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  editor@buddytv.com 2:18 pm on February 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: Supernatural ( 33 )   

  ‘Supernatural’ Recap: Dean’s Daughter Must Die 

  Watching Supernatural season 7 might give you depression. There's no real fun in this week's episode, just a depressing, unsatisfying ending that leaves Sam and Dean as messed up as ever.
  
   

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  editor@buddytv.com 12:24 pm on February 2, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: Supernatural ( 33 )   

  NBC Orders Pilot from ‘Supernatural’ and ‘Lost’ Creators 

  NBC has just picked up what is sure to be one of the most eagerly anticipated potential new fall shows on the Internet. The network has ordered a pilot for The Revolution, an action series from Supernatural creator Eric Kripke produced by Lost's J.J. Abrams. That's combining two of the most fervent online fanbases into one.
  
   
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  editor@buddytv.com 7:10 am on February 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: Supernatural ( 33 )   

  Rachel Miner Returning to ‘Supernatural’ 

  Sam and Dean are about to get another blast from the past later this season on Supernatural. According to TVLine, Rachel Miner will be returning as Meg, the clever demon who has tussled with the boys since season 1.
  
   
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  Nadya Vlassoff 12:52 pm on January 30, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: Bella Swan ( 33 ), Edward Cullen ( 13 ), Jacob Black ( 9 ), Kristen Stewart ( 211 ), Robert Pattinson ( 190 ), Rue ( 316 ), Taylor Lautner ( 138 )   

  How The Bachelor Relates to The Twilight Saga 

  Romance, there’s no shortage of it in television and film with such shows as The Bachelor and movies like The Twilight Saga where love becomes competitive. It’s the idea that love can conquer all and a hope that we may find that perfect love story in our everyday lives. Whether you’re a man or woman, teen or adult, we all know at least one great love story. Long before The Bachelor or The Twilight Saga, romance has been the core of rich storytelling and creative expression. From William Shakespeare’s quill to the heartwarming words of poet Pablo Neruda, there has never been a shortage of romantic ideals in our culture. It’s with those words in mind, that I turn to our modern culture, where it seems that unless your name is Ben Flajnik, Brad Womack, Edward Cullen or Jacob Black, real romance may very well be dead.

  How so, you may ask? After watching a recent episode of The Bachelor, with previously rejected winemaker Ben Flajnik as the lead romantic, it made me wonder just how much our perception of romance has changed through entertainment. The Bachelor, in which single women compete for the perfect fairy tale relationship, plays to our hopeful romantic notions of what it means to be with someone forever.

  No matter how absurd the concept of The Bachelor is when you really think about it, we, as viewers, root for our favorite contestants to win their perfect fairy tale. We share in both their happiness and heartbreak as we experience the journey with them. It’s a type of self-fulfillment, I suppose, but hardly an accurate reflection of reality.

  So, what type of impact is the false romantic reality of The Bachelor having throughout society? Are we normalizing false hope? Is The Bachelor really just a cheater’s paradise? And why are viewers so attracted to the idea that’s it’s okay for ten other gals to get with your potential man first? It’s crazy!

  Interestingly, a similar theme runs through The Twilight Saga movies. Yes, they are two very different things, one’s fiction and one’s alleged reality. But if people believe in true love, why are we so drawn to stories that highlight false hope as prerequisites to a perfect romance?

  In The Twilight Saga, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) loves Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). She’s so in love with him that she’d die just to see him, if only as a passing glance. But she also has Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), her dependable best friend who she has feelings for, too. That’s how the whole Team Edward vs Team Jacob feud was born. But Bella is so emotionally dependent on Jacob that she knowingly strings him along. Jacob goes along with it in the desperate hope that she may one day change her mind and choose him.

  It’s in this dependency that I see the connection between The Bachelor and the Twilight Saga. Both aim for true love, but they drag you through a whole mess of emotional crap before you can even think of a fairy tale ending. Why are we normalizing false hope and saying it’s okay?

  If this was your life, would you be willing to settle for that? I suppose if you were Bella or The Bachelor, options make the question easier to answer, in theory at least. But none of it feels natural.

  Sure there’s voyeuristic entertainment value, but that doesn’t make it okay for everyone. Is real romance dead? If you’re taking your cues from reality television or fantasy, let’s just say it’s not real. And like so many dysfunctional relationships in society, if love doesn’t evolve organically or in some natural way, it can be a recipe for disaster and heartbreak. Does love conquer all? I don’t know. Does it really come down to getting a rose?

   
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  editor@buddytv.com 12:13 am on January 27, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

  ‘Chuck’ Series Finale Review: Laughter, Tears and Subway Sandwiches 

  What can I say? The ending of Chuck is awesome.
  
  When TV shows reach a planned conclusion, there's always the danger of not giving fans the payout they've anticipated for years. This is not the case with Chuck. Instead, the two episodes that make up the Chuck series finale deliver laughs, tears, action, callbacks and some of the best product placement you will ever see.
  
   
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  Reg Seeton 11:34 am on January 24, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: Rue ( 316 )   

  Paranormal Activity 3 Reflections with Chris Smith 

  After the success of the first two Paranormal Activity movies, actor Chris Smith was a newcomer to the Paramount horror franchise when he signed on for Paranormal Activity 3. For Chris Smith, landing the role of Dennis, videographer boyfriend of Lauren Bittner’s Julie in the horror prequel, Paranormal Activity 3 was the perfect springboard jump from to new acting heights in Hollywood. For a young actor like Smith, landing a role in a film that made over $203 million at the box office isn’t a bad career move.

  Ahead of Paranormal Activity 3 on Blu-ray and DVD on January 24, The Deadbolt spent a few spooky minutes with star Chris Smith to get the paranormal scoop on his activity in the film, working on set, and why he feels the Paranormal Activity movies resonate with fans.

  THE DEADBOLT: Were you surprised by how well the movie debuted

  CHRIS SMITH: No, I wasn’t. They really have that formula down, don’t they? They just know how do it. Leading up to the movie there was the right amount of buzz where I was like, wow, this is going to be big. I had a sneaking suspicion.

  THE DEADBOLT: How did you relate to Dennis and what was going on in the house?

  SMITH: When I found out what the movie was, it was exciting. The whole home video aspect of it, I actually reached out to a friend to kind of talk me through the history of home video and what it was like in the 80s. That was really interesting. The director also set me up with a guy who did these wedding videos in the 80s, so I got a little background on the technical stuff and that type of jargon. As far as the relationship between Julie and the kid, I’m kind of family oriented so I had no problem relating to that kind of thing.

  THE DEADBOLT: What was the most difficult scene to shoot? Was it later on in the movie?

  SMITH: Yeah, there were a couple iterations of the ending. Having to repeat it a couple of times became a little tiresome. Especially some of the ways they were thinking about doing it. So that was pretty difficult.

  THE DEADBOLT: Since you come from comedy, was it easier to handle some of the improv on set in terms of the unexpected?

  SMITH: Yeah, totally. It was a lot of fun for me actually. Ariel [Shulman] and Henry [Joost], the directors, they would let the camera keep rolling after they got what they wanted to get. So that was fun for me. We would try a lot of different things and that was a lot of fun.

  THE DEADBOLT: Why do you think these movies connect so much with fans?

  SMITH: I think it’s sort of the way people relate to their house, I guess. Everyone’s been alone in their house before. Everyone’s had that sensation. You know, objects on the table or there’s a shift, or something like that. People have these wild imaginations when they’re home alone or when it’s nighttime. I think that’s where people connect to it.

  THE DEADBOLT: Were you a big horror guy before you went into the film?

  SMITH: Not really, actually. I was the kind of guy when I was a kid who would fast-forward through the tense scenes to get to the gory stuff. The way I would play it off was that I was tough, so I wanted to see the gory stuff. But I just didn’t want to sit through all of the scary stuff before the gory parts.

  THE DEADBOLT: Were you intimidated at all going into such a big franchise?

  SMITH: I wasn’t. It was due in large part to the group behind these pictures. They’re very cool people, all of them. From the casting directors to the producer, Jason Blum, everyone was very welcoming. They said that it would be a fun summer and it was.

  THE DEADBOLT: Is it true that you just came off of The Reluctant Fundamentalist?

  SMITH: Yes. It’s a film based on the book of the same name. It’s sort of a political thriller that’s directed by Mira Nair, she’s incredible. It’s independently financed. It was a lot different than Paranormal Activity 3. It was a completely different experience. Mira is just an incredible auteur, a great mind and fun. She also encouraged improv on the set, so there were some slight similarities. It’s just a great movie.

   
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  Reg Seeton 11:34 am on January 22, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

  Underworld: Awakening Wins Weekend Box Office 

  Underworld: Awakening led the weekend box office with $25.4 million in ticket sales to beat the George Lucas produced Red Tails.

  Underworld: Awakening took the number one spot at the weekend box office after the Kate Beckinsale topped fourth film in the Underworld series took in $25.4 million. Red Tails, about the heroic story of the Tuskegee Airmen, finsihed second for the weekend at $19.1 million.

  The weekend box office win for Underworld: Awakening proves that vampires are alive and well and that the Underworld franchise is as popular as ever.

  The Mark Wahlberg topped Contraband rounded out the top three with $12.2 million.

  [Source: Reuters]

   
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  Larson Hill 10:36 am on January 21, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

  Underworld Awakening Tops Friday Box Office 

  Underworld Awakening took the top spot at the Friday box office after the Kate Beckinsale vampire film grossed $9.4 million.

  The fourth film in the Underworld franchise, Underworld Awakening, took in $9.4 million on Friday to lead the way over the $6 million earned by Red Tails, the World War II action epic from Star Wars director George Lucas about the famous Tuskegee Airmen.

  Rounding out the top five at the Friday box office was the Mark Wahlberg topped Contraband at $3.7 million, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, starring Thomas Horn, Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks, at $3.2 million, and director Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire at $2.9 million.

  The great Friday start for Underworld Awakening means that the Kate Beckinsale topped Underworld franchise is alive, well, and able to make a profit a fourth time around.

  And here we thought vampires were going out of style. Silly us!

  [Source: Hollywood Reporter]

   
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  Reg Seeton 4:29 pm on January 19, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

  Johnny Depp in New Dark Shadows Photo 

  Although Dark Shadows is still five months away from release, a new photo of Johnny Depp in the Tim Burton directed film surfaced online this week.

  The new photo from Dark Shadows via CineHeroes shows Johnny Depp in character as vampire Barnabas Collins inside Collinwood Manor with his finger raised. For those not in the Dark Shadows know, Dark Shadows was a popular cult soap opera that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971.

  Directed by Tim Burton, Dark Shadows stars Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Thomas McDonell, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, and Helena Bonham Carter. Dark Shadows hits theaters on may 11, 2012.

  Dark Shadows

  In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas (Thomas McDonell), set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and a grown-up Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy… until he makes the grave mistake (literally) of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.

  Check out the new Dark Shadows photo of Johnny Depp below:

  

   
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  Nadya Vlassoff 10:35 am on January 18, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
  Tags: Kristen Stewart ( 211 ), Robert Pattinson ( 190 ), Rue ( 316 ), Stephenie Meyer ( 39 ), Taylor Lautner ( 138 ), True Blood ( 23 ), Vampire Diaries ( 32 )   

  Will The Twilight Saga Work as a TV Series? 

  The Twilight Saga was back in the news this week after Lionsgate purchased Summit Entertainment, the studio that brought the popular vampire series to life on the big screen. Following the purchase, Lionsgate CEO, Jon Feltheimer addressed the possibility of The Twilight Saga surviving beyond Breaking Dawn, the final film in the series that hits theaters on November 16. Although it’s still too early to tell if The Twilight Saga will continue after Breaking Dawn, fans could eventually see the popular franchise on television. In a statement following the purchase of Summit, Feltheimer did say that he would hope the series could continue as a possible television series given the success of the franchise.

  So, will The Twilight Saga work as a TV series?

  From a business standpoint for Lionsgate, it’s a no brainer. I mean, come on! The Twilight Saga has earned upward of $700 million with one more film on the way. But with The Twilight Saga as a possible TV series, my biggest concern is where things would go creatively since we already know the storylines of Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. Creatively, it could be both good and bad. And if not wildly good, then The Twilight Saga on TV could be horribly bad. No one wants to see The Twilight Saga go out on a sour note with a bad TV series.

  But let’s get this out of the way upfront, don’t expect a Twilight Saga TV series with Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart or Taylor Lautner. They’re too big on the big screen for the small screen and they have too many film projects in the works. However, a Twilight Saga TV series could land a few supporting Twilight Saga actors who are either already on television or would be in need of work. And this makes much, much more sense than trying to recast Edward, Bella, and Jacob. But recasting actors in film and television has been a fairly common practice in Hollywood for decades. so you never know. Imagine the uproar if THAT happened!

  Stephenie Meyer already published The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, a companion novella that continued the Twilight Saga world through the character of Bree Tanner, played by actress Jodelle Ferland in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. So we know that supporting characters may be the way go since Meyer already laid the foundation with Bree despite the “short” but significant aspect of the story.

  Another, more obvious way to go would be to focus on Renesmee, the hybrid child of Edward and Bella from Breaking Dawn. A 15-year old butt-kicking Renesmee has TV series written all over it. Interestingly, in a 2010 interview with MTV, Stephenie Meyer addressed the possible future of The Twilight Saga stories beyond Breaking Dawn. “If I were to go ahead with the Cullen universe — and honestly I’ll do it for myself,” said Meyer to MTV. “Whether I publish it or not is questionable at this point, but the narrators that I would go ahead with … would be Renesmee and Leah. Probably about the age of five, which would be about 16 or 17 for Renesmee.”

  But that’s just if Stephenie Meyer decides to write more books. And what about the previously scrapped Midnight Sun that Meyer shelved? Why not go this route for a Twilight Saga TV series? There are tons of possibilities.

  Shows like The Vampire Diaries and True Blood have been extremely successful in tapping into the success of The Twilight Saga. Past shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel were huge hits that are still loved to this day. The Joss Whedon series created a huge cult following.

  For now, I won’t hold my breath for a Twilight Saga television series. If I were a vampire, however, that wouldn’t be a problem anyway.

  Do you think The Twilight Saga could work as a TV series?

   

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