In less than a month, we've heard talk about a possible spinoff for the CW series, read heated speculation over a simple casting notice, and reported on two major castingannouncements. Now we're reading rumors about a possible Smallville TV movie called Metropolis that could serve as a coda to the show's ninth, and probably final, season.
The rumor -- and I repeat: rumor -- comes from the boys at AICN who say a source got a glimpse of some Smallville promotional signage for the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con. Reportedly, the source, who goes by the handle "Yoda's Bitch," eyed some signage somewhere, presumably on the planet Earth, featuring the words "Metropolis: Christmas 2010" in Smallville-style font. The sign is also supposedly advertising Smallville's upcoming Comic-Con panel. AICN says they have info that this possible Metropolis project could be a TV movie set to head into production after May 2010. Read more at SciFi Squad.
For those of you who weren't paying attention during the last ten seconds of Smallville's eighth season finale, the "big bad" of the ninth season is going to be the Kryptonian Phantom Zone villain, General Zod. Now it's been announced that Callum Blue of The Tudors and The Secret Diary of a Call Girl will be playing the character.
I was secretly hoping for Terrance Stamp, a.k.a. the voice of Jor-El, for the role but this will do. At least they stuck with a Brit. It would seem like heresy at this stage to have Zod played by someone with an American accent.
Considering that Zod has been a presence on the show for several of its seasons, it makes sense that they wrap up the whole series with a final confrontation between Clark and Zod. Now if they can only give Clark the tights and let him fly, the fans of the series can walk away happy.
Well, the corpse has turned cold for only a second but already Brian Austin Green has gotten more work since the cancellation of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Green's scheduled to play the villain Metallo for at least two upcoming episodes of Smallville.
The man who was fighting cyborgs in a previous show is now playing one. Green must be a fan of sci-fi and comic books and the like since his recent roles reflect that.
I highly suspect that the upcoming season of Smallville is its last, particularly given its new Friday night timeslot. The creators have already thrown a ton of villains at Clark that in theory he shouldn't be meeting until he becomes Superman.
In the comics, Metallo has a Kryptonite heart which powers his cybernetic body. Assuming the show continues that character trait (and it likely would), wouldn't anybody in proximity of Metallo suddenly gain super powers? I'm just saying.
My graphic designer friends could do a better job of picking this thing apart, but even a Photoshop noob like me can tell it was a rush job. First, lets get the obvious out of the way - that definitely ain't Erica Durance's body. (According to Kryptonsite, that torso belongs to Kristin Kreuk!)
Then we have Tom Welling's head, which was seemingly beamed in from an entirely different season than his body. Or is it just growing out of his jacket collar? Chloe and Green Lantern Arrow look fine, but those shots were definitely pasted in from a previous season's promo shoot.
The CW has opted to move next season's Smallville to Friday nights at 8 p.m. I have long stated that the series should be put to rest and I believe, without actually saying so, The CW is doing just that.
The show hasn't been doing great on Thursdays ratings-wise, and I'll bet The CW is now probably experimenting with it to see if the show garners similar ratings on a traditionally dead night. I think the show's demise is proven even further by its follow-up show being the encore of America's Next Top Model, because the demographics are soooooo similar (not). I plan to switch over to Dollhouse at 9.
My question is: if it is the last season of the series, will The CW give the creators adequate notice to have a decent series finale, or will we be left with a cliffhanger a la The Sarah Connor Chronicles? Just once before the show ends, to give it a sense of closure, I'd like to see Tom Welling don a cape and fly.
The CW knows what it's good at and they're sticking to it: sex and beauty. After the success of Gossip Girl and 90210, two very buzzed about shows, the CW announced this morning that they're picking up three new dramatic series in the same vein for next fall: Melrose Place, Vampire Diaries and The Beautiful Life. In addition, the network is also dumping any original Sunday night programming. Next season, local affiliate stations will program these slots. They also announced this morning that in addition to renewing hits like Gossip Girl & 90210, the CW is also bringing back Smallville for an 8th season, 9th season but moving the aging drama out of its competitive Thursday night 8PM slot to Friday night at 8. More details after the jump.
(S08E22) Let me start with the obvious question: why is the middle name of the eldest Olsen boy the same as the first name of the youngest?
Obviously, the creators of Smallvillewanted to create an unseen twist to the myth while at the same time giving a giant middle finger to the comic book geeks who are concerned that the show isn't following established continuity.
I'll give them points on the twist of having the elder Henry James Olsen not be the same James Bartholomew Olsen that later joins the Daily Planet (was the bowtie on the younger enough of a hint?). As much as I hate to admit this, it makes more sense for that because in the comics it is pretty well established that Clark and Jimmy have a far greater age difference than Clark and Henry James.
Do the American people really like watching their favorite shows this way? Assuming you have more than one or two shows you enjoy following, this week is daunting to say the least and beyond exhausting. Just last night I had a three-hour finale of The Biggest Loser and that awesome Fringe finale. In the past few days we've said goodbye to The Amazing Race, The Apprentice, Cold Case, The Unit, Brothers & Sisters, The Big Bang Theory, House and Castle. And that's just on the major networks.
Over the next two days we have America's Next Top Model, Lie to Me, Lost, Bones, My Name Is Earl, Smallville, Parks & Recreation, CSI, Grey's Anatomy, Hell's Kitchen, The Office, Supernatural and even CSI: NY on a special night. And it goes on through the weekend. In an era where ratings are slipping, how can it make good business sense to put all of these finales on against one another all within a few days of each other. I know they've always done that, but I just don't think it makes sense anymore.
Who will bite it during Thursday's Smallville season finale? I'm ready to place my bets. Two major deaths have been teased for weeks, but I don't think we're gonna see a Smallville vet leave the show just yet.
Judging by this interview with actress Cassidy Freeman and this one with executive producer Kelly Souders, I'm pretty sure Chloe, Clark and Lana are safe.
Souders told E! Online that Tom Welling's Clark and Erica Durance's Lois are both pretty much a lock to return for season nine. (And I think Allison Mack's Chloe will at least survive until the final season).
I'm not even gonna try to guess who will die in Thursday's season finale of Smallville. If the show wants to line up with Superman lore, then Clark will definitely bite it and be resurrected next season. If not, then almost anyone could be dead by episode's end (except Lois, Erica Durance has already signed on for season nine).
Of course, I wouldn't mind seeing Chloe go. I don't hate the character, but it seems like she's caused nothing but problems for Clark this season. It looks like the latest preview clip for this week's season ender, "Doomsday" agrees with me.
(S08E21) So my guess at having a big fight between the Justice League and the Injustice League in the season finale (with Doomsday fighting on the side of Injustice) didn't quite pan out. Still, it was a nice idea.
Let me start by asking: exactly what happened with Tess at the end? She's been working for Jor-El? It will likely be clarified next week, but still...
(S02E20) When the season began, I had hopes that it would progress the series beyond its high school thinking and emo roots. Sadly, tonight's episode proved me wrong. It also proved that people in their mid-20's (as Clark and Chloe are, supposedly) can still act like self-absorbed teenagers until the correct, or indeed any, circumstances.
I had hoped that some progress was being made in the beginning when Clark's half-eaten carcass was hanging in the Talon basement, but that ended up being a (COP OUT!) dream. I did note the red "S" symbol drawn on his chest as it was on the pilot episode of the series.
(S08E19) Lois is back, and she's as self-absorbed as usual. However, this time she's fighting crime dressed as a cross between Catwoman and a hooker dominatrix.
Oh, and she calls herself "Stiletto" because of her high-heeled boots. Why is everyone in this town so infatuated with wearing a costume? At least Lois can sew her own leather.
It's nice to see that Jimmy is still around. It's a pity he's taking a job at a criminal-run bar in order to afford his drug habit. Of course, that's not quite as bad as Chloe becoming an accessory to murder. I predict that she will likely meet her demise in the season finale. Or she will hook back up with Jimmy. Same difference.
(S01E18) So what did we learn tonight? We learned that Davis Bloome had a pretty crappy childhood. We learned that Doomsday is the Judas to Clark's Jesus. We learned yet again that the cops in Metropolis suck (why can Clark solve mysteries that they can't?). We learned that being an unstoppable monster doesn't necessarily preclude a person from using emotional blackmail to get his way. It's a good thing Davis is unaware of Chloe's link to the Justice League, or I doubt she'd still be breathing.
The episode started very retro with glimpses from the pilot. It was good to see Martha, Jonathan and Lionel again as a reminder of how things were.
Lead characters are extremely important for TV series, as they are the basis of the shows' storylines. However, to make said lead characters shine and make the storylines interesting, supporting characters must be introduced. Sometimes, those characters have a major impact on a series and even end up becoming leads. Just see how Ben Linus on Lost was set to appear in a few episodes, but ended up being so helpful to the storyline and loved (or hated) by the fans that he became an integral part of the series and is now a major player on the show.
That compelled me to make a list of new supporting characters who helped make their series better this season. Since my list only has 10 items and because I don't watch all current TV series, I will have missed tons of supporting characters, so feel free to add to the list by commenting below. However, note that I restricted my list to supporting characters that were introduced THIS season. So the Ben Linuses of the TV world are not on the list.
And Smallville refuses to give up the spotlight. 
For those of you who weren't paying attention during the last ten seconds of Smallville's eighth season finale, the "big bad" of the ninth season is going to be the Kryptonian Phantom Zone villain, General Zod. Now 
Well, the corpse has turned cold for only a second but already Brian Austin Green has gotten more work since the cancellation of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. 
The CW knows what it's good at and they're sticking to it: sex and beauty. After the success of Gossip Girl and 90210, two very buzzed about shows, the CW announced this morning that they're picking up three new dramatic series in the same vein for next fall: 
(S08E22) Let me start with the obvious question: why is the middle name of the eldest Olsen boy the same as the first name of the youngest?
Do the American people really like watching their favorite shows this way? Assuming you have more than one or two shows you enjoy following, this week is daunting to say the least and beyond exhausting. Just last night I had a three-hour finale of The Biggest Loser and that awesome Fringe finale. In the past few days we've said goodbye to 
Who will bite it during Thursday's 
(S08E21) So my guess at having a big fight between the Justice League and the Injustice League in the season finale (with Doomsday fighting on the side of Injustice) didn't quite pan out. Still, it was a nice idea.
(S02E20) When the season began, I had hopes that it would progress the series beyond its high school thinking and emo roots. Sadly, tonight's episode proved me wrong. It also proved that people in their mid-20's (as Clark and Chloe are, supposedly) can still act like self-absorbed teenagers until the correct, or indeed any, circumstances.
(S08E19) Lois is back, and she's as self-absorbed as usual. However, this time she's fighting crime dressed as a cross between Catwoman and a hooker dominatrix.
TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
TV 101: How ESPN controls the world and what the other networks can learn from it
TV Squad previews CBS's new shows
