Television

David Tennant, best known as the tenth doctor to play The Doctor on the hit seriesDoctor Who, will make his Star Wars: The Clone Wars debut this week in “A Test of Strength,” airing Saturday, November 10^th at 9:30am ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

Tennant will voice the character Huyang, a droid who greatly impacts the journey of a group of young Jedi, who were just setting out to build their first lightsabers in last week’s episode.  The famed actor will continue to appear in the series for the following two episodes, “Bound for Rescue” and “A Necessary Strength.”

“When I heard the Doctor himself, David Tennant, was a fan of Star Wars I knew I had to find a way to get in contact with him to see if he would perform on Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” said Dave Filoni, Supervising Director, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. “The result was ‘Huyang,’ an ancient droid in the service of the Jedi Order, whose sole task in life has been overseeing the construction of lightsabers. I thought David was perfect for the part and he did not disappoint. He delivered a performance which impressed even the Master himself, George Lucas.”

Trivia:

• This episode marks the first appearance of “Huyang,” an ancient droid in the service of the Jedi Order, whose sole task in life has been overseeing the construction of lightsabers. The character is voiced by David Tennant (Doctor Who, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire).

• Petro’s lightsaber training maneuver – the Whirlwind of Destiny – was actually created a young fan as part of the Join the Jedi contest sponsored by Hasbro. The winning entry was animated into the show.

• The training remotes seen aboard the Crucible are the same design as the one seen aboard the Millennium Falcon in Episode IV, and in Jedi Temple youngling training verandah in Episode II.

This September, the Critically Acclaimed Series from Lucasfilm Animation Returns for Season Five, while Seasons One and Two Enter Syndication Across the Nation.

Following an impressive fourth season full of surprises, the spectacular action and riveting story of Star Wars: The Clone Wars intensifies in Season Five on Cartoon Network at a new day and time. Starting September 29, 2012 at 9:30 am, the classic heroes and villains of the world famous Star Wars Saga continue their adventures as The Clone Wars moves to Cartoon Network’s action series Saturday mornings.

The shadow of the dark side falls upon Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season Five as the series moves closer to the grim events of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. The big-screen action, unforgettable characters, and rousing adventure of the Star Wars Saga continue, as Jedi heroes face a galaxy of foes. With unparalleled visuals, sound, action and adventure, Star Wars: The Clone Wars continues the cinematic saga with the equivalent of a short  animated Star Wars movie each week. Season Five is filled with explosive action, exotic worlds, intriguing characters and shocking turns as several major players face their destinies as the galaxy plunges into darkness.

In addition to its bold new episodes, the celebrated stories of the series’ first two seasons will premiere in domestic syndication, marking its first appearance ever on U.S. broadcast television. Now, Star Wars: The Clone Wars will be available to a whole new audience, as well as provide an additional destination for its already loyal viewers to relive the amazing saga from its beginning. For a listing of participating stations, visit www.starwars.com as the September launch approaches.

From Kyle Anderson at The Nerdist:

I’m very sad to have to again report on the passing of a beloved Doctor Who actor. Mary Tamm, who brilliantly played the first incarnation of Romana to Tom Baker’s Doctor, has passed away from cancer at the age of 62.

Though Tamm appeared for just one season from 1978-1979, the season-long “Key to Time” story arc, the mark she left on the series was indelible. Romana was the Doctor’s very first Time Lady companion since his granddaughter in the very beginning. Brought in to assist the Doctor in retrieving the Key to Time by the mysterious White Guardian, Romana, short for “Romanadvoratrelundar,” was a glamorous and intelligent young (139) Time Lady fresh out of the Academy on Gallifrey. Initially, she was dismissive of the Doctor’s eccentric ways and considered him her intellectual inferior; however, as the season progressed, they grew to compliment each other and become a team, with Romana’s book smarts pairing nicely with the Doctor’s experience and cunning. Romana is one of my favorite companions, and her interplay and quip-exchanging with Tom Baker makes even some of the “Key to Time”‘s sillier stories delightful to watch.

Read the full article here at The Nerdist.

Detective Catherine Chandler is a smart, no-nonsense homicide detective. When she was a teenager, Catherine witnessed the murder of her mother at the hands of two gunmen. Catherine would have been killed too, but someone – or something – saved her. No one has ever believed her, but she knows it wasn’t an animal that attacked the assassins…it was human. Years have passed, and Catherine is a strong, confident, capable police officer, working alongside her equally talented partner, Tess. While investigating a murder, Catherine discovers a clue that leads her to a handsome doctor named Vincent Keller, who was reportedly killed by enemy fire while serving in Afghanistan in 2002. Catherine learns that Vincent is actually still alive and that it was he who saved her many years before. For mysterious reasons that have forced him to live outside of traditional society, Vincent has been in hiding for the past 10 years to guard his secret – when he is enraged, he becomes a terrifying beast, unable to control his super-strength and heightened senses. Catherine agrees to protect his identity in return for any insight he may have into her mother’s murder. Thus begins a complex relationship between Catherine and Vincent, who are powerfully drawn to each other yet understand that their connection is extremely dangerous for both of them.

The series stars Kristin Kreuk (“Smallville,” “Chuck”) as Catherine, Jay Ryan (“Terra Nova”) as Vincent, Max Brown (“The Tudors,” “MI-5″) as Evan, Nina Lisandrello (“Nurse Jackie”) as Tess, Nicole Gale Anderson (“Make It or Break It”) as Heather, Austin Basis (“Life Unexpected”) as J.T., and Brian White (“The Shield,” “The Cabin in the Woods”) as Joe.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is from CBS Television Studios with executive producers Jennifer Levin (“Without A Trace,” “Felicity”), Sherri Cooper (“Brothers and Sisters”), Bill Haber (“Rizzoli & Isles,” “Thurgood”), Paul J. Witt (“A Better Life”) & Tony Thomas (“A Better Life”), Ron Koslow (“Moonlight”) and Gary Fleder (“Life Unexpected”).

I’ve always loved the classic fairy tale of “Beauty and the Beast.” It has loosely inspired dozens upon dozens of love stories for more than two centuries since the story was first written and I have enjoyed watching it retold in various animated and film incarnations including classics like “La Belle et la Bête” and “The Scarlet Flower” and newer versions like “No Such Thing” and “The Bride”.  One of my endearing favorites has always been the 80s tv series version staring Ron Pearlman and Lina Hamilton.

Now, the CW, whom I’ve so far trusted with my favorite characters (props to SMALLVILLE and it’s handing of the DC ‘verse), has decided to take a stab at it. I’m all for a new retelling of the story. I do, however, have one reservation: They aren’t creating a new story, they are ‘rebooting’ the tv series with the same characters of Vincent and Catherine. Maybe it has something to do with being cheaper to recycle old characters, plots, etc than creating a whole new world from scratch, or maybe it’s an attempt to recapture the magic of the 80s series. This one decision, to ‘reboot’ instead of starting fresh, may backfire on them… or maybe it’s just old farts like myself who will have trouble accepting this cataclysmic shakeup of a beloved world.*

One of the most endearing things about the 80s series was that the “Beast” wasn’t enchanted. Instead, he was born with a lion-like disfiguration and a form of Hypertrichosis (Remember Jo Jo the Dog Faced Boy?) but the beastly outside was in direct contrast to the gentle, loving soul within. No kiss would break the magic spell, returning him to his handsome self but Catherine loved the man despite his outward appearance. The magic of that series was the relationship: the friendship, the kindness, the sappy romance of candles and roses and sonnets as the chaste couple poured out their hearts and souls, making the only love they felt they could with thoughtful gestures and softly spoken words… And it worked. While the show only ran 3 seasons over 20 years ago, loyal fans will forever look at Ron Pearlman as one of the sexiest men alive and Linda Hamilton as one of the luckiest ladies to have ever been loved. Sure, we know they were just actors playing roles, but the spiritus of the actors is what brings the characters to life so something of Vincent and Catherine will always linger like a specter about them for fans of the old series.

With the reboot, we have a handsome Vincent who ‘hulks out’ rather than having to constantly live with his appearance. This seems like cheating to me, if they insist on it being Catherine and Vincent. Why not take a chance and create their own story?! Give them different names! There is no reason the beast shouldn’t be able to be a handsome man, after all the original story was of a handsome man transformed into a beast. By using the names of Vincent and Catherine though, they are paying homage to the series rather than the fairy tale and are inviting a comparison to the series thus setting some expectations they may not be able to live up to.

I loved Kristen Kreuk in Smallville and she probably has a fair chance at capturing the “Magic” that was Catherine the same way she turned Lana Lang into her own creation even when standing side by side with Annette O’Toole who was the 80′s incarnation of Lana Lang in the Superman movies. While it may not sound like it from my tone so far, I am actually rooting for her to pull it off. I would like to see this show create it’s own magic and distance itself from the 80s series. That being said, I hope they draw on the relationship from the series rather than the current tween idea of romance we see in so many books, films and tv series. She needs to be more of a Kate Beckett than Bella Swan, regardless of what the target audience age is. If, she is as they say in the show description, “A smart, no-nonsense homicide detective,” she shouldn’t be swooning and fawning at the misunderstood loner and pining away for him ‘just because’. He needs to be someone a strong, independent woman could desire to have in her life, despite the obstacles.

Thus we examine the new Vincent: Jay Ryan. I’ve seen him in Terra Nova and Legend of the Seeker but those were small roles so I don’t have nearly the feel for what characteristics he could bring to the new Vincent other than being a smoldering Kiwi (New Zealand has turned out some of the sexiest, most talented actors of the last two decades). He’s a doctor, for starters, so that means he should be a caring and compassionate man, especially since he enlisted in the military instead of staying Stateside to collect a huge salary while growing more apathetic to mankind’s plights. Other than that, there aren’t any clues to him or why he ‘hulks out’. I’m guessing it must have something to do with military ‘perfect soldier’ experiments he may have discovered and either been a part of or victim of during the fighting in Afghanistan where he supposedly died.

It looks like Catherine’s mother is wearing scrubs as she arrives to rescue her teenage daughter from a dead battery. Suddenly, men pull up in a car and without out a word open fire on the pair, shooting mom first, then chasing after Catherine who runs into the dark woods and is then rescued from certain doom by the strange beastly man in the dark. This suggests that perhaps Catherine’s mother is tied to Vincent’s condition and why Vincent would be so close by at just the right time.

From the brief preview above, it looks like the production quality will be on par with current fantasy shows like The Vampire Diaries and Grimm, both of which are quite well done. That being said, its success will hinge on the connection between the two main characters more than the production quality, writing, plot and talent of the cast. That the action-flick soundtrack dropped to a piano theme when the Beast appeared suggests that maybe the show runners are keeping that in mind.

I’m truly hoping that CW can make its own magic with Vincent and Catherine and I’m looking forward to checking out the new series which is set to premier Thursday this fall, probably as a companion to The Vampire Diaries.

*Okay, Okay. I admit it! I don’t like shake ups much. I spent a week flying around Azeroth after World of Warcraft’s Cataclysm expansion came out, numbed with shock and sometimes teary eyed to think of the loss of some of my favorite places and the memories of years spent dwelling there with friends. It was just painful to watch it all ripped apart, burned and scarred.

from Digital Spy:

Jenna-Louise Coleman has been announced as the new Doctor Who companion.

The Titanic actress is confirmed to be replacing Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) as the assistant toMatt Smith‘s Time Lord in the BBC sci-fi show’s seventh series. Coleman’s debut episode will air at Christmas.

© PA Images

© BBC Pictures

> Doctor Who: Jenna-Louise Coleman – The press conference in full

Speaking at BBC’s Broadcasting house this morning, she said that she was a “huge fan of the show”, commenting: “I’m beyond excited, I can’t wait to get cracking; working alongside Matt I know is going to be enormous fun and a huge adventure.

“Matt Smith did my audition with me. It was fun and I felt like we were in it together.”

Coleman also revealed that her personal favorite companions were Billie Piper and Karen Gillan.

Showrunner Steven Moffat said: “It always seems impossible when you start casting these parts, but when we saw Matt and Jenna together, we knew we had our girl. She’s funny and clever and exactly mad enough to step on board the TARDIS.

“It’s not often the Doctor meets someone who can talk even faster than he does, but it’s about to happen. Jenna is going to lead him his merriest dance yet. And that’s all you’re getting for now. Who she’s playing, how the Doctor meets her, and even where he finds her, are all part of one of the biggest mysteries for the Time Lord ever.”

Moffat confirmed that Doctor Who will air six episodes in 2012 and a further eight in 2013 for the show’s 50th anniversary. In total, series seven comprises of 14 big, blockbuster-movie episodes.

The writer also dropped hints about Gillan and Arthur Darvill‘s departures, claiming that it would involve a final encounter with the Weeping Angels and that not everybody would make it out alive. “And I mean it this time,” added Moffat.

Rumors that Coleman, who has also appeared in Emmerdale and Waterloo Road, had been cast in the show first emerged this morning,

Gillan was confirmed to be departing Doctor Who along with co-star and on-screen husband Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams) back in December.

© BBC / Adrian Rogers

It is known that they will leave part way through series seven in a “heartbreaking end”, and Gillan has teased that her exit will have a “strong impact”.

She also described her final Doctor Who storyline as a “damn good” one that will see Amy go out “on a high”.

See the complete article including videos at Digital Spy here.