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The Land Of Morning Calm, from Korean director Park Ri-woong, and Ma Cry Of Silence, directed by Myanmar’s The Maw Naing, were presented with the New Currents Awards at the close of Busan International Film Festival (October 2-11).

The jury, headed by exiled Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, praised The Land Of Morning Calm, set among the inhabitants of a rural coastal community, for navigating “themes of economic uncertainty, loss, xenophobia, and societal prejudice, creating a narrative that never falters”.

The Land Of Morning Calm also won the Kb New Currents Audience Award and the Netpac Award.

Ma Cry of Silence, about a young Burmese woman who moves to the big city to work in a garment factory, was praised for “its courageous portrayal of resistance to historical and ongoing political challenges under Myanmar’s political junta”. The film was made as a co-production with Korea, Singapore, France, Norway and Qatar.

Taiwanese producer Patrick Mao Huang has set up China-based company Eyes Wide Open Productions, with Busan’s New Currents competitor As The River Goes By as its debut feature.

In recent years, Huang has been involved in the production of several acclaimed Southeast Asian and international collaborations through his Taiwan-based Flash Forward Entertainment, including Cannes 2023 Critics’ Week winner Tiger Stripes and Karlovy Vary 2024 best director winner Pierce.

Specialising in film production and development, Eyes Wide Open supports new mainland Chinese directors to expand into overseas markets. It has several Chinese-language projects in development and at funding stage, including Before The...

Patti Yasutake, best known for her roles in Beef and Star Trek: The Next Generation, passed away peacefully on August 5 surrounded by friends and family after a long battle with cancer, her manager and friend Kyle Fritz told Deadline. She was 70.

Los Angeles native Yasutake, born and raised in Gardena and Inglewood, graduated from UCLA with honors in theater. She started her career at East West Players, where she worked with the company’s co-founder, Japanese-American acting icon Mako, for six years onstage, on staff and on the board, performing in over a dozen shows.

Yasutake made her major feature debut in Ron Howard’s 1986 comedy Gung Ho as Umeki, a relocated Japanese wife earnestly trying to Americanize. She reprised her character in the follow-up ABC comedy series spawned by the movie.

For her next movie, the 1988 The Wash, Yasutake received an Independent Spirit Award Supporting Actress nomination. Her resume...

Bei seiner von 2. bis 11. Oktober stattfindenden 29. Ausgabe vergibt das Busan International Film Festival erstmals auch einen Publikumspreis für einen Dokumentarfilm.

Die Preisverleihungsgala beim Busan International Film Festival im vergangenen Jahr (Credit: Busan International Film Festival)

Neben den beiden Publikumspreisen in den Sektionen „New Currents“ und „Flash Forward“ für den besten Debüt- oder zweiten Film mit asiatischem bzw. nicht-asiatischem Hintergrund vergibt das Busan International Film Festival in diesem Jahr erstmals auch einen Publikumspreis für den besten Dokumentarfilm.

Wie das Festival jetzt bekannt gab, will man mit der mit zehn Mio. koreanischen Won (rund 7.000 Euro) dotierten Auszeichnung die Popularität und künstlerische Attraktivität eines Dokumentarfilms aus der Wettbewerbssektion „Wide Angle – Documentary“ würdigen.

In der Sektion „Wide Angle – Documentary“ zeigt das Busan International Film Festival, dessen 29. Ausgabe von 2. bis 11. Oktober stattfindet, nach eigenen Angaben „herausragende Dokumentarfilme, die originelle Perspektiven und klare Visionen bieten.“...

Alireza Khatami and Ali Asgari‘s “Terrestrial Verses,” the sole Iranian film which premiered in Cannes’ official selection, has been acquired by KimStim for North American distribution. The movie, represented in international markets by Films Boutique, will soon play at U.S. festivals, including Chicago, Mill Valley and AFI Fest.

A satire of the Iranian regime, “Terrestrial Verses” follows everyday people from all walks of life as they navigate the cultural, religious and institutional constraints imposed on them by various social authorities, from school teachers to bureaucrats.

“We were struck by the film’s intelligence, thought-provoking ideas and elegant commentary on the experiences of ordinary citizens in Iran,” said Ian Stimmler, KimStim’s co-president. “The film will surely provoke spirited conversations with its dark sense of humor and its depiction of the cultural and religious constraints placed on everyday people there, especially women,” Stimmler continued.

Asgari, who attended the Cannes...

Iranian filmmaker Ali Asgari, whose latest film “Terrestrial Verses” (co-directed by Alireza Khatami) world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, has been banned by the Iranian authorities from leaving the country and directing movies until further notice.

The sole Iranian movie to play in Cannes Official Selection this year, “Terrestrial Verses” earned a warm critical response at the festival, where it played in Un Certain Regard, and was sold by Films Boutique around the world. But when Asgari returned to Iran after the premiere, he had his passport confiscated by the local authorities to prevent him from attending further international festivals. In an attempt to silence him, the Iranian regime also threatened to send him to prison as has happened to other outspoken Iranian directors. Just a couple weeks ago, Saeed Roustaee and his producer were sentenced to six months to prison for showing their film “Leila’s Brothers” at last...

Alicia Vikander has received much love and the President’s Award for lifetime achievement at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival during its 57th edition, which opened on Friday.

The Oscar winner got a very warm reception from attendees of the opening ceremony, charming the audience by mentioning that her film A Royal Affair had shot in the Czech Republic, that she had enjoyed her time in the country and that it had been “pivotal” for her career. Karim Aïnouz’s Firebrand, starring Vikander as Queen Catherine Parr, the final wife of Henry VIII, who’s played by Jude Law, then kicked off this year’s fest.

In a wide-ranging roundtable conversation with The Hollywood Reporter and other media representatives, Vikander shared how she decides which roles to take on and why learning lines is so important for her. She also discussed her producing work, including future projects, film festival venues Cannes and Busan,...

The producing team behind the upcoming Fox drama “Deputy” have set up their second development project at Fox this season, Variety has learned.

Both David Ayer and Chris Long of Cedar Park are set to executive produce the one-hour drama “Troubleshooter” currently in the works at the broadcaster. The series is described as a family soap about a decorated soldier, wife and mother, Deni Vasquez. Overcoming scandal and under investigation, Deni is reassigned to a remote military base with her husband and teenage kids where she discovers life on the secluded post is just as lawless as life behind enemy lines.

The project hails from writer and executive producer Sheri Elwood. eOne will co-produce with Fox Entertainment. Elwood’s past credits include shows like “Whiskey Cavalier,” “Lucifer,” and “Flash Forward.” She also created the show “Call Me Fitz” and co-created “My Best Friend Is an Alien.”

Ayer and Long are also executive producers on “Deputy,...

Jim Dandy Sep 16, 2019

Flash Forward #1 moves Wally West past the controversial events of DC's Heroes in Crisis.

Heroes In Crisis was an incredible book. It told an extremely important story, delivering a critical message to an audience probably not used to hearing it. It also kind of breaks the superhero formula.

The biggest split between DC and Marvel characters has always been what the characters are best at doing. Marvel has the street level folks, the people with regular problems who also have to deal with being superheroes. DC heroes have always been the icons, the Olympian gods shining a light and showing us what we can be if we strive hard enough.

The point where they converge, though, is on legacy characters. Laura Kinney, Miles Morales, or Bucky all face their regular person problems in the Marvel Universe, but they also face problems fitting into or adjusting the...

Marriage is hard.

It's true in 2019, It's true in 2019, and it was true in the 1980s and the 1960s.

Why Women Kill, the new CBS All Access series premiering on August 15 lays it all out in vivid detail.

Devious Maids and Desperate Housewives alum Mark Cherry created the new series.

Star Trek: Picard Brings Back Next Generation/Voyager Characters in Out of This World Trailer

Why Women Kill follows three woman and their marriage problems.

In the 1960s, Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time) plays a housewife sick and tired of her husband acting like she doesn't exist.

From the trailer, it looks like she's willing to try anything to get the eye of her man, played by San Jaeger.

Lucy Liu is a socialite in the 1980s who gets wind of her philandering husband played by Jack Davenport.

Paul Wesley to Lead Tell Me A Story Season 2 on CBS...

“Smash” alum Jack Davenport is set to star opposite “Elementary” actress Lucy Liu on the dark comedic drama series “Why Women Kill” via CBS All Access, a spokesperson for CBS told TheWrap on Friday.

The series shares the same creator as “Desperate Housewives,” with Marc Cherry of Imagine Television Studios and CBS TV Studios at the helm.

Taking place across three decades, the series follows the lives of three women: a ’60s housewife (Ginnifer Goodwin), an ’80s socialite (Liu) and a lawyer in 2018 (Kirby Howell-Baptiste). As each woman deals with infidelity in their marriages, the series examines how the roles of women have changed while their reactions to betrayal haven’t.

Davenport will play Karl, seen in 1982. Karl is described as handsome, well-mannered and “endlessly amused by his wife” Simone (Liu), whose extravagance he indulges. “He knows he’s a supporting player in his wife’s life, but happy to play his part,...

Ben Foster is pacing Manhattan trying to ignore the clamor. “Sorry about all the sirens!” he groans apologetically. He’s just gotten home from starring as 14th Century general Jan Žižka in the biopic Medieval, hyped as Czechoslovakia’s biggest blockbuster to date, and Foster just wanted to stroll around to appreciate the holiday lights and squirrels “and ambulances,” he jokes.

Foster’s a long way from the Oregon forest where he shot Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace, a haunting, based-on-a-true-story drama about a survivalist veteran who has trained his teenage daughter to live with him in the forest. You sense Foster wouldn’t mind teleporting across the country for an hour of quiet. Then again, finding his own quiet is one of his strengths as an actor, not to mention as a human being dealing with modern chaos. At 4, Foster’s parents, two hippies raising a family in Fairfield,...

The film is Xinjiang-born Lina Wang’s directorial debut.

Taiwan-based Flash Forward Entertainment has acquired all rights outside China to A First Farewell, which is set to world premiere in Asian Future competition at the upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival.

The film is Xinjiang-born Lina Wang’s directorial debut, which is about a Muslim farm boy’s friendship with a lively little girl, his relationship with his deaf-mute mother, and his subsequent separation from both of them. Through this coming-of-age story filmed in Uighur language, Wang pays tribute to her hometown.

“It is the first independent Uighur film from China...

France, Benelux swoop on Working Woman, while The Third Wife goes to UK/Ireland, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Berlin-based sales outfit M-Appeal is continuing to rack up sales on two titles that are screening here in Busan – Israeli filmmaker Michal Aviad’s Working Woman, which is playing in Flash Forward, and Ash Mayfair’s debut feature, The Third Wife, screening in A Window On Asian Cinema.

Working Woman, which tells the story of a working mother having to cope with an abusive new boss, has been sold to France (Kmbo) and Benelux (Arti). Warmly received at Toronto International Film Festival following its premiere in Jerusalem,...

After Lost became a cultural phenomenon, networks everywhere rushed to to emulate the show’s mystery box formula. This produced a wave of copycats, like Heroes, Flash Forward and more. Even though Lost ended eight years ago, NBC’s new show Manifest looks to be in the same vein. The series follows a group of airline passengers who find themselves at the […]

The post Watch The First 10 Minutes of NBC’s ‘Manifest’ Online appeared first on /Film.

Sitting in an office in the David Geffen Hall — home to the New York Philharmonic — venerated bassist, composer and founder of the Very Young Composers program, Jon Deak, is discussing his recent excursion to Wyoming to observe the full splendor of the solar eclipse. He mentions that while standing in a field to watch the celestial event, his attention was momentarily shifted to a sprig of wheat, which led him to ponder the harmony and interconnectedness between the elements of nature. As the expanse suddenly got dark, with mixed shades of purple being cast across the sky, Deak says he...

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

Just when I decided that maybe DC’s “Rebirth” might possibly be worthy – yes, I know, I had the same hopes for Batman v Superman – the other shoe dropped. Back in the 1990s I perceived DC as a centipede, with (obviously) 100 shoes to drop. Now, I’m thinking millipede.

In case you haven’t heard, DC decided to “reimagine” (lord how I hate that word) the classic Hanna-Barbera characters. Sort of like what Archie Comics just did with Archie but, in this case, totally needless.

I have little if any strong attachment to the H-b characters. Even as a kid I knew cheap, shitty animation and sub-standard writing. I loved Rocky and Bullwinkle, which employed even cheaper animation, but after mildly enjoying the first season of The Flintstones I decided life was too short – I was 10 years old – and...

One of the first and most obvious choices many fans had for the upcoming female-fronted reboot of the "Ghostbusters" franchise was that of actress Emma Stone.

Stone is used to supernatural action comedies thanks to her role in "Zombieland," while former Ghostbuster himself Bill Murray personally championed her for a role. Ultimately though Stone wasn't a part of filmmaker Paul Feig's ensemble which includes Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon and Chris Hemsworth.

In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal though, Stone reveals that she was offered a role but actually turned it down as she'd just come off from doing "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" and wasn't prepared to make a huge commitment like that again right away:

"The script was really funny. It just didn't feel like the right time for me. A franchise is a big commitment - it's a whole thing. I...

Jerry Bruckheimer is headed for The CW. The prolific producer has sold dramedy script Bone House to the youth-skewing network, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. From writer Sheri Elwood (Canadian series Call Me Fitz and ABC's Flash Forward), Bone House is described as an offbeat comedic family drama/mystery that centers on an estranged group of siblings who own and operate a private autopsy company. Photos: Faces of Fall 2014 Elwood will pen the script and exec produce the hourlong Warner Bros. Television entry alongside Bruckheimer via his studio-based Jerry Bruckheimer Television banner with banner president Jonathan Littman and exec vp KristieAnne Reed also on board. Bone House marks Bruckheimer's third broadcast network sale of the season. It joins ABC's comedic mystery drama Couch Detective, from Awkward's Lauren Iungerich, and Two Black Cadillacs, a

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Gavin Jasper Jun 24, 2019

There have been so many different incarnations of the Heroes in a Half Shell and between them, they've seemingly met just about everyone!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has covered a lot of ground in the past 35 years. There are so many different takes on "four reptiles in eye masks who fight crime with ninjitsu" that it's honestly hard to keep count of all the different continuities. From the gritty Frank Miller homages of the earliest comics to goofball cartoon characters to CGI hunchbacks in the latest two movies, there have been a wide range of interpretations.

Like all popular properties, the Ninja Turtles have done their share of crossovers. They've met all kinds of characters and rubbed elbows with so many different franchises. They've fought alongside everyone from Archie to Batman to Alf. You can basically plug and play them into any situation at this point.

Starting,...

Back in January, it looked like Bradley Cooper might star in a Lance Armstrong biopic. He still might! But now comes word that Ben Foster is in "final talks" to star in a different Armstrong movie, according to Deadline, this one from director Stephen Frears and writer John Hodge. (There's even a third Armstrong movie in the works, too, from Jay Roach.) Foster may seem more hardscrabble-indie tough than sinewy-disgraced-athlete tough — he is a perpetual Sundance darling — but don't ever forget how intense he was on Flash Forward.

Are you a fan of pretty people, Hollywood and gritty teen dramas? If so, then say hello to your new guilty pleasure, "The L.A. Complex." Originally scripted as a spinoff of Canadian staple "Degrassi: The Next Generation," the series follows the lives of several wannabe-famous young actors, dancers, singers and writers living and trying to get by in Los Angeles.

Unlike other shows of similar genres, like "90210," "The L.A. Complex" showcases a darker side of Hollywood life, one that isn't all spray tans and Rodeo Drive. Cassie Steele, who played Manny Santos on "Degrassi" for nine seasons, told HuffPost TV that she was attracted to the role of Abby, an aspiring actress, because of how similar it was to her own life when she moved to L.A. for pilot season, hoping to land a gig.

"The situations that Abby goes through are some of the same things that I've personally been through,...

Are you a fan of pretty people, Hollywood and gritty teen dramas? If so, then say hello to your new guilty pleasure, "The L.A. Complex." Originally scripted as a spinoff of Canadian staple "Degrassi: The Next Generation," the series follows the lives of several wannabe-famous young actors, dancers, singers and writers living and trying to get by in Los Angeles.

Unlike other shows of similar genres, like "90210," "The L.A. Complex" showcases a darker side of Hollywood life, one that isn't all spray tans and Rodeo Drive. Cassie Steele, who played Manny Santos on "Degrassi" for nine seasons, told HuffPost TV that she was attracted to the role of Abby, an aspiring actress, because of how similar it was to her own life when she moved to L.A. for pilot season, hoping to land a gig.

"The situations that Abby goes through are some of the same things that I've personally been through,...

Sorry, James Franco. Your brother Dave kicked box office butt this week in 21 Jump Street, and now Daniel Radcliffe is on track to erase the memory of you as Allen Ginsberg. Per People, set photos surfaced today of the former Boy Who Lived taking on a new mantle: The Boy Who “Howl”-ed. Click through for the first image!

In Kill Your Darlings, Radcliffe plays a collegiate-age Ginsberg just as he’s meeting influential fellow Beat Generation founders Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston) and Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan). From the looks of it, Radcliffe is pitch-perfect as the tweedy Ginsberg… well,...

Last year, TeenNick brought back Nickelodeon classics from the '90s for a late night block of programming called "The '90s Are All That" and viewers were ecstatic. For the first time in years, fans of All That, Kenan & Kel, Rugrats, The Secret World of Alex Mack, and Salute Your Shorts could watch reruns on television. It was a dream come true for the young adults who remember a time when the Big Orange Couch was a staple in every Nickelodeon commercial and when kids got slimed daily, not just at the Kids' Choice Awards. Fans flooded to social media shortly after TeenNick announced the new schedule in July, which was no surprise. '90s nostalgia is big online. Numerous Facebook pages and groups exist devoted to the decade and Twitter handles, @The90sLife and @90sgirlproblem, have more than 270,000 followers respectively. The beloved decade is represented well online, however,...

Hey, girl!

Just kidding. With all the Ryan Gosling memes around the internet these days, we decided it was time to revisit two of our all-time favorite long-departed TV shows, Breaker High and Young Hercules. Never heard of them? That could be because they were teen shows in the 90's starring a super young Gosling. Check out clips below -- we promise you will not be disappointed.

While we were at it, we rounded up a few other 90's TV gems starring some of our favorite celebrities today. Highlights include Big Wolf On Campus starring Twilight's Rachelle Lefevre, Flash Forward starring Ben Foster, Blossom starring Mayim Bialik (otherwise known as Amy Farrah Fowler from Big Bang Theory), and Sister Sister starring The Game's Tia Mowry. Then there are the timeless classics Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Doogie Howser with mega-stars Will Smith and Neil Patrick Harris.

Who's changed...

Do these people look 'normal' to you?

Sanctuary returns to Syfy in the Us and Space in Canada in a few hours with its season four premiere ‘Tempus.’ It promises to be a drammatic opener with Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) trapped in the past and the rest of the sanctuary team trying to control abnormals in their own backyard and streaming out of Hollow Earth.

Flash forward thirteen episodes and Sanctuary fans will be anticipating what looks like being an equally epic season finale. CinemaSpy was at the shoot for that episode, ‘Sanctuary for None,’ at Vancouver’s Terminal City location (where parts of the Stargate Universe episode ‘Blockade’ were filmed) during the final days of shooting. We managed to snap a few shots of that rarest of rare sights: Sanctuary on location and at night. You can check out the little that we could give away below.

Recently,...

I am in my late twenties. And as someone in my late twenties, I was raised by the loving hands of cable television, Nickelodeon in particular. For those of you who are unaware, '90s Nickelodeon was the fucking tits.

Do you even know how truly fascinating the world of '90s Nickelodeon truly is? Yeah, we all know that Michelle Trachtenberg, Ben Stiller's wife and the Rilo Kiley guy got their starts there (though I choose to remember him properly -- hanging out with Adam Scott and Ethan Suplee at John Adams High). But do you even know how many awesome people guested on "The Adventures of Pete and Pete"? Did you know that the crippled doctor from "ER" wrote episodes of "Hey Dude"? Because she did, you guys. She did.

In honor of the magic that is The '90s Are All That, the TeenNick midnight block...

"Supernatural" has a long history of inviting some of our favorite genre actresses to guest star -- including "Buffy's" Amber Benson, "Battlestar Galactica's" Tricia Helfer, and even Linda Blair, from "The Exorcist."

Sources confirm to Zap2it that Joss Whedon alum Jewel Staite has now joined the esteemed list. Staite is certainly a mainstay in the sci-fi/fantasy arena, having starred on Whedon's "Firefly" and "Serenity" as Kaylee and on "Stargate: Atlantis" as Dr. Jennifer Keller. (Some of us non sci-fi folks also remember her from the short-lived but totally awesome '90s series "Flash Forward" with Ben Foster.)

Staite will appear in the third episode this season, set to air Oct. 7, as a childhood friend of Sam's (Jared Padalecki) who he encounters on a hunt. The story will involve flashbacks -- there's no word yet on who will play the younger version of Staite's character, Amy, but...

Johnny Knoxville is still threatening to make another asinine Jackass movie. In 3D, of fucking course. Because who doesn't want to see Steve-o's scrote realistically flying out of the screen? (Agent Bedhead)

So??? What did everyone think about last night's "Supernatural" season finale? A little anti-climactic I thought compared to other season finales, (and are they really suggesting what I think they're suggesting about Chuck?) but overall a solid episode. Also: "Hey Ass-butt!" (Atomic Popcorn)

Ryan Gosling's new movie is so hipster (how hipster is it?) that his character has a tattoo of Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree on his arm. Gaaaah. (Film Drunk)

Here's the trailer for Season 3 of "True Blood" which comes back next month. Oh look, there's a doggy! (Screen Junkies)

And now, obligatory Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson rocky marriage rumors. Yeah, I know. They're probably not going to last because, obviously. Still,...

The Doctor Who bookshelf of awards eyes up Canada next, with a number of nominations in the categories for the Constellation Awards.

Former Doctor David Tennant is up for his third award for Best Male Performance in a 2009 Science Fiction Television Episode with The Waters of Mars; he previously won in the 2006 and 2007 ceremonies. This time he is up against Gareth David Lloyd for his performance as Ianto Jones in Torchwood: Children of Earth (Day Four). Other nominations include Jenson Ackles (Supernatural), John Noble (Fringe), Misha Collins (Supernatural), Robin Dunne (Sanctuary) and Ron Livingston (Defying Gravity).

The Best Female Performance in a 2009 Science Fiction Television Episode sees guest star Michelle Ryan nominated for her role as Lady Christina in Planet of the Dead. This was won last year by Catherine Tate for her role as Donna Noble in Turn Left, and in 2008 by Carey Mulligan (Sally Sparrow in Blink). Michelle's...

In the period from the end of The X-Files to the last episode of Battlestar Galactica, the American cable channel Syfy (formerly Sci Fi) had the upper hand on the networks where fantasy television is concerned. Excepting its bizarre decision to add wrestling to its output, Syfy graced those years with series that attracted adoring fans. Ratings may not have been as high as those achievable by the networks — or even at levels Syfy would have liked — but the channel's top shows earned critical praise and public support.

Consider Galactica. Specials aside, the show only lasted four seasons and its relentlessly dark atmosphere outlived its appeal for some viewers. Few fans of television science fiction would argue, however, that it was not a breath of fresh air for the space opera subgenre. Then there is Stargate Atlantis. The first spin-off from Stargate Sg-1 did not last as long as its record-setting predecessor.

What did Mark Benford see?

As the central character on this week's series premiere of FlashForward, FBI agent Mark Benford has been placed in charge of determining what the heck is going on around the world.

Why did everyone black out at the same time, see a vision of themselves on April 29, 2010 and then wake up with no idea what happened?

Benford has taken the lead on the case due to the images in his flash forward: he was alone in his office (drinking, but don't mention that to his wife), trying to piece together clues that will solve this global riddle. Below, we've compiled episode still from Mark's vision.

Click on each to get a larger look at Benford's role in what will come to be known as The Mosaic Collective...

Survivor has consistently won its Thursday night at 8 p.m. timeslot for years, but that streak ended last night even though the show picked up viewers from its season debut. Flash Forward, the weakly written new ABC series that's a half-assed version of Lost that I seriously thought was going to be revealed to be a big prank when Seth MacFarlane showed up in a completely serious role, had 12.41 million viewers. Survivor Samoa had... keep reading » » read the full story and comment, or find the latest news about Survivor Samoa

» follow reality blurred on Twitter and on Facebook.

The CW has a lot to be proud of when it comes to The Vampire Diaries, as the show's ratings aren't dying in the face of stiff competition.  The show premiered with record numbers for the CW with 4.84 million viewers.

The second episode saw a slight dip once it was in competition with new episodes of NBC comedies, Survivor and Bones, but the second episode still earned 3.78 million viewers.  The real test was the third episode.  Would the numbers continue to drop, especially since the series premiere of Flash Forward on ABC was the time  slot's top show with more than 12 million viewers?...

Why yes that was Seth Macfarlane (pictured inside) you saw in last night's episode and premiere of "Flash Forward".  A friend of "FlashForward's co-creator Brannon Braga, MacFarlane was invited to come be a part of the pilot as a lark. But this isn't the last we'll see of him. Rather he'll be "popping in and out" on occasion.  For those of you who don't know who hell Macfarlane is, he's the mastermind behind two of Fox's hit animated series.  Those hits include "Family Guy" and "American Dad".  He's also frequently seen in commercials for Hulu, an evil plot to take over the world...enjoy.

Since Flash Forward just premiered, we've already got plenty of questions for it.  What made the phenomenon occur?  How can it be solved?  Can people actually change their futures now that they know about them?  While the writers can't exactly spoil the series for you, they can give us a little background on how it came about.

MTV talked to showrunners Brannon Braga and David Goyer about Flash Forward, and found out how exactly the series was born.  Believe it or not, the idea of a global event inducing fear in everyone came from the 9/11 attack.

Sixty minutes after Flash Forward premiered on ABC, the jury is still out on what kind of show this is going to be. The premise sounds more clever than compelling: Everyone across the globe blacks out for two minutes and 17 seconds, experiencing a vision of their lives six months in the future. But at times, the pilot teases the kind of brain-straining drama that reaches into Lost territory.

While I wanted to go forward in time a few days back just to catch the premiere of Flash Forward earlier than most, I couldn't.  It's a good thing the premiere of the highly anticipated ABC series has come.  Tonight, we get the episode "No More Good Days," and the title itself is bracing us for conflicts we'd never expect.

A normal day in Los Angeles turns distressing when the whole population of the world just blacks out all at once.  We meet FBI agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) with his partner Demetri Noh (John Cho) in a car chase being monitored by their boss Stanford Wedeck (Courtney B. Vance).  Then there's Mark's wife, Dr. Olivia Benford (Sonya Wagner) right in the middle of surgery with her colleague Dr. Bryce Varley (Zachary Knighton) weighing a decision that would change his life.

Ao reported on the sequel to Outpost, which had great production design but a weak script, back in April, and now, Styd has released some plot details. Steve Barker will again be directing and has again co-wrote the script with Rae Brunton. I'm really not excited, but here it is:

The year is 1945, the closing stages of WW2, and a German scientist by the name of Klausener is working on a frightening new technology the power to create an immortal Nazi army.

Flash forward to present day, and a Nato task force is hurriedly deployed to Eastern Europe, where a sinister enemy appears to be mercilessly killing everything in its path. But this is no ordinary foe.

Only Helena, a gutsy investigator on the trail of notorious war-criminal Klausener, accepts the reality of what they are facing a battalion of Nazi Storm-Troopers, a veritable zombie army on the march.

With the help of Wallace,...

In 1992, Executive Producer Aaron Spelling’s latest soap-drama Melrose Place was lacking some serious ratings sizzle. Heather Locklear was recruited to play the stiletto heeled, micro-mini wearing maneater, Amanda Woodward. The character stirred things up in the boardroom (at D&D advertising agency) and in the bedroom.

Almost overnight, ratings climbed, and Locklear was credited with a 22% rise in ratings, according to Entertainment Weekly. Originally hired for a guest starring stint, Locklear remained on the show throughout its 7 year run, and her character’s bitchy persona and questionable board-room attire provided fodder for countless water cooler chats.

Later, Locklear appeared on Spin City, Scrubs, and Two and Half Men. All three shows saw a bump in ratings as well (”The Locklear Effect”, so to speak). Her 2004 series Lax didn’t fare as well, though, and was quickly canceled.

Flash forward 17 years, and the CW network is hoping Locklear can work her magic once again.

School is back in session. Leaves are turning colors. Old shows are coming out of hibernation and new shows are getting their chance on the boob tube. Television is the hot place to be now, with celebrity guest appearances and television shows everywhere. Movie stars? What's that? And while I've long believed that Television is continuing to move closer and closer to another golden era (despite what VH1 and reality television may force you to think), we won't know until we watch.

Without further ado, I present to you a listing of Fall 2009 Television Premieres, with a couple of must sees (Squees!) and must misses (Mehs!). Please note that some premieres are listed that have already passed—I've left them on the list as a reference point for when that show will air and what channel it will be on.

Glee

Glee is Fox's breakout hit. Maybe that is premature,...

Mixed opinions welcomed Outpost , the UK action-horror flick starring Ray Stevenson, when it arrived in the U.S. early last year. Ambitious, it certainly was. But some felt it dragged (this writer included). Director Steve Barker is getting back behind the camera for Outpost II: Black Sun . Described as 28 Weeks Later meets Cloverfield and Aliens , the plot goes like this: The year is 1945, the closing stages of WW2, and a German scientist by the name of Klausener is working on a frightening new technology the power to create an immortal Nazi army. Flash forward to present day, and a Nato task force is hurriedly deployed to Eastern Europe, where a sinister enemy appears to be mercilessly killing everything in its path. But this is no ordinary foe. Only Helena, a...

35-year-old Sonya Walger reveals that she has got hitched with Davey Holmes, who is a screenwriter, in July. "I got married six weeks ago. It's just a sweet thing. I haven't got a better word for it. It's an enormous amount of sweetness," she told People during 7th Annual BAFTA-la TV Tea Party recently.

Sharing about her feeling on the wedding day, Sonya said, "I felt very unstressed on my wedding day. I'm very grateful for that ... spending the day on my own, being super quiet and happy and just puttering around doing my own thing." At that time, the actress and Davey invited about 100 guests to attend their nuptials.

During the rehearsal dinner, Sonya and Davey kept things casual. "We had a Beatles karaoke band," she admitted. Opening up about her favorite tunes from the legendary band, Sonya revealed, "I love the ones that I can sing so it...

If you're actress Sonya Walger, you have a lot to be excited about.  Other than the upcoming premiere of the highly anticipated series Flash Forward, there's the fact that she just got married.  She recently revealed the news of her nuptial, which we all wish her all the best with.

On an interview with People, the 35-year-old Walger announced her wedding to screenwriter Davey Holmes with great joy.  During the BAFTA La's 7th Annual TV Tea Party, she admitted how wonderful it was to have such a low-key ceremony.

Four Torches (Out of Five) What would you do if you had a glimpse of your future, and it was bad? Or what if everyone else had a glimpse of their future, and you didn't seem to have one? It's a good bet you'd do everything you could to try to change that future, to make sure what you saw, or didn't see, never happened. But can the future be changed? We all know what the producers of Star Trek think, but is that the truth? These are the questions that drive the new show Flash Forward, the premiere of which airs this Thursday (ABC, 8 Pm/7 C). The series is based on a (pretty good) book by sci-fi author Robert J.

You've got to think ABC wants a fair amount of audience duplication between Lost and the new series Flash Forward. With Lost entering its final season, the network is running out of time to find a replacement for the rule-changing sci-fi series.

Now, ABC has tried and failed in seasons past to create a baby Lost, but there appears to be more interest in Flash Forward. It's aided by having the name recognition of David S. Goyer, which could bring in genre purists, and for the everyday TV viewer, it has a few recognizable faces if not names, like Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, and Courtney B. Vance. Again, they're not going to sell gossip magazines, but if they show up on screen, you've seen them before.

The show debuts this Thursday, and ABC has released a whopping 18 minutes of the show to build more buzz for Flash Forward here in...

ABC has posted the first two acts from their new SFer Flash Forward on their website. The series is based on Robert J Sawyers book of the same name, chronicling what happens when the consciousness of everyone on the Earth flashes forward 6 months.  Brannon Braga -- he of Star Trek infamy -- and David S. Goyer (Blade) and leading the series.

Checking the Wikipedia listing, it's interesting to see that the series was originally developed for HBO, who elected to pass on the project to network television. A bidding war erupted between ABC and Fox, with ABC winning. 

Okay, it might not be interesting to you. But to Hollywood geek me, it's always interesting to check on the permutations series go through before they make it to air.  Never know when that information will come in handy about one of your own series winding its way through development hell....

The...

See the epic first bits of ABC’s “Flash Forward”, right here, right now. The first 18 minutes is perfect for the impatient with Ocd. Can’t wait for the premiere Sept 24th? Maybe can’t make it all the way through the full hour because the internet has turned your cingulate gyrus and your caudate nucleus into half chewed gummy bears? Well then this video is for you my challenged friends. Watch as the vertical world suddenly goes horizontal for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. There’s plenty of mayhem, as you might expect. Flash Forward stars Joe Fiennes, John Cho (sulu!), Dominic Monaghan and a cast of others. Read my breathless, frantic episode review each week to get a handle on all the bits that confused you. I am here to help. Thanks ABC.

What exactly does David S. Goyer and Brannon Braga have up their sleeves? ABC doesn't want you to have to wait forever, so they are giving you a first extended look at the new series "Flash Forward," which premieres Sept. 24. The show features a group of people who black out for a short period of time, and during the blackout, get glimpses of their future. It's a series based on the Robert Sawyer novel and stars Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Jack Davenport, Zachary Knighton, Peyton List and Dominic Monaghan. The series was originally intended for HBO, but decided to let it go and have networks go after it. That resulted in a bidding war between ABC and Fox with the Disney network ending up on top. So here it is, your first look at "Flash Forward."...