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

The Dark Knight was the evening’s biggest winner, taking home five awards including Best Action Film, Best Writing, Music, Special Effects and Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger.

On the television side, it was Battlestar Galactica that took home the most awards winning Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series, Best Actor on Television: Edward James Olmos, and Best Actress on Television: Mary McDonnell. Lost received the Saturn Award for Best Network Series, beating out Supernatural, Fringe, Heroes, Life on Mars, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Battlestar was up against an odd mix of shows for Best Syndicated / Cable including The Closer, Dexter, Leverage and more predictable, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and True Blood.

Moonlight took the award for the best modern DVD with Invaders winning for retro DVD.

Several special awards were presented throughout the evening, Lance Henriksen took the Life Career Award, Jeffrey Katzenberg received the Visionary Award and Leonard Nimoy was handed the Lifetime Achievement Award.

You’ll find a full list of winners after the jump. You can find the list of nominees here at the Saturn Awards Website.

Photos by Newscom

THE WINNERS OF THE 35^TH ANNUAL SATURN AWARDS

Best Science Fiction Film: Iron Man

Best Fantasy Film: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Horror Film: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film: The Dark Knight

Best Actor: Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man)

Best Actress: Angelina Jolie (Changeling)

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

Best Performance by a Younger Actor: Jaden Christopher Smith (The Day the Earth Stood Still)

Best Director: Jon Favreau (Iron Man)

Best Writer: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight)

Best Music: Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard (The Dark Knight)

Best Costume: Mary Zophres (Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)

Best Make-Up: Greg Cannom (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

Best Special Effects: Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Timothy Webber, Paul J. Franklin (The Dark Knight)

Best International Film: Let the Right One In

Best Animated Film: Wall-E

Best Television Series: Lost

Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series: Battlestar Galactica

Best Presentation on Television: The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice

Best Actor on Television: Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica)

Best Actress on Television: Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica)

Best Supporting Actor on Television: Adrian Pasdar (Heroes)

Best S upporting Actress on Televison: Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter)

Guest Starring Role on Television: Jimmy Smits (Dexter)

Best DVD Release: Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer

Best DVD Special Edition Release: Stephen King’s The Mist (2 disc Special Edition)

Best DVD Classic Film Release: Psycho (Universal Legacy Series)

Best DVD Collection: The Godfather-The Coppola Restoration

Best Series on DVD: Moonlight

Best Retro Series on DVD: The Invaders

The Life Career Award: Lance Henriksen

The Lifetime Achievement Award: Leonard Nimoy

The Visionary Award: Jeffrey Katzenberg

Post from: SF Universe

The series is Gossip Girl in Washington DC with young government staffers taking the place of bored, rich high-schoolers.

The cast also includes former Moonlight star Jason Dohring, Minka Kelly of Friday Night Lights, Tim Matheson and Gabrielle Union.

Nice cast but it begs the question — does this mean there are no more Terminators in Green’s future?

Word is Body Politic is simply a fallback should Sarah Connor be given the old heave ho. If Connor is picked up for a new season, Politic will likely have to look for a new Lucky.

Credit: Scott Kirkland/INFEvents.com

Post from: SF Universe

Its last episode drew a measly 5.65 million viewers. In the interest of keeping stats for genre fans, it’s worth keeping count of the number of failed shows in this slot.  We will even do so in the style of a famous TV vampire. That’s one! Ah ha ha!

Photos: Eric McCandless/CBS ©2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: SF Universe

One of the most interesting things about a new fall season is trying to figure out which shows will hit and which shows will miss. Starpulse’s Kate Kostal appears unimpressed with much-anticipated Fox genre show Fringe’s chances.

She’s worried the “similar to the X-Files” vibe will be too much to live up to, listing Fringe among what she calls “DOA” shows like Kath and Kim or The Ex-List. Since The Ex-List inherits Moonlight’s old timeslot, I’m guessing a few thousand of our readers would not be sad to see that one die a quick and painless death.

She also lists Christian Slater’s My Own Worst Enemy, for some of the same reasons. Kostal thinks its premise is too similar to Chuck, a show already on NBC. I can see her point there, but I don’t agree that Fringe fans have any reason to be worried.

There has been so much pre-publicity for Fringe that Fox looks worse than anybody if it tanks. Take into account J.J. Abrams’ track record with shows like Lost and Alias, from there you have to figure Fringe will get every chance to succeed.

Simply put: It’s a lot easier to pull the plug on a New Amsterdam than it is an Abrams show.

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

Her opposition to Starbuck would make some sense too. The cast knows apparently, but they’re of course not talking under penalty of death. Maybe not death, but it would be a minute before Battlestar Galactica brass called them for another role. Of course, if Bionic Woman is any indication would that be a bad thing?

Seriously though, check out our next poll about this season’s dearly departed shows. We want to know which one you think deserves another shot the most. Vote in the poll, but please remember we’re not with any network. Don’t send us peanuts, vampire fangs or butter cookies. Wait, we take that last one back. Drown us in butter cookies.

Sci Fi Channel Photo: Carole Segal

Post from: SF Universe

Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily

With Smallville listing badly, the CW could use the instant boost Moonlight would provide. It would almost certainly be the new number one show on the network. Of course I should caution that the first speculation after a show is canceled is usually that “CW might pick it up.” I’m waiting for the scuttlebutt that they might recover Back to You or Quarterlife.

Photo: Joel David Warren/Warner Bros. ©2008 Warner Bros. Television. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: SF Universe

I would not want to be an exec at the Tiffany Network right now. If Jericho fans send peanuts, I don’t even want to know what Moonlight fans are going to send. Sci-fi, horror and fantasy fans are always on pins and needles this time of year but 2008 has been harsher than normal.

Canning Jericho and Moonlight in the same season is going to move CBS to the top of fans’ hit lists, past perennial culprit Fox. Congrats guys, you dodged the New Amsterdam bullet thanks to CBS who has volunteered to take some heat for you.

I can’t wait to see what other exciting, innovative shows CBS has in store for us. I loved Jericho’s replacement show, Secret Talents of the Stars. If you missed it, well, you were just like everyone else with a television in America.

Photos: Eric McCandless/CBS ©2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: SF Universe

According to Variety, Warner Bros. has sold airing rights to to Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 for three of their newest series, Moonlight, Chuck, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

This is great news for all three of the shows but is especially significant in the case of Sarah Connor.  Currently, the show only has nine episodes completed and is sitting on the renewal fence for next year.  There’s be no official wrod in regard to the show’s future, but it’s hard to imagine Warner Bros selling the rights to a show with so few episodes if they didn’t expect to have more in the coming year.

The anticipated debut dates are June 2008 for Moonlight, Fall 2008 for Chuck, and 2009 for The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

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