Tuesday Odds & Ends: Torchwood, Douglas Adams, Iron Man 2, Lost and great Scots

+ Good news for "Torchwood" fans: John Barrowman confirmed in a radio interview yesterday that the series will be back for a full 13-episode run. Fingers crossed they keep up the stellar quality of the "Children of Earth" mini-series.

+ Do you have a bathtub? Would you like a new one? Or rather a slightly used one? Well, you're in luck. Douglas Adams' bathtub -- the one in which he apparently soaked when he needed ideas -- is up for sale on eBay. You still have one day and a few hours left in the auction, so gather up your rubber duckies and start bidding!

+ Check out the swanky new poster for "Iron Man 2." I personally can't wait for this sequel.

+ Speaking of highly anticipated movies, USA Today has a small behind-the-scenes article on part one of the upcoming "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" films.

+ Have you seen this awesome "Lost" promo from Spain, featuring the cast as chess pieces? I got goosebumps watching it. Hurry back to my TV screen, "Lost," I miss you!



+ And finally, David Tennant has finished fifth in the "Greatest Scot" contest, behind those slackers Robert Burns, William Wallace and some fellow who invented penicillin. As if that wasn't enough, David also will be featured as The Doctor on a new commemorative Royal Mint coin, giving women everywhere a whole new reason to carry change in their pockets. "What's that jangling?" "Oh, it's just Janet, she loves a good commemorative coin." Thus ends my Royal Mint fan fiction.

Thursday Odds & Ends: Summer Glau, Chuck, 2012 and Lost

+ Okay, it's official -- I'm definitely going to have to start watching "Dollhouse" again. It's been confirmed that the former Terminator herself Summer Glau is joining the cast as a new recurring character. And so's "Angel" alumnus Alexis Denisof who'll play a U.S. Senator. Yep, I'm doing a happy dance.

+ In other casting news, Brandon Routh, also know as that last Superman guy with the manly, knowing eyebrows, will be joining "Chuck" for a multi-episode arc when the show returns in March 2010.

+ Hey, is your day going too well? Need a little something to bring you down? Then check out this new Japanese trailer for Roland Emmerich's "2012." Honestly, this guy does death and destruction so well, I have to wonder what his dreams are like? All fluffy bunnies and rainbows? Anyway, it's a cool trailer...and we get to see Chiwetel Ejiofor. That makes the end of the world a little better, doesn't it?



+ You've got to see this gorgeous artistic rendering of time travel in film and television. It's such a cool idea and the end result is really fascinating. Thanks to Austen for the link!

+ And finally, I love this new series of "Lost" tie-in posters. In honor of the show's final season, 16 artists who are also fans of the show were commissioned to do special character posters. They're available for purchase and only 300 are being produced. I love the Hitchcock-ian style of this Locke one:

ETA: Here's a different link that shows the other "Lost" poster released so far. Looks like they'll add additional images as they're released.

Tuesday Odds & Ends: avatar dating, two-wheelin' werewolves, UFOs and "Warehouse 13"

+ Have I mentioned lately how much I love all things to do with "The Guild?" Well, I do and their new "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar" video is no exception. Check it out below and then, if you'd like to support future seasons of the show, go purchase and download the video and song from iTunes or other fine online retailers.



+ And in case your day has been lacking in shirtless guys who turn into werewolves, here's a new trailer from "New Moon." It offers a shocking lack of Robert Pattinson but did I mention there were werewolves? Oh and lots of dirt bikes. It's a thing...



+ Check out the great packaging for the "Lost" season 5 DVD collection, which is due out on December 8. I love how the DVDs come in the old-school floppy disk envelopes and the Geronimo Jackson CD is shaped like an old single, like the kind you used to get in magazines. Not that I'm old enough to remember any of this AT ALL.

+ This guy from Cinema Blend has some interesting suggestions on what the inevitable "District 9" sequel should do and not do. Spoilers ahoy if you haven't seen the movie yet.

+ One of my favorite actors, Roger Rees aka Lord John Marbury from "The West Wing" will be guest starring on "Warehouse 13" for three episodes starting tonight. He plays an old friend of Artie. Does anyone else remember Rees as the title character in "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby" stage play, which I believe ran something like 8 or 9 hours long? I remember seeing that on PBS as a child and being completely dazzled.

+ The British government has released detailed documentation tracking reports of UFO sightings in the UK. Oddly enough, sightings peaked during the heydays of "The X-Files," "Independence Day" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Go here if you'd like to dig through the files yourselves, Agents Mulder and Scully.

Friday Odds and Ends: Tennant, NPH, V and Lost

+ America will get to savor a bit more David Tennant after "Doctor Who" ends. My imaginary Scottish boyfriend will be hosting PBS' "Masterpiece Contemporary" when the show returns this October. Seriously, click the link for a dreamy Tennant photo. It'll make your Friday even better.

+ Speaking of dreamy slim men, Neil Patrick Harris will be hosting this year's Tony Awards. Is it wrong to pray that he breaks into a few numbers from Dr. Horrible while he's got the spotlight? C'mon, it'll be better than the "Shrek the Musical" interlude.

+ I wasn't at all interested when I heard that "V" was getting new life as an upcoming TV pilot, but now that I've learned more about the cast, I'm feeling positively giddy. So far, the cast includes two "Firefly" alumni: Alan Tudyk (Wash) and Morena Baccarin (Inara). Elizabeth Mitchell, Juliet from "Lost," will bring her magnetic personality to the show. (See what I did there? Yes, I'm sorry.) Also starring Laura Vandervoot from "Smallville," a show I had no idea was still on the air. (Oops.) Someone hand me a rat, I'm feelin' peckish with glee!

+ So, "Lost." I love a show that I can't understand until I read about seven different analyses of what I just saw. I'm excited for next season, though, and can't wait to see what kind of reset they have in store for us. Also, let me just declare my love of Michael Emerson's Ben one more time. Honestly, I perk up every time he's on screen. He and Locke are my new One True Pair. Anyway, if you're still fuzzy on what exactly happened on Wednesday night, check out Jeff Jensen's terrific recap (also known as a graduate thesis) of the season finale. It'll offer up a lot of "ohhh, so that's what that meant."

New trailer for "Lost" season 5 premiere

Ooh, new "Lost" season 5 premiere trailer. So much information to process, so many pretty pictures. Can't wait.

News of the Day -- Thursday, June 12

+ Did you see Maureen Ryan's column on the similarities between "Lost" and "Battlestar Galactica?" I especially love that they both have "Directional Catch Phrases" with Jack's "We have to go back!" on "Lost" and Starbuck's "We're going the wrong way!" on BSG. Hee.

+ Check out this gorgeous and wonderfully whimsical art -- including an anatomical look at a Gummi Bear (below) -- by Jason Freely at Moist Productions. I love his balloon animal images, too.


+ Pilfered from Pop Candy, have you seen this great site called Black Cab Sessions, which features pop acts performing in the back of a London black cab? It's chock full of terrific, intimate performances from acts such as Death Cab For Cutie and My Morning Jacket.

News of the Day -- Tuesday, May 20

+ A very good opinion piece at i09 about women and the perception that we don't like science fiction. God, all I watch is science fiction. I was going to say, "what's wrong with me?" Instead, I'm going to say, "what the hell's wrong with everyone else that they DON'T watch science fiction." There's spaceships for cryin' out loud!

+ Apparently, one cast member of "Lost" knows how the show will end. Intriguing...

+ SciFi.com has details on the upcoming Transformers sequel. Sadly, after seeing "Ironman," the only flying robots I can think of have Robert Downey Jr. at the helm.

+ I'll be announcing The X-Files movie poster winner tomorrow, so there's still time to sneak in a haiku or two if you'd like to get in on the action.

When good nerds go bad…and end up ruling deserted islands and pwning John Locke like a handpuppet

My name is Liz L. and I heart Benjamin Linus. I feel like I should be in a 12-step program when I admit that, but it’s true and the “Lost” fan in me can’t fight it any longer. The ferrety little man who is (apparently) the true puppetmaster of that “Lost” island has become an irresistible character on this creatively-rejuvenated show. Last week’s Ben-free episode reminded me of how much he adds to “Lost”’s humor, mystery and all-around squirreliness. Without Ben pulling the strings, the tension just doesn’t seem as taut.

Best of all, Ben has become a well-rounded character in the months since he first appeared, claiming to be Henry Gale, survivor of an ill-fated ballooning accident. We know he is a man who loves his “daughter,” whom he took from island woman Rousseau and whose boyfriend he keeps trying to kill. Oops. And we know he is afraid of only one thing: the ghostly Jacob. And we know he knows how to control people with indisputable ease, becoming the type of passive-aggressive titan to which I can only aspire.

Actor Michael Emerson deserves an Emmy for bringing Ben to life and giving him the nuances that make a character truly unforgettable. Like a hunted animal, his large eyes are constantly moving, taking in every detail of his surroundings. He sinks into himself, making his small frame seem even smaller. And yet when he smiles that menacing smile, you have no doubt that he is a powerful man in control.

But what I love best about Emerson’s performance is the sick humor he gives Ben. Two episodes ago, when the depth of Ben’s “affection” for fellow Other, Juliet, was finally revealed, I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or be horrified. When she comes to his door for what she thinks is a dinner party only to find that it’s a date, he literally bounces up to her like a chipmunk claiming the biggest macadamia nut in the jar. Then later in the same episode, he takes Juliet to see the body of her former lover, a man whose death Ben contrived. Emerson evoked the perfect mixture of regret, shame and a ballsy “he had it coming, I hope you’ll love me anyway” arrogance.

Yeah, there’s definitely something wrong with me, but “Lost” just wouldn’t be “Lost” without Ben, a hero so rat-like he should be hatching evil plans from a Habitrail. Who wouldn’t want to see that?

I'm sorry, Heroes, but I don't know if it's going to work out

You know how every teenage girl in a Lifetime Original Movie eventually has a breakdown and screams, "Why can't I be like everyone else?" Yeah, that's how I feel about "Heroes." I just can't seem to get excited about it despite the non-stop internet chatter and the perpetual advertising loop coming from NBC.

And this is where I need to make a terrible admission: I never even finished watching season one. There are ten episodes sitting on my DVR right now, glaring at me every time I skip over them to watch that new Feasting on Asphalt I missed. I'm starting to feel guilty about the whole thing. It just seems frankly un-American at this point not to like Heroes.

I started off enthusiastically enough with the show. It has a great premise. The acting was good. I loved Masi Oka and even liked Milo Ventimiglia despite all the objects I threw at the TV when he played Jess on Gilmore Girls. And there was Greg Grunberg, too -- hello Alias guy! So good cast, good story, good writing but...it just didn't do it for me.

In a way, I compare Heroes to Lost with its off-the-wall premise and serial storytelling style, but somehow, I've always managed to stick with Lost, even in its darkest days. (Insert Brokeback Mountain "I can't quit you" joke here, just for pop culture old time's sake.) Everyone seemed to love the fact that Heroes continually fed answers and moved the plot along, but to me, it just felt too me, it just wasn't satisfying, leading me to the disturbing conclusion that I must be some sort of narrative masochist who keeps vowing to split up with the likes of Lindelof and Cuse every time they screw me over with a nonsensical plot twist...but I always go back and forgive them. Do you think they have special therapists for this?

I'm still going to give Heroes another try. I'm going to finish watching all of last year and see if it gets my nerd interest rolling. If I could only put down those damn Harry Potter books....

Like the Oprah book club but with polar bears

Did you know that The Washington Post has an online "Lost" book club? Well, neither did I until today. The point of the club is to ease the pain of not having new "Lost" episodes until January 2000-and-forever by reading books mentioned on the series or books that are influential to the series. They just finished their first selection, Watership Down, which Sawyer has been seen reading twice to date. Here's arecap of their first online discussion.

Lost-y goodness

In honor of last night's mind-blowingly satisfying Lost, here's a Season 3 wrap-up originally found at Pop Candy. It's in-depthy, analytical and incisive and will probably require hours of study and the wearing of glasses. Naw, I kid. It's just a funny mix of screen caps and ridiculous captions -- kinda like Tolstoy used to make. Enjoy!

Wednesday tid-bits

Here are a few things to tide you over while you wait for the season finale of Lost tonight and polish up what to say in case Charlie finally, FINALLY, gets offed. (Personally, I’m trying to decide between, “Don’t let the Shire door hit your ass on the way out” and “Better you than Vincent.”)

* Today in The Washington Post, Tom Shales gives a number of reasons why I should probably just erase the new Mark Burnett/Steven Spielberg-produced reality show “On the Lot” from my Tivo, including the sad fact that most of last night’s fledgling directors couldn’t tell a story to save their lives and seemed clueless about that pesky three-act structure thing. Sadder still is the fact that the always cynical and always wonderful Carrie Fisher didn’t get even more snark time.

* This past Friday, a bunch of doctors and science types got together to decide if Abraham Lincoln could have survived his gunshot wound if it had happened in 2007 instead of 1865. The answer? Yes. He just wouldn’t have been writing any more Gettysburg Addresses. Or talking. Or, you know, moving much. Still, they think he could have finished his second term. So I guess our presidential expectations have diminished just a wee bit over the last century and a half, eh?

* And finally some good news. Maybe. The Addams Family is being turned into a Broadway musical, slated to open in the 2009-2010 season. Written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, who penned the 2006 Tony winner “Jersey Boys,” the show will include Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, Wednesday and the rest of the gang. I’m looking forward to seeing who plays Thing because eventually, one day, I'd like to hear this conversation: “Really? You were on Broadway? What did you play?” “A disembodied hand.” "Did Andrew Lloyd Weber put you up to this?"

Also, how does a disembodied hand sing? Should I just not worry about it?

TV is character building!

Last week, Park Bench reader Shan posted a breakdown on his site of ten top episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It got me and my husband thinking about the Buffster, and so we decided to start watching the series from the beginning all over again. And you know what? It’s just as good as I remember it -- although I still have no idea how Buffy slayed in those skirts. Which got me thinking some more: what makes some shows infinitely re-watchable and other shows instantly forgettable?

For me, I can watch shows like The West Wing, Buffy, Firefly and The Office over and over again. There are other shows, though, like24 and Lost that I enjoy “in the moment” but have zero urge to watch again. Here’s what I think it boils down to: character versus plot.

Whereas plot driven shows are all about the big reveal and what comes next, The West Wing and Buffy are about peeling back layer after layer of character. And if those layers are revealed through extraordinary dialogue, well then all’s the better. The moments we all remember in The West Wing have nothing to do with passing legislation or balancing the budget. The moments we remember best are Leo telling Josh he’ll always have a job or Toby discovering that “babies come with hats” or Bartlet calling the Butterball hotline or giving Charlie his Paul Revere carving knife. Right there? Character.

Compare that to Jack Bauer killing a guy…and then killing a guy…then flying a helicopter so he can go kill a guy. It’s exciting. It’s action packed. It’s well made. But it’s like those old Saturday serials in the 40s: it’s what you watch until something better comes along. With Lost, it’s all about the big surprises. I’ll watch week in and week out because I want to see how the mystery ends, no more and no less. And let me just say, if that Rambaldi guy from Alias turns out to be the big mojo maker, I’m going to be pissed. I’m giving you fair warning, J.J. Abrams!

In the end, just give me a Giles, a Josh, a Pam or a Mal – all characters with depth and charm and awesome vocabularies – and I’m yours forever. The minute you start mistaking explosions and car chases for depth and development, my Tivo and I are dumping you. I hate to be harsh, but that’s the sitch -- as Buffy would say.