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Here's all the Archived News items for October, 2005. Back to Current News.
31/10/05
It's been a long day - tiring but exhilarating. It's been so exciting to do something as different as Words & Music. It's been wonderful to share Macbeth with you on the London stage, I hope that you've enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed performing it for you. Still can't quite believe it. Hope you're not all as tired as me, but apparently I can get an extra hours sleep in the morning! Gonna need it. Start filming on Monday on Shadow Puppets. It's a psychological thriller and I'm really excited about it all. Have a happy Halloween James - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To everyone, thank you for making the past three days such a success. A very special thank you to our excellent team of volunteers, we couldn't have done it without you guys. We're going to have a little rest now if you don't mind. Steve Himber and the JMLive team _________________________________________________
James Marsters Live
30/10/05
I've found another HQ Promo Pic, this time for "Splinter," (#5.7) which you can view @ http://dontkillspike.proboards33.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1130487510&page=1#1130606739 Again, I won't post it here because of the largeness.
30/10/05
"Thirst" Marks More Good Ratings For Smallville The WB has issued a press release detailing the ratings success of the October 27 episode in many key demographics. Here it is: THE WB THURSDAY KEEPS GETTING BETTER AS IT ACHIEVES ITS BEST RATINGS OF THE SEASON AMONG WOMEN 18-34, WOMEN 12-34 AND FEMALE TEENS Burbank, CA - October 28, 2005 “EVERWOOD” REACHES SEASON HIGHS IN PERSONS 12-34, WOMEN 18-34, WOMEN 12-34, TEENS AND FEMALE TEENS “EVERWOOD” IMPROVES ITS TIME PERIOD COMPARED TO THE SAME WEEK LAST SEASON IN EVERY KEY DEMO INCLUDING +40% IN ADULTS 18-34, +78% IN PERSONS 12-34, +86% IN ADULTS 18-49 AND +154% IN TOTAL VIEWERS “SMALLVILLE” CONTINUES ITS TIME PERIOD DOMINANCE AMONG YOUNG MEN, WINNING ITS TIME PERIOD WITH #1 RANKS IN MEN 18-34 AND MEN 12-34 AND #2 FINISHES IN ADULTS 18-34, PERSONS 12-34, ADULTS 18-49, WOMEN 18-34, WOMEN 12-34 AND MEN 18-49 “SMALLVILLE” ONCE AGAIN SCORES THE BEST RATINGS FOR THE TIME PERIOD IN WB HISTORY AMONG ADULTS 18-34 AND MEN 18-34 AND ACHIEVES SEASON BESTS IN ALL 18-34 DEMOS, WOMEN 12-34 AND FEMALE TEENS, WHILE SCORING TREMENDOUS GAINS FOR ITS TIME PERIOD COMPARED TO THE PARALLEL WEEK LAST YEAR INCLUDING +107% AMONG ADULTS 18-34 The WB's Thursday duo of SMALLVILLE and EVERWOOD continues to build on its ultra-successful season as television's best scheduling move. The night, which has been an undeniable winner this television season, achieved its season-high ratings among women 18-34 (2.3/6), women 12-34 (2.5/7) and female teens (3.1/10). EVERWOOD achieved its season-high level in ratings among persons 12-34 (1.6/5), women 18-34 (2.0/5), women 12-34 (2.2/6), teens (2.0/6) and female teens (2.9/9). EVERWOOD improved its time period over the same week last season in every key demo, including +40% in adults 18-34 (1.4/4), +78% in persons 12-34 (1.6/5), +86% in adults 18-49 (1.3/3), +233% in teens (2.0/6) and +154% in total viewers (3.9 million). SMALLVILLE again certified its dominance among young men at 8 p.m. on Thursdays as it finished #1 its time period in men 18-34 (3.5/12) and men 12-34 (3.2/11) for the fifth time in as many weeks this season. SMALLVILLE also placed #2 in its time period among adults 18-34 (3.1/10), adults 18-49 (2.6/7), persons 12-34 (3.0/9), women 18-34 (2.7/8), women 12-34 (2.8/8) and men 18-49 (2.8/8). SMALLVILLE's ratings in adults 18-34 and men 18-34 were once again the highest in the time period in network history and its scores in persons 12-34 and adults 18-49 were the second strongest in network history. Just like its lead-out SMALLVILLE scored at its highest levels this season with its best ratings of the season among adults 18-34 (3.1/10), women 18-34 (2.7/8), men 18-34 (3.5/12), women 12-34 (2.8/8) and female teens (3.2/10). SMALLVILLE's year-to-year gains for its time period continue to be humongous. It scored tremendous growth in all key demos compared to the same week last year including +107% in adults 18-34 (3.1/10), +192% in men 18-34 (3.5/12), +88% in persons 12-34 (3.0/9), +73% in adults 18-49 (2.6/7) and +77% in total viewers (5.8 million). For the night, The WB Thursday was #2 among men 12-34 (2.1/7), #3 in adults 18-34 (2.2/7), persons 12-34 (2.3/7), men 18-34 (2.1/7), women 12-34 (2.5/7) and men 18-49 (1.8/5). The night achieved great gains over the same Thursday last season including +69% in adults 18-34, +92% in persons 12-34, +73% in adults 18-49, +108% in teens and +101% in total viewers (4.8 million).
30/10/05
"Thirst" Ratings! Smallville has continued to maintain its good ratings. While most shows dropped this week, Smallville was lucky enough to keep its audience - and it finally flew past Everybody Hates Chris on UPN. Next week should be interesting as The OC finally returns to FOX's schedule. The show again scored very highly in many key demographics. Click here for the WB's press release. Here's the overnight-ratings breakdown.
30/10/05
Friday Oct 28 Hi guys, We tried to save the stuffed mouse that nose-dived from the balcony tonight, took it to emergency but it was too far gone. Sorry. It was great to see so many friendly faces out there in St James's Church. I really felt everyone's energy tonight. It was amazing. Hope to see lots of you tomorrow, it's going to be very special. James PS For all of you that have been asking, here are the set lists. Carling Academy Islington
All That She Wanted
St James's, Piccadilly
Birth of the Blues
James Marsters Live
30/10/05
I've found some fantastically HQ "Aqua" Promo Pics which you can view @ http://dontkillspike.proboards33.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1129084815&page=1#1130519820. I won't post them here, simply because they're so large, but you can see them in their full glory at the above link.
28/10/05
SPIKE: LOVE IS HELL DVD REVIEW
The Show: A
Love hurts, love bites, love beats the crap out of you, and then it forces you to sacrifice yourself to save the world. That last one might be just for Spike, the lovelorn badass from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Created by Joss Whedon and brought vibrantly to life by James Marsters, Spike the vampire loved and lost as he prowled the neighborhoods of Sunnydale. First, his love of centuries in Drusilla, then the love that proved his undoing (or his making depending on how you look at it), the slayer herself. Now, we can trace the tragedy of Spike's love with four episodes, repackaged by Fox under the banner Love is Hell. Sure is. With all of their seasons released on DVD, many classic shows are trying to find new ways to reach out to fans who may not want to pony up for the big box sets. The X-Files Mythology sets, which compile the conspiracy episodes from the entire run of the series, are an excellent example of how to bring a series to a new audience, even after it appears to have run its natural course. Buffy the Vampire Slayer feels like a no-brainer (or should that be no-souler?) for such a repackaging, with any number of characters or series-long plotlines to play with in new sets. And so we get Spike: Love is Hell, four of Nosferatu Vicious' best episodes - "School Hard," "Lie to Me," "Lovers Walk" and "Fool For Love." Four? Now admittedly, these are four of the best episodes not just in Spike's history but the entire Slayer mythos, but it leaves even a casual fan of the series wanting more. Keeping the price low and giving fans an introduction to a character is an interesting marketing idea but jumping from this little set to a full season is a big leap. Why not offer something more in the middle, for fans of the show/character and newbies alike? The arc of Spike could have easily been given twice or even three times as many episodes and the price still could have been kept reasonable. More character sets are likely to come along. All I can say is give us more. Four episodes is just a taste. Even new fans will want something resembling a bloody meal. And the meal doesn't look or sound nearly as good as it should. Each episode is in full frame 4:3 with only Dolby Digital 2.0 to hear Spike's witty barbs. On both sides of the technical stake, the disc comes up short. The show's on so often that you could probably stumble across all four of these episodes in the same week. If Fox had made them look or sound better than digital cable, you might pick up the set just for the technical experience. And what about trenchcoat-wearing Spike fans everywhere looking for something extra about their favorite bad boy? Well, there is a 15-minute featurette about Spike, but it's a quickly slapped-together piece, cutting other interviews about these four episodes into one piece. Marsters is always entertaining and will give you new insight into his character's development, but, once again, a little something more, like a new commentary, would have been nice. Spike: Love is Hell is like that first drop of blood to a vampire and, in the end, that's all Fox really wants to give you. They want to get your bloodlust up and running, to wake you in the middle of night and make you go buy the original season sets. But there's a better way to go about that. There's a way to make the Masters of the Buffy fan clubs happy as well as the newly bitten. Maybe they'll put a little more heart into the other character sets. Willow and Faith certainly deserve a better fate.
28/10/05
Episode Review
The Lady is a Vamp
This was an incredible Halloween episode. And I have to say that they way they did it was very cool. It was like it was from Chloe's point of view, like she was reading from her latest story. The way the whole story flowed was amazing. There were no gaps and no dangling ideas. It was like you knew how everything tied itself all together. And that is the way it should be. It is all about how can Chloe get her foot in the door at the Daily Planet. The editor, Pauline Kahn, is played by none other than Carrie Fisher. She plays a good tough no holds barred boss. And she was giving Chloe no breaks whatsoever. But Chloe rose to the challenge when she was told to bring her a Planet worthy story. She decided to write on a sorority that was very popular. And who would you guess that would be picked to join the Tri Si's none other than our own Lana Lang. It was a shock to Clark that she was going to college at Met U, but she told him that they would still talk everyday. Come to find out, once you were a member you were permanently a member. See, you became immortal. And not the good kind of immortal either. You became a vampire. And that is right, you guessed it. Lana becomes one too, complete with fangs, strength and all. But there is something a miss with these particular vamps. It seems that they may have been a pet project of LuthorCorp. Their leader, Buffy, fell into a cave and was attacked by bats 6 years ago. BUt they just weren't any old bat, nope they were vampire bats. And they were special ones. Seems that the cave was filled with meteor rock and it had infected them as well. While under LuthorCorp care, one of the workers were bitten by Buffy and they had found a cure that had to be kept close to the meteor to keep the active ingredient alive. Now how is that Clark found out about all of this? None other than Professor Fine. He has been doing alot of snooping around in Lex's and LuthroCorp's past. He and Lex butt heads a bit in this episode and Fine's true colors amerge when Lex's security guard follows him to the ships hidden location. And I am not telling you what! HAHAHA! Anyways, one of my fave parts is when Clark and Chloe show up at the costume party held by the Tri Si's. Chloe looked something like Britany Spears and Clark? Well, Clark was dressed all in black with a cape and a mask. He was Zorro. Chloe thought the cape was much but he said he liked it but the mask moved too much and he could not see. Before Clark could find Lana in a cat suit grinding into a cowboy, she sent him to look for clues. When Chloe pulls Lana from her latest victim, Lana decides to attack her instead. She calls for Clark who sees Lana after she had bit Chloe. He takes her to the hospitol where the doctors tell him that they did not know what to do for her and they she had already had a transfusion. It appeared she had a weird strain of rabies. Then enter Professor Fine. This is when Clark learns to go talk to Lex about the secret project. When he does, this is when he gets the serum to save Lana. Here I think that Lex would not have been so eager to help him if it had not been Lana that was in danger. At any rate, Lana breaks in and knocks Lex out and the meteor rock ends up on the floor next to Clark so he is weakened. And now Lana can do her job and bite him to bring him back to the other vamps. But when she does she is able to leech some of his powers. While she is trying out the heat vision, he hides the serum, which is making him sick, in his clothes. And she takes him back to the others. Well, they want to finsih him off but she knows he is too special to waste and she wants to turn him into one of them. But Buffy doesn't want to let any guys in so a fight insues between she and Lana. Well, our dear Lana uses her new heat vision and fires Buffy. The other girls are afraid and Lana tells them to leave.While Lana is about to make Clark a vampire too, she talks to him about how she knows that he has been hiding a secret power and that she knows now that they belong together more than ever. He tells her no that this wasn't who she really was and she tells him that maybe she had been hiding all of this waiting for him. When she leans to give him the blood kiss, he stabs her in the heart with the serum and she becomes normal Lana. All things end well, Chloe gets her foot in the door. At the bottom and she says a line like her career had no where to go but up, up and away to which they then paned up the side of the Planet. How cool was that! She also made the comment how the Planet would be some day home to a superhero. Yet another reference. Clark and Lex made up, sort of. Lex warns Clark that maybe Fine is not the friend he thinks he is. Funny, Fine tells Clark the same thing. Who is the lesser of two evils here? That I am unsure of at the moment. Clark and Lana are back together. He asked did she remember anything after she recovered and she says only bits and pieces. But one thing she did remember was when she bit him she felt warmth and love. She felt what he did down in his heart and she told him that she had never felt closer to anyone before. She kissed him and told him she missed being with him. It was such a very sweet moment. I so loved it. This episode was just fantabulous. I swear that Smallville is getting better each and every week. The Clana in this episode was so wonderful and sweet. Chloe is becoming such an asset to the whole Clana equation. I never thought I would ever say that but she really is. I loved the little jabs at "Buffy", from the lead vampire being named that to James Marsters telling Clark there was no such thing as vampires. Well, of course not, Spike. You wouldn't think that now would you? I will give this one 100+ too. Can't help it. Smallville is the bomb this year! SOME THINGS: 1. What was the deal with Carrie Fisher's lips? Why is it they take all these former actresses of such lofty characters and allow them to have botox or collagen before they come onthe show? I thought it made her look positively horrible! 2. And speaking of Princess Leia, her birth will be out in stores this coming Tuesday. Stars Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith will hit stores in the states on 11/1/05. Check it out! NEXT WEEK: Luke Duke comes to Smallville and Lois is stripping? WOAH! STAY TUNED!
28/10/05
TV Guide's "Splinter" Description! After Clark is pricked by a splinter of silver kryptonite, he becomes paranoid and thinks that everyone is conspiring against him---including his family and friends. Elsewhere, Lex asks Lana to help him uncover the secrets of the crashed spaceship.
Thanks to the_real_lois_lane & SVilleGal03
28/10/05
Here's a promo pic from Smallville - "Splinter" (#5.7):
28/10/05
Smallville: Burning Questions Answered!
Smallville has shown its superstrength this fall, stacking up well against the Thursdays-at-8 heavyweights and breathing down Sydney Bristow's neck. It's no surprise, since the storytelling has picked up faster than a speeding bullet. The biggest twist came in the Oct. 13 episode when Kryptonian dad Jor-El brought Clark back from his deathbed and then told him that "the life force that has been returned to you will soon be taken from someone you love." Uh-oh, that can't be good. TV Guide turned to executive producer Al Gough for answers to our burning questions. Was Jor-El bluffing? Is someone really gonna die? Yup. "He does really mean it," Gough says. "If you look at Jor-El's history in the show, everything he has said has come to pass." The big event will happen in the 100th episode, airing this winter. OK, who's it gonna be? "If I told you that, it wouldn't be any fun," Gough says. "But it's safe to say it won't be the only death you see in that episode." What's Brainiac up to? We've only just met Professor Fine (played by Buffy the Vampire Slayer's James Marsters), but we'll soon learn that he's really the Kryptonian villain Brainiac and that he's up to no good. Gough says Brainiac will make his intentions known in the Nov. 10 and Nov. 17 episodes. "He tries to trick Clark into doing what he wants. I don't want to say too much, but there is a smack-down at the Fortress." And what about those Disciples of Zod from the season premiere? Will they be back? We can expect an encore performance from those Kryptonian thugs who Clark sent into an extradimensional prison (one that seemed a lot like the Phantom Zone of Superman II). "I don't want to spoil it, so I'll just say that you haven't seen the last of them and Brainiac is a key to that." Lastly, there have been rumors on the Internet that this is your last season. Is that true? "No, it's not the last season," Gough says adamantly. So how did that nasty rumor get started? Blame Canada. "The Canadian broadcaster of the show read something online, failed to call Warner Bros., which sells them the show, and put it on their marketing campaign," Gough says. "They have since sent me a formal letter of apology." Whew… crisis averted. Gough assures us that Smallville will be "on for at least six [more seasons] and hopefully seven."
28/10/05
HU killinj @ Whedonesque PeopleFeature
Celeb Spotlight: James Marsters
Thursday Oct 27, 2005 6:00am EST
Age: 43
He likes a touch of evil Marsters, who played the sexy-scary vampire Spike for six seasons on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has no problem playing another bad guy. "I love doing villains – they're good roles," he says. "I was playing the new Spider-Man video game with my son (Sullivan, 9, with ex-wife Liane Davidson), and he just wants to be Venom. Villains are fun as long as you don't have to hurt anybody in real life." Still, his Smallville character – an evil android from Superman's home planet of Krypton masquerading as Clark Kent's political-science professor, Milton Fine – is a far cry from Spike. "(Brainiac) is like 500 IQ points above Einstein," says Marsters. "Spike was much more instinctual. I was always playing Spike thinking … things … through … kind of slowly." Marsters also dropped the English accent he had adopted to play Spike, as well as the trademark platinum hair. How did it feel to give up the bleach after so many years? "It felt great, man," he says, laughing. "I could look in the mirror and I was like, 'Hey, James, I remember you! I used to live with you a long time ago.' " He also gets recognized less: "With the white hair, I was like a light bulb. Not that you would immediately recognize me, but you'd spend the time to figure out who the freak was." He'll always have Spike in his heart In some ways, Marsters was relieved to leave his love-struck blood-sucker behind. "So much about Spike was loneliness and a view of the world that was, 'The world is not really my friend,' " he says. "I didn't really realize how much that rubbed off on me, but I have to say that, getting out of the role, I like coming back into the light." That's not to say he wouldn't revisit the role, although he doubts that the long-rumored TV movie about Spike will pan out. "(Buffy creator) Joss (Whedon) has said he has no plans to do anything, but if he ever got plans, would I be interested?" he says. "And I told him yeah. I said he had five years, because I'm not a vampire, and I am aging." One of Marsters's favorite things about Spike? His legacy as a character on a show that united fans. "People come up to me in autograph lines at conventions and say, 'I've got friends I've had for five years off this, my best friends now – thank you!' " he says. He's a long-distance lover These days, the classically trained actor is in London performing his one-man show, Words & Music, which incorporates his own music (he played in the band Ghost of the Robot before going solo a year and a half ago, and recently released the album Civilized Man) with dialogue from Macbeth. "I love Shakespeare because you get to talk to the audience directly, and I love looking in people's eyes," he says. "People freak out a little bit in the beginning." Marsters has another connection in Europe as well: For about a year, he's been dating a German college student whom he met while on tour with Ghost of the Robot. "I met her backstage and got her phone number, but then my jeans were cleaned out by the crew and they threw it out," he says. "I'd given her my number, but she took down one digit wrong. It took her six months to call all of the different combinations." The overseas relationship has been a challenge ("We're in different time zones, so it's hard to even connect on the phone regularly"), but, he says, "I hope she has the patience to stick it out just a little while longer so she can get to know me."
27/10/05
Marti Noxon Aboard Raimi's Curse Source: SCI FI Wire October 27, 2005 Writer Marti Noxon tells SCI FI Wire that she's now working on rewriting a script idea sparked by director Sam Raimi and his brother Ivan, who co-wrote the story for Spider-Man 3. Tentatively titled The Curse, the story includes doctors, monsters, mental patients and a witch, Noxon said. The film mixes Evil Dead and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, added Noxon, who served as executive producer of "Buffy" during its final run on UPN. (Noxon is currently a consulting producer on the Fox's Prison Break.) Noxon is reworking Raimi's idea for the Ghost House Pictures comedy/fantasy/horror project with Peter Cornwell, known for writing and directing the animated short Ward 13. "It's a crazy paranoid fantasy and has a strong female character, and there's a vengeful entity," Noxon revealed. In the film, a woman in a mental institution sees things that could be delusional. Fans hoping to see more from the world of "Buffy" may be happy to hear that the popular series' characters may live on in direct-to-DVD movies. "There are serious discussions going on about bringing some of the characters back and making a few movies that will go straight to DVD, but they will certainly be the quality they have always been," Noxon said. Creator Joss Whedon has considered a series of movies that would focus on some of the secondary characters. Noxon added that a film centered on James Marsters' Spike or David Boreanaz's Angel could do very well.
27/10/05
HU Whedonesque & Dru @ jamesmarstersfans & spikeloveronlj
Smallville
Preview an extended scene from Thursday's new episode of 'Smallville,' starring Tom Welling as a young Clark Kent beginning to accept his destiny as the Man of Steel. Click to Watch: Exclusive Extended Clip: "Secrets as Dark as Yours" - Professor Milton Fine (James Marsters) confronts Lex for looking into his past.
26/10/05
Oct. 24, 2005
From k1elly1: Smallville has been kicking ass in the ratings, no?
25/10/05
Scans of James in Smallville Magazine #11:
25/10/05
24/10/05
24/10/05
Angel & Spike Comics - Chris Ryall (IDW editor) - Buffy-online.net Interview
Chris Ryall is IDW Publishing Editor-in-Chief! He talked to us about the second "Angel" comic-miniseries, about Joss Whedon’s involvement, "X-Men", publishers in Europe etc.! You publish Angel and Spike Comics. Are you a Fan of these TV Shows? Definitely. We decided long ago that we’d never take on any license that we weren’t passionate about. There’s too much money involved, along with the potential disappointment to fans, if we didn’t give these our all. And it’s much easier to give a project your best effort if it means something to you. I’ve been a big fan of Joss’s work and especially Buffy and Angel for a long time. Do you think about renewing Buffy Comics too? Well, it’s not our license right now, so we can’t touch Buffy. That said, I’m hoping that when the license becomes available—Dark Horse who currently holds the license—we can get that one, too. I know fans would love to see Angel and Buffy in the same comic. About what is the second Angel Miniseries? I don’t want to say too much yet, so instead I’ll just share the solicitation copy with you: "When a strangely familiar, seemingly vampiric figure is spotted killing victims in Los Angeles, Angel, alone in semi-retired retreat while he figures out what’s next for him, is lured back to the city to put a stop to the string of slayings. The case will reunite the vampire with a soul with old friends and old enemies-but it’s impossible to tell which is which!" Do you think about a monthly Angel series? Technically, we ARE monthly. The final issue of Angel: The Curse ships in October, and Angel: Old Friends begins in November. But we prefer to do these stories in five-issue arcs, so they each function as special episodes of the show. Incidentally, lest the cynical out there think we do this to keep getting a new "#1" issue every five months, the days of relaunched number ones outselling continuously numbered issues are behind us, so that’s not our reason for doing things this way. Rather, we prefer the standalone story, and since the creative teams may change with subsequent 5-issue arcs, it works better this way. Is Joss Whedon involved in your comics ? He approves everything at both the proposal stage and the script stage, and we’ve gotten notes back from his people, so he’s definitely still involved in making sure his characters are handled the way he’d handle them Will we see a Solution of the Final Cliffhanger in “Not fade away” in one of your Magazins? A solution? No. I would never want to pick up directly from that fight in the alley—I felt like that was a perfect ending for the show, and to pick up right from that moment would be presumptuous and something I personally don’t want to see. But will you see stories that take place at some point after that final episode, and see who survived? Oh, yes. Are you in contact with europe comic publishers for Angel or Spike? I’ve spoken to some publishers who expressed interest in publishing our comics in Europe, yes. Do you read Joss` X-Men? Absolutely—it’s some of the best X-Men comics I’ve seen since the glory days of Chris Claremont. He made me care about Kitty Pryde again, which is something no writer outside CC has managed to do, and he brought back Colossus, too. What’s not to love? (Okay, the "sentient Danger Room" thing isn’t exactly working for me as well as earlier stories, but still, Whedon and Cassaday on that book is something all X-Men fans should savor with every issue. Great stuff.)
24/10/05
A second trailer for Smallville "Thirst" (#5.5) can be downloaded @ http://pdl.warnerbros.com/thewb/us/content/vAtVDh_SM504-trl_300.wmv (Right click and go "save as...") There's slightly more James in this one. :)
24/10/05
"Aqua" Review! Written by Triplet NOTE: Be aware that major twists are revealed in this review! Brief recap: At an end of summer beach party at Crater Lake, Clark admits to Chloe he still hasn't told Lana his secret. Lois nearly drowns and Arthur "AC" Curry (guest Alan Ritchson) saves her a little too quickly, which disturbs Clark on more than one level. Brainiac, err… Professor Milton Fine (special guest James Marsters) busts Clark for being late to class. After Clark turns down the chance to be Fine's research assistant for a book exposing Luthorcorp, Fine busts him again for not wanting to discover the truth of Lex's nefarious schemes. AC takes Lois swimming but is incapacitated by something that kills the fish in Crater Lake. Lex reveals that the something is actually a weapons system called "Leviathan." He wants to put one on every vessel in the US Navy fleet. However, evil Lex doesn't care when his minion expresses concern about the all the fish that will die because of it. Clark is suspicious of AC and follows him to Crater Lake, just in time to stop him from blowing up Leviathan in Luthorcorp's secret lab. Clark then loses out to AC in a who's-tougher-in-the-water contest. He later convinces the square jawed future King of the Sea that confronting Lex, instead of bombing the lab, is the way to go. It's not, by the way. Meddling in Lex's affairs can make him very angry. Lex takes Arthur captive and tortures him. He wants to find out how he can breathe under water and who he's working with. Clark rescues AC and together they destroy the weapon during the demonstration for the Navy. Lex tries to lie to Clark about what Leviathan did, but Clark's not buying Lex's lies anymore. Clark finally agrees to become Fine's research assistant on that book, expressing a desire to help uncover the truth about Luthorcorp. After a tearful goodbye with Lois, AC swims off into the sunset. Lois confesses to Clark that she hopes she can meet another super someone like Arthur someday. Clark, stupidly, assures her that she will. Review: Arthur Curry, better known as Aquaman, is a member of the Justice League in the comics but he's a superhero that doesn't really get any respect. Aside from a few failed TV show pilots and a running storyline on the HBO series, Entourage, he's never really been portrayed in live action before. If the writers wanted to get the man in orange and green right for his live-action debut, they didn't quite hit the mark on this one. Alan Ritchson had a bit of a rough start, but once he warmed up I thought he was a fairly effective (if a somewhat two-dimensional) superhero-to-be. The story was somewhat on the thin side for Arthur so I'm not sure he really had much to work with, to be honest. He also didn't spout the hip surfer dude lingo quite believably. Ritchson did far better in scenes he played with Tom Welling's Clark and Michael Rosenbaum's Lex. With them he was more intense and focused. He's got a terrific look for the part so here's hoping with a little more experience under his belt, he'll hand in a more consistent performance should he ever return to Smallville. While seeing Aquaman was fun, his first foray into the Smallville continuity was not as successful as the introduction of The Flash in last season's Run. The ham-handed and often clumsy in-jokes and the nearly endless Superman references were laid on too thick. While some were humorous, the references to the Junior Lifeguard's Association (JLA) and to Entourage were particularly funny; the nearly endless aquatic metaphors were a bit much. As uneven as the treatment of Aquaman was, scribes Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin crafted a far better presentation for Professor Milton Fine; the other DC Comics character introduced in this episode. It was an introduction equal to the acting skill of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel vet, James Marsters. From his first lines, Fine is clearly a man… err…. super-computer who will be a force to be reckoned with this season. The alter ego of comic super villain Brainiac, Fine initially seems innocuous as Clark's Introduction to World History professor. But in an impressive performance by Marsters, and with better than average dialogue to deliver, he isn't just lecturing the class. He's really telling Clark why he's there on Earth and what Clark can expect to learn from him. Fine isn't just discussing history in general; he's discussing Krypton's history. Clark's history. He tells Clark about how history isn't about just facts, but that it's also about who is telling the story and why. That could be an important distinction later when in time Brainiac relates his own facts of Krypton's history; especially if (or when) his version of the truth about the destruction of Clark's home world differs from Jor-El's. Making Brainiac Clark's mentor and a man who takes joy in challenging the teen of steel's preconceptions is brilliant. It's deliciously evil. Brainiac is a smooth as silk, multi-faceted villain. I imagine that Marsters will handle his role as teacher and corrupter of Clark with style and skill. And you've got to like a villain that quotes Groucho Marx as easily as Lex quotes Plutarch. He's a beautiful addition to the series. As Fine, Marsters didn't have much screen time. He was in only three scenes but he made excellent use of what little time he was given. In that lecture hall, he proved himself already at ease with this complex character and he gave that speech so many layers. He did a beautiful job in this episode and his Brainiac will be a joy to watch. Tom Welling, as gorgeous as ever, did an admirable job as a more pro-active Clark. He is getting more and more Supermanly each episode. He was especially effective in playing Clark's confrontations with Lex and Arthur. And Fine's testing of Clark isn't something he's used to, so Clark being kept off balance by Brainiac should add an interesting angle for Tom to play. The only complaint I have about Tom's performance this week is the false note at the end of the episode. When he told Lois she would find someone else someday, an unnecessary reference to their future lives together, the moment fell totally flat. The endless references were getting old by Erica Durance's second appearance as Lois in Gone last season. Enough already, we get it. Actually, Erica turned in a very uneven performance in Aqua. The main problem seemed to be her nearly complete lack of on-screen chemistry with Alan Ritchson. The scenes with him were at times charming while at other times almost painful to watch, yet she was supposed to be falling in love with him. Not her best episode as Lois. Michael Rosenbaum, on the other hand, was in top form. His Lex is getting more wonderfully evil with each passing episode and Michael plays him with a terrific subtlety. The moment just after Clark admitted to defending him after Lex's lame joke about a pitch fork was amazing. Michael perfectly expressed Lex's conflicting emotions and inner turmoil. His torture of the helpless and suffering Arthur was not only vindictive, it bordered on evil. I can't wait to see how Michael will play this new much more evil Lex against Marsters' Brainiac. Fine will make Lex look a rank amateur when it comes to evil-doing and having two such consummate actors in the same scene together should be pure joy to behold. This episode was beautifully shot by DP Barry Donlevy. I wish my college had classrooms as well lit as Fine's lecture hall; it would have made for a far more aesthetically pleasing university experience. I also loved the way he lit the secret lab set. Only in Smallville would a hidden evil lair be so beautiful. Kudos go to production designer David Willson for that. Less successful was Bradford May's first helming effort for Smallville. The veteran television director, alum of JAG and The Twilight Zone (the 1980's version), had made some less than ideal choices especially when it came to editing this episode. He seemed overly enamored of Ritchson's pearly whites and had long takes of him just smiling on more than one occasion. More perplexing was the end of the third act with a longer than necessary take of the dart stuck into Arthur's neck. What was the purpose of that? The episode's pacing was also wildly uneven. The interactions between the characters at times became oddly stilted. There were at times uncomfortable pauses in conversations that weren't cut. Although I didn't love this episode, it had a lot of things in it that I did love; most particularly the brilliant introduction of new villain Brainiac and James Marsters' entry into the Smallville Universe. That was enough to grade this one on a curve… 4 laps around Crater Lake out of a possible 5. Of Special Note: Although she didn't appear in the episode, Annette O'Toole did present a public service announcement for the Christopher Reeve Foundation. It's been a year since his loss. She said that in honor of Reeve, the CRF has made available special metal Superman tags. I have a set and I highly recommend them. Not only are they handsome, high quality keepsakes to honor Reeve but your purchase will help support the Christopher Reeve Foundation. Please visit ChristopherReeve.org to order your own set today. Go forward.
23/10/05
Who is your favorite TV vampire?
Vote @ http://online.tvguide.com/special/halloween2005/
23/10/05
YOUR PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED
A limited number of extra downstairs tickets have been released for the sold-out concert date at St James's Church in London next Friday.
There has been overwhelming demand for tickets at the popular venue and an extra 20 tickets, located downstairs, have now been released. They will be sold on a first come first served basis. Tickets available from 0870 163 333.
Next week's London dates are likely to be the last chance to see James in the UK for a while because of other work commitments.
James Marsters Live
22/10/05
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Audio:
Actor James Marsters of "Buffy" & "Angel"
Actor James Marsters, famous for his years playing the duplicitous vampire Spike on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel,” can’t seem to get enough of villains- he plays one yet again as Braniac on the WB series “Smallville.”
Bob was shocked to see that James is actually a California boy. (As Spike, James sported a British accent… a very REAL sounding accent, we add…)
James was excited to be talking to us in Seattle- he told us he produces theater in Seattle.
“Yeah, I had a theater in Pioneer Square,” James
“Ahh, Pioneer Square… good place to be… when it’s LIGHT outside,” Bob said, referring to the “incident” outside of a bar there that left Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin in a hospital.
“First off, the fake accents- you are impressive at doing them…”
But only because he’s been doing it so long, he was quick to correct us. He sucked at it at first.
“What appeals to you about ‘Smallville” and being a villain?” Bob asked.
James told us it was far more fun to play the villain. “It’s more fun to go through a fantasy that you really don’t have in normal life.” He even demonstrated his “evil” laugh for us. Enticing…
We chatted with James about his new role on “Smallville,” which happens to be a tough time slot, as Bob pointed out. (Thursdays at 8 p.m.)
“But we killed, didn’t we?” James pointed out the show’s success. And in fact, it did do extremely well in its time slot.
Suddenly, a nasal-y female voice cut through the line. She kind of sounded like the “Office Space” receptionist… only this time she wasn’t talking about having a case of the Mondays:
“OK, Mr. Marster? OK, the time for the interview is up.”
It seems we were supposed to be done with the interview at 7:50, and it was precisely 7:50 and 3 seconds.
You’d think we would have been thrown off by this… but nooo… you’re forgetting we’re professionals. Just take our beloved Spike’s reaction:
“Who’s your little dominatrix, there?” he asked, sounding 90% joking and 10% creepy.
Oh, that Spike.
22/10/05
"Aqua" Another Ratings Success
The WB has touted the new WB Thursday as "the scheduling move of the season." They've put out a press release about the success of the October 20 episode. Here it is:
THE WB ACHIEVES ITS HIGHEST THURSDAY RATINGS IN THE HISTORY OF THE NETWORK AMONG MEN WHILE “SMALLVILLE” IS #1 IN MEN 18-34 FOR THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE WEEK AND RANKS #2 AMONG ADULTS 18-34, PERSONS 12-34 AND MEN 18-49
“SMALLVILLE” SETS THURSDAY NIGHT AND TIME PERIOD RECORDS
“EVERWOOD” SCORES SEASON BEST AMONG PERSONS 12-34, WOMEN 18-34 AND WOMEN 12-34 AND IS #3 ACROSS THE 18-34 AND 12-34 DEMOS
BOTH SERIES DELIVER TREMENDOUS GAINS COMPARED TO THE PARALLEL WEEK LAST SEASON
The WB Thursday continues to establish itself as the best scheduling move made by any network this season. The aggressive move of the two signature series, SMALLVILLE and EVERWOOD, to build a beachhead on one of television's toughest nights again paid major dividends and achieved THE WB'S BEST-EVER RATINGS IN MEN 12-34 (2.4/8) AND EQUALED THE NETWORK HIGH IN MEN 18-49 (2.2/6).
SMALLVILLE has consistently been one of the winners on the night this season, achieving a #1 rank in men 18-34 (3.5/12) for the fourth time in as many weeks this season. The super series also placed #1 in men 12-34 (3.6/12) and #2 among adults 18-34 (3.1/10), persons 12-34 (3.1/10) and men 18-49 (3.3/10).
SMALLVILLE set new WB Thursday records in males 12-34 (3.6/12) and men 18-49 (3.3/10) and equaled the all-time high in men 18-34 (3.5/12). SMALLVILLE also set new Thursday time period records in persons 12-34 (3.1/10), adults 18-49 (2.9/8) and total viewers (6.4 million), while delivering the time period record in adults 18-34 (3.1/10). The show built sharply week-to-week across all demos, and continues to more than double the time period deliveries of a year ago in adults 18-34, adults 18-49 and persons 12-34.
EVERWOOD scored season high deliveries in women 12-34 (2.0/6), female teens (2.3/8), teens 12-17 (2.0/7) and male teens (1.7/6), and equaled its season highs in persons 12-34 (1.6/5) and women 18-34 (2.0/5). The show ranked #3 in its time period across all 12-34 and 18-34 demos, as well as women 18-49. EVERWOOD has also improved the time period tremendously, growing over the parallel night a year ago by +114% in adults 18-34 and +150% in adults 18-49.
The WB Thursday achieved triple-digit growth across nearly every key demo, including +156% in adults 18-34, +118% in persons 12-34 and +120% in adults 18-49. The network ranked #2 on the night in men 12-34 (2.4/8) and was #3 on the night in adults 18-34 (2.3/7), women 18-34 (2.3/6), men 18-34 (2.2/7), persons 12-34 (2.4/7), females 12-34 (2.4/7), adults 18-49 (2.2/6) and men 18-49 (2.2/6).
22/10/05
"Aqua" Ratings!
Smallville swam ahead of FOX this week, as they showed repeats of their doomed show Reunion and got their lowest numbers yet. The lack of baseball or The OC did, however, do Smallville some good, as it and Survivor are the only shows this week that improved.
The WB will most likely be making an announcement, but it is expected that the show did very well in its target demographics.
Here's the overnight-ratings breakdown.
4.4/7
(4.3/7) 1.9/3
(R) (N/A)
(R) denotes repeat airing
22/10/05
Episode #5-8: "Solitude" Air Date: November 17, 2005
The WB's Official Description:
- About this episode and "Splinter," which precedes it: "All I will say is they're Brainiac's first attempt to get Clark to do what he wants," Executive Producer Alfred Gough told us in this interview.
22/10/05
Episode #5-7: "Splinter" Air Date: November 10, 2005
The WB's Official Description:
- 9/27/05: Since it doesn't seem we're going to be getting as detailed of spoilers as we used to, this is all we've got, thanks to tipster "Pete": "Today, I was at UBC, and I saw Smallville filming! Chloe is at the Central Kansas College, in front of the "History Department" making a phone call at a public phone booth. I asked an actor, and he only told me that this is about a stalker situation!?" We're assuming the filming he is referring to is for "Splinter." (Though if anyone knows better and can correct us, send some e-mail!)
- Executive Producer Alfred Gough revealed in TV Guide that Lex may hit on Lana in the November 10 episode. This episode and the following one will feature a confrontation between Clark and Brainiac.
- Ask Ausiello at TV Guide Online revealed that this episode introduces Silver Kryptonite. What does it do? It makes Clark a bit paranoid. "He imagines his worst fears coming to light," Ausiello teases. Sounds almost like a kryptonite answer to what happened in "Scare" last year!
- About this episode and "Solitude," which follows it: "All I will say is they're Brainiac's first attempt to get Clark to do what he wants," Executive Producer Alfred Gough told us in this interview.
22/10/05
The WB's Official Description: "Solitude"
PROFESSOR FINE CONVINCES CLARK TO DESTROY THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE – After Martha (Annette O'Toole) contracts a strange disease and is given hours to live, Clark (Tom Welling) turns to Professor Fine (guest star James Marsters), who convinces Clark that Jor-El is the one responsible for her illness and the only way to save her is to destroy the Fortress of Solitude. However, once the two arrive at the Fortress, Professor Fine tries to free Zod and kill Clark.
"Solitude" airs on November 17!
22/10/05
The WB's Official Description: "Splinter"
CLARK IS EXPOSED TO SILVER KRYPTONITE – Clark (Tom Welling) is exposed to silver kryptonite, causing him to have paranoid delusions. The silver kryptonite makes him believe that Chloe (Allison Mack) is going to reveal his secret, Jonathan (John Schneider) is scheming against him with Lionel (John Glover) and Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) and Lana (Kristin Kreuk) are having a secret relationship. Chloe and the Kents frantically search for a cure, but it is Professor Fine (guest star James Marsters) who comes to Clark's rescue – although not without an agenda.
"Splinter" airs on November 10!
22/10/05
SMALLVILLE FOR NOVEMBER SWEEPS
The WB has released details of the November sweeps episodes of Smallville.
Following is a rundown:
"Exposed" on Thursday, Nov. 3.
Clark (Tom Welling) and Jonathan (John Schneider) are thrilled when Senator Jake Jennings (guest-star Tom Wopat), Jonathan's oldest friend, arrives at the Kent farm looking for support in his re-election campaign. However, after a young girl turns up dead, it is revealed that she was a stripper and Jennings¹ mistress, which makes him the prime suspect. Searching for answers, Chloe (Allison Mack) convinces Lois (Erica Durance) to go undercover as a stripper.
"Splinter" on Thursday, Nov. 10.
Clark is exposed to silver kryptonite, causing him to have paranoid delusions. The silver kryptonite makes him believe that Chloe is going to reveal his secret, Jonathan is scheming against him with Lionel (John Glover) and Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) and Lana (Kristin Kreuk) are having a secret relationship. Chloe and the Kents frantically search for a cure, but it is Professor Fine (James Marsters) who comes to Clark's rescue although not without an agenda.
"Solitude" on Thursday, Nov. 17.
After Martha (Annette O'Toole) contracts a strange disease and is given hours to live, Clark turns to Professor Fine, who convinces Clark that Jor-El is the one responsible for her illness and the only way to save her is to destroy the Fortress of Solitude. However, once the two arrive at the Fortress, Professor Fine tries to free Zod and kill Clark.
21/10/05
Please note the interview with Al Gough, the executive producer of “Smallville”, in the upcoming TV Guide (October 24 – 30, 2005). You can also check it out on line at www.tvguide.com/insider He gives a little tease about upcoming episodes involving James’ character, ‘Brainiac’.
21/10/05
JAMES MARSTERS INTERVIEW
James Marsters joins the cast of SMALLVILLE for multiple episodes. Marsters will portray Brainiac, a classic DC Comics villain and one of the Man-of-Steel's most formidable enemies.
Marsters plays college professor Milton Fine, alter ego of the uber-villain Brainiac. Possessed of a vast, superior knowledge limited only by his hubris and emotions, Brainiac comes to earth armed with a secret about Clark's biological family and the truth about Krypton's demise. Brainiac's presence in Smallville will have a devastating effect on Clark and Lex's already deteriorating friendship.
***A NOTE TO MY SMALLVILLE MESSAGE BOARD PEEPS***
I only had a few minutes with James but I did ask him some of your questions. I could not get to everyones because The WB only gave me 5 minutes to quickly chat. I went a litte over and I think you guys should like the interview.
-Greg
Instructions for listening to the interview
You must right click on the text and "save target as". Then save it to your desktop. It may take a few to download but please be patient.
You can read a transcript of the interview @ http://www.livejournal.com/users/sarahlynnl/105180.html
21/10/05
Idsanty
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Smallville
CARRIE FISHER ("Star Wars") GUEST STARS AS EDITOR OF THE DAILY PLANET - Lana (Kristin Kreuk) decides to enroll at Metropolis University at the last minute and is forced to join a sorority to find housing at such a late date. However, her new sorority sisters offer her more than a place to crash after they turn her into a vampire and instruct her to kill Clark (Tom Welling). Meanwhile, Chloe (Allison Mack) applies for an internship at the Daily Planet, but the newspaper's formidable editor (guest star Carrie Fisher) may be more then she can handle. Michael Rosenbaum, Erica Durance, John Glover, Annette O'Toole and John Schneider also guest star. Steven S. DeKnight wrote the episode directed by Jeannot Szwarc
21/10/05
Here's a screencap from the below trailer for "Thirst" (#5.5).
21/10/05
"Thirst" Trailer...
Oct 21, 2005 - 4:00 AM - by Nu-J
The trailer for "Thirst" aired tonight following Smallville's New Episode, Aqua.
Click Here to watch it!
NOTE: You must right click it and then click save as to save it.
20/10/05
What to watch Thursday night
TV Tonight
20/10/05
From drozymandias: This is probably Smallville's best start ever. Are they gonna keep bringing the good?
17/10/05
Some higher quality and tagless versions of more of James' "Aqua" pics:
17/10/05
Found this untagged version of the first promo pic we saw:
16/10/05
SPIKE VS. DRACULA #1
Written by Peter David, art by Joe Corroney, covers by Corroney, Eric Wight, Zach Howard and Sean Murphy.
Presenting the first chapter of a five-part Spike saga spanning centuries! A hundred and twenty years ago, a tribe of gypsies inflicted a terrible curse upon the vampire known as Angelus... a curse that brought a terrible vengeance upon the tribe in the form of Angelus's family: Darla, Drusilla, and most notably, William the Bloody, a.k.a. "Spike." But the gypsy clan has a dark and powerful supporter: Count Dracula. Outraged over the slaughter of the gypsies, Dracula seeks revenge upon the three vampires... and thus begins a rivalry between Spike and Dracula that will cover decades. A rivalry steeped in blood... honor... and eleven quid. Corroney will also provide covers for all five issues, as will variant cover artists Zach Howard, Sean Murphy, and Eric Wight.
32 pages, $3.99.
ANGEL: OLD FRIENDS #4
Written by Jeff Mariotte, art by David Messina, covers by Messina, Lee Kohse, Tone Rodriguez and Russell Walks.
As Angel and friends get closer to finding out who is playing tricks on them -- and why -- L.A.'s mean streets get a little meaner. Who will survive, and who won't? The penultimate issue of Old Friends is guaranteed to surprise Angel fans everywhere! Written by Angel novelist and comics writer Jeff Mariotte with full art and colors once again provided by David Messina. Variant covers for this issue will be provided by Lee Kohse, Tone Rodriguez, and Russell Walks.
32 pages, $3.99.
16/10/05
ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL TICKET COLLECTION
If you have ordered tickets from the Royal Festival Hall for James Marsters' events in October that need to be collected, you can pick them up at all of the London events from the ticket collection point.
Tickets can be collected for all the events on the evening of the performances from:
WORDS & MUSIC
Performances for Words & Music will start at 2pm and 7pm.
The production is expected to run for two hours plus a thirty minute interval. Please be aware that all running times are approximate.
Any gifts for James Marsters may be handed to his manager, Steve Himber, at the event.
There is a free cloakroom and you are reminded that all coats, bags, cameras and mobile phones must be left there.
James Marsters Live
16/10/05
From Spike to Smallville
Saturday, October 15, 2005
James Marsters is ready to wreak havoc again.
He previously joined the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in its second season as Spike, a deadly but wisecracking vampire. It was meant to be a brief role, but Spike proved so popular that he kept coming back, and eventually became a regular, sticking with the show until it ended. Then Marsters moved to the spinoff Angel for its fifth and final season.
Now he's joining the cast of another fantasy-oriented series, WB's Smallville.
The series follows the adventures of young Clark Kent (Tom Welling), a teenager who will eventually grow up to be Superman. At the end of the fourth season, Clark graduated from high school. In season five, he has begun attending a university in Kansas.
Marsters plays Professor Milton Fine, one of Clark's teachers.
"He's a political-science teacher, trying to show his students that we're not all good guys," Marsters said by phone from a hotel room in Vancouver, where Smallville is filmed. "He's doing it for Clark's benefit. He's got plans for that young man, and he knows exactly what his powers are.
"He's trying to turn (Clark) against the human race. Human beings, from Professor Fine's viewpoint, are ruining the planet and will be gone in 100 years.... He thinks this is an infestation, this is not a truly intelligent race."
Viewers already know that there's more to Professor Fine than he lets on. He was seen in the season premiere earlier this month emerging from a crashed UFO. And comic-book fans know that Milton Fine is the alter ego of Brainiac, a highly intelligent alien android. It may take Clark a while to figure that out, though; Marsters has already signed on to be in 10 of the season's 22 episodes.
One thing that drew Marsters to the role was the fact that Professor Fine/Brainiac is quite a different character from Spike.
"One important thing is that Brainiac is always smiling," he said. "He's so good at what he does, he's enjoying himself.... He's a very intelligent character. Spike was not stupid, but I don't think his hallmark quality was vast reserves of intelligence - charm, good hair, maybe, but not intelligence.
"And this man is very good at lying, which Spike never was."
He also appreciated the fact that the character's scheme doesn't involve a simple slugfest.
"The more interesting thing to do is not to attack (Clark) physically, because he's invulnerable," he said. "Attacking his mind and his confidence is a much stealthier move."
So far, fans have caught only a glimpse of Professor Fine. But he plays a more prominent role starting with the next episode, "Aqua," which will be shown at 8 p.m. Thursday on WB.
Marsters, 43, has been successful on television, but his first love remains the stage. Later this month, he will fly to England for a three-day run on the London stage in a play called Teechers.
"It's an hour-and-a-half to three-hour magic trick," he said of stage work. "You have to cast a spell, you have to take the audience somewhere else."
He has not done a play for about three or four years because of other acting demands. But he doesn't regret his TV roles.
"Spike was the 'funnest' thing of all," he said with a laugh. "It's like having the best role in the play in the whole season every day. You just hope for one a season, that one role that pops like that."
When viewers last saw Spike in the season finale of Angel in 2004, the character was facing down an army of demons. His final fate is unknown, but there has been speculation that WB may commission a new TV movie with Spike.
Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy and Angel, "has come to me twice about it," Marsters said. "He said he didn't have any ideas, nothing was really happening, but, if anything were to happen, would I be interested? Both times I gave him the same answer: Yes, hell, yes, but we've got to do it within five years. Because Spike doesn't age, and I do."
• Tim Clodfelter can be reached at 727-7371 or at tclodfelter@wsjournal.com
15/10/05
TV Guide's "Thirst" Description!
Lana pledges a sorority, unaware that its members are vampires. Elsewhere, Chloe sets out to impress the Daily Planet's editor-in-chief (Carrie Fisher); and Lex threatens to have Prof. Fine (James Marsters) fired if he continues to research LuthorCorp.
Thanks to the_real_lois_lane
15/10/05
Here are some more pics of James' appearance in "Aqua:"
13/10/05
WARNING!
This DVD is formatted for playback on PAL systems
(Australia / Europe). This DVD may NOT
be viewable in countries with the NTSC system. (US /
Canada)
13/10/05
Cool Money
List Price:
This title is also available for rental.
Release date: December 12, 2005. Not yet available: you may still order this title. We will dispatch it to you when it is released by the studio.
Region 2 encoding (Europe, Japan, South Africa and the Middle East including Egypt). Read more about DVD formats.
Classification: To be announced
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Information
Release Information:
Edition Details:
13/10/05
Question: Can you please bestow some Smallville news upon us? — Mary
Ausiello: First off, the show is kicking ass on Thursday nights. We're talking triple-digit gains over what WB had been averaging on Thursday nights last fall. It has also reclaimed its position as WB's most-watched show, a miraculous feat considering its formidable competition on that night. And wait until you see what producers have in store for sweeps. On second thought, don't wait — just keep reading! (SPOILER ALERT!) Tensions between Clark and Braniac spike, culminating in an explosive fight; look for Lois to go undercover as a stripper to investigate the murder of a young girl; Martha contracts a mysterious disease from the planet Krypton and is given hours to live; and we'll find out what happens when Clark has a run-in with Silver Kryptonite (read: paranoid much, Clark?).
13/10/05
Smallville playing hide and seek on A-Channel
It appears that a lot of viewers are wondering what happened to the season 5 of Smallville on A-Channel. After premiering the show on october 1st, the show didn't air as scheduled on saturday.
Most fans of the series sat down saturday @ 7pm on A-Channel only to find out that The Dead Zone was airing in it's place.
It seems that an on-air scoller mentionned that Smallville would air on monday but a lot of people seemd to have missed it as we've received quite a few e-mails concerning this.
So after checking with their advanced listings that we receive for our "Primetime Tonight" feature on the main page (that is currently unavailable but will return in november), we discovered that for the next three weeks (at least), Smallville will air Mondays @ 9pm (local time) because Just Legal, who previously aired on this timeslot has been canceled late last week by The WB.
Filling the empty timeslot left by the move of Smallville on all A-Channels (except A-Channel Victoria/Vancouver), Access Hollywood - Week-end edition will move ahead to 7pm to make room for The Dead Zone @ 5pm.
For A-Channel Victoria/Vancouver which previously aired Smallville sundays @ 6pm, The Dead Zone will air in it's place. The Week-end edition of Access Hollywood doens't air on the Victoria station.
This change for Smallville is effective until further notice for all A-Channels.
Here's the episodes that will air over the next followig weeks:
You can also catch Smallville on Space, sundays @ 7pm
12/10/05
Some higher quality and tagless versions of James' "Aqua" pics:
12/10/05
These are the first official pics released of James' appearance in the Smallville episode "Aqua" (#5.4). Enjoy!
10/10/05
Video interview of James talking Brainiac/Smallville can be seen @ http://www.wbnx.com/shows/smlvl/smallville.htm!
10/10/05
SPIKE: OLD WOUNDS
Written by Scott Tipton, art and cover by Fernando Goni.
Is Spike's past coming back to haunt him? When a retired L.A. detective accuses Spike of a decades-old murder, the former William the Bloody finds himself on the run and forced to try to solve the most infamous unsolved crime in Los Angeles history. Where will he turn for help? What was Spike up to in 1947? And what do those monster-slaying luchadores Los Hermanos Numeros have to do with it? It's all-out action in the City of Angels,
48 pages, $7.49.
10/10/05
James Marsters In Smallville Magazine #11
Issue #11 of the Official Smallville Magazine is now hitting newsstands. It offers a comprehensive look at what's to come in Season 5, and interviews with folks like Tom Welling and new cast addition James Marsters.
Abbie Bernstein talks to Marsters a news extra, where he talks about playing Brainiac on the show. Here are some highlights.
About his character of Brainiac:
On why working on Smallville was appealing to him:
Read more in Smallville Magazine #11, now hitting newsstands!
If you'd like a copy of Smallville Magazine, check your local newsstand or bookstore, visit http://www.titanmagazines.com/us, or contact Express Mags at 1-877-363-1310.
10/10/05
SLIPPERY SLOPE:
Former "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" costar James Marsters injured his ankle on the set of "Smallville" in Vancouver last week, when he was busy "having a fight in the Fortress of Solitude" -- as in Superman's famous ice-bound getaway. It's made of wood and paint and plastic for television purposes, but slippery nonetheless. "They gave me these beautiful $2,000 prop shoes to wear. They were probably designed for people who don't run much," notes Marsters. He spent the next day with his ankle on ice for real, watching it "turn interesting shades of purple." However, "I was up 30 seconds after I fell, running on it. You always get the shot; you can't compromise that," he says.
Outside of the pain, "I'm loving it," he says of his new series incarnation. "I had such a good meeting with the producers initially. They had passionate ideas about what they wanted to do, a laser clear objective. That's unusual."
Marsters has come aboard to play arch villain Brainiac in the series, but for now, he'd rather just talk about Brainiac's alter-ego, Professor Milton Fine. "I am trying to wake Clark Kent up," he says wryly. "Like many political science professors, I am trying to open my students' minds."
Marsters will complete one set of "Smallville" episodes, then head to London to do a one-man show -- which he describes as being about "why I love acting, I suppose" -- before returning to shoot more episodes.
The Don't Kill Spike Club is owned and operated by Jamie Marsters.
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