Hey All,
Welcome to the first entertainment update of 2011. There are some interesting things to share with all of you so please read on:
TV ARTICLES
Keck’s Exclusives First Look: V Brings Back an Old Fave
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Actor Diego Klattenhoff (Men in Trees) has been cast in the Showtime pilot Homeland where he will play Mike Faber, a Marine colonel and the best friend of Scott Brody (Damian Lewis), the lead character who returns after years in exile in Iraq only to raise the suspicion of a CIA agent (Claire Danes) who suspects that Brody may now harbor anti-American, jihadist tendencies. Mandy Patinkin plays Danes’ boss, and Laura Fraser is Brody’s wife. (Marisa Guthrie at The Hollywood Reporter)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
The following are the top 10 movies at the box office for this past holiday weekend according to Exhibitor Relations:
1. Little Fockers, $26.3 million
2. True Grit, $24.5 million
3. Tron: Legacy, $18.3 million
4. Yogi Bear, $13 million
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, $10.5 million
6. Tangled, $10.01 million
7. The Fighter, $10 million
8. Gulliver’s Travels, $9.1 million
9. Black Swan, $8.5 million
10. The King’s Speech, $7.6 million
The much-anticipated movie version of Kiefer Sutherland’s TV thriller series 24 isn’t happening any time in the foreseeable future. The script for the flick was turned down by executives at 20th Century Fox. The future of “24: The Movie,” is best-described by executive producer Howard Gordon as being “in suspended animation.” (Entertainment Weekly and Radaronline.com)
CONDOLENCES
Oscar-nominated British actor Pete Postlethwaite passed away in London at the age of 64 after a long battle with cancer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 1993 film In the Name of the Father and had recently been seen in the critically acclaimed film Inception and had worked on The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Amistad. (LA Times)
Actress Anne Francis, who co-starred in the 1950’s science-fiction classic Forbidden Planet passed away over the weekend. She was also known for her lead role in the 1960’s TV series Honey West, playing a sexy female private detective. She was 80. (LA Times)
NOTE: Rest in Peace Mr. Postlethwaite and Ms. Francis! Deepest condolences are extended to their families, friends and fans.
A MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE…
Q&A SECTION (with Matt Roush at TV Guide)
Question: When Human Target premiered last season, I thought that this would be a good thing, especially since 24 was ending and Target seemed to have a bit of an edge to it, even though it was episodic. This season, however, Target has a totally different feel to it with the new cast members, which I didn’t think they needed, and new theme song. The show has even lightened up in its tone. It’s starting to look more like Burn Notice. Is this the producers’ attempt to gain more viewers? — Bill
Matt Roush: The simple answer is yes. Adding two female regulars was clearly a bid to broaden the show’s appeal — and while I think Indira Varma was a fine add as the new boss figure, I’m not sure what the Ames character is really bringing to the party, though I don’t mind her — but I’m not sure that likening it to a USA series is the insult you may intend it to be. For me, Human Target has from the start felt more like a caper series than a hard-edged action adventure, never intended to be taken as seriously as 24. Chance’s back story clearly has a dark side, and Guerrero always means business and has edge (though he’s as hilarious as he is lethal), but the show has always been much closer in tone to USA than FX, unless I’ve missed something. I’m not sure these tweaks will help the show find an audience, especially with the strategy of scheduling back-to-back episodes the next two weeks — too much of an OK thing, even for a fan. But I’m also not convinced they’ve done irreparable harm.
Question: The reader who wrote to ask what city we’re looking at when watching certain shows struck a chord with me. I have lived in the metro Atlanta area for over 20 years and have seen movie and TV productions come and go. Lately, there has been a large influx of productions due to some hefty tax incentives. Drop Dead Diva, The Vampire Diaries, The Walking Dead and all of Tyler Perry’s TV comedies are filmed around here. Diva is set in L.A., so it is odd to see the peach logo at the end of the credits. The best use of Atlanta locations that I have seen since Driving Miss Daisy was in the recent Lifetime TV-movie, Marry Me. It was set in Atlanta and featured a number of places that I love. It didn’t hurt to have Lucy Liu and Steven Pasquale at their most charming strolling, driving and jogging around the city and environs. When the story shifts to a French castle, they’re actually in neighboring North Carolina at the Biltmore estate. The only false note was Annie Potts carrying a Macy’s bag through a mall that doesn’t have a Macy’s store, but that was a minor quibble and was perhaps a product placement. I just wonder if I’ll get as jaded as the L.A. or Vancouver folks must be seeing my city used as a backdrop for stories that may or may not be set here. Marry Me was a real treat in any case. — Frank
Matt Roush: Thanks for that observation. It’s especially refreshing when a project filmed on location actually allows itself to be set there. (Why, when you think of it, couldn’t a show like Diva be set in Atlanta?)
That’s it. Enjoy!
Rueben's Ramblings 
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