Starz cast Australian actor Liam McIntyre (HBO’s Pacific) as Spartacus for the second season of the series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Andy Whitfield originated the role during the series’ first season and was forced to bow out of further production due to his ongoing health issues. According to the network, Whitfield gave his consent to the recasting. Production on new episodes of Spartacus: Blood and Sand begin this spring with Spartacus instigating fellow slaves to rebel against Rome. The six-episode prequel series, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena premieres January 21 at 10p on Starz.
It will be tough for anyone to follow Andy Whitfield, and the show won’t be the same without him. Here’s hoping McIntyre pulls it off.
I don’t have high hopes for Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, but I am still looking forward to some schlocky fun this weekend. Maybe it will surprise me. Blood & Sand certainly did. Here’s a trailer:
Looks like I can’t cancel my cable just yet. AMC strikes again with “The Walking Dead,” reminding us of how awesome and compelling television can be. The first episode blew me away, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds…
Are you watching “Louie”? The new FX show from Louis C.K. makes no apologies and seems to hold nothing back, and I can’t believe it’s on television. It feels like popping a quarter into a pair of sightseeing binoculars and staring straight into the bleak soul of Louis C.K. It’s honest and brutal and hilarious. Hats off to FX for allowing Louie to be Louie. You can watch episodes on the FX site or on Hulu. This show is a gift to comedy. Enjoy it while it lasts.
I’m not in the habit of posting entertainment news, but another Cynopsis blurb caught my eye:
Principal photography has commenced on the new romantic adventure series Camelot slated to tentatively premiere on Starz next spring in the US and on the CBC in Canada. Production on this fresh re-telling of the King Arthur legend is taking place at Ardmore Studios in Ireland and filming is expected to continue until December. The cast includes Jamie Campbell Bower as King Arthur; Joseph Fiennes as Merlin; Eva Green as Morgan; Claire Forlani as Queen Igraine; Tamsin Egerton as Guinevere; and Peter Mooney as Arthur’s brother, Kay. Camelot is an Irish-Canadian co-production with Morgan O’Sullivan of Ireland’s Octagon and John Weber of Canada’s Take 5 Productions serving as executive producers. Other executive producers include Graham King and Tim Headington of GK Films and Craig Cegielski of GK-TV; James Flynn of Octagon; Douglas Rae of UK’s Ecosse Films in addition to Fred Fuchs, Michael Hirst and Anne Thomopoulos. Chris Chibnall is the showrunner and writer. Starz holds all US rights to the production including home entertainment and digital distribution while GK-TV will handle international distribution with Take 5 Productions involved with distribution in Canada.
While Starz has a long way to go before it catches HBO, I like where they’re headed…
Starz’ prequel series, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena captures the story of Gannicus, the first gladiator to become Champion of Capua. Australian actor Dustin Clare landed the role as Gannicus; Jaime Murray and Marisa Ramirez were also tapped for top roles in the new series as Gaia and Melitta respectively. As the prequel to the series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Lucy Lawless (Lucretia), John Hannah (Batiatus), Peter Mensah (Oenomaus) and Manu Bennett (Crixus) all reprise their roles from the original series. Andy Whitfield as Spartacus will make a brief appearance and will be part of the show in season two which begins production later this year. Production on Spartacus: Gods of the Arena begins next month and is slated to premiere on Starz in early 2011.
Can’t wait! If you haven’t seen the awesome Spartacus: Blood & Sand yet, check it out on Netflix Instant right away. It’s so much more rich and compelling than the guilty pleasure you might expect…
Since I finally broke down and got the cable hooked up to my TV, I’ve really been enjoying all the excellent stand-up comedy this summer has to offer. Showtime has done an exceptional job bringing quality stand-up and comedy discussion to us masses, and it seems like there’s more goodness on the way.
I wasn’t familiar with Hal Sparks until I watched his special “Hal Sparks: Charmageddon,” and now I’m a fan. I was initially wary of him, as he seems almost insincere, but I’m glad I hung around. He’s surprisingly insightful, and he cracked me up.
I had the pleasure of watching Jordan Brady’s documentary I Am Comic the other night on Showtime, and it blew me away. It should be required viewing for comedians, teachers, wannabes and serious fans. I have never seen a more comprehensive take on stand-up comedy, and Brady does an incredible job digging into the joys and realities of the industry. I emailed Brady to ask about purchasing a DVD, and he said he is planning to release it in the fall. He recommended I join their Facebook page for the latest updates.
I’m also really psyched about “The Green Room with Paul Provenza,” Showtime’s new discussion show about stand-up comedy. Provenza leads a panel of four other comics through talks about the state of comedy and whatever else comes up, hilariously illustrated by lightning wit and stories of their experiences. It’s a bit reminiscent of past favorite “Dinner For Five” with Jon Favreau, but “The Green Room” plays looser and much funnier. Stand-up isn’t easy, and this show makes it very clear why the pros are the pros.
Finally, curiosity brought me back to NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” My hopes weren’t high, but I wanted to see Craig Robinson. Turns out he’s only a very minor presence as the host, but there’s so much more going on. The always hilarious Andy Kindler anchors the judge’s panel, and Greg Giraldo and Natasha Leggero give him nice support. I know they’re supposed to be equal presences, but Kindler owns it; he kills me. The show has come a long way since Dat Phan, and it’s open season for this year’s contestants. I’m sure it’s disappointing to the amateur hopefuls to see so many pros in the contest, but it does make for good TV. As of now I’m pulling for Chip Pope:
SyFy pulled down the original clip I had posted, so here’s this instead:
Did anyone watch? Wow. Gotta say, it might be my favorite of all the SyFy original movies. They really went for it, and the result is something pretty enjoyable. In case you missed it, the DVD releases April 27th.
Published: January 8th, 2010|
Categories: Hype|0 Comments
Be sure to check out Supernanny this Friday, January 8th, on ABC at 8/7c. It’s the first episode I worked on to air. It focuses on the Benton family of South Carolina, and I think it turned out pretty well. ABC describes it as:
“A father preaches physical strength and overall fitness for his sons, aged 10 and 8, who fight daily; the house is filled with yelling and empty threats, allowing the boys to continue their bad behavior.”
Can Supernanny save the day?
If you miss it, you can always catch it on Hulu (for a few weeks, anyway). Hope you like it…
