Year: 2012

News

Monday’s “Last Resort, Partners, 666 Park Avenue cancelled, Web Therapy renewed and ITV1 becomes ITV again” news

19 November 2012 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Jenna Louise Coleman in the Doctor Who Christmas special

Doctor Who

Film

Trailers

  • Trailer for The Heat, with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy
  • Trailer for Beautiful Creatures, with Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson et al
  • Trailer for Now You See Me with Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson et al
  • Trailer for Admission with Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Michael Sheen et al

Canadian TV

UK TV

US TV

US TV casting

New US TV shows

  • MTV acquires Blackwood series of books
  • Lifetime developing Paranormal Housewives

New US TV show casting

UK TV

This year’s Doctor Who Children in Need fun

17 November 2012 Rob Buckley 2 Comments

Every year more or less since it came back, there’s been a tradition of having a little bit of extra Doctor Who broadcast as part of Children of Need. Sometimes it’s been a whole mini-episode or ‘mini-sode’; sometimes it’s been a trailer for the Christmas special. This year, it’s both and you can watch them below. Enjoy!

Remember the BBC’s House of Cards? Here’s the US remake

16 November 2012 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Remember the marvellous BBC series House of Cards, starring Ian Richardson as machiavellian British politician Francis Urquahart? If you don’t, here are some of the best bits:

Well, Netflix – yes, the streaming movie and TV service – is remaking it, this time setting it in the US. Before you sarcastically suggest that the average web series has the budget of the average local theatre production and a cast to match, allow me to disagree. Netflix has invested no less than $100 million in the project and has commissioned two seasons of 13 episodes. It’s also got David Fincher directing and the cast includes Kevin Spacey (as ‘Frank Underwood’), Robin Wright and Kate Mara.

Here’s a trailer. The entire first season will be available worldwide from February 1 next year. They’ve maintained the commentary to camera, I note, but will the famous phrase “You might very well think that – I couldn’t possibly comment” make it into the production? We might have to wait and see on that.

What do you think? Is it good enough to make you want to take out a free trial to Netflix at least?

Review: Wedding Band (TBS) 1×1

16 November 2012 Rob Buckley 4 Comments

The Wedding Band

In the US: Saturdays, 10/9c, TBS

Straight men are, in general, catered for very well by US television. Or so you’d think. Not all straight men are created equal, however. There are, in fact, two genres that really don’t seem to want us at all: romcoms and musicals. Glee, Nashville and Smash laugh in our faces, while The Mindy Project is still trying to work out what straight men want.

It’s discrimination, I tell you.

Never fear, though: TBS is here to balance the scales. Now, despite its catchline of “Very funny”, TNT’s sister channel should really have been promoting itself as “Cack – for men”. Glory Daze and Men At Work, I’m particularly looking at you here. But in an effort to stop making appalling television, as well as picking up Cougar Town now that ABC had dropped it, TBS has come up with Wedding Band, a romcom musical for men.

A cross between The Wedding Singer and The Hangover, it sees perennial bachelor Brian Austin Green (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) as the lead singer of a wedding band that includes his married-with-kids Ed Helms-alike best friend, his Jack Black-alike slobby brother and the quasi-hip Harold Perrineau from Lost. The band has been doing weddings for years, but they’re ready to go big, possibly with the help of big-time wedding planner Melora Hardin and her novice associate – and possible romantic interest for Green – Jenny Wade.

And while it’s very male-oriented, features fight scenes and has quite a broad sense of humour, it’s surprisingly funny, nuanced and unmisogynistic. And you get about three or four classic rock and pop cover versions per episode: a romcom musical for men.

Oh, and in case you don’t read the tabloids, Brian Austin Green is married to Megan Fox in real life. Which is probably why she’s in the next episode in a leather outfit. Here’s a trailer:

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