The Weekly Round-Up for Oct. 23 to 30

Here are the sci-fi based entertainment news items for this week (October 26 to 30):

NEWS

A nationwide mall tour will be held from November 6 to 19 featuring the cast of the upcoming movie The Twilight Saga: New Moon. [Yes, you read that correctly!] The stops will include prize giveaways, Q&A’s with the cast members and other surprises. A select group of fans who get VIP credentials (given out on a first come, first serve basis) at Hot Topic or Nordstroms stores (at the participating malls) at 8 AM on October 31 will be granted access to a special event with cast members. The nationwide tour kicks off at the Hot Topic located in Los Angeles’ Hollywood & Highland Center on November 6 with live performances of songs from the New Moon soundtrack from the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Sea Wolf and Anya Marina.

The rest of the nationwide mall tour will hit the following locations:

Hot Topic locations and dates:
11/08 – Denver, CO – Park Meadows
11/09 – Washington, DC – Fair Oaks Mall
11/09 – San Francisco, CA – Stonestown Center (date change)
11/10 – Chicago, IL – TBD (date change)
11/10 – Philadelphia area – Cherry Hill Mall (date change)
11/10 – Houston, TX – Houston Galleria
11/11 – Miami, FL – Dadeland Mall (date change)
11/11 – Minneapolis, MN – Mall of America
11/12 – Atlanta, GA – Mall of Georgia
11/12 – Boston, MA – Natick Collection (date change)
11/12 – Seattle, WA – Westfield Southcenter
11/13 – Phoenix, AZ – Scottsdale Fashion Square
11/14 – Salt Lake City, UT – Fashion Place
11/19 – New York City – Toys R Us (featuring a Hot Topic New Moon Boutique)

Nordstrom locations and dates:
11/5 – Topanga (Canoga Park, CA)*
11/8 – Park Meadows (Lone Tree, CO)**
11/9 – Natick Collection (Natick, MA) **
11/10 – The Galleria (Houston, TX)**
11/11 – Mall of America (Bloomington, MN)**
11/11 – Cherry Hill Mall (Philadelphia, PA)**
11/11 – Stonestown Galleria (San Francisco, CA)**
11/12 – Perimeter Mall (Atlanta, GA)
11/12 – Southcenter (Tukwila, WA)**
11/13 – Aventura Mall (Aventura, FL)
11/13 – Scottsdale Fashion Square (Phoenix, AZ)*
11/14 – Fashion Place (Murray, UT)*

* 125 VIP passes available
** Q&A forums with select cast members

It looks like the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris will be coming to an end if the author has anything to say about. She has signed a contract to write three more books after the one that is to be on book shelves in May and “those may be the last three”.

It seems the Olympics will affect the airing of the final season of Lost on ABC. After the first few episodes of the series air in January, the show will “take a few weeks off” during the second half of February and will return once the Olympics are over in early March. No official date has yet been announced for the show’s return in January.

The huge red V’s that were to be written in the sky in preparation for the premiere of the new ABC series V has been canceled as the network worried the publicity stunt would scare those who had no idea why giant, frightening red letters were suddenly appearing all around the nation.

With the cancellation of Trauma, the odds of an early return for Chuck is likely to happen in January with NBC ordering six additional episodes of the series.

It has been confirmed that Elizabeth Mitchell will not be returning for the final season of Lost, as her character, Juliet, did indeed die after the bomb blast that was the culmination of last season. And in more Lost news, a new character is being sought: Kendall. She is described as an “intellectual beauty with a sharp edge to her wit,” who is caught committing corporate espionage and has to lie her way out. This could a potential recurring role for a female actress in her mid-30s.

BBC One has announced it will air the latest David Tennant Doctor Who special, Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars, on Sunday, November 15 at 7 p.m. And, BBC America will air the movie on December 19 at 9 p.m.

NEW DEVELOPMENT SLATE

Syfy has given a thirteen-episode order to an American remake of British supernatural dramedy series Being Human, which focuses on the lives of three twenty-somethings–a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost–who live together. No writer is attached to the remake and the hunt is on for a scribe to adapt the British series for an American audience. Meanwhile, the British version of Being Human is slated to launch its eight-episode second season on BBC One next year.

NEW SEASON TALLY

The following is another run down of the general state of the TV shows for the fall season – not just the sci-fi(ish) based shows:

To date the following new and returning shows have been given full season pick-ups by their respective networks:

Community on NBC
Mercy on NBC
Parks and Recreation on NBC
Melrose Place on the CW
The Vampire Diaries on the CW
Castle on ABC
FlashForward on ABC
Cougar Town on ABC
The Middle on ABC
Modern Family on ABC
The Good Wife on CBS
NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS
One Tree Hill on the CW
Glee on FOX

As is the case every season, there are a number of shows that are struggling in the ratings and could potentially be pulled from the schedule, could be canceled at some point or their home network could stick with any of them for the full season. There is no clear cut answer as yet. Therefore, this list is speculative at best:

Brothers on FOX
‘Til Death on FOX
Cold Case on CBS
Dollhouse on FOX
Eastwick on ABC
The Forgotten on ABC
Fringe on FOX
Gary Unmarried on CBS
Gossip Girl on the CW
Hank on ABC
Law & Order on NBC
New Adventures of Old Christine on CBS
Three Rivers on CBS
Heroes on NBC

BOX OFFICE NEWS

January Jones (Mad Men) and Diane Kruger (National Treasure) have joined the thriller Unknown White Male. They will star alongside Liam Neeson, playing a doctor who, while visiting Berlin with his wife, is in a car accident that leaves him in a coma. He awakens to find that he seemingly has been replaced by another man, one with sinister intentions, leading the good doctor on a frantic quest to uncover the truth. Jones will play Neeson’s wife, who gets caught up in a conspiracy regarding her husband. Kruger will play a Berlin taxi driver and Neeson’s unexpected ally. Shooting aims to begin late January in Berlin.

Carey Mulligan (An Education) has been cast in This Beautiful Fantastic, which is a modern fairy tale in the vein of Amelie and Finding Neverland. The cast includes Tom Wilkinson (Duplicity), Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who and G.I. Joe), Mackenzie Crook (Pirates of the Caribbean) and Joanna Lumley (Corpse Bride). The story focuses on frustrated children’s author Bella Brown, who only leaves her obsessively ordered flat for work at the library. Chronically shy, she has no friends, no family and no life until she falls in with Billy, a hopelessly messy inventor who whirls through the library’s carefully balanced world like a crazy tornado.  Shooting is scheduled to start in March next year.

Sony Pictures is beginning to assemble the pieces for Men in Black 3, having already lined up director Barry Sonnenfeld and screenwriter Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder) to dream up a close-encounter scenario reuniting Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. If all goes well, Men in Black 3 will start shooting in 2010.

Cassandra Clare’s fantasy novel trilogy The Mortal Instruments is becoming a feature film for Unique Features and Constantin Films. The story revolves around teenager Clary Fray’s search for her missing mother, which leads her to a city filled with mysterious fairies, raucous warlocks, vampires and other demons. Jessica Postigo (Operation Checkmate) will adapt the script using all three novels City of Bones, City of Ashes and City of Glass. Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne will produce.

Sir Anthony Hopkins has joined Kenneth Branagh’s comic-book adaptation of Thor, playing th king of the Norse gods.  Co-stars include Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek) as the title character; Natalie Portman and Jaimie Alexander (Kyle XY) as his human and Valkyrie loves, respectively; Tom Hiddleston as Loki; Stellan Skarsgard and Colm Feore in unspecified roles. Thor has a tentative release date of May 20, 2011.

AS HEARD ON/MUSIC NEWS

The song “Pure Pleasure Seeker” by Moloko was featured in the Halloween episode of Castle this past week.

The songs featured in the Halloween episode of The Vampire Diaries included “Fables” by The Dodos; “Fading Light” by Final Flash; “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake” by The Sounds; “Open Arms” by Gary Go; “Open Hearts” by The Longcut; “Sleep Alone” by Bat for Lashes; “The Weight of Us” by Sanders Bohlke and “To Lose My Life” by White Lies.

“Across the Universe” by Rufus Wainwright and “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” by Sea Wolf were featured in this week’s episode of FlashForward.

Music featured in Friday’s episode of Smallville included “End of the World” by Dead by Sunrise.

CASTING SCOOP

Phil Morris will be returning to at least one more episode of Smallville in early 2010 entitled Society that is part of the Justice Society-themed two-parter.

Dylan Neal (Blood Ties) will appear on an episode of Smallville called Idol. Neal will also be appearing in an early 2010 episode of the new FOX drama Human Target.

Paula Newsome (Women’s Murder Club) will be joining FlashForward for a few episodes in the not-so-distant future, playing a doctor for an arc that will likely begin airing in early 2010.

William Atherton, who has starred in both Die Hard and Die Hard 2, Ghost Busters, Desperate Housewives and the short-lived series Life, will be appearing in the final season of Lost when it returns to ABC next year.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

One new series will premiere this week and that is the much-anticipated reboot of the 80’s classic series V. The new version will debut at 8 p.m. on ABC on Tuesday, November 3.

NEW EPISODES OF EXISTING SHOWS

Here is a list of new episodes for the returning and new fall shows:

Sunday, November 1:
Dexter on Showtime at 9 p.m.

NOTE: Syfy is expected to air the original 80’s mini-series V today from 1 to 5 p.m. followed by V: The Final Battle from 5 to 11 p.m. The mini-series will be repeated from 11 PM to 3 a.m. This is all in preparation for the premiere of the new version of V on ABC on Tuesday, November 3 at 8 p.m.

Monday, November 2:
Heroes on NBC at 8 p.m.

NOTE: Syfy is expected to reair V all day from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; check your local listings for more details. This is all in preparation for the premiere of the new version of V on ABC tomorrow at 8 p.m.

Tuesday, November 3:

NOTE: Syfy is expected to reair V all day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; check your local listings for more details and then relive the original V mini-series from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. This is all in preparation for the premiere of the new version of V on ABC tonight at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, November 4:
Eastwick on ABC at 10:02 p.m.

Thursday, November 5:
FlashForward on ABC at 8 p.m.
The Vampire Diaries on The CW at 8 p.m.
Supernatural on The CW at 9 p.m.
Fringe on FOX at 9 p.m.

NOTE: Syfy will present a Legend of the Seeker marathon today from 6 p.m. to 12 Midnight, featuring the series premiere as well as the episodes “Prophecy,” “Destiny,” “Denna,” “Puppeteer,” “Conversion” and “Fever.”

Friday, November 6:
Ghost Whisperer on CBS at 8 p.m.
Medium on CBS at 9 p.m.
Smallville on The CW at 8 p.m.
Stargate: Universe on Syfy at 9 p.m.
Sanctuary on Syfy at 10 p.m.

NOTE: Please check your local listings for the correct air dates and times for all of the above.

Have a great weekend!

Please note that I will feature a weekly round-up of general news items at our sister site located at http://nicegirlstv.com/. Please visit there as often as you can. Thanks!

Related posts:

1. The Weekly Round-Up for Nov. 23 to 27
2. Weekly Round-Up for Nov. 30 to Dec. 4
3. The Weekly Round-Up for Dec. 28 to Jan. 1
4. The Weekly Round-Up for Jan. 4 to 8
5. Weekly Round-Up for Nov. 16 to 20