TVSquad

Looky there. With just those seven little words The Sarah Connor Chronicles has become the show I'm most looking forward to next season. With music, there's nothing I like more than putting a little Garbage on the turntable. Because of that, over the years I've become just a little bit obsessed with Shirley Manson. And now comes word that the lovely and talented Miss Manson has been signed to the show.

Just that is enough to make me watch, but it gets even better. This isn't a musical guest like someone stopping by to play at P3 or the Montecito. Oh no, Shirley will join the cast in a regular role as Catherine Weaver, CEO of a high-tech company. One could certainly argue that it's stunt casting, or that they could find a more qualified actor to take on such a big role. But any crazy argument like that will fall on deaf ears here pal. It's Shirley Manson. That's all I need to know.

Let me start this out with a big WAHOO! Alan Tudyk, who played the endearing character of 'Wash' on Firefly, may be returning to television as early as this fall.

He has been cast in a starring role for an ABC comedy that, as of yet, does not have a title. The show is being created by Max Mutchick and David Kohan, the creative team behind long-running sitcom Will & Grace. Their new show (which we've mentioned in the past) is about two writers, one gay and one straight, who are in business together. Tudyk will play the gay writer, named Charlie (according to his IMDB profile).

This is my third Festivus at TV Squad and, in past years, just a few of my wishes have come true. For instance: a Kate and Sawyer hook-up on Lost, another season of My Name is Earl, and a little faith in Scrubs from NBC. All those came true after my first Festivus, last year's wish list wasn't really granted. And, CBS has yet to kill off a main character on CSI. Sara almost died, but didn't. Drat!

This year, all I really want for Festivus is for the writers to get a fair shake and for my favorite shows to return to television. But, since that's kind-of a downer, I made a list that's a little more fun.

My prayers were answered last week when NBC picked up Aaron Sorkin's new show, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Now, as we await next week's fall line-up announcements at the 'upfronts', I have my fingers crossed for two other shows. The first one doesn't even have a title yet. It's just called 'Carol Mendelsohn Project' and that works for me. Mendelsohn is a producer on CSI and, while that show really doesn't float my boat, I do like the casting in her new show. Not only is Joshua Jackson ('Pacey' on Dawson's Creek) cast as the lead, but Alan Tudyk ('Wash' on Firefly) is cast in a supporting role in this law drama. Sure, there are too many law dramas on television right now. But, you know what there's not too much of? Alan Tudyk and Joshua Jackson!

Also, I want to see NBC pick up 20 Good Years, starring Jeffrey Tambor and John Lithgow as two guys who have mid-life crises and set out to live better lives. I just think the Tambor-Lithgow combination would rock.

Of course, my wishing and hoping comes from a completely uneducated angle. I have no idea whether these shows are actually any good. I just want to see these fellas back on television.

What would you like to see this fall?

I may have just died and gone to heaven. I'm only speculating here, because The Hollywood Reporter didn't exactly say for sure, but it's a pretty good bet that Alan Tudyk and Joshua Jackson have been cast in the same drama that's being created for CBS. Earlier this month, I reported on Jackson landing the lead in a Carol Mendelsohn law drama about a young lawyer whose career takes a turn when he takes a death row case. The Hollywood Reporter is now saying that Alan Tudyk (aka 'Wash' in Firefly) has been cast "in CBS' untitled Carol Mendelsohn drama". It describes the show as being about brilliant legal minds and that Tudyk will play "a competitive and arrogant Ivy League graduate." That sounds like the same show to me. Now, if only David Duchovny would join the cast.

Do you ever get the feeling that someone is trying to squeeze every penny out of Firefly fans? Yeah, me too.

Titan Books, which published a companion book to Serenity, is preparing a companion book to the Firefly television series. Creator Joss Whedon wrote the introduction to the Serenity companion, which features the original script to the movie, storyboards, production notes and behind-the-scenes stuff. No word on whether Joss will endorse the new book. Firefly: The Official Companion is scheduled for release this summer.

The news service over at Sci Fi channel has an interview with Loni Peristere, visual-effects supervisor for Serenity, who reveals how to find the easter egg on the DVD. Here's how:

• In the main menu, highlight 'Play'
• Press left on your remote
• A marker on the right side of the menu will highlight
• Press enter

[Via Pop Candy]

The British think that Serenity, the movie based on the short-lived Firefly series, was pretty damn good. Good enough, in fact, that they voted it among the top movies of the year in a poll for Channel 4. It comes in at Number 3.

The station's website says "the excitement and spectacular set-pieces are in place, but they are balanced by strong characterisation, distinctive dialogue and effective performances." Yes, that is a rather tempered way of saying "we love these guys!" I know it was my favorite movie-going experience of the year because 1) I went on opening night with a bunch of Firefly fans who cheered throughout the movie and then freaked out when a certain character met up with a certain toothpick the size of a telephone pole, and 2) I love those those guys!

Here are the Top 5 movies according to the Channel 4 poll:

5. Crash
4. King Kong
3. Serenity
2. Batman Begins
1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

That number one pick is a real shocker, eh?

Whitney Matheson over at the Pop Candy blog on USA Today has an interview with Joss Whedon, who ranks No. 13 on her list of Top 100 Entertainers of 2005. Personally, I'd put Whedon at #2 (I'm still a bit peeved about a certain character who was killed off in Serenity) and I'd put Steve Carell at #1. But, I digress. The interview clears up the Entertainment Weekly article that mis-represented Whedon's feelings about Serenity and Firefly. He doesn't directly reference the EW story, possibly because he did the Pop Candy interview before the article printed, but he does say that he'd love to do more with the crew of the Firefly and, he says, huge DVD sales may help him get two more movies made. I know I did my part for him this Christmas. He also talks about what he'll be doing in 2006: writing Wonder Woman, creating a new Buffy comic, and pushing very hard for that Spike film we've all been hearing so much about. It's a good interview that didn't really tell me a whole lot that I didn't already know, but it's nice to hear from him.

If I were fellow blogger Keith, I would be writing this article from a totally different angle. I would probably be doing cartwheels at the thought of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, written and directed by Joss Whedon. Alas, I missed the boat when it came to Buffy, so today's news breaks my heart. An article in the latest Entertainment Weekly with Joss Whedon says he has come to terms with the fact that there won't be any more Firefly movies.  Serenity only made $25 million in the United States and it's not yet clear how well the DVD will do (it went on sale this week). But, that amount of money isn't enough for Universal to launch a franchise of films. Sigh.