Video: Dave's "Transformers" Toy

It's a fun summer toy and so much more.

Video: Weeds: An Inside Look at Season 3

Is Silas going to jail? What will happen to Nancy? See what the cast has to say about the upcoming season of Weeds.

Video: Californication: An Inside Look

See what David Duchovny and Natascha McElhone have to say about Californication, the new Showtime Original Series.

Video: Heroes--Global Phenomenon

In this Behind-The-Scenes clip, the cast talks about being part of the extraordinary phenomenon of Heroes. See this and more on the Heroes Season 1 DVD available on 8/28

ABC Announces Fall Premiere Schedule

Monday, Sept. 24
8 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars" (90 minutes)
9:30 p.m. "The Bachelor" (90 minutes)

Tuesday, Sept. 25
8 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars" (performance show)

Wednesday, Sept. 26
8 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars" results show (special day and time)
9 p.m. "Private Practice"
10 p.m. "Dirty Sexy Money"

Thursday, Sept. 27
8 p.m. "Ugly Betty"
9 p.m. "Grey's Anatomy"
10 p.m. "Big Shots"

Sunday, Sept. 30
7 p.m. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (two hours)
9 p.m. "Desperate Housewives"
10 p.m. "Brothers & Sisters"

Tuesday, Oct. 2
8 p.m. "Cavemen"
8:30 p.m. "Carpoolers"
9 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars" results (regular day and time)

Wednesday, Oct. 3
8 p.m. "Pushing Daisies"

Sunday, Oct. 7
7 p.m. "America's Funniest Home Videos"

Friday, Oct. 12
8 p.m. "20/20" (new timeslot)
9 p.m. "Women's Murder Club"
10 p.m. "Men in Trees" (new timeslot)

Monday, Oct. 15
9:30 p.m. "Samantha Who?"

Tuesday, Nov. 27
10 p.m. "Cashmere Mafia" (moves to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4)

This is a pre-air summer, Bionic Woman S01E01 Online now

Dexter, Weeds, Chuck, Now, it is Bionic Woman time.

Actually I am not a huge Sci-Fi TV shows fan. Because some of them can’t persuade me, and some of stories are too long. Make it series because of the ratings.

Anyway, Bionic Woman is a hit show of NBC. I should at least take a look at pilot, although I think the main actress is not young enough. Remember Dark Angel? See Jessica, which is young and hot.

Showtime’s Californication S01E01 comes out

Just like Dexter and Weeds DVD’s Pre-air, Showtime’s Californication S01E01 also comes out on EZTV.

Californication is an upcoming Showtime production created by Tom Kapinos and starring David Duchovny as Hank Moody, a troubled novelist whose obsessions with sex and drugs interfere with his personal and professional lives, as well as the relationships with his ex-wife Karen (Natascha McElhone) and daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin). It’s scheduled to begin airing on August 13th.

From S01E01, I think some picture is very open, and the style kinds like American Beauty.

NBC's Chuck S01E01 comes out online now

This summer we have seen lots of pre-air shows, now NBC's "Chuck" S01E01 comes out online. You can find it On EZTV.

Chuck is an hour-long comedy thriller on NBC about computer geek Chuck Bartowski, who becomes an important government spy.

I saw it yesterday, the opening fight copies Banlieue 13, and the fighter is from ABC's just cut TV show Traveler. It seems have something common with The 40 Year-Old Virgin.

But the story conflict is government should protect the guy, but criminals or terrorist wants the guy.

The ending of S01E01 is smart, but the following episodes are not sure yet.

Cherry Jones will be Female president next for Fox's '24'

Just as India has his female president now, Fox's '24' now has his one.

-------------------------

The United States will have a female president next year — on the Fox TV series "24."

Tony Award-winning actress Cherry Jones will play President Allison Taylor when the show about the exploits of counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) returns in January for its seventh season, the network announced Sunday.

Jones' term will coincide with Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid, but Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Liguori said fiction and real-world politics will not intersect.

"It's a dramatic decision. ... The president is a very important piece of '24," Liguori told The Associated Press. "We've had a broad array of presidents on the show; why not a female president?"

The series has been an Oval Office groundbreaker before, with Dennis Haysbert playing President Palmer, the nation's first black president.

Asked whether Fox would scrutinize scripts for potential election-year political content, Liguori said that, as with any show, "24" will be looked at "from a dramaturgical perspective, not a political perspective."

Series co-creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran and fellow executive producer Howard Gordon have always kept real-life politics from the show, he said.

"'24' took place in an election year in the past," Liguori said. "How you see Joel, Bob and Howard articulate drama is telling on how they deal with politics. The two are separated."

In a February article in The New Yorker magazine, Surnow described himself as a rare conservative in Hollywood. But show producers say they hold a variety of political viewpoints and deny "24" takes a solely conservative approach, the magazine reported.

Jones, winner of best-actress Tony Awards for "The Heiress" and "Doubt," has appeared in films including "Ocean's Twelve" and "The Perfect Storm" and has guest-starred on TV shows including the White House drama "The West Wing."

Liguori and newly appointed Fox programming chief Kevin Reilly appeared Sunday at the summer meeting of the Television Critics Association to discuss the upcoming TV season on Fox, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

Liguori said he wouldn't call the past season "disappointing," when asked about the fact that "24" failed to gain a best drama series Emmy nomination last week after winning the award in 2006.

He said he admires the "creative courage" of the producers as the show "re-sets the table each season" with a new story. "It's fun to see them spit-ball ideas," Liguori added.

Dexter S02E01-E02 and Weeds S03E01 Preair Online

Dexter S02E01-E02 and Weeds S03E01 come out with Dexter S1 DVD and Weeds S2 DVD several days ago, and now you can find them easily online. Such as EZTV.

It's really a warm up at this quiet summer. Because both the two hot shows had a big ending last season.

But fans have to wait a long time, Weeds S3 comes at 13rd August, and Dexter S2 is 30es Sep.

CW 2007-2008 Primetime Schedule

Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars have gone and not come back. I don't like the new shows too much right now.

-------------------------

The CW has announced its 2007-2008 primetime schedule. The full list of premiere dates follows:

MONDAY

8:00-8:30 PM EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS * [October 1]

8:30-9:00 PM ALIENS IN AMERICA (New Series) * [October 1]

9:00-9:30 PM GIRLFRIENDS * [October 1]

9:30-10:00 PM THE GAME * [October 1]

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM BEAUTY AND THE GEEK [September 18]

9:00-10:00 PM REAPER (New Series) * [September 25]

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL [September 19]

9:00-10:00 PM GOSSIP GIRL (New Series) * [September 26]

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM SMALLVILLE * [September 27]

9:00-10:00 PM SUPERNATURAL * [October 4]

FRIDAY

8:00-10:00 PM FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN [September 21]

SUNDAY

7:00-7:30 PM CW NOW (New Series) [September 23]

7:30-8:00 PM ONLINE NATION (New Series) [September 23]

8:00-9:00 PM LIFE IS WILD (New Series) * [October 7]

9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL (Encore Presentation)

CBS Announces Fall Show Schedule

CBS 2007-2008 PREMIERE DATES


Wednesday, Sept. 19
8 p.m. ET/PT - Kid Nation (series premiere)

Thursday, Sept. 20
8 p.m. ET/PT - Survivor: China (15th installment premiere)

Sunday, Sept. 23
7 p.m. ET/PT - 60 Minutes (40th season premiere)
9 p.m. ET/PT - Cold Case (5th season premiere)
10 p.m. ET/PT - Shark (2nd season premiere)

Monday, Sept. 24
8 p.m. ET/PT - How I Met Your Mother (3rd season premiere)
8:30 p.m. ET/PT - The Big Bang Theory (series premiere)
9 p.m. ET/PT - Two and a Half Men (5th season premiere)
9:30 p.m. ET/PT - Rules of Engagement (2nd season premiere)
10 p.m. ET/PT - CBS: Miami (6th season premiere)

Tuesday, Sept. 25
8 p.m. ET/PT - NCIS (5th season premiere)
9 p.m. ET/PT - The Unit (3rd season premiere)
10 p.m. ET/PT - Cane (series premiere)

Wednesday, Sept. 26
9 p.m. ET/PT - Criminal Minds (3rd season premiere)
10 p.m. ET/PT - CBS: NY (4th season premiere)

Thursday, Sept. 27
9 p.m. ET/PT - CBS: Crime Scene Investigation (8th season premiere)
10 p.m. ET/PT - Without a Trace (6th season premiere)

Friday, Sept. 28
8 p.m. ET/PT - Ghost Whisperer (3rd season premiere)
9 p.m. ET/PT - Moonlight (series premiere)
10 p.m. ET/PT - Numb3rs (4th season premiere)

Saturday, Sept. 29
8 p.m. ET/PT - Crimetime Saturday
9 p.m. ET/PT - Crimetime Saturday
10 p.m. ET/PT - 48 Hours Mystery (season premiere)

59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Nominations

Comedy: "30 Rock," "Entourage," "The Office," "Two and a Half Men," "Ugly Betty"

Drama: "Boston Legal," "Grey's Anatomy," "Heroes," "House," "The Sopranos"

Reality: "Antiques Roadshow," "Dog Whisperer," "Extreme Makeover Home Edition," "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," "Penn and Teller: Bullshit!"

Reality (Competitive): "American Idol," "Dancing With the Stars," "Project Runway," "Amazing Race," "Top Chef"

Best Actor, Comedy: Alec Baldwin, Ricky Gervais, Tony Shalhoub, Steve Carell, Charlie Sheen

Supporting Actor, Comedy: Kevin Dillon, Jeremy Piven, Neil Patrick Harris, Rainn Wilson, Jon Cryer

Best Actor, Drama: Kiefer Sutherland, James Spader, Hugh Laurie, Denis Leary, James Gandolfini

Supporting Actor, Drama: William Shatner, T.R. Knight, Masi Oka, Terry O'Quinn, Michael Emerson, Michael Imperioli

Best Actress, Comedy: Tina Fey, Felicity Huffman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, America Ferrera, Mary-Louise Parker

Supporting Actress, Comedy: Jaime Pressly, Jenna Fischer, Conchata Ferrell, Holland Taylor, Vanessa Williams, Elizabeth Perkins

Best Actress, Drama: Sally Field, Mariska Hargitay, Patricia Arquette, Kyra Sedgwick, Minnie Driver, Edie Falco

Supporting Actress, Drama: Rachel Griffiths, Sandra Oh, Chandra Wilson, Katherine Heigl, Aida Turturro, Lorraine Bracco

Five New Docs Make 'House' Full

Princeton Plainsboro is becoming quite the full House.

Five new actors have signed on to star in the upcoming fourth season of the Fox hit, filling the show's quota of smart, pretty people in the wake of the apparent departure of the good doctor's interns.

Olivia Wilde (The O.C.), Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar), Peter Jacobson (The Starter Wife), Anne Dudek (Big Day) and Edi Gathegi (Lincoln Heights) will get a lesson in condescension when they join the medical drama this fall.

The network has kept mum about how long each of the would-be replacements will stick around the house that Hugh Laurie built; however, E! Online's TV blog, which first broke the casting news, reports that the fresh meat will stick around for just eight episodes.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Wilde will play a young doctor named Thirteen, which in itself is no doubt enough to rile House's feathers, and who is expected to work very closely with the diagnostician.

The remaining thesps are expected to play candidates for a fellowship with House, presumably vying for the chance to step into the shoes of Cameron, Chase or Foreman, each of whom wound up on the outs at the close of season three.

Foreman (Omar Epps) left the hospital in the season finale after giving his two weeks' notice, claiming he did not want to turn into House. Chase (Jesse Spencer) was randomly axed by his capricious mentor, while Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) announced she was leaving.

House, which has nabbed series star Laurie a gaggle of Best Actor nods over the past three years, kicks off its fourth season on Sept. 25.

'Bionic Woman' Gets Lucy Hale as a New Sister

Lucy Hale replaces Mae Whitman on NBC series

Lucy HaleThe "Bionic Woman's" little sister is getting a pretty big makeover.

Lucy Hale, who's appeared on "How I Met Your Mother" and "The O.C.," has taken over for Mae Whitman ("Arrested Development") in the new NBC drama, which stars Michelle Ryan ("EastEnders") as the title character. In addition to the recasting, the character has undergone a fairly significant transformation too.

As originally conceived, Jaime's sister was deaf and living with her following the death of their mother (and not happy about it). In the reworked pilot, executive producer Jason Smilovic says, the parents are still out of the picture, but that may not be a permanent thing. Hale's character is a budding hacker who may "open a channel" to reconnecting with her folks.

"The parents were activists back in the day and ... were very keen on saving the world, but as a result, sort of neglected their own children," Smilovic says.

The character will also no longer be hearing-impaired, which is both a character choice and a window into the way pilot scripts get shaped and changed. As Smilovic explains:

"Without going into too much detail, it's that we wanted to create an organic way for -- Jaime was originally working in a lab. She was going to be assigned to these chimpanzees. The chimpanzees were going to Dr. Anthros, to this gentleman right here [co-star Chris Bowers], who was using them for experimentation. He would come down to get the chimpanzees and he would -- you know, they sort of fell in love during that time. And we were looking for a -- an organic way for her to be talking to the chimpanzees in sign language. Of course, the chimpanzees disappeared. The lab disappeared [in the version with Whitman]. The deaf sister stayed, but now she's disappeared as well."

Hale played Robin's (Cobie Smulders) younger sister in an episode of "How I Met Your Mother" last season and has also guested on "The O.C.," "Drake & Josh" and Disney Channel's "The Wizard's of Waverly Place." She was also a finalist on "American Juniors" in 2003.

Isaiah Washington Joins "Bionic Woman"

Isaiah Washington, bouncing back from his "Grey's Anatomy" firing with a role on a new NBC drama and prospects for his own network series, said Monday he's grateful for an unexpected second chance.

"I'm humbled by this opportunity," Washington told The Associated Press, shortly before NBC announced he would be joining its new series "Bionic Woman" for a five-episode arc. Washington and NBC Universal Studios also are developing an action series.

He said his dismissal from ABC's hit medical show after his repeated use of an anti-gay slur was "an unfortunate misunderstanding for everyone" that he was eager to move past.

"What I always wanted to put at the forefront is my creativity, that thing I want to do, which is act," Washington said.

He was brought to NBC by Ben Silverman, the recently appointed co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. It was a comment to a mutual friend that led to a meeting with Silverman just after Washington lost his ABC job, he said.

Silverman, recalling their June 7 get-together, said he was surprised to learn Washington had just been fired.

"`Gosh, it would great to get him, get a great actor on our air,'" Silverman recalled thinking. "It's like A-Rod leaving the Yankees in midseason."

Asked if he was concerned that Washington was bringing baggage to NBC, Silverman said he wasn't. The focus will be on the actor's work and his contribution to "Bionic Woman," which Silverman described as "one of our most important shows."

"I really thought about him as an actor. ... I feel like he's a wonderful actor and everyone deserves a second chance," he told The AP.

Washington's hiring at General Electric Co.-owned NBC had an unlikely genesis.

The day that Washington learned ABC was not picking up his option for "Grey's Anatomy," he and the Ghanian-born fashion designer Oswald Boateng were discussing an African aid event. When Boateng learned of his situation, the designer called his pal Silverman, Washington said.

Silverman invited them to join him at a party at a Beverly Hills restaurant. The two enjoyed a friendly evening, the actor said.

"`You're not just going to be golfing, reading books. You're coming to NBC,'" Washington said the executive told him.

Washington assumed Silverman was just being kind. "I'm gonna go home and cry in my bed," he recalled thinking. But the next day he got a call from his agent saying that Silverman wanted him to be part of NBC.

On "Bionic Woman," based on the 1970s show, Washington will play "a mysterious person who is brought into the enigmatic scientific organization" responsible for creating bionic Jamie Sommers (Michelle Ryan), according to NBC.

NBC and its studio also are developing what was described as an "action-series project" with Washington that is based on an idea of his.

Washington was booted from his role as a surgeon on "Grey's Anatomy" after he used an anti-gay epithet backstage at the Golden Globe Awards in January while denying he'd used it previously on the set against cast mate T.R. Knight.

He publicly apologized and tried to make amends by meeting with gay-rights organizations and filming a public-service announcement calling for tolerance.

In subsequent interviews, Washington has said he was trying to address problems of cast tardiness when he got into a tiff with co-star Patrick Dempsey.

He's learned from the experience, he said, including "how you deal with certain stresses."

"If there are issues with other actors, it's not my problem. I'm not a hero, baby sitter, big brother. I'm the employee, too," Washington said.

As for Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC and Knight, "That chapter is closed. I wish them well," Washington said.

NBC Shuffles Schedule, Sets Premieres

NBC has shifted a few pieces of its fall schedule around, sending "Chuck" to Monday nights to pair with "Heroes" and turning on the "Friday Night Lights" an hour earlier.

The network is also banking that last week's big premiere for "The Singing Bee" can carry over to the fall, pairing the show with 90-minute episodes of "The Biggest Loser" on Tuesday nights. Additionally, Thursday comedies "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office" will kick off with hour-long episodes and "Deal or No Deal" will move one of its weekly editions to Friday.

The biggest headline in the scheduling changes is the move of rookie series "Chuck," which stars Zachary Levi as an underemployed twentysomething who inadvertently becomes a high-value government asset. The show, from executive producers Josh Schwartz and McG ("The O.C."), moves out of a difficult Tuesday-night spot and into the 8 p.m. Monday spot, where it will lead into "Heroes" and another new show, "Journeyman."

All three shows have some element of fantasy -- Levi's Chuck has a massive spy database downloaded into his head, the "Heroes" have their powers and the central character in "Journeyman" (Kevin McKidd) is a time traveler. The network is also hoping to use "Sunday Night Football" as a launching pad for the Monday lineup.

On Fridays, "Las Vegas" and "FNL" have swapped timeslots, with "Lights" moving into the 9 p.m. hour, following "Deal," and "Las Vegas" and new cast member Tom Selleck settling at 10 p.m. "Las Vegas" will get a two-hour premiere on Friday, Sept. 28, with "Friday Night Lights" opening the following week.

The premiere dates for NBC are as follows (all times Eastern, new shows in bold):

Sunday, Sept. 9

7 p.m. "Football Night in America"
8:15 p.m. "Sunday Night Football"

Tuesday, Sept. 11

8 p.m. "The Biggest Loser" (two hours)

Monday, Sept. 17

8 p.m. "Deal or No Deal" (last Monday airing)

Monday, Sept. 24

8 p.m. "Chuck"
9 p.m. "Heroes"
10 p.m. "Journeyman"

Tuesday, Sept. 25

9:30 p.m. "The Singing Bee"
10 p.m. "Law & Order: SVU"

Wednesday, Sept. 26

8 p.m. "Deal or No Deal"
9 p.m. "Bionic Woman"
10 p.m. "Life"

Thursday, Sept. 27

8 p.m. "My Name Is Earl" (one hour)
9 p.m. "The Office" (one hour; new timeslot)

Friday, Sept. 28

8 p.m. "Deal or No Deal" (new timeslot)
9 p.m. "Las Vegas" (two hours)

Thursday, Oct. 4

8:30 p.m. "30 Rock"

Friday, Oct. 5

9 p.m. "Friday Night Lights" (new timeslot)

Thursday, Oct. 25

9:30 p.m. "Scrubs"

Mandy Patinkin Exits 'Criminal Minds'

Series star blames 'creative differences' not salary issues

Star Mandy Patinkin has parted ways with his CBS hit "Criminal Minds."

Capping off several days of rumors, Patinkin and "Criminal Minds" producers ABC Studios and CBS Paramount Network Television released a joint statement on Monday (July 16) morning explaining the split.

"Due to creative differences, Mandy has asked not to return to 'Criminal Minds' this season," says the statement from Patinkin's camp. "Mandy would like to thank the studios and network for releasing him from the series and he wishes the cast and crew continued success in all of their endeavors and looks forward to continuing to work with the Disney and CBS companies in other capacities in the future."

Reports began swirling at the end of last week that Patinkin had missed a scheduled "Criminal Minds" table read and that writers were working on a version of the season premiere without the actor. At the time, sources close to the situation would only say that salary and contractual issues weren't the cause of Patinkin's absence, a claim echoed in Monday's release.

"Last week, Mandy Patinkin asked to be released from his role on 'Criminal Minds,'" the studio portion of the statement reads. "We have honored this request, which was not in any way connected to contract renegotiations or salary issues. His departure from the series will be explained to audiences in an episode to be filmed in the near future and broadcast early next season. We thank Mandy for helping to make 'Criminal Minds' a strong and successful series, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors. A new character will be added to the series for next season."

Patinkin has spent two seasons playing Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon on "Criminal Minds." Along with Thomas Gibson's Aaron Hotchner, Gideon headed up an FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit entrusted with tracking down serial killers around the country. After averaging 12.8 million viewers in its first season, "Criminal Minds" boosted that audience to 14 million this past year, even earning CBS' most coveted time period of the year, the post-Super Bowl slot.

While the show's strong supporting cast still includes Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, Paget Brewster and Kirsten Vangsness, Patinkin's absence will probably put the kibosh on any possible musical "Criminal Minds" episodes for the future.

Digital Cameras guides on Kelkoo UK

Just two weeks ago I bought a SONY T-100 Digital Camera to my parents, although I thought SONY T-20 may be a better choice, depending on its cheaper price. Because I thought the bigger LCD (liquid crystal display) and the farther focal distance did not fit the big price difference. But I bought SONY T-100 more than $400 at the end because my parents wanted better performance.

The homework before you choose your digital camera is very important. Although I did some Internet Search before I bought it. But I found the convenient digital cameras websites were rare. Today I found a Digital Cameras, Digital Camera guides & Digital Photography on Kelkoo UK. To be honest, I wish I could found it before I bought mine.

Compare. Buy. Save.

Kelkoo is a Yahoo Company. You can compare digital cameras from a wide range of UK shops on Kelkoo UK. You can browse through the digital cameras offers below, showing the best digital cameras from Canon, Sony, Nikon and more.

On the top of Kelkoo Digital Cameras is Search Engine. Below it is Digital Camera Buying Guide and Kelkoo Recommends. Under it you can also refine digital cameras by brand, price, camera type and sensor resolution etc.

The main feature of Kelkoo Digital Cameras is that you can compare digital cameras’ features and prices. That is very convenient. So when you want to buy a digital camera, just have a try on Kelkoo UK.

This is a ReviewMe review.

Donald Trump to Rosie: "You're hired," if you want

The new executives running NBC said on Monday they would bring Donald Trump's reality show "The Apprentice" back from near extinction for at least one more run -- this time with celebrities playing for charity.

And in yet another twist to efforts to revive the low-rated "Apprentice" franchise -- and NBC's own sagging fortunes -- they said Trump was inviting his archfoe, actress-comic Rosie O'Donnell, to join the cast of the show's latest edition.

O'Donnell's spokeswoman immediately dismissed the idea.

It was one of several moves announced by newly installed NBC programming chief, Ben Silverman and his partner, Marc Graboff, in a bid to generate some buzz for the beleaguered network less than two months into their tenure as co-chairmen of NBC Entertainment.

NBC, a unit of General Electric Co.-controlled NBC Universal, has been struggling to reverse a three-year ratings slump since the departure of "Friends" and "Frasier" in May 2004. Silverman and Graboff were put in charge in late May as part of a network shake-up.

Besides Trump's renewal deal, they announced that Jerry Seinfeld, star of his own smash hit sitcom during the 1990s, will return to NBC in October to play himself in a rare guest turn on the season premiere of the comedy series "30 Rock."

Seinfeld already had plans to appear in a string of self-produced NBC "minisodes" airing during commercial breaks this fall to promote his work in the upcoming animated film "Bee Movie."

Silverman also outlined a reshuffling of NBC's prime-time fall schedule and some high-profile future projects, including a deal to pair up spoon-bending Israeli psychic Uri Geller and U.S. illusionist Criss Angel for a new reality show called "Phenomenon," billed as a talent search for the "next great mentalist."

In yet another deal, NBC has signed veteran TV producer Norman Lear, creator of the landmark comedy "All In the Family," to produce an hourlong "dramedy" series based on a single mother's battle of the sexes on Wall Street.

But Trump's impending return, and his invitation to O'Donnell, drew the most attention at the opening of NBC's annual summer presentation to TV critics.

Trump and O'Donnell made headlines last year with a nasty war of words that began when O'Donnell, then co-host of the daytime talk show "The View," mocked Trump on the air for his rebuke of disgraced beauty queen Tara Conner, Miss USA 2006.

Trump fired back with a series of public insults, calling O'Donnell, among other things, "a fat slob," "a loser" and "despicable." The feud continued off and on for months.

Silverman said a Trump-O'Donnell union would be "great for television," and he insisted the offer was genuine, though he conceded, "I don't know if she'd do it."

The proposal was almost instantly shot down by O'Donnell's publicist, Cindi Berger, whose terse reply when told of the idea was, "Not in this lifetime, or beyond."

"The Apprentice," which turned Trump into a TV star and popularized his catch phrase "You're fired," debuted in 2004 as a hit show featuring young entrepreneurs vying in a weekly game of elimination for a real job in Trump's business empire.

But the show steadily declined in the ratings in subsequent seasons and appeared headed for prime-time extinction when it was left off the 2007-08 programming schedule NBC announced in mid-May. Trump also said he had lost interest in the series.

Prospects for the show rebounded after Silverman took over and asked Trump and producers of "The Apprentice" to extend the network's option to renew it.

The show will return for a seventh edition next year with celebrity contestants raising money for various charities.

Showtime Pilots 'United States' of Spielberg

Showtime has ordered a pilot for "The United States of Tara," a multiple personality syndrome comedy from DreamWorks Television.

The single-camera, half-hour comedy will be written and produced by Diablo Cody, screenwriter of the upcoming feature "Juno."

The show's main character is Tara, a suburban wife and mother with a twist -- she's also got a variety of bizarre alternate personalities, including an aggressive male biker and a promiscuous teenager girl.

"Eve since I heard this idea -- 'Weeds' meets 'Sybil' -- I thought it was a perfect fit for Showtime, since our hallmark is series with flawed main characters," says Robert Greenblatt, Showtime's entertainment president. "We look forward to finding an extraordinary actress who wants to step into this tour-de-force role."

The plan is shoot the "Tara" pilot this far, with DreamWorks TV bigwigs Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank producing. DreamWorks principal Steven Spielberg has taken enough interest in the pilot to provide a statement for the Showtime press release.

"I have long admired the programming creativity of Bob Greenblatt and Showtime, so I am enormously pleased that we will be doing this show for them," Spielberg says. "They have brought bold new concepts and shows to television and their audiences have responded. We hope that our comedy can add to their success, and all of us here at DreamWorks look forward to this new association."

DreamWorks Television's most recent contribution to the landscape is the FOX summer reality disappointment "On the Lot." The company is at work on a miniseries version of Stephen King and Peter Straub's "The Talisman."

Save Money On Inkjet Cartridges

3 years ago, I bought a Canon Color Inkjet printer to my dad, but he did not use it too much, maybe just several times at first year. So when I went back home in my holiday, I found out Inkjet Cartridges were dry. You know Inkjet Cartridges are not cheap, especially the color ones.

So I think if you do not use printer too much, you should keep the color Inkjet Cartridges aside. But if you do use printer a lot, I want to introduce an Inkjet Cartridges website to save your money: Atlantic Inkjet. They sell inexpensive inkjet cartridges for most Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, HP and Lexmark printer models.


As they say, SAVE up to 75%, simply by getting ink cartridges online from Atlantic inkjet. Whether you need original OEM inkjet cartridges, tested and guaranteed compatible ink cartridge replacements, and even toner cartridges, they have the solution for your printing needs.

Even more, they now offer FREE SHIPPING for all orders placed online totaling $45 US, or $50 CAN. When your online purchase adds up to these amounts (or more), their shopping cart automatically credits you during checkout.

I think the price is pretty reasonable. So if you have a printer, you should think about to have to try：www.atlanticinkjet.com.

This is a ReviewMe Atlantic Reviews.

'Smallville' Lands Its Supergirl

Clark Kent's long-lost cousin has been found.

Canadian actress Laura Vandervoort has landed the plum role of Supergirl for the upcoming season of the CW's "Smallville," reports People.

"She's a combination of beauty, intelligence, a certain warmth, and great attitude," says the show's co-creator Al Gough. "We've wanted a character to shake things up. She may be Clark Kent's cousin, but that doesn't mean she's going to be the obedient one!"

In June, Gough had stated that adding Supergirl would give the series the "mythic jolt" it needs heading in to the seventh season. The season premiere will introduce Kara, Clark's (Tom Welling) 19-year-old cousin born on Krypton. As the daughter of Zor-El, Jor-El's brother, Kara also has superpowers, including one that Clark has yet to develop: the ability to fly. On the more mundane side, Kara butts heads with Clark, is sweet on Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore) and draws Lex's (Michael Rosenbaum) attention.

Vandervoort was chosen Wednesday, July 11, after the creators saw hundreds of actresses for the part. The 22-year-old, who begins shooting next week in Vancouver, is best known to fans of the cable series "Instant Star" as Sadie Harrison. She's also made guest appearances in "Goosebumps," "Are You Afraid of the Dark?," "Mutant X," "The Dresden Files" and "C.S.I."

Supergirl is the latest hero to join "Smallville." Other DC Comics characters who have made appearances include Green Arrow, Aquaman, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg and Brainiac.

Hanging With the Cool Kids on 'Battlestar Galactica'

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- When asked about the Sci Fi Channel series "Battlestar Galactica," which airs on the same network as his series, "Eureka" (and films across town) actor Colin Ferguson smiles and says, "They're the cool kids."

He's not the only one who thinks that.

Although they'd been rousted out of bed early for a daylong session of set visits, it's a jubilant bunch of online journalists that troops into the hangar bay of the Galactica, as constructed in a huge soundstage at the Bridge Studios.

At that very moment on this late-June day, there are no doubt many famous Hollywood folks who would happily hock an award or two to be sitting in the same place where the human denizens of the beleaguered space cruiser jump in their Viper and Raptor fighter spacecraft to face the onslaught of the mechanistic Cylons (many of whom look like humans).

One can't even speculate what they might do to get their photo taken in a Viper, as some of the attendees do later on.

On this day, the bay is home to a panel discussion with cast members Aaron Douglas (Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol), Michael Hogan (Col. Saul Tigh), Jamie Bamber (Capt. Lee "Apollo" Adama), Grace Park (Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, and an assortment of identical Cylons), Tamoh Penikett (Lt. Karl "Helo" Agathon), along with line producer Harvey Frand and Sci Fi's chief of original programming, Mark Stern.

Also in attendance are Bonnie Hammer, president of Sci Fi Channel and USA Network, and Dave Howe, general manager of Sci Fi Channel.

"We're the coolest, no question about it," says Penikett.

He recounts how "Eureka" actor Ed Quinn tracked the "Battlestar" cast down when he first arrived in Vancouver. "We didn't know who he was," Penikett says. "He was, 'Welcome to town. Would you like to come over and watch the fights?' The guy couldn't shut up about the show. It was awesome."

Apparently, the relationship has continued.

"I've been a fan since the beginning," says Quinn, speaking in early May. "That show, the writing, it's just opera. It's so incredibly good. Aaron Douglas is a friend of mine, and I have been texting him, 'You are a bleeping, bleeping Cylon, you bleeping traitor.' He is so angry with me. He's probably going to punch me."

"I saw the first season," says Billy Campbell, star of USA's "The 4400," also in early May. "I will watch the rest of it. It's fantastic."

Campbell liked it so much that he cornered Hammer at the network's upfront presentation to advertisers. According to Hammer (and Campbell), he pleaded for an opportunity to be on the show, even offering to work without pay.

Since "Battlestar" is filming its fourth and final season (set to air in early 2008), time is running out, but says Stern, "I tell you, we are talking about trying to figure out Billy's schedule, and trying to get him into the show. Ron [series executive producer Ronald D. Moore] is looking into that, but I don't know if it's actually going to happen."

But it's not just other TV stars that watch "Battlestar." Douglas recalls an incident that took place, he says, on Jan. 10, 2007, when he passed Robin Williams on the street in Beverly Hills. Williams turned around, followed Douglas, and waylaid him on the curb to talk about the show.

"He goes, 'That's the best show on TV,'" Douglas says. "'I cannot believe it. I never miss it. You tell Eddie [star Edward James Olmos], I've known Eddie for years, you go up, and you tell everybody that's my favorite show -- the best show on TV. What are you shooting? Why are you here? Why are you not shooting? Is the Chief dead?'

"I'm going, I'm staring at this guy, 'This is Robin Williams.' All these people are walking by, going, 'Holy crap, that's Robin Williams. Who's that guy? Why is Robin Williams shaking his hand?'"

Bamber recalls a close encounter of "The Matrix" kind.

"I met [the Wachowski] brothers on the Warner Bros. lot," Bamber says. "I turned around and this - what's the word, the correct word for it? He's going through a gender change. He just bowed, put his hands together. These guys rule in terms of sci-fi, and here they are, worshipping our show."

After acting as co-host of the Asian Excellence Awards with "Lost" star Daniel Dae Kim, Park encountered director, and big "Battlestar" fan, Quentin Tarantino.

"In the after-party," she says, "he wouldn't stop gabbing about it. I felt like I had to baby-sit him, he was so excited. He just went on for about 10 minutes. I got so uncomfortable, I had to leave."

Later Park looked online and discovered that, before the show, Tarantino had singled her out as someone he wanted to meet.

"I think I'll have to download that," she says, "and burn it and save it for my grandchildren."

Last up, Penikett talks about meeting eyes at a party with actor/producer Seth Green, who co-created the stop-motion-animation show "Robot Chicken," which airs as part of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block.

"He looked at me with this weird look," Penikett says, "and I looked at him like, 'What are you looking at, Seth? What's going on, buddy?' ... I think it was a month and a half later, we got called for 'Robot Chicken.' It was great."

No exact word on when the "Galactica" parody might appear on "Chicken," which recently parodied "Star Wars."

Simplify your pets' healthcare

I used to have a little adorable dog when I was a child. We spent lots of happy time together. He is always there no matter which mood I was in, but unfortunately he was passed away for some physical reason. I felt so sad that became wordless for several days.

I feel unlucky that until now I know there is a Pet Insurance thing, or my little dog deserved better healthcare and may be still alive. The company offers pet insurance called PetFirst, an innovative leader in pet insurance, offers easy to understand lifelong coverage for dogs and cats. PetFirst's comprehensive coverage is unique in the industry providing simplified coverage with no per diagnosis limits and premiums unaffected by age, breed or location. The Family Plan from PetFirst allows owners to insure multiple pets under one policy for a fraction of the cost. PetFirst provides reliable customer service and prompt claims reimbursement to complement their healthcare offering. PetFirst Healthcare currently offers pet insurance in 50 states.


Their plans have a $50 deductible and then reimburse up to 90% of an owner's veterinary bills. Policies cover Accident, Illness, and Routine, with an option to remove the Routine coverage to pay a lower premium. Due to the nature of the product, it may be difficult to evaluate. It may be easier to compare and contrast their offerings with leading U.S. competitors.

In a word, if you have a dog or cat, if you treat him or her like your family member, just make a Pet Insurance, and it will make your pet life better.

This is a ReviewMe review.

Leigh joins Grey's Anatomy, Strickland tapped for spinoff

Grey's Anatomy has promoted Chyler Leigh (aka Mer's McDreaming half-sis Lexie) to a series regular, an ABC Studios rep confirms. The news comes on the heels of my vodcast report that test audiences chewed up and spit out the character during a recent focus group. To be fair, her brief flirtation with Derek didn't exactly help her cause.


In sort of related news, Grey's 2.0 (aka Private Practice) has tapped KaDee Strickland (The Wedding Bells) to play a doctor and hospital administrator. She too will be a series regular.

Grey's Anatomy 4.01: A Change Is Gonna Come

Spoilers:

Episode 4.01: A Change Is Gonna Come
Airdate: September 2007

07/11 - Two new interns will be introduced in the season premiere (three if you include Lexie). And they'll have their hands full when a three-car accident sends multiple casualties pouring into Seattle Grace. Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide

07/06 - Expect changes to occur in the season premiere as the title is "A Change Is Gonna Come." The premiere will see new interns enter the medical world. One, who is supposed to be named Thomson, helps deliver a baby on the interns' first day on the job. Grey's Anatomy episodes would not be the same without a wacky case. In this episode, the wacky case is that of a young boy bringing his bleeding female raccoon pet to the hospital in the hope a doctor will save her. Source: TV Squad

07/02 - Clara, who is with her two young children, discuss the status of her husband Henry with one of the doctors. Henry has suffered extremely traumatic injuries during a car accident. The doctor says that the only thing holding Henry's head to his body is skin and muscle and that he will surely died very soon, even with surgery. A boy brings a near-dead racoon to Seattle Grace in the hope they will be able to save it. His father wants his son to grow up and stop living in a make-believe world. Some of the doctors need to deal with new stressed out interns. One of the interns will help deliver a baby. Source: SpoilerFix.com

Longoria says she wasn't a bridezilla

The endless details were numbing, but Eva Longoria says she kept her cool at her wedding to Tony Parker last week. "My stylist, Robert Verdi, and everybody around me was like, `You're so calm,'" Longoria tells OK! magazine in its latest issue, on newsstands Friday. "I actually don't stress about anything."

The 32-year-old "Desperate Housewives" actress and the 25-year-old NBA star wed in a civil ceremony in Paris last Friday. The following day, they exchanged vows in a church across from the Louvre Museum and held an exclusive reception at a storied French chateau.

"Every girl dreams of having a beautiful, romantic wedding," says Longoria. "It was amazing to see it unfold after months of planning. We really wanted to create an experience for our guests. It was about them having fun."

That list included fellow "Housewives" Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman and singer Sheryl Crow.

Parker, who was born in Belgium and raised in France, notes that Longoria chose the wedding destination.

"I didn't want to do it in Paris because we'd end up inviting more people than I wanted!" says Parker, eliciting laughs from Longoria.

Longoria also giggled during the wedding ceremony as she attempted to say her vows in French.

"She decided I would do the vows in English; hers would be in French," Parker explains. "There were some tough words. I'm very proud of her."

Longoria and Parker are featured on the cover and inside the pages of the magazine, which paid for its exclusive interviews. An OK! representative wouldn't disclose the terms of its deal with the couple to The Associated Press.

DMD, makes web design easier

Nowadays with the boom of Internet business, there are innumerable Web Design companies. Many of them have high quality services, but may be lots of people do not know them yet. I think DMD is just one of those top companies.

DMD Internet is highly experienced at delivering top quality web design and development projects to a wide range of New Zealand clients. DMD has worked with hundreds of companies since 1997, from large multi-national corporations to small niche-market enterprises. Their client interactions range from one-off projects to ongoing partnerships. View their most recent websites below or check out their client list.


Solutions + Experience = Results

DMD Web Solutions include Corporate Solutions, Small Business Solutions and Online Marketing Solutions. And DMD's Web Services Include: Web Design, Web Development, Custom Integration, Ecommerce, Website Hosting and Internet Marketing.

You can also read a lot of Testimonials at : Corporate Testimonials, Small Business Testimonials and Marketing Testimonials. Some websites are very famous, so I think those words are quite reliable.

I don’t think there are national boundaries on Internet, if some companies provide a good service, just give a shot. So if you or your company wants to have a web design work or some plus work, like Internet Marketing, you can contact them for a try: www.dmd.co.nz

This is a ReviewMe review.

Fox Announces Fall Premiere Dates

Fox’s 2007-08 fall season premiere dates:


Thursday, Aug. 30

Saturday, Sept. 8

8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT COPS

9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: AMERICA


Thursday, Sept. 13

9:00-10:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (New Series)


Friday, Sept. 14

9:00-10:00 PM NASHVILLE (New Series)


Saturday, Sept. 15

11:00 PM-Midnight MADtv

Midnight-12:30 AM TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN


Monday, Sept. 17

8:00-9:00 PM PRISON BREAK

9:00-10:00 PM K-VILLE (New Series)



Wednesday, Sept. 19

8:00-8:30 PM BACK TO YOU (New Series)

8:30-9:00 PM ’TIL DEATH

9:00-10:00 PM BONES



Sunday, Sept. 23

8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS

8:30-9:00 PM KING OF THE HILL

9:00-10:00 PM FAMILY GUY


Tuesday, Sept. 25

8:00-9:00 PM NEW AMSTERDAM (New Series)

9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE



Sunday, Sept. 30

9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY (New Time Period)

9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD

Drive Not Returning to the Schedule

The Drive saga continues. The original plan was for Fox to air the two remaining episodes of Drive on July 4, but several weeks ago they changed the air date to July 13. However, Fox has made more changes to the schedule, which included dumping those two unaired episodes of Drive altogether. It's doubtful that the network will ever air the final two episodes, but it's possible they'll show up one day on Drive's MySpace page. Those anxious to see these episodes might want to take the time to write to Fox and ask them to air these episodes online. The networks usually do listen to fans if they get enough of a response.

Isaiah Washington speaks to Larry King about "F" word

Former Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington talks to Larry King about the infamous "F" word.

Watermark Factory - protect your copyrights

Actually I also run another TV News & Reviews Websites in Chinese, but the pictures copyrights is really a problem. A lot of people copy my articles as well as pictures, which make my website traffic increase so fast that slow down my original website. I had the thought to add the URL of my site to the pictures, but it cost too much time and energy, so gradually I give it up.

If you have the same problem with me, now there is a way: Watermark Factory - protect your copyrights.

Watermark Factory allows you to add text or image watermark to any picture. Protect your copyrights or simply add comments to any picture. This useful program has beautiful and easy to use interface. You will be able to process thousands of files in a few seconds.

It can solve any of following tasks:

1、Protect your copyrights using visible watermarks
2、Add date-stamp to your photos
3、Display EXIF or IPTC information
4、Prepare digital pictures for Web
5、Convert a lot of pictures to various formats
6、Auto-rename a lot of pictures
7、Add comments

In a word, it’s an awesome adding watermarks program, very easy to use. This is a sponsored review.

Video: Jessica Alba GQ Magazine Shoot

Jessica Alba is burning up the pages of GQ magazine.

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FixUpPix.com is a photo repair and photo retouching website that specializes in all sorts of photo enhancements. They allow users to upload photos, and they edit them and make all requested changes, then the users can view their image via a secure portal and pay via PayPal. They can then download the finished image. Sounds cool, right?

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J.J. Abrams, New Movie: Cloverfield (1-18-08) ( Include Trailer)

Release Date: January 18, 2008
Genres: Horror
Subgenres: Monster

A new take on the monster movie genre, follows the hunt for a monster through the home videos of the people who fight it. Very is little is known about what this movie will actually be, please stay tuned, this is one to watch.

Directed by: Matt Reeves
Producer: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel

Realated Links:
http://1-18-08.com
http://ethanhasswasright.com
http://ethanhaaswaswrong.blogspot.com/

Drive and The Nine Returning to Primetime Schedule

Don't get too excited, neither of these series have been miraculously renewed à la Jericho. ABC and Fox are simply burning off the remaining unaired episodes this summer.

The Nine was pulled from the schedule back in November when the series failed to draw a satisfactory audience after seven episodes. Beginning August 1, fans of The Nine have the chance to enjoy the six unaired episodes. However, those looking for some closure in the final episode of the series won't find any since production was shut down before an appropriate ending could be filmed.

After pulling Drive from the line-up a few months ago, Fox promised viewers they would air the two remaining episodes. Making good on their promise, Fox has scheduled the final two episodes to air back-to-back on July 13. Like The Nine, closure is also doubtful in the series finale of Drive -- but at least we'll get two more hours of this fun and exciting adventure!

NBC, Trump agree to 'Apprentice' renewal

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - NBC and producers of "The Apprentice" have agreed to bring Donald Trump's reality TV show back from the brink of cancellation for at least one more season, industry sources said on Friday.

The sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity that NBC plans to announce a renewal at an annual summer presentation to television critics on July 16, about two months after the show had appeared on the verge of prime-time extinction.

There was no official word on a deal from NBC, the Trump organization or executive producer Mark Burnett, but all three parties have acknowledged in recent weeks that negotiations on a possible return of the show were continuing.

One person familiar with the negotiations said "The Apprentice" would be renewed for two more years. Another said NBC and producers were close to a deal to bring the show back for a seventh season with an option to renew it for an eighth installment.

"The Apprentice," which turned Trump into a television star and popularized his catch-phrase "You're fired," was sliding in the ratings and appeared headed for oblivion when it was omitted from the 2007-8 prime-time programming schedule NBC unveiled in mid-May.

Network executives refused then to rule out a possible reprieve for Trump. But the self-styled real estate tycoon seemed to seal the show's fate when he issued a statement days later saying he was "moving on" to other TV ventures.

Prospects for the show rebounded again in late May when NBC, under newly installed chief programmer Ben Silverman, asked Trump and Burnett to extend the network's option to renew the series, and they agreed to talks.

"The Apprentice" debuted in 2004 as a hit show featuring young, aggressive entrepreneurs competing in a weekly game of elimination for a real-life job in Trump's business empire.

But the series steadily declined in the ratings in successive years, losing nearly two-thirds of its original audience by the time it wrapped up its sixth installment in April.

If the current option on a renewal for a seventh season were to expire without a deal, producers would be free to shop the series to another network, and Trump has said "numerous networks" have expressed an interest in picking up the show.

The show is important for Trump's growing branding effort, which banks on the businessman's brash image to market products including water, vodka and steaks.

Trump and NBC still remain in the beauty pageant business together. The two announced in March a renewal deal to keep annual broadcasts of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, which Trump co-owns, on the General Electric Co.-controlled network through 2010.

'The Nine' Gets Time on ABC

Finale episodes set for August run; 'Knights' also back

Viewers will finally get a chance to see how "The Nine" ends -- if not necessarily how it ends -- starting next month.

ABC is bringing back the drama, one of the casualties of last season's Serialized Drama Massacre, for a summer burnoff starting Wednesday, Aug. 1. It will return to the 10 p.m. ET Wednesday spot it previously occupied last fall.

The network will also bring back its comedy "The Knights of Prosperity," at least for one week. The bulk of its episodes aired last winter, but one of the few remainders from its order, titled "Operation: Rent Money," is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 8.

"The Nine," about the survivors of a hostage standoff following a botched bank robbery, debuted to critical acclaim last fall, but audiences didn't warm to it. It averaged a shade over 8 million viewers in its initial run, fumbling more than half the audience from its "Lost" lead-in.

It's unclear whether the show will resolve its central mystery -- what happened during the hostage standoff -- in the remaining six episodes, which are scheduled to run through Sept. 5. Discussing the show's fate back in January, ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson noted that "because it wasn't designed to end at the end of the 13 ... it doesn't answer that specific question."

Given that a substantial portion of the show's cast -- Tim Daly ("Private Practice"), Kim Raver ("Lipstick Jungle"), Lourdes Benedicto ("Cashmere Mafia") and Chi McBride ("Pushing Daisies") among them -- have since moved on to other shows, a resolution may not be in the offing.

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John Chow on The Lab With Leo Laporte

Leo Laporte interviews John Chow on how to make money on your blog.

Lust, Caution first trailer (directed by Ang Lee)

Lust, Caution (Traditional Chinese: 色·戒; Pinyin: sè.jiè) is a Focus Features film directed by Ang Lee. The film is adapted from a short story by the famed Chinese author Eileen Chang. The short story was written in 1950. It is said to be loosely based on an actual event took place in 1939-1940. The story is set in Shanghai during the World War II-era.

The film will come out in U.S. theaters on September 28, 2007.

Cast
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai ... ... Mr. Yee
Lee-Hom Wang ... ... Kuang Yumin
Tang Wei ... ... Wang Jiazhi
Chu Chih-Ying ... ... Lai Xiuqing
Joan Chen ... ... Mrs. Yee
Anupam Kher ... ... Khallid Shayudin
Shyam Pathak ... ... Jewellery shopkeeper
Xu Xin ... ... Nurse An

Wired: The Rebirth of Optimus Prime: Behind the Scenes with Director Michael Bay

For two glorious years, Optimus Prime was America's hero. He starred in Transformers, a thriftily animated series (cynics would call it a half-hour toy commercial) that pitted Prime and his army of Autobots against the vicious Megatron and his Decepticons. On the small screen, these robots in disguise were more than cartoons, they were towering titanium gods, massive in their machine carapaces: tractor trailers, cop cars, fighter jets.

In toy form, Transformers combined the tantalizing tactility of a Rubik's Cube with the vroom-vroom automotive voyeurism of Hot Wheels. Add a touch of Cold War moral clarity and we were hooked. Boys ages 5 to 11 — and it was boys — faithfully tuned in week after week to watch the saga of these doughty bots, who struck out from their home planet, Cybertron, with vague and mixed motives — conquest, freedom, resources, defense — and brought their civil war to our planet. We welcomed them as liberators and adopted Prime as our mech-daddy. Some quite literally: In 2001, a 30-year-old National Guardsman from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, legally changed his name to Optimus Prime. "I really latched onto him when I was a kid," Prime said to TV reporters before shipping out to the Middle East in 2003. "My dad passed away and I didn't really have anybody around."

Then in 1986, the original Prime did something that distinguished him from most other cartoon heroes. He died. He died for freedom, for righteousness, and for shelf space. In the toy biz, there's no room for fatherly affection — only next year's line. The Transformers: The Movie, released in August of that year, was Prime's swan song. For nearly two decades, through various toy lines and dubious toon reboots (a gorilla named Optimus Primal? Please.), the sons of Prime waited for Papa Bot.

At last, in July 2004, it was decreed from the throne of Steven Spielberg: There would be a live-action remake of Transformers. (Wonder! Joy! Blogging!) A year later, another revelation: Michael Bay, best known for such Truffautian explorations of modern manhood as Armageddon and The Rock, would direct. (Rage! Spittle! Blogging!)

A prayer went up across the Internet: Please, God, don't let Michael Bay screw this up. Debate rocked the virtual halls of nerd Thunderdome, aka Ain't It Cool News, where Transformers (out July 4) racked up more traffic than any other upcoming film — no mean feat in the Spidey-infested, franchise-fueled summer of '07. "It was as if you told them Michael Bay was directing Star Wars," says Harry Knowles, editor of Ain't It Cool News. "I don't get it, because the things that Bay does best are make cars look cool, make things blow up. He's the best exploder in the business."

So why all the grief over a Bay-battered Transformers? It's a toy. A cartoon. What's next? Please don't let Brett Ratner desecrate the Care Bears? And aren't ass-kicking robots exactly what you'd expect from the high priest of high-octane puerility?

But among a certain sect of geekdom, there's more at stake. Prime practically step-parented the latchkey kids of the mid-'80s. He was our Allfather at a time when flesh-and-blood role models were increasingly few and far between: Stallone had begun his long sag. Arnold was already more credible as machine than man. So when Prime declared, "One shall stand, one shall fall!" in that seismic, tear-down-this-wall timbre of his (or, more accurately, voice actor Peter Cullen), you believed him. Thus began the cyber-outsourcing of masculine heroism, a process that would eventually, inextricably, link Y chromosome to Xbox.

"I've heard so many people say, 'Michael Bay, you've destroyed my childhood,' " says the man himself from the cathedra of his Santa Monica, California, editing bay. Appropriately, Bay is wearing a black Decepticons T-shirt. He's aware of his image and, to some extent, relishes it. "I knew there were fans," he sighs, shaking his shaggy blond power-mane. "I didn't know there were people who'd hunt you down. I urge them to watch the 1986 animated movie, go watch the cartoon. You'll want to shoot yourself."

True, standards for TV animation have risen — epochally — since the days of those schematic, shakily drawn morality plays, and in theaters, we've been fed ever-more-smashing CG spectacles. But man-children of a certain age look to this Transformers movie — by the director's own admission, a film designed for 9- to 15-year-olds — for more than galvanic summer thrills or simple nostalgia. They're looking for redemption, as men. They're going to a kids' movie to grow up all over again, to remember just what Prime père taught them before giving up the ghost (and the hallowed Autobot Matrix of Leadership) in '86.

"While a large chunk of people want to see giant-robot fights, there's an equally large, dedicated group who want to see their childhood idols treated like serious characters, with real emotional arcs," says John Rogers, the original screenwriter for the movie. "For every fan wanting to feel like he's 12 again, there's another who's outraged that you think this is just a movie for 12-year-olds. It's not that people don't trust Michael Bay. It's that the list of people who would be trusted is almost vanishingly small."

Trust is in short supply for good reason: We're tired of seeing our childhood titans (Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Catwoman) humbled by heedless, ham-fisted directors. "At best, it will be a fun summer movie with explosions," one 35-year-old Transformers devotee conjectured at a recent WonderCon. "But it seems like guys in Hollywood... Unless they're really reined in, they have to pee all over something to make it theirs, like big cats."

The mark of Bay on Hollywood filmmaking is acrid and highly identifiable. He's more jock than geek, a two-for-flinching type who, at 42, is really too old to have any actual Transformers nostalgia of his own. What he does have, though, is a sensibility — a crass and desensitizing one, according to his many critics. Bad Boys, Armageddon, and the historically hyperbolic Pearl Harbor — these movies, with their tommy-gun jump cuts, their nitric, breezily nihilistic momentum, their catchphrase-grunting action heroes, and their napalm denouements, comprise a subgenre known simply as "Michael Bay."

"It's just a style," Bay says, innocent as a killer cyborg lamb. "When Orson Welles loaded all those cinematic tricks into one movie, they hated him for it." (A more historically accurate connection between the two directors might be the fact that one of Welles' last performances was as the voice of Unicron in The Transformers: The Movie.)

"Michael Bay" means, among other things, car chases. So, as you might expect from a Michael Bay movie about robots that turn into vehicles, Transformers contains a car chase guaranteed to hit fans in their crumple zone. A car chase so smashtacular, he may never do another one.

Watching the scene from Bay's monitors (with Bay helpfully replaying the sequences he doesn't think you've fully appreciated), one can't help but believe him: Down a crowded freeway streaks benevolent Bumblebee, now a yellow Camaro (muscled up from his origins as a VW Beetle). He's carrying our human heroes, teenagers Sam (Shia LaBeouf, breakout star of Disturbia and the newly announced Indiana Jones sequel) and Mikaela (Megan Fox, in the role of standard Bay hottie) in the backseat. Behind them chugs Prime, in roaring-semi mode, fending off a massive minesweeper called Bonecrusher, an evil Decepticon.

At 90 miles per hour — and here's where the brain begins to record-scratch a bit — Bonecrusher transforms into a bipedal robot the size of a small building. He then rollerblades (there's no other way to describe it) through the traffic, effortlessly sweeping unlucky commuters out of his path. Prime morphs, too, going from hog-nosed Peterbilt to hulking robot in a headlong flinging of struts and panels, digging his big blue clodhoppers into the asphalt and reversing course.

Prime and Bonecrusher collide with molar-rattling impact, then tumble vertiginously over the concrete lip of the overpass to the roadway below, where Prime slams a boxcar-sized fist into Bonecrusher's jaw. Bonecrusher's face erupts in a skittering, dazzling spray of CG shrapnel. Oh, the lack of humanity!

How does this kind of catastrophe happen? With hard work, strict storyboarding, and a computing capacity that is measured not in megs or gigs, but in assloads. In scenes with multiple robots, rendering a single frame of film can take up to 38 hours. "Dealing with the moment where the trade-off from semi wheels to robot feet happens was the most challenging part of the transformation," recalls Industrial Light & Magic's Scott Farrar, who served as visual effects supervisor. "It was important to Michael that they transform in a believable way." (Believability isn't cheap: Production on the movie cost $150 million. Still, that's about half as much as every other blockbuster out this summer.)

Then there's the matter of matter. Bay says that weight-mass orthodoxy informed the decision to make Prime a hog-nosed semi instead of the flat-front model from the cartoon, which, he says, would have yielded only 23 feet of robot height. (He wanted Prime to stand at least 30 feet tall.) He also insists that it was these practicalities — and not his movie's partnership with Chevy — behind his heretical decision to convert cuddly Bumblebee into a bitchin' Camaro. Physics also informed the decision to make Megatron, originally a pistol, into a jet; and Frenzy, the beloved Decepticon cassette tape, is now a shiny boom box. But other alterations were simply Bay's prerogative. Optimus Prime now boasts bright orange cholo flames and — much to fans' horror — lips. "I'm the director. I make my own decisions. I like to paint the house green, even when everyone says it's got to be white."
Bay likes to work fast and acknowledges a tendency to push his crews to the limit. "I've been directing since I was 24. I don't take 'no,' you know? I'm blunt, and sometimes people don't like blunt. But I can run a gigantic ship, on 12-hour days, without going into overtime."

Bay can probably afford to pay overtime. Thanks to the success of Pearl Harbor, Bay has built up so much goodwill with the Pent agon that he can call up and order F 16s the way the rest of us order hot wings. What's more, this movie's theme — "No sacrifice, no victory" — certainly must resonate with the military mindset right about now. An excellent way to keep costs down is to get aircraft, tanks, technical advice, locations (Edwards Air Force Base, White Sands Missle Range), and already-costumed troop extras on the cheap.

"When Hollywood comes to us for assistance, we see it as an opportunity to inform the public about the US military," says Phil Strub, the Pentagon's Hollywood liaison. "If they want our help, they have to show us the script and listen to our suggestions for increasing the military realism." Bay puts it a little more bluntly: "I think they look at it as a recruitment thing."

In the movie, the Decepticons make their first attack in the Middle East, and the war comes swiftly home to Anytown, USA. What does the Pentagon, or Bay, for that matter, think of a story that puts the American military in the middle of an alien civil war? Bay brushes off any parallels. "Civil war? Well." He pauses. "A good movie teases you!" He pauses again. "There's a lot of good action here."

A lot of good product placement, too. In addition to Detroit's most-steroidal rides, you'll see a transformational cell phone and videogame console. Bay notes that he "took it up the ass" for product placement on his last movie, the box-office bomb The Island. (In its bold vision of the future, Aquafina, Michelob, and Cadillac featured big — though it should be noted that Spielberg, Bay's Transformers producer-collaborator, pulled the same trick with Minority Report and got little guff for it.) But let's be honest with ourselves, purists: Are we really going to quibble about endorsements when the urtext itself was fired in the kid-vid kiln of product placement? "What do you want, speeches at the UN?" co-screenwriter Roberto Orci asks. "It's Transformers."

True. But pimping our childhood ride is one thing; pimping our dad is another. With bated breath and shaken faith we await the return of our Almighty Rig. Because without Prime, we're stuck with whiney Spider-Boys, metrosexual pirates, and koan-spouting kung-fu Christs in designer sunglasses and unisex clubwear. Because he died protecting us in '86, and nothing's ever been the same since. Because these days, the only real men left are giant robots. It's moot, of course: With or without the sons of Prime, Transformers will do zero-to-bank in four seconds. Still, we wonder: When Papa comes truckin' home, will we recognize him?

Sex and the City Movie a Big Deal

Take heed, Sex and the City fans. Your blue balls have not been for naught.

After three years of near-incessant rumblings that Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York and Samantha Jones would rendezvous for one more round of cosmos, HBO and New Line Cinema have reportedly teamed up to finally give the girls the big screen send-off (or, possibly, rebirth) fans have been waiting for.

According to Variety, production on the long-gestating, headline-grabbing movie version will begin early this fall with all four leading ladies—Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and Kim Cattrall—set to reprise their iconic roles.

A Sex and the City film has been rumored since 2004, when in her flurry of exit interviews, Parker assuaged fan fears with none-too-subtle hints that the HBO show's series finale wouldn't mean the last of the fab foursome.

But as anticipation grew, so too apparently did Cattrall's demands. In 2005, when the other three actresses were all locked in to the project, Cattrall reportedly held out for a payday on par with Parker's, whose salary was greater than her costars due to her added role as executive producer.

After more tabloid-ready reports of infighting between the women surfaced, along with rumors that Cattrall was also seeking script approval, the project stalled and plans for the film seemed irreparable.

Earlier this year, however, both Parker and Cattrall gave new hope to their Manolo minions.

While out promoting her new clothing line, Bitten, Parker fielded the inevitable questions about a big-screen reunion.

"Never say never," she said. "It was such a great show it would be fantastic to go back."

The Emmy winner also put the kibosh on speculation that a supposed rift between costars scuttled the Sex and the City movie. "It is a very complicated puzzle to put back," she said, "but not for the reason that people speculate about, because as far as I know, all of the actresses want to be together again for this movie."

Cattrall chimed in that she had not ruled out reprising her man-devouring role.

"With regard to a movie, I really can't say," she said. "There is a lot of speculation but, just put it this way, I don't want to jinx anything."

When the show ended its HBO run in 2004, each of the women wound up paired off with her beua: Carrie with Mr. Big, Miranda with Steve, Charlotte with Harry and Samantha with Smith. While no deals have been inked to bring back the menfolk back, negotiations for supporting players are expected to begin closer to the production date, with Chris Noth expected to reprise his Big role.

Details of the script are being kept under tight wraps, although it's unlikely the film will pick up immediately where the series left off, if for no other reason than the slight aging of the actresses.

Longtime executive producer Michael Patrick King has already written the film and will also serve as director. King will also produce the pic alongside Parker, series producer John Melfi and series creator Darren Star.