Which horror movie fan didn’t like 28 Days Later? From the frenetically crazed zombies, to the awesome soundtrack, the film rocked the horror film genre. Now the continuation is here, in the form of a graphic novel 28 Days Later Vol 1. London Calling, by Michael Alan Nelson, Declan Shalvey, and Tim Bradstreet, from Boom! Studios.

The film that changed horror forever continues here! Connecting the movie 28 Days Later to its sequel 28 Weeks Later, this original graphic novel continuation focuses on Selena, one of the three survivors of the first film, as she embarks on an epic journey to return to Great Britain. Joining a team of American war journalists hell bent on venturing into the heart of Infected territory, they must learn the cold, hard truth of what it takes to survive in the U.K. after the Infection has spread.

28 Days Later was previously only available  in hardcover. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

‘Walking Dead’ exec slams vampire craze

www.digitalspy.co.uk: The Walking Dead showrunner Frank Darabont has slammed the current vampire craze in film and television.

He told SFX that he hopes viewers will abandon vampire-based shows for the new zombie drama.

“I hope seeing a zombie show as cool as this, seeing the gritty, scary part, will get rid of this teeny-bopper ‘kissing vampires’ craze,” he said.

“Fortunately, the budget on this series is not that different from a movie, because zombie films have always been quite easy to make on a lower budget,” he explained. “The effects we have in our shoot rival any zombie movie that you’ve seen.”

Miss Universe 2010 Is Over, But It’s Not Too Late To Crown Miss SCI-FI Universe 2010!

moviesblog.mtv.com: Congratulations are in order for Jimena Navarrete — also known as Miss Mexico — for winning the Miss Universe 2010 competition this year, becoming the second Mexican competitor to win the title. While she’s no doubt deserving of the grand prize, it’s hard to deny that Miss Universe doesn’t exactly live up to the competition’s name — after all, space-faring ladies aren’t invited to compete, so it should really be called Miss Earth.

But let’s imagine for a moment that we could forward an invitation to some of the galaxy’s sexiest movie gals. Who would be up for the Miss Universe title? After the jump, we’re weighing in on the competition…

Fifth Place: Aurra Sing
This tough-as-nails bounty hunter isn’t exactly the prettiest lady in the expanded “Star Wars” universe, but she’s certainly one of the most hardcore. But if they dolled up Sandra Bullock’s schlocky FBI agent for “Miss Congeniality,” I don’t see why Aurra can’t get a makeover, either. Through sheer badassery and a nice makeup job, Aurra finishes with a respectable fifth place medal.

MORE HERE

John Scalzi – The 2010 Summer Sci-fi Wrap-Up

www.filmcritic.com: Unless you count the limited rerelease of Avatar this weekend (now with more Na’vi sex), all the summer science-fiction releases have hit the screens. So now’s as good a time as any to do a summer science-fiction postmortem.

First, despite the fact that there were relatively few science-fiction films this summer, it was a fine summer for science fiction at the box office. Iron Man 2, Inception, and Despicable Me have grossed $800 million between them to date, or about 11 percent of the entire 2010 box-office haul so far. Hollywood’s not going to complain about that.

Now, intellectual honesty requires me to note that in two of those three cases the movies were science fiction too, rather than promoted as science-fiction films directly. Iron Man 2 is a superhero flick (which genre is often but not always science-fictional), while Despicable Me was marketed as an animated family film. But this can be seen as a feature, not a bug. Enough science-fiction tropes have been embedded in the public consciousness that when Gru tells his genetically engineered minions that he plans to steal the moon in Despicable Me, no one in the audience has to wonder whether enjoying that moment makes him or her a nerd. And that’s how science fiction eventually wins the day.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Joss Whedon will find a way to put more women in The Avengers

io9.com: We all know Joss Whedon loves strong female characters — but The Avengers will only feature one female Avenger, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. How will Whedon manage to work more female characters in? He explains.

In an interview with the Australian paper The Sunday Herald-Sun Whedon admitted that while Scarjo is the only female Avenger. She’s not going to be the only female character.

“It is true that the movie is only going to have one female avenger”, Whedon said of Johansson’s part. “But she will not be the only female character”.

MORE HERE

I wouldn’t mind seeing something other than vampire themed movies or TV shows, but zombies are just not my thing. Especially if they run after you. What do you think of the Walking Dead?

I would have voted for Diva Plavalaguna. I still remember the first time I saw The Fifth Element and how much I liked that seen where she sings. Amazing. It was great of MTV having their own Miss Universe What did you think of that? Who would you have voted for?

What did you think of this year’s sci-fi movies? Which was your favorite?

Are you a fan of the Avengers? What do you think of the Avengers having more female characters?

6 ways Torchwood’s new season will change everything

By Fred Topel at Blastr

Torchwood: The New World doesn’t even start filming until next year, but did we get big news today! Series creator Russell T. Davies attended the Television Critics Association fall press tour to preview his return to Torchwood and revealed six ways the new Torchwood will be bigger and better than ever before.

1) There’s one event that will take 10 episodes to deal with: Davies isn’t telling what kind of global event brings Torchwood back together, but he guarantees it will require the full 10-episode run of The New World when it comes to Starz, the American cable channel.

“It’s far more complicated than just a monster,” Davies said. “I think it’s a brilliant idea, and when you hear it, it will make sense and you’ll see how big it is. It could have filled 20 hours. It’s a big 10-hour story.”

Read More here

Australia picked for Spielberg TV series Terra Nova

Michael Bodey at The Australian

The Queensland government today confirmed it will be the location of the sci-fi family TV series from October.

The special effects-heavy Terra Nova was destined for shooting in Australia because it needed locations that could resemble prehistoric lands that were home to dinosaurs. However, a stubborn Australian dollar, relative to the greenback, conspired against an early decision for the Spielberg production.

As late as last week, the US state of Florida was a possible home to the series, and Mexico was also touted, although security remained a major concern there.

The series centres on a family that time-travels backward to save a ruinous future world.

Read More here

Couple More ‘The Walking Dead’ Photos (PICS)

via Dennis at Think Hero

These probably were released earlier but I just saw these and realized I hadn’t posted them. I’m really looking forward to the TV show based on Robert Kirkman’s comic book series which I just ordered the first 5 chapters and can’t wait to read it.

AMC’s The Walking Dead series premieres in October 2010.

See the rest here

Crazy like a Fox – When Diluting your TV Brand is the Best Strategy

via rbr.com

Blatant Brand Dilution? For a generation the rules of TV branding have been clear and unequivocal–find a specific niche audience, then hyper-serve that niche with specialized programming. But lately, that rule has been turned on its head by some of the industries most powerful players.  Now you will find cooking shows on the Syfy Channel, Mike Tyson on Animal Planet, standup comedians on History, and obsession-disorder reality shows on VH1.

What’s going on?  After a generation of building specific content niches, programmers now have their sights set on broader audiences.  It appears that TV history is reversing itself.

SciFi’s recent rebrand to SyFy is a classic example of this strategic brand expansion.  After spending years doing all they could to nurture and woo the science fiction audience, the programmers realized that the genre was maxed out.  No matter how great their marketing, there just weren’t enough people interested in science fiction to allow much further growth.   SciFi was forced to make a hard decision -  be content with paltry growth or expand its original programming mission to bring in new audiences.

Read More here

I think calling SyFy’s rebrand a good example is horrible. The rebrand isn’t what drew in a bigger viewership (if anything, the rebrand pissed off loyal viewers who felt the phonetic spelling was demeaning). Better shows saved the network. Shows that were doing very well before SyFy changed it’s name (Ghost Hunters and Battlestar Gallactica, especially) brought a much bigger audience. When SyFy did try to expand with non-sci fi programing, the shows tanked (does anyone remember that wrestling thing they had?) And I’m insulted that the article called the genre “maxed out”.  How many new sci fi shows have come out in the last year, done well, and been on prime networks? Look at Lost! Interest in the genre wasn’t the issue, it was the stigma around Science fiction…but the patronizing revamp wasn’t the right answer. If SyFy wants more viewers, they should stop making craptacular “original” movies. People care about content, not a fancy new logo. As for the other channels, I miss the days when I could turn on The History Channel and see history, or when TLC wasn’t about home decorating or weddings. Specialized channels exist for a reason, and they should stick to what they’re named for.

What do you think about Torchwood moving to Starz? Are you glad Terra Nova will be shot in Australia? Do you think channel rebranding is a good or bad thing?

‘True Blood’ season finale scoop: Sookie mulls light after [spoiler alert]!

by Michael Ausiello at EW

True Blood‘s third-season finale airs on Sept. 12, and HBO has just released the perfect appetite-whetter. An extremely spoilery description of the Alan Ball-penned episode!

“Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) grapples with his conscience while plotting his perfect revenge against Russell (Denis O’Hare). Fed up with being “vampire crack,” Sookie (Anna Paquin) considers a new life without Bill (Stephen Moyer)—or any other vampire.

Read More here

Lost epilogue leaked online: Our spoiler-laden review!

By Scott Edelman at Blastr

We thought we were going to have to wait until those Lost DVDs and Blu-rays were released Aug. 24 to catch that 12-minute epilogue and learn what Ben and Hurley got up to during the post-Jack era. But we were wrong. (And you won’t believe who’s back!)

YouTube user oilery has posted the full epilogue “The New Man in Charge” (which is probably vanishing even as we type these words), but we thought we’d tell you what we saw and what we thought of it.

And let’s just say it one more time—spoilers ahead!

Read More here

Josh Jackson Contemplating Vampire Diaries Guest Spot! (And Perfecting His Best “Brooding” Look)

by Kristin Dos Santos at E!

Some guest casting seems just too good to be true, but hello, universe? This one needs to happen!

Joshua Jackson tells me that he is talking to his former Dawson’s Creek boss Kevin WIlliamson about coming on The Vampire Diaries (you know, Kevin’s new show?) for an upcoming guest stint.

Read More here

How Walking Dead made the lip-less zombie girl a reality

By Meredith Woerner at io9

One of the most disturbing members of the undead in Robert Kirkman’s Walking Dead comic series is the “bicycle girl.” AMC has released video on how they made this nightmarish rib cage-wagging zombie a reality.

Frank Darabont’s Walking Dead TV series airs in October on AMC.

Read More here

Keck’s Exclusives: Jane Badler to Revive Diana on V’s Season Premiere

by William Keck at TV Guide

Thank you Scott Rosenbaum for just making V a thousand times cooler. After the executive producer let slip at Comic-Con that he’d be introducing Anna’s mother in V‘s November season premiere — and that her name would be Diana, fans went bonkers. I personally begged Rosenbaum to cast Jane Badler (so deliciously evil as lizard villainess Diana in NBC’s original ’80s V series) as this new incarnation of Diana, and word has just reached me that he has indeed awarded Jane the role. Woo-hoo!

When V returns, we will learn that Anna (Morena Baccarin) is keeping her mother prisoner on the mother ship in a never-before-seen section that has been designed to look like the Visitors’ home planet.

Read More here

‘Primeval’ star ‘loves sci-fi shows’

By Morgan Jeffery at Digital Spy

Alexander Siddig has revealed that he enjoys playing roles in science-fiction shows.

The actor played Dr. Julian Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and will join the cast of Primeval for the show’s upcoming fourth series.

He told UGO: “I will always have a soft spot, as long as I live, for doing crazy, geeky sci-fi shows. And I hope to goodness that people keep offering me them because I love them.”

However, he admitted that he was initially keen to distance himself from the genre when Deep Space Nine ended in 1999.

Read More here

The 11 greatest, craziest sci-fi crossovers in television history

By Alasdair Wilkins at io9

Tonight’s conclusion of the already epic Eureka/Warehouse 13 crossover is just scratching the surface of science fiction’s greatest TV crossovers. Well, we really ought to start here, shouldn’t we? We’ve already gushed about how much we’re loving this awesome crossover between Syfy’s two biggest shows, and I’ll have more to say about the Eureka side of the crossover tomorrow morning. Until then… Claudia. Fargo. Spiders. Lightsabers. Kissing. Enjoy.

Star Trek: The Next Generation meets Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: As the only two Star Trek shows to share the airwaves and the same quadrant of space, The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine were the two most natural crossover partners. And although there were occasional guest appearances and even a couple characters who moved permanently from one show to the other, we never got the big epic team-up that we all know we deserved.

See the Rest (with videos) here

Do you like crossover episodes? What do you think of the True Blood and Lost spoilers? What do you think of the call-back to the original V series?

Nikita Comic Con CW Video

By Clarissa at TV Overmind

When she was a deeply troubled teenager, Nikita was rescued from death row by a secret U.S. agency known only as Division, who faked her execution and told her she was being given a second chance to start a new life and serve her country. What they didn’t tell her was that she was being trained as a spy and assassin. Ultimately, Nikita was betrayed and her dreams shattered by the only people she thought she could trust. Now, after three years in hiding, Nikita is seeking retribution and making it clear to her former bosses that she will stop at nothing to expose and destroy their covert operation.

The CW put together a video with footage from the WB booth and the Nikita panel at Comic Con. Nikita will premiere on Thursday, September 9 at 9:00 p.m. (following the premiere of the Vampire Diaries).

Read More here

SMALLVILLE (CW) Season 10 Trailer

via Daemons TV

Check out the trailer for the tenth and final season of Smallville which premieres on Friday, September 24 at 8pm on The CW.

I don’t know about you but I cannot wait for the final season of Smallville. Of course I’m going to be sad to see the show go, but at the same time, this last season promises to be epic.

Read More here

‘The Vampire Diaries’ Michael Trevino on Tyler’s rage, Uncle Mason, and nudity. Yes, nudity.

By Carina Adly MacKenzie at Zap2It

Where there are vampires, werewolves are rarely far behind, and “The Vampire Diaries” is no exception. When Zap2it got an exclusive sneak peek on location of Season 2 in Atlanta, I had the chance to take a little stroll around the Lockwood Mansion with Michael Trevino, the man behind Mystic Falls’ newest lycanthrope.

Trevino’s character, Tyler, is not only dealing with some animal instincts, but he’s grieving the death of his dad (and the town “alpha-douche”), Mayor Lockwood. “It’s just adding another layer to the top of his inner rage,” Trevino explains.

Read More here

NBC Buys ‘Zombies Vs. Vampires’ Spec

By Nellie Andreeva at Deadline

NBC has closed a deal for Zombies vs. Vampires, a spec script by Jake in Progress creator/executive producer Austin Winsberg. I hear NBC bought preemptively the project, produced by Warner Bros. TV and McG’s studio-based Wonderland production banner. Zombies vs. Vampires is described as a “fun buddy cop procedural.”

It is set in a world where zombies are a part of society, controllable with medication. The show’s two leads (one secretly a vampire) are cops assigned to a squad specifically formed to deal with “zombie crime”. Winsberg, McG and Peter Johnson are executive producing.

Read More here

Zombie Penny or Robot Penny: How can Felicia Day return in Dr. Horrible 2?

By Charlie Jane Anders at io9

When we got a moment to talk to Felicia Day at SDCC, she was full of excitement for the possibilities of bringing back Penny, Dr. Horrible’s tragic love interest. We suggested Zombie Penny, but she was more into Robot Penny.

“Okay, Zombie Penny. I like that one. I get a lot of pitches. I personally am a fan of Robot Penny, because I think that would be a cool make-up design, making me into a robot. I mean who knows? I’d probably still be dead in the ground. But probability is hopefully more than zero that I would be appearing in it.”

Read More here

I think Robot Penny makes more sense: Dr. Horrible could build her out of grief! I’m interested in Nikita, and since I’ll be watching Vampire Diaries anyway I’ll have to check it out.

What did you think of all the videos? What do you think of the Zombies vs Vampires show?

The Walking Dead: zombies shuffle centre stage

by Owen Van Spall at The Guardian

Vampires, you may have noticed, have been having something of a television moment – what with Being Human, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries it’s been a fangtastic couple of years for viewers who like their TV with extra bite. But now there’s some supernatural competition on its way with AMC – the US channel that gave us the Emmy award-winning dramas Mad Men and Breaking Bad – soon to broadcast the first season of its new zombie apocalypse show The Walking Dead. An adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s ongoing comic series, the show will begin a run of six one-hour episodes in October in the US, and has been picked up by FX in the UK. The web is already buzzing with anticipation folllowing the recent premiere of the show’s trailer at Comic-Con in San Diego.

It’s surprisingly rare to see zombie-apocalypse dramas on TV. Unlike vampires, the poor zombie has been too often relegated to a bit player or a figure of fun. Charlie Brooker’s Dead Set recently paid homage to the zombie genre, but the show was ultimately a comedy – Kirkman’s explicit goal has been to make his zombie comic (which has reached an epic 75 issues so far) a more serious piece of work. In fact the comic has won an Eisner award for its serious, social commentary-approach to the zombie apocalypse concept, and focuses with documentary-like detail on the terrifying ordeals of a group of American survivors suffers from one day to the next. The tagline is: “In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally start living”.

Read More here

‘Vampire Diaries’ Season 2: Will Jeremy Be A Vampire? ‘He’s Dead Inside, No Matter What’

by Jean Bentley at MTV News

Attention, “Vampire Diaries” fans: Only another 39 days until you can let out that breath you’ve been holding ever since you saw Jeremy Gilbert sprawled lifelessly across his bed in “The Vampire Diaries” season 1 finale. You’ll remember, of course, that the young Mr. Gilbert had just chased a vial of vampire blood with a big bottle o’ pills, and that if a human dies with vampire blood in his system, he’ll turn into a vamp himself.

According to executive producer and writer Kevin Williamson (who we chatted with during Comic-Con), once the second season premieres, we won’t have to wait very long to learn Jeremy’s fate. We’ll find out what happened “in the first act of the very first scene.”

Read More here

Francis Manapul’s TV Star Turn on Syfy’s BEAST LEGENDS

By Vaneta Rogers at Newsarama

It’s not unusual to hear that a comic book artist is working behind the scenes on a movie or TV show. But Francis Manapul is breaking taking it one step further by working in front of the camera, serving as a host on the new Syfy television series Beast Legends.

The show, which is already airing on History Television in Canada, premieres September 9th on Syfy with Manapul as a lead host. Combining fantasy with science, the show tracks down the truth about mythological creatures that could be real, and historical creatures that could be myths.

Read More here

I’m really looking forward to The Walking Dead. I’m also dying for the new season of Vampire Diaries to start–I had a dream about Elena and Stephan last night. There is SO much stuff coming out this fall that looks good, and now I’m kind of interested in Beast Legends. So I guess I’ll have to check it out.

What do you want to happen with Jeremy this season? What shows are you looking forward to this fall?