SciFiAndTvTalk

Ghost Hunters International Sneak Peek (Syfy US)

The Ghost Hunters International team is off to Italy in next week's episode to find out if an Italian prison's most famous inmate is guilty of paranormal crimes. In the sneak peek, the team is investigating inside of the prison when they being to hear noises and feel like someone or something is watching them. When Susan claims to have seen a black blob fly through the air, Paul has his doubts since it is a dead end. As they are debating however, they both see something. Is it the prisoner or is it just their mind playing tricks on them? Ghost Hunters International: The Man in the Iron Mask: Italy airs Wednesday, February 29th @ 9:00p.m. EST/PST.

This Week on Merlin (Syfy US) - 02 - 24 - 12

Colin Morgan (Merlin) behind-the-scenes during the filming of "Lamia." Photo copyright of Shine Ltd. and FremantleMedia Enterprises.

The shift to filming in glorious 35mm has opened new doors of creative storytelling for the crew of Merlin, and the evidence is clear in the lush cinematography and haunting approach to this Friday's all-new adventure entitled Lamia.

The episode sets Merlin (Colin Morgan) and several Knights of the Round Table on the road to a distant village to help treat those inflicted with a mysterious illness.  But the young warlock quickly discovers heis the one in danger. As the Knights become increasingly bewitched by an alluring young woman named Lamia, Merlin finds himself with only Gwen (Angel Coulby) as an ally, all the while lured into a cat-and-mouse game against an unseen enemy more deadly than he could possibly imagine.

Actress Charlene McKenna, who also stars in the popular Irish TV series Raw, plays Lamia, bringing to Merlin her impressiveacting talents, which include her debut role in the award-winning Breakfast on Pluto. She followed that role with a breakout performance in the television series Pure Mule, and was honored as Outstanding Actress in a Mini-Series for her role in Whistleblower at the Monte Carlo Television Festival.  In 2009, she earned Best Actress/Television laurels for Raw at the Irish Film and Television Awards.

Charlene McKenna as Lamia. Photo copyright of Shine Ltd. and FremantleMedia Enterprises.

Lamia is also a showcase for behind-the-scenes developments on Merlin, which shifted from high-definition video to 35mm film for Season Four. Series co-creator and executive producer Johnny Capps explains that technology, combined with three years of experience on the series, has given the production team an opportunity to truly step up their game for the benefit of the viewers.

“The more fantasy stories you tell, the more confident you become in your storytelling and the way you make it – and the bigger the challenges you set before yourself,” Capps says. “Shooting on 35mm was a natural move for us because we’re able to make the CGI look a lot better, which is the kind of celluloid magic that allows you to make that fantasy world come to life that much better.

“I think it’s not that our budgets got bigger,” Capps explains, “but that you gain in confidence, you learn more, and technology is constantly changing. So in Season One, we would never have a huge marching army – but in Season Three, we didn’t think anything of it, and in Season Four you’ll see thousands of people marching on Camelot. You become more confident and you grow with the technology.”

Another behind-the-scenes shot during the filming of "Lamia." Photo copyright of Shine Ltd. and FremantleMedia Enterprises.

Capps adds that while the technology is better, that doesn’t mean the crew uses it just for its own sake – particularly when revealing the mystical, often-frightening monsters that inhabit the landscape of Merlin. Lamia is as entrancing for what viewers see as what they don’t see: a creature that mysteriously waylays villagers and Knights with a paralyzing effect.

“The leap to 35mm has allowed us to be more ambitious in the creatures we create, but what’s interesting with creatures is that we really believe less is more,” says Capps. “You don’t show the monster straight away – we’ve learned that it’s far more effective to use the ‘Jaws effect.’ In the first season, we might have shown the monster jumping down on the ground, growling. Now, you might see a glimpse of it and then we won’t reveal it until halfway through the episode. You learn about how to make it technically good, but also how to build the suspense. And Lamia is a good example of that style.” Lamia (Season Four - Episode Eight) airs Friday, February 24th @ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST on Syfy.

As noted above, photos copyright of Shine Ltd. and FremantleMedia Enterprises, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Jacqueline McKenzie (The 4400)

Jacqueline McKenzie.

In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, Australian-born actress Jacqueline McKenzie talks about her first two seasons playing Agent Diana Skouris in The 4400.

Wearing high heels and an evening dress, Jacqueline McKenzie looks stunning this particular day on the Vancouver set of The 4400. The actress usually dresses much more conservatively as Diana Skouris, agent for the US Department of Homeland Security/NTAC (National Threat Assessment Center). Today, however, she and her fellow cast members are filming a special VFX shot for an episode of the show’s second season, thus her change of attire. The scene involves members of the 4400, a group of men, women and children who one day were suddenly returned to Earth after being missing anywhere from a few months to 50 years. Diana and her partner, Agent Tom Baldwin, have spent over a year delving into the mystery behind these returnees. The experience has been a life-changing one for Diana and a new acting challenge for McKenzie.

“It’s been quite a difference for me in playing Diana because she’s a tough, trained professional who’s not sitting on the sidelines; she’s actually in the centre and very much has a voice in the world that she’s in,” explains the actress. ”Also, Diana doesn’t have to fight for that voice unlike many other characters I’ve portrayed. For example, I did a film called Angel Baby and in it my character had schizophrenia. Another time I played Saint Joan at the Sydney Opera House and even though she’s the centre of her own universe and has God on her side, she’s ultimately burnt at the stake.

“So I’m familiar with portraying strong women with a great belief in what they’re fighting for and standing up for. However, they’ve usually had to fight for themselves as well, but Diana doesn’t have to do that. She’s fighting to help the 4400, who are trying to find their voices and places in society since returning from wherever they were taken. That’s been a lovely departure, or should I say arrival for me, and I’m having such a fantastic time.”

In The 4400 two-hour first season opener, the 4400 abductees, none of whom have aged a day since they disappeared or can remember where they’ve been, are rounded up by the government and quarantined. They are eventually released and reunited with their loved ones, but many are subsequently shunned and feared by those who cannot understand them. Several of the 4400 also start to exhibit superhuman abilities, and Diana and Tom (Joel Gretsch) are assigned to investigate these “gifted” people. Among them is Maia Rutledge (Conchita Campbell), an 8-year-old who can predict the future. Diana becomes so attached to Maia that she invites the little girl to move in with her. The 4400 marks McKenzie’s Sci-Fi debut, and although she loves the work, the actress was a bit intimidated by it during the first season.

“One of the big challenges for all of us, I think, last year was that we were scared,” she says. “I assumed that I was going to be replaced at every turn; that maybe they’d made a mistake [when casting me]. It wasn’t anything that anyone said to me, either. The producers and everyone else here are so friendly and supportive. It was purely my perception of things, and I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. I just think because TV can be so fickle, I thought, ‘I’ve got to be good, very good, or else.’

“This [second] year I finally feel like, OK, I still have the role. Now I can relax into my delivery and try to fill out Diana’s story and her journey as much as possible. Of course, it’s a joy working with Conchita Campbell. She’s bright as a button and a delight to be around. I recently read the script for episode 11 [The Fifth Page] and Diana and Maia get to do some juicy stuff in that. In fact, I wrote to Maira Suro [executive producer] and told her how much I’m looking forward to filming that story.”

The 4400 begins its second year with the episode Wake-Up Call, which is set six months after the season one cliffhanger, White Light. In it, audiences find Diana is not only as involved as ever with the 4400 case, but is also finalizing her adoption of Maia. “Diana is getting used to being a mom and she loves it,” notes McKenzie. “Maia needs to be looked after, and my character wants to give this little girl protection, love and safety in her life. I don’t think it’s easy, though, for Diana because she didn’t have that great of a training ground growing up. Oddly enough, it’s Maia who’s helping teach her what it truly means to be a parent.”

When it comes to partners, there is no other person Diana Skouris wants watching her back than Tom Baldwin. “She simply feels he’s the best she’s ever worked with,” says McKenzie. “As we saw in this season’s first episode, the new agent that they paired my character up with turned out, in fact, to be a snitch and he betrayed the lot of them.

“Tom is very experienced in the field. He’s quite a volatile person and has a strong emotional attachment to the 4400 as well. So there are pros and cons, but ultimately Tom’s the one who Diana should be partnered with and they bring out the best in each other. The 13 episodes we’re doing this year prove that.

“The relationships on The 4400 aren’t at all cut and dry, and that includes Tom’s and Diana’s. They’re constantly evolving and growing. I can’t tell you how pleased I am that the writers haven’t made obvious choices. I mean, they haven’t had Tom and Diana argue for argument’s sake, or thrown them in bed together. They’re just two professionals going about their daily lives and jobs with their own slants on situations. Sometimes they tread on each other’s toes but mostly they just get on with things, and I so love that.”

Having only watched the first two episodes of The 4400’s second season, McKenzie is as yet undecided on her favourite story from this year. However, she does have some favourite moments. “I love the relationship that’s grown between Diana and Marco Pacella [one of NTAC’s whiz-kids],” says the actress. “He’s played by Richard Kahan, who is a wonderful actor to work with. You look across at him in a scene and his eyes are always flashing and he’s always in the moment. I also relish my scenes with Conchita and Natasha Wagner, who plays Diana’s sister April. Those moments help further round out Diana and give me a bit more to play with, so I really enjoy doing them.”

As a child in Sydney, Australia, McKenzie was passionate about music and dreamt of one day becoming a star of musical theatre. At 17 she began singing in a rock band, and later went on to study acting for three years at NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Arts). A gifted stage and film performer, McKenzie couldn’t be happier with her role on The 4400.

“I really feel like I’ve landed on my feet with this project,” she says. “I’ve never had the challenge of doing episodic TV to this degree. So I’m thrilled with the opportunity to learn about and try to get my head around what is an entirely different ‘animal’ from stage and films.”

Steve Eramo

Being Human Sneak Peek - "The Ties That Bind" (Syfy US)

In this sneak peek of next week's Being Human episode The Ties That Bind, Sally (Meaghan Rath) races down the steps to of the brownstone and finds the house in disarray. She calls out to ask whoever is causing this to stop but finds herself being faced with the mysterious force that’s been hunting her. The Ties That Bind (Season Two - Episode Seven) airs Monday, February 27th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST on Syfy.

  

Lost Girl Sneak Peek - "ArachnoFaebia" (Syfy US)

In this sneak peek of the Lost Girl episode ArachnoFaebia, Bo (Anna Silk) pays a visit to Lauren (Zoie Palmer) after she reports of feeling ill but doesn’t seem to find anything out of the ordinary. Kenzi (Kseni Solo) abruptly walks in a claims she is not feeling well either and while Lauren begins to examine her, Bo finds herself imagining the two in a somewhat intimate setting. Be sure to tune in as Bo, Kenzi, and Hale (K.C. Collins) face a paranoid nightmare after being bitten by a spider-like Fae. ArachnoFaebia (Season One - Episode Seven) airs Monday, February 27th @ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST on Syfy.

  

Merlin Sneak Peek - "Lamia" (Syfy US)

Three of Merlin's Knights of Camelot during a recent photo shoot for the UK's Gay Times (L-R): Tom Hopper (Sir Percival), Rupert Young (Sir Leon) and Eoin Macken (Sir Gwaine). Photo by Leigh Kelly and copyright of The Gay Times & FremantleMedia Enterprises.

In this Merlin Sneak Peek for the season four episode Lamia, the Knights of Camelot enter into a swordfight with several bandits that have captured a waifish girl. After their defeat, the bandits scurry away, leaving the girl behind. Tune in to an all new episode as the unknown girl might hold the secret to a plague decimating the men of Guinevere’s (Angel Coulby) home village. Lamia (Season Four - Episode Eight) airs Friday, February 24th@ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST on Syfy.

  

As noted above, photo by Leigh Kelly and copyright of The Gay Times & FremantleMedia Enterprises, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Lucy Lawless (Battlestar Galactica)

Battlestar Galactica's D'anna Biers (Lucy Lawless). Photo copyright of Syfy.

In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, actress Lucy Lawless, currently starring in TV's Spartacus: Vengeance, talks about playing D'anna Biers, a reporter with a secret or two to hide in Battlestar Galactica.

During wartime the military and its actions are under constant scrutiny by the media. That’s true in the real world as well as in feature films and on TV. In the second season Battlestar Galactica episode Final Cut, Fleet Service News reporter D’anna Biers comes aboard the Galactica along with her cameraman to shoot a documentary about the men and women who risk their lives daily to protect the civilians who survived the Cylon massacre. When casting the role of the hotshot journalist, Galactica executive producer David Eick looked no further than former Xena: Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless.

“David was actually instrumental early on in my career,” notes Lawless. “He was a co-producer on Hercules and took part in the decision to spin off my character of Xena into her own series. David first contacted me when they were casting the Battlestar Galactica pilot and asked if I wanted to play a role in it. I explained to him that my children were too young, and that for the moment I was done with high-concept projects. I also wasn’t up for going back to the one-hour episodic lifestyle.

“A few months ago, though, David phoned me about the D’anna Biers role. My youngest had just turned three and I’d been working more, so it was the right time for me. Fortunately, people are still interested in hiring me, and the character of D’anna is such a good one that I’d have been a fool to turn it down. To top it off, Galactica is a hit show. It’s so difficult these days to create and sell a TV series. David had been part of that with Hercules and Xena and now he’s captured lightning in a bottle for a third time with Galactica. I’m so happy for him and honoured that he wanted me to be a part of it.”

Long before she decided to pursue an acting career, Lawless, who was born in Mount Albert, Auckland, New Zealand, thought she might perhaps follow in the footsteps of a certain TV pathologist. “I used to watch Quincy M.E. when it was on late at night, and it looked like it would be interesting to have a job where you cut up dead people. Of course, I kind of did that as Xena, but then again she cut them up before they were dead. She just didn’t get it,” jokes the actress.

“On a more serious note, when I was younger, my friend Michelle and I would do plays. My mother did quite a bit of public service work and she’d ask us to put on shows at old folks homes. That’s how the acting started. It’s really the only thing I’m good at, other than perhaps being a mum.”

The actress begins to chuckle when asked about her first time working in front of the camera. “I was 18 and it was in a TV commercial where I had to wear a bathing suit, sit in a deck chair and sell a trip to Hawaii or something like that. I made $3,000 New Zealand dollars and ended up with roughly $1,300 after agency fees, etc. I bought a one-way airline ticket and with $500 in-hand went off to explore Europe. Talk about wanderlust.”

Lawless appeared in a handful of movies as well as on TV doing guest spots and even regular roles in two series, Funny Business and For The Love of Mike, before she got her big break with Xena: Warrior Princess. “There was so much range with Xena,” she recalls. “I did everything from drama to musicals and even slapstick comedy. It was wonderful. I loved going to work and hanging out with the crew, who, like all crews around the world, was made up of creative, fun and hard-working people.”

Just like Xena, the character Lawless plays on Galactica is that of a tough, independent, determined woman. D’anna Biers’s assignment aboard the Galactica is a result of her interest in an incident that unfolded aboard Gideon, a sister ship, where a team of Galactica marines opened fire on a group of civilian protestors, killing four and wounding 12 others. She has a definite agenda, and this puts Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) and his people in an awkward position.

“They’re very tense because D’anna is about to do an expose on their lives and this massacre that took place,” explains Lawless. “Each of them is on-edge when speaking with her, and is at risk of falling over that edge and exposing themselves to her. It’s such a blast playing someone who everyone else is intimidated by, and yet D’anna is really just like them, a human being. All these characters are extremely real. Galactica may be a high-concept show but there’s nothing cartoonish about the characters.

“So it’s extremely naturalistic and I relished every minute of it,” continues the actress. “I got to work with almost the entire cast, all of whom care a great deal about their roles. One of my favourite scenes is between me and Katee Sackhoff [Lt. Starbuck]. Her character does not like D’anna at all, which is understandable given that my character plans to film a piece damning Galactica and its crew’s part in what she’s calling a massacre.

“Starbuck is working out in the gym with a punching bag when D’anna walks in dressed rather fashionably. She looks like a woman who’s stepped out of a palace in contrast to Starbuck and everyone else onboard the ship. So D’anna begins filming the lieutenant, putting her under the microscope so to speak. My character is pretending to be incredibly urbane, but underneath she’s a woman who’s this sort of vicious animal. Starbuck, on the other hand, appears on the surface to be vicious, but deep down has a tender heart of gold. So it was a lovely ‘standoff’ between these two strong-willed women.”

As well as working with the Galactica cast and crew on Final Cut, Lawless was thrilled to be directed by award-winning film/documentary maker Robert M. Young. “I’ve seen some of his work and was blown away by it,” she enthuses. “Robert has such a wealth of experience with regard to humans and how we interact with one another. I venerate his brand of humour, given everything he’s seen in the world, not to mention his wisdom, youthfulness and open-mindedness. He is truly one of God’s gems.”

At the time of this interview (late August) the actress was in New Orleans shooting the CBS-TV movie Vampire Bats. Earlier this year, she completed work on a film entitled The Darkroom in which she plays the mother of a boy who is haunted by visions of a murder. That was followed by a stint on the Seattle stage in a production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. “That just rocked my world,” says Lawless. “Before I went off on my film and TV trek, it was my dream to work in the theatre. So this was one of my most exhilarating experiences ever.”

Looking ahead, if the opportunity arose would Lawless like to reprise her role on Galactica? “We’re talking about that right now, in fact,” she says. “I would love it. Again, it’s a wonderfully juicy part and I get to work with an awesome cast and crew in the beautiful city of Vancouver. What more could anyone ask for?”

Steve Eramo

As noted above, photo copyright of Syfy, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Ben Browder (Stargate SG-1)

Colonel Cameron Mitchell (Ben Browder) in Stargate SG-1. Photo copyright os Syfy.

In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, actor Ben Browder talks about his early days playing Colonel Cameron Mitchell on Stargate SG-1.

He hung out with the Party of Five, played Farrah Fawcett’s ex-hubby Lee Majors in Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie’s Angels, and spent a few years lost among the stars as Astronaut John Crichton in Farscape. Nowadays, actor Ben Browder is back exploring outer space as Air Force Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell on Stargate SG-1. With the SG-1 team short a member since Colonel Jack O’Neill was promoted at the start of the show’s eighth year, Mitchell has been assigned to fill the opening left by O’Neill’s departure as well as take charge of the team in season nine. Sitting in his Bridge Studios trailer on this Friday afternoon in May, Browder smiles when asked about his first day of work on SG-1 back in March.

“It was a real shocker because Chris Judge [Teal’c] did a lot of the talking, and having watched every episode of Stargate I actually think the guy crammed a whole year’s worth of dialogue into that one day. It was unbelievable,” jokes the actor. “So that morning it was Chris and I doing a walk and talk scene as our two characters on Dakara [the home of the new Free Jaffa Nation]. I was thrilled that he had most of the lines because I was fighting off a cold, so it meant I didn’t have to say very much.

“In the early afternoon we moved over to another soundstage to begin filming on the Prometheus spaceship set, and by the end of the afternoon I was completely lost, physically not professionally. That’s happens to all actors when they first arrive on a new set. You’re like, ‘Excuse me, where’s the bathroom? Which way to craft services?’ Just getting out of the building becomes a critical issue,” laughs Browder.

“On a more serious note, we’re filming on HDV [high definition] instead of 35mm, which is technically a shift for me. Also, every film set has its own culture, and learning the names of the people who you’re directly working with as well as those who are making everything possible – and then putting names to faces – is a challenge at first. At the same time, you’re trying to figure out your character. Another thing, everyone here has been doing this for eight years, and while I may know some of the details, the actual methodology by which they make a scene happen is often radically different from one set to another. Yes, you’re still lighting the lights, pointing the cameras, hitting your marks and all that stuff, but it’s nonetheless a headspin coming onto an existing show. Fortunately for me, the cast and crew of Stargate have made that as easy as possible.”

While year nine of SG-1 marks Browder’s debut as Colonel Mitchell, the character’s roots can, in fact, be traced back to the show’s seventh season ender, Lost City. The colonel took part in defending Earth against an attack by Anubis, and his F-302 was shot down during battle. He nearly became another casualty of war, but much to the surprise of many people, he survived. Upon returning to duty, Mitchell was assigned to Stargate Command and SG-1, which is a dream come true for him. As for Browder, he’s having the time of his life working to flesh out his character, and his creative process is a very personal one.

“I had a raging debate once with a director who wanted to know what I was thinking as an actor,” he recalls. “He asked me, ‘What are your objectives? What do you want out of this scene,’ and I refused to tell him. He was livid. The two of us are good friends now, but at the time he was livid at me for not telling him what I was thinking. I explained to him, ‘I don’t want you to judge what my intent is. I want you to judge if what you’re seeing is interesting, funny, sad or otherwise. If I start to explain what I’m thinking as the character, then you’re going to be judging whether or not I’m achieving an end, and that’s not what I’m  after. I’m interested in if it’s a compelling story and is my character helping make it so.’

“When it comes to Mitchell on Stargate, without having seen him within the context of the program, it’s difficult right now for me to tell people what this guy is all about,” continues Browder. “By that I mean, you pick up a script and in reading it you get what the writer’s intent is, but as an actor you might choose to go in another direction with the material. Something else might then happen in the editing process, so your character doesn’t truly exist until that final cut and the audience has seen and digested your performance. I hope that makes sense. Once this new season of Stargate begins airing and people start to react to Mitchell, I’ll have a better handle on who he is, and where I may want to take him. All I can say at the moment is that I’m doing the best I can. Really, I promise, I’m trying. You have to remember, though, I’m working with limited goods here,” jokes the actor, pointing to himself.

Given Browder’s enthusiasm for his craft, it’s a sure bet that SG-1 fans will embrace him and his character of Mitchell, especially those who remember the actor from Farscape. He still speaks with great fondness about his time on that series.

“I’ll always be extremely grateful to the people who hired me and all those who helped me along the way just to have that much fun playing the part of John Crichton,” says Browder. “Everyone who worked on Farscape put a tremendous amount of love and care into it, and it was terrific to be part of such a community. The show was not everyone’s cup of tea but it never was meant to be. It was definitely a strange brew and the world is better for having such a strange brew in it. And by God isn’t that what Sci-Fi is all about anyway.”

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Browder attended Myers Park High School in Charlotte, North Carolina and, after graduating, went on the Furman University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology. It was also where he was seriously bitten by the acting bug.

“Although I had done some acting prior to college, I never thought of pursuing it as a career,” says Browder. ”Growing up in North Carolina you can’t exactly go to your school guidance counselor and say, ‘I’m thinking about becoming an actor, what do you think?’ They’d look at you as if you were crazy, and understandably so,” he laughs.

“I’d been doing a play a year while at university and one semester I took an acting class. They needed some guys to do scene work so I figured, ‘What the heck.’ I ended up working with some members of the Royal Shakespeare Company and I was like, ‘Wow, this is great.’ I had never met ‘working’ actors or anyone who did this for a profession. At the end of the week I asked these actors ‘Do you think I could make a living at acting?’ and they said, ‘Yes.’ So that’s what I decided to do, and here I am today.”

Steve Eramo

As noted above, photo copyright os Syfy, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Justice League: Doom Premiere Supported By Plenty Of Star Power

(L-R): Susan Eisenberg, Andrea Romano, Phil Morris, Olivia d'Abo, Tim Daly and Lauren Montgomery. Photo by Kevin Parry for The Paley Center.

 

On Thursday, February 17, Warner Home Video, Los Angeles Times and The Paley Center for Media hosted the West Coast Premiere of Justice League: Doom, the highly anticipated next entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies.

 

The capacity crowd reveled in the action-packed film, and enjoyed a lively post-screening panel discussion moderated by Los Angeles Times/Hero Complex guru Geoff Boucher and featuring the following film talent: Tim Daly (Private Practice), the voice of Superman; Phil Morris (Seinfeld, Smallville), the voice of Vandal Savage, leader of the villains; Susan Eisenberg (Justice League, Justice League Unlimited) the voice of Wonder Woman; Olivia d’Abo (The Wonder Years), the voice of Star Sapphire; Lauren Montgomery, Director and Andrea Romano, Dialogue/Casting Director.

 

Tim Daly. Photo by Kevin parry for The Paley Center.

 

Olivia d'Abo. Photo by Kevin Parry for The Paley Center.

 

Lauren Montgomery and Andrea Romano. Photo by Kevin Parry for The Paley Center.

 

Justice League: Doom finds Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg and Batman on their heels when a team of super villains discover and implement the Dark Knight’s “contingency plans” for stopping any rogue Justice League member. The story is inspired by Mark Waid’s much-heralded “JLA: Tower of Babel.” This is the final DC Universe film script written by the late Dwayne McDuffie.

 

(L-R): Phil Morris, Lauren Montgomery, Andrea Romano, Olivia d'Abo, Susan Eisenberg, Tim Daly and Geoff Boucher. Photo by Kevin Parry for The Paley Center.

 

Phil Morris. Photo by Kevin Parry for The Paley Center.

 

Lauren Montgomery. Photo by Kevin Parry for The Paley Center.

 

Olivia d'Abo and Susan Eisenberg. Photo by Kevin parry for The Paley Center.

 

Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, the all-new Justice League: Doom arrives February 28, 2012 from Warner Home Video as a Blu-Ray Combo Pack and DVD and for Download. Both the Blu-Ray Combo Pack and DVD will include an UltraViiolet Digital Copy, The film will be available via purchase On Demand beginning February 21, 2012.

 

As noted above, all photos by Kevin Parry for the Paley Center, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation) To Appear On Syfy's Face Off

Behind-the-scenes with LeVar Burton on Face Off. Photo copyright of Syfy.

Star Trek: The Next Generation's LeVar Burton stops by Face Off in next week’s episode that is sure to be out of this world. In the episode, the contestants learn that for their Spotlight Challenge they will be working with a client, none other than creature designer, director and series judge, Patrick Tatopoulos.  Each of the artists must select one of Patrick’s sketches to serve as the inspiration for an original alien creation.  On the Face Off reveal stage, the contestants are elated to see guest judge Burton but quickly grow concerned when they learn that two artists will be sent packing this week.  Tune in to an all new episode next week to see which of our contestants will move on to the next round! Alien Interpreters airs Wednesday, February 22nd @ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST on Syfy.

(L-R): Face Off judges Glenn Hetrick, Ve Neill, Patrick Tatopoulos and guest LeVar Burton. Photo copyright of Syfy.

 

As noted above, all photos copyright of Syfy, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!