[Televisionary]

Okay, it's not quite television-focused but given that it does deal with one of my favorite all-time television series ( Spaced ), I figured that I had to plug it here. Over at The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, entitled " Scott Pilgrim Gets a Life," where I talk to Michael Cera, Edgar Wright, and Bryan Lee O'Malley about their feature film, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World , which hits theatres on Friday. Based on the graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O'Malley, the film stars Cera as the titular hero and features a huge cast that includes Brandon Routh, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman, Aubrey Plaza, Mae Whitman, Alison Pill, Kieran Culkin, and more. Plus, Edgar Wright and I talked about Spaced and the similarities between the British comedy series Spaced (which Wright co-created with Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes) and Scott Pilgrim itself, part of an amazing half-hour interview at San Diego Comic-Con (which was itself interrupted by the appearance of

Last year's Comic-Con featured a huge crowd for BBC America's supernatural drama series Being Human , which hadn't even premiered in the US yet when the stars of the BBC Three series made their way to San Diego. A year later and the enthusiasm for the series--part Gothic horror, part soap, part buddy comedy--hasn't diminished. Televisionary special correspondent Lissette Lira attended the press room for Being Human and spoke to the cast about illegal downloading, the US version of Being Human that Syfy is developing, what's coming up on Season Three of the UK version, and Barry Island. Wait, Barry Island? Yes, you read that correctly. Just why are Mitchell, George, and Annie headed to the pleasure park? Read on in Lissette Lira's full report on just what went down behind the press room's closed doors at the Marriott Marina last weekend: After a warm reception at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the Being Human cast--Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow, and Aid

One of the most indelible--and therefore indescribable--moments of this weekend's San Diego Comic-Con was the Chuck panel, which debuted a brand-new music video from the international smash hit Jeffster! Performing a hysterical rendition of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," the music video (entitled "Jeffster Dance Video Take 73") served not only as a truly memorable introduction to the panel itself but also segued into the appearance of the cast en masse to the tune as Vik Sahay and Scott Krinsky led the cast in a bit of impromptu dancing as they made their way onto the massive stage of Ballroom 20 on Saturday. (A clip of the Chuck crew dancing their way to massive cheers--seriously, turn down your volume if you watch--can be found below.) The big news of course coming out of the Chuck panel was that Linda Hamilton--yes, she of the rippling physique from T2: Judgment Day has been cast as the mysterious and missing Mary Bartowski, mother to Chuck and Elli

There's no possible way to be everywhere at once at San Diego Comic-Con, which is why I'm always chuffed when the studios and networks release video for the panels that I missed. One panel that I would have loved to have seen was that for NBC's gleefully absurd comedy Community , but I was actually moderating the panel for ABC's V over in Ballroom 20 at the same exact time that creator Dan Harmon and the Greendale kids were discussing Season Two of the Sony Pictures Television-produced comedy. But, alas, it was not meant to be. Many thanks then to NBC for releasing the video for the panel itself, which can be viewed in full below, even if I didn't see any Human Beings roaming the halls of the convention center. Which would have been far more scary than any Cloverfield monster, really. Season Two of Community begins this fall on NBC.

Missed the hordes of zombies at this weekend's San Diego Comic-Con International? Or the actual walking dead themselves? Worry not, zombie fiends, as AMC has released highlights from its panel for its upcoming zombie drama The Walking Dead --based, of course, on the comic book series by the one and only Robert Kirkman--so you can get a look at the cast and crew of the horror-filled series even if you didn't make it to San Diego. The eleven minute video--which picks out the best bits from the Walking Dead panel on Friday--can be viewed below in its entirety. The Walking Dead launches in October on AMC.

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing. It's the brief calm between the dual storms of Comic-Con and the TCA Summer Press Tour and there oh so much to do. Let's hit the headlines. Chuck 's executive producers Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak stunned audiences at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend by announcing that Linda Hamilton ( Terminator 2: Judgment Day ) would be playing Chuck's mama Mary Bartowski, the oft-mentioned missing mother of the Bartowski siblings who was briefly glimpsed in the season finale. Hamilton will recur throughout Season Four of Chuck , though producers are being cagey about saying just what Mary has been up to since she walked out on her family, though they do admit that espionage runs in the family. "Hamilton will appear throughout the season, leading Chuck to discover that her life was shrouded in secrets," said Warner Bros. Television in an official press release about the casting. "She was a spy, a CIA agent ... and t

As Comic-Con 2010 wraps up today (and I head back to Los Angeles to prep for the TCA Summer Press Tour), HBO has released the absolutely killer teaser reel it lovingly crafted for its True Blood panel (which you can read about here ). The two-minute-and-twelve-seconds clip depicts upcoming scenes--and MAJOR reveals--coming up in the back half of the third season and had the crowd in Ballroom 20 cheering and screaming at the top of their lungs. Yes, True Blood fans, things are about to get really, really crazy in Bon Temps. (And Jacksonville, of course.) You can watch the full clip below but be warned that there are MAJOR SPOILERS for the rest of the season contained within. Yes, seriously. I'm not kidding: MAJOR. Watch below at your own risk and come back tomorrow to discuss tonight's episode... Season 3: Comic-Con Second Half Preview True Blood airs tonight at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO.

HBO's panel for True Blood is always a highlight of the Comic-Con schedule and yesterday's offering of vampiric delights did not fail to disappoint, particularly as the pay cabler opted to introduce the panel by screening a teaser reel of footage from the back half of the third season... and it looked smoking hot. (We'll put the trailer up as soon as it becomes available but it gave away LOADS of upcoming plot twists, so watch at your own peril.) While Alexander Skarsgard and Ryan Kwanten weren't free (both are shooting films at the moment), nearly the entire rest of the cast joined showrunner Alan Ball and novelist Charlaine Harris on stage to celebrate True Blood , field questions from moderator Tim Stack, and attempt to not give anything away when asked some rather piercing questions from fans. While we already knew that Howlin' Joe Manganiello had been promoted to series regular on True Blood , there was a real sense of electricity in the air as he offic

"I was not really honest with you. I am a serial killer; that's what I am." Showtime has released the action-packed video for the trailer for Season Five of Dexter , which it showed to a packed house in Ballroom 20 on Thursday at San Diego Comic-Con. Missed the panel? No worries as you can check out the full trailer for Season Five of Dexter below. But warning: it contains serious SPOILERS if you haven't seen the fourth season finale... and you might want to lower the volume for the first bit. Season Five of Dexter launches Sunday, September 26th at 9 pm ET/PT on Showtime.

A persistently limited internet connection again made things rather difficult yesterday, the second official day of Comic-Con 2010 but I ended up having perhaps one of the most exciting (and strangely relaxing) days covering the convention that I've ever had. Perhaps it was the fact that I spent the morning on the other side of the train tracks and not in the convention center itself (though it did mean missing out on Bones and The Joss Whedon Experience later in the day as a result), doing some one-on-one interviews for some upcoming feature pieces. First up was director Edgar Wright, whom I sat down with to discuss his new film Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World and talk, of course, turned to the awful American remake of Spaced that I savaged a few years back (you can read my review of the McSpaced pilot here ) and Wright thanked me for supplying the final nail in the project's coffin back then. (Introduced to him as a reporter for The Daily Beast, I mentioned that I had written

Got skeletons in the closet or an ache in your heart? FOX today released a new teaser reel for Season Six of Bones to attendees of the Bones panel at San Diego Comic-Con. Not in San Diego? Or stuck outside Ballroom 20 all afternoon? No worries as you can watch the gorgeous trailer in its full glory below. And, trust me, it looks AMAZING. Season Six of Bones kicks off this fall on FOX.

Missed yesterday's panel at San Diego Comic-Con for USA's stylish and slick caper drama White Collar ? No worries as we've got you covered. Televisionary special correspondent Lissette Lira was on hand for yesterday's panel and offered up the following highlights from the much anticipated White Collar event. Among the tibits, there are some seriously random insights into the workings of the White Collar cast and crew: There was a cute video at the beginning of Willie Garson coming up with plans for the next caper... Since the cast was going to Comic-Con, they were going to steal the Tron Legacy footage... and he even had costumes for everyone. Marsha Thomasson is very happy to be back. She prefers filming in NYC to Hawaii where there were bugs crawling all over her while she shot Lost . She didn't want to give out any more info about the music box when pressed. Willie Garson kept calling Tiffani Thiessen "Tiffani Garson" every time he asked her a questi

Appearing on SFX's SFX presents The British Invasion panel, Toby Whithouse, the creator of the BBC Three supernatural drama Being Human , responded to a question about his feelings surrounding the American adaptation of Being Human , which is currently being cast and which will air on Syfy. "It will be a wrench, but I will console myself with the money," joked Whithouse when asked by moderator Dave Bradley about how it would feel to see his series adapted for American audiences. Whithouse's full answer to to the question can be found below, courtesy of Televisionary special correspondent Mark DiFruscio, who was on hand to film Whithouse's response. Season Two of Being Human launches tomorrow night on BBC America.

Apologies for not writing or tweeting yesterday during the first official day of San Diego Comic-Con. I was stuck in the cavernous expanse of the behemoth Hall H all day yesterday (yes, from waiting in line at 8 am until I left Hall H at 7 pm last night) and had limited internet connectivity and no access to Twitter. (Thank you, AT&T, for making the first day of SDCC so bloody unbearable.) But while internet issues were a headache, the day was actually quite a lot of fun. I spent the day covering the various film panels that were going on for The Daily Beast's Cheat Sheet , firing off small news items about such films as Megamind, Tron: Legacy, Salt, The Expendables, RED, Scott Pilgrim , and the Entertainment Weekly Visionaries panel for J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon. While there wasn't much in the way of news emanating from the latter (other than Joss "officially" confirming that he is directing The Avengers ), it was a blast to see these two genius creators in co

San Diego Comic-Con International 2010 kicked off last night with the annual Preview Night, an opportunity to walk the convention floor before the true madness begins. Which is funny in a way because the floor was already teeming with people who were either after the latest freebies or checking out the behemoth booths and merchandise offered by a slew of studios, television networks, comic sellers, and, well, anything and everything under the sun. Missed Preview Night? Here's a selection below of photography capturing some of the highlights of the convention floor--from Green Lantern and Tron: Legacy to The Walking Dead --courtesy of Mark DiFruscio. WBTV Booth Tron: Legacy The Walking Dead FOX Booth Green Lantern Salt/Priest

San Diego Comic-Con is upon us. Over at The Daily Beast, you can check out my latest feature, entitled "Angelina Jolie & Other Nerd Bait at Comic-Con," which rounds-up the 14 most anticipated--and thus buzzy--panels from both film and television. Among the standouts that are sure to be action-packed this year: Salt, True Blood, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, Green Lantern, The Expendables, Being Human, Red, The Walking Dead, Tron: Legacy, Thor, Let Me In, Paul , all of WBTV's many shows, and the J.J. Abrams/Joss Whedon Visionaries panel, presented by Entertainment Weekly , among others. What are you most looking forward to and what panels do you think will live up to the hype? Head to the comments section to discuss.

They have arrived... in San Diego. The cast and crew of ABC's alien drama V will once again invade San Diego Comic-Con with a panel on Saturday afternoon in Ballroom 20 that will be moderated by yours truly. To that end, I'm collecting any questions you might have for V showrunner Scott Rosenbaum or cast members Elizabeth Mitchell, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Logan Huffman, Laura Vandervoort, Charles Mesure, Morena Baccarin, and Scott Wolf, all of whom will be making the pilgrimage down to the annual convention next week. While I can't promise they'll get asked, I'll be reviewing questions as I write my own for the panel, which will feature the cast and crew in a Q&A session as well as a brief screening. Feel free to email or use the comments section below to offer up potential questions. Hope to see you all down in San Diego!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, San Diego Comic-Con is nearly upon us once more. With only a little more than a week and a half to go before the start of the annual entertainment extravaganza, I'm wondering what panels and events you are most looking forward to, now that the full schedules for Thursday , Friday , Saturday , and Sunday have been officially announced. Are you sticking to the television track? Desperate for the film panels? Playing it traditional and after some comics insight? Just which panels are the must-have tickets for San Diego Comic-Con 2010? Which are the biggest surprises? And which are you most excited about to attend? Or hope to attend, anyway, given the long lines. (As for me, I'll be covering both film and television this year--I'm really hoping to get into that Joss Whedon/JJ Abrams panel, Chuck, Fringe , and True Blood among others--and I'll be moderating the panel for ABC's V .) Head to the comments section to discuss and be sure to check

And that's a wrap! With a little more than a week or so to go before the start of San Diego Comic-Con 2010, the convention has continued to release its full schedule, day by day. Wrapping up its trend of releasing single-day lineups over four days, the convention has today announced the programming schedule for Sunday, July 25th. Among the offerings on the final day of Comic-Con 2010, Castle, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Sons of Anarchy, Glee, American Dad, Smallville, Supernatural, Merlin, Unnatural History, Scooby Doo , and much more. The full schedule for Sunday can be found below. You can find Thursday's lineup here , Friday's schedule here , and Saturday's full lineup here . Continue reading full story...

Huzzah! With less than two weeks to go before the start of San Diego Comic-Con 2010, the convention has continued to release its full schedule, day by day. Continuing its trend of releasing single-day lineups over four days, the convention has today announced the programming schedule for Saturday, July 24rd. Among the offerings on the third day of Comic-Con 2010, Chuck, The Event, V, Fringe, Nikita, Vampire Diaries, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, Harry Potter/Green Lantern/Sucker Punch, The Venture Bros., Futurama, Sanctuary, The Simpsons, Let Me In, The Guild, Community, No Ordinary Family, Warehouse13/Eureka, Paul, Cowboys & Aliens, Attack of the Show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force/Squidbillies/Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job!/Mary Shelley's Frakenhole , and much more. The full schedule for Saturday can be found below. Be sure to come back tomorrow for Sunday's lineup... (and you can find Thursday's lineup here and Friday's lineup here .) Continue reading f