Time for catch up!

Wow it’s a very dismal, gray day here in Blighty, so let’s try to brighten things up with one of my marathon catch up posts!

First off, is the sad news that NBC cancelled “The Cape” which starred Summer Glau.  The rumblings really started when NBC reduced their episode order, but unfortunately this is the way of television.  But, Summer made a film called “The Legend of Hell’s Gate” which is a western and it’s having it’s premiere at the Dallas International Film Festival which takes place 31 March to 10 April and it is also screening as part of the Newport Beach Film Festival 28 April to 5 May.  If any of our readers/listeners make it to one of the screenings, you must let us know what you think of it.

I’d like to think that our ongoing “moreseanmaher” hashtag is having a remarkable effect, but I know that the reality is that it is Sean’s talent that has landed him a role in a new pilot, “Playboy”.  This is going to be set in the Playboy club in Chicago in 1963 and will follow “Nick Dalton” (Eddie Cibrian, “Third Watch”) as a local attorney, club keyholder and “fixer who knows how to make problems disappear, he also has mysterious ties to the mob.”  No knowledge on Sean’s role, but Deadline Hollywood said that the role would be “recurring”.  If you do not do so already, please follow Sean on Twitter (@sean_m_maher).  Also, Sean (along with Mark Sheppard) are currently scheduled to be attending the London Film and Comic Con 8-10 July at London’s Earls Court.

Continuing with his reputation as one never to let the grass grow under his feet, Alan Tudyk has two films being shown at US film festivals between now and the end of April.  First up is “Conception” about 9 couples trying to conceive:

This premiers at the Palm Beach Film Festival on 25 March at 19:15.  You can find all details at the Palm Beach Film Festival website.

Alan’s next film, “Beautiful Boy” (starring Michael Sheen and Maria Bello) is a drama about a couple who learn that their son has committed murder on  his college campus:

This is also being screened as part of the Dallas International Film Festival.  The website alantudykonline.com reported that this was scheduled for a UK release in early March, if it was then unfortunately it was a “blink-and-you-missed-it” opening.

Lastly, Alan has been cast in the pilot, “Suburgatory” for ABC which will tell the story of a father moving his teenage daughter from Manhattan to her version of purgatory: The Suburbs.  The website, cinemablend.com, is reported as saying that Alan has been cast as a college friend of the father who has lived in the suburbs for years.

We certainly have our fingers crossed that both pilots are picked up.

If you follow Jewel Staite on Twitter (and why not?!), you cannot fail to acknowledge that when it comes to wine bars and restaurants, she definitely has a nose and tastebuds for all things grape, grain and culinary.  So I’m really pleased to mention her wonderful foodie blog at happyopu.net and apologise for not mentioning it earlier.  Should the various airline taxes ever allow me to scrape up enough cash to find myself in Los Angeles again, I know where I’m checking out restaurant/wine bar recommendations!

If you are a Wash/Zoe-shipper there is a fanlisting group, “Autumn Flower” dedicated to this pairing at strongisfighting.org/washzoe

Wendy

So, yeah, sorta off the radar

Yes, it’s been a while; so where have we all been?  The summer is always a busy time for Odile as she is a teacher and the end of the UK school year is when we in the UK sit state education examinations and Odile is amongst the small army of teachers who mark the papers, etc. Andrew and I started new roles within our respective workplaces and for both of us that is meaning new responsibilities and – for the time being – longer working hours.  And of course, if you have been keeping up to date with the show and also follow us on Twitter, you will also know that I had surgery a couple of months ago.

During my recovery and slightly before it, I spoke with Andrew Slack of The Harry Potter Alliance about the wonderful fundraising work that the Harry Potter fandom does and how fandoms can work together for charity fundraising.  It’s a great conversation and I’m sorry that we have sat on it for so long, but it happened during the start of CSTS and we felt it best to focus on CSTS.  Then I was able to speak with Mark James for all the latest on his fan film, “Bellflower” and finally, I spoke with Troy and Laura about their ongoing, “Into The Black” film.  All of those will be coming up this month and into September.

We held our CSTS Affiliate screening on 10 July where we were one of the lucky ones to also see the rough cut “Redemption”.  It was a glorious day and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Odile for throwing open her house of this and thanks to everyone who attended.  It was great to see you all.  One of the highlights of the day, was being able to hook up with Mike Dougherty and Heather Fagin from their table at the convention they were attending in the States!  Huge thanks to Mike and Heather for doing that – Skype, we salute you!

What’s next?  Wendy is attending DragonCon next month, so is looking forward to seeing all The Signal team (yes Kari, Crunchies!), attending the “Redemption” premiere on Saturday night, seeing our friends at QMx, the Saturday parade and all fellow Browncoats – so, if you are wearing something “Firefly”/”SERENITY” related, I may stop you for a chat.  If you are attending D*C, be sure to listen to our next show as we will have a fabulous announcement regarding the Saturday night Whedonverse track Shindig.

Other news:

Massive Events’s “HalloWhedon” convention in the UK announced the addition of Jewel Staite to their guest list.  If you wish to learn more about this event, please visit their website here.  Always pleased to have her in the UK.

Alan Tudyk has a role in the next “TRANSFORMERS” film currently in production.  In a recent chat with the “From Hollywood With Luv” blog, Alan spoke about his character in the film and also another production he is in called “Beautiful Boy” with Maria Bello and Michael Sheen and you can read that here.  And if you have yet to view the “DALE AND TUCKER VS EVIL” trailer – what the heck are you waiting for?!

If you were amongst the 120k (give or take a couple …) attending 2010′s San Diego Comic Con, then you were positively falling over our BDH’s!  Nathan Fillion was part of the panel for James Gunn’s “SUPER” and “Castle” panels, inadvertently signed up for a sequel during an interview, signed at the SoCal Browncoats table along with P J Haarsma and also found time to gatecrash the Joss Whedon Experience Q & A.  Ron Glass, along with “Firefly” scribes Jose Molina and Jane Espenson signed at the QMx table.  Adam Baldwin formed part of the “Chuck” panel along with his fellow cast members, Morena Baccarin was there for “V” and Summer Glau was tubthumping her new series, “The Cape”.  And of course, our Great Bird of the Verse, Joss Whedon was in attendance hosting his very own “Experience”, forming a double-act with J J Abrams for the EW’s “Visionaries” panel and finally confirming what must have become one of the worst kept “secrets” in Hollywood, that he was directing the upcoming “AVENGERS”. PHEW!

I spent the day at London’s very own comic con at Earl’s Court on 18 July and amongst the tables and dealers, found Cooler Walls really taking my attention, bumped into old friends Steve and Naomi at the Firefly Store who are still going strong!

As many of you are also aware, Nathan Fillion has also been part of the ongoing “Read” campaign for the American Libraries Association which you can read about here and also buy the poster here for $16.

Lastly, if the sound of a Pete Carpenter/Mike Post tv theme brings a smile of fond memories, then this is for you!  About six or so weeks ago, the lads over at i09.com had some time on their hands and, as everyone knows idle minds are the Devil’s playground, but on this occasion produced something totally fabulous – a rejigged 80′s style “Firefly” credit title sequence complete with Carpenter/Post-style theme.

Right, we’re recording today, so time to sign off.

Wendy

Jewel Staite at London Film and Comic Con

I hope that many of our readers will in the UK will already know that Jewel Staite is in the UK this weekend for the annual London Film and Comic Con run by Showmasters International.

I was able to attend yesterday and was there for the afternoon Q & A session that Miss Staite did with Michael Shanks.  As expected most of the questions were regarding “Stargate SG1″ and “Stargate Atlantis” but Miss Staite confirmed that she would gladly return to engineer duties on board Serenity were it ever to be given another opportunity, and her favourite “Firefly” episode is “Out of Gas”.

Those of you on Twitter and who follow both Miss Staite and Nathan Fillion will also be aware that last weekend, Chateau Fillion saw a “Firefly/SERENITY” reunion barbeque and Miss Staite shared that “it was a great party”.

A question was put to her asking if she would like to be in an episode of the upcoming second season of “Dollhouse”?  Her reply was that she had been asked to be in a first season episode, but as with her possible involvement with the last season of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, it proved impossible for her to gain her US work visa in time and so was unable to accept the role; however, as her visa is all sorted now, she would love to be in a second season episode should it be possible.