I met up with Carol at a recent press screening of her new show and here’s what she had to say about casting everyone’s favorite vampire as a top transplant surgeon.

“Alex had a holding deal for CBS and I was under contract to CBS. He met with lots of people, we met with lots of people. He want to do [Three Rivers] and we wanted to have him. I wasn’t at all nervous [about casting him]. I felt very lucky that they steered him our way and second of all that he wanted to do it.  He’s a really fine actor and he’s so dedicated and he’s a really nice guy and . . . okay. . .he’s cute,” she admits. “He’s a great lead. I feel very luck, usually there’s a nightmare quotient to a person like that and it’s just not there with him.”

As far as their recent ties to the scifi community go, Carol Barbee had to laugh. “Alex and I said that because of his fan base and the Jericho fan base, Three Rivers is the first medical drama that should premiere at Comic Con!”

Maybe next year, Carol, if Three Rivers gets picked up for a second season. Three Rivers premieres on October 4 on CBS.

Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: SF Universe

Next weekend, he has a very special movie event taking place in San Francisco so he’s written a shout out to the fans:

(message from Richard)

On Saturday, June 13th, there is going to be a charity screening of an independent feature film called NORTH BEACH. Ten years ago, I co-directed and co-starred in this darkish comedy that chronicles a day-in-the-life of a guy trying to salvage his love life in the manic neighborhood of North Beach, right in the heart of San Francisco. The film played 13 festivals in the the U.S. and Europe and received great reviews in The San Francisco Chronicle, The San Jose Mercury News, on Filmcritic.com, etc.

We are having the 10th anniversary screening in San Francisco, CA to raise money for charity in honor of Rob Mulloy, one of the producers of the film and my close friend for many years who died of stomach cancer a few years ago. If you know anyone or have any connections to folks in the San Francisco area – or if you are on any boards, blogs, tweets, pages, or chat rooms that you think reach Californians (or anyone wanting to go to California) – please let them know about it. We’d love to get the word out far and wide. It’s a small theater, and we’d really like to sell it out and raise a few bucks for a good cause.

I’ll be there, so tell any Supernatural fans (or Jericho and Band of Brothers fans for that matter) that if they show up, I’ll sign whatever they want. They can even stroke the beard (if I still have it).

Below are all the details on how to get tickets.

Thanks a lot for the help, Fandom! I owe you.

-Richard
———-
Hi All,

Tickets are officially on sale for the ‘North Beach’ 10 year anniversary screening! Here’s the scoop:

When: Saturday, June 13th at 2:30pm (same weekend as the North Beach Festival)
Where: Roxy Theater, 3117 16th St., San Francisco, CA
Cost: $12.50
How to buy tickets: Buy tickets on-line or by phone at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/64455

All proceeds go to the SAG Foundation, a non-profit organization which, among other things, provides grants to cover the cost of insurance for eligible Screen Actors Guild members who have catastrophic health issues. As many of you know, Rob Mulloy, one of the producers of ‘North Beach’ and a SAG member, lost his battle with cancer in 2004. Proceeds from the screening will be donated to the foundation in Rob’s name.

There are only 238 seats available, so don’t get left out in the cold, foggy, SF air – buy now!

Stay tuned for details on the after-party following the screening. Hope to see you all there.

Jed Mortenson
co-director

Photo: Amazon

Post from: SF Universe

There are some big guns behind the series, namely executive producer/writer Jesse Alexander (”Heroes,” “Lost,” “Alias”) and director Alex Graves (”Fringe,” “Journeyman”). The cast if full of young faces you’ve seen but probably can’t put a name to including Adam Campbell (”Harper’s Island”), Catherine Dent (”Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”), Julie Gonzalo (”Eli Stone”), David Lyons (”ER”), Derek Mio (”Greek”), Carly Pope (”24″), Thekla Reuten (”Sleeper Cell”) and Addison Timlin (”Cashmere Mafia”).

They say it’s a story of hope, about how heroes are born every day — looters and price gougers are also born every day, so we’ll just have to see how this goes.

Click through for a look behind the scenes of Day One then visit the official site at NBC.com

Pictured: (l-r) Xander Berkeley as Clark, Carly Pope as Bonnie Cayce, Adam Campbell as Zach Adamski, April Grace as Max, Julie Gonzalo as Kelly Vargas, David Lyons as Sam Brody, Thekla Reuten as Lynne, Catherine Dent as Jennifer, Addison Timlin as Hunter Christiansen, Derek Mio as Johnny Nozawa — NBC Photo: Mitchell Haaseth

Post from: SF Universe

A Second Full Season of Terminator:The Sarah Connor Chronicles- The days of strong women like Buffy Summers and Xena on TV have returned, at least for the first two seasons of this great show. Though ratings show it’s one of the best shows most people aren’t watching, FOX has agreed to give it a full second season to spread its wings. Perhaps a pairing with Dollhouse on FOX’s new sci-fi themed Friday lineup will be just what both those shows need. And it won’t hurt that Dollhouse features another strong lady in Buffy alum Eliza Dushku.

The Floodgates Opening For Sci Fi and Comic Book Movie Adaptations- The success of films like the X-Men series
means many more of these projects are on the way and in the works. May 2009 will bring us J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek revamp and a Wolverine solo film. Word is that Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool could get his own spinoff from that project.And yes, it’s true all these movies won’t be great. But with any luck there will be more films as great as the first Matrix, and less films like – the third Matrix.

Next Year We Will Finally Find Out Who the Final Cylon Is- Lost in the hoopla of finding an extremely scorched Earth was the question that has plagued Battlestar Galactica fans since the end of Season 3. Who is the Final Member of the Cylon Race? It’s cliffhangers like this that keep us coming to back to our favorite shows despite casting changes, new producers and the questionable things our favorite characters do sometimes.

Our Legion of Adoring Fans: Seriously, without you guys we would just be talking amongst ourselves here. While that’s a lot of fun too, that’s not the goal. It’s a blast debating what our favorite shows, actors and directors should and shouldn’t do.

We love the passion of Jericho fans that refuse to let their show go quietly into the night. We love the Smallville fans, divided between the half waiting for Lois and Clark to figure this love thing out and the half that would like Lois to die in the Doomsday conflict. We love the Supernatural fans and even their wars between the Sam and Dean faithful. We’re not just here for you, we’re here because of you. If a heated debate starts in the forest but no one is there to hear it, it doesn’t make a sound and it certainly doesn’t generate site hits. No, I did the research. Heated Debate in the Forest.com was a dismal Internet failure. I’m still weeping a little about it.

All kidding aside, we love you guys, your passion for the genre and your at times brutally honest comments. I’m talkin’ to you, Carebear. Readers, what sci-fi goodness are you thankful for this year?

Photo Credit: ©2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved

Post from: SF Universe

Jericho

That lineup included the drama Easy Money and sitcom Surviving Suburbia and today’s announcement confirms those shows didn’t work. Joining Jericho on the new (or should that be old?) Sunday night CW lineup are reruns of The Drew Carey Show and theatrical movies. The change becomes effective Nov. 30.

The good news here is that Jericho, one of the best shows most of America didn’t watch, is back on TV. It’s not as nice as new episodes, but it’s something.

Photo Credit: ©2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved

Post from: SF Universe

Image details: 2007 Summer TCA Tour – Day 10 served by picapp.com

Showbiz Spy is discussing the prospects of a Jericho movie. courtesy of series’ stars Ashley Scott and Brad Beyer. Scott mentioned the pair have heard of a potential movie pitch. She said both would be interested in signing on and Beyer said it would be a way to give Jericho some needed closure.

If the project happens, it would follow cult classic Firefly which became the big screen’s Serenity. Unfortunately, most folks missed that excellent movie just like they missed the excellent TV show. Here’s hoping Jericho fares a little better.

Of course, there’s also talk of movies about Arrested Development and Friends. There are probably even more rumors in Hollywood than there are waiters with script treatments.

Post from: SF Universe

Hollywood Reporter senior writer James Hibberd (you’ll remember him from the Moonlight fiasco) said the THR mailroom got 1,050 pounds of nuts Monday. They’re now good on nuts through the Fourth of July, much of the summer, heck probably until Christmas. All kidding aside, THR is looking for local outlets to donate the forty-two 25-lb. boxes of nuts to.

I can’t begin to predict how things with Jericho will turn out but I think it’s safe to say no entertainment reporter will ever forget the show or its fans.

Photo Credit: ©2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved

Post from: SF Universe

Twenty-one of those came from a middle school in Boca Raton, Fla where a teacher challenged her kids to make a difference. Hey, if the next generation is both donating to our troops and watching Jericho, I think they’re going to be OK.

The article notes that Rangers have raised at least $32,000 in charitable efforts, although that number could be much higher. Great job, Rangers! One of the things I love most about sci-fi is the communities it creates and the people that join together for positive causes. Though some people will never understand, it’s about a lot more than a TV show.

Post from: SF Universe

Image details: 2007 Summer TCA Tour – Day 10 served by picapp.com

The Save Jericho site has received more than 9,000 visits in less than two weeks with executive producers Carol Barbee and Jon Turteltaub being among the visitors. They called the fans’ campaign “brilliant” and gave supporters hope assuring them that talks to bring the twice canceled postapocalyptic drama back to TV continue.

Jericho Rangers raised $6,000 in less than a month to fund 10 days of advertising with Time Warner. That’s in addition to funding an ad in Variety and purchasing a billboard in downtown Los Angeles. The TV ad can also be viewed on YouTube. On the site, fans can also download Save Jericho postcards for the continued letter-writing campaign.

As you’ve probably noticed, Jericho Rangers have been quite active on our site as well, sparking some of the most passionate debate in SFUniverse history. Whatever happens, this has been one of the biggest stories of the year and you know we’ll keep you up to date. We have been unable to determine the truthfulness of the rumor that CBS is giving Jericho’s old timeslot to new show CSI:Survivor Island.

Post from: SF Universe

Cynthia brought up an interesting point. A guy that paints his chest multiple colors to support his favorite football team gets treated completely differently than a guy who wears Spock ears in public. Both are making a unique fashion statement, but only one of them will likely be accused of living in his parents’ basement.

For what it’s worth, I’m just as likely to be caught wearing a giant football helmet as I am a Green Lantern shirt in public. Some of my earliest memories are watching the original Star Trek and Twilight Zone with my mom. As I’ve said before, my gig here was a natural evolution for me. But since the question’s been talked about a bit, I figured I’d pose it to our readers. Where is the line between someone who’s really passionate about their favorite show and someone who needs mental help? Is there a line? By all means, keep up the passion as this has been the best debate on the channel in my opinion.

Post from: SF Universe