TVSquad

Some day I should probably type up an official list of the actresses who, by their mere presence, will guarantee I'll watch a series. The fact that I saw every episode of Freddie should serve as proof that Mädchen Amick is on that list. After following that up with Viva Laughlin, I think we can all agree that this latest role has her career moving in the generally upwards direction.

My Own Worst Enemy was already on my short list of new shows to keep an eye on in the fall. It's an interesting premise, has Christian Slater, and the previews look great. The addition of Amick just makes it that much more intriguing. She'll be taking over the role of Henry's wife that was originally played by Yara Martinez (The Unit). It's a bit of rough luck for Martinez. Before this she was set to appear in that ill-fated Spaced remake.

Hey everyone! This time we've got five copies of Spaced - The Complete Series on DVD for five lucky, random commenters. The DVD is already available in stores.

To enter, leave a comment below before 5:00PM Eastern, Friday, August 15 simply telling why you'd like to own this set. As always, we'll randomly choose five winners amongst the eligible entries. Some other details:
Click here for complete Official Rules.

Sometimes television shows come along that completely change the industry. Spaced is one of those shows. Broadcast on Britain's Channel 4 from 1999 to 2001, it used geeky pop culture references, non sequitur scene injections, flashbacks and other common television practices nowadays way back when it wasn't cool to do so. In that respect, it's a combination of The Big Bang Theory and Arrested Development long before either existed.

When co-creators and co-stars Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson (now Jessica Hynes) created the main characters Tim and Daisy, they created characters that every nerdy person could relate to.

The show does cater to a very specific audience and it's the sort of audience that tends to be the most loyal, even obsessively so. Nobody is particularly super-handsome and the characters are very niche. Also, the show doesn't really talk down to the audience and makes the viewer feel like part of the conversation. This is unlike, say, Arrested Development which tends to be a bit pretentious (sorry to all you Arrested Development fans).

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Earth - The Biography
• L.A. Ink - Season 1
• Las Vegas - Season 5
• Masters of Horror - Season 2 (Boxed Set)
• The Mummy - Seasons 1, 2, and 3 (animated)
• Robot Chicken - Star Wars
• Sesame Street - Count On Sports
• Spaced - Complete Series
• Transformers - Cybertron
• TV Funhouse - TV Funhouse

Okay, show of hands. How many of you are going to the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con to see all of the panels being held by the many television studios and shows? Uh-huh, a good amount. Now, how many of you are going to be perusing the booths and dealers down at the exhibit hall? Ahhh, not so fast!

If you're a fan of all things television and you think you'll have some time to see what else is going on during this, the world's largest science fiction and comic book convention, you may want to re-think your plans. This isn't your grandfather's, father's, or even older brother's comic book convention.

Starting last year this convention has become the biggest television event between the TCA's the week before (which we are covering, by the way) and the Emmy's at the end of the summer. This year is no exception as the days are packed with shows varying from Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica to Big Bang Theory and Bones.

The American DVD collection for Spaced is finally coming out, and Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes and Edgar Wright will be promoting it through their US invasion. Well, by "US invasion," I mean they're going on a four-city tour, screening episodes and answering questions in NYC, LA, San Diego's Comic-Con, and Austin. That's sort of an invasion, yeah?

Anyway, I was just sitting here and feeling sorry for myself, like I do, doubly so this time because I won't be able to attend any of those inevitably textbook events. Then, I stumbled across this recent blog entry from Simon Pegg.

To promote the American DVD release of the BBC series Spaced on July 22nd, the creators and director will be doing a U.S. tour. Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes (formerly Jessica Stevenson) and Edgar Wright will be stopping by the L.A. Film Festival to promote the event and future stops may include the San Diego Comic Con, Austin and New York.

The Region 1 DVD will include a brand new all-star commentary track that will include the creators and director as well as various guest stars including Kevin Smith, Matt Stone (co-creator of South Park) and Diablo Cody (writer of Juno).

There was an attempt by McG and Fox to create an American version of Spaced that didn't involved the original creators. Fortunately, that has been put to rest.

In short, if you're a Spaced fan and you live in the vicinity of Los Angeles, Austin or New York then you are a lucky, lucky person.

If the rumors are to be believed, then the inevitable has occurred. Fox has passed on the Americanized version of Spaced (nicknamed "McSpaced") and its fans are breathing a collective sigh of relief.

Producer McG made a huge mistake when he decided to not include the creators of the original, British version in his remake yet he included their as if they were still involved. Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes-Stevenson and Edgar Wright have been very vocal in their displeasure regarding the remake.

Known for its cinematic style and pop culture references, the original Spaced launched the careers of everyone involved. Pegg and Wright have gone on to bigger and better things (such as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) and Stevenson has starred in several British productions afterwards.

It's never a good sign when one is trying to remake a show and pisses off the original creators. NBC was smart enough to have the creators of The Office rewrite their original pilot and give them creator credits. Why couldn't Spaced?

[via Aint It Cool]

Our resident Spaced-nut Annie mentioned the upcoming region 1 DVD set back in March. If you haven't seen the show, just the fact that it's coming out is reason enough to go pick it up. It really is as good as everyone says. But if you have seen the show, it looks like this one will be worth checking out for you as well.

As I was going about my workday, a little blurb popped up on twitter from Diablo Cody that said, "SPACED (The ORIGINAL!) is coming out on DVD soon! (And a lucky bitch named Diablo Cody got to contribute commentary.)" That's interesting enough, and you should check out her Twitter feed. It's an entertaining read. Even better though, she goes on to add that we can also expect commentary from Bill Hader, Patton Oswalt, Quentin Tarentino, Matt Stone, and Kevin Smith. Sign me up for that.

A curious search later, Google sent me to spaced-out.org.uk, which confirms the commentary and goes into further detail about the extras included on the new set. They also have some fun quotes about the show from J.J. Abrams, Kevin Smith and Matt Stone.

Let's start with the good news, because I like ending on a downer. American fans of the British comedy Spaced, starring Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson), and Nick Frost, are in for a treat because the Spaced Region 1 DVD finally has a release date! Expect the good stuff to come out July 23 of this year. I'm tempted to buy it just because it's something new, shiny, and Spaced-related, but I already splurged on the 3-Disc Collectors' Set and a region-free player that I got just so that I could watch the series. Why, yes, I am a sad little person.

When I first heard the news of an American Spaced remake, I was outraged, just based on principle. How dare McG touch one of my favorite shows of all time? How dare he even entertain the very notion? "For shame, McG," I thought, "For shame." I then proceeded to the nearest Best Buy, where I collected all the copies of Charlie's Angels and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and set them alight. I was then banned from entering any Best Buy ever again, but I think I made my point clear.

Spaced director Edgar Wright recently updated his blog with his own thoughts on this situation and now I'm even more upset. The gist is this: McG and FOX are planning to remake Spaced. Director Edgar Wright and writers/stars Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson were not contacted before the decision was made to pursue an American version. They will not be involved in the same fashion as the way Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant worked with NBC's adaptation of their creation, The Office.

According to Variety, an American version of the Simon Pegg/Jessica Stevenson Channel Four Brit-com Spaced is being developed for American audiences. It is being adapted by Will and Grace alumni Adam Barr and to be exec-produced by McG and Robert Green. The BAFTA-nominated show is about a man (Simon Pegg) and a woman (Jessica Stevenson) who pretend to be a married couple in order to rent a cheap apartment in London. Simon Pegg went on to star in movies like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

I've seen episodes of Spaced and liked it. It has that frenzied storytelling style that is seen in Pegg's later movies. It also has a lot of pop culture references and it helps that Pegg plays a comic book artist and fan.

It seems like all the geekiest blogs buzz with excitement whenever there's news about the new Star Trek movie. Yes, that includes us. The film sounds cool and all, but I think the biggest reaction I have had is when I silently nodded with approval upon hearing that Heroes' Zachary Quinto would be playing Spock. That is, until now.

Variety is reporting that Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz star Simon Pegg is going to play Scotty in the upcoming feature. Simon Pegg! Insert obligatory "beam him up" joke here.

I don't know how long these promos have been running on Comedy Central, but during South Park, I just saw a bug promoting the television premiere of Shaun of the Dead (Saturday at 9 PM EST!). I was so giddy, I choked on air. Although I've seen it a million an one times, I am very excited that it's coming to American cable. Shaun is one of those films that I constantly try to get people to see, so it's nice that some fresh meat will watch it without me having to strap them to a chair and do various Clockwork Orange-y things to them.

Also, I am quite interested in seeing how much they edit from the film. After all, it is a rather gory movie... and the language is quite coarse (heh, Ed's not going to have any lines in the television version, is he?).

The latest edition of The Guardian features some fantastic interviews and articles about some of today's hottest British comedians. They're all great reads, but the photos of the comics re-enacting various moments in pop culture are what really reeled me in. My favorites include Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant (from The Office) as McCartney and Lennon, the boys from Green Wing as Queen, and Nick Frost and Simon Pegg (from Spaced and Shaun of the Dead) as Paul Gascoigne and Vinnie Jones. Hilarious.

Read the text and then check out the great pics by Karl J. Kaul.