Thursday, October 23, 2008

Fringe Ratings

After the sixth episode of Fringe, it appears it has found it's ratings level with 9.1 million total viewers which nearly matches the premiere episode. Not bad for a new show where the tendency is to shed viewers in the first few weeks. While the show came in third behind Dancing with the Stars and The Mentalist for the night it was number one in the time slot for the key 18-49 and 18-34 demographic groups that advertisers love.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

New Star Trek Stills, Info

New information about Star Trek has come out in the form of movie stills, EW articles and multiple interviews. For me, the best information is official confirmation that the first trailer is coming out on November 14th with Quantum of Solace. The info is on my main Star Trek XI blog.

Movie images
EW article
Trek writers comment on images
Trek producer comment on images

Fringe's TV Guide Cover, Article

Next week's Fringe is the feature article and cover for TV Guide. I have to admit I am still not sold on the series, I am most definitely sold on the gorgeous and skilled actress that is Anna Torv and the cover highlights that beauty well.

The article itself (no link available) doesn't really provide any insight into the central mystery of the show, The Pattern, but gets more into the development of the show and the plans for the overall season. Some highlights are below.
- John Noble: "Walter's always remembering things, so he doesn't really know how much he's got to do with the Pattern. That gets revealed in bits and pieces, some that are wonderful and others that are horrific."
- Anna Torv: "I'm loath to put [Fringe] in some sort of neat box. Fringe sort of slides seamlessly among quite a few different genres."
- Anna Torv: "I came in and read, [the producers] had a few little notes, and then we had a few phone conversations. I flew to Los Angeles and met with the guys, and then flew to Toronto in, like, a day to film the pilot. It was all very, very fast."
- JJ Abrams on Anna: "There is a very serious quality about Anna, but when she smiled, her face just lit up. She was beautiful, but not in a way that felt phony or plastic. I believed what she was saying."
- JJ Abrams on avoiding Lost level mythology: "We want to make sure that we're telling stories that aren't too simplistic or too complicated because we don't want to exclude the casual viewer. We also don't want to use the deus ex machina of crazy-insane invention all the time, and yet part of the fun is watching these characters play with the idea of where science could go, not where it is already."
- By episode 10, we will start to see Nina Sharp's (Blair Brown) "deeper connections" to the main characters.
- There is "an epic truth" to the Bishop boys that is "a big idea that, if exposed now, would be difficult to swallow."
- Producer Jeff Pinkner: "With every fiber of our being, we don't intend this to be a mythology-driven show. One of the things The X-Files did the very best was that there was a controlling mythology to the entire series, but most of the episodes you could watch at any time, in any order, and you knew enough to enjoy the episode. One of the mistakes we made in Alias is that the mythology overwhelmed the storytelling."
- Pinkner on random images in the show: "We have all kinds of Easter eggs and details in our show that are only there for the people who care to find them. They don't necessarily give you more. If you don't care to find them, they won't interfere with your enjoyment or understanding of the show. But if you care to find them and you piece them together, they will certainly give you clues to what is coming up in a way that is really just for the fun of it."

Monday, October 13, 2008

Fringe Comics Delayed

DC Comics has announced that the current run of the six issue Fringe comic book series has been cancelled and restart back in January. From Newsarama:
According to Hank Kanalz, VP – General Manager, WildStorm, the plan is not to make the series even more tightly tied to the television series, which required some retooling.

“The writers of the show want to make sure the comic book is integrated into the mythology of the Fringe world, so we have decided to refocus the direction of the comic book. Unfortunately, this means that we will have some delays, but will be back in January.”

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Fringe Gets Full Season Order

Fox has ordered a full season or the "back nine" episodes of JJ Abrams's Fringe according THR Feed. With an able assist from House, the show is averaging a 4.2 rating/11 share in key 18-49 demo and averaging 10.7 million viewers a night which makes it one of the top rated new programs of the season.

"We're thrilled to get the full-season order," Abrams says. "As with many new series, 'Fringe' is just starting to find its groove. Knowing we'll be around beyond the first thirteen episodes means we'll get to realize the full potential of the show, and for that we are extremely grateful."

Personally the show is just ok to me but I am starting to develop a bit of a crush on the lovely Anna Torv so will probably stick around for the long haul. Abrams eye for talent and beauty combo continues.