T-dot Hot Links: September 2011

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

‘Dexter’ Season 6 Previews: “Tragedy Strikes” and “Guest Stars”

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The people behind the marketing for Dexter certainly haven’t been shy about showing off their wares. I feel like we already have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Season 6, thanks to all the featurettes, trailers, teasers, casting announcements, etc. Then again, knowing this show, I’m sure it’s got plenty more surprises and twists up its sleeve.

With just less than a week to go til the return of the series, we have two more previews that tease some of the plot points we’ll be seeing in Season 6. The first, “Guest Stars,” offers a glimpse at what we’ll be seeing from the new characters who’ll be facing off against Dexter (Michael C. Hall) this year; the second, “Tragedy Strikes,” shows everyone’s favorite serial killer at a low point, injured and reaching out for help. Watch them both after the jump.

First, here’s “Guest Stars.” The featurette was originally released earlier this month, but we felt it worth bringing it to your attention in case you missed it the first time around — there’s a lot of tantalizing info here:

Dexter’s lined up an intriguing roster of guest stars for its upcoming season, so I’ll be interested to see what they bring to the show. I’m especially looking forward to seeing what Edward James Olmos can do with the very, very creepy Professor Gellar — I realize this is very premature, but considering Olmos’ talents, and considering that Dexter reliably gets nominated from year to year, I wouldn’t be surprised if he got an Emmy nod come 2012.

In addition to Olmos, there’s also Mos Def as former criminal and potential victim Brother Sam; Colin Hanks as Gellar’s equally twisted acolyte Travis; Aimee Garcia as Dexter’s new nanny and Angel’s sister, Jamie Batista; and Billy Brown as no-nonsense Chicago cop Mike Anderson.

Next, “Tragedy Strikes”:

Poor Dexter. Serial killer or no, it’s gotta hurt to get stabbed in the stomach.

The sixth season of Dexter kicks off Sunday, October 2 at 9 PM on Showtime.

Synopsis:

The explosively popular DEXTER® is back with a vengeance for a sixth season of startling suspense and unexpected twists. It’s been a year since last season’s shocking and heartbreaking conclusion, and mild mannered criminologist-cum-grisly serial killer Dexter Morgan has come to terms with who he is. But his existence is shattered when he crosses paths with an enemy unlike any he’s faced before. A delusional religious zealot with unflinching convictions, this new adversary soon draws Dexter into a dangerous game that could well end in disaster.

First ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 2 Teaser Reveals Pretty Much Nothing, But We’re Excited Anyway

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HBO’s epic fantasy series Game of Thrones was such a big hit when it premiered this past spring that the network renewed it for a second season just days after the first episode aired. But it’s been a long three months since the first season ended, and with the advent of the fall TV season, even the most diehard fans probably haven’t thought about the series in quite some time.

In an effort to remind you of just how much you’re looking forward to Season 2, HBO has released a very short new teaser. The video reveals pretty much nothing, aside from what seems to be the marketing slogan for the new season, but I welcome the reminder all the same. Watch it after the jump.

The 17-second teaser not only has no new footage, there’s actually no footage at all, despite the fact that the series has been shooting since earlier this summer. Having read George R.R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels, on which the show is based, I can tell you that the tagline comes from a character who’s new to Season 2 — the beautiful and mysterious sorceress Melisandre of Asshai (Carice van Houten). However, I have no explanation as to why the voice that’s saying it sounds so Voldemort-esque.

Season 2 of the series will pick up where Season 1 left off, with various characters angling for power in the Seven Kingdoms while supernatural forces approach. In addition, the second season will introduce a host of new characters and locales. Among the actors who’ve been newly cast for Season 2 are:

Nonso Anozie as Xaro Xhoan Daxos
Oona Chaplin as Jeyne Westerling
Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth
Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth
Ben Crompton as Dolorous Edd Tollet
Karl Davies as Alton Lannister (character does not exist in the novels, though fans speculate that he may be replacing the book character Cleos Frey)
Oliver Ford Davies as Maester Cressen
Stephen Dillane as Stannis Baratheon
Natalie Dormer as Lady Margaery Tyrell
Roy Dotrice as Hallyne
Ian Hanmore as Pyat Pree
Kerr Logan as Matthos Seaworth
Patrick Malahide as Balon Greyjoy
Michael McElhatton as Roose Bolton
Fintan McKeown as Ser Amory Loach
Lucian Msamati as Salladhor Saan
Hannah Murray as Gilly
Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne
Robert Pugh as Craster
Carice van Houten as Melisandre of Asshai
Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy (called Asha in the books)
Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H’ghar

Much of the Season 1 cast is expected to return as well. I won’t say which ones, lest I give away which characters have perished or become otherwise indisposed, but I will say that the first season starred Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Kit Harrington, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Harry Lloyd, Alfie Allen, Rory McCann, Iain Glen, Jason Momoa, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Jack Gleeson, and Peter Dinklage, who recently won an Emmy for his role as Tyrion Lannister.

Here’s the Amazon synopsis for A Clash of Kings, the second volume of Martin’s series and the book upon which the second season of Game of Thrones will be based. Be warned that major spoilers for Season 1 / Book 1 are below — if you’re not caught up, you’d best avert your eyes.

The Seven Kingdoms have come apart. Joffrey, Queen Cersei’s sadistic son, ascends the Iron Throne following the death of Robert Baratheon, the Usurper, who won it in battle. Queen Cersei’s family, the Lannisters, fight to hold it for him. Both the dour Stannis and the charismatic Renly Baratheon, Robert’s brothers, also seek the throne. Robb Stark, declared King in the North, battles to avenge his father’s execution and retrieve his sister from Joffrey’s court. Daenerys, the exiled last heir of the former ruling family, nurtures three dragons and seeks a way home. Meanwhile the Night’s Watch, sworn to protect the realm from dangers north of the Wall, dwindle in numbers, even as barbarian forces gather and beings out of legend stalk the Haunted Forest.

And if you can’t remember where Season 1 ended, here’s a spoiler-filled recap of the story so far:

Game of Thrones will return to HBO for its ten-episode second season in Spring 2012.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

‘Source Code’ Being Developed Into a TV Series by CBS

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In Duncan Jones’s sci-fi thriller Source Code, the “source code” itself is a technology that can send a living person back in time to relive the last 8 minutes of another person’s life. In that time, the user can attempt to find clues as to how or why the person they’re inhabiting died. The film uses this conceit to solve a terrorist attack and stop potential ones but you’d have to think, if this technology really existed, there would be millions of possible applications. CBS is hoping for just a few dozen a season because they just purchased the rights to develop Source Code into a television series. More after the jump.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of this deal. The show will be produced by Mark Gordon (Grey’s Anatomy) who also produced the movie and, just like in the movie, the show will follow a top secret agency that sends agents back through time to live the final 8 minutes of someone’s life who died in a tragic event with the hopes to solve it.

So basically it’s C.S.I: Sci-Fi.

While the Source Code idea is obviously ripe for a television crime drama, what I’m curious about is whether or not the show will embrace the ending of the movie.

SOURCE CODE SPOILERS FOLLOW.

At the end of Source Code, it’s revealed that each time someone goes back in time, it has the potential to create an alternative dimension. For a better explanation, check out this post. If the show embraces that second level concept, it could not only bring in the C.S.I and Law & Order fans, but the Fringe and Lost fans as well. Then again, it’s CBS, the station who thinks geeks are like in The Big Bang Theory, so I have little faith. It’ll be cool either way, but if they went all the way, it could be amazing.

What are you thoughts on Source Code the TV show?

Friday, September 16, 2011

'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart': all about Solyndra

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This is turning out to be quite a bad week for President Barack Obama. Just a matter of days after seemingly winning back the approval of many via his American Jobs Acts plan, he now has to deal with one...

Thursday, September 15, 2011

2011 Emmy Awards: Complete guide to TV’s biggest night of the year

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It’s almost Emmy time, so here’s a complete guide to the 2011 Emmy Awards. Jane Lynch from Glee is this year’s host and she promises to be anything but boring. Reality king Mark Burnett...

'The Good Wife:' Michael J. Fox to reprise role on hit show

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The superstar actor, Michael J. Fox is making headlines this week over the news that he will be making a return to The Good Wife. As fans will recall, the actor has appeared on the show a few times, and...

'Hawaii Five-0' season 2: what other 'Lost' alum is joining the show?

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It's quickly turning out that "Hawaii Five-0" is becoming a hotbed for former stars of "Lost." Daniel Dae Kim is already a series regular on the show, and we have already heard that...

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

TV Guide hints at things to come in Castle season 4

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In addition to the new photo featured on the left of this article, the following tidbit was released in TVGuide to give viewers a sneak peak on what is to come this season on Castle.What's next: Let...

Monday, September 12, 2011

TV News: Trek, Alphas, Anarchy, Archer

Published on Dark Horizons - General Feed | shared via feedly

Star Trek: The Next Generation
They did it for the original series, now Paramount & CBS look to be having a go at a high-def restoration of select episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" for a Blu-ray sampler release.

The Digital Bits indicates that episodes being included are the double-length "Encounter at Farpoint" pilot, the much acclaimed fifth season episode "The Inner Light" and the Worf-centric "Sins of the Father". No date is set as yet but it's likely to be near Christmas - a German site has indicated a mid-December release in that country.

While the HD update of the original series was an undertaking, Next Gen's restorations require a much more exhaustive overhaul. Though shot on 35mm film, episodes were converted to 480i video for editing and post production - including visual effects.

Neither Paramount or CBS are confirming the news at this time, though series actor Levar Burton revealed on Twitter last week that he had visited CBS "to see how the TNG conversion to HD for Blue Ray was coming along… #mindblown".

Alphas
Syfy has renewed its freshman drama "Alphas" for a second season.

The show follows a group of ordinary people whose unique neurological condition equips them with extraordinary physical abilities. [Source: EW]

Sons of Anarchy
Fans of the FX drama “Sons of Anarchy” gave the show its highest ratings ever with 4.9 million total viewers and 3.2 million adults in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic tuning in for the fourth season premiere.

That figure is up more than 19% in total viewers and 17% in the key demo over last season’s premiere. FX expects that when the final numbers are in, it will be the most watched original series episode in the cable channel’s history. [Source: NY Times]

Archer
The best animated series on television right now, "Archer" returns for a special airing of three all new episodes on September 15th. Now a promo for that batch has gone online which you can see below:

Mythbusters new episodes on Discovery for fall 2011

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Mythbusters returns for another season of explosive sciency-y goodness on Wednesday, September 28, 2011, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, according to information from Discovery Network. Mythbusters hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage return, along with Tory...

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Early September sunset sets Toronto skies ablaze

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September Sunset Toronto They might not be as exciting as lightning storms, but every once in a while Toronto is graced with a sunset that draws the attention of just about anyone with a view to the west, of which last night's was a prime example. It wasn't particularly noteworthy to begin with, but about 15 minutes after the sun dipped below the horizon — say at about 8 p.m. — the sky became as saturated as I've seen all summer. For a few minutes it was so spectacular that I suspect even those who think sunset-gawking is hopelessly cliché would have found the act irresistible. Fortunately, a number of photographers were well situated to capture the proceedings and posted their results in the blogTO Flickr pool for us to share. Lead photo by ~EvidencE~.

More Photos:

September Sunset Toronto Also by ~EvidencE~

September Sunset Toronto Photo by Matt Naporowski

September Sunset Toronto Photo by Mike Brown

September Sunset Toronto Photo by stillsinflux

September Sunset Toronto Photo by Badger416

September Sunset Toronto Photo by Cobby17

September Sunset Toronto Cobby17

September Sunset Toronto Photo by Mi*Li

Friday, September 9, 2011

TV News: Locke, Lesbo, Sorkin

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Fox dumped it, Syfy turned it down, but now MTV is reportedly curious about the potential of a "Locke and Key" mini-series after the successful pilot screening at Comic Con and the leaked online promo trailer reports Deadline.

Meanwhile Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are set to produce the sitcom "My Best Friend Is a Lesbo" for NBC. The comedy revolves around two female best friends, one gay and one straight, who help one another navigate life, love and dating in Los Angeles.

Finally, The Huffington Post says that Aaron Sorkin's TV pilot about a cable news network has been picked up for series by HBO.

The initial 10-episode run has Jeff Daniels playing a news anchor fighting the uphill good fight. Sam Waterson, Emily Mortimer, Olivia Munn and Dev Patel also star.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

New Bathurst club picks up where The Social left off

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Bathurst Club Toronto Social The Social is no more and Parts & Labour lost their chef, but that hasn't stopped owner Richard Lambert opening the vault for a massive new club and event venue on Lower Bathurst. Found in the former home of what once was Sixty-9, this new late night destination has already booked in TIFF parties, Mark Farina and Little Dragon.

Read my profile of The Hoxton in the bars section.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

TV Trailers: Patricia Clarkson on ‘Parks & Recreation’, Plus ‘Community’ and ‘Glee’

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Sad as I am to see summer go, there is something I’m really looking forward to about the coming months, and that is the advent of the television’s regular season. After a long summer away from my imaginary friends in Pawnee, Greendale, and Lima, I’m eager to check back in and see what the new premieres have to offer. Hit the jump to see:

The beginnings of a triple-Tammy drink-off in a preview for Parks & Recreation Season 4
Greendale Community College literally dancing for joy in the promo for Community Season 3
Those crazy New Directions kids up to their usual tricks again in a spot for Glee Season 3

If, like me, you’ve been dying all summer to get a glimpse of Tammy 1 (Patricia Clarkson), you’ll definitely want to check out this extended preview for the fourth season of Parks & Recreation. Among teases of several other plot points, we get our first looks at Tammy 1 and the recently announced Tammy 0 (Paula Pell), mother of Ron Motherfucking Swanson (Nick Offerman). As it turns out, Tammy 2 (Megan Mullally) is actually the nice one of the bunch. An upcoming episode will see the three women face off in an “old-fashioned prairie drinking contest,” while Leslie gets caught in the crossfire.

[Flash 10 is required to watch video]

(I’m told you can also download the preview for free on Amazon, but it’s not working for me at all.)

I exaggerate only slightly when I say that my face looked like Andy’s (Chris Pratt) in the header image while I was watching this video. Parks & Recreation‘s fourth season hits Thursday, September 22 at 8:30 PM on NBC. [Cinema Blend]

A few days ago, we showed you the first promo for John Goodman‘s appearance on the third season of Community. A new spot has landed, which covers most of the same ground but also but mixes in clips of some jazzy dance numbers. Jeff (Joel McHale) may not understand the appeal of Glee at all, but it seems the people making Community do — and if the musical number (or, fingers crossed, musical episode?) is half as fun as it looks, it may end up out-Glee-ing Glee itself.

The new season of Community will premiere on NBC Thursday, September 22 at 8 PM — just before Parks. [Vulture]

Speaking of which, here’s another promo for the third season of Glee. The video promises, “New year, same underdogs,” and indeed, it looks like more of the same: Sue (Jane Lynch) and Will (Matthew Morrison) are still engaging in their rivalry, Finn’s (Cory Monteith) still wrestling with being unpopular, and Brittany (Heather Morris) is still charmingly ditzy. But hey, it looks like Quinn (Dianna Agron) has gone punk rock, or something, so that’s something new to look forward to, right?

Glee will return for its third season Tuesday, September 6 at 8 PM on Fox. Yes, that’s this Tuesday. Summer is officially over. [Vulture]