SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2014

JMS TO BRING TITANS TO BIG SCREEN
From: Deadline.com
Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski and digital company Graphic India have joined with Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes‘ Chernin Entertainment to turn Straczynski’s upcoming graphic novel Titans into a feature. Said Straczynski: “In an increasingly international marketplace, Titans represents the kind of multinational storytelling that will play an ever more important role in both film and publishing. Sharad Devarajan and Gotham Chopra have been extremely supportive of this story, and Peter Chernin is exactly the right person to shepherd this into a successful film franchise.”

Go to http://www.deadline.com/2014/07/comic-con-babylon-5s-j-michael-straczynski-teams-with-graphic-india-chernin-entertainment-on-titans-feature/ to read the entire article.

PERSON OF INTEREST
"Person of Interest" took a major turn at the end of its third season, and when it returns for Season 4 in September it will be a very different show. The protagonists are now fugitives hiding in plain sight, and that will change the show's tone significantly.

"This season is about war," says executive producer Greg Plageman during the show's San Diego Comic-Con 2014 panel. "There's another machine in charge, and I think all of our guys will find themselves severely challenged."

The Saturday panel featured Jim Caviezel (John Reese), Kevin Chapman (Detective Fusco), Michael Emerson (Harold Finch), Sarah Shahi (Sameen Shaw), Amy Acker (Root), and executive producers Plageman and Jonathan Nolan. They shared stories about working on the show and teased its upcoming fourth season.

The panel members said working on a show about all-seeing government machines has made them more paranoid, especially since the US government's own surveillance programs surfaced in recent years, mirroring the show's plot.

"I was able to fire my therapist," jokes Nolan. "It encouraged us to get even further out there. It felt to us like a challenge. OK, the world has caught up to us. Let's get out and find out what the next five years have in store for us."

"Before the show I lived in my very happy pink bubble, which consisted of frozen yogurt and babies," Shahi adds. "Now I'm just all screwy in the head. Yeah, it's really done a number on me."

The producers of "Person of Interest" have shown more than once that they're not scared to kill off characters, and one fan asked about the chances of some of those characters returning. Regarding Paige Turco's character Zoe Morgan, Nolan says they "will definitely be looking for chances to get her back into our story."

When the conversation turned to the more recent (and hard-hitting) death of Taraji P. Henson's Joss Carter, though, he kept his cards closer, refusing to give any hints about the possibility of her return.

Asked whether he'd like to continue working with his real-life wife -- "True Blood" star Carrie Preston, who has appeared in six episodes -- Emerson replies that it presents unique challenges.

"I like working with my spouse on the show, although it's strange, and it is an added layer of acting difficulty," he says. "But I love the flashback stuff, and it's the only role I've ever played where I had a romantic life." He adds that it's a bit of a shame that the only woman he's ever kissed on camera is his actual wife.

But the highlight of the panel came when a young fan asked Caviezel whether working on "Person of Interest" is more or less fun than starring in "Passion of the Christ" was.

"This one is a little more funner, by this much, because we get to shoot guns a lot," Caveziel jokes in response, asking the fan's age. "You're the same age as my daughter, and you're beautiful," he tells her, hopping over the tablet to give her a hug. She promptly burst into joyous tears.

"Person of Interest" Season 4 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 23 on CBS.

WONDER WOMAN
Zack Snyder has revealed the first look at Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman on Saturday. The image shows the superhero ready for battle while standing in a volcanic landscape.

Meanwhile, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Gadot kicked off the Warner Bros. panel for Hall H with a bang and a teaser made just for the Comic-Con crowd.

Rumors abounded that the studio would to do something with its highly anticipated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie, but no one expected it would kick off the presentation. The crowd, already primed, went bananas.

The trio were fashioned in the color palette of their characters. Affleck was dressed in a black leather jacket and dark gray shirt. Cavill had a white shirt, while Gadot sported a leather vest and pants.

Director Zack Snyder said he wasn't going to let the trio talk to the crowd because he didn't want them to spill any secrets.

"We have a teeny little thing," Snyder stated before unveiling a very short teaser scene, which featured a dark and rain-soaked skyline where Batman, on a rooftop, pulls back a tarp covering the Bat signal. He lights it, revealing Superman floating in the sky. Superman's eye lights up red, he's clearly peeved. The camera then tracks into Batman's face, his eyes glowing white.

"We have to go back to finish the movie," said Snyder, before whisking off the actors as the teaser was shown again to great cheers and piercing screams. The director, who previously revealed a new image of Affleck as Batman, debuted the photo of Wonder Woman on Twitter.

SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2014

The video starts with a recap of Season 1, narrated by Rebekah (Claire Holt), before launching into the Season 2 trailer that heavily features Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin), who is literally out for blood. Meanwhile, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Elijah (Daniel Gillies) are being threatened by both of their parents, so the only question is -- which one do they kill first?

"The Originals" returns Monday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

ARROW
One of the highlights of the "Arrow" panel at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con was the Season 3 trailer video.

Some of the highlights of the video include:

Oliver asking Felicity out on that date
Amanda Waller threatening Oliver in a Hong Kong flashback
Oliver and Diggle arguing
The new Count Vertigo appearing to menace Oliver
Sara's return
Lance wearing a Captain's uniform
The arrival of Ray Palmer to vie for Queen Consolidated
Oliver and Laurel working together in some way

And of course there's that image of Felicity lying bloody on a slab -- wearing the same dress she had on for the date. That can't be good.

It is however an excellent tease for the season. "Arrow" returns Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. team brought plenty of new goodies with them to San Diego Comic-Con this year.

On Friday afternoon the cast and showrunners of Marvel's first live-action TV series took the stage in San Diego to talk about the biggest moments from the show's first season, and offered up a few more teases of what's to come in season two. So, what was revealed?

First, let's talk existing characters. We already heard a few days ago that Xena star Lucy Lawless is set to join the series in a recurring role, and now that role has been revealed. She'll play Isabelle Hartly, a character showrunner Maurissa Tancharoen described as someone you don't want to mess with:

"She will play a long-time S.H.I.E.L.D. veteran," Tancharoen said. "She's tough. She may have a knife that's always by her side."

So, it doesn't seem like Lawless will be playing an existing Marvel Comics character on the show, but it does look like she'll join the series ready to fight.

Speaking of existing Marvel Comics characters, though, the show also announced three of those who will join the show next season. British actor Nick Blood will play Lance Hunter, a character who, in the comics, led the British intelligence agency S.T.R.I.K.E.. This incarnation, though, won't be heading up a spy agency. Instead he'll play a mercenary who'll get a call for help from Director Coulson. On the villain side of things, Dollhouse co-star Reed Diamond will appear as Daniel Whitehall, also known in the comics as "Kraken," who'll be a new H.Y.D.R.A. adversary for the team.

That seemed to be the end of the character news, but then a teaser was shown featuring Patton Oswalt as two different incarnations of his Agent Koenig character, and another name was dropped. Check it out and hear which Marvel superhero is headed to the show.

That's right. Barbara "Bobbi" Morse, aka Mockingbird, will appear in live-action for the first time. We don't know who's playing her yet, but we do know that it's good to have some more superpowered characters on the show.

And, for one final treat, we've got the season one gag reel, featuring giggle fits, Charlie's Angels tributes, and taco talk.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns to ABC, with plenty of new allies and enemies, on September 24.

GAME OF THRONES
BO has revealed the names of the actors who’ll be joining the cast for the upcoming fifth season of Game of Thrones, and there are a lot of them.

As expected, there’s going to be a lot of Martells who’ll finally make their eagerly-anticipated appearance on the hit HBO fantasy series, as we’re heading to Spain Dorne for the very first time.

But there is one big name that stands out from the fray and it’s that of the A-MA-ZING Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Da Vinci’s Demons) who’ll play Doran Martell -- the Pince of Dorne and elder brother of the great (and late) Prince Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal), aka the Red Viper.

Siddig’s name has been bandied about before by many a Game of Thrones fan when the HBO powers-that-be were casting their nets for Oberyn, but we've got to admit that Siddig is perfect for the role of Doran Martell. PERFECT.

Below is a full breakdown of all the new casting announcements, via HBO:

Alexander Siddig as Doran Martell. Doran Martell is the ruling lord of Dorne and older brother to the late Prince Oberyn Martell. Unlike his brother, Doran is even-tempered and deliberate. Now, all of Dorne waits to see how their lord will react to his brother’s death.

Toby Sebastian as Trystane Martell. Trystane Martell is Prince Doran’s son and heir to Dorne. His father betrothed him to Myrcella Baratheon as part of the alliance offered by Tywin Lannister, then Hand of the King.

Nell Tiger Free as Myrcella Baratheon. Myrcella Baratheon is officially the eldest child of Cersei Lannister and the late King Robert Baratheon, though in truth her father is Cersei’s own brother, Jaime Lannister. For years, she has been a guest and ward of Prince Doran, betrothed to his son, but her position has become tenuous with the death of Oberyn Martell, the Prince’s brother.

DeObia Oparei as Areo Hotah. Areo Hotah is the long-serving captain of Doran Martell’s palace guard, renowned for his loyalty and his longaxe.

Enzo Cilenti as Yezzan. Yezzan was an extremely wealthy slave trader before Daenerys Targaryen outlawed the slave trade.

Jessica Henwick as Nymeria (“Nym”) Sand. Nym Sand is the second eldest of the late Prince Oberyn’s bastard daughters. Her mother was an Eastern noblewoman who brought Nym up to be cultured, graceful and deadly with a whip.

Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand. Tyene Sand is the daughter of the late Prince Oberyn Martell by Ellaria Sand, his final paramour. Tyene is fiercer than she looks, especially with her twin daggers.

Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand. A fearsome warrior, Obara Sand is the eldest bastard daughter of the late Prince Oberyn Martell. Her mother was a Dornish peasant girl who caught the eye of the late Prince.

Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow. A devout and pious man, the High Sparrow came to King’s Landing to serve those forgotten by much of the world – the poor, the downtrodden and the infirm – and quickly amassed a large following. His fellow believers have swarmed over the city, ministering to the lowest and decrying the corruption of the highest.

Along with the casting buzz, here are some highlights from the Game of Thrones panel:

They lost a location this year to a man who did not want his property associated with 'Porn of Thrones.'

When Kit Harington was asked what he did to prepare for the role, he revealed he was starting to film Season 5 on Monday, and that getting into the costume gets him into Jon Snow mode. George R.R. Martin also mentioned the hair products, which Kit agreed to. Natalie Dormer said she wanted to kill someone.

Jeyne Westerling, who is Robb's book-wife, will be seen in the prologue of The Winds of Winter. The books and the TV series being two different worlds.

Pedro Pascal said his first day on set was the cell scene with Tyrion and that it was nerve wracking and intimidating. His fight sequence came toward the end.

About the best moments from the exciting Brienne vs. The Hound fight scene from the season four finale: Rory: "When she punched me.." Gwen: "Best moment of my life." Rory: "And when she bit my ear.." Gwen: "Second best moment of my life". (This drew lots of laughter) to which George said "Well it was a great scene. David, Dan, and Bryan Cogman have added some scenes that aren't in the book, from every season, that I've loved."

Sophie Turner hopes that one day Sansa and Tyrion will meet again and that they could be a power couple, like Brangelina.

Maisie Williams said that now that Arya was on her own, she was no longer attached to her identity as a Stark. "She is no one."

THE ZOCALO TODAY

7:30pm on AMC
The Day After Tomorrow
After climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) is largely ignored by U.N. officials when presenting his environmental concerns, his RESEARCH proves true when an enormous "superstorm" develops, setting off catastrophic natural disasters throughout the world. Trying to get to his son, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is trapped in New York with his friend Laura (Emmy Rossum) and others, Jack and his crew must travel by foot from Philadelphia, braving the elements, to get to Sam before it's too late.

9:00 and 10:00pm on WGN
Manhattan
Season 1, Episode 1: You Always Hurt the Ones You Love
In Los Alamos, New Mexico, during World War II, secrets dominate every facet of life.

9:00pm on CBS
Unforgettable
Season 3, Episode 5: A Moveable Feast
Al and Carrie investigate the murder of a Coast Guard officer and search for a block of C-4 putty.

9:00pm on BBC America
The Musketeers
Season 1, Episode 6: The Exiles
Aramis protects a young mother and her baby.

9:00pm on Syfy
Sharkmania: The Top 15 Biggest Baddest Bloodiest Bites
A light-hearted look spotlights the best shark-movie bites of all time.

9:00pm on TNT
The Last Ship
Season 1, Episode 6: Lockdown
Panic spreads throughout the ship when Lt. Danny Green comes down with a mysterious illness.

10:00pm on ABC
Castle
Season 6, Episode 14: Dressed to Kill
Castle and Beckett dive into the world of high fashion to investigate a magazine employee's death.

10:00pm on TNT
Falling Skies
Season 4, Episode 6: Door Number Three
Tom reunites with his family and the 2nd Mass; Lexi undergoes a health crisis.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

THE HOLLYWOOD SCI-FI MUSEUM
Here's a project you may want to get involved with!
About the Project:
New Starship Foundation, the nonprofit behind the Enterprise-D Bridge Restoration, with board members including the greatest talents in science fiction, presents THE HOLLYWOOD SCIENCE FICTION MUSEUM. This will be the first museum in the world to exclusively show the history of sci-fi films, TV, art and literature through props, sets and costumes, as well as show advancements in space travel and teach Real Science through Science Fiction. It will be an interactive museum with fully immersive environments and touch screens that will incorporate old and new footage from actors, filmmakers and NASA astronauts and scientists, and will present both the fact and fiction of sci-fi. This will eventually teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) based education in a fun new way to all ages. The museum will include exhibits from: Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, 2001, Alien, Metropolis, Thunderbirds, Firefly, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, Blake's 7, Ghostbusters, Farscape, The Time Machine, Godzilla, X-Men, Avengers, Superman, Planet of the Apes, Back to the Future, Day the Earth Stood Still, V, Batman, Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, as well as Fantasy like Lord of the Rings, Labyrinth, Legend, Munsters, Herbie the Love Bug, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dark Crystal, Game of Thrones, Anime like Akira and Speed Racer, and anything else we can fit within our walls.

BABYLON 5 MUSIC VIDEOS AND TRIBUTES

Here is a link to John's Babylon 5 videos:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Babylon5MusicVideos?feature=watch

Richard Biggs memorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyD4L8yNtsA

Andreas Katsulas memorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2UQ2l9NPIg

- This is the extended version that I did for Andreas' widow ater the original cut was released on the net. It's never been seen online until now.

For those of you who've never seen these, I hope you enjoy them - and for those that have (and emailed me many times over the years about releasing them), I hope they're as good as you remember. Working with Joe on these videos was one of the highlights of my career, and I'll be forever grateful to him for the doors these have opened for me. I'm proud to have them on my resume.

John Hudgens
www.zteamproductions.com

COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL
Dates: July 24-27, 2014 Place: San Diego Convention Center
Guests: J. Michael Straczynski will be there along with a host of other guests
For more information, go to San Diego Comic Con.

Star Trek Convention - Creation Entertainment
Dates: July 31 - August 3, 2014
Place: Rio Suites Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
Guests: WILLIAM SHATNER, KATE MULGREW, COLM MEANEY, WALTER KOENIG, NICHELLE NICHOLS, "ROM and NOG" as portrayed by Max Grodenchik and Aron Eisenberg, ANTHONY MONTGOMERY, JERRY HARDIN, TIM RUSS and MICHAEL FOREST. 87 plus more guests to come!
For more information, go to http://www.creationent.com/cal/st_lasvegas.html.

SHORE-LEAVE
Dates: August 1-3, 2014
Place: Hunt Valley, MD (near Baltimore)
Guests: Richard Dean Anderson, Robert Piccardo and many more.
For more information, go to www.shore-leave.com.

OSFest 7
Dates: August 1-3, 2014
Place: Omaha, Nebraska
B5 Media Guest of Honor: Maggie Egan-Cunningham (ISN Reporter)
For more information, go to http://www.osfes.org/.

Worldcon, LONCON3
Dates: August 17-20, 2014
Place: London, England
For more information, go to http://www.loncon3.org/index.php.

DRAGONCON 2014
Dates: August 29-September 1, 2014
Place: Atlanta, GA
Guests: Patrick Stewart, Peter Weller, Peter Williams, Richard Hatch, Wesley Eure - and many more
For more information, go to www.dragoncon.org.

HAWAII CON
Dates: September 12-14, 2014
Place: Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, Hawaii
Babylon 5 Guests: Pat Tallman, Claudia Christian, Walter Koenig
Other Guests from Stargate Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica, Games of Thrones and more
For more information, go to www.hawaiicon.com.

Spooky's Ultimate Horror Weekend
Dates: Oct. 24-26, 2014
Place: Doubletree Universal Studios, Orlando, FL 32819
Guests:
Michael Rooker - Walking Dead & Jeremiah; Stephen Pearcy - Ratt; Dee Wallace Stone - ET & Cuju; Tyler Mane - Halloween & X Men, and Tobin Bell - Dexter
For more information, go to http://www.spookyempire.com/.

MAGIC CITY COMIC CON
Dates: January 16-18, 2015 Place: Miami Airport Convention Center
Comic Guests: John Romita, Jr., Allen Bellman, Adelso Corona, Greg Kirkpatrick, Dan Scott
For more information, go to http://www.magiccitycomiccon.com/.

MALTA COMIC EXPO
Dates: October 31-November 2, 2014
Place: Mediterranean Conference Center, Valletta, Malta
Guests: Richard Piccardo, Dirk Benedict,Silvester McCoy and many more
For more information, go to http://maltacomicsexpo.com/.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Wizard World Conventions has a large number of events planned for the year. Be sure to visit the page to see if there is a convention of interest near you.

Creation Entertainment has a large number of conventions planned for the next several months. They include stars from TWILIGHT, SUPERNATURAL, STARGATE, FARSCAPE, XENA, SERENITY, STAR TREK, etc. Check out their calendar to see if one will be in your neighborhood soon. Don't miss their Videos page as well. It is full of some priceless video from a number of conventions.

Be sure to visit the referenced sites to see if there have been changes in dates/guests attending. Visit our Convention Calendar for a full listing of upcoming conventions.

BACK ISSUES OF THE ZOCALO TODAY

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Take care and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sandra Bruckner (sgbruckner@aol.com)
Editor/Publisher
ISN News: The Zocalo Today
http://www.isnnews.net
Copyright - SBruckner, 1999-2014