Noticias

Pop singer Lucky Ali has come out with an English song in collaboration with Israeli artiste Eliezer Botzer. The production of the music video began in Ukraine before the war broke out and was completed in during the war.

Talking about what it takes to be comfortable with a collaborator and what he looks for in a collaboration, Lucky told Ians: “They came with some good music and I was happy to add to that in the best way I could. Because they also came from so far away, it was more an honorable situation, more a situation of guests coming to our place from a different country and us being aware of that and doing what we do as Indians, being responsive and welcoming.

“And it worked out in a way that was organic and it gave a lot of good vibes. It just grew from that small first...

Space is a scary place, as we’ve seen in countless movies and TV shows — but the thrills that come with these stories prove that while the dangers of venturing off this planet are many, there are still thrills a’plenty in the great unknown, and adventures beyond our potential comprehension.

Timed to the Season 3 premiere of Syfy’s “The Expanse” and the launch of the Netflix’s “Lost in Space” reboot, here’s a look back at all the great sci-fi television we’ve seen set in the cosmos, a rich tradition of storytelling that’s captured our imagination for decades.

Debating what counts as a “space show” is tricky, though one easy rule was that the show has to center around a spaceship or space station of some sort. Some of these selections below didn’t last all that long — several Season 1s weren’t followed by Season 2s — as television,...

New Amsterdam

Showcase Inventory

Created by Allan Loeb and Christian Taylor

Produced by Sarabande Productions, Scarlet Fire Productions, Regency Television, Fox Television Studios

Aired on Fox for 1 season (8 episodes) from March 4 – April 14, 2008

Cast

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as John Amsterdam

Zuleikha Robinson as Eva Marquez

Alexie Gilmore as Dr. Sarah Millay Dillane

Stephen Henderson as Omar York

Susan Misner as Detective Sergeant Callie Burnett

Show Premise

John Amsterdam has been around for a long time…a very long time. He’s an immortal man who was blessed with the gift after saving a Native American woman during his tenure as a Dutch soldier in the year 1624. The prophecy of the spell foretold that he would be immortal until the day he meets his one true love, who will make him whole again and ready for mortality. In modern day, Amsterdam passes the time as an NYPD detective, using his centuries of knowledge to solve cases.

When it comes to Kerry Bishé's character on AMC's "Halt and Catch Fire," it was a Speak and Spell that caused me to pivot. In her opening moments, we fear that Bishé's Donna is going to be the latest in a series of cable drama wet-blanket wives. Her husband Gordon (Bishé's "Argo" co-star Scoot McNairy) has big dreams in the world of '80s computing and we think that Donna's role is going to be the one telling him to think of his family rather than chasing his dreams. [I've seen some people suggest that's all the character continues to be. Those people are wrong.] Then we see Donna go to work on her kid's Speak and Spell. She isn't meek or tentative with the poplar piece of juvenile technology. She attacks it like a woman who knows her way around a computer. In that moment, and as we hear later hints about Donna's work at Ti and her computing past with Gordon, we realize...

Last week, NBC announced which fresh pilots had made the final cut for its fall schedule; the coveted order to series that puts each conceptual premise into production. But, amidst the frenzy over the network’s rejection of high-profile revival “Wonder Woman,” there was the far more disappointing news that NBC had passed on “17 Precinct.”

Developed by Ronald D. Moore, co-creator of the re-imagined “Battlestar Galactica,” the new pilot naturally had a sci-fi slant, but wasn’t related to Cylons or his earlier work in the “Star Trek” universe. The series, described by Moore as ”Harry Potter for grown ups,” was essentially a crime drama set in a world where everything is explained by magic, just as we make sense of our surroundings through science (or religion, but let’s move on). It was an expansive, nearly limitless fantasy honed to a team of crime scene investigators played in part by “BSG” alums Tricia Helfer,...

To start the weekend roundup, Beginning of Line is now halfway through Caprica Season 2. The latest story, "Purpose" (2x09), comes from Abby Geiger and centers on Tad Thorean and Tamara Adama. You can read the story at the link, and also check out the Artsy Monday Q&A with Abby Geiger from a few weeks ago.

That's nine stories down, nine to go this season. If you haven't started reading yet, you can catch up in the story archive.

And some cast updates:

Sasha Roiz has posted a few photos from the set of Castle on Twitter and on his Fb page. His episode is called "Pretty Dead" and involves a murder at a beauty pageant. Sasha plays the pageant host:

After last Monday's episode, Castle is going on a mini-break until May and episode 3x23 should air on May 9.

Eric Stoltz is still working on Glee, on episode 2x20, "Prom Queen.

Lena Headey will play the duplicitous Cersei Lannister, twin sister of Jaime Lannister, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ("Virtuality"), with whom she indulges an incestuous relationship that spans decades. Along the way she marries the hard-drinking King Robert Baratheon, played by Mark Addy (“Still Standing”). Also cast in the project are Sean Bean (“Crusoe”) as Ned Stark, Kit Harrington as Jon Snow, Jack Gleeson (“Batman Begins”) as Joffrey Baratheon, Harry Lloyd (“Robin Hood”) as Viserys Targaryen, Iain Glen ("Resident Evil: Extinction") as Ser Jorah Mormont, Tamzin Merchant (2005's "Pride and Prejudice") as Daenerys, Richard Madden (the BBC's "Hope Springs") as Robb Stark, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark and Alfie Allen ("The Other Boleyn Girl") as Theon. A Game Of Thrones premiers Sunday April 17th.

One of my favorite working character actors has just joined the cast of  the upcoming film adaptation Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Jimmi Simpson -- who's delivered memorable performances in It's Always Sunny in Philaelphia, Party Down, Virtuality (pictured above) and David Fincher's terrific Zodiac -- has been cast as Josh Speed, Honest Abe's right-hand man. More after the jump Variety reports that Simpson will bring his brand of creepy-cool to a cast that already includes Benjamin Walker as Lincoln, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd, Anthony Mackie as Secretary of State William Seward, and Dominic Cooper as Lincoln's vamp-slaying mentor, Henry Sturges. Production's...

Ronald D. Moore

TV writer and producer Ronald D. Moore is a man of his word. When I interviewed him back in 2008 about why TV science fiction in general — and specifically Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica — had failed so miserably when it came to including Glbt characters, Moore, the creator of BSG, was refreshingly blunt.

"We’ve just failed at it," he told me at the time. "It’s not been something we’ve successfully done. At Star Trek we used to have all these stock answers for why we didn’t do it. The truth is it was not really a priority for any of us on the staff so it wasn’t really something that was strong on anybody’s radar."

Moore also said that failure made him feel guilty and that he would do something about it in the future. And he's done just that ever since.

Entertainment Weekly have revealed the official premier date for A Game Of Thrones and its Sunday April 17th 2011. HBO have also released a whole load of new stills from the show.. There are lots more. To see em follow this link back to Collider For those unfamiliar with the books or the plot of the show, here is a brief synopsis.. Lena Headey will play the duplicitous Cersei Lannister, twin sister of Jaime Lannister, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ("Virtuality"), with whom she indulges an incestuous relationship that spans decades. Along the way she marries the hard-drinking King Robert Baratheon, played by Mark Addy (“Still Standing”). Also cast in the project are Sean Bean (“Crusoe”) as Ned Stark, Kit Harrington as Jon Snow, Jack Gleeson (“Batman Begins”) as Joffrey Baratheon, Harry Lloyd (“Robin Hood”) as Viserys Targaryen, Iain Glen ("Resident Evil: Extinction") as Ser Jorah Mormont, Tamzin Merchant (2005's "Pride and Prejudice") as Daenerys,...

In between this version of William Adama:

and this version:

there is a middle ground yet to be covered - and cast. Picture it with me: Galactica's bridge, circa the years in between Caprica and Battlestar Galactica, a hot, sexy 20-something Bill Adama singing, "I'm bringing frak back, them other boys don't know how to act, we'll kick some toaster ass..."

SyFy has just announced a pilot order for Adama's in-between years. Interested? I know I am. There's something so enticing about those frakking toasters, even though they scare the crap out of me. Or rather the thought that we might one day run into their real life counterparts out here in not-tv-land scares the crap out of me. And still, I find the idea of the Cylons entirely captivating; it was easy to disappear into the Battlestar Galactica world. So the not-so-good news about this new backdoor pilot is...

The Reconcilers is a new graphic novel debuting this December. It comes from a highly established and award winning team of writers and artists. It has been described as Gladiator meets Bladerunner. From award-winning writer and actor Erik Jensen (Ron Moore and Peter Berg’s Virtuality, The Exonerated, The Bronx is Burning), DC™, Marvel™, and Continuity™ comics legend Neal Adams (Batman, Deadman, X-Men), and Eisner Award-nominated artist Shepherd Hendrix (Stagger Lee (Image™ Comics) The Lord of the Rings-The Third Age (EA Games), Eisner-nominated Best Single Issue/Best Story “Swamp Thing- Fear and Loathing on the Bayou Trail”), comes the graphic novel The Reconcilers, the story of one man’s quest to bring justice to a dark and broken world. (thereconcilers.com) Take a preview and...

Omar Metwally, Nicolaj Coster-Waldau in Peter Berg's 2009 TV movie Virtuality Summit Entertainment has announced a number of new The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn cast additions, who'll play members of the various vampire covens — and some "nomads" — that ally themselves with the Cullen Clan, led by Kristen Stewart's Bella and Robert Pattinson's Edward. (Well, Peter Facinelli's Carlisle is the actual Cullen leader, but Breaking Dawn truly belongs to Bella.) The Amazon Coven, which has existed for centuries secluded from civilization, will be comprised of Tracey Heggins as Senna and Judi Shekoni as Zafrina. Expect some funky clothes, weird accents, and bizarre makeup. Joining the previously announced Rami Malek as Benjamin, the Egyptian Coven will include the excellent Omar Metwally (Munich) as Amun, Andrea Gabriel (Lost) as Kebi, and Angela Sarafyan (The Good Guys) as Tia. The members of the Irish Coven are Marlane Barnes as Maggie, Lisa Howard as Siobhan,...

Ronald D. Moore is no stranger to genre television. He began his career as a writer and producer for series such as Star Trek (The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine & Voyager), HBO’s critically acclaimed Carnivale and Roswell. In 2005 he and David Eick created the Battlestar Glactica reboot for Syfy. The series was both a critical and popular success. Moore developed another space-themed series for Fox last season, entitled Virtuality, which did not make it past its pilot airing. He now makes a move into the realm of fantasy.

Moore will produce a drama which is described as an “adult themed Harry Potter” police procedural for NBC. The project, from Sony TV (who Moore signed a two-year overall deal with this May), is reported to have…

Click to continue reading Battlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore To Create ‘Adult Harry Potter’...

"Virtuality" didn't make it past the pilot stage, but former "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer Ronald D. Moore is hoping for a different outcome in a new series for NBC other news outlets are simply calling an "adult Harry Potter." Sony Television, where Moore signed a development deal last spring, received a $2 million commitment from NBC to develop a pilot, described as a police procedural that heavily involves the use of magic. No name for the project was released, or the origin of the story. In the past, Moore has created based on existing properties, so it's not clear if this new project is based on a book series, or if he's working with another creator to bring the story to life. The new series seems to have elements not just of Harry Potter, but also of the short-lived ...

Ronald D. Moore (I, Robot 2, Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome) is creating a wizarding world for NBC Universal. The fantasy show is described as “an adult Harry Potter set in a world ruled not by science but by magic.” The project was developed as part of a two-year deal with Sony TV.

Do you think Moore can pull off an “adult Harry Potter” world in the same way that he energized the Battlestar Galactica franchise for SyFy? In a television entertainment landscape filled with vampires, zombies, and witches, why not add variety with some wizarding magic?

[The Shakedown]

I am cautiously optimistic about this one. His fledgling show last year, Virtuality, turned out to be just a two-hour pilot movie for Fox. It was promising and I wanted to see more but, no… there was no more! We’ll keep a close eye on this and let you know what happens.

Stay tuned to SciFiMafia.

After "The Wire," Ron Moore and David Eick's "Battlestar Galactica" series for SyFy (called Sci-Fi Channel at the time) is one of the best examples of compelling dramatic television in years. The way they took this far out sci-fi setting of the last surviving humans in the known universe on the run from their robot destroyers and turned it into a heavily character-driven drama with strangely relevant themes was simply masterful.

Now, Moore will bring his A-game to NBC. The network purchased a pitch -- for a reported $2 million -- for a series which is described as "an adult 'Harry Potter' set in a world ruled not by science but by magic," Deadline reports. After "Battlestar," I'm will to give the benefit of the doubt to anything Moore touches. And this magic pitch sounds like a cool idea; it could go either way of course, but given the talents...

It must be getting harder to make new genre shows for television. Think about it for a moment and see if my point makes sense to you: suppose you're a TV creator and you've thought up an idea for a new sci-fi series set on a spaceship. Now you're going to be compared to Star Trek. What about a scientist that travels into the past? Quantum Leap fans are going to curse you out. Investigators of the paranormal? The X-Files did that a decade ago (though don't tell the Fringe guys – although they're doing Ok by replacing the alien meme with parallel Earths.)

The point that I'm trying to make is that it's hard to be original, and the problem is that TV can't be too original either; if it's something never seen before then you’ve got a Twin Peaks, which works fine if you create Lost 15 years down the road,...

The rest of this month has some exciting genre output on display at the wonderful Egyptian and Aero Theatres, hosted by the American Cinematheque.

Currently running, the Egyptian’s Lust and Larceny: Noir City, the 12th Annual Festival of Film Noir will wrap up on April 18. Friday, April 16 beginning at 7:30pm will be a double feature of 1955’s thriller Crashout, followed by 1954’s brutal revenge melodrama Cry Vengeance. Neither of these films are currently available on DVD. Saturday will see a double feature of horror director Lew Landers’ The Power of the Whistler from 1945 and starring Richard Dix (Val Lewton’s The Ghost Ship), as well as its follow up of the same year, Voice of the Whistler, directed by horror legend William Castle! In attendence will be Robert Dix, son of star Richard Dix.

Running from April 29 through May 2, the Egyptian presents A Wrinkle in Time: The Best of Time Travel Films.

Ever wonder how TV shows are born? Well, when a Mommy TV show and a Daddy TV show love each other very much, they start to kiss and rub their bodies together, and then they...

Wait, scratch that. Wrong explanation.

The truth is, all year long, broadcast and cable networks hear pitches from writers and producers, which they then commission into actual scripts. Every winter and spring, they order some of these scripts to "pilot," which means the show is cast and a "pilot" episode is shot.

This does not mean that the show is necessarily ever going to make it on air. Pilots are ordered precisely so the networks can decide whether they want to invest in them. From the pilot, they can see how the show looks, whether or not it "works," and whether casting changes are necessary. Case in point, last year Fox passed on Ron Moore...

Move over Captain Jack, there’s a new gay character on the sci fi block, and he might just be as groundbreaking and kick-ass as you were when you first arrived on Torchwood.

His name is Sam Adama, and he’s a Tauron enforcer working for the Halatha Crime Syndicate on the planet of Caprica. Sam's already killed once in a rather spectacularly brutal fashion. But he’s also happily married to another man, and is the loving uncle to none other than Battlestar Galacatica’s iconic William Adama, the man who helped save humanity after the Cylons nearly wiped them out.

Sasha Roiz is the actor so indelibly bringing Sam to life. Indeed, the role of Sam was originally envisioned as only being in the pilot, but thanks to strong writing – and the magnetic performance of Roiz who initially read for another part – the role was expanded, and Sam...

Battlestar Galactica creator Ron Moore's doomed Fox sci-fi pilot Virtuality is finally getting a DVD release. The pilot, billed as a TV movie when it premiered last year, is heading to DVD on May 4.

Fox showed little faith in the intriguing drama that followed a crew of astronauts haunted by a malfunctioning Vr system and a bit of space madness. After ordering several changes to the show in order to make it more "mainstream," the network scrapped plans for a full series and dumped the premiere on a random Friday night last June with little promotion.

Needless to say, nobody watched.

Continue reading Ron Moore's Virtuality heading to DVD in May

 

Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, TV on DVD, Reality-Free

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You can bring home Battlestar Galactica creator Ronald D. Moore's latest sci-fi adventure home on DVD this May. Virtuality will be released on DVD on May 4. As of right now, we don't have any special features details or pricing details as of yet, and it seems that the film won't be released in Blu-ray either. We'll be sure to keep you posted on this new title, but for now, take a look at the cover art and synopsis below. The flm stars Clea DuVall, Joy Bryant, Sienna Gullory, Ritchie Coster and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

Nothing is what it seems in this daring, futuristic movie event from legendary Director Peter Berg (Hancock) and Executive Producers Michael Taylor and Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica). Twelve extremely talented men and women have been chosen to be part of the Phaeton mission, a 10-year trek to explore a distant planetary system. In order to...

When I interviewed Battlestar Galactica's Ron Moore back in October of 2008 about the lack of gay visibility in science fiction programming, Moore was pretty frank with me, saying:

We’ve just failed at it. It’s not been something we’ve successfully done. At Star Trek we used to have all these stock answers for why we didn’t do it. The truth is it was not really a priority for any of us on the staff so it wasn’t really something that was strong on anybody’s radar.

Asked how that failure now made him feel, Moore said:

It makes me guilty. I always feel guilty when these questions come up because it’s something that I don’t do and I haven’t done enough of and I hope I do do, but I haven’t really done it.

Moore also told me work on Caprica...

Don’T Let Perfect Be The Enemy Of Good

The news this week that Fox had ordered a script for a possible U.S. version of Torchwood set off our usual battle royale in the comments whenever the subject comes up. I swear I could post Captain Jack's grocery list and get fifty comments in ten minutes.

Our own poll showed 50% of readers thought the idea to be “an abomination greater than Ianto’s death and the extinction of all life on earth combined" or something like that.

Burn Fox! Tar and feather Rtd!

And get that idiot editor of AfterElton.com!

Actually, the poll showed that a bare majority of 51% would be willing to at least give the show a chance. Of that, only 4% said they would definitely watch while of the no vote, 21% said "Hell No, Bad Idea" and another 21% said "After what happened to Ianto, this show is dead to me.

I remember growing up as a kid in the 80’s and absolutely loving Japanese animation. Shows like Voltron, Robotech and Tranzor Z, with his partner Aphrodite and her boobie missile 1 and boobie missile 2, were among some of my favorites to watch. I guess my tastes changed as I got older, because the newer anime from the ’90s on just didn’t appeal to me very much.

I’m not an expert in Japanese anime by any means and I really only followed the mainstream stuff, so when the teaser trailer for the cartoon Space Battleship Yamato (known as Star Blazers in the U.S.) hit the web and instantly picked up steam in the movie blog world, I was intrigued to see what all the fuss was about. After watching the 32 second teaser, I was left thinking, “Did I miss something?”

If you are like me and not familiar with Space Battleship Yamato,...

Jack And Dan was picked Up By Fox Network.

Who? What?

You’re probably wondering what the heck Jack and Dan is? Jack and Dan is about a by-the-book cop who is partnered up with a loser cop whose only redeeming feature is the fact that he performed a heroic deed some years earlier… and hence, why he still has his job.

The reason I’m chatting about Jack and Dan is because it’s from Matt Nix, who is better known as the creator and executive producer of USA Network’s smash hit, Burn Notice.

Fox picked up a 13-episode order, each episode is an hour long, and will be a bit like Burn Notice. That is, as Nix calls it, an action comedy that showcases how the cops and crooks come together and watching them clash.

The history behind this show is that Nix wrote this almost 10 years ago,...

The HBO pilot for George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones adaptation has added more cast members to its line-up. Joining the production are Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Virtuality) as Jaime Lannister, loyal to the ruler who staged a coup and grabbed the kingdom of Westeros; Tamzin Merchant (The Tudors) as Daenerys, an exiled young princess; Richard Madden (Hope Springs) as Ned Stark's eldest son, Robb; Iain Glen (Into the Storm) as Ser Jorah Mormont, a disgraced knight; Alfie Allen (The Other Boleyn Girl) as Theon, Stark's young ward; Sophie Turner as Stark's eldest daughter, Sansa; and Maisie Williams as Stark's youngest daughter, Arya.

These latest additions join the previously announced Game of Thrones cast members Sean Bean (playing Ned Stark), Mark Addy (King Robert), Kit Harrington (Jon Snow), Jennifer Ehle (Catelyn Stark), Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion) and Harry Lloyd (Viserys Targarye). Filming starts in October.

I’m a fan of New Amsterdam, and hated when Fox canceled it. Its star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been in a couple of shows, but none have stuck. Maybe joining Sean Bean’s HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones will do the trick. THR’s the Live Feed reports that Coster-Waldau, recent seen in Ron Moore’s aborted Fox pilot for the little-seen Virtuality, would play Jaime Lannister, one of the king’s guards and a ruthless usurper of the previous king, which means Coster-Waldau will be butting heads with Sean Bean’s Ned Stark, who unlike Lannister is a loyal servant of the king. Coster-Waldau joins a cast that includes Bean as the lead, Ned Stark; Richard Madden as Stark’s eldest son, Robb; Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont, a disgraced knight; Alfie Allen as Theon, Stark’s young ward; Sophie Turner as Stark’s eldest daughter, Sansa...

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. Virtuality star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been cast in the pilot for fantasy drama Game of Thrones, HBO's adaptation of George R.R. Martin's novel series. Coster-Waldau will play Jaime Lannister, described by The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd as "one of the king's guards and a ruthless usurper of the previous king." Also cast in the Tom McCarthy-directed pilot: Tamzin Merchant (The Tudors), Richard Madden (Hope Springs), Iain Glen (Into the Storm), Alfie Allen (The Other Boleyn Girl), Sophie Turner (Doctor Who), and Maisie Williams, all of whom join the previously announced Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Jennifer Ehle, Kit Harrington, Harry Lloyd, Peter Dinklage, and Jack Gleeson. Production begins this October in Ireland. (Hollywood Reporter) Fox has handed out a pilot script order with penalty to drama Break Out Kings, from 20th Century Fox Television and Prison Break writer/producers Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora,...

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is among a new wave of cast additions for HBO's epic fantasy pilot "Game of Thrones." After previously staring in "New Amsterdam" and recently in Ronald D. Moore's Fox pilot "Virtuality," Coster-Waldau steps into a key role as notorious warrior Jaime Lannister. Also joining the cast: Tamzin Merchant (Showtime's "The Tudors"), who'll play Daenerys Targaryen, an exiled dragon princess; Richard Madden ("Hope Springs") as Stark's eldest son, Robb; Iain Glen ("Into the Storm") as Ser Jorah Mormont, a knight seeking redemption; Alfie Allen ("The Other Boleyn Girl") as Theon, Stark's young ward; Sophie Turner, as Stark's eldest daughter, Sansa; and Maisie Williams as Stark's resilient daughter, Arya. More announcements for "Game of Thrones'" large ensemble cast are ...

HBO is filling out the cast of its fantasy pilot "Game of Thrones" with the addition of former "New Amsterdam" star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and several others.

The group joins the previously cast lead Sean Bean as battle-weary Ned Stark, who leaves his home to serve the king. Mark Addy, Kit Harrington, Jennifer Ehle, Jack Gleeson, Peter Dinklage and Harry Lloyd also star.

In the adaptation of the George R.R. Martin fantasy-book series, Coster-Waldau will play Jaime Lannister, one of the king's guards and a ruthless usurper of the previous king. The actor, most recently seen in Ron Moore's Fox pilot "Virtuality," is repped by Wme, Impression and Independent Talent Group.

Another addition is Tamzin Merchant (Showtime's "The Tudors"), who'll play Daenerys, an exiled teenage princess.

Also new to the cast: Richard Madden ("Hope Springs") as Stark's eldest son, Robb; Iain Glen ("Into the Storm") as Ser Jorah Mormont, a...

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is looking for ratings numbers in the vacuum of space

After being given the Friday night treatment by Fox, Ronald D. Moore’s Virtuality didn’t fare too well.

The movie that was originally slated to be a pilot for a series that was your standard fare from Moore, employing his style and voice to air his perspective on different human scenarios. In this case, it was about 12 space-faring crew members who were facing isolation on a 10-year space journey, and, dealing with what looked like a faulty virtual reality system.

I enjoyed it and the majority of the Screen Rant readers who commented on my review concurred that it was a good watch.

.

Friday Night Bites

But Friday night did what it does and bit a chunk out of the ratings for this science fiction drama. Science fiction and fantasy just don’t click with the Friday night viewers.

Sadly, not very many of you ended up watching Ron Moore and Michael Taylor’s “back door” pilot Virtuality on Fox last Friday. The numbers were not very high at all, which pretty much ensures the show will never become a series. That’s unfortunate because the pilot was very well done and would have made quite a good series.

Well cast, well directed (by Peter Berg) with engaging characters, clever dialog, some action, suspense and a mystery plot twist at the end would have made me tune in each week to follow the continuing story of the Phaeton crew on its mission to save earth. My one major problem with the show isn’t really a problem with the show exactly, its with Fox billing it as a “TV Movie.”

This is not a movie because a movie has an ending that finishes a story and explains most of...

Able to take contemporary television in a tongue-in-cheek manner, Fox’s new show Virtuality does a wonderfully ironic job of mocking the reality television that the network also does so (arguably) well. But what makes the show truly special is the complex character interactions that creator Ronald D Moore handles better than almost any other maker of sci-fi TV or film.

The pilot has already tackled the exploitation of the show’s openly gay male couple when they are persuaded to continue their queeny bickering for the camera. However, it was placed perfectly in the context of a greedy television studio’s desire for ratings at any cost. It may not be a reason to not suspect the real life Fox of these very same improprieties but it is a place to begin the discussion.

But what the ladies most look forward to is the hard-as-nails Clea DuVall, who plays top pilot Sue Parson.

Last Friday night's two-hour broadcast of Virtuality, co-created by Battlestar Galactica's Ronald D. Moore, were low even for the Friday night death slot of Fox. According to Nielsen Virtuality drew in an estimated 1.8 million viewers. That gave the program just a 0.5 rating for the adult demographic slot. Virtuality tied for the lowest-rated program of the evening with ABC's The Goode Family -- except that it was Fox, not ABC, that finished fourth overall for the evening's programming. NBC's programming about Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson's death drew in three to four times the audience as Virtuality.

Until now there was still a sliver of hope that another network could ride in to the rescue and pick up Virtuality as a series. The chances of that happening now are pretty remote.

 

 ...

I'm really bummed that more people didn't tune in to watch Friday night's broadcast of Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor's superlative two-hour pilot for Virtuality, directed by Peter Berg. You read my advance review of the gripping and haunting two-hour pilot of Fox's Virtuality but, now that it's aired, I am curious to hear what you think. (Missed the two-hour pilot? You can watch the whole thing at Hulu.) According to Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed, "The two-hour premiere of Ron Moore's sci-fi pilot drew only 1.8 million viewers and received a 0.5 adult demo rating -- tying ABC's "The Goode Family" as the lowest-rated program on a major broadcast network Friday night and putting Fox into fourth place for the evening." What I'm wondering is: why didn't more of you tune in to watch what was one of the more original and unique projects to come along in a long time?...

Televisionary is proud to be a member of the TV Blog Coalition. At the end of each week, we'll feature a roundup of content from our sister sites for your delectation. This week, I offered an elegy for ABC's canceled The Unusuals and offered advance reviews of Fox's Virtuality, BBC America's Doctor Who: The Next Doctor, NBC's The Philanthropist, the return of ABC's Better Off Ted, and the first four episodes of HBO's Hung. I also discussed the latest episode of Bravo's Top Chef Masters and news of AMC's latest series order for thriller Rubicon, had several updates on the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International schedule, interviews with Virtuality co-creator Ronald D. Moore and the cast and crew of Torchwood: Children of Earth, and offered new trailers for NBC's upcoming series Community, Trauma, and Parenthood. Elsewhere in the sophisticated TV-obsessed section of the blogosphere, members of the TV Blog Coalition were discussing the following items.

So, who watched Virtuality Friday night? No? Didn't think so. Say bye-bye to this intriguing project, which was conceived as a pilot for a new series but aired as a movie when Fox didn't want to pick it up. Any chance of convincing them otherwise is a bust, as the broadcast resulted in truly abysmal ratings, no doubt ensuring its demise.

A lot of people who didn't know it was supposed to be a pilot episode of a series are apparently annoyed that it abruptly ended without a conclusion. It didn't work as a standalone movie, of course, because it was never meant to be. Most of the two-hour pilot are setting up conflicts for future episodes to explore. It's all the more aggravating for it, because the pilot really shows enormous potential for a fantastic drama should it be allowed to continue.

Taking cues from Danny Boyle's Sunshine—in fact,...

Our brothers and sisters over at TV Squad have busted through the boob tube and brought with them the following juicy bits of must-see eye candy:

For those who are counting the days until the return of their favorite shows, NBC has announced the dates of their Fall premieres. Brad Trechak has a review of the pilot episode of Virtuality, the new series from Battlestar Galactica's Ron Moore. Fans of Ice Road Truckers can now brave the same dangerous conditions from the safety of their iPhone. Here's a look back at one of the strangest superhero shows of all time. Legends of the Super Heroes is of particular interest this week because it starred the late Ed McMahon alongside some of DC Comics greatest characters. Rumor has it that a TV movie called Metropolis may serve as a coda to the Smallville series. ...and finally, if you think a...

This is a DVR spoiler-free review.

“Follow me through the mirror, down the rabbit hole. Trust me, it has to be this way.”

A rabbit hole indeed. Ronald D. Moore has done it again giving us some brilliant writing with Virtuality as far as I’m concerned and Fox not sticking to the original plan of creating a series out of his concept is not only their loss, but ours as well.

We have 12 astronauts on a 10-year journey that becomes a potential rescue mission to save humanity. Their space faring vessel is named the Phaeton.

The show opens with a scene that introduces the Virtual Reality system (Vr) world from the ship. We’re also almost immediately introduced to the glitch that we’ve been told about in the studio press releases. I think glitch might be an understatement, but that’s just me.

Despite the youthful cast, there...

Ronald D. Moore’s Virtuality airs this Friday night (June 26th) on Fox and from this writer’s perspective, it has come down a long and harrowing path to get here.

The project started out being lined up as a television pilot and through some unknown series of decisions, Fox has again taken a proven showrunner’s idea and seemingly squashed it with their thumb.

The show that was originally slated to be a pilot for a series has been reduced to a 2-hour movie that’s being aired in the vacuum of Friday. At least Fox is consistent in their handling of sci-fi projects.

The show is from executive producers Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Michael Taylor (Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: Voyager) and stars Kerry Bishe, Ritchie Coster, Eric Jensen, Nelson Lee, Joy Bryant, Clea Duvall, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Sienna Guillory, James D’Arcy,...

Established 1974! Our news column takes a chance on virtuality.

Sci-fi TV

There are Several important Sf TV events this weekend! The first is tonight’s broadcast of Virtuality, the TV movie/unsold series pilot from Battlestar Galactica’s Ron Moore & Michael Taylor. New Amsterdam’s Nikolaj Coster-Waldau captains the spaceship Phaeton, its exploits also being filmed on board for a futuristic reality show. The cast (see photo) includes, among others, Sienna Guillory, James D’Arcy and Clea DuVall. Peter Berg (Hancock) directed. At one point, this was going to air on the ratings-dead night of July 4, but that plan changed. If it earns ratings and/or acclaim, another network Might take a chance on Virtuality. Odds are good that it’ll be issued later on DVD, but help the cause anyhow and watch Virtuality tonight, Friday, 8-10 p.m. on Fox.

But that’s Not all! BBC America offers the U.

Spike TV will air the 10-part web series Angel of Death, written by Ed Brubaker and starring Zoe Bell,Lucy Lawless, Doug Jones, Jake Abel, and Ted Raimi, as a 90-minute movie on Saturday July 25. The series originally appeared on Sony's Crackle entertainment portal.

Ron Moore's Virtuality pilot is on Fox tonight. Refresh my memory: is this sleeping in the timeslot where Terminator: The Sarah Chronicles slept, or is this where Harsh Realm was? Here's the trailer:

Your thoughts? Reviews? What did you think?...

The two-hour pilot for the sci-fi series Virtuality airs tonight on Fox, starring Clea DuVall — which is pretty exciting since she's hasn't been on TV regularly since the two seasons on Carnivale. (Let's face it — Lifetime movies, while totally addicting, just don't cut it.)

The show is about a group of astronauts who are on a decade-long mission to the nearest star, but who spend their free time getting wrapped up in virtual reality. Random? We'll see. Clea plays pilot Sue Parson, whose choice virtual reality activity is surfing.

You'd think the show creators would be smart enough to know viewers would prefer to see her actually surfing. You know, bikini top, board shorts, tan, ocean mist, etc. But hey, Clea's on TV — we'll take what we can get, right?

In a recent interview about how the show's executive producer Ron Moore (also behind Battlestar Galactica and Carnivale) doesn't shy away from featuring uncommon characters,...

Tonight Fox launches Ronald D. Moore’s Virtuality, a two hour movie that was originally meant to be the pilot for a new series. While Moore’s last series – the much beloved Battlestar Galactica – also got off to a rocky start, the future doesn’t look as bright for Virtuality which isn’t likely to go to series unless ratings for tonight's movie turn out to be unexpectedly strong.

For gay fans that’s especially unfortunate as the show is the first U.S. science fiction television program to include regularly occurring gay characters as part of the main cast. And we’re not talking just any gay characters – Manny (Jose Pablo Cantillo) and Val (Gene Farber) are a married couple, making this a twofer when it comes to breaking new ground in gay visibility.

AfterElton.com recently had the chance to chat with Cantillo about what it meant to...

creator/executive producer Michael Taylor talks about his new sci-fi creation

Don't you dare call the upcoming presentation of Virtuality a movie, at least not around creator/executive producer Michael Taylor. I discovered last night at a screening of the show that this is in fact a pilot, and not a "two-hour movie" like Fox is promoting it and I also discovered that this is a damn fine pilot as well ( for my full review of this wonderful two-hour pilot). I was invited to the Universal lot for a screening of this new endeavor, which Taylor created with the help of Battlestar Galactica creator Ronald D. Moore, with whom Taylor worked with on Battlestar Galactica as a writer and executive producer. Before the screening started the assorted press corps were given the opportunities to talk to Taylor about his new endeavor and you can take a look below at my exclusive interview with Taylor.

Following up on the posting of interviews with Michael Taylor and Nelson Lee and Gene Farber from this week's "Virtuality" premiere on the Universal lot, here are two more brief interviews with the show's stars, these with Clea DuVall and Erik Jensen. Just a reminder that "Virtuality" -- Read HitFix's review -- premieres on Friday, June 26 at 8 p.m. on Fox. *** Clea DuVall For much of the potential fanbase for "Virtuality," Clea DuVall may be the most familiar face. She tangled with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," battled alien invaders in "The Faculty," tried to investigate superheroes on "Heroes" and...

Virtuality, the Ron Moore created pilot for a series about space explorers journeying to a distant star, airs tonight at 8Pm on Fox. It's been getting great reviews. Lurking in the air though is the knowledge that this is being billed as a stand alone movie, not as the set-up for a series, even though that was how it was originally conceived.

What are the chances though of this becoming a series? Is there any hope? Executive Producer Micahel Taylor, he of the same Ep grandeur on Battlestar Galactica, tells SciFi.Com that the movie is a backdoor pilot, just like the BSG miniseries was. 

"Fox is calling it a movie, but they want a lot of eyeballs on it too," Taylor says. "So we've conceived a whole season; we conceived multiple seasons. We know where this show is going, and it's going some really weird and interesting places...There is a business plan.

"I'm alive/And I'm alone/And I've never wanted to be either of those." - Chemical Brothers It's rare that a network ever airs a pilot that it doesn't intend to order to series, much less one that has engendered quite so much support from viewers ahead of its broadcast. And yet that's just what Fox is doing tonight with the gripping and sensational two-hour pilot for sci-fi drama Virtuality, from creators Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor of Battlestar Galactica fame. (You can find an exclusive interview with Michael Taylor here and a write-up of a press call with Ron Moore here.) Virtuality, gorgeously directed by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) is a mind-bending, acid-trip exploration of deepest space and the innermost recesses of the human heart. Deftly combining space-set action with reality television, Virtuality seeks to answer some eternal questions about the nature of reality itself. What is real?...