There's still plenty of Comic-Con International coverage en route from me, including exclusive interviews you'll only find here.
But, as the Monday morning after the madness dawns, we'll take a few minutes and review the major impressions left by the four day weekend.
What happened? What were the biggest themes of the convention and what didn't happen that everyone was hoping would. In other words, what was Comic-Con 2009, and where did it fall short?
Since there's news today that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton will make a big-screen version of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, I think it's appropriate that the TV show premiered on this day in 1966. It ran for around 25,000 episodes. It's weird to think about what this show was, a soap opera that happened to include vampires, werewolves, creepy mansions, and thunderstorms. I was mesmerized by this show as a kid. The theme is still haunting, and forget Barnabas Collins. I was freaked out by Quentin just sitting in a chair, staring ahead into the air. And those sideburns!
Here's the color opening from the late 60s/early 70s.
The first bit of news is that there's actually going to be a 21 Jump Street movie. Jonah Hill is writing a big-screen adaptation of the 80s FOX drama where young-looking cops go undercover to bust bad guys. He wrote a cameo scene for Depp, and Depp thinks such a cameo would be "hilarious." Depp wouldn't be playing his 21 Jump Street character, he'll actually play Jack Sparrow, his character from Pirates of the Caribbean. That's the weird twist to the cameo.
Well, no. Though Hill hasn't said what role Depp would play. I can only assume that he'll be playing the same part as he did years ago, though who knows. He could be playing Johnny Depp playing Tom Hanson, one of those meta "TV-show-within-a-movie" things. Hill does say that the show's theme song will be in the movie.
If you forgot what that theme song sounded like, take a listen after the jump.
I didn't realize that the late 90s offered up so many cartoons that are still around today. A week or so ago, I mentioned that The Powerpuff Girls were celebrating a 10th birthday with a Cartoon Network special and complete DVD box set. Now comes news that a certain walking and talking sponge is celebrating a 10-year anniversary, as well.
Nickelodeon's pants-wearing sponge will be celebrating his decade of entertainment in a number of ways. If you go to the new SpongeBob.com you'll have a chance to play SpongeBob games, watch SpongeBob videos, and read the blog of Mr. SquarePants' creators. If you watch any of the networks of the MTV universe (which Nickelodeon is a part of) you'll be able to view a documentary on the character and its popularity. Finally, if you can wait a few months, you will be able to catch some new SpongeBob SquarePants episodes featuring Dennis Quaid (March) and Johnny Depp (April).
While ABC, NBC, and CBS have historically remained in a cutthroat battle for viewers, each network has shared one common trait: come the season of network promotional campaigns, all actors must be prepared to look absolutely ridiculous.
After the jump ... Remember this pop cultural gem (video below) that gained traction on the Net not too long ago? The sheer oddity of the clip alone forces us to ask ourselves several questions: do these people all live together? Why is Marla Gibbs dressed like an astronaut? Does Bea Arthur do everybody's shoppingl? CAN'T NELL CARTER JUST SIT DOWN AND REST HER FEET FOR A SECOND? (Seriously, give her a break!)
(S01E01) Watching My Own Worst Enemy is like deja vu. You feel like you've seen something like this before. Was it The Bourne Identity, Casino Royale, Minority Report, Mr. and Mrs. Smith? Or maybe it was something on TV, like that failed Ray Liotta series Smith or Jennifer Garner's Alias or The Bionic Woman or The Six Million Dollar Man or something else...
See, that's the problem with My Own Worst Enemy. It's familiar but not in a cool way. Rather it's derivative and not very compelling. NBC is already doing a double life, super secret spy thing much better in the ratings-challenged Chuck.
The obvious appeal of My Own Worst Enemy is two-fold: lots of action including cool gadgets, cars (thank you, GM), guns, blood and the mystery, combined with the charm and complexity of Christian Slater. Slater's a fun actor, a sort of Jack Nicholson only younger. I remember when he first started on Ryan's Hope! He's got something.
We've kind of been conditioned to have lowered expectations when a TV show makes the jump to the big screen. It's usually an iffy proposition at best. For every Mission Impossible, The Fugitive, or The Untouchables there is a Bewitched, Wild Wild West, or Starsky & Hutch. With that in mind, I was a little hesitant when I got the email from a friend announcing that Dark Shadows was headed for the silver screen. That one could go wrong in so many ways. But then I clicked the link he sent along...
According to our friends over at Cinematical, the rights to the show now belong to Johnny Depp's Infinitum-Nihil production company. And now comes news that Tim Burton has signed on to direct the movie adaptation. It's a short, and quite logical, jump to finding Depp playing Barnabas Collins. It also doesn't hurt the argument that when asked about the possibility of doing this film during the Sweeney Todd press junket, Depp said, "If that comes to fruition, that's a dream come true, man. Barnabas Collins - when I was a kid I wanted to be Barnabas." Depp, Burton, and Dark Shadows have all the makings of a great movie.
OK, so one of the scenarios below is actually true. Can you guess which one?
a.) Superbad star Jonah Hill is going to write and star in a big screen adaptation of 21 Jump Street. b.) Nicolas Cage is going to star in a big screen version of the action series Riptide. c.) George Clooney will star in and direct a movie version of Magnum, P.I. d.) Ian Ziering will star in a big screen version of The Greatest American Hero.
According to the Daily Stab, Johnny Depp is considering playing Pee-Wee Herman in a movie version of the former kid's show (and former HBO special) Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Depp has a history of taking on unusual roles and this would certainly be no exception.
The script would be by Paul Reubens, the original Pee-Wee. The two actors have known each other for a while, having worked together in the 2001 movie Blow. Also, both are casting favorites of director Tim Burton (Burton's professional directorial debut was the movie Pee-Wee's Big Adventure).
The Japanese just do some things better. For instance? Game shows. Japanese television execs understand that people want to see other people perform ridiculous physical challenges for prizes.
Another example? Talk shows. This one in particular. I have no idea what the show is called, but it kind-of reminds me of a Japanese version of Wayne's World because it looks like it's on cable access and is filmed in someone's basement. And Johnny Depp went on it. Apparently for the second time. It's weird because A) Depp doesn't speak the language, B) Depp is the only one sitting while two other guys in suits stand around and interrogate him, and C) well, you just have to watch for yourself but let's just say there are little kids dressed as pirates, singing "It's A Small World." Depp, by the way, is the perfect gentleman and reacts to everything with gratitude.
Several of our favorite actors from Lost were kind enough to do a spoof on their "final episode" for the fans at CES earlier this month. Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Naveen Andrews (Sayid), and Michael Emerson (Ben/Henry Gale) all played out the two big questions that we will be left with at the end: 1) Who will Kate choose?, and 2) What the hell is going on?!? It's actually quite amusing.
The video I've embedded in this post was shot by someone in the audience at CES, so it's from an angle and the auto-focus keeps kicking in. There's one scene where some text pops up on the screen that you cannot read, but I don't think it's that important. The audio quality is good and so is the humor.
CBS put their regular programming on hold last night so they could show the 33rd Annual People's Choice Awards. Hosted by Queen Latifah, the show gives awards based on public internet voting. As that is the case, these awards track with the Nielsen ratings more than most. Case in point, the award for Television Comedy went to Two And A Half Men. Top rated for a couple years now, but it can't seem to get any press unless Charlie Sheen is divorcing someone or hiring a hooker.
Most of the other television awards followed similar lines. The award for Best Drama went to Grey's Anatomy. Best Actor was Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy). Best Actress went to Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives). Best Competition/Reality show was, of course, American Idol. Best Animated Show was The Simpsons. The only real surprise came in the new categories. Best New Drama was Heroes, which isn't a surprise, but Best New Comedy, The Class? I didn't see that one coming. The television awards were rounded out with Ellen Degeneres winning Best Talk Show Host.
A clip from the next season of Extras made its way to YouTube (Season 2 is about to begin on BBC Two). In it, Orlando Bloom signs autographs and tries to impress Maggie (Ashley Jensen) by telling her how much more famous he is than Johnny Depp. In true Ricky Gervais fashion, it's simultaneously hilarious and uncomfortable.
Other celebrities scheduled for cameos on Extras this season are David Bowie, Chris Martin, Daniel Radcliffe, and Sir Ian McKellan.
Orlando Bloom on Extras video clip is after the jump.
Silly me. Instead of watching Johnny Depp channel Keith Richards play 'Captain Jack Sparrow' in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, I watched celebrities make terrible jokes and thank people I've never heard of. I forgot that, in rumored retaliation for not nominating Lost or Desperate Housewives for Emmys, ABC aired that pirate movie. The good one.
It appears I'm not the only one who forgot about the Pirates. Last night's Emmy telecast averaged 16.1 million viewers, a 14% slip from last year, but still the highest-rated program on television at that time. Pirates averaged about 10 million viewers.
There's still plenty of Comic-Con International coverage en route from me, including exclusive interviews you'll only find here.
The first bit of news is that there's actually going to be a 21 Jump Street movie. Jonah Hill is writing a big-screen adaptation of the 80s FOX drama where young-looking cops go undercover to bust bad guys. He wrote a cameo scene for Depp, and Depp thinks such a cameo would be "hilarious." Depp wouldn't be playing his 21 Jump Street character, he'll actually play Jack Sparrow, his character from Pirates of the Caribbean. That's the weird twist to the cameo.
I didn't realize that the late 90s offered up so many cartoons that are still around today. A week or so ago, I mentioned that The Powerpuff Girls were celebrating a 10th birthday with a Cartoon Network special and complete DVD box set. Now comes news that a certain walking and talking sponge is celebrating a 10-year anniversary, as well.
While ABC, NBC, and CBS have historically remained in a cutthroat battle for viewers, each network has shared one common trait: come the season of network promotional campaigns, all actors must be prepared to look absolutely ridiculous.
(S01E01) Watching My Own Worst Enemy is like deja vu. You feel like you've seen something like this before. Was it The Bourne Identity, Casino Royale, Minority Report, Mr. and Mrs. Smith? Or maybe it was something on TV, like that failed Ray Liotta series Smith or Jennifer Garner's Alias or The Bionic Woman or The Six Million Dollar Man or something else... 
We've kind of been conditioned to have lowered expectations when a TV show makes the jump to the big screen. It's usually an iffy proposition at best. For every Mission Impossible, The Fugitive, or The Untouchables there is a Bewitched, Wild Wild West, or Starsky & Hutch. With that in mind, I was a little hesitant when I got the email from a friend announcing that Dark Shadows was headed for the silver screen. That one could go wrong in so many ways. But then I clicked the link he sent along...
OK, so one of the scenarios below is actually true. Can you guess which one?
According to the Daily Stab, Johnny Depp is considering playing Pee-Wee Herman in a movie version of the former kid's show (and former HBO special) Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Depp has a history of taking on unusual roles and this would certainly be no exception.
The Japanese just do some things better. For instance? Game shows. Japanese television execs understand that people want to see other people perform ridiculous physical challenges for prizes.
Several of our favorite actors from Lost were kind enough to do a spoof on their "final episode" for the fans at CES earlier this month. Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Naveen Andrews (Sayid), and Michael Emerson (Ben/Henry Gale) all played out the two big questions that we will be left with at the end: 1) Who will Kate choose?, and 2) What the hell is going on?!? It's actually quite amusing.
CBS put their regular programming on hold last night so they could show the 33rd Annual People's Choice Awards. Hosted by Queen Latifah, the show gives awards based on public internet voting. As that is the case, these awards track with the Nielsen ratings more than most. Case in point, the award for Television Comedy went to Two And A Half Men. Top rated for a couple years now, but it can't seem to get any press unless Charlie Sheen is divorcing someone or hiring a hooker. 
A clip from the next season of Extras made its way to YouTube (Season 2 is about to begin on BBC Two). In it, Orlando Bloom signs autographs and tries to impress Maggie (Ashley Jensen) by telling her how much more famous he is than Johnny Depp. In true Ricky Gervais fashion, it's simultaneously hilarious and uncomfortable.
Silly me. Instead of watching Johnny Depp 
At 8, TNT has the Busch Series Gateway 200 NASCAR race. 
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