Tagged: CBS

The Point Radio: Finding Evangeline Lily


Evangeline Lily has found her way to the big screen again, starring this weekend with Hugh Jackman in this weekend’s REAL STEEL. We talk about the film, her passion for writing and life after LOST plus Horror Genius Wes Craven reports on how SCREAM 4 begins that francise all over again – plus NBC drops the axe on two shows.

The Point Radio is on the air right now – 24 hours a day of pop culture fun for FREE. GO HERE and LISTEN FREE on any computer or mobile device– and please check us out on Facebook right here & toss us a “like” or follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.

Wil Wheaton and Brent Spiner Collide In ‘Big Bang Theory’

Wil Wheaton and Brent Spiner Collide In ‘Big Bang Theory’

Spiner and Wheaton on Big Bang Theory

Back in June, Brent Spiner took part in a webcast where he discussed his recent webseries Fresh Hell. During the course of the interview, he mentioned that he’d love to join his former Star Trek: The Next Generation cast mate Wil Wheaton, and guest star on The Big Bang Theory. Well, it looks like he got his wish; both Brent and Wil will be appearing in an upcoming episode of the CBS comedy.

via Spiner & Wheaton Unite For Big Bang Theory at Fanboy.com.

The Herculoids – The Comlete Series

herculoids_complete1-300x446-1217467One of the more enduring concepts introduced on Saturday morning television in 1967 was Hanna-Barbera’s Herculoids. Some of this has to do with its fabulous Alex Toth design work and much of it has to do with the unusual assortment of people and creatures that band together to fight for survival in a hostile environment.

The series debuted on September 9 and CBS aired 18 original episodes before it vanished on September 6, 1969. Thanks to the miracle of on-demand DVD manufacture, Warner Archive has released the complete series on two DVDs this week. The eleven new episodes created in 1981 remain to be rediscovered.

The series was the brainchild of Toth but episodes were directed by Bill Perez, Paul Sommer, Ken Spears, Joe Ruby, and David Scott.  Clearly Ruby and Spears were inspired by this because there’s a direct correlation between this and their Thundarr the Barbarian (also available from Warner Archive). The Herculoids do not live on a post-apocalyptic Earth, but instead reside on the distant world of Amzot (oddly, not named until the “The Molten Monsters of Moltar” episode of Space Ghost, guest starring the Herculoids; a rare crossover at the time). The team of fighters is led by the husband and wife duo of Zandor (Mike Road) and Tarra (Virginia Gregg), accompanied by their son Dorno (Ted Eccles) and “Zok the laser-ray dragon! Igoo the giant rock ape! Tundro the tremendous! Gloop and Gleep, the formless fearless wonders!”

While the menaces were stock form the H-B factory, the series gets credit for letting Tarra have intelligence and work on a par with Zandor, a rarity in its day. Despite all the high tech gear that turns up, and its attractiveness to alien invaders, it appears the inhabitants are disinterested in technological evolution, happy with their fairly primitive lifestyle. They are nomadic, going wherever they are needed, from their more familiar homeland to the mysterious Gravite Island.

These were clearly not human beings given their prodigious abilities. Zandor, for example, had the strength of two terrans and used a slingshot that fired energy rocks. He also has a shield that returns to him much as Thor’s uru hammer can.

Some of their opponents, like Mekkano or Sta-Lak, want revenge on Zandor for something that has happened in the past, which enriches their mythos without giving anything away. Then there are menaces such as the “Destroyer Ants” which are accidentally hatched and threaten all Amzot life. With breathlessness, each thirty minute episode featured two stories so there are really 36 adventures in these two discs. The transfers are pretty good, although far from perfect. Hey are more than serviceable for those of us yearning to relive those carefree Saturday mornings when we weren’t bombarded with public service themes or teachable moments (beyond good wins out in the end).

Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles

Hanna-Barbera ruled Saturday morning television in the 1960s, cannily finding trends and adapting them to their pint-sized audience. Working in tandem with CBS Saturday morning chief Fred Silverman, they spotted a fad and capitalized on it. As the lids were galvanized by the super-hero trend which led to ABC’s surprise smash success with Batman in January 1966, it is little surprise that the fall 1966 cartoon season was festooned with colorful heroic figures. Among the dozen new series to debut that September there was Filmation’s earliest offerings: The Lone Ranger and The New Adventures of Superman, plus H-B’s Space Ghost and Dino Boy, The Super Six, and, notably, Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles. The latter series was split evenly between the two properties, each offering something for its viewers. The former show was about boy genius Buzz Conray (Dick Beals), who constructed the thirty-foot tall robot improbably dubbed Frankenstein Jr. Buzz’s scientist dad (John Stephenson) was perfectly okay with the pair heading out to tackle the colorfully-clad criminals that plagued Civic City with regularity.

The second half was an odd blend of rock & roll, secret agents, and super-heroics, the three leading fads of the decade. The Impossible were Multi Man, Fluid Man, and Coil Man (Don Messick, Paul Frees, Hall Smith), secret agents posing as rock stars to disguise their heroic deeds. Regardless of venue, their performances were invariably interrupted by an even more rainbow-hued assortment of evil-doers. The bubblegum music and pop art color scheme were indicative of the pop culture that was filtering down to the kids.

Until recently, fans could only enjoy a sampling on Warner Home Video’s 1960s cartoon collection but now, all eighteen episodes have now been collected by their Warner Archive division. For those of us who love tripping down memory lane, rewatching these episodes is an instant reminder of what it was like crowding around the television, surrounded by cereal bowls and siblings, to watch the silliness unfold.

Of course, when you’re eight, as I was, this was serious entertainment. The show was never one of my all-time favorites but seeing these again, I’m reminded of the goofy fun. The “Frankie” stories are incredibly formulaic and the villains are more dumb than evil. It’s also hard to take foes with names like Junk Man, the Mad Inventor, Mister Menace, or Dr. Hook (without the Medicine Show) very seriously.

Still things moved along at a clip and with a sparkle of youthful enthusiasm, especially as Buzz shouted “Allakazoom” as they launched into the sky.

The pop trio was given their assignments from Big D, via a mini-screen embedded in the guitar, and then they shouted a rousing “Rally-ho!” and donned their outfits. They took on similarly silly threats from the Fiendish Fiddler, the Terrible Twister or the Diabolic Dauber.

At the time, my untrained ears had yet to recognize the limited voice cast that H-B tended to use on all their shows. Now, though, Ted Cassidy, Messick, Frees, and the uncredited Paul Winchell come through clearly.

Interestingly, this relatively tame series was one of the first to be attacked at being too violent for children, which is one reason it was canceled after running on CBS for two seasons. Uncut, though, it was resurrected on NBC a decade later, running from November 1976 until September 1977. It’s certainly one reason the 1960s collection ran a warning the cartoons were “intended for the Adult Collector and is Not Suitable for Children”. Thankfully no such warning appears here.

There is no restoration nor are there any extras, but the quality is good enough for those of us wishing to relive our youth in high-definition.

http://youtu.be/DEYrXzFnsjA

See The Lost ‘Doctor Who’ Cold Open From ‘The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson’

See The Lost ‘Doctor Who’ Cold Open From ‘The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson’

This was the planned opening of November 16’s episode of The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson with special guest star Matt Smith that was killed about five minutes before airing because it turned out they didn’t have the rights to use the Doctor Who Theme on the air.

Craig was quite put out about it, as you can see from the cold open that actually aired:

And yet, somehow, thanks to the magic of the Internets and Wikileaks (hey, it could happen) the original rehearsal footage has gotten out. So take that, all of you <aycaramba!> at CBS and BBC!

Hat tip: Ross Vincent.

Monday Mix-Up: Daleks invade ‘Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’

Monday Mix-Up: Daleks invade ‘Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson’

Well, I wasn’t expecting this to be staring at me last night after Letterman’s show ended:

This is all a precursor to Matt Smith appearing on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson tonight on CBS, check your local listings. Let’s see how long the robot skeleton lasts in a fight.

And remember: real Daleks don’t climb stairs– they level the building.

#SDCC: Oni first look with CBS, ‘Suicide Squad’ video game, ‘Astro City’ film option, and other media roundups

#SDCC: Oni first look with CBS, ‘Suicide Squad’ video game, ‘Astro City’ film option, and other media roundups

Collecting a bunch of quick hits between panels:

  • Nikki Finke reports
    that Oni Press and its film-production arm Closed on Mondays
    Entertainment have announced a first-look deal with CBS Television
    Studios to develop the publisher’s comics for TV. Oni already has a lot of buzz this weekend thanks to that Scott Pilgrim movie. But on the other hand, last year’s big Oni property was Whiteout
  • DC’s Geoff Johns mentioned that work has begun on a Suicide Squad video game. Johns said the game, which is being developed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, will be “hardcore violent.” No word yet if it will tie into the Suicide Squad big-screen adaptation announced in February 2009, or if it will tie in with Amanda Waller’s appearances in Smallville or next summer’s Green Lantern film. John Ostrander, the writer most associated with the Squad, is lost in Pennsylvania this weekend and couldn’t be reached for comment.
  • There are now official movie sites for both Thor and Captain America, although they’re pretty much placeholders at this point.
  • Spinoff Online reports that Kurt Busiek’s Astro City has been optioned for a feature film. I’m expecting something like Superman as directed by Robert Altman.

The Point Radio: NBC Comedy Hits On Web

The Point Radio: NBC Comedy Hits On Web

Even though many of NBC’s sitcom faves are about to end their season, there is a lot of new original material turning up on the web. COMMUNITY‘s DANNY PUDI talks about that shows line up of webisodes now showing at NBC.COM, plus good news for DC’s HUMAN TARGET and not so good news for ABC’s HAPPY TOWN.

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Ghost Rider Rides To Broadway!

Ghost Rider Rides To Broadway!

In a move some consider surprising, Disney announced their first musical to hit Broadway since acquiring Marvel Comics will be Ghost Rider, complete with motorcycle, flames, and song and dance.

Moreover, teevee’s Craig Ferguson will be cast in the lead. Ferguson, a former punk rock musician, has long professed his love for the character. “I’m only disappointed that Nic Cage wasn’t able to take the role. Nic’s an even bigger Ghost Rider fan than I am, and I would have been thrilled to play the villain. That would have been ooh-la-la-ing awesome.”

It isn’t known if Ferguson will be moving his show out to New York during his run, or if he’ll simply leave CBS and Dave Letterman for the Great White Way. “I don’t have a clue; I just know I can’t pass this aye-carumbaing opportunity up!” Ferguson noted.

As one would expect, Sir Elton John will be writing the original music and Randy Newman will be orchestrating the less important bits. The show is expected to open on Times Square sometime shortly after Labor Day.

Merchandising deals are in progress.

Happy 50th Anniversary to ‘The Twilight Zone’!

Happy 50th Anniversary to ‘The Twilight Zone’!

On this day in 1959, Rod Serling and CBS introduced us to a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a
dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the
middle ground between light and shadow, between science and
superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit
of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area
which we call… the Twilight Zone.

The Twilight Zone ran for five seasons on CBS, then entered the dimension of infinite reruns to this very day– often with rerun marathons on July 4th and New Years Eve in local markets, a tradition that extends to its current home on the Syfy Channel. It won numerous Emmys and Writer’s Guild awards and spawned two series revivals, a movie, a song by Golden Earring, and countless other homages, and may be one of the most influential shows to air on television.

If you’re a fan, you can’t do better than the DVD compilations or Marc Scott Zicree’s Twilight Zone Companion. If you’ve never seen the show– how? Never mind, here’s the first episode for you on CBS’s web site.