “the son of a blacksmith and a stay-at-home mom.” It parodies medieval quest fiction like “Lord of the Rings” and “Robin Hood,” as Krod leads a band of resistance fighters against an evil overlord.

Maguire initially passed on “Krod,” feeling it would hew too closely to areas he’d already covered as Leonidas in “Meet the Spartans.” But his manager convinced him to give it another look.

“It’s very clever, it’s very funny,” Maguire said in a recent phone interview. “It’s not a spoof; it’s far more satirical and far cleverer humor than a silly fun romp like ‘Spartans’ was.”

In fact, Maguire said you could compare “Krod Mandoon” to a workplace comedy – the workplace just happens to be in a medieval realm.

“Krod is pretty much like the team leader, and he’s got the sales department, the accounts department, the whatever department, and he’s just trying to keep them all together and get the shipment out,” Maguire said. “But they’re just such a bumbling bunch of fools it makes his job twice as difficult.”

So how about that “Flaming Sword of Fire”? It’s a practical effect, Maguire said, meaning the sword was literally alight in his hand.

“It did require some guys with a Bunsen burner to come and light it, and I had a tube running down my arm, and a gas canister somewhere out of shot,” he said. “Consequently I had a quite a hot arm many a filming day.”

He wasn’t the only one to take a beating while filming “Krod.” India de Beaufort, the actress who portrays the pagan warrior Aneka, said she took her share of bumps, some serious, as well.

“I had a bad injury, I fell when I was learning to tumble,” she said. “The next day I got head-butted in the face and got a fat lip … after that I was much happier to let my stunt double do all the gymnastics.”

Aneka’s aggressive sexuality at times puts her in conflict with Krod, who loves her but doesn’t always understand her traditions.

“She’s a young, strong woman saying that she enjoys sex, and she’s not out to hurt anyone,” de Beaufort said. “She’s happy to make her own choices, and she feels good about them.”

The rest of Krod’s merry men in the pilot are played by Kevin Hart, Steve Spiers and Marques Ray; the evil Chancellor Dongalor is played by Matt Lucas.

“Working with those people on a daily basis, it was so hard to keep a straight face,” de Beaufort said. “It was so difficult, but it was so enjoyable at the same time.”

Comedy Central has placed a six-episode order for “Krod Mandoon,” and if the show is successful, the motley band of heroes will be back for more.

“I just hope people don’t write it off,” Maguire said. “It is silly, and it can be slapsticky, but there’s also a lot of merit in the writing, and some really great performances.”

- By Matthew Price
From Wednesday’s The Oklahoman

See more pictures from “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire” after the break.

Krod Mandoon	Thurs Apr 9, 10p/9c
Krod Mandoon Series Preview
comedycentral.com
Matt Lucas Kevin Hart Sean Maguire

Two more video previews for the upcoming series “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire.” Look for interviews with series stars Sean Maguire and India de Beaufort in Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.

George Lang of Staticblog and Matt Price of Nerdage again jump into the “Lost” universe with  a look at last night’s episode, “Whatever Happened, Happened.”  Spoilers for that episode ahead!  Share your thoughts in the comments.

Does being in 1977 means the fully grown Jack Shepherd gets to act like the 10-year-old spoiled son of a doctor he actually was at that time, or something to that effect?

Nerdage: So, in 1977, Jack is the new Sawyer and Sawyer is the new Jack. Sawyer, the “leader” of the displaced-in-time Losties asks Jack for something to save a kid’s life. Jack says, “What’s in it for me?” and blows Sawyer off. It’s not as charming on Jack as it was on Sawyer; in fact, Jack has become something of a tool. (I guess you can argue he’s trying to stop saving everybody, but, at the cost of becoming a jerk.)
Staticblog: It’s possible that he sees that the messiah market is just too crowded in 1977, what with Horace, LaSawyer and especially Richard Alpert holding most of the savior cards on the island. He also appears to think that his Hippocratic Oath is nullified by the fact that he’s now toiling in the janitorial arts. I agree that he’s being kind of a choda here, but he has to become that choda in order to achieve his inevitable redemption. Because redemption is what “Lost” is all about these days (Ajira Flight 316, anyone?)

Did Cuse/Lindelof just cop out on us with 12-year-old Ben Linus forgetting everything that happened, so he won’t remember in 27 years when he’s being tortured by the Iraqi National Guard veteran that he was shot by that guy back when “Night Fever” was a hit?

Nerdage: Richard can save Ben at the “loss of his innocence.” I’m assuming the smoke monster is involved? Man, I really would like to dig into who leads the Others, and why, and what does that mean? Given Richard saying he “doesn’t answer” to Ellie (Faraday’s mom, right?) or Charles in last night’s exchange, what exactly IS Richard’s position? How did Charles (Widmore, I presume) become leader of the Others, if that’s what Richard meant last night, and how did he lose it?
Staticblog: I actually think, at this point, that Richard Alpert could be Smokey the Sentient Vapor, and that we might see him morph into a trail of soot next week and heal The Boy Who Lived To Become He Who Must Not Be Named Henry Gale. I think Charles and Ellie got control of the island wrested from them by the resident god, Richard Alpert, and all this noise about “We’ve got to go back!” is because Charles and Ellie (Eloise Hawking) are doing battle with said eyeliner-wearing freak.

So, does this Time-Space Continuum business make any sense now, thanks to Hurley and Miles’ exposition-heavy give-and-take?

Nerdage: The Hugo-Miles conversation seemed in there to bring the viewers up to speed — why isn’t time travel in “Lost” working like “Back to the Future”?
Staticblog: I thought that was an odd scene — one of those rare moments when the Lindelcuse decided to hold our hands and empathize with our plight. So, in this case, Hugo and Miles are us, trying to determine whether anything they do in their new status as Dharmanian grunts makes any difference.

Was Kate just trying to get attention when she went superdramatic over the question of Aaron, or is she, true to her Shakespearean name, a shrew?

Nerdage: I guess we can read Kate’s earlier “never ask me what I did with Aaron” blah-blah as kind of overdramatic. “I left him with his grandma” doesn’t seem to be the kind of thing you can “never ask about,” but then Kate can be kind of a drama queen. That said, the Kate-Cassidy relationship was nicely played, and the explanation for Kate’s need to be a mother to Aaron worked for me, for the most part. Hey, a Kate episode I didn’t hate!
Staticblog: Seriously, Kate was freaking out because she handed off her pre-schooler to his grandmother? Happens all the time in my house, and I don’t go into a petulant frenzy. She’s a little more sympathetic these days, but I want to know what’s going on with all her flirting with Roger “Uncle Rico” Linus. He needs to watch his drunk self — Kate is supernaturally cute, but her ethics are deeply defective. If she ever makes it back to the real world, she probably has a bright future in Ponzi schemes and scamming the TARP.

I just got off the phone with India de Beaufort, who plays the alluring pagan warrior Aneka in “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire,” which debuts on Comedy Central on April 9. “Krod Mandoon” is a satire on a “Conan” type world, as the warrior Krod (Sean Maguire) leads a group of resistance fighters against Chancellor Dongalor (Matt Lucas) in an ancient realm.
Look for a full article about the series in an upcoming issue of The Oklahoman, but I thought I’d give Nerdage readers an early excerpt of my interview with India.

MATT PRICE: Aneka’s a Xena-type character with a much more graphic sexual edge. How do you approach playing the character?
INDIA DE BEAUFORT: I had a lot of fun playing the role. I found it really freeing to play this kind of feisty, sassy character. There are definitely, I’d say, things about her that I can relate to; there are certain things about her that were lessons to me, things that I took from her and learned from her; and there were elements of her that I probably couldn’t relate to. But it’s nice to get your teeth stuck into something like that and have fun with it. It was just very important to me that even though she is sexually free, I wouldn’t want her really to ever be thought of as a slut, or any kind of degrading names. Because for me, I kind of find her as someone who, she feels justified in her actions. She’s a young, strong woman saying that she enjoys sex, and she’s not out to hurt anyone. She’s happy to make her own choices, and she feels good about them.

In something of a blog crossover — think of those classic Justice League/Justice Society team-ups — George Lang of Staticblog and I, Matt Price of Nerdage, will share some thoughts on this week’s episode of “Lost,” “He’s Our You.”  As the episode begins, Sayid has been captured by the Dharma Initiative, and Sawyer plans to save him.  Plans are afoot to continue this as a regular feature if interest continues. Spoilers ahead.

A SPOILERIFFIC DISCUSSION OF “He’s Our You.”

MATT: Well, I feel like this episode wasn’t perhaps as awesome as the last two — there was simply a lot of moving pieces into place for that final shot.  Still, I did notice some interesting things.

1. Sawyer’s beard coming back. 

MATT: Since Jack and crew returned to the island, Sawyer is looking more like Sawyer and less like LaFleur.
GEORGE: Kate just brings out the beard in him. Makes him all hairy and man-musky, instead of looking, ‘77 stylee, like he’s ready to sit in with America on a lovely rendition of “Ventura Highway.”

2. Kate and Juliet
MATT: Maybe they should just rock-paper-scissors?
GEORGE: Yeah, except that in Juliet’s case, it would be suture scissors. Rock-paper-scissors would be one option, but Kate’s handy with guns and rigging explosives, and Juliet, as a medical professional, probably knows how to make Kate’s death look like an accident — at least to your average or below-average Dharmanians. Juliet basically has squatter’s rights (in the “possession is 9/10ths of the law” sense, perv) on this one, but Kate’s psychology is structured toward deviancy — she can get what she wants. Plus, Kate’s a good tracker, so Juliet can’t just run away. Kate has the upper hand.

3. What happens to the timeline?
MATT: Does Sayid’s action change the timeline, or was this what was always supposed to happen?  Is Ben dead in the future? Given the fact that the island brings back those it’s “not done with,” could Ben return?   Could Ben be saved by Jack, since the island now has a surgeon?
GEORGE: I personally hope that Lindelof and Cuse are killing off Ben, not because he’s not a sparkling personality or a good guy, but because it messes with Space-Time Continuum(tm) and paradoxes. Sure, Ben could be saved by Jack, but we’ve been there before. I want to see the world twist because Ben Linus isn’t around making googly eyes at us.

4. Why are the castaways in 1977, anyway?
MATT: My original theory was that they were there to prevent the slaying of the Dharma Initiative.  Then, I wondered if they were there to redeem Ben.  I don’t know if either theory got more credence with last night’s episode.
GEORGE: I don’t know if Ben’s redemption is what anyone is looking for — I think your original theory holds water. It certainly isn’t for the 13-percent interest rates of the “stagflation” era.

5. Callbacks
MATT: Sayid being tortured while Sawyer watches recalls Sayid’s torture of Sawyer in season 1.
GEORGE: But what’s missing is 12-year-old Ben Linus pushing up his bangs to reveal that he is, in fact, The Boy Who Lived, and that Sayid’s got nothing on Tom Riddle.

6. Why the crap
MATT: Why didn’t Sayid just go along with Sawyer’s plan? Why didn’t Sawyer just come out and make up some story about what Sayid told him?
GEORGE: It’s basic lack of trust, and Sayid’s not the kind of guy to go along with something unless massive torture, or Zuleikha Robinson in knee-high boots, or both, is involved.

Craig McCracken created the Powerpuff Girls as a student film that later became a Cartoon Network series.  The three superpowered kindergarteners went on to become a media sensation.  McCracken answered questions about the Powerpuff Girls as the show celebrates its 10th anniversary with a new special and marathon, airing Jan. 19, and a DVD release on Jan. 20.

Matt Price: Did you think “Powerpuff Girls” would be a big success? At what point did you realize “Powerpuff Girls” was going to be as big a deal as it has become?

Craig McCracken: I really had no idea. It started as a student film of mine when I was an animation student at Cal Arts. And, I got an opportunity to do a short at Cartoon Network in ‘94. And I just made the show because I thought it would be entertaining and fun. I had no idea it would become a phenomenon. But I think it was maybe a year or 2 after the show premiered and some of the merchandise started coming out, and I started seeing it everywhere. On kids, or people referring to it in television or media or whatever. I started thinking, ok this is becoming a lot bigger than I ever anticipated. And that’s everybody’s dream, is that actually can happen. Any cartoonist wants to have some sort of character that resonates with worldwide audiences. But you never really think that’s really going to happen. So it was kind of surprising when it did.

MP: What about the show has made it resonate with audiences?

CM: I think it’s silly. It’s silly and it’s funny and it’s a fun, classic cartoon to watch. When we started the show, Cartoon Network was giving us a lot of freedom to go back to philosophy of the old Warner Bros. way of making cartoons. Where it’s made by cartoonists and it’s just about people who loved animation and loved cartoons making funny things for everybody.

Even though “Powerpuff” kind of gets labeled a kids show or a girls show, it was always made for all audiences, just like Bugs Bunny. We were just making ourselves laugh and trying to come up with entertaining things. I think people pick up on that sincere creative expression of just making fun cartoons.

MP: Do you think the timing as far as when the show came out was fortuitous? Was it time to have a “girl power” cartoon?

CM: I think it was. It really did hit at the right time. When I first did the short back in ‘94, ‘95, there was talk of greenlighting the series then, but we did “Dexter’s Laboratory” first. I think waiting a few years for “Powerpuff” to premiere at the end of 98, 99, I think it was the right time for it. I think people were ready for that type of thing, and I think it probably did contribute to it being such a hit. There was a lot of that girl power, tough girl things going on at that period. It was just right at the right time.

MP: What were you trying to accomplish with the visual style of “Powerpuff Girls”?

CM: A lot of that is just going back to the shows I grew up loving when I was a kid, like “Rocky and Bullwinkle” and “Underdog.” I’ve always been attracted to cartoon images, ever since I was like 3 years old, I just loved the graphics of cartoons. There was something about those cartoons like “Rocky and Bullwinkle” and “Underdog” that were really bold and highly designed that just were appealing on the TV screen.

And also one of the reasons we did it was for practical production purposes. If you’re designing a television show that looks like a Disney feature, and you’re sending it overseas to Korea to be animated in just a couple of weeks, it’s going to come back and look really crude. What you would expect from that design style, you’re not going to be getting that quality of animation. It doesn’t match the production limitations.

We designed the show simple, we designed it very graphically simple, so that an overseas studio could reproduce the look quickly but still make it look good. Also we wanted to just make it pop on the air. We were aware that there weren’t a lot of those really bold, graphic cartoons on the air and we thought, if we pick this style, it’s going to stand out when you’re flipping through channels.

And a lot of it is just us being animation nerds and liking UPA and Jay Ward and early Hanna-Barbera being fans of that stuff and thinking, why don’t they do cool-looking cartoons like that anymore?

MP: Do you have a character that’s your favorite?

CM: Probably Mojo Jojo and the Mayor are my favorite characters. I love the girls and they’re really fun to write for, but I kind of identify with both Mojo and the Mayor. They’re both kind of bumbling idiots. And they’re fun characters. The villains are always more fun than the heroes in any of these comedic superhero shows. They’re obsessive and they’re extreme. They’ve got broad personalities and they’re a lot more fun to screw with and write jokes for.

MP: I’ve read that you’re a fan of the 1960s “Batman” show.

CM: If “Powerpuff” is based on anything, it’s that show. When I was a kid and I watched Batman, it was the most serious superhero thing ever. I was really concerned about what was happening to Batman. He and Robin are stuck in a giant clam, what’s going to happen? I needed to know. And my parents were sitting there laughing the whole time. And I would get really angry with them because they weren’t taking it seriously! And then when I saw it again when I was in high school, I realized the whole thing was a joke. And I thought, that’s a pretty brilliant achievement for a television show to actually work on two completely different levels for different audiences. And so when we started “Powerpuff,” that was kind of my goal for it, to create a show where kids could watch it just for the superhero stuff and the action elements, and then adults would get the humor of it and the campiness and silliness of it.

And still when I see the “Batman” show, I just love it, it’s just a fun show. There hasn’t been a lot like that ever since.

MP: What’s new on the DVD set?

CM: The DVD, I wanted to do pretty much everything we ever did for television, so if you liked “Powerpuff” on TV, you’re going to get everything. It’s every episode, lots of the interstitials, the Christmas special that we made. It’s going to have the new special that’s going to air the day before on the 19^th. So that’ll be on there. Also we did a half-hour documentary on the history of the show, the history of Powerpuff Girls, and interviewed me and a bunch of the staff and got an insider’s view on how this thing came together.

MP: Do you want to work primarily in TV in the future?
CM: I’ve been really getting interested in publishing. There’s something about doing your own comics or graphic novels or things like that, where it’s your drawings, your words. There isn’t the whole big crew and committee and getting stuff approved by everybody. It’s more like an intimate, direct approach to cartooning. I’ve been talking to some publishers and I’ve got some ideas that I want to explore in that medium. I miss drawing, that’s what it comes down to.

Three super-powered kindergarteners are turning 10. The Powerpuff Girls will celebrate their 10^th anniversary with a Cartoon Network marathon and special on Monday, and the release of all 78 episodes on DVD on Tuesday.

Creator Craig McCracken said those working on the show were trying to entertain themselves as well, and he thinks that added to the show’s appeal.

“Even though ‘Powerpuff’ kind of gets labeled a kids’ show or a girls’ show, it was always made for all audiences, just like ‘Bugs Bunny,’” McCracken said in a recent phone interview. “We were just making ourselves laugh and trying to come up with entertaining things. I think people pick up on that sincere creative expression of just making fun cartoons.”

Super-powered sisters Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup will return for an all-new animated special, “The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!,” at 7 p.m. Monday. This will follow the marathon, which includes McCracken’s favorite episodes, airing from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The DVD will include all 78 episodes, and lots of extras, including the Christmas special, the special that airs Monday, and a new documentary.

After “Powerpuff Girls,” McCracken was the executive producer of another show, “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends,” which recently wrapped production. McCracken said he’s glad to be out from the grueling deadlines for a while. He’s working with Cartoon Network on the Cartoonstitute, a program to search out new potential animation projects. He also plans to work on a graphic novel.

“There’s something about doing your own comics or graphic novels or things like that, where it’s your drawings, your words,” McCracken said. “There isn’t the whole big crew and committee and getting stuff approved by everybody. It’s more like an intimate, direct approach to cartooning. I’ve been talking to some publishers and I’ve got some ideas that I want to explore in that medium.”

- by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ricardo Montalban, the Mexican-born actor who became a star in splashy MGM musicals and later as the wish-fulfilling Mr. Roarke in TV’s “Fantasy Island,” died Wednesday morning at his home, a city councilman said. He was 88.

Montalban’s death was announced at a meeting of the city council by president Eric Garcetti, who represents the district where the actor lived. Garcetti did not give a cause of death.

“The Ricardo Montalban Theatre in my Council District — where the next generations of performers participate in plays, musicals, and concerts — stands as a fitting tribute to this consummate performer,” Garcetti said later in a written statement.

Montalban had been a star in Mexican movies when MGM brought him to Hollywood in 1946. He was cast in the leading role opposite Esther Williams in “Fiesta.” He also starred with the swimming beauty in “On an Island with You” and “Neptune’s Daughter.”

A later generation knew Montalban as the faintly mysterious, white-suited Mr. Roarke, who presided over an island resort where visitors were able to fulfill their lifelong dreams. “Fantasy Island” received high ratings for most of its 1978-1984 span on ABC television and still appears in reruns.

In a 1978 interview, he analyzed the series’ success:

“What is appealing is the idea of attaining the unattainable and learning from it. Once you obtain a fantasy it becomes a reality, and that reality is not as exciting as your fantasy. Through the fantasies you learn to appreciate your own realities.”

———

AP entertainment writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this story.

Christian Kane (”Angel”), from Norman, promotes his new show “Leverage” in Oklahoma City. Look for more from Kane in an article by Brandy McDonnell in Saturday’s Life section.

Over at TheWB.com, all nine of the Thanksgiving-themed “Friends” episodes are available to watch for free.  From Joey’s maternity pants, to the trifle, to the turkey on the head, check out the holiday-themed humor.  (Most of the Thanksgiving episodes hold up pretty well.)

– Matt Price

Here’s one of the “Lois and Clark” episodes I was talking about, from season 1. Like the 1950s “Adventures of Superman,” “Lois and Clark” started out semi-serious with investigative journalism as an important motivator behind the show. Both series tended to get more goofy as time wore on.
In “Honeymoon in Metropolis,” Lois Lane, taking a rare night off, stumbles upon some shady dealings, which require her and Clark to masquerade as a honeymooning couple. This has several of the things that made “Lois and Clark” work — a sexy, clumsy scene involving Lois Lane (in a bathtub), Tracy-and-Hepburn-style banter between Lois and Clark; and plenty of Daily Planet interaction.

Joshua Fine, Director of Animation Development for Marvel Animation, tells Marvel Animation Age that the Hulk: Gamma Corp animated series was in pre-production when the decision was made to fold the creative work being done there into the upcoming The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes animated series. Even though the creative team was well into pre-production of Hulk: Gamma Corps, with scripting underway, they saw the chance to tell bigger stories that reached far beyond Hulk’s universe.

“It became apparent to us that the creative work that was being done to bring Hulk’s world and his villains to life was too good to relegate to his universe alone, and would be much better suited as part of an full-on Avengers scenario,” says Fine.

 – Matt Price

The Associated Press reports that David Tennant will step down as the Doctor on “Doctor Who” in 2010.  He’s starred since 2005.  

From the AP:
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s best-known time traveler is ending his journey.

The BBC has announced that Scottish actor David Tennant will leave long-running science fiction series “Doctor Who” in just over a year.

Tennant has played the show’s time- and space-traveling alien hero since 2005. He will appear in a Christmas special and four hour-long episodes to be aired in 2009 and early 2010. But he said Wednesday that when the series returns for a full season in 2010, “it won’t be with me.”

“This show has been so special to me,” Tennant said. “I don’t want to outstay my welcome.”

“Doctor Who” was first broadcast in 1963 and is one of the BBC’s longest-running and most popular programs. Tennant is the 10th actor to play the title character, who has the power to regenerate in a new body.

Classically trained Tennant, 37, is currently starring in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

I talked to Peter Cullen, voice of the animated Optimus Prime, in late 2006 as anticipation for the “Transformers” live-action film was building.  We talked about his time on the TV show and his role in the live-action film.  It was exciting to talk to Cullen, who, as the voice of Optimus Prime, was a definite childhood hero of my brother and me.   This interview ran on the cover of Weekend Look on Nov. 10, 2006.

—-

Twenty years ago, “Transformers: The Movie” hit motion picture screens. This week, a 20th anniversary DVD rolled out. Voice actor Peter Cullen, who played Optimus Prime in the original cartoon series and 1986 animated movie, talked about his role as the robot disguised as a semi truck who led the Autobots. Cullen is slated to reprise his role in next year’s live-action “Transformers,” directed by Michael Bay. In it, Cullen will voice the computer-generated Prime.

Cullen was already a successful voice actor, with stints on “G.I. Joe” and “Voltron.”

Cullen showed up at a general casting call and looked at the character sketch.

“I was used to doing animated characters, and here we have a truck,” he said.

But after he read the short bio of Prime, he began to get an idea of how to portray the Autobot leader.

“The character breakdown for Optimus Prime was pretty straightforward,” Cullen said. “The writers were … excellent. I got a sense of Optimus Prime having integrity and honor and courage and conviction.”

That courage and conviction, as evidenced in Cullen’s vocal portrayal, was inspired by Cullen’s brother Larry, a former Marine captain who served in Vietnam.

“I think I got a lot of Optimus Prime from my brother. Certainly, the control and the honor and definitely the spirit of command. Soft-spoken, sensitive but willing to kick a- – like a Marine can do.” Cullen said. “I tried to keep him cool under all conditions, and authoritative and convincingly powerful.”

Cullen found out about his character’s death in the 1986 movie while reading through the script with Frank Welker, who portrayed Megatron, the Decepticon leader.

“I looked at Frank Welker, and I said, ‘Did you read this? I’m getting whacked! I’m getting rubbed out, and you’re doing it,’ ” Cullen remembered. Cullen said he understands the business reasoning at the time, which was to introduce the new product line.

“It’s (toymaker) Hasbro, and it’s Hollywood, and it’s business, and that’s the way they operate. They don’t take it personally, and I don’t really.”

Optimus Prime’s cool leadership qualities made him a Gen X hero. But Cullen didn’t know about his influence until years later, when, on the insistence of his daughter, he attended a Transformers convention.

“My eyes were opened wide,” he said. “I was shocked, and I was surprised. The little information that I had was on such a minimal basis, you really couldn’t get an overall picture on how big it was. It still is kind of a surprise to me. I think about it, and I think gosh, it’s an honor.”

Cullen was moved by a young man who stood to speak to him at a question-and-answer session at the convention.

“He said, ‘Mr. Cullen, when I was a kid, you raised me. … You had such a great impact on my life. I didn’t have a father, and you became my father, every day. And I’m very grateful to you for that. You mean a lot to me.’

“I don’t think there’s any words to express the way I feel now, and did then. Ultimately, it was an obligation and a responsibility to never let that kid down.

“I found out subsequently that there were other young boys at that time in their life that felt the same way, because that’s been repeated to me. And without sounding as if I’m — it’s more of a humble reaction than it is anything else. It takes me back, and I get a little churn in my stomach when I hear that, and when I think about it, too. It affects me very deeply.”

Cullen said the hard-core Transformers fans are to thank for his reprisal of the role in the upcoming big-budget film.

“(The filmmakers) were thinking more Hollywood big names,” Cullen said. “They did start to consider the original voice actors because of the enthusiasm and the … stubbornness of the fan base. God, I’m grateful for those guys,” he said.

Cullen was called in to audition for Michael Bay at his offices in Santa Monica, Calif.

He was asked to read a scene with Optimus Prime and Ironhide, a gutsy Autobot who was a close friend of Prime’s, also played by Cullen in the original series.

“The script assistant was there, and she started reading for Ironside,” Cullen said.

“I said, ‘Excuse me, dear, do you mind if I read it?’ Because I actually played this character.’ ”

Cullen completed the read-through reading for both characters.

Cullen received a callback. This time, Cullen was called to act out a more personal, one-on-one scene.

“The reason for that was, they wanted to find out if I in fact could act,” he said.

“Optimus steps out of his normal frame, and becomes … a little more human.”

Shortly later, Cullen heard from his agent that he was again cast as Optimus Prime.

“And I said, ‘Oh, fantastic,’ and that’s when I started to get involved,” he said. “It started getting exciting, and it’s remained that way ever since.”

The young Clark Kent isn’t, perhaps, all that young anymore, as Tom Welling and company enter their seventh season of “Smallville.” The season starts off with a bang, with Clark facing off against his evil “Bizarro” clone. Introduced early in the season is Clark’s cousin Kara (Laura Vandervoort), Supergirl in the comics.

After the first two episodes, the season turns uneven, with some of the losers including “Fierce,” in which Kara decides the best way to fit in is to don a bikini and enter the Miss Sweet Corn pageant, and “Action,” in which a superhero movie is filmed on the Kent farm. Still, there are some great Superman-related guest stars, with Dean Cain (“Lois and Clark”) as an immortal villain, Marc McClure as a Kryptonian scientist and Helen Slater (“Supergirl”) as Clark’s Kryptonian mother. James Marsters as Brainiac helps get the season back on track. Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor makes a full evil turn in what could be his final appearances on the series. “Smallville” remains frustratingly uneven, but the best episodes are still worth watching.

— Matthew Price

(From Friday’s The Oklahoman)

KryptonSite shares a message from “Smallville”’s executive producers Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders saying that, while they’re thrilled to be working on “The Graysons,” they aren’t intending for “Smallville” to go anywhere.  It had been speculated that “The Graysons” might be intended as a “Smallville” replacement.

The statement reads, in part:

Never have we been so committed to the continuing success of Smallville as we are to seasons 8 and 9. While we are extremely excited to be working hand-in-hand with Wonderland, Warner Bros. and the CW to create the origin story of Dick Grayson, it has never been intended as a replacement for Smallville, as is speculated in some media. The cast, crew, writers and producers are all working full-steam ahead on a story-line for Clark that allows for seasons of further trials and adventures for our favorite hero.

– Matt Price 

According to Variety, “The Graysons” will be heading to the CW network this fall. The series will follow a young Dick “DJ” Grayson before he takes the mantle of Robin.  The show is seen as a possible companion piece to “Smallville,” or, should this season be the last of “Smallville,” a possible replacement, Variety says.

In the comics, Dick Grayson was Batman’s first sidekick, Robin, then eventually became the masked hero Nightwing.  Robin was played by Chris O’Donnell in the 1990s films “Batman Forever” and “Batman and Robin,” and by Burt Ward in the 1960s film and television series.

– Matt Price

After what many found to be a lackluster season 2, “Heroes” returns tonight at 7 p.m. Central for the beginning of the third series. This story arc will be called “Villains.”

Check back in here after the show to share what you think!

- Matt Price

The women of Wisteria Lane return for a fourth season, though some plots feel a bit tired.

The “tornado” episode is meant to be the big shocker episode, like last season’s supermarket hostage episode. But while that episode was taut and scary, “Something’s Coming” goes too far over the top, causing inappropriate laughter rather than concern.

This season, Katherine (Dana Delany), moves to Wisteria Lane with her younger husband Adam (Nathan Fillion) and a teenage daughter in tow. As expected on “Desperate Housewives,” Katherine is hiding a dark secret.

Meanwhile, Susan (Teri Hatcher) deals with a pregnancy as her new husband Mike (James Denton) deals with an addiction. Bree (Marcia Cross) fakes a pregnancy to protect the reputation of her daughter. Lynette (Felicity Huffman) battles cancer, her mother, and the return of an ex-paramour. And Gabrielle (Eva Longoria Parker), bored with her stuffed-shirt husband, begins an affair with Carlos (Ricardo Chavira).

Excellent guest-stars, including Gary Cole and Justine Bateman, join a talented cast to show “Desperate Housewives” still has appeal, even in a somewhat flawed, strike-shortened fourth season.

— Matthew Price

The “Smallville” season premiere is tonight — after you’ve watched it, check back in here to tell me what you think!

– Matt Price

In advance of Thursday’s season premiere, TV.com has four new clips, one featuring returning hero Green Arrow, and another featuring new villain Tess Mercer.

I’m working my way through season 7 right now — look for a DVD review shortly — but there are definitely some clunkers in the mix.  On top of that, season 8 loses Michael Rosenbaum, probably the best Lex Luthor ever portrayed. So why am I cautiously optimistic for season 8?  One reason is, the “Daily Planet” part of the Superman mythos has always been my favorite.  Another is the return of Justin Hartley as Green Arrow — I thought he was a shot in the arm for season six, and he should help pick things up this season, as well.

– Matt Price