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Would You Watch a J.J. Abrams Medical Comedy?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:30:02 -0700

J.J. Abrams, the king of TV sci-fi, is looking for laughs. The man behind Lost and Fringe just signed on to executive produce a "comedic medical show" for FOX. Random!

I've always been a huge fan of Abrams, but I've never thought of him as a funny ha-ha kinda guy. Yes, his shows have had their goofy moments - Felicity's Richard used to always make me guffaw - but this is the same guy who creates smoke monsters. This is a total departure from his usual territory.

Not that I won't watch. Shows based around hospitals may be a dime a dozen these days, but with the old Scrubs that I loved on its way out, this could be a potential worthy replacement. Plus, everything that Abrams touches seems to turn into ratings gold.

What do you guys think of this news? Will you watch J.J. Abrams's new comedy when it comes out?

Buzz News Roundup, 6/12

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:00:58 -0700

The next James Bond movie has gotten Frost/Nixon writer Peter Morgan to co-write the script, and Daniel Craig is confirmed to reprise his role as Bond. Variety
SPIN magazine is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Prince's Purple Rain with a free downloadable tribute that features nine bands doing covers of the record's classic tracks. - Billboard
Michael Cunningham, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours, has written a scary genre thriller titled Beautiful Girl. - Variety
It looks like the Lance Armstrong biopic finally has a writer: Seabiscuit writer/director Gary Ross. - ComingSoon
TV stations across the US started cutting their analog signals this morning, and the FCC has put 4,000 operators on standby for calls from confused viewers. - The Hollywood Reporter
Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle has signed a three-year producing pact with Fox Searchlight. - Variety
J.J. Abrams says he will be producing the fourth Mission: Impossible film and that he and Tom Cruise "have come up with a really cool idea." - ComingSoon
The View co-host Joy Behar will host The Joy Behar Show, a one-hour primetime talk show, on HLN (formerly Headline News). - The Hollywood Reporter

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Should William Shatner Have Been in the New Star Trek?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:30:26 -0700

During the run-up to the premiere of J.J. Abrams's wildly successful Star Trek reboot, William Shatner was not shy about expressing how hurt he was to be left out of the movie.

Recently, two of the movie's writers said in an interview that there was a scene written for him originally. Ultimately, though, their idea didn't feel "organic" enough and they didn't end up using it.

Now that I've seen the movie I still can't decide if including Shatner would have been a good idea or not. On one hand, it's a nice nod to older fans and could have been an easy passing-of-the-torch gesture. On the other hand, if a scene doesn't work it doesn't work, and making a good movie was obviously the top priority for Abrams and his team.

What do you think? Should the new Star Trek filmmakers have found a way to include Shatner?

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Chris, Zachary, and More Beam Over to Japan

Molly — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:30:26 -0700

The men of Star Trek hit the red carpet in Tokyo, Japan today for the premiere of their action-packed blockbuster movie. Zachary Quinto looked handsome even without his Spock uniform and hairdo signing autographs for fans while Chris Pine happily posed with some lucky ladies. JJ Abrams basked in the glory of his newest hit, which easily scored number one at the box office this weekend. We'll see if it manages to hold its title overseas, but something tells us that this is one Captain Kirk and Spock duo that we should get used to seeing together.

To see more of the cast just read more.

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Images include: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, John Cho, J.J. Abrams, Eric Bana

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Box Office: Trek Hits No. 1 at Warp Speed

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:30:33 -0700

J.J. Abrams' reboot of Star Trek was a smash success this weekend with an estimated $76.5 million (including $4 million Thursday night), taking the top spot at the box office (though not surpassing X-Men Origins: Wolverine's opening weekend take of $85 million, as so many of you thought it would). This was "the biggest Trek opening yet, soaring past the previous high of Star Trek: First Contact, which started at $30.7 million or the equivalent of over $50 million adjusted for ticket price inflation."

Meanwhile Wolverine "wilted to an X-Men franchise low" in the wake of Star Trek, coming in at No. 2 with an estimated $27 million. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past took the third spot, followed by Obsessed and 17 Again in fourth and fifth place.

Sounds like good word of mouth quickly spread about Star Trek. Were you swayed by the stellar (ha, ha) reviews? Did you head out to see it?

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Star Trek: Move Over Kirk, Spock Is Hot

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 10:30:01 -0700

To be honest, I'm not a huge Star Trek fan. Obviously as a member of the human race who was raised in the United States, I've been exposed to the original television show and many of its different iterations. I've even seen some of the movies including Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (responsible for my lifelong fear of earwigs) and the movie I commonly refer to as "the one with the whales," aka Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

So, getting me to be excited for anything Star Trek related is a bit of an uphill battle. Given that, it's a pretty amazing thing director J.J. Abrams and his team have accomplished with this reboot. The movie successfully turns back the clock on a franchise four decades old and brings it back to life with an adrenaline shock to the system that will leave you breathless. And in pure Abrams fashion, the story and characterization do not suffer. The result is popcorn cinema at its best. Despite not being a Trekkie (or Trekker, or whatever you call megafans these days), I can't stop thinking about this movie. To see why, read more.

The question I had going into this movie was: How does one reimagine Star Trek for today's audience without completely alienating hardcore fans? The answer, it turns out, was to simply start over. In a clever twist, the opening sequence sets into motion events that alter the space/time continuum. Yes - and this will come as no surprise to Lost fans - Abrams uses time travel that bends around certain facts. Rather than disregard Trek lore, the filmmakers simply figured out an acceptable way to start fresh with the characters.

Because of these time-bending events, James T. Kirk, the future captain of the USS Enterprise, grows up fatherless in Iowa. He's brilliant but extremely self-destructive. Meanwhile, on Vulcan, a young Spock is teased and discriminated against for having a human mother (Winona Ryder). We know the two young men are destined to meet but when they finally do it's different than what you might imagine. When Kirk (played by Chris Pine with a wink and nod to the original performance) meets Spock (Zachary Quinto) at the Starfleet Academy they do not get along. Kirk is all swagger and machismo. Spock is, of course, logical but Quinto plays him with a smug know-it-all edge that hints at the human emotions beneath the surface.

However, when the movie's villain Nero (Eric Bana) declares war on Vulcan and then Earth, it's all-hands-on-deck time and the two must work together. A bunch of green, yet familiar, cadets - Dr. "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and eventually Scotty (Simon Pegg) - suddenly find themselves in charge of a brand-new ship. There are moments when seeing these good-looking youngsters in such a well-known uniform feels a little bit like the Trek version of Muppet Babies. But that feeling is fleeting and for the most part the performances are heartfelt and quite funny.

In the midst of chaos and war, Kirk and Spock become friends - but not before Spock violently pins Kirk's cocky butt to the floor. In Abrams's universe, Spock aims for logic but often succumbs to his emotions, messy though they may be. Pine charges through the film with all the charisma needed in a golden-haired leading man, but in a lot of ways this is Quinto's movie and he actually turns Spock into something of a sex symbol. Some fans might find these changes to the characters' personalities sacrilegious, but I just appreciate the fact that their friendship provides the movie with an emotional center.

In the end, the experience is completely satisfying. There are in-jokes galore that even a Trek philistine like myself found thrilling and there are action sequences that had me on the edge of my seat. It's thoughtful, it looks great, and it's completely absorbing. In terms of epic action-adventures, it doesn't get much better than this.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Star Trek Finds Its Way Into the Fringe Plot Line

GeekSugar — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:15:48 -0700

Fringe creator J.J. Abrams sure knows how to make a girl totally geek out. I love the show, mostly because it's packed full of sci-fi themes and cool (although sometimes seriously vintage) tech, but also because of Walter Bishop, who never fails to completely steal every scene he's in. Last night's episode was especially entertaining, and I loved the scene that starred Clint Howard (Ron Howard's brother), which took a turn into Trekkie territory.

Is it just me, or is Joshua Jackson's character, Peter Bishop, getting hotter by the day? Maybe it's cause he knows all about Khan . . . or maybe he just knows how to play a hot geek. In any case, are you looking for a connection here? In case you didn't know, J.J. Abrams is not only the creator of Fringe, but is also the mastermind behind the new Star Trek movie, which hits theaters on Friday. Smooth, J.J., real smooth.

J.J. Abrams Brings Possibly the Coolest Issue of Wired Yet

GeekSugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:00:34 -0700

This newest issue of Wired Magazine (which I read faithfully), brings together some of my favorite things inside its pages: puzzles, magic, and J.J. Abrams.

Not only is J.J. Abrams responsible for some of the most geek-worthy shows on TV like Lost, Fringe, and Alias, but he produced soon-to-be Spring blockbuster Star Trek (which I have my IMAX tickets for already). So when I heard that he would be helping to whip up the May issue of Wired into something totally fitting of his work, I couldn't wait to get my copy.

Packed with puzzles, mysteries, and science, this issue of Wired should take longer than the average issue to get through - there is something on every page to solve, decode, decipher, and discover. Nothing is an accident.

Check out some behind the scenes footage of J.J. working with the Wired staff, and what you can expect in the next issue when you read more.

Zoe and the Boys Bring Their Star-Studded Film to London

Molly — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:30:25 -0700

The gorgeous guys (and girl) of Star Trek hit the blue carpet for the premiere of their movie in London last night. Eric Bana, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana have been traveling around the globe to promote their film, with a stop in Spain following their time in Australia and New Zealand. Anticipation is mounting for the film's release in the US, and it'll finally hit screens here next Friday on May 8.

To see more, including Simon Pegg, John Cho, and JJ Abrams, just read more.

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Images include: Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Eric Bana, JJ Abrams, Karl Urban

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Spain Beams Up the Cast of Star Trek

PopSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:30:56 -0700

The cast of Star Trek has been busy promoting the new film all over the world, and today the crew headed to a photo call in Madrid. Zoe Saldana was a splash of beauty among her handsome costars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Eric Bana. The movie doesn't hit theaters for another three weeks, so we can expect to see and hear more from the beautiful cast as they gear up for their potential Spring blockbuster.

To see more photos, including JJ Abrams, just read more.

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Images include: Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, JJ Abrams, Eric Bana, Zachary Quinto

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