Tag: Fringe (41-50 of 58)

Jul 27 2010 03:00 PM ET

Pacey-Con: Joshua Jackson celebrates the greatest character in television history. Ever.

Joshua Jackson headed to San Diego last weekend for a convention — Pacey-Con. Watch the Funny or Die exclusive video below and marvel at how more people don’t seem to be recognizing him from Fringe (which he was actually in town to promote at Comic-Con). It’s all awesome, but my two favorite parts: When he tells the guys “excellent Pacey costumes” and when he reveals the real reason he returned to TV — to support his true passion, Pacey Fan Fiction.

In all seriousness, Dawson’s Creek‘s Pacey Witter is a character worth discussing somewhere on a panel about sidekicks who stole their shows from actors whose character names were in the title and/or who were hired to be the heartthrob and weren’t. Who else should be on that panel? READ FULL STORY »

Jul 22 2010 12:33 PM ET

Comic-Con: EW's Visionaries Panel with J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon

abrams-whedonImage Credit: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images; Albert L. Ortega/PR PhotosOver the 20 years that Entertainment Weekly has been covering movies, television, music, books, comic books, digital entertainment and more, Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams have produced some of the best, most-beloved, and certainly most-obsessed-about stories that pop culture has given us in any medium. Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog –  and that’s just Joss. (And that’s not even including a few other things, like that Oscar nomination he earned for co-writing Toy Story.) The J.J. resume? Felicity, Alias, Lost, Fringe, Cloverfield, Mission: Impossible 3, and Star Trek. (And that’s not counting his screenplays for Regarding Henry and Forever Young.) They are producers, directors, writers, musicians, even actors — remarkable well-rounded artists — but they are also known for being fans who retain a strong link to the stories that fired their imaginations when they were kids.

With the annual summit meeting of wild pop culture fandom (aka Comic-Con) upon us this weekend, we at EW thought it would be kinda cool if we brought Abrams and Whedon together for an hour to talk about the past, present, and future of their creative lives. They agreed, and the whole thing is going down this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. PT, in a room that can hold a few thousand of their most admiring fans at the San Diego Convention Center. Wish you could be there? No worries: We’ll try our best to bring as much of the experience to you via posts and video over the next day or so here at EW.com.

There’s a lot I want to ask J.J. and Joss. READ FULL STORY »

Jul 10 2010 12:31 PM ET

Emmy Nominations 2010: Vote for the most egregious snub!

Emys-statueThursday morning was a time of great joy for TV fans who had long ago accepted the fact that super-talented folks like Connie Britton, Kyle Chandler, and Matthew Fox would never get an ounce of Emmy love, while the same old same-old would reign supreme. Yes indeed, not only did those three EW favorites pick up nods in the Best Actor/Actress in a Drama Series races, but out of the 48 major acting nominees, fewer than half of those folks (23 to be exact) were Emmy nominees in 2009. So let’s have a “huzzah!” for fresh blood.

That said, there was plenty of reason for lamentation, too. In fact, our post on Emmy snubs yielded almost 1,000 comments — and we perused ‘em all to determine the eight actors and/or series whose snubs you cited most frequently. Now we want to put it to an official vote: What was the worst Emmy snub of 2010? Vote in our poll below! [UPDATE: Our poll is now closed, but please head to the comments section and keep the conversation going.] Because while we can’t turn back the clock at Emmy HQ, we can obtain at least some small measure of justice right here at PopWatch!

More Emmys:
See the full list of nominees at our Hollywood Insider blog
Julianna Margulies cheers ‘Good Wife’ Emmy fortunes, jeers snubs”
Check out Michael Ausiello’s snappy judgments of the 2010 nominees
EW’s Emmy Award coverage
Ken Tucker: Were these the best Emmy nominations we could have hoped? Yes. Here’s why.
2010 Emmys: Which longshots deserve nominations?

Apr 29 2010 05:43 PM ET

'Fringe' gets musical! Which show should tackle a musical episode next?

fringe-Brown-BettyImage Credit: Liane Hentscher/FoxWhat do you get when you combine a mad scientist, singing, dancing, and 1940s noir? Surprisingly, not a Broadway musical or a rejected episode of Glee, but tonight’s musical episode of Fringe. While dealing with some upsetting news, the self-medicating Walter (John Noble) tells Olivia’s (Anna Torv) niece a fairy tale, which plays out in his head with a lot of singing and dancing.

With tonight’s episode, Fringe is entering into some competitive territory. There have been some great TV musical episodes: A patient hallucinated that everyone was singing on Scrubs, which gave us the bromance anthem “Guy Love.” How I Met Your Mother recently celebrated its 100th episode with a big production number featuring Barney’s (Neil Patrick Harris) ode to suits. Harris also showed off his incredible pipes on a musical episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold last year. (You must download the soundtrack!) But of course, my favorite is Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s superb “Once More, With Feeling,” the granddaddy template for a great musical episode. READ FULL STORY »

Apr 20 2010 06:14 PM ET

Leonard Nimoy might go where plenty of men have gone before: into retirement.

star-trek-spockI’m gonna say it: Khhhhhhaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn! Who else could we possibly blame for Leonard Nimoy’s recent admission that he plans to retire?

That’s right: The man formerly known as Spock intends to step down from his acting career after finishing his arc as Dr. William Bell on Fringe. That means no more Bell, and no more Spock — even when it comes to Star Trek‘s 2012 sequel. Says Nimoy to the Toronto Sun: “I want to get off the stage. Also, I don’t think it would be fair to [Star Trek's 2009 Spock] Zachary Quinto…He’s a terrific actor, he looks the part, and it’s time to give him some space.” (Ha. Space. Was the pun intended? I’d like think so.)

And get this: He might even retire from sci-fi conventions. Gah! I don’t know, PopWatchers. I loved Zachary Quinto in last year’s film, but are we ready for Leonard Nimoy to disappear from our lives like a red shirt? Do you think he’ll at least perform a follow-up to “Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” for us?

Either way, live long and prosper, my friend. Because I’m sure you haven’t heard that enough.

Apr 9 2010 01:12 PM ET

Favorite flashback episode poll: Vote now!

flashbacks_320.jpg Image Credit: Mario Perez/ABC; Greg Gayne/Fox; NBCWhen we asked readers to name TV’s best flashback episode, we got more than 1,000 responses. After the jump, you’ll find a poll representing 45 of the most popular and/or passionately-pitched picks. Declare your favorite. Then visit our gallery of 25 Flashback Episodes You Love for a trip down memory lane. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 24 2010 02:00 PM ET

'Human Target"s Mark Valley on his favorite roles, the photos he wants no one to see, and wife Anna Torv

Mark-Valley-TargetImage Credit: Justin Stephens/FoxMark Valley left his bike in Vancouver. It’s there with his radio, some clothes, and hiking gear. He left the items for good luck, and, he admits, so he can playfully brag later if his show Human Target gets picked up for more episodes beyond its current 12. (”I’ll say ‘Oh, of course it got picked up,”’ he says in a faux haughty tone, ”’I left my stuff there.”’) They haven’t heard anything yet, but he’s hopeful. ”I think there’s more story to be told.” The same can be said of Valley’s personal rise to fame. Sitting down with EW.com earlier this week, Valley spilled on some of his memorable roles. And a few of not-so memorable ones…

BREAST MEN (1997)
Character: Fair-haired resident
”I always thought it was fun to do these little parts. But they weren’t little parts to me at the time, they were a big deal. It was like ‘Oh my God, I’m going to be on a [movie] on HBO, playing ‘the fair-haired intern!”’ READ FULL STORY »

Feb 5 2010 10:39 PM ET

Anna Torv's Olivia and Julianna Margulies' Alicia: My TV role models

One of my favorite things about Fringe from the very first episode has been the nuanced performance Anna Torv brings to her FBI agent Olivia Dunham. She’s a study in determination, bravery, and even restraint. Olivia’s got this delicate beauty that is offset by the severe ponytail she often wears and the purposeful stride she adopts in her workplace. She’s hardened because the circumstances (and her childhood) warrant it, but is undoubtedly feminine. We’ve seen her dedication to the job as well as her devotion to her loved ones.

After sitting back and appreciating Olivia’s role in the amazing winter finale of Fringe last night (read Ken Tucker’s very astute recap), I realized that my two favorite women on TV right now (Torv’s Olivia and Julianna Margulies’ Alicia Florrick on The Good Wife) have quite a few things in common. Alicia is a woman done wrong who’s figuring out how to do right by everyone, including herself. Like Olivia, her woman is that rare thing seen on TV: seemingly stoic while managing complex emotions. They don’t devolve into hysterics or wear their emotions on their sleeves or act self-destructively. Their ability to keep themselves composed can come off cold but they’ve both been written and played to show so many dimensions to their character. They are no-nonsense, capable women with really deep, complicated emotions who get things done despite the stressful situations they’re dealing with. They are extremely competent and compassionate, while being measured and thoughtful. It hit me: They’re my new TV role models!

No one’s beating out Claire Huxtable on my list of TV women I want to be, but who wouldn’t want to aspire to be like these two?  No, I don’t want to deal with alternate realities and freaky occurrences or a public-figure spouse who’s humiliated his family. But I do want to glean something from their examples of grace under pressure. That (along with the excellent writing and fine casts) is what makes these shows good TV and makes me show up week after week.

So who is your current TV role model? Should anyone else be on my list?

@EWAbbyWest

Sep 10 2009 09:00 AM ET

This week's cover: 'Fringe' and the Fall TV Preview!

EW-cover-1065-1066_lWith a long rerun-and-reality-packed summer behind us, the new TV season is finally here. And as always, Entertainment Weekly’s Fall TV Preview – on stands this week – has all the crucial info you need to navigate your remote control as television roars back. Amongst the early reviews, interviews, insight, and plot hints for shows both new and returning, our double issue takes a deep dive into the gory, witty world of Fox’s Fringe with Jeff “Doc” Jensen.

Last year’s most heavily hyped new drama, Fringe was engineered by creators J.J. Abrams and screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci to be a high-impact hybrid of The X-Files and CSI – a serious yet accessible sci-fi series. Though the highly anticipated thriller started shakily, making geeks wonder if Abrams and his reliably mind-bending production company had finally let them down, Fringe ended its first year with a finale filled with insane, chat-room-exploding twists that won over a skeptical fan base. Now Fringe will try to maintain its momentum in TV’s most competitive time slot, Thursdays at 9, against CSI and Grey’s Anatomy. But if Fringe is to thrive, Abrams’ team will have to apply the lessons learned from its rocky first season. Says Abrams: “It’s going to sound weird, but a show starts talking to you and telling you what it wants to be. It took us a while to hear it.” READ FULL STORY »

Sep 4 2009 03:32 PM ET

J.J. Abrams: Pop-culture polymath

ewu_logoWelcome back to our EW University course on TV Auteurs — a look at some of the people who have had a major role in shaping the medium over the last 50 years. Today, Prof. Dan Snierson offers his overview of the work of J.J. Abrams.

If you had to sum up J.J. Abrams neatly in just one word, it would be …  kinda hard to do. He’s a cross-genre, multi-medium hyphenate who flies a geek flag of many colors. (The boy who grew up on The Twilight Zone, Mission Impossible, Get Smart, James Bond, and Star Wars has crafted a TV resume that boasts credits as diverse as Felicity and Fringe; his movie credits range from Regarding Henry to Cloverfield.) His projects tend to be smart, layered, splashy, angsty, laced with mystery and/or mythology — plus they just might contain an It Girl in the making (see: Keri Russell, Jennifer Garner). He’s also known for delving into virtually every part of the creative process. Not only does he write, direct, and produce, the guy has penned the theme music and designed the opening credits for some of his shows. (Heck, he’s even popped up a few times in front of the camera. Check out his decent acting chops in 1993’s Six Degrees of Separation). Fact is, he’s had Hollywood on the brain for a very long time: The son of TV producer Gerald W. Abrams, he started making little films on a Super 8 camera as a kid; while a student at Sarah Lawrence College, he co-wrote the treatment for what would become the 1990 comedy Taking Care of Business. While these days Abrams is a sought-after talent in the movie world — he recently helmed the critically and commercially successful reboot of Star Trek — we’re going to focus here on his notable television work. Herewith, a look at the four iconic TV creations of J.J. Abrams. READ FULL STORY »

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