I Am A TV Junkie

Video -- BBC Clips Galore -- Doctor Who BBC America Marathon NOW! and Doctor #10 Wishes You Happy Holidays

Aw, he's so pretty.

Sorry, I digress.

Anyhoo, BBC America apparently doesn't want me to go out and buy gifts for anyone today, they're running a marathon of episodes. Just finished Voyage of the Damned with Kylie and that dashing jerkoff Rickston Slade.

Right now they're airing Turn Left which is of course the most dramatic of the Doctor-Lite episodes, those that don't include a lot of the Doctor. Instead you get a bumper crop of companions (on camera and referenced) including Rose Tyler breaking through the multiverse, despite the warnings of a scientist in an alternate reality (and another show entirely) named Walter Bishop.

Why didn't Rose have the Doctor take her to 2009 and sit down and watch a few episodes of Fringe? She would have benefitted greatly.

Also, I have for you two little video holiday cards from my favorite Doctor at this link and this link. And ... one more clip you must see (Reindeers pulling the tardis) at this link.

And for you Doctor Who newbies, change the channel, sit down and enjoy. It's time to do some catchup before the three-weekend Doctor Who event (Waters of Mars and The End of Time Parts 1 & 2) starting next Saturday on BBC America.

Check out the BBC America website for this huge event (huge, I tell you) at this link.

Clip Bonanza -- True Blood is TV.com Readers' Show Of The Year

I had to post this pic because Alexander Skarsgard is looking at me like he wants me.

And he does, of course (yeah, he's way into TV bloggers that are timing out of the prime demographic, it's a fetish of his; he's into the gray hairs in my eyebrows that grow toward magnetic north, what's up with that anyway).

52 percent of TV.com readers chose HBO's sexy vampire drama for the win, beating out Glee at 30 percent and Mad Men at 17 percent. A pay cable drama taking the prize is a big deal, HBO doesn't reach anywhere near the homes of the other two.

One has to give it up to the Glee gang, though. It's their first season. For what it's worth, Glee did win the Coolest Cast on Campus award, beating out Gossip Girl and ABC Family's Greek (which is a show Craig Ferguson watched by accident 37 times in succession one afternoon -- you gotta be a Craig fan to get that joke).

Modern Family took the best new show prize from the TV.com readers and Olivia Dunham's explosion on Fringe out of the multiverse, through her windshield and onto a NYC street took the prize for Best Explosion. 

See the complete list of winners at this link.

Video -- Good News for Fringe: Fox Touts Show As Part of 7-Week Winning Streak

That press release (find the text of it here at TheFutonCritic.com) is important because it telegraphs that they are still behind the show. Plus, this past week's episode (the creepy giant worm "cover-your-eyesfest" Snakehead, watch it right now at this link) rebounded with nice numbers against a 2-hr. Private Practice "event" (event? really?), in fact the highest numbers since the series premiere in 2008.

I promised myself I'd sit myself down today and say something about the show (because I have such a far-reaching effect on the nation's TV viewing and ... sorry, I couldn't even get through that without cracking up. Well, I did promise I'd write something just so that I'd know I did everything I could to keep the show going.

Remember the initial reason for my starting this blog was so that I could help keep the shows I love on the air, and I do love this one, even the eps where they feature creepy, slimy, squirmy shit (okay, here's an image of the larvae, but that's all) so disgusting that I have to partially cover my view of the screen with my hand.

Fortunately there were no pics of the disgusting wormy tentacled thing coming out of those poor refugees' mouths harvested by the Triad gang's pharma division (pharma bad, gang pharma even worse) on the Fox press site. I would have felt obligated to post one above and it would've creeped me out when I punched up my own URL (which of course I do numerous times a day because, well, who else will).

Tentacled worms coming out of human mouths? Ew! It did kind of remind me of the O0d from Doctor Who though (image right) but the Ood sing so I don't consider them creepy.

Song of the Ood at this link for those of you who maybe wanna see some non-Lady Gaga music on this site.

Why does Fringe hold a special place for me? Because the performances, especially from Joshua Jackson, Jasika Nicole and my favorite male actor working in an American series, John Noble bring it every single week without fail.

And this past week there was particularly good for the Astrid-Walter crowd, and Nicole and Noble are such great scene partners. How John Noble didn't get nominated for an Emmy last year is beyond me, but fortunately the Golden Globes nominations come on the 15th of this month and I'm hopeful.

Not that I think art should be turned into a competitive event but if he won it would bring attention to the show and to Noble himself and it's so deserved. He is remarkable the partially amnesiac former lab partner of Massive Dynamic founder William Bell (Leonard Nimoy, left) who was sprung from a mental hospital by the FBI to help agentt Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) figure out what the connection is between a number of significant and strange catastrophes occurring across the US, events which may or may not be the doing of Bell, his company now run by Nina Sharp (Blair Brown), or a shadowy team of players crossing from an alternative universe to wreak havoc not just on the United States, but existence as we know it.

More, more, and even more after the jump.

TV.com Hears the Axe Man Coming: FlashForward, Fringe, Melrose, Heroes, Three Rivers

Quickly, my rundown of Tim Surette's analysis of three of the shows mentioned at this TV.com link:

FlashForward: Tim sez the costs involved in production might be the deciding factor. Is it too smart for TV? Too high concept? Did they expect too much? Should they have hired more bankable stars than the guy who played opposite Gwynnie is Shakespeare in Love and hasn't been seen much in the US since? Is it taking too long to reveal itself? I keep watching and sometimes I feel like it's making no progress despite having a heavy serial focus. But I love the dialogue and it's very well shot.

Fringe: I will not let Fringe get canceled. Period. It's the best genre show on American TV right now. John Noble is an actor's actor, the scripts are solid, the pacing excellent and Anna Torv is just getting to the point that she can keep up an American accent for the whole hour. It would be a shame for it to go away. I've asked Roco at Fringebloggers.com if we can come up with a save our show strategy and I hope we do. Tim supports the show, too, saying, "(I)t will be back. And then we'll meet alternate universe Astrid who will be a major ass-kicker (I hope)! Verdict: It will be back, and hopefully on another night."

Three Rivers: Tim shares that the demos skew way old. Well, it IS CBS after all (see my previous post). I haven't watched since the pre-air pilot, I don't like medical shows -- I have aging parents that I take to the doctor so I get my share of that in real life. Tim also remarks, "(I)t turns out that, without his fangs, Moonlight hunk Alex O'Loughlin just isn't the attraction I thought he would be.

Go read the rest. Link at top of post.

Video -- Fringe Returns Thursday, Watch Them Shoot THIS Poster

Oh, and there's sound, too. Listen to Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, the Emmy-worthy John Noble, Blair Brown and Lance Reddick talk about the season to come in the clip after the jumperoo.

The new season starts tomorrow night at 9 on Fox. If you're not caught up, there's always Hulu.

Notice the six-fingered palm print in the cement right in front of the caution tape on the lower right corner. Is there an alternate universe where people are born like that? Is it an upgrade that's available to humans in another dimension? What exactly is going on with that?

And what's fallen into the whole in the ground, anyway? I hope it wasn't the first six-fingered human being.

Questions answered, but only some, by watching the season opener tomorrow. I'm recording Community and 30 Rock tomorrow night and watching Fringe as it airs.

Fringe Season Two -- Is Anna Torv Better Blonder? Watch Season One Recap

Season One                                                                                                      Season Two

Blonder, right?

Is it something in the Vancouver water? Or did she hang out at Bondi Beach all Summer long?

(Actually, I'm pretty sure she's been dividing her time between the set of Speilberg's HBO miniseries The Pacific in Australia and the States where she's getting settled with new husband Mark Valley from the new Fox series Human Target.)

Is it just something that happens when your character goes from one universe to a parallel universe? Because I think this also might have happened to Billie Piper between seasons two and four of Doctor Who. And, Billie suffered the side effect of a lisp, strangely. Hey, if Anna has a side effect let's hope it's something that stablizes her US accent. I know, it's not a big thing but it bugs sometimes.

I just don't think it fits the character for her to be lightening her hair. I don't think Olivia Dunham spends the time in the chair at the salon. It's just not her nature.

Other physical changes for season two? Joshua Jackson's really leaned out. Someone send him some donuts before he gets all manorexic.

After the jump, watch the very quick season one recap. Or, click over to Hulu and catch some full episodes before the season premiere Thursday at 9 on Fox.

I'll have Fringe posts all week in advance of the premiere. Also, always check out Fringebloggers.com and our pal Roco for all the latest.

And btw, yes, I'm still pissed that John Noble was robbed of an Emmy nod.

Preview Video -- Twit-ty Fringe and Glee Reruns on Fox, May it Never Happen Again

You know how I think Twitter is a massive stupid time suck? Well, combining Twitter and my favorite massive time suck which is TV doesn't make it any better.

I really wanted to watch the episode of Fringe that they aired on Thursday, but the damn Twitter feeds covered up almost half the TV screen.

Regarding Glee, I was only tuning in really for the two musical numbers, and I managed to watch them ... well, not really watch, but I did listen while I averted my eyes.

Not that I don't enjoy the performing of Amber Riley, I just don't enjoy her Tweeting. Because I don't care what she was thinking when she was doing X, Y and Z. Why would I? I didn't even know she existed before I saw the damn show. And I don't need to know how long or where or the funny thing that happened while they were rehearsing the Don't Stop Believing number.

The Fringe people were, honestly, a bit more interesting, but it's still not anything I need to know to enjoy the show more. In fact, sometimes the more you tell me the less I enjoy.

More reaction and clips from the new season of each show after the jump.

Comic-Con: People Who Were Robbed of Emmys and The Fans Who Love Them

Certainly the pilot should have gotten a writing nod and John Noble was just rooked. And Lance Reddick as well, who apparently wasn't there.

But, look at how these people packed the house.

Now, if all these people will DVR The Office and Grey's Anatomy, and not take Russell T. Davies up on his suggestion to bathe in the beauty that is the boys of Supernatural, if all these people do all that, and tell their friends and the casual acquaintance or two, Fringe may actually survive the most competitive hour in network television.

I just don't get how they (mostly 2,3, and 5 in the image above) are gonna do it. And all their other projects.

The rest of us just have to tune in.

Much more from the Con in the days ahead.

Video -- John Noble From Fringe: Crime Victim

It's stunning. Stunning to me that John Noble was not recognized for his work on Fringe.

Genre show bias rears its ugly head again. Damn.

(The same could be said about the ommision of EVERY Battlestar Galactica performer. Sackhoff not nominated? Olmos? McDonnell? There's a crime spree going on, folks!)

I know that I'm usually railing about giving out awards for the arts, but show business runs on PR and awards and nominations are great PR for show. Fringe is heading into a tough season of competition against The Office and Grey's Anatomy, CSI and Supernatural (notable only because of the genre, certainly they're not putting up the big numbers).

At least Aaron Paul got a nod for Breaking Bad, very deserving. You gotta wonder if working on both BB and Big Love was a help to his chances. Certainly the academy members had more opportunity to see him.

And while I watch neither Lost not Damages season two, I still think Noble's work in a very tough role, straddling the comedic and the dramatic the way he does, was stellar.

And that's why I posting the final episode of the first season of Fringe, all of it, after the jump for you to watch in case you're not clued in.

For newbies, it's also the first appearance on the show by the ellusive William Bell, played by Leonard Nimoy. Click over the fold, eat it up gang.

Fox Fringe -- What's Even Creepier Than Obama's "Dad Jeans" at MLB All-Star Game?

This.

Hey, Mr. President, even I don't wear Dad Jeans.

Though once again I have to say that Fringe's The Observer, Michael Cerveris has one of the best gigs in all of showbiz.

Video at this link.

Fringe, currently shooting (in Vancouver, which just sucks, btw ... runaway production in killing the craft unions here in the States) returns to Fox Thursday September 17th at 9, a time timeslot opposite The Office on NBC and Grey's Anatomy on ABC.

Is this a good idea? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Also, from our pal Roco at Fringebloggers.com, check out on-set pics from the Vancouver set. Look at them at your own risk. I'm not, because I hate spoilers. You might not have that problem.

I don't judge, but I do wish you spoiler addicts would just try letting the storytellers tell their stories in their own way, especially in this genre. I think you'd enjoy much more if you did.

Roco also has a Joshua Jackson interview clip from Hello! Magazine Canada about the move from Brooklyn. I wish they would have stayed there, I kept waiting to see the East New York section, where I was born and spent my first two years.

And tomorrow, I totally expect you will hear John Noble's name announced by either Jim Parsons or Chandra Wilson as a best supporting actor in a drama nominee. If not, there will be hell to pay.

Hell to pay, I tell you!

FYC Video -- Variety's Emmy Central Talks to Fringe's John Noble

FYC = For Your Consideration.

I've been pounding the keys in support of John Noble all season. Now other people are, too.

From Variety's Emmy Central and Shawna Malcom:

"I used to share a house with a man who was indeed a mad scientist," Noble says with a laugh. "I adored him, but he was deliciously controversial, always getting into trouble with the authorities."

Walter is on the other side of the law, having been released from an insane asylum after two decades to help a tenacious FBI agent solve a string of freaky cases that have ties to his own past experiments. As compelling as those cases may be, though, it's Noble's deft portrayal of his character's battle with mental illness and attempts to rebuild the fractured relationship with his con-man son that grounds the Fox drama.

"It doesn't matter how fun and tantalizing the cases are," says the actor, who works with an on-set dialect coach to perfect Walter's Boston accent, "if you can't invest in the characters.

And there's some love from Mo Ryan at the Tribune recently, too. She said of Noble in the season finale:

Once again, John Noble as Walter Bishop was the best thing about the steadily improving Fox show, but there were a lot of other enjoyable elements: The quietly creepy atmosphere, the slowly building tension in the dual Walter/Olivia stories, the way those stories were skillfully woven together, the suitably tense lakeside encounter between Olivia, Peter and Mr. Jones.

And after the jump, Emmy voters, watch a couple of clips from this season. Then mark your ballot accordingly. Wanna know more? Get your ass down to Comic-Con this Summer, I betcha Noble shows up at the Fringe panel.

(BTW I'm still hedging on whether or not to attend myself. I'm just so over big crowds. If I hear that people aren't coming because of money considerations I might pop down for Thursday or Friday -- it's driveable for me -- but I'll decide at a late date.)

Fringe season one on DVD releases in September, but you can pre-order yours right now by clicking the icon below, and as usual I always appreciate the little bump off your purchase that I get.

     

Idol Runs Over: Get Your Fringe DVR Runoff (and some more) Right Here!

I couldn't resist but start at 42:17 (thank you, Hulu), so that I could highlight two outstanding John Noble scenes.

That's John Noble, who should be nominated for an Emmy, that John Noble.

Who exactly is Walter Bishop, anyway? What deal did he make with "him," what did he get in the deal and why is he being summoned?

And scenes with Nina, including the final scene which was cut off by my DVR and probably yours, too.

Great pre-cliffhanger cliffhanger, huh?

Fringe Renewal Official -- J.J. "Couldn’t Be More Thrilled"

Well, at least till next Monday when the official Star Trek opening weekend numbers are released.

Kevin Reilly says in the press release, "Fringe proved to be a notable addition to our schedule all season and it really has fans buzzing as it builds to a fantastic season finale. J.J. and the whole Bad Robot team have been phenomenal partners, and we look forward to years of making great television with them.”

(All righty, then ... but can we get some love for Dollhouse, too? Please?)

And while I'm asking about stuff, who the hell is sitting on the domain name ZFT.org? It's parked and a whois search yields no decent intelligence.

Because I think over the Summer it would be great if someone built a site out with the URL and provide some compelling content.

Speaking of which, don't forget about clicking over to Fringebloggers.com to catch the roundtable discussion of last week's episode featuring me and two other semi-notables from around the web discussing last week's episode and conjecturing wildly about future episodes including the series finale introduction of William Bell.

Finally, about the image above ... apparently the season finale includes Walter Bishop experiencing brain freeze? Depending on what hallucinogens he's doing that day the results could be either ridiculous or sublime. Or a little of both.

Can we get an Emmy nom for John Noble? Please?

Fringe on Fox -- Leonard Nimoy - William Bell Pics, Entertainment Weekly Interview

So, what do we know about William Bell so far? He's Walter's former lab partner at Harvard, he's now one of the richest men in the world and he's the founder of Massive Dynamic, the company that may or may not be behind everything weird and freaky that has been happening in the series so far.

Entertainment Weekly's Dan Snierson has a short interview at this link that includes:

Are you open to doing more than three episodes? 

Yes, I am, depending on how much fun we have. It's got to be fun for me these days, otherwise why bother? I had a terrific time doing what we already did, and I like [cocreators Abrams, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman] a lot. I like the possibility of this character. I'm excited for the first time in a long time.

Is the plan now to move from J.J. Abrams project to J.J. Abrams project?

Well, let me put it this way: When he calls, I definitely take the call.

He's also the man who built Nina Sharp's bionic arm. And, I can tell you that we definitely get some more Blair Brown as Nina before the season is up.

(One of my only issues with the show is that she's credited in the opening titles each week and we haven't really seen Nina for a while, unless she's hanging in the background with The Observer, and I don't really think they make an amiable pair for a field trip.)

Before that, however, in fact this Tuesday we get something special that has special significance from my past, but you have to click past the jump to see it (plus a clip, so it's worth it).

Cliffhangers!!!!

Fringe Fans, Go Right Now to Your DVR and Make it Run Long (at least 10 minutes)

Our TV ratings friend Robert Seidman at TVByTheNumbers.com reminds me, and that reminds you, that if you're recording Fringe tonight (and I know you are, Nalts!) to make sure your DVR doesn't fake you out and leave you hanging high and dry.

Like last week.

Of course, if it does happen, I will once again post from Hulu the clip at the end that you missed. I'm good that way, always enabling TV Junkie behavior in the public sphere.

This is a Charlie episode. I don't think we've had one of those, yet. As you can see above there's something in the woods out there that's looking for him. Betcha he finds Charlie. And no, it's not a smoke monster or a polar bear.

Might be that thing from the plane from the pilot episode, though.

Another thing about the show -- Does Michael Cerveris have the best job at Fox or what? As The Observer, he's been seen at almost every big event that Fox covers on their air from NASCAR to the NFL to a recent appearance in the Idoldome.

I have a trailer for tonight's ep after the jump, but first, from iFMagazine.com, some insight from Anna Torv about the final eps of the season. We only have four more after tonight. I can still remember writing about this show's premiere like it was yesterday:

On Olivia's supposed "superpowers," Torv hints:

“We do start to find out what was done to her when she was little. She may have some ability. We do delve into a little about that and whether it’s a super power or if it’s something that has been done to her.”

Man, time flies.

I'm gonna throw Fox's widget back up after the jump, too, so you can click around and discover stuff and start conjecturing wildly about the season finale. If you come up with any good theories, lets talk about them in the comments.

Oh, and on a related note ... I pick up a lot of Fringe news with my Google News Alert for "Fox Fringe."

What else it brings me other than news about the show? All kinds of scary crap from the right wing fringe of this countrywho watch the Fox Noise Channel, like the Teabaggers, for instance.

Yeah, I just wanted to say teabagger on my blog again.

TEABAGGER!

Huge Fringe Casting News -- Leonard Nimoy is William Bell in Season Finale May 12

For those of you who are not keyed in, Bell is Walter Bishop's long ago partner in mad science and the founder of Massive Dynamic, the scientific concern fronted by bionic armed Blair Brown.

From Fringepedia.net:

Since founding the company in 1992, William Bell has played a key role in every aspect of the business, from R&D to marketing. His personal vision continues to guide the firm's progress, and his ongoing research constantly yields new innovations and product lines. A seven-time honoree in Business Leaders Journal's list of "America's Most Inspiring Corporate Leaders," Dr. Bell is also a Fellow of the National Scientific Progress Council and the only two-time recipient of the Macro Genius Award.

Of course Nimoy has been working with J.J. Abrams in the Star Trek movie reboot (the only original cast member involved, much to Shatner's chagrin) which opens this summer, but has not acted much lately, though he is a very active and well-received photographer with representation on both coasts.

Recently, the LA County Museum purchase one of his self-portraits for their permanent collection.

Much more, including what I hope are going to be a number of interview and bhs clips coming from Fox as the season ender draws near.

Now, one more thing about Tuesday's episode. The casting of the kid was key and they hit a home run with Spencer List.

He's done some horror and some voiceover work (The Wonder Pets) and was cast in a Conan O'Brien produced pilot called Haskett's Choice in 2006. He's based in NYC.

Not only did he have the perfect face for this Fringe role but the subtlety employed in his work for someone his age was ... well, I was just blown away.

Fringe returns next week and there are problems for agent Charlie Francis as they attempt to track down yet another crazed hairy monster in Boston.

Finally, a little note of trivia, Nimoy was born in Northhampton, MA, just 50 miles outside the setting for the show.

Preview for next week's ep after the jump. When you set your DVR, make allowance for the possibility that Seacrest will forget what time it is and keep talking to his karaoke contenstants and Adam Lambert (who is not a karaoke level singer, like the rest of them).

Go Lambert!

Fringe Fans Pissed, Damned American Idol Screws Up Fringe DVR Viewers

Frickin' karaoke show. Even when I don't watch it it harshes my good time.

I blame Seacrest. Should've talked faster, or maybe made one or two less gay jokes about Simon.

Hey, at least Simon has a dating history that's documented. What do you got, Seacrest?

As soon as I can, I will have the final moments of last night's episode of Fringe here in this space from Hulu (thank the Lords of Kobol for Hulu).

Cut off just as Olivia was pulling over the guy who sliced and diced and reessembled those women.

Fox, you are on MY LIST!!!

After you watch the final seven minutes or so (I've started the clip where the mute boy gives Olivia the intersecting streets to patrol to look for "The Artist") you can watch the whole episode again or click over to Fox to see other episdes if you're new to Fringe, which, finally, once again, is back.

You're still on my list, Fox. Clip after the jump.

Video -- Before Tonight's Fringe, More John Noble/Walter Bishop

I love this guy. Strike that ... love the show, lurve this guy (with my apologies to Woody Allen's Annie Hall script).

John Noble is profiled today in USA Today by Bill Keveney:

As a scientist helping the FBI investigate seemingly supernatural happenings, Walter's curiosity is insatiable.

"He gets very thrilled by things. This happens. The 'eureka' moments are astonishing," says Noble, married for 36 years and the father of three.

Walter has a sadness, too, born of his incarceration, his relationship with Peter and returning memories, accompanied by regret about earlier experiments and their unfortunate effects. "As things come back, he's going to have to go through some hell," Noble says.

There is hope, however, for his relationship with Peter. "We've been passionate about getting that right without being sappy," Noble says. "Joshua and I get on extremely well, so that makes it easier to take the topic and really run with it."

And finally, a new episode tonight. You know how when you don't see your friends for a while then you do and you say something like, "Hey, you look good!" I feel like I should say that to the cast.

A John Noble clip from NY Comic-Con that I may or may not have posted previously in a clip after the jump.

Emmy committee, I am expecting Noble gets nominated, and I will be cross with you if he isnt'.

Video -- Fringe Returns!!! Watch Walter Bishop Get All Crunk About It

Well, as crunk as any older scientist can get, anyway.

I feel like I haven't seen Fringe since last year.

I miss Walter a lot. (And once again, certainly more than Kevin Nalty does, he pales by comparison.)

There are five clips at YouTube in advance of tomorrow's episode, but I'm only giving you one of them. You can click over and subscribe to the Fox clips at YouTube and see all the others.

Oh, and Nalts' YouTube page is at this link. Why I'm so good to Nalty is beyond me, what with him gushing all over the web about our favorite mad scientist.

My favorite Fringeblogger, Roco, did a post on Anna Torv's recent conference call with reporters and bloggers about the final episodes of the season and that is at this link.

And I have that clip after the jump.

Better Off Ted -- ABC Sitcom is Fox's Fringe Squeezed Sideways Through the Funny Filter

If you took Fringe's Massive Dynamic and tried to merge that company with Veridian Dynamics all the Veridian employees would be canned in the impending layoffs for being inept.

Certainly the people at Veridian have as much evil in their hearts ... after all, they froze scientist Phil on orders of their Vice President, just to see if they could. But then while moving the frozen Phil to another location, hilarity strikes. Watch this clip.

Such is the work environment at Veridian, home of an office chair just uncomfortable enough to improve work productivity (after some tweaks, necessary after someone went batshit insane), cowless meat and frozen (and then unfrozen) Phil.

Victor Fresco brings you this company, the reverse analogue of Massive, in Better Off Ted, a new ABC show starring Jay Harrington (The Division, Desperate Housewives) as the titular head of research and development for Veridian. Ted is the eye of the storm, the rest of them are the storm, especially Portia de Rossi in a role that if it wasn't written for her is just a perfect fit.

De Rossi's Veronica? Letter perfect comedy ice queen corporate warrior who doesn't let anything get between her and what she wants, with a high degree of fear about the Board of Directors of Veridian.

Jonathan Slavin (the guy on the right in the picture below) comes along with Fresco from Andy Richter Controls the Universe (one of my canceled faves of the past) as scientist Phil, no match for Veronica, teamed with Lem, his lab cohort. If you don't know Slavin, I predict that he could break out with this role in the same way Simon Helberg has with Big Bang Theory's Howard Wolowitz. He's all despair and nerves with a wife who doesn't seem to care much about his freezing adventure (he reports that she didn't mind at all!) and it should be a treat to watch him find the funny in that each week.

(His lab partner, Lem? (other guy in the pic) That's not Dave Chappelle, believe it or not. Can you imagine two guys looking more alike, though?)

Also included is Andrea Anders, who I always enjoy in stuff, even Joey. Yes, even Joey. She's a potential love interest for Ted. And there's a daughter for Ted as well, which is once again an overwritten kids role, but that's de riguer these days.

Sure, I was a chatty, humorous child, but we are few and far between.

So, ripe for send-ups of corporate America, government oversight and general workplace politics, I've added the show to my DVR series manager. I suggest you do the same.

And if you were one of those people who didn't find the time in your schedules to see it (the show was the worst comedy premiere for ABC since 2005 per the Hollywood Reporter) you can catch it online at ABC.com or maybe, just maybe, because the numbers were so low ABC will reair the thing on Friday or Saturday night and actually do some effective PR for it.

When you've got Victor Fresco, who comes at a price, and you spend all the money on putting together a new show, to not promote it is not just ridonkulous, it's criminal.

Another clip after the jump, Veronica's corporate intro video. It's very funny stuff.

Maybe during the run of the show Veronica will get an artificial limb to match Fringe's Nina Sharp. Until then, she's still so much funnier.

"Remote-Free TV" on Fox Will Not Return, Which is No Matter to DVR Users

You know how when you watch Fringe and Dollhouse there aren't as many ads? Well, that's ending.

Who cares, I fast forward thru them anyway.

You will not monetize me, evil pirate Rupert.

Honestly, I'm just not very ad susceptible, though I have just bought a ton of Massive Dynamic stock.

Isn't it just sick that we're still waiting for another new episode of Fringe? April 7? I don't know if I'll hold up that long.

After the jump, cast members Jasika Nicole, Kirk Acevedo and Joshua Jackson talk about The Pattern and more at NY Comic-Con.

Haven't watched Friday's Dollhouse yet, but this week is that magic episode six that Eliza says will bring in all together. She promised, read it here at the Onion AV Club.

Question: Are Sci Fi Fans to Blame For Their Shows' Ratings Woes? Is It a Network Commitment Issue?

Topic du jour right now on a number of sites I visit.

At Slashdot ...

"Dollhouse. The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Fringe. Three science fiction shows that Fox commissioned, put on the air, and — in the case of at least one of them — has won rave reviews. But why does it seem that Fox is trying to kill some of its own shows with crazy scheduling decisions? How can Fringe survive after being pulled for two months, and what hope is there for Sarah Connor and Dollhouse on a Friday night?"

At Den of Geek:

I think that Fox likes to keep big name creators like Whedon and Abrams tied up and off the competing networks by any means necessary. Fringe and Lost would be huge back to back. You don't think the CW would love to have a Joss Whedon show to give it an actual audience to go alongside Supernatural? You don't think NBC would love to have something (anything) to put on the air instead of the awful Knight Rider or another iteration of Law & Order? The CBS show The Big Bang Theory promoted Sarah Connor more this week than Fox has in a month simply because they had Summer Glau as a guest star!

Hey, Ryan is talking about it on his Twitter account. Who's Ryan? I have no idea, I'm sure he's a very nice person and he's wearing a lovely tie in his photo.

(I told you I'd be using my Twitter account ironically.)

Back in 2007 a sci fi site called SF Signal was talking about how DVRs were killing the genre on TV because we are early adopters and not counted properly.

Yesterday at TVByTheNumbers.com I saw the latest figures on illegal torrent downloads of US series and noticed that five of the top six are scifi (including the entire Fox scifi arsenal) and the other is geek comedy The Big Bang Theory.

On top of that #7 is Chuck, a show that's always reportedly on the bubble, though I can't figure out why you aren't watching, it's rare that anything on NBC is so consistent these days.

And sure, I'm no angel in this regard, but as the guy who owns everything on DVD that once resided temporarily on my hard drive I feel like I'm supporting my shows quite adequately.

Here's another thought, I wonder exactly how many Nielsen homes have people in them who know how to do that? And if they did, and they liked science fiction shows on TV, wouldn't they make sure they were watching them traditionally to keep the numbers high so they could have more of this thing they enjoy?

Because as a Nielsen viewer it would be antithetical to their cause to illegally download a US show they liked because that behavior could eventually lead to its cancellation.

Video for Fringe-iacs -- Anna Torv at NY Comic-Con

Why or why must I wait until April 7 to see more Fringe?

I miss you, Walter Bishop, even more than that Nalts guy does.

If the truth be known, he has an evil agenda, I can see it in his eyes.

I just want us to milk Gene the Cow together.

Here's Anna at NY Comic-Con talking about trying to capture the emotion of the moment after running and running and running ... so much sometimes it seems like she's Doctor Who.

And, she gets a tin foil hat from someone in the crowd, which given Walter's work is somewhat appropriate.

Clip is after the jump. Also some lovely Anna Torv photos from Fox.

I want my Fringe back.

NOW!!!!

Watch Fringe's John Noble at NY Comic-Con ... I Miss This Show!

Can April 7 come any sooner? Could you possibly be more annoyed about this Osbournes variety show now that it's delaying Fringe's return?

I miss my Fringe. Particularly Walter Bishop. Watch him at NY Comic-Con light up as he talks about how much he loves it, too.

By the way, John, it's obvious you are relishing this role. So are we.

As soon as the season is over I'll be starting my John Noble supporting actor Emmy campaign, because as we know the genre shows are always overlooked.

More on Noble and the show from SciFi Wire, at this link.

Clip after the jump for you homepagers.

Fox's Fringe Packing Up, Moving From NYC to Vancouver

Wow, does this suck for NYC, and America.

Crain's New York Business is saying that Warner Bros. started looking for new locations about two months ago when the NY state tax incentive program that brought Ugly Betty to NYC from Los Angeles ran out of money way way before anyone thought it would. And they're working on getting more money for the program, but there's just nothing concrete yet, so it surprises me that WB has made this decision before all the cards are on the table.

It really sucks immeasurably for all the below the line people who are gonna lose their jobs, like this set decorator named Beth Kushnick, who told Crain's NY Business:

"We’re all fighting for our livelihood and nobody understands the rational ... Why is there collateral damage when they don’t even have the word about the tax credit?""

There are about 100 employees that this will affect. The publication states that the show brings about $4 million into the NYC economy for each episode shot.

House/Fringe Video Mashup: Doctor House Meets Doctor Bishop

I like the pairing. Think of all the drugs Bishop could develop for House. Match made in heaven!

This clip is engineered by those promo geniuses at Fox (I presume). I betcha the same team that gave us the Grindhouse Fridays clip.

Before that clip, from Fringeblogger.com's Roco today a truly interesting fleshing out of the concept of the multiverse as discussed by whoever it was using Walter Bishop's typewriter to write the ZFT Manifesto (some of which is transcribed at this link), and though you might think that it's Walter I'm not quite so sure, to be honest.

He starts:

How apt that the conflict should not centre around the stereo-typical little green men with four fingers and toes, but with beings much likes ourselves, who’s realities have taken different paths based on the law of averages - the brightness of their stars, and the force of their gravity, and so on. This multiversal conflict not only takes us through the looking glass, but it gives us a chance to reflect on similar conflicts within our own reality - surely a metaphor for what is to come.

Our history is littered with conquests and and wars over territory, belief systems and possessions. So much so that you can imagine that the only thing to bring us together would be a war against beings from an ‘unseen’ universe. But what is this multiverse battle over - God, gold or glory? Do the beings from these other worlds seek to purge us, like the mythological Zeus, or do they seek harmonic convergence? Are we at fault for the advancement of our science..or did we steal it from them in the first place (I’m looking at you, Massive Dynamic!)?

Very worth considering. Go there and continue reading.

I don't have enough time to go as deep into each show as the individual show bloggers do, and I enjoy the show so much more after reading this particular blog.

Or course, now we have to wait until April for new episodes, damn karaoke show.

Video -- I Found a Great "Separated At Birth" For You Fringe and Maddow Fans

Right?

That's Michael Cerveris, the Observer, on the left.

Here's a link to the website referenced in the image above. It's the actual reason for this post. Great site. Follows all the sightings and is finding stuff that you have no idea is there. Seriously, these people are obsessed observers of observers.

On the right up there is of course Paul Rieckhoff from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and you can see him often commenting on veterans issues on the Maddow show, including the clip after the jump from February 2 where Paul and Rachel talk about the US Contractor-built showers (Halliburton-KBR) in Iraq that have killed soldiers by electrocution and issues of contractor fraud and abuse that are now being addressed because we have a new President and a new Congress.

Of course, in the Fringe world, there's no new Prez, just a frickin' scumbag DHS guy played by Michael Gaston who also played a good frickin' scumbag on Jericho, though certainly not as powerful or as much of a misogynist as he is on this show.

He reminds me, as I watch him, of these Bush loyalists remaining in the highest ranks of our federal government that have been all calling into talk radio lately and leading stuff to the press to attempt to muck up the works polish the legacy.

The clip's after the jump. And I'll give you the latest Fringe Scenemaker clip from Fox's YouTube account as well.

(See, a little TV fun, a little current events ... it's all good, right?)

So remember, that guy testifying in front of Congress is probably not an alien observer of his planet's technology which they have licensed to a company fronted by a woman with the best and most evil looking artificial right arm.

Probably not.

How to Pose for Pics With Your SciFi Stars, Volume Two

Yes, this is volume two, because volume one was a "what NOT to do" example by yours truly.

See it at this link.

It's the second image.

Obviously.

Does anyone know this guy? Maybe I could take a class from him.

Video -- For Your Emmy Consideration, John Noble in Fringe

Just watch the man work. And I will keep reminding you voting members of the Academy as we get to "that time."

I know I have rambled on and on about how giving out awards for creative work is ridonkulous, but this is different.

Meaning, I really want this guy to win. A perfect storm of actor, casting and role.

After the clip, click the link you'll see when it ends to watch the whole episode all over again at Hulu. Interesting, there was not one mention of The Pattern or of Massive Dynamic on the show last night. I betcha what happened still has something to do with them, though.

New episode Tuesday at 9 after American Idol ... and speaking of ratings ... (TV By The Numbers):

I’m not one who thinks that because Fringe is losing 50% of its American Idol lead in that it’s a disappointment. This week’s performance was almost identical to last week’s for Fringe, but the difference this week is that Idol did a bit better because it didn’t have the inauguration as competition.

Keeping in mind that the numbers will change because there’s a minute or two of American Idol rolling over into Fringe, Fringe averaged 12.091 million and a 4.8/11 (rating/share) among 18-49 year olds, second in the hour to NBC’s The Biggest Loser (12.92, 5.0/12). Again, the half hourly drops were noticeable for Fringe going from 13.206 million and a 5.2/12 the first half hour to 10.975 million and a 4.3/10. Minus the small portion of American Idol included in the first half hour the gap wouldn’t be as wide and based on last year, I’d have to guess FOX feels pretty good about Fringe, even the second half hour.

Clip after the jump.

Fringe's Anna Torv on Her Way to New York Comic-Con, Details Here!

The Fringe star and just about everyone but Joshua Jackson and Mark Valley  (don't know why) will be there next weekend.

I know, I would have been just a plane trip from meeting John Noble. Well, maybe Noble comes out to San Diego this Summer and meets me, huh? He is my favorite part of the show. I loved a couple weeks about when Walter was dosing something slimy with LSD. He would have been Best Science Teacher Ever!!!

I'm getting my info on the event from my pals at Fringebloggers.com, but you know that there will be stuff all over the web. Personally, I'm hoping that Fox will shoot the panel and throw the video up on Hulu so I can share it will all of you.

But if that doesn't happen, I'll be scouring the YouTube and the Imeem and all the others to find suitable fanvids for you.

NY Daily News:

For actress Anna Torv, star of Fox's paranormal series "Fringe," the convention is a chance to hobnob with the viewers who made the show a cult hit.

"If it wasn't for the fans, we wouldn't have a show - the fans are everything," says Torv. "And you don't get many opportunities to get to meet the fans, so I am really excited for this."

In addition, Joss (You like-a the Joss, huh?) will be there with some footage from Dollhouse. And hopefully, with Eliza Dushku and Tahmoh Penikett. In fact, if Tahmoh was on my show, I would insist that he travelled with me everywhere.

I mean EVERYWHERE!

But Joss and I have different tastes in these things.

Dollhouse premieres on the 13th at 9 on Fox.

Fringe BTS clip about last week's The No Brainer after the jump. New episode Tuesday at 9.