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Monday, November 30, 2015

Peter Jackson Teases (or Trolls) Directing DOCTOR WHO


Cue all the predictable jokes about breaking this video up into three installments...

Famed New Zealand director Sir Peter Jackson posted a video on his official Facebook page earlier today, claiming he had "an interesting weekend."  The two minute, 45-second video "Home Invasion" shows Jackson at home with his daughter Katie, when he's suddenly interrupted by none other than Peter Capaldi as theTwelfth Doctor from Doctor Who.

Jackson is shown polishing his various Oscars for his beloved Lord of the Rings trilogy, when Katie tells him that Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat is trying to email him.

"He's always emailing me," Jackson remarks.  "What's it about?"

"He wants you to direct an episode of Doctor Who, but you're not replying to his emails," Katie replies.

"Well, look...Put it this way, I reply to the ones I can understand.  But some are a bit incoherent.  You know, like his scripts, some of his are great ones and there's ones that are...uh...not great.  You know, can't blame him, he's writing Doctor Who at ten o'clock in the morning, 11 o'clock -- gotta do Sherlock, bangs out an email to Peter Jackson, you know, like between -- I can't even read them half the time."

"Well, I mean, he says he thinks that your plan is that they'll all come here to New Zealand and you'll spend six months making an episode, and then, but he wants you to go to Cardiff and make it twelve days."

"Well, I mean, six months, sure, we can talk about that, I mean, four months, five months, you know, that's just something you talk about, isn't it?  But the whole idea of coming to New Zealand...Have you seen Steven Moffat recently?  I mean, the last time we saw him, he was pale, he was stressed, I mean, he couldn't remember the name of his wife or kids..."

At that moment, the Twelfth Doctor enters the Jackson home, saying he's looking for a director, specifically Peter Jackson as he pulls out a sealed envelope.  Jackson asks who's it from, and the Doctor replies "It's from a...Steven Moffat" as he begins looking around the room nervously.

"And who are you exactly?  Are you...Is this FedEx or UPS?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"Who?"

"Uh...Correct.  He said you have to sign that right away and I have to take it back."

As the familiar hum of the TARDIS interior continues in the background, the Doctor keeps frantically looking around, examining the area with his Sonic Screwdriver.  

"Listen, Katie," Jackson whispers to his daughter, "if he gets dangerous, I don't know who he is, Doctor Who fans are a little more intense than Tolkien fans.  If he gets violent, you just race next door and call the cops, okay?"

"Well, what about you?" asks Katie.

"I can clock him with one of these," Jackson replies, holding up an Oscar.

The Doctor insists that Jackson sign the document inside once again.  As Jackson fumbles around for his glasses, a Dalek enters the room and begins chasing the Doctor, announcing with Nicholas Briggs' voice, "You are an enemy of the Daleks!  You will be exterminated!"

The Doctor and the Dalek head out the front door.  "Did we leave the TV on?" Jackson asks Katie as we hear the sound of the TARDIS dematerializing.  "Is it Doctor Who night tonight? Fantastic, that means on the other channel there's..."

"The Walking Dead!" Jackson and his daughter both shout in unison, leaving the room with the unsigned document still on the table.  

So the big question, of course, is Jackson actually directing an upcoming episode of Doctor Who?  (He previously said he'd direct an episode as long as he got a Dalek, after all.)  Or is he just having fun with all the internet speculation and trolling all the Doctor Who fans that would love to see this happen?

Time will tell...It always does.

You can check out the video below, thanks to Jackson's Facebook page...

Home Invasion
This was an interesting weekend...
Posted by Peter Jackson on Sunday, November 29, 2015

Thursday, November 26, 2015

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 046: "Face the Raven" is Up!


"You.  Now, you listen to me.  You're going to be alone now, and you're very bad at that. You're going to be furious and you're going to be sad, but listen to me.  Don't let this change you.  No, listen -- Whatever happens next...Wherever she is sending you, I know what you're capable of.  You don't need to be a warrior.  Promise me.  Be a Doctor."
"What's the point of being a Doctor if I can't cure you?"
-- Clara Oswald and the Twelfth Doctor, Doctor Who: "Face the Raven"

After a slight recording delay due to Jesse's latest convention attendance, my good friend and co-host Jesse Jackson are back with another episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast, recorded on Doctor Who's 52nd anniversary!

This time, Jesse and I discuss things like the wacky idea of me hosting NSE once in a while, the 52nd anniversary, my earlier failed efforts to convert Jesse into a Doctor Who fan, Starman and Ex Machina artist Tony Harris, more of Jesse's Set Lusting Bruce podcast, why "Face the Raven" feels a little bit like "Utopia," the Doctor Who version of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter, Clara being too much of an adrenaline junkie, wondering how Ashildr ended up as a mayor of a trap street sheltering aliens, Clara getting herself killed due to her own arrogance and stupidity, the Doctor being detached and gathering data, the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Yesterday's Enterprise," more of the theory that the Doctor is going back in time to see Clara after she diedmy Reverse the Polarity segment, Jesse's determination to get me on Set Lusting Bruce, and more!

And for those who still aren't aware of this yet, we're available on iTunes RIGHT HERE as well as Stitcher RIGHT HERE, so please subscribe and tell your friends about us. If you're looking for direct MP3 downloads, you can find them RIGHT HERE as well. Oh, and don't forget we have an officially official Next Stop Everywhere Facebook page and Twitter account, so be sure to Like and/or Follow us, okay?

Be sure to come back very soon for our review of "Heaven Sent", the eleventh episode of Doctor Who Series Nine, and look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Sticher, and SouthgateMediaGroup.com!

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

THE FANDOM ZONE 034: "Many Heads, One Tale" is Up!


"Aliens. I pine for the days where we didn't have to fight bloody aliens. It's just not a fair fight."
"Let's see if we can even the playing field."
"Really?  Your batons?  That's your game changer?"
-- Lance Hunter and Bobbi (Mockingbird) Morse, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."Many Heads, One Tale"

You guessed it, Karen Lindsay and I are back with another HUGE episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

The Walking Dead 6x06 -- "Always Accountable"
Gotham 2x09 -- "A Bitter Pill to Swallow"
Supergirl 1x04: "Livewire"
The Flash 2x07: "Gorilla Warfare"
iZombie 2x07: "Abra Cadaver"
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 3x08 -- "Many Heads, One Tale"
Arrow 4x07: "Brotherhood"

We talk about things like wondering why Brian Michael Bendis doesn't just call himself "Brian Bendis," setting up the Saviors, Abraham hitting on Sasha, why Daryl Dixon deserved to have his crossbow and motorcycle stolen from him, modern cellphones missing the aesthetic of olde-timey rotary phones, Michelle Gomez from Doctor Who on Gotham, Shady Silver St. Cloud, a nod to Reservoir Dogs, the Riddler and the Penguin as murder bros, Azrael and the Sacred Order of St. Dumas, the return of Helen Slater, Dean Cain as an expert on Superman, wondering why Supergirl doesn't fly as well on screen as The Atom, the debut of Livewire, wanting The Flash to stop moping and whining about getting his ass kicked, The Princess Bride, speculating on the true identity of Zoom, Peter Boyle singing "Puttin' on the Ritz," Ravi as a magic geek, why Grant Ward would be a good Batman, comic book writer Andy Diggle vs. John Diggle's brother Andy, Farscape's shoutout to Toy Story, another weekly review from Justina, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have The Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Be sure to come back next week as we review the first episode of Jessica Jones, the midseason finales of The Walking Dead and Gotham, and an all-new episode of Supergirl, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR Releases First Trailer





Talk about a prelude to war...

During last night's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Chris Evans and Robert Downey, Jr. stopped by to premiere the first trailer for their upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film Captain America: Civil War.

The two-minute, twenty-five second trailer follows up on the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, with Captain America attempting to help his old friend The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) while fending off government interference and a huge rift with his fellow Avenger Iron Man.

Picking up after the mid-credits bonus scene in Ant-Man, we first Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson/The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) trying to see if Steve's old pal Bucky Barnes remembers him after being brainwashed by the Russians.  

"Your mom's name was Sarah," Bucky replies.  "You used to wear newspaper in your shoes."

"You're a wanted man," remarks Steve as we see an explosion followed by a crowd of panicked people running for safety.  This seems to hint that the Winter Soldier is responsible for the act, or has been framed by someone else.

"I don't do that anymore."

"Well, the people who think you did are coming right now...and they're not planning on taking you alive."

We then see the return of William Hurt as his Incredible Hulk character Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross.  "Captain," Ross begins, "while a great many people see you as a hero, there are some who'd prefer the word vigilante.  You've operated with unlimited power and no supervision.  That's something the world can no longer tolerate."  To emphasize the point, Ross slides over a copy of the Sokovia Accords, recalling the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) offers Cap her sympathy for his situation, along with a warning.  "I know how much Bucky means to you," she says.  "Stay out of this one.  Please. You'll only make this worse."

"Are you saying you'll arrest me?" asks Cap.

"There will be consequences," remarks Ross as we see armed agents and Iron Man showing up to take Captain America into custody.  

"Captain," begins Iron Man after removing his helmet, "you seem a little defensive."

"Well, it's been a long day," Cap replies.

"If you can't accept limitations," says Tony Stark in a different, presumably earlier scene, "we're no better than the bad guys."

"That's not the way I see it," counters Steve.

"Sometimes I want to punch you in your perfect teeth."

We see The Falcon diving into action, as Sam tells Steve while hiding out in a bar, "I just want to make sure we consider all our options, because people that shoot at you usually wind up shooting at me, too."

"You know what's about to happen," warns Black Widow as we see Iron Man and War Machine (Don Cheadle) facing off against Cap, the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, and Scarlet Witch.  "Do you really want to punch your way out of this?"

"What do we do?" asks The Falcon as we get a quick glimpse of Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther.  

"We fight," replies Cap as we see him and his "side" charging into action.  Black Panther lays into the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye faces off against Black Widow, Captain America chases after Black Panther, Steve Rogers struggles to keep a helicopter from taking off, Black Widow watches an explosion at an airport, and Winter Solider fights Iron Man.

"I'm sorry, Tony," Steve says in a voiceover, as we see Iron Man caring for a wounded War Machine.  "You know I wouldn't do this if I had any other choice...but he's my friend."

"So was I," responds Iron Man, just before the last thing we see is him squaring off against a brutal double-team of Captain America and the Winter Soldier.

If you'd like to check out this great trailer, you can view it below thanks to JImmy Kimmel Live's official YouTube account...




Captain America: Civil War arrives in theaters on May 6, 2016.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW Debuts New Trailer & Premiere Date


Tomorrow will be here in January.  Um...yeah.

The CW has released a new trailer for their new DC Comics anthology series Legends of Tomorrow, which spins off various characters introduced on Arrow and The Flash.  

Clocking in at 2 minutes, 40 seconds, the new trailer opens in 2166 London, with Big Ben destroyed and the city under siege by the forces of the immortal Vandal Savage (Casper Crump).  In a voiceover, time traveler Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill) describes Savage as "an evil dictator blessed with immortality.  He has achieved what no one in human history never has -- He has conquered the entire planet."

Hunter introduces himself to the other heroes while decloaking a stylish time/spaceship, saying "I'm from east London.  Oh, and the future.  I've been tasked with assembling an elite team to travel through time, to capture Savage before he grows into the monster he becomes."

"Of all the people who ever lived, I chose you eight," Hunter continues.  "I certainly hope you won't let me -- and the world -- down."

"It's time to start growing," remarks Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) as we see The Atom (Brandon Routh) enlarging to normal size from an advanced piece of equipment.  

"When you've lived in the shadows long enough," Black Canary (Katie Cassidy) advises her sister White Canary (Caity Lotz), "be a hero in the light."

We see The Atom asking Rip Hunter about Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell).  "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave these two unsupervised on a time machine?"

Next, we have Firestorm (Franz Drameh) in a new costume telling someone, "I don't just burn, pal! 

Hawkman (Falk Hentschel) and Hawkgirl (Ciara Renée) follow, showcasing their retractable CGI wings, with Hawkman saying "You, my love, almost got us killed."  Rip Hunter asks them, "Have you two considered couples counseling?"

"I know it's difficult for you to fathom, but in the future, none of you are heroes," remarks Hunter.  "You're legends."

We see the inside of Rip Hunter's time ship, with the course plotted for 1975.  "All your worlds are about to change," Rip tells the group as the ship enters the time stream.

Unfortunately, things don't go as planned (of course), with Hunter showing visible frustration.  "Unfortunately, we now have larger problems than Savage, if only you would've listened to me about the dangers of upsetting the timeline!"

Professor Stein (Victor Garber) watches as his wedding ring vanishes from his hand, presumably due to said upset timeline.

"I've see men of steel die and dark knights fall," continues Hunter.  "Your entire 21st century world will suffer."

"Rip has already seen the future," remarks The Atom.  "He knows exactly what's in store for each of us."

"If we have the power to change the world," adds White Canary, "don't you think we have the power to change our own fate?"

"For better or for worse," quips Captain Cold.

Lastly, we see White Canary and Heat Wave enjoying themselves in a brutal bar fight.  "I love the '70s!" exclaims Heat Wave.

If you'd like to check out the trailer, you can view it below thanks to the official CW Television Network YouTube account...




Legends of Tomorrow premieres Thursday, January 21, 2016 on The CW.

Saturday, November 21, 2015

WONDER WOMAN First Photo & Principal Cast Announced




It's actually happening.

Warner Bros. has officially released the first photo of Gal Gadot in the 2017 Wonder Woman film, along with a press release announcing the film's principal cast.

Gadot posted on her official Twitter account, "Almost 75 years in the making... Wonder Woman is underway."

Here's the official press release...

Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ Wonder Woman feature film, the highly anticipated action adventure from director Patty Jenkins (“Monster,” AMC’s “The Killing”), starring Gal Gadot (the “Fast & Furious” movies) in the role of Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. The character will make her big screen debut this spring in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” but the new film will mark her first time headlining a feature.

The film also stars Chris Pine (the “Star Trek” films) as Captain Steve Trevor, Robin Wright (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Netflix’s “House of Cards”), Danny Huston (“Clash of the Titans,” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”), David Thewlis (the “Harry Potter” films, “The Theory of Everything”), Ewen Bremner (“Exodus: Gods and Kings,” “Snowpiercer”), Saïd Taghmaoui (“American Hustle”), Elena Anaya (“The Skin I Live In”) and Lucy Davis (“Shaun of the Dead”). 

The film is being produced by Charles Roven, Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder, with Richard Suckle, Stephen Jones, Wesley Coller, Geoff Johns and Rebecca Roven serving as executive producers.

Joining Jenkins behind the camera are director of photography Matthew Jensen (“Chronicle,” “Fantastic Four,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), Oscar-nominated production designer Aline Bonetto (“Amélie,” “A Very Long Engagement,” “Pan”), and Oscar-winning editor Martin Walsh (“Chicago,” “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” “V for Vendetta”), and Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Topsy-Turvy”).

Principal photography will take place on location in the UK, France and Italy.

Set to open in 2017, the Wonder Woman feature film is based on characters created by William Moulton Marston, appearing in comic books published by DC Entertainment. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.


Wonder Woman is currently expected for release in theaters on June 23, 2017.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 045: "Sleep No More" is Up!


"So, what happened?"
"From the beginning of time?  That's a very long story."
-- Nagata and the Twelfth Doctor, Doctor Who: "Sleep No More"

After a slight posting delay, my good friend and co-host Jesse Jackson are back with another episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!

This time, Jesse and I discuss things like the movie Chronicle, found footage being bad storytelling, wondering why the opening credits were dumped, space stations with a monster, wondering why Neil Gaiman didn't write this episode, wondering how eye boogers become a giant monster, the one really cool moment in the episode, explaining what the Sandmen were actually trying to accomplish, the movie The Ring, why this story would've worked much better in a different format, Penn and Teller, comfort food vs. weird Whole Foods food, The Forever War, Clara fading into the background, transgender actor Bethany Black, running down previous Mark Gatiss episodes, my Reverse the Polarity segment, and more!

And for those who still aren't aware of this yet, we're available on iTunes RIGHT HERE as well as Stitcher RIGHT HERE, so please subscribe and tell your friends about us. If you're looking for direct MP3 downloads, you can find them RIGHT HERE as well. Oh, and don't forget we have an officially official Next Stop Everywhere Facebook page and Twitter account, so be sure to Like and/or Follow us, okay?

Be sure to come back very soon for our review of the tenth Series Nine episode "Face the Raven," and look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Sticher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

THE FANDOM ZONE 033: "Enter Zoom" is Up!


"Look at your hero.  This man is no god.  He is nothing!"
-- Zoom, The Flash: "Enter Zoom"

After a slight posting delay, Karen Lindsay and I are back with another HUGE episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

The Walking Dead 6x05 -- "Now"
Gotham 2x08 -- "Tonight's the Night"
Supergirl 1x03: "Fight or Flight"
The Flash 2x06: "Enter Zoom"
iZombie 2x06: "Max Wager"
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 3x07 -- "Chaos Theory"
Arrow 4x06: "Lost Souls"

We talk about things like Arnold Schwarzenegger talking Walking Dead, the greatness of sewer walkers, why Glenn is still alive (for now), Ron's plan for Carl, lowering the bar once again for the Alexandrians, the Riddler's picnic in the woods, some background on Reactron, why having Superman saving Supergirl was a big creative mistake, wanting Supergirl to improve, our Earth-1 vs. Earth Prime debate, Linda Park training as Doctor Light, speculating on what happened to Johnny Quick, speculating on who Zoom is, preparing to eat a gambling addict's brain, Liv and Major playing strip poker over Skype, Ray Palmer's future career as a paperweight, Felicity's mom dating Laurel's dadanother weekly review from Justina, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have The Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Be sure to come back next week as we review all-new episodes of The Walking Dead, The Flash, Supergirl, iZombie, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and Gotham, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

SUPERGIRL Casts Charles Halford as Jemm, Son of Saturn


We have a Son of Saturn, now how about a Manhunter from Mars?

CBS has revealed that Supergirl has cast Charles Halford as DC Comics character Jemm, Son of Saturn, in the series' seventh episode, "Human for a Day."  Here's the official description for the episode:

Kara and her friends must rely on their inner strength and courage when an earthquake strikes National City. Also, Alex’s mistrust of Hank reaches a breaking point when the earthquake traps them in the DEO with Jemm (Charles Halford), a powerful alien escapee, on SUPERGIRL, Monday, Dec. 7 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Halford, 35, is best known as Chas Chandler on the NBC series Constantine, and has also appeared in such television series as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., NCIS: Los Angeles, True Detective, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Vegas, and The Event.

"Human for a Day" was written by Yahlin Chang and Ted Sullivan, and directed by Larry Teng.  The episode also features Laura Benanti as Alura/Astra, and Peter Facinelli as Maxwell Lord.

Created in 1984 by Greg Potter and Gene Colan, Jemm first appeared in Jemm, Son of Saturn #1 as the son of King Jaxx of the Red Saturnians, who was forced to flee the palace after a White Martian coup.  His mother Jarlla was able to hide him in a cave, where Jemm was trained by his White Saturnian teacher Rahani in the use of his powers.


After both his mother and teacher were killed by the White Martians, Jemm stole a ship and escaped to Earth, in search of his lover Syrra who had fled there earlier. He arrived in Harlem, New York and was befriended by an African-American orphan named Luther Mannkin.  After a series of adventures with and without Luther, Jemm eventually found Syrra. They all then travelled to New Bhok, a Red Saturnian colony.  Because he refused to take sides in a civil war on New Bhok, Jemm was disavowed and cast out by both factions.  Dispirited, Jemm and Luther returned to Earth.

Jemm learned that a criminal named Claudius Tull planned to use Saturnians as living energy sources. He had allied himself with a female White Saturnian named Synn.  When Tull's true goal was exposed, Synn surrendered her forces to the Red Saturnian military. When last seen, Jemm had set out in search of Syrra, who had mysteriously disappeared yet again.

Jemm resurfaced years later as a member of the Injustice Gang.  He had apparently been brainwashed by Lex Luthor through the use of a Philosopher's Stone and used as a psychic weapon against the Justice League.  He was able to impersonate J'onn J'onnz, the Martian Manhunter, telepathically.  J'onnz was able to sense and connect with Jemm's mind. J'onn's powers freed Jemm, but left him comatose.  J'onn took Jemm to Z'onn Z'orr, his hidden Antarctic retreat in order to heal his mind.  

Jemm spent the next several months recovering his mental and physical health.  He was later discovered, detained and abused by J'onn's evil brother Malefic, who convinced the JLA that J'onn had gone insane and was torturing Jemm.  While Jemm recovered at the JLA Watchtower, a delegation of Saturnians arrived to reclaim the prince. J'onn discovered that Jemm was to take part in a brokered political wedding designed to unite warring factions of Red and White Saturnians.

Supergirl airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 044: "The Zygon Inversion" is Up!


"I don't understand?  Are you kidding?  Me?  Of course I understand.  I mean, do you call this a war? This funny little thing?  This is not a war!  I fought in a bigger war than you will ever know.  I did worse things than you could ever imagine.  And when I close my eyes, I hear more screams than anyone could ever be able to count!  And do you know what you do with all that pain?  Shall I tell you where you put it?  You hold it tight till it burns your hand, and you say this -- No one else will ever have to live like this.  No one else will have to feel this pain.  Not on my watch!"
-- The Twelfth Doctor to Bonnie, Doctor Who: "The Zygon Inversion"

Still catching up after Jesse's trip to Florida for his wife Linda's Ironman triathlon (for realz), my good friend and co-host Jesse Jackson have finally returned with another episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!

This time, Jesse and I discuss things like Jenna Coleman as Bonnie the Zygon, waiting for the Dream Crabs to show up, Jesse's fear of Clara's red lipstick, how Jesse and I are married in Whoness, the Doctor's Union Jack parachute, the design flaw of an invisible parachute, digital watches, Osgood's plan to kill the Doctor, how to launder money, Osgood's first name, the Osgood Boxes, the Twelfth Doctor's big speech, the significance of Five Rounds Rapid, thoughts on which Osgood is a Zygon, the episode as a war drama, what other things the TARDIS stands for, more nods to Fourth Doctor companion Harry Sullivan, validating my theory that Clara is already dead, my Reverse the Polarity segment, the 2015 Christmas Special on the big screen, and more!

And for those who still aren't aware of this yet, we're available on iTunes RIGHT HERE as well as Stitcher RIGHT HERE, so please subscribe and tell your friends about us. If you're looking for direct MP3 downloads, you can find them RIGHT HERE as well. Oh, and don't forget we have an officially official Next Stop Everywhere Facebook page and Twitter account, so be sure to Like and/or Follow us, okay?

Be sure to come back very soon for our review of the ninth Series Nine episode "Sleep No More," and look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Sticher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

Friday, November 13, 2015

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 043: "The Zygon Invasion" is Up!


"Hello, it's Doctor Disco.  I'm in the 21st century, don't know what month.  I'm staking out some of the most dangerous creatures imaginable...operating under deep cover, trying not to attract suspicion.  Give me a call, Clara.  Nightmare scenario -- I'm worried."
-- The Twelfth Doctor to Clara Oswald's voicemail, Doctor Who: "The Zygon Invasion"

Trying to catch up after Jesse's trip to Florida for his wife Linda's Ironman triathlon (for realz), my good friend and co-host Jesse Jackson have finally returned with another episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!

This time, Jesse and I discuss things like the Zygon's potential, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Clara's bright-red lipstick, someone in a dark, spooky setting finally using a cellphone as a flashlight, the greatness of Kate Stewart, doing the math of Zygon population on Earth, the Zygons as the extremist group ISIS, the practicality of immigrant Zygons integrating with human society, the return of Ingrid Oliver as Osgood, the Zygon leaders posing as children, the Twelfth Doctor as an old rock star, that stupid scene where UNIT soldiers walk right into an obvious Zygon trap, the Doctor's question mark collar points, continuing the hybrid theme for Series Nine, a shoutout to Fourth Doctor companion Harry Sullivan, my Reverse the Polarity segment, the possibility of Next Stop Everywhere t-shirts, and more!

And for those who still aren't aware of this yet, we're available on iTunes RIGHT HERE as well as Stitcher RIGHT HERE, so please subscribe and tell your friends about us. If you're looking for direct MP3 downloads, you can find them RIGHT HERE as well. Oh, and don't forget we have an officially official Next Stop Everywhere Facebook page and Twitter account, so be sure to Like and/or Follow us, okay?

Be sure to come back very soon for our review of the eighth Series Nine episode "The Zygon Inversion," and look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Sticher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

THE FANDOM ZONE 032: "Haunted" is Up!


"I’m not a bad guy.  A little hardscrabble, sure, but...uh...I’m on the side of the angels, mate.  At least when they're not busy trying to screw me over."
-- John Constantine, Arrow: "Haunted"

You guessed it, Karen Lindsay and I are back with another HUGE episode of Dangerous Habits: The Constantine Podcast The Fandom Zone Podcast!  

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

The Walking Dead 6x04 -- "Here's Not Here"
Gotham 2x07 -- "Mommy's Little Monster"
Supergirl 1x02: "Stronger Together"
The Flash 2x05: "The Darkness and the Light"
iZombie 2x05: "Love & Basketball"
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 3x06 -- "Among Us Hide..."
Arrow 4x05: "Haunted"

We talk about things like how we really missed our Dangerous Habits theme music, Karen & I throwing down in the Barrage in the Garage, Karen's love of Walking Dead character studies, my disappointment at dragging out the resolution of the Glenn cliffhanger, animals not faring well on The Walking Dead, saying goodbye to Penguin's mom, Silver St. Cloud's total 180, the Riddler's personality merge, Supergirl's oil tanker fail, Maxwell Lord, the Hellgrammite, Earth-2 Villain of the Week, Barry & Patty's blind date, the introduction of Hawkgirl, wondering how Jesse Quick is Earth-2 Wells' daughter, Major finally cleaning up his act, Coulson's favorite burger place, the Lash revelation, wondering if John Constantine will return once again, the Orb of Horus, why The CW should dump Supernatural for Constantine Season 2, another weekly review from Justina, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have The Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Be sure to come back next week as we review all-new episodes of The Walking Dead, The Flash, Supergirl, iZombie, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and Gotham, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

THE WALKING DEAD Casts Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan


The Governor?  Pfffft, please.

The Hollywood Reporter has word that the AMC series The Walking Dead has cast Jeffrey Dean Morgan in the role of the villainous Negan.  According to the article, Negan will arrive in the Season 6 finale, directed by Greg Nicotero.

Morgan, 49, is best known to comics fans as The Comedian in Watchmen.  He's also had numerous television appearances, including Supernatural (as Papa Winchester), The Good Wife, Extant, Magic City, Grey's Anatomy, Tru Calling, Star Trek: Enterprise, Angel, and Sliders.  He'll be playing Thomas Wayne in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and appeared in the comic book films The Losers (as Clay) and Jonah Hex (as Jeb Turnbull).



Created in 2012 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard, Negan first appeared in The Walking Dead #100 as the leader of a group of over fifty survivors in Washington, DC called the Saviors, who subjugate other communities in the area for resources in return for their protection against the undead.  Brutal, foul-mouthed and possessed of a twisted sense of humor, Negan carries a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire he named Lucille.

Negan, along with fifty other Saviors, snuck up on Rick Grimes' group and subdued Rick by surprise.  They lined up all of the survivors from the van (Rick, Carl, Glenn, Maggie, Sophia, Michonne, and Heath), telling them that he wanted revenge for the Saviors that were killed. Without an agreement from Rick, Negan made a deal that everything belonging to the Alexandria Safe-Zone now belonged to the Saviors.  After a long talk about the new world order and whom he should beat to death using Lucille, he finally chose his victim at random -- Glenn.  

Maggie panicked, as Glenn attempted talking Negan out of it.  Negan ignored him and smashed Glenn's skull in by slamming Lucille down hard on Glenn's head.  Negan laughed and when Glenn attempted to get to his feet, the former remarked that "he's taking it like a champ" before swinging Lucille at Glenn, dislocating his jaw and beating Glenn to death. Negan told the mourning and crying group that the Saviors would be back in one week to collect half of everything that the Alexandria Safe-Zone owned, or there would be more killings.  Rick vowed that he would avenge Glenn and kill Negan.  Negan laughed at this, beat Rick with his bare hands and turned around, leaving the survivors with Glenn's corpse.

The Walking Dead airs on AMC Sunday nights at 9 p.m. EST.

DAMN Good Movies -- SPECTRE





This may be the end of an era.


Yes, time once again for another of my movie takes, this time on Spectre, the latest in the James Bond film series.  As always, if you haven't seen the movie yet and you don't want it spoiled for you, then please step back from your computer or whatever electronic device you're reading this on and stop reading now.  If, however, you're wise enough to know that movie reviews with spoilers are always more interesting than the ones without them...well...Time to report for duty...

Three years after the very successful fiftieth anniversary outing Skyfall, we finally see the return of MI6 agent OO7, once again under the direction of Sam Mendes.  The infamous 2014 Sony Pictures Entertainment hack revealed several memos claiming that the film was over budget, later reported to be somewhere between $245 to $300 million, making it one of the most expensive movies ever made.  Early drafts of the script written by (also returning) John Logan were leaked as well, along with memos of Sony's frustration with the project. Eon Productions later issued a statement confirming the leak of what they called "an early version of the screenplay."


Once again, Mendes wants to depict Bond as a character drama rather than a thriller or action movie, only this time to much less effect.  We have another two and a half-hour running time that feels so painfully slllooooooooow at times, as we see characters standing around in lengthy thoughtful moments, or walking (and walking, and walking) in between fleeting sequences of action.  The film could've easily lost a good twenty minutes in the editing room and would've been much better off for it.

Returning composer Thomas Newman doesn't help either, churning out another unremarkable score that feels nothing like Bond and more like you're listening to a period drama.  The only hints of Bond's traditional theme come at very beginning during the updated gunbarrel opening, and at the very end during the closing credits as people start dashing out of the theater to beat parking lot traffic.

We start off with a superb extended tracking shot in Mexico during the Day of the Dead festival, following Bond as he leaves the costumed crowd below with a female companion, goes up to her hotel room, removes his skeletal mask and costume, climbs out of the window with a sniper rifle, and walks along various rooftops until he arrives to take out a man named Marco Sciarra, who is plotting with some other men to blow up a stadium.  This leads to an exciting brawl in a mid-air helicopter swirling dangerously over the huge crowd of festival goers below, and results in Bond obtaining Sciarra's all-too-familiar octopus ring that plays an important part throughout the story.

So far, so good, right?  This takes us to the opening credits, with Sam Smith's mopey and disappointing "The Writing's on the Wall" making a lot of us really miss Adele.  The visuals, meanwhile, are a retrospective of Daniel Craig's era as James Bond -- Vesper Lynd, Le Chiffre, Judi Dench as M, Mr. White, and so on -- hinting at a connection since Craig debuted in 2006's Casino Royale.  And perhaps...an ending?

Returning to London, Bond is removed from field duty indefinitely by the current M, who finds himself up against Max Denbigh, a loathsome member of the British government seizing power after a merger of MI5 and MI6, referred to as "C."  C, it turns out, is pushing his "Nine Eyes" intelligence cooperation agreement between nine countries, closes down the "OO" section, and prepares to move everything to his glossy new Centre for National Security building.

From there, we follow Bond as he travels to Rome, against M's direct order to remain in England, which leads him to a shadowy meeting of a shadowy organization behind everything led by a shadowy figure.  Anyone who paid attention to the film's title and watched a Bond movie from the Sean Connery era or On Her Majesty's Secret Service knows exactly what's coming, even with the pathetic attempt as misdirection by naming "Franz Oberhauser" as Christoph Waltz's character.  I gather the Bond producers learned absolutely nothing from the Benedict Cumberbatch reveal in Star Trek Into Darkness.

After a nifty little car chase with Mr. Hinx through the streets of Rome that ends with Bond pointlessly dunking his multimillion-pound car in a river, we travel to Austria, where Bond picks up Dr. Madeleine Swann, the daughter of now-dying Mr. White.  Bond has his second run-in with Mr. Hinx before meeting up with Q, who finally tells us what's with with that damn octopus ring.  Swann provides the necessary exposition about SPECTRE, which presumably still stands for Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion.

The trail leads to Morroco, where Bond and Swann check out Mr. White's secret room of old VHS tapes, maps and coordinates that point them to a facility in the desert.  They travel by train, which gives us Bond's third and final run-in with Jaws-wannabe Mr. Hinx.  After being met by "Oberhauser" with the prerequisite Bond villain monologuing, Bond is a given a revelation straight out of Austin Powers in Goldmember (I'm not kidding), subjected to a rather squeamish bit of torture, and quickly allowed to escape and destroy yet another supervillain facility in a remote location.

Everything shifts back to London in the final act, of course, as Bond, Swann and Bond's supporting cast team up to stop C, and a showdown with "Oberhauser" that ends smack in the middle of Westminster Bridge.  With everything neatly tied up after four films, Daniel Craig's James Bond gets the girl once again and drives off in the classic silver Aston Martin for what actually feels -- given Craig's recent public disparaging of Bond films -- for the last time.

So what about the performances from the cast and the characters they portrayed? Well, as you might expect, I have a few thoughts...

JAMES BOND -- In his fourth and possibly final outing as Bond, Daniel Craig once again gives us the secret agent driven by demons, but this time lacks any sense of actual charm. Everyone is a tool for Bond to use to achieve his personal agenda, damn any consequences, making him come off as more antihero than superhero at times.  At the end, he's left a good enough place for Craig to say farewell to the role, so we'll see if he does.

ERNST STAVRO BLOFELD/FRANZ OBERHAUSER -- Christoph Waltz pretty much reprises his character of Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds here, which makes sense considering who's he's ultimately revealed to be playing.  As mentioned above, Blofeld is given a familial connection to Bond, which feels terribly forced and convenient in an attempt to make things personal between the two.  We get an explanation for Blofeld's traditional facial scar, which was nice, although the final confrontation between Blofeld and Bond feels a bit empty and hollow.

DR. MADELEINE SWANN -- Léa Seydoux is an interesting Bond Girl, at least when the script allows her to be.  Filled with daddy issues, Swann is present for all the major moments following her introduction, helping out here and there, only to keep fading back into the background.  Things do feel a bit creepy between her and Bond, however, with Daniel Craig looking more 57 years old than 47 against Seydoux's very youthful 30.

Q -- After making little more than glorified cameos in Skyfall, Ben Whishaw gets quite a bit more to do this time, as Q provides cover for Bond's unsanctioned personal crusade and after dodging bad guys in Austria, later meets up with Bond and Swann to explain the connection with Sciarra's ring and the previous three Daniel Craig movies.  He's also there as part of Bond's running crew to take down C and stop the launch of Nine Eyes.

M / GARETH MALLORY -- Now formally established as the new M, Ralph Fiennes shows us the political and bureaucratic machinations in play as a result of SPECTRE's global conspiracy.  M is under huge pressure this time, and given his own rival in C that ends in a physical struggle between the two within the CNS building.

EVE MONEYPENNY -- Naomie Harris get the short end of the script this time, relegated to visiting Bond's apartment to bring him the few surviving items from the fire at Bond's family home Skyfall, providing information that leads him to Mr. White, and being part of the aforementioned running crew.  It was very disappointing to see Moneypenny so underwritten after such a strong introduction in Skyfall.

MR. HINX -- Fresh from his fun and lively role as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, Dave Bautista fills the mandatory henchman role here.  Saying absolutely nothing until his final disappearance, Hinx feels like the illegitimate offspring of Oddjob and Jaws, frustratingly silent and seemingly unkillable.  If Hinx somehow returns for the next Bond film, I definitely won't be surprised.


C / MAX DENBIGH -- Andrew Scott, as anyone who watched him as Jim Moriarty on Sherlock knows, is terrific at being someone you absolutely love to hate.  As M's rival, C is the typical "new blood" bureaucrat who steps in to force out the old gang for no good reason, smugly pointing out how outdated they are and begging someone -- anyone -- to punch him in the throat.

MR. WHITE -- Jesper Christensen returns for his final outing as Mr. White, last seen in 2008's Quantum of Solace.  White brings the Daniel Craig era full circle, connecting everything back to Casino Royale.  His final scene with Bond is gripping drama, appropriately set with the two facing off across a chessboard before White ultimately ends himself.

DEAD M CAMEO -- A very welcome surprise was a cameo from Dame Judi Dench as a recorded video message, left for Bond in the event of M's death.  The image of Dead M is shown during the showdown at the ruined MI6 headquarters at Vauxhall Cross, taunting Bond with everything bad that happened during the Daniel Craig era was all Blofeld's doing. Yeah, that's plausible.

All in all, Spectre feels like the final chapter for Daniel Craig as James Bond...or, at least, like it should be.  It's not as satisifying as I'd hoped, especially following Skyfall and finally getting the return of Blofeld and SPECTRE, but thankfully, it's better than most critics seem to think (No surprise there).  It's a perfectly decent outing, and certainly would be a much better sendoff for Craig than Die Another Day was for Pierce Brosnan.  Most important of all though, James Bond will return...

And for those who may be wondering, here's my ranking of the twenty-four official James Bond Films:

1. Goldfinger (1964)
2. Casino Royale (2006)
3. Skyfall (2012)
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
5. You Only Live Twice (1967)
6. GoldenEye (1995)
7. Live and Let Die (1973)
8. From Russia with Love (1963)
9. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
10. The Living Daylights (1987)
11. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
12. Spectre (2015)
13. Doctor No (1962)
14. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
15. Quantum of Solace (2008)
16. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
17. Moonraker (1979)
18. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
19. The World is Not Enough (1999)
20. Thunderball (1966)
21. Octopussy (1983)
22. Licence to Kill (1989)
23. Die Another Day (2002)
24. A View to a Kill (1985)

Your friendly neighborhood movie reviewer,

Charles