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Separated at Birth: Three Lincoln-Related Projects

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:37:52 PDT

Apparently, this is the year for Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth. Much of Hollywood seems to be fascinated with the legendary president and his assassin right now, with a biopic and a HBO miniseries already in the works. Now, there's a Showtime series in development that would focus on Booth and his brothers - a dysfunctional family drama of sorts that I'm guessing ends with a president shot dead.

I'm having trouble keeping these various projects straight in my mind. Should I care most about Lincoln himself, how his assassin got caught, or how his killer came to be a presidential shooter in the first place? Here's a handy chart to help you decide:


Name	The Booths	Team of Rivals	Manhunt
Medium	TV (Showtime)	Film	TV (HBO)
Stars	To be determined	Liam Neeson (Lincoln), Sally Field (Mary Todd Lincoln)	To be determined
Focus	John Wilkes Booth and his two dysfunctional brothers	Lincoln himself	"Lesser-known players" in the hunt for Lincoln's killer
Hollywood "Big Name"	Executive Producer Kevin Bacon	Director Steven Spielberg	Writers David Simon and Tom Fontana
Book Inspiration	None	Team of Rivals	Manhunt
Presumed Outcome	Lincoln dies	Lincoln dies	Lincoln dies

Source and Source

HBO Developing Miniseries About Lincoln's Killing

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:32:20 PDT

From the network that brought you John Adams - and the writers who brought you urban strife - comes this: HBO is developing a miniseries about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the hunt for his killer, to be written by David Simon of The Wire and Tom Fontana of Oz.

The miniseries is based on the best-selling book Manhunt, about the Lincoln shooting and the 12-day hunt for his assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Simon and Fontana are writing the script together.

Fontana is reportedly something of a Lincoln assassination buff, with "hundreds of books" about the shooting. Simon, too, is fascinated with the shooting. According to Broadcasting & Cable, they intend to explore it through the eyes of lesser-known players. The book was originally optioned for an action movie starring Harrison Ford, but the option expired and HBO snapped up the rights. Don't expect this miniseries to have the same tone a big-screen adaptation would have: "I don't do action," Simon told B&C.

Have any of you history/Lincoln buffs read this book? Do you think it's a story made for an HBO miniseries?

Source

What to Rent: New DVDs This Week

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 04:30:00 PDT

X-Men: First Class

James McAvoy stars as a young Charles Xavier, along with Michael Fassbender as Magneto in this prequel to the X-Men films, which follows the mutants as they come together for the first time in an effort to thwart a villain on the verge of causing a nuclear war. The origins behind the mutants' powers are revealed throughout the course of the movie, as are the beginnings of the relationships that shape the alliances in the subsequent films. The action scenes are balanced well with an interesting story that breathes new life into the franchise. DVD extras include deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage.

82%

Hanna

Saoirse Ronan plays the title character in this revenge thriller about a 16-year-old girl who has grown up in hiding and groomed to become an expert assassin by her ex-CIA father (Eric Bana). When an intelligence agent (Cate Blanchett) and former foe of Hanna's father discovers the family's location, she launches a full-scale manhunt against the teenage girl. Hanna's lack of emotion makes it a bit hard to connect with her, but it's refreshing to see a tough female character that steers clear of stereotypes. DVD extras feature an alternate ending and director commentary.

71%

One more DVD when you

read more. Everything Must Go When recovering alcoholic Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell) falls off the wagon, he loses his job as a salesman and comes home to discover his wife has left him on the same day. In an effort to put his life back together, he holds a yard sale and begins forming new friendships, including one with a neighborhood kid (Christopher Jordan Wallace). Though the premise isn't exactly uplifting, the film still provides laughs. DVD extras include audio commentary and deleted scenes. 76%

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 May 2011 23:59:00 PDT

8:00 Wipeout (repeat)
9:00 Rookie Blue (repeat)
10:00 Rookie Blue (repeat)
12:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live (new, with guests Christina Aguilera and Mike Tyson)

8:00 The Big Bang Theory (repeat)
8:30 Rules of Engagement (repeat)
9:00 CSI (repeat)
10:00 The Mentalist (repeat)
11:35 Late Show With David Letterman (new, with guest Ray Romano)
12:37 Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (new, with guest Norm MacDonald)

8:00 So You Think You Can Dance (new, season premiere)

8:00 Community (repeat)
8:30 30 Rock (repeat)
9:00 The Office (repeat)
9:30 Parks and Recreation (repeat)
10:00 30 Rock (repeat)
10:30 The Office (repeat)
11:35 Tonight Show With Jay Leno (new, with guest Piers Morgan)
12:35 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (new, with guests James McAvoy and Gilbert Gottfried)

8:00 The Vampire Diaries (repeat)
9:00 Nikita (repeat)

More TV to watch when you

9:00 First 48 (new) 10:00 Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force (new) 10:30 Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force (new)
10:00 The Real Housewives of New York City (new)
11:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (new) 11:30 Colbert Report (repeat)

11:00 Chelsea Lately (new, with guest Eva Mendes)

10:00 America's Best Dance Crew (new)
10:30 Secret Diary of a Call Girl (new) 11:00 Gigolos (new)

11:00 Conan (new, with guest Dana Carvey) 12:00 Lopez Tonight (new, with guests Randy Jackson and Anna Kournikova)

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 May 2011 23:59:00 PDT

8:00 Wipeout (new, season finale)
9:00 Grey's Anatomy (new, season finale)
10:01 Private Practice (new, season finale)
12:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live (new, with guests Albert Brooks and Chaz Bono)

8:00 The Big Bang Theory (new, season finale)
8:30 Rules of Engagement (new)
9:00 The Mentalist (new, season finale part one)
10:00 The Mentalist (new, season finale part two)
11:35 Late Show With David Letterman (new, with guests Kelly Ripa and Jennifer Lawrence)
12:37 Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (new, with guest Tony Shalhoub)

8:00 American Idol (new)
9:00 Bones (new, season finale)

8:00 The Office (repeat)
8:30 The Office (repeat)
9:00 The Office (new, season finale)
10:00 Parks and Recreation (new)
10:30 Parks and Recreation (new, season finale)
11:35 Tonight Show With Jay Leno (new, with guest Jack Black)
12:35 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (new, with guests Ellen Barkin and Chris Hardwick)

8:00 Smallville (repeat)

More TV to watch when you

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 May 2011 23:59:00 PDT

8:00 Wipeout (new)
9:00 Grey's Anatomy (new)
10:01 Private Practice (new)
12:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live (new, with guest Kate Hudson)

8:00 The Big Bang Theory (new)
8:30 Rules of Engagement (new)
9:00 CSI (new, season finale)
10:00 The Mentalist (new)
11:35 Late Show With David Letterman (new, with guest Jim Parsons)
12:37 Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (new, with guest Mary Lynn Rajskub)

8:00 American Idol (new)
9:00 Bones (new)

8:00 Community (new, season finale)
8:30 The Office (repeat)
9:00 The Office (new)
9:30 Parks and Recreation (new)
10:00 Parks and Recreation (new)
10:30 Outsourced (new, season finale)
11:35 Tonight Show With Jay Leno (new, with guests Ann Curry and Norm Macdonald)
12:35 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (new, with guests Maya Rudolph and Nick Offerman)

8:00 The Vampire Diaries (new, season finale)
9:00 Nikita (new, season finale)

More TV to watch when you

What to TiVo: Thursday

BuzzSugar — Wed, 04 May 2011 23:59:00 PDT

8:00 Wipeout (new)
9:00 Grey's Anatomy (new)
10:01 Private Practice (new)
12:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live (new, with guest Chris Hemsworth)

8:00 The Big Bang Theory (new)
8:30 Rules of Engagement (new)
9:00 CSI (new)
10:00 The Mentalist (new)
11:35 Late Show With David Letterman (new, with guest Jodie Foster)
12:37 Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (new, with guest Juliette Lewis)

8:00 American Idol (new)
9:00 Bones (new)

8:00 Community (new)
8:30 The Office (repeat)
9:00 The Office (new)
9:30 Parks and Recreation (new)
10:00 30 Rock (new, season finale)
10:30 Outsourced (new)
11:35 Tonight Show With Jay Leno (new, with guests Katie Couric and Ralph Macchio)
12:35 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (new, with guests Tina Fey and Tom Welling)

8:00 The Vampire Diaries (new)
9:00 Nikita (new)

More TV to watch when you