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When Charles Durning appeared on NCIS in 2004, he was neither a stranger to acting nor without knowledge of the military. The WWII veteran was a long-time presence on big and small screens. Durning's role as Corporal Earnie Yost on NCIS stood apart from many of his other roles, however, because it earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

His appearance on NCIS wasn't Durning's first nomination in the category. He was previously nominated for playing Michael Gavin on Rescue Me and Thomas Finnegan on Homicide: Life on the Streets. Additional praise for Durning came with Oscar nominations for his roles in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not to Be (1983).

In the minds of many, Durning will always be remembered for NCIS and the emotional intensity he brought to the role of Yost. Personal and powerful alike, Durning demonstrated...

Quick Links'ncis' Has Seen 22 Seasons of Success"Call of Silence" Is a Great 'NCIS' EpisodeWhy "Call of Silence" Is the Best 'NCIS' Episode

On December 16, 2024, NCIS went on hiatus for six weeks following Season 22, Episode 9, "Humbug." The episode concerns the NCIS team investigating a former U.S. Marine's claim that a squad leader neglected his duties, calling to mind the long-running procedural's best hour of television. Almost 20 years to the day, "Humbug" was released after "Call of Silence," arguably the best-acted and the most compassionately moving NCIS episode ever made.

With NCIS Seasons 1-5 and 12-17 recently added to Netflix, fans new and old must see Charles Durning's tour-de-force performance in "Call of Silence," the highest-rated episode of arguably the finest season in show history. Drawing on his real-life experience as a WWII veteran, Durning's unforgettable turn proves that few NCIS episodes marry story and...

Well. Um. So, that happened. I'm really of mixed feelings about The Librarians Season 3 Episode 9, to the point where I can't decide – even sitting here writing this review – whether this episode was good or completely ludicrous.

The series itself definitely requires a certain level of whimsy in its viewers, but "And the Fatal Separation" definitely took suspension of disbelief to levels of parody.

The Monkey King of Shangri-La came out of nowhere as apparently the guy who's been teaching Jake next-level fighting skills (probably to make better use of Christian Kane's training).

The way Jake and the Monkey King spouted apparently-profound wisdom at each other in humorous fashion indicated that the writers were almost certainly aware of the exploitation of martial arts movie cliches.

A man who eats crackers in bed wakes up feeling crumby.

Monkey King Permalink: A man who eats crackers in bed wakes up feeling crumby.

Chiller has original and reimagined onscreen scares lined up for this year and the next, as they've just announced that their first original series, Slasher (directed by Todd & The Book of Pure Evil’s Craig David Wallace), will premiere late this year, along with a reimagining of Tobe Hooper's 1985 space vampire flick, Lifeforce. Also in development at Chiller (and slated for a 2016 debut) is Siren, a full-length film adaptation of David Bruckner's highly regarded V/H/S segment, Amateur Night, which gave viewers a chilling new perspective on the line, "I like you."

Press Release (via The Futon Critic) -- "New York - May 5, 2015 - On the heels of its most-watched original movie to date (Animal) and the SXSW 2015 premiere of its original movie The Boy, Chiller announces new original content for 2015 and 2016, including its first-ever original series, Slasher, and two new original movies, Lifeforce and Siren.

"Chiller...

Comic-Con International has announced the schedule for the third day of San Diego Comic-Con 2013 on Saturday, July 20. You can clickHere to check out the full schedule, including comic book-related events, but we have pulled out all the movie, DVD, and TV-related panels right here. Take a look at what this day has to offer.

10:00 Am - 11:00 Am A&E Bates Motel

The Bates Motel is open for business in San Diego! Executive producers Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights) will release new footage from the highly acclaimed A&E drama series Bates Motel exclusively for Comic Con attendees. The executive producers will be joined by the cast, including Academy Award nominee Vera Farmiga (Norma Bates), Freddie Highmore (Norman Bates), Max Thieriot (Dylan), Olivia Cooke (Emma), and Nestor Carbonell (Sheriff Alex Romero) to discuss the show's unique backstory and creation. Fans will get an opportunity to...

Saturday at Comic-Con is stacked with TV panels as CW hits including "The Vampire Diaries" and "Arrow" join fan favorites "Once Upon a Time," "Grimm," "Family Guy," "Bates Motel" and "Person of Interest," plus the Con debut of "How I Met Your Mother."

All that plus the CW's promising new series "The Tomorrow People" and "The Originals," more Fox animation, "Futurama," Syfy's "Warehouse 13" and "Being Human," NBC's "Revolution" and Cinemax's "Strike Back." Good luck trying to follow it all.

Check out the full Saturday schedule on the Comic-Con official site or peruse the TV panel highlights below:

"A&E Bates Motel" (10:00am - 11:00am, Room 6A): The Bates Motel is open for business in San Diego! Executive producers Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights) will release new footage from the highly acclaimed A&E drama series Bates Motel exclusively for Comic Con attendees.

DVD Release Date: July 16, 2013

Price: DVD $29.98

Studio: Entertainment One

Tanit Phoenix lights up our candles as the sexy hostess of Femme Fatales.

Inspired by and styled in the tradition of pulp stories, film noir and graphic novels, Femme Fatales: Season 2 is a sexy Cinemax “After Dark” mystery-thriller anthology television series about powerful, sexy and dangerous women.

Broadcast in 2012, the half-hour program from creators Mark Altman (TV’s Castle) and Steve Kriozere (TV’s NCIS) features stories inspired by such noir classics as Double Indemnity classic thriller TV series like The Twilight Zone. In each of the 12 stand-alone episodes, women find extraordinary ways of coping with their problems, channeling their survival instincts and bringing out their inner guile. Every episode is introduced by a mysterious and sultry host Lilith (Tanit Phoenix, Death Race 2), and features different casts and storylines, some of which are intertwined as part of the series’ overall mythology.

Now that the full WonderCon 2013 schedule has been released, we know what other genre projects will be joining the already announced Evil Dead and "Under the Dome." It looks like a very busy weekend for horror fans!

Below you'll find a majority of the WonderCon 2013 horror highlights (and a few fringy panels that we thought might have crossover appeal). For all the latest updates visit the official WonderCon website.

Friday, March 29

3:00pm - Exclusive Warner Bros. Television Screenings of "Revolution," "Arrow," and "The Following" (more info here) - Arena

6:30pm - Netflix's "Hemlock Grove" - Room 300De

From executive producer Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and based on Brian McGreevy's novel of the same name, Netflix's Hemlock Grove is a riveting one-hour murder mystery series that revolves around the residents of a former Pennsylvania steel town. When 17-year-old Brooke Bluebell is brutally murdered, any of Hemlock's peculiar inhabitants-or killer creatures-could be suspects.

Image via: ACGArt

A few of us here from GeekTyrant will be hitting up WonderCon 2013, which takes place from Friday, March 29th to Sunday, March 31th at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. We went for the first time last year, and we had a great time, so we're all excited to be going back for more geek goodness!

WonderCon has released the full three-day schedule! There's a ton of great stuff to check out this year! Enough cool stuff to keep you more than busy! Check out the schedule and start planning out your trip! If you're going and you see us around make sure to say hi! We can talk about geek stuff! See ya there!

March 29 • Friday

12:30Pm – 1:30Pm

1

35th Anniversary: BattlestarRoom 300De

Host Richard Hatch (Capt. Apollo, Tom Zarek), Kevin Grazier (science advisor, Battlestar, Caprica, Defiance),Michael Taylor (writer/producer, Battlestar, Defiance, Caprica...

The full schedule has been released for 2013 WonderCon, which takes place from Friday, March 29 to Sunday, March 31 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can clickHere for the full lineup of events, but we have pulled out all the relevant movie and TV panels and screenings below.

Friday, March 29

3:00 Pm - 6:00 Pm - Exclusive Warner Bros. Television Screenings

For the fourth straight year, Warner Bros. Television kicks off WonderCon with preview screenings of fan-favorite series. For 2013, Wbtv will unveil - on the big screen - the world premiere of new, previously unaired episodes of the first-year hit dramas Arrow, The Following, from executive producers Greg Berlanti (Golden Boy), Marc Guggenheim (Green Lantern) and Andrew Kreisberg (Fringe); The Following, from creator/executive producer Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries) and starring Kevin Bacon; and Revolution, from creator Eric Kripke (Supernatural) and J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions (Fringe,...

DVD Release Date: Jan. 29, 2013

Price: DVD $29.98

Studio: Entertainment One

Tanit Phoenix serves as the sexy hostess of Femme Fatales.

Inspired by and styled in the tradition of pulp stories, film noir and graphic novels, Femme Fatales: Season 1 is a sexy Cinemax “After Dark” mystery-thriller anthology television series about powerful, sexy and dangerous women.

The half-hour program from creators Mark Altman (TV’s Castle) and Steve Kriozere (TV’s NCIS) features stories inspired by such noir classics as Double Indemnity classic thriller TV series like The Twilight Zone. In each of the 13 stand-alone episodes, women find extraordinary ways of coping with their problems, channeling their survival instincts and bringing out their inner guile. Every episode is introduced by a mysterious and sultry host Lilith (Tanit Phoenix, Death Race 2), and features different casts and storylines, some of which are intertwined as part of the series’ overall mythology.

Some of the...

With Comic Con 2012 kicking off in sunny San Diego this week, theTVaddict.com thought now might be as good a time as any to share our definitive list of Must See TV Panels.

Wednesday July 11

6:00-9:45Pm: Special Sneak Peek Pilot Screenings— Comic-Con and Warner Bros. Television proudly continue their annual Preview Night tradition, with exclusive world premiere screenings of the pilot episodes of five of the most highly anticipated TV series pilots of the 2012-13 television season: 666 Park Avenue, Arrow, The Following, Revolution and Cult. (Ballroom 20)

Thursday July 12

10:30-11:30Pm: Battlestar Galactica: So Say We All: Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek, Capt Apollo) hosts a 35th anniversary preview panel and fan discussion of the Battlestar universe, politics, philosophy, and 35 year history. Joining Hatch are Jane Espenson (producer/writer, Battlestar and Caprica), Lili Bordan (actress, Blood and Chrome), Michael Taylor (Battlestar, Caprica, Blood and Chrome), Toni Graphia...

Comic-Con International has released the full schedule for the third full day at the Con, Saturday, July 14. We have pulled out all the movie, DVD, and TV-related events right here. You can also clickHere to check out the events happening on Wednesday and Thursday, and clickHere for the events happening on Friday.

10:00-11:00 After Earth

Enter the world of After Earth with an in-depth panel that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the universe of the upcoming film and comic book. With the film now in post-production and set to hit theaters next June, screenwriter Gary Whittaand director of photography Peter Suschitzky will discuss the making of the film.

In After Earth, one thousand years after cataclysmic events forced humanity's escape from Earth, Nova Prime has become mankind's new home. Legendary General Cypher Raige (played by Will Smith) returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family,...

Another day, another schedule for the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. Next up is Day 3 - Saturday, July 14th - which is just about as chock-full of events for the horror crowd as Friday the 13th!

As always, our focus is the horror panels, but included are a few others that we think will be of interest as well. Remember that times and participants are subject to change so keep your eyes on the official Sdcc site for updates. And hopefully they'll provide a fix soon for the Sdcc smartphone app - in years past it's been extremely helpful.

10:00-11:00 Comic-Con How-To: Anatomy of a Fight Scene, Part One— Stories are about conflict, and there is no purer form of conflict than a good ol' fisticuffs-style brawl-or sword fight, laser battle, western shootout, or even two chicks pulling each other's hair. How do you put that much action down on...

It's almost time for WonderCon 2012 to start packing fans into the Anaheim Convention Center, and we have the horror highlights of the three-day event that runs from March 16th-18th right here.

Along with the horror, we've included a few other panels that we thought would be of interest to our readers. For more info be sure to visit the official WonderCon website.

Friday, March 16th

12:30-1:30 Idw Presents: The Idw Panel!— Chief creative officer Chris Ryall and sergeant of marketing Dirk Wood, give out prizes, make announcements, and evade questions! Featuring a host of creators, including Steve Niles, Ben McCool, Jason Ciaramella and more! All this, plus the Smoke & Mirrors boys, Mike Costa and Jon Armstrong, perform live magic! Yes, you read that right! Room 203

1:30-2:30 Monsters Anonymous— Comics and prose authors discuss the pros and cons of world-building with monsters and whether or not...

2012 will be the first year that GeekTrant will invade WonderCon, mostly due to the fact that it was moved down to Anaheim, CA this year which is right in our backyard. We're all pretty excited about attending this year, as we've heard it's a much smaller more intimate version of San Diego Comic Con.

WonderCon is set to open on Friday, March 16th and run through Sunday, March 18th at the Anaheim Convention Center. If you plan on attending let us know, and maybe we can meet up and hang out for a bit!

I've put stars next to the panels we are interested in attending. Check out the schedule, and let us know what you are looking forward to seeing most!

Friday March 16th

12:30-1:30 Idw Presents: The Idw Panel!— Chief creative officer Chris Ryall and sergeant of marketing Dirk Wood, give out prizes, make announcements, and evade questions!

The full schedule has been released for 2012 WonderCon, which moves from its regular home in San Francisco to the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California this year. The convention runs from March 16 to March 18, and the schedule is chocked full of movie and TV events, as you can see below. You can clickHere to check out the full slate of events, but we have pulled out the movie and TV events below. Take a look at what WonderCon 2012 has to offer.

Friday, March 16

12:30-1:30 TheOneRing.net Hobbit Movie Insider's Preview

Ringers everywhere are eagerly awaiting Peter Jackson's new Hobbit films during the 75th anniversary year of the book's publication! Staff writers and scholars from TheOneRing.net web portal invite you to join this lively panel revealing film production surprises and a zealous shredding of rumors! Led by Clifford Broadway (Ringers: Lord of the Fans), Josh Rubinstein (Star...

And the lineup for this year's Sitges Film Festival, which runs 6-16 October on the Catalan coast of Spain, continues to grow. A big batch of "Special Session" short films has been added to the lineup, including seven episodes of the Cinemax "Femme Fatales" TV series directed by a host of popular genre directors such as Richard Hollis, Frank McCloud, Steve Kriozere, Mark A. Altman, Darin Scott, and Buddy Giovinazzo.

The episodes heading to Sitges are Behind Locked Doors, Help Me Rhonda, Bad Medicine, Something Like Murder, Speed Date, Trophy Wife and Haunted. Tanit Phoenix portrays play Lilith, a mysterious, enigmatic narrator who ties all the episodes, which revolve around the femme fatale archetype, together.

Below are some stills from Behind Locked Doors (Nos. 1 and 2), Haunted (Nos. 3-5) and Trophy Wife (Nos. 6 and 7), a clip from Behind Locked Doors starring Carlee Baker, and an introductory video from Cinemax.

Be sure...

If you haven't been watching Cinemax' sexy new noire thriller series Femme Fatales, you really don't know what you're missing. Shouldn't one look at Tanit Phoenix, seen right, be enough?

Well, good news attendees of San Diego Comic-Con 2011! As if the beautiful cosplaying women weren't enough to get nerd blood boiling, the cast and crew of Cinemax' sexy new series will be on hand with their very own panel Saturday, July 23rd from 8:15-9:15pm in Room 6De.

The series, borne out of the creators of Femme Fatales Magazine draws its inspiration from film noir and graphic novels, placing the stories in contemporary setting. Tanit Phoenix (Death Race 2)'s "Lilith" introduces each episode, which feature different casts and storylines, some of which are intertwined.

So just who will viewers find at the panel? Creators and executive producers Mark A. Altman (Necessary Roughness, Castle) and Steve Kriozere (NCIS,...

It may be the second to last day of Comic Con, but things are far from slowing down. In fact, both movies and TV are in great supply the Saturday of the show. Maybe even to abundant...surely attendees and press alike will be making sacrifices as they pick and choose which events to see. Make your decision after the jump.

10:00-10:45 Chuck Screening and Q&A— Comic-Con fan-favorite Chuckreturns with a bang for its farewell panel to celebrate its fifth and final season. Executive producer and co-creator Chris Fedak, along with series stars Zachary Levi (Alvin and the Chipmunks), Yvonne Strahovski(upcoming My Mother's Curse), Joshua Gomez (Without a Trace), Ryan McPartlin, Mark Christopher Lawrence (The Pursuit of Happyness), Vik Sahay (Good Will Hunting), Scott Krinsky (The O.C.) with Sarah Lancaster(The Good Doctor), and Adam Baldwin (Serenity), offer a Q&A with fans and an unforgettable video presentation.

San Diego Comic-Con has released its full schedule for Saturday. We have pulled out all of the movie, TV, and DVD-related activities for both nights below. If you want the full schedule with all the comic-book related activities, you can clickHere

Saturday, July 24

10:00-10:45 Chuck Screening and Q&A

Comic-Con fan-favorite Chuck returns with a bang for its farewell panel to celebrate its fifth and final season. Executive producer and co-creator Chris Fedak, along with series stars Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Ryan McPartlin, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Vik Sahay, Scott Krinsky with Sarah Lancaster, and Adam Baldwin, offer a Q&A with fans and an unforgettable video presentation. Produced by Fake Empire, Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television, Chuck airs Friday at 8:00 Et/Pt on NBC, and Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season DVD and Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray will be released this fall.

Tanit Phoenix discusses playing Lilith in the Cinemax anthology series Femme Fatales

Femme Fatales, Cinemax's sexy new late-night anthology series, airs a new episode entitled Haunted tonight, Friday, June 24 at 11 Pm Et (clickHere to watch an exclusive clip from the episode). Earlier this week, I was invited to the set of Femme Fatales, where we screened Haunted and spoke with some of the cast and crew.

For those not familiar with the show, Femme Fatales follows in the tradition of late-night anthology programs, with a different cast of characters and a new story every week, all tied into the Femme Fatales theme of powerful women who use their sexual appeal to get the best of men. Guys, the good news is the women are all gorgeous and some of them tend to not wear a lot of/any clothing. Though, the bad news is, these women tend to murder the...

Cinemax is set to debut the second episode of its sexy new anthology series Femme Fatales tonight at 11pm. Bad Medicine finds Nurse Violet MacReady (Christine Donlon) coping with more than just a bad boyfriend (Scott Bailey) on the overnight shift when an injured psychopath (Robert Lasardo) takes over the hospital. We have an exclusive clip from this enthralling tale, which you can check out below.

Click to watch Exclusive: Hospital Bed!

Femme Fatales episode 1.2, "Bad Medicine" stars Tanit Phoenix, Ariauna Albright, Scott Bailey, Walker Brandt, B.J. Clinkscales, Christine Donlon, Elizabeth Hirsch-Tauber, Steven Kriozere and is directed by Darin Scott.

Tomorrow night — yes, Friday the 13th — a new show is premiering on Cinemax, that purveyor of inspirational After Dark programming such as Zane's Sex Chronicles and Co-Ed Confidential 4Play. It's called Femme Fatales and I don't know if it will be any good, but it just might be better than it needs to be.

Femme Fatales is being promoted as a female-centric film noir version of The Twilight Zone, drawing influences from pulp fiction stories and graphic novels, with lots of T&A. It comes to us from the overstimulated minds of Mark A. Altman and Steven Kriozere, which seems weird at first because both of these guys have respectable day jobs in network television. But it starts to make sense when you realize they also have a bit of experience with the ol' slap and tickle.

Altman and Kriozere work as producers on Castle, the ABC detective romp starring Nathan Fillion and Stana Kanic.

Women! The dangerous sex indeed. And the ladies of new Cinemax series 'Femme Fatales' are no different. This new late night anthology series about powerful, sexy and dangerous women premieres this Friday (13 May) at 11:00pm and features a whole host of delectible ladies in various storylines, some of which are intertwined. The series, created by Mark A. Altman ('Castle') and Steven Kriozere stars Ana Alexander, Catherine Annette, Tiffany Brouwer, Christine Donlon, Madison Dylan, Kiko Ellsworth, Reginald C. Hayes, Elizabeth Hirsch-Tauber, Kerry Knuppe, Stephen Macht, Will Poston and Stacy Stas and features the gorgeous host actress/model Tanit Phoenix -below ('Death Race 2, 'Lost Boys: The Thirst'). You can check out the 'Femmes Fatales' artwork below....

Of all the booths on the exhibit hall floor at this weekend's WonderCon 2011, the easiest on the eyes had to have been that designed for Cinemax's upcoming Femme Fatales. Created by genre vets Mark A. Altman (Castle, Doa: Dead or Alive) and Steve Kriozere (N.C.I.S., V.I.P.), the series is a late-night anthology series starring Death Race 2's Tanit Phoenix (pictured above) as the host. The show's press release describes it as being "about powerful, sexy and dangerous women… In each of the 13 stand-alone episodes, women find extraordinary ways of coping with their problems, channeling their survival instincts and bringing out their inner guile. The show is inspired by and styled in the tradition of...

The complete schedule for the WonderCon 2011 has been released, which will take place over three days from Friday, April 1 through Sunday, April 3. The event will be held in San Francisco at Moscone Center South. Take a look at all the movie and TV events at WonderCon below.

Friday, April 1

1:30-2:30 Behind the Music with CW3PR: Composing for Sci-Fi, Horror and Fantasy Film

Award-winning composers Jim Dooley (Pushing Daisies), Nathan Barr (True Blood), Scott Starrett (The Event), Marco Beltrami (V, Scream 4), Michael Suby (The Vampire Diaries) and Sean Callery (24) have all composed WonderCon and Comic-Con fans' favorite movies and TV series, and are here to share a behind-the-scenes perspective on creating exhilarating musical moments for television and film. Together with moderator Bryan Fuller (creator, Pushing Daisies; producer, Heroes), the panelists will discuss their respective projects, the pivotal director/composer relationship, and how they got their big break into the music composing industry.

Hey gang! WonderCon 2011 invading San Francisco on Friday, April 1st through Sunday, April 3rd and the three-day schedule has been unleashed! Unfortunately we won't be able to make it up there this year, but if you are going, it looks like there's a ton of stuff for you to check out! I wish to hell I was going!

The convention will feature presentations and screenings for Falling Skies, Green Lantern, Super, Cowboys & Aliens, The Three Musketeers, Hanna, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Iron Man Anime, Priest, Immortals, Doctor Who, Terra Nova, Thundercats, and more.

Check out the full schedule below and start planning you WonderCon adventure!

Friday, April 1

12:30-1:30 Nerds! The Secret Origins of Game Designers— Comics. Movies. Games. Did you know that a life of fandom might be perfect training for a career as a video game designer? Learn the secret origins of industry veterans Haden Blackman...

Imagine a genre version of Maxim Magazine and that was Femme Fatales in a nutshell. Cinemax knows why it was so popular, and now they are looking to turn it into a naughty anthology series. Sounds like a great companion piece to Showtime’s Look.

Source: Reuters

“The network has given a series order to a half-hour late-night program with the same title, which will explore noir-style mysteries with strong female protagonists.

The show, set to debut next year, is part of the network’s effort to expand its scripted originals. Though “Femme Fatales” will have a strong erotic component, it will not fall into the network’s famous softcore “Skinamax” genre.

“It’s a different show than we’ve ever done before,” said Bob Conti, senior vp creative affairs at Cinemax, who cited movies like “Bound,” “Dead Calm” and “Red Rock West” as inspirations. “We have an opportunity to...

Brace yourselves, director Brett Ratner (X-Men: The Last Stand, Skyline) is heading back into comic book territory for a new film. Ratner and his production company, Rat Entertainment have reportedly acquired the rights to the comic book property The Unknowns, which is published by Femme Fatales Comics and was created by Mark A. Altman (Castle) , Steven Kriozere (NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service) and model/actress Monica Olsen.

Here’s a description of The Unknowns from the comic’s official site

Created under a still classified executive order from Richard Nixon, the original Unknowns were designed to support the war effort in Vietnam. The program was eventually disbanded under President Jimmy Carter and that was the end of the story. Or was it?

What is Unknown…

They are outsiders and except for a small group of people, no one knows of their existence. But one of the world’s best kept...

Brett Ratner is still around, I'm sorry to tell you. The director widely loathed for tanking the X-Men series was coming close to a comeback when he was being considered to direct X-Men: First Class, but that fate was happily avoided when Matthew Vaughn took the job. Ratner still doesn't exactly have a directing project on his plate, but as reported by Variety, he's keeping busy as a producer, and sticking with comics. His company Rat Entertainment has optioned the rights to The Unknowns, a comic book series by Mark A. Altman, Steven Kriozere and Monica Olsen about a young woman who realizes she was once the leader of an elite killing team called The Unknowns. Like many great movie heroes before her, she then goes on a journey to discover her true identity and, I'm guessing, employ her long-dormant ass-kicking skills. There's no word on whether or not Ratner...

There are few film makers I have more disdain for than Brett Ratner. The man is toxic. He's a fucking blight. Somehow he went from directing the decently funny Rush Hour to a career made up of horrible films and hideously botched adaptations and sequels. Next on his list is the Femme Fatales Comics series The Unknowns, which he's recently acquired the rights to.

The Unknowns was developed by Mark A. Altman, Steve Kriozere and model/actress Monica Olsen. Olsen, pictured in the header, serves as the for the main character, a former covert operative who loses her memory and learns that she was once a deadly assassin and leader of a team called, you guessed it, The Unknowns. Here's the official synopsis, via Slashfilm:

What is Known... Created under a still classified executive order from Richard Nixon, the original Unknowns were designed to support the war effort in Vietnam.

Brett Ratner's Rat Entertainment has bought the film rights for the Femme Fatales Comics The Unknowns, according to Variety.

The comic, created by Mark A. Altman, Steve Kriozere and Monica Olsen centres on Alexis Davenport (based on Olsen), who leads an ordinary life until she finds out she previously used to be part of an extremely skilled group called The Unknowns. She must now find out why her memory was erased and by whom.

Assuming that Davenport will be played by a Jolie-esque kind of gal, this sounds good. As Kill Bill and countless other films have proved, everyone loves a feisty woman.

J. L. Ross

>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Wednesday 28 July 2010...

Brett Ratner's Rat Entertainment has picked up the film rights to the comic "The Unknowns" reports The Wrap.

The story follows a young woman living a normal life who discovers that she was actually the leader of a highly-trained team of killers. She then goes on a journey to find out why her memories have been erased and who was responsible.

Ratner will produce while no director has yet been attached. Mark A. Altman, Steve Kriozere and Monica Olsen created the comic.

Share What’s that? Brett Ratner is sniffing around another comic-book movie? After making a total balls-up of the X-Men finale? Has the world gone mad? Well yes, apparently so actually. According to Variety, Ratner’s Rat Entertainment production company have purchased the rights to girl-power-gone-wild saga, The Unknowns. Written by Mark A. Altman and Steve Kriozere, the series follows the rather slinky figure of Alexis Davenport, a supposedly ordinary woman who gradually discovers that she was once the distinctly kick-ass...

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Brett Ratner and his Ass Rat Entertainment has nabbed the feature film rights to a comic book property called The Unknowns, from Femme Fatales Comics.

The comic was created by Mark A. Altman (Doa: Dead Or Alive), Steve Kriozere (NCIS) and model/actress Monica Olsen (who the character is based off of. Yes, that is her pictured above.) Ratner is only set to produce the film at this point. As of right now there is no director that has been attached to it. Hopefully Ratner won't come on board and ruin a potentially good movie.

The story centers around Alexis Davenport, who while living a seemingly ordinary life discovers she was actually once the highly skilled and deadly leader of a mysterious team called The Unknowns and must learn the secret of why her memories were erased and by who.

I've never read this comic book so I don't know...

Brett Ratner's Rat Entertainment has acquired the feature film adaptation rights to the Femme Fatales Comics series The Unknowns. According to Variety, Ratner will produce, but no director or screenwriter has yet been hired for the project. The comic was created by Mark A. Altman (Doa: Dead Or Alive), Steve Kriozere and model/actress Monica Olsen (of whom the comic's main character's appearance is based on -- see above in costume). The series follows an ordinary woman named Alexis Davenport, who discovers she was actually once the highly skilled and deadly leader of a mysterious team called The Unknowns. She must uncover the secrets of why her memories were erased and by who is responsible. More information after the jump. Here is the official description from the publisher: What is Known… Created under a still classified executive order from Richard Nixon, the original Unknowns were designed to support the war effort in Vietnam.

Brett Ratner is a director you either hate or love, there's not really that much of an in-between when it comes to him. Thanks to his attempt to make an "X-Men" movie, I fall into the first category. So when a report comes up that he's acquired the rights to the Femme Fatale Comics property "The Unknowns", your stomach immediately churns.Luckily, all he'll be doing is producing under his Rat Entertainment label. The comic was created by Steve Kriozere, Mark A. Altman and Monica Olsen. "The Unknowns" focuses on Alexis Davenport, a normal woman who finds out that she once belonged to a mysterious team called The Unknowns. Once that information comes to light, she's on a journey to find out why exactly her memories where erased and who did it.Ratner gives off his two cents on the newly acquired property," We think 'The Unknowns' will be a...

It’s been reported by Variety that Brett Ratner has acquired the rights to adapt the comic-book series The Unknowns into a feature film. It seems Ratner will produce the film, with a director, and cast, yet to be found.

The Unknowns was created by Mark A. Altman, Steve Kriozere and Monica Olsen.

Synopsis: The Unknowns focuses on Alexis Davenport, a reputedly normal young woman who discovers she was once the leader of a black ops team known as The Unknowns. Alexis must now find out who erased her memories and why.

We’ll be sure to update you when we have more information to share.

Brett Ratner picks up The Unknowns comic book It seems that filmmaker Brett Ratner is delving into the comic book genre for a new film project. Variety is reporting that Ratner has acquired the rights to the comic book property The Unknowns.

Ratner will produce this comic book adaptation, which centers on Alexis Davenport, a young woman living a normal life who discovers that she was actually the leader of a highly-trained team of killers dubbed The Unknowns. She then goes on a journey to find out why her memories have been erased and who was responsible.

The comic book was created by Mark A. Altman, Steven Kriozere and model/actress Monica Olsen. No director has been attached to the project as of yet.

Based on the Femme Fatales comic

 Brett Ratner's Rat Entertainment has acquired the feature film rights to "The Unknowns," the comic book from Femme Fatales Comics, reports Variety.

Ratner will produce The Unknowns, based on the comic created by Mark A. Altman (Doa: Dead Or Alive), Steve Kriozere ("NCIS") and model/actress Monica Olsen.

The story centers around Alexis Davenport, who while living a seemingly ordinary life discovers she was actually once the highly skilled and deadly leader of a mysterious team called The Unknowns and must learn the secret of why her memories were erased and by who.

No director has been tapped yet for The Unknowns.

Brett Ratner's Rat Entertainment has acquired the feature film rights to "The Unknowns," the comic book from Femme Fatales Comics, reports Variety . Ratner will produce The Unknowns , based on the comic created by Mark A. Altman ( Doa: Dead Or Alive ), Steve Kriozere ("NCIS") and model/actress Monica Olsen. The story centers around Alexis Davenport, who while living a seemingly ordinary life discovers she was actually once the highly skilled and deadly leader of a mysterious team called The Unknowns and must learn the secret of why her memories were erased and by who. No director has been tapped yet for The Unknowns .

Cinemax is looking to revive the thriller anthology series with a project based on the men's magazine "Femme Fatales."

The network has given a series order to a half-hour late-night program with the same title, which will explore noir-style mysteries with strong female protagonists.

The show is part of the network's effort to expand its scripted originals. Though "Femme Fatales" will have a strong erotic component, it will not fall into the network's famous softcore "Skinamax" genre.

"It's a different show than we've ever done before," said Bob Conti, senior vp creative affairs at Cinemax, who cited movies like "Bound," "Dead Calm" and "Red Rock West" as inspirations. "We have an opportunity to tell some sexy and thrilling stories that all have powerful women."

The show is co-created and executive produced by the Icm-repped Mark A. Altman ("Castle") and Steve Kriozere ("NCIS").

Like "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "The Twilight Zone,...

The Saturday schedule for the 2010 Comic-Con at San Diego is now released. As was the case with the Thursday and Friday breakdown reports, I'm focusing on film/TV/DVD related events, screenings and panels.

Read the Thursday, July 22, 2010 schedule.

Read the Friday, July 23, 2010 schedule.

10:00-11:00 Nickelodeon Presents: The SpongeBob SquarePants Secret Formula Revealed!— Ever wonder what delicious ingredients go into making an episode of SpongeBob? The masterminds behind the show -- executive producer Paul Tibbitt (Nightmare Ned), head writer Steven Banks (The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius), creative director Vincent Waller (Ren & Stimpy), supervising storyboard director Tuck Tucker (Hey Arnold!), layout supervisor Kenny Pittenger (CatDog), storyboard director Luke Brookshier (Kim Possible), background painter Andy Clark (Dexter's Laboratory), animation director Andrew Overtoom (Family Guy), and the voice of SpongeBob himself, Tom Kenny -- show you how the kernel of an idea turns into a fully animated episode. Followed...

Comic-Con has just released its full Saturday schedule and below you will find all of the movie and TV-related panels and events for the day. Take a look below and you can also if you missed Friday's schedule, or if you missed Wednesday's Preview Night and the Thursday schedule. If you want the entire Saturday Comic-Con schedule with comic book, video game and other related events, you can .

Saturday, July 24

10:00-11:00 Writing Animated Feature Films

The Writers Guild of America's Animation Writers Caucus once again sponsors a panel on writing for animation. Some of the most successful films of the last decade have been animated. But how different are they to write from live-action features? From television scripts? And what about direct-to-dvd animated features? The writers of some of the top animated features will talk about the process of creating those films, their interactions with the artists and the studios,...

Thankfully for those of who will be running ourselves ragged on Friday, July 23rd, covering all the horror-related events at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, the genre-centric fare on Saturday, the 24th, is a bit lighter. But what there is should bring out the fans in droves.

Saturday – July 24

10:00-11:00 Panel of the Living Dead: Surviving the Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Onslaught on Xbox 360 — Xbox 360 has become the exclusive epicenter for zombies. The team behind Capcom's Dead Rising 2 joins the industry's top zombie creative minds and a special guest zombie authority for a behind-the-braaaiiinnss look at the popular zombie titles on Xbox 360. Chomp on insights into how they've developed their unique lexicon on undead lore and storytelling approaches, and get survival tips for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Join the flesh-hungry undead for a special Dead Rising 2 surprise from Capcom and be one of the first 25 zombies attending the panel to receive...

Hey Gang! Comic-Con International has unveiled the full schedule for Saturday July 24th! If you thought Thursday and Friday were insanely awesome and crazy, wait until you see what's planned for Saturday! There is a ton of great stuff going on that you're going to want to see! We've got all Marvel film panel with Thor, Captain America and The Avengers. There's also Green Lantern, Cowboys & Aliens, Sucker Punch, Harry Potter, Paul, and a ton of other great stuff! And if you aren't able to make it out to Comic-Con this year don't worry we got your back, and will be covering everything we possibly can. I've highlighted all the events we hope to cover. If you're going to comic-con we will be having a little meet up. The details for that will be revealed soon. Now check out the full schedule below and start planning out your Comic-Con geekdom.

Here are the movie and TV highlights

The San Diego Comic-Con has posted the schedule for Saturday, July 24. You can view the full schedule here, but below are the movie and TV events that ComingSoon.net/SuperHeroHype/ShockTillYouDrop.com will be concentrating on.

Saturday, July 24

10:00-11:00 Writing Animated Feature Films— The Writers Guild of America's Animation Writers Caucus once again sponsors a panel on writing for animation. Some of the most successful films of the last decade have been animated. But how different are they to write from live-action features? From television scripts? And what about direct-to-dvd animated features? The writers of some of the top animated features will talk about the process of creating those films, their interactions with the artists and the studios, and how they came to be involved with their project. Panelists tentatively scheduled include Alan Burnett (Green Lantern: First Flight), Darren Lemke (Shrek Forever After...

Hey Gang! The full schedule for Comic-Con 2010 has been unleashed on the world today and boy, oh boy does it have a lot of great stuff! We have the full list for you below to check out. I've highlighted all of the events that we are excited about seeing. Check out the list below and start planning out your Comic-Con adventure now!

We will be doing a meet-up at the Con this year, we will fill you in on all the details once we have it all planned out. See ya there!

Special Preview Night Programming

Wednesday, July 21

Attendees at Comic-Con's Preview Night can also experience special programming, games, and Anime and Film screenings in addition to the giant Exhibit Hall! Here's a rundown of the Wednesday night fun, including the chance to get a first look at the new homes for Anime and Films in the Marriott Hotel and Marina.

And we're off! The first bit of programming for San Diego Comic-Con 2010 is up on the official site, and we've got a look at the horror-themed panels and events for both Preview Night (July 21st) and Thursday, July 22nd.

Wednesday – July 21

Not much real horror here, but if you're into anime (and sushi), this is the night for you!

Marriott Hotel and Marina:

Anime introduces its new big room with four screenings, plus a sushi and pizza meet and greet! Located in the Marriott Hall, the Anime rooms are 4, 5, and 6, with Wednesday night's screenings taking place in Room 4; the party is in the Marriott Hall foyer starting at 7:00 Pm.

The Films Department will screen three big movies starting at 6:00 pm in Marriott Hall 2, which will be the home for the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival on Thursday through Sunday.

Convention Center:

6:00-9:00 Special Sneak Peek Pilot...