Expanding my Buffy Collection

Most of the titles I collect are based on the character(s) -- Daredevil, Elektra, Green Arrow... Others are based on the artists or creators, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer is just a great, fun... thing. While I love The Slayer, it's not just her that makes Buffy so great -- Buffy the Vampire Slayer was its own thing, and it transcended both its movie and TV origins.

Many of the characters I follow are rather dark and gritty, so Buffy is a nice change of pace from the vengeful vigilantes and anti-heroes I usually collect, and has a range of toys, games, comics, and other stuff to collect. That's actually one of the reasons I've chosen to focus more on Buffy memorabilia. It has nothing to do with nostalgia, just a love for the show and characters, and something to do to pass the time.

Most recently, I picked up a copy of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG Core Rulebook from Eden Studios. It's a copiously-illustrated hardback that looks pretty exciting. Collecting the OOP series will be expensive, but doable, and nothing I need immediately.

I also discovered a cache of TPB outside of the ongoing Dark Horse series for a fair price. In fact, most of the Buffy stuff I've come across is relatively affordable and available -- another reason I decided to invest more in it. I do not expect the majority of these items to appreciate significantly in value any time soon (or possibly ever, as most of them are common), but they'll make a nice "humblebrag" conversation piece, and fun to acquire.

I'm actually looking to upgrade a lot of my collections, so I may have some auctions to promote eventually.

© The Weirding, 2016

House Ending After Eight Seasons

This April, House will end with its 175^th episode. The producers called the decision painful, but thought it better to leave while the show is still among the most popular on TV. Ratings for House have slipped in the last two years to about half the numbers of the original audience.

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Bates Motel on A&E

A&E, best known for its reality shows, is producing the scripted drama Bates Motel for 2012. The TV series follows a young Norman Bates and serves as a prequel to the Hitchcock classic, Psycho. No details have been released about the series, but it will probably be an hour long drama.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Netflix Meets the CW

Netflix and the CW reached an agreement that gives streaming users shows like Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries starting as early as tomorrow. Many of the shows will be available in January of 2012. The deal covers most of the CW's shows through the 2014-15 season with about a one year wait from the time they air on TV.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Daddy Lohan and Cops Crash Lindsay's Pad

It's officially summer, y'all!

Michael Lohan flew to Cali and got the cops to accompany him to Lindsay Lohan's apartment. He says the landlord gave them the key, and the whole posse came crashing through Lin-Lin's house sometime yesterday afternoon, looking for the youngest Lohan, Ali, who is either 15 or 16. Both Lohans turned to Twitter to broadcast their... concerns.

Lindsay is upset her father did this, especially with cops in tow, but Michael Lohan insists he is concerned for Ali's welfare and "will not stop." Apparently, he is now speaking to Child and Welfare Services in the area.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Dark Horse Unveils New Dexter Bust @ C2E2

APRIL 14^th, MILWAUKIE, OR–Dexter Morgan, recently of Miami, is now securely detained and immobilized in a sculptural facsimile limited-edition bust. He is slated for release in July.

Dexter Morgan, Miami Metro Police Department blood spatter analyst, has a double life. When he's not helping the Homicide division solve murders, he spends his time hunting and killing bad guys who slip through the justice system.

These days, America's favorite serial killer has gone from freewheeling bachelor to doting dad. Maintaining an average-guy facade while satisfying his need to kill has never been easy. But now, after being drawn into a deadly game with The Trinity Killer, a killer every bit as dangerous and conflicted as he is, last season’s shocking finale has left him dealing with the devastating consequence of his own actions.

In bringing the SHOWTIME® character, brilliantly portrayed by recent Golden Globe® and Screen Actors Guild Award® winner, Michael C. Hall, into a sculpture, Dark Horse wanted to capture both “sides” of Dexter. Their solution: viewed from the front, he is examining a blood spatter slide, as he would do in his job for the police. But danger lurks hidden behind his back, as evidenced by a razor-sharp blade.

The detailed sculpture re-creates Dexter’s signature knit shirt, right down to the weave of the fabric. The likeness of Michael C. Hall is spot-on, sculpted expressly for the Dark Horse project by the artisans at Gentle Giant Studios, who are recognized as industry leaders in the collectibles and filmed entertainment fields.

The Dexter limited-edition bust is a hand-painted, numbered edition. It is produced under license with the cooperation and participation of Showtime Networks and Michael C. Hall. It will be packaged in full-color collector packaging, and contains a Certificate of Authenticity. Release is slated for August, 2010. Fans will have the chance to see the piece in person at this weekend’s C2E2 convention in Chicago.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Stalwart Castle Remains

The Alphabet Network announced today that Castle, starring Nathan Fillion, has been renewed for a full season (22 episodes). Castle is not only doing well, its ratings continued climbing this season, leading to Monday night's episode, the last of the season, which hit a record 14.5 million.

Not only was this Castle's highest rated episode yet, it also set the record as ABC's highest-rated scripted show in 14 years!

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Jack Bauer's Day Is Over

Fox has canceled its most successful drama ever: 24 is ending after the current season. Ratings for the acclaimed action/adventure show slipped this, its eighth, season. The two-hour series finale airs May 24^th and to celebrate, Fox will air 11 hours of uninterrupted episodes on Monday nights. Star, Keifer Sutherland, called Jack Bauer "The role of a lifetime," and thanked fans, cast, and crew for making it possible. "I am eternally grateful," Sutherland said in a statement. He said the decision to end 24 "on a high note" was mutually decided upon by all involved.

24 earned a whopping 68 Emmy nominations, winning Best Drama in 2006. Sutherland won Best Actor for the show once, but was nominated seven times. At the end of the season, it will have aired 194 episodes, officially making it one of TV's longest-running action series.

Next up for Sutherland? A big-screen movie adaptation of 24.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Avatar Unseated

Sci-fi box-office behemoth, Avatar, has finally been overthrown - by a rom-dram! Romantic drama, Dear John, dethroned the 3-D epic after seven weeks at the #1 spot, bringing in nearly $20 million more than Avatar, and $20 million more than expected. John Travolta's From Paris with Love landed at #3 with less than $10 million. Mel Gibson's Edge of Darkness and The Rock's Tooth Fairy rounded-out the top five.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

TNT Picks Up Steven Spielberg Alien Apocalypse Drama

TNT order nine episodes from three pilots, including one from Steven Spielberg in which Noah Wyle leads a band of people who survived an alien invasion. The other two shows are Delta Blues, which stars Jason Lee as a Memphis police officer who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator, and is produced by George Clooney; and Rizzoli, based on the Jane Rizzoli mystery series by Tess Gerritsen.

The unnamed invasion project was created by Saving Private Ryan screenwriter, Robert Rodat, and features Wyle as the leader of a "ragtag group" of citizens and former soldiers who resist the invading aliens which have already eliminated most of the human race. No other details have been released.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

"World" Stops Turning

CBS announced that the long-time soap opera, As the World Turns, will end production next year. Earlier this year, CBS canceled Guiding Light; following World's cancellation, the channel will have only two daytime dramas left - Bold and Beautiful and The Young and the Restless.

Over the years, such actors and actresses as James Earl Jones, Meg Ryan, and Parker Posey appeared on the show.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

David Tennant is Not Your Lawyer

NBC greenlighted the legal dramedy, Rex is Not Your Lawyer, two years ago, but it floundered on a shelf for lack of a star. Then along came a Doctor who nailed the part:

David Tennant, best known as the title character in an obscure sci-fi show from England (Doctor Who), will play the title character, Rex, in NBC's Rex is Not Your Lawyer. The procedural concerns a lawyer who begins having panic attacks and starts coaching would-be clients to represent themselves instead.

Tennant's Doctor Who has been hailed as possibly the best iteration of the Time Lord in the show's near 50-year history. Interestingly, fellow Englishman, Hugh Laurie, was cast as the lead in an obscure American show called House - in which he plays a doctor!

Coincidence? We'll let you decide.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

ER Proves Biggest Finale in 13 Years

Thursday night's ER series finale played to an estimated 16.2 million viewers. The last time a (drama) series finale drew numbers like that was 1996; Murder, She Wrote's finale landed 16.5 million viewers 13 years ago.

ER was a heavyweight primetime draw in the 1990s, but the numbers continued to fall in its later years. ER filled NBC's 9:00 Thursday night timeslot for a whopping 15 years! And man, those first several years are some great TV! In fact, the one mainstay in my life in the late 1990s (think '98-99) was the two episode block on TNT after I got home from my grueling 12-hour computer tech job. I never missed that for the entire time I worked as the inconsiderate jerk on the other end of the line who thinks he knows everything... good times, good times. Sadly, ER was never the same following Anthony Edwards' departure, and everyone pretty much knew it. Still, it trudged through the routine until what was once the most popular TV drama in America was drawing fewer than 8 million viewers an episode.

The late Michael Crichton - better known for such fare as Jurassic Park - created the show. Comedies tend to draw larger finale numbers, with Seinfeld's finale drawing a whopping 76 million eyeballs. Long-running dramas are dwindling on the airwaves as their popularity wanes, though enterprising producers are looking to extend their lives beyond their heydays. Technological and commercial advancements, such as DVD and the Web, have forever changed television, and ER may well have been the last, great primetime drama of its kind.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Mystique Bewitches Eastwick

Rebecca Romijn has been cast as one of the three leads in ABC's new series, Eastwick. The series is based on the movie and books by John Updike, The Witches of Eastwick. Updike wrote a sequel to the book, though no sequel to the movie was ever made. Romijn played shapeshifting Mystique in the X-Men movies and was last in a recurring role on Ugly Betty before going on maternity leave.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Scorcese Headed to HBO

This year, Steve Buscemi popped-up at the end of a Flight of the Conchords episode and Marty Scorsese himself cameoed in Entourage's season finale (which, by the by, HBO is showing tonight - the entire last season is being rerun in one massive marathon - while HBO2 is reprising True Blood's entire season) and I wondered about that. I had no real thoughts on it, I just figured these two, incredibly gifted men would be too busy to make cameos in any TV shows - even those on HBO. As it turns out, they are both incredibly busy... working on a new series for HBO!

Martin Scorsese is developing a drama for the network entitled Boardwalk Empire, about the origins of Atlantic City as told in Nelson Johnson's book. Scorsese will produce and direct (at least the pilot). Steve Buscemi is the lead, the rum-running boss of a liquor distribution ring. Michael Pitt (no relation to Brangelina) is in negotiations to star opposite.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Why is Boston Legal Canceled?

As we reported a while back, next week brings us Boston Legal's last episode. I was literally stunned to learn the show was being discontinued! They even cut it short - Boston Legal only has 13 episodes this season, as opposed to the regular 22! I searched in vain for a reason, as no one seems to know exactly why Boston Legal is in its last season. The best reason offered was that it simply couldn't afford its super star-power and since there was little else said on the matter, I assumed it was something of a mutual agreement between the show and network.

But this week's episode featured Betty White and John Larroquette suing the networks for not including programming aimed at those over 50. Several other, pointed comments have been made, including an exchange featuring Candice Bergen in which she noted she was "hoping" other options came along which would save the firm (which is going bankrupt).

Boston Legal is clearly one of the best shows on TV and if the cast is still willing to do it, I want to ask other networks to consider picking it up. Honestly, Boston Legal would rock on HBO. I know that isn't going to happen, but man... that would be the optimum home for this incredible dramedy and it would flourish. Its older demographic has consistently been touted as a possible reason for its cancellation and on HBO, where they could pull out all the stops, the freedom to be as ostentatious as they want to be would certainly draw younger viewers.

Maybe TBS or USA will pick it up before everything is said and done? They may lose some of the cast, but so long as the writing remains (along with at least Spader and Shatner), guest-appearances would suffice, and Boston Legal would continue to be a strong performer.

For now, The Rundown mourns yet another fantastic show's passing and the steady decline into mediocrity we have come to expect from network programming. Now only Chuck, Smallville, and Supernatural are left on the free networks; everything else heaves.

Next week is the series' two-hour finale. It will be replaced by Castle, starring Firefly alumnus, Nathan Fillion.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Life on Mars - A Review

If you somehow missed the original Life on Mars, you missed some of the best TV in recent years. It wrapped-up over to BBCA just this summer. The series only ran for two seasons, but they were an awesome two seasons!

And ABC's "Americanized" version - I could not happier to report - is a damn fine adaptation!

It certainly doesn't hurt to have an all-star cast - all earnestly dedicated to their roles - but like the original, the strength of ABC's Life on Mars' lay in its excellent writing and that playful, retro cinematography, used to heighten the mood and really bring that rock n roll atmosphere home.

Just as in the BBC version, the cinematography resorts to 1970's "action shots," like the ones in the exploitation movies and television crime dramas of the period, whenever the team is on the move and the case is about to be solved. The result is staggering: it is truly electric! When Keitel and Imperioli made the case-breaking discovery in the pilot, they leapt over the front desk with the entire homicide division (and "No-Nuts") in-tow - and we went right along with them! It makes you bolt - your eyes widen - and you feel that gut tug to stand up and cheer!

Just a fantastic show.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

The Riches Canceled

FX' The Riches has been officially canceled.

Starring Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard, The Riches was so far over the top that it became an effort just to watch. A spokesperson cited low ratings as the reason for the cancellation, but noted the show was "critically-acclaimed." I don't know why; The Riches had a great premise and even better actors, but went so far out of the way to be offensive, controversial, and "quirky" that absolutely no one could relate to it.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

9021-Ooooh

Shannon Doherty is returning to the show that made her famous. She will reprise her role as Brenda Walsh on the CW renewal of FOX' classic teen-drama, 90210.

Doherty's character is now a famous director, hired to stage a musical for the local highschool, where fellow alumnus, Jennie Garth (returning as Kelly Taylor), now works as a guidance counselor. The two made tabloid headlines during the original run of the program through various fistfights and reported brawls.

Tori Spelling is also returning.

So: Garth and Prue used to duke it out, then she pissed-off Phoebe and managed to get killed-off on Charmed. She appeared in Kevin Smith's sophomore effort, Mallrats, and... nothing else. She was the first host for Sci-Fi Channel's Scare Tactics... for about 10 episodes. But all in all, she's done a hell of a lot of TV.

I do not care anything about 90210 (never watched any of its spin-offs, either) - I don't know why I would - but I am interested to see how far this goes. Shannen Doherty's turn will span several episodes, but she is not now considered a regular (though I have a feeling she will be recurring, as the series is bound to run for some time).

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Vertigo's Exterminators Coming to Showtime

Showtime is developing a drama based on the DC/Vertigo comic book, Exterminators.

Exterminators follows an ex-con who is now working for Bug-Be-Gone. With a cast of freakish co-workers, a mysterious girlfriend, and "bugs" that are far more than your average cockroaches, some have called Exterminators "Six Feet Under with bugs." The Bug-Be-Gone crew's real enemies aren't the creepy-crawlies they face, but their own inner demons - and possibly the manufacturer of the bug poison they use.

Created by Simon Oliver and Tony Moore, Exterminators was originally a TV pitch.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008