My "Moonlight" rant

This might seem a little off topic, but I think it falls under the fanboy category since people(including me) are so passionate about it one way or the other. ...

Now that the Fall TV season is underway, there is only one new show that stands out from the rest for me. I know a lot of people won't agree simply on principal, but I love - absolutely love - "Moonlight." Then again, I love most vampire books, shows and movies. I'm pretty non-discriminating against them because vampires have been around since I was a kid in different incarnations. Shoot, I grew up watching "Dark Shadows." I simply hate that people aren't giving "Moonlight" a chance because they are "too loyal" to "Angel" or "Buffy." What complete hogwash!

I think the "Angel" fans who are boycotting "Moonlight" are simply ignorant because they're too young to remember all of the great shows and movies "Angel" ripped off. They seem to believe "Angel" was the be-all and end-all of vampire detective shows. Ha! If you're a true fan of vampire mythology, you'll like pretty much anything vampire, whether it be "Angel," "Buffy, "30 Days of Night" or whatever. To say that "Moonlight" copies "Angel" is laughable. Why not say "Angel" copied "Forever Night," which in my opinion was a much better show in the 90s than "Angel" ever hoped to be. I loved "Forever Night," and if anything, I think "Moonlight" is much more like that show than "Angel."

Then there's "Blood Ties" on Lifetime. Another great show with a very similar premise. You could argue that "Forever Night," "Buffy" and "Angel" are rip-offs from the popular books "Blood Ties" is based on since they were written in the early 90s. Then again, I think the TV movie "Nick Night" with Rick Springfield aired in CBS in the late 80s before the "Blood Ties" books or "Forever Night" the series ever took flight. But "Dark Shadows" was around before any of them. Why not argue "Angel" and "Buffy" copied that?

Besides all of that, Mick St. John is only like Angel in passing. Sure, they're both vamps and they're both private detectives. Period. I personally like Mick a lot more than I ever liked Angel. Joss Whedon's vampires were demons, and Angel lucked out and got his soul back, making him not such a demon. He struggled with that concept throughout the series. Mick doesn't have that struggle on "Moonlight." He's a vampire and he still has his soul from what I can tell. Another difference? Angel refused to kill people no matter how bad they were. Mick has killed bad guys to protect the innocent and his secret. I kinda like that he's willing to do that. Makes me morbid, sure. But it's fun to watch. Admit it.

Now, I loved "Buffy." It revived the vampire genre in TV and movies and was an awesome show during much of its run. I never caught onto "Angel" like I did "Buffy," but I liked it when I did watch it. "Moonlight," on the other hand, is right up there with "Buffy" for me. It's completely different from "Buffy," which I appreciate because I would hold a grudge if they tried to copy that show. I think "Moonlight" has some issues - sometimes the acting isn't the best and some of the special effects are cheesy - but I love the cast and I love the stories each week. The writers of "Moonlight" really know their stuff. They take a little bit of vampire mythology from all of the greatest shows and movies and are creating their own vampire mythology in the process.

If you haven't given "Moonlight" a chance, I beg you to reconsider. Each week is better than the last, and it's constantly improving its faults. Besides, isn't it nice to have a vamp show on mainstream TV again?

X-Files, Buffy and Spider-Man 4!

Lots of cool news out today.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that “The X-Files” sequel is no longer just a rumor. Production will begin Dec. 10 with David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson and Chris Carter all on board for the sequel. Awesome! Loved this show. I’m glad they are doing a stand-alone movie and not focusing on the muddled conspiracy mythos that drug the show down in its final years. I can’t wait!

The Hollywood Reporter says Sony is planning “Spider-Man 4” apparently with or without its original cast and director. The studio has already hired a new writer, James Vanderbilt who wrote the serial-killer thriller "Zodiac." I’m always excited to see Spidey on the big screen, but I haven’t decided if a fourth installment would be a good idea. As much as I loved it, there was so much chaos in the third one, I think Sam Raimi and Sony need to step back, take a rest, and start fresh a few years down the road when Maguire and Dunst have had a chance to do other projects and are more willing to step back into their iconic roles. But, that’s just me. I have a feeling if Sony has hired a new writer, they’re already planning to pump out another film as soon as possible with a new director and cast too. Time will tell.

I was excited to see that “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon has a new project that will star Eliza Dushku (Faith, “Buffy”). I worry because it will be on Fox, a network famous for canceling awesome sci-fi shows (“Dark Angel,” “Tru Calling,” “Firefly”) on a whim. The premise of this new show sounds kinda cool too. Read more about it here.

Variety is reporting that NBC has shelved plans for “Heroes: Origins,” a spinoff series of the hit show, and the possibility of a writers' strike contributed to the decision. Quite frankly, I’m glad. Until they fix the original series, there’s no need for another nail in the coffin.

Another JLA casting rumor shot down, another casting rumor started, and “Supernatural” convention news

Just as I expected, Rupert Evans has not been signed to play Superman in the “Justice League” film. Evans’ reps were contacted and denied that he had even auditioned for the part. Ever since Dark Horizons announced a few years ago that Jensen Ackles (“Supernatural”) had been tapped to play The Flash in a live action film and then that he was also playing Leon in Resident Evil 3 and 4 — neither of which were remotely true — I’ve taken their casting scoops with a grain of salt. Occasionally, they’re dead on, but not often enough to be trusted.

In other JLA casting news, Moviehole is reporting that “The Grudge 2” Aussie actress Teresa Palmer has landed the role of Wonder Woman in George Miller's anticipated Justice League adaptation at Warner Bros. According to the site, Palmer just nudged out competition by Minka Kelly and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Weeell, I looked her up on IMDB.com and just had to shake my head at what I found. First of all, she’s blonde. OK, so she can dye her hair. No biggie. Then I looked at her height. 5’5”. Seriously?! Grrr. OK, so the fact that I’m 6’1” makes me a little sensitive on this height subject. It’s also one reason why I loved Wonder Woman as a kid. But, surely you need to be TALL to play the Amazonian Princess, and I don’t mean tall for a woman. I mean, 6 feet, minimum. Good grief, people. What do I have to do to get on with the casting of this film?

Moving on…
Another “Supernatural” convention has been announced for early April 2008 in Orlando, Florida. Jared Padalecki is the only Winchester who has been confirmed to attend. Since Orlando isn’t that far from me, I’m so there. For more information, check out this site: http://www.eyeconfla.com

More JLA film news, Black Canary on “Smallville” and more

More casting rumors are running rampant on the Web. Dark Horizons is reporting that British actor Rupert Evans (the FBI agent in “Hellboy”) has been offered the role of Superman in the JLA movie. I’d still prefer Brandon Routh or Tom Welling, but I suppose Evans is an OK choice. I haven’t seen him in enough roles to judge his acting, but based on his picture, he’s got passable good looks, though he’s a little pasty-looking, imo. In any case, until official word comes down, I’m filing this one strictly under RUMOR.

Also, it was just announced the Black Canary will make an appearance on “Smallville” when Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow returns in the 11th episode. This is kinda cool since Black Canary and Green Arrow have been a couple in the comics forever, and I know their wedding (which I’m not sure if it’s actually happened yet or not) has been played up pretty big in the comics this year. The last time Black Canary was on the small screen, I believe, was in the WB’s short-lived “Birds of Prey” series when a very young Dinah (played by Rachel Skarsten) was taken in by Batwoman and the Huntress (Ashley Scott) to make up a trio of female crimefighters. It will be nice to see Oliver’s attention taken away from Lois and onto a new love interest for a change. I hated that storyline last year.

Finally, “Spider-Man 3” comes out on DVD Tuesday, and the marketing blitz has begun. You can now find Spidey in promotions for pizza, cereal, and more on TV.

Superman in trouble?

More potentially bad news has leaked about the "Superman Returns" sequel. Variety and Dark Horizons is reporting that Superman Returns" scribes Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris have opted not to come back and pen a sequel to the 2006 summer pic that would have reunited them with helmer Bryan Singer. The three also worked together on "X2: X-Men United."

As a result, WB is now taking pitches for Supe's next outing from other scribes -- just as the studio is trying to figure out which actor will don the character's tights in "Justice League."

Well, crap. As if the troubled "Man of Steel" didn't have enough problems. I personally hope the writers they get build on the concepts from "Superman Returns" rather than just ignoring it as if it never happened, which is the rumor. I mean, we all hated Jason and the fact that Lois and Superman had a kid, but that aside, the movie wasn't awful. Brandon Routh had better come back as Superman, that's all I'm saying.

He'd better!

TV week in review

Heroes — OK, so I’m officially bored with this show. I tried to be excited about it, but it’s pretty bad when I consider not watching and reading a recap instead. Maybe I should have. The only “new” hero I find the least bit appealing is Kristen Bell, and she was only in the promo! How cool, though, was it to see her in the promo for tonight’s episode? OK, I take that back. I thought Micah’s cousin — can’t even remember her name — had a cool power when revealed during the robbery scene, but I totally wanted to kill her brother whenever he was on the screen. And I’m getting a little miffed that these new heroes are taking time away from the ones I already know and love, like Peter and Nikki. Can’t wait for next week’s episode, though, simply to see Veronica Mars, er, Kristen Bell on TV again.

Bionic Woman — How much fun was it to see Michelle Ryan kick the crap out of Isaiah Washington this week? He he. I thought this episode set up a nice conflict for coming episodes. Now we know Sarah and Jamie are both dying and need to find Will’s files to update their bionics. A lot was revealed in this episode, and I think the momentum of the show is building at a nice pace. This show is becoming a favorite. I must admit, however, that I really miss the cheesy sound effects from the original. Come on, just one little da-na-na-na as she runs? Please?

Smallville — This was the episode of “Smallville” I’ve been looking forward to since it was announced Dean Cain was guesting this season. I have to give props to Cain for some superb acting in this episode. He was totally evil! It was almost easy to forget that he once donned the tights and cape himself. I loved his scenes with Lex. Laura Vandervoort is also really growing on me as Kara/Supergirl. I’m most intrigued by her character this season, and I think the writers are doing a great job with the whole is-she-or-isn’t-she-evil hook. Honestly, I could care less about Lana or her “secret.” That story has been played out a thousand times, imo. I’m also glad to see Jimmy/Chloe call it quits, for now. I just haven’t caught onto Jimmy’s character since he came to “Smallville.” Here’s hoping we see more Chloe/Lois/Clark adventures now.

Flash Gordon — I failed to comment on this show last week, but yes, I’ve been trying to watch it too. I thought the pilot was horrible, but I think it’s a show that is improving, slowly. There have been a few episodes I liked, but it seems to be hit and miss every week. I thought last week’s episode (Flash being given the love potion) was a little campy and I loved Eric Johnson’s performance, but it wasn’t an episode I loved. I think the cast of this show is awesome once I got used to the difference in the characters from the film version. The writing needs a definite overhaul, and I think a consistent director might inject life into it as well. I’m hoping Sci-fi sticks with it, but I’m not optimistic a second season will happen. Too bad. The concept had a lot of potential.

Supernatural — OK, another one I didn’t comment on because I don’t consider Sam and Dean to be conventional superheroes, but they do have their own comic book now. So … I thought last week’s episode was the best of the new season. I loved the introduction of Bella — grr, and I say that grudgingly since I was determined to hate both her and Ruby. Ruby I also like because I totally wasn’t expecting her to be a demon. I was totally expecting another bad-acting Jo, but thankfully, these two actresses rock. But, I digress. What a fun episode this was. I loved the playful acting by Jared Padalecki every time his luck got worse and worse after he lost the rabbit’s foot. And I loved that Dean kept taking advantage of Sam’s good luck when he had the rabbit’s foot to win the lottery, only to have that money stolen by Bella in the last scene. His reaction was so funny. I love this show!

More on JLA, Wolverine, and Iron Man

Here’s an interesting casting tidbit I saw online yesterday. Christina Milian, a pop/R&B singer and an aspiring actress set to guest on “Smallville” soon, is going after the role of Wonder Woman in the Justice League movie. All I can say is … Um, no. No! No! No! No offense to Christina Milian, but I’m a traditionalist, I suppose, and I have the same problem with her playing this character as I had with Jessica Biel being offered the part. It’s not a racial issue, it’s a character issue, plain and simple. She physically does not fit the role! And now Comics2Film is reporting that Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight's Tale) is a leading contender for the role too. Again, I like Sossamon, but physically, she’s no Diana/Wonder Woman, although I can see her in the role best out of these three options. I really hope the powers that be go with an unknown actress. Someone dark-haired, a pale complexion… someone TALL. I mean, come on, people. The more I hear about this movie, the more I’m starting to worry. Casting is expected to be announced any day now. I’m crossing my fingers but expecting the worst.

In other news, the lawsuit over the ownership rights of Superman is heating up, and some fans — yes, such as me — are a little worried about what this means for the future of the Man of Steel in TV and film and, yes, even the comics. I really can’t imagine Superman not being in the DC Comics universe, but from what I hear, it’s a possibility if the judges determine ownership belongs to the creator’s family rather than DC. Assuming “Smallville” will go on to another year, the lawsuit could nix that season too. Not to mention Bryan Singer’s expected sequel. It will be interesting to see what happens there.

Also, a release date has been set for the next X-Men film, specifically the “Wolverine” movie starring Hugh Jackman. It’s now expected to hit theaters May 2009, and Liv Shrieber (“Scream”) has officially joined the cast. Also rumored: the film will introduce new mutants to the big screen — among them my absolute favorite X-Man, Gambit. All I can say is, it’s about freaking time. Why Gambit wasn’t in any of the X-Men films so far is a mystery to me. I’m hoping this rumor turns out to be true.

Finally, the “Iron Man” trailer has been out for a few weeks, and I have to admit, it looks pretty good. I know next to nothing about this character, but the buzz has been very good for this flick, right down to Robert Downey Jr.’s expected stellar performance. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the preview here.