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Buzz News Roundup, 6/29

BuzzSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:30:44 -0700

Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming will star in the Broadway show Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark, though still no confirmation on who will play Spidey. - Variety
This year's Comic-Con looks to have a record number of TV show panels. - The Hollywood Reporter
Under more new rules for the next Oscars, there might be no Best Original Song nominees. - Variety
Chilli from TLC and Pepa from Salt-n-Pepa are among the latest celebs to snag VH1 shows. - Broadcasting and Cable
Fox's Virtuality got just 1.8 million viewers on Friday. - The Hollywood Reporter
Musicians from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Van Halen have formed a new band called Chickenfoot. - Reuters
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opened on IMAX with an estimated five-day gross of $14.4 million, the biggest ever for IMAX. - The Hollywood Reporter
Austin-based Arrested Development fans might want to check out this frozen banana stand. - The Decider

TV Tonight: Virtuality

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:30:54 -0700

Virtuality, which airs tonight on Fox, was supposed to be Battlestar Galactica producer Ron Moore's next big sci-fi series. But something went wrong along the way: Instead of becoming a high-profile Fox sci-fi series in the mold of The X-Files or even Fringe, Virtuality is airing tonight as a two-hour movie with little hope of continuing on.

Typically, that's the sort of thing that happens when a show just turns out terrible - so it's a little odd that Fox is showing us any part of it. Maybe they're hoping for a big viewer turnout to convince them to make a series after all? Then again, that's not too likely on a Friday in the Summer.

It's a shame, because the premise sounds like it could be intriguing. A dozen astronauts are living aboard Earth's first starship, which is about to embark on a long mission that could be crucial to the future of the planet. In order to keep them from boredom along the way, the ship is equipped with state-of-the-art virtual reality modules, which allow the astronauts to essentially become anyone they want to be. One's a war hero, one's a rock star; the only limit is imagination. There's a problem, though: How can the crew members tell what's real?

That issue is compounded by another: the expedition is also being filmed as a reality series, adding an additional level of scrutiny and Truman Show-esque confusion.

Will this two-hour movie version of Virtuality convince someone to pick it up and make it a series? Or will the story end here? And either way, will you be watching? To check out a couple of clips, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Fox

Battlestar Galactica Producer Imagines Sci Fi Show for Fox

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:30:13 -0700

Ron Moore is his name, science fiction is his game.
Moore, a former Star Trek writer and one of the folks behind Sci Fi's version of Battlestar Galactica, is at it again: He's cooked up a new sci fi pilot called Virtuality that looks like it could land on the Fox schedule next Spring.

What's the story?
The series follows a dozen astronauts who are sent on a mission to find a distant solar system. To keep the astronauts from getting bored during the 10-year voyage, their shuttle is equipped with virtual reality modules that let the astronauts assume different identities and travel to far-off lands. But then a bug is discovered in the system - and one of the astronauts could be responsible.

"Too sci fi" for NBC?
That's the buzz from industry insiders, who say NBC didn't think the show fit its brand. Fox bought it almost immediately, though.

Fox sure is into the sci-fi stuff these days.
The network is also developing Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, JJ Abrams' Fringe, and a comedy called Boldly Going Nowhere about life on a spaceship.

Source

Be a Part of the BuzzSugar Community!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:30:35 -0700

You may remember when I introduced the revamped BuzzSugar Community, and maybe you've seen me mention where you can find places to chat about TV shows, but there's a whole world of groups inside the Buzz Community to get involved in. From TV and movies to books and music, there's a place for everyone.

The Music Review Group - Review the latest albums and tracks
The Book Club - Chat about new and old reads
Twilight the Saga - When you just can't get enough Edward and Bella
The Office! - Dunder Mifflin's virtual water cooler
Friday Night Horror Club - Scary movie fans unite
Welcome to Hogwarts - To tide you over until the next Harry Potter film

Of course, these groups are just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty more groups in the Community, and if you don't see a group you'd like to join? Start your own!

SNL News: Jenny Slate Swears Herself In, Darrell Hammond May Be Out

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:30:40 -0700

New cast member Jenny Slate went from virtual unknown to Internet phenomenon on her first-ever episode of Saturday Night Live over the weekend. She dropped a now infamous "F-Bomb" during a biker-chick sketch that had her saying "freaking" about 50 times - you can barely blame her, it's a pretty easy slip, especially for someone new to live TV. Blogs immediately jumped to Slate's defense, but apparently the alarm was unnecessary. She's not getting fired, there won't be a fine since it was after 10 p.m., and Lorne Michaels supposedly isn't upset. Plus, I'd be willing to bet Miss Slate won't be making that mistake again.

In other SNL news, the show's longest running cast member's name - Darrell Hammond - was missing from the opening credits Saturday night. As recently as last week a rep for the show said he would be back in some capacity, but despite his appearance on Thursday's Weekend Update, he wasn't in any of the skits on Saturday. He's been on the show for 14 seasons and accounts for some of the cornerstone imitations - Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and my personal favorite, Sean Connery. Between the loss of Hammond and no more Tina Fey as Sarah Palin or Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton, there's a bit of a gaping hole in SNL's political satire.

So, what did you think of the season opener? There are some exciting hosts coming our way, but the premiere was a bit lackluster for me. Do you think Jenny Slate should face any sort of punishment for her slip up, or is it all much ado about nothing?

In case you missed it, check out the Jenny Slate clip below (language NSFW, obviously) when you read more.