SCI-FI Channel Haunts July With Premiers of ‘Scare Tactics’ and ‘Ghost Hunters International’

Article originally published 07/9/2008 at popculturezoo.com

Beginning this week, fans of paranormal reality shows will be much happier with their Wednesday nights. This week marks the premiere of two of the SCI-FI Channel’s ghoulishly popular shows, Ghost Hunters International and Scare Tactics. How do these two shows stack up against other perennial summertime reality favorites like Amazing Race and The Mole? Well, there really is not much of a comparison. These two shows can’t be pigeonholed into the the ‘reality television’ genre as they fall more on within the SCI-FI realm of the fantastical. Regardless, any way you look at it, ghostbusting twentysomethings and an unwitting assistant to the delivery of a devil child always makes for good television. We caught a peek at the season premiers for both shows… read on for our reactions to these summer screamers from SCI-FI (hah!).

Scare Tactics:

This season marks the return of Scare Tactics to the SCI-FI channel. The show, which features a hidden-camera premise, puts its ’stars’ into situations which combine elements of Punk’d and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. An intriguing premise, I’ll admit. Unfortunately, the new Scare Tactics, along with its new host Tracy Morgan offers more groans than shrieks. Morgan introduces each prank with a combination of grim humor and wooden dialog so flat it would make the Crypt Keeper want to off himself… again. The pranks themselves are pretty great, including one that involves a delivery room, a midget painted red and a very confused nurse-in-training. However, the show’s clearly scripted nature gives little credence to the ‘reveal’, leading you to believe that the mark was in on the gag from the beginning. Oh well, regardless of its missteps, I say that there is always room on television for a man being shoved in a wood-chipper.

Ghost Hunters International:

Building on the success of their first paranormal series Ghost Hunters, SCI-FI went in search of spectres on a global scale. GHI chronicles the journeys of a new team of investigators as they traverse the globe on a quest to debunk ghost sightings. The premise doesn’t differ much from the original Ghost Hunters series but what really sells GHI is its elaborate locations. In this season premiere the team travels to Larnach Castle, the only one of its kind in New Zealand. There, they immerse themselves in the castle’s deep (and violent) history, hoping to learn more about the building’s former inhabitants. Much of the episode relies on setup, preparation and more setup. All of this is loosely tied together with a few mysteriously clattering dishes and some common-sense ‘debunking’ showmanship involving a hair dryer. When the payoff finally comes, we are left with little more than a history lesson and some well-presented speculation. A fun trip for sure, I just wish the destination wasn’t such a letdown.

SDCC 08 LOST Panel Report

Article originally published 07/31/2008 at popculturezoo.com

It was with a strained sense of anticipation and doubt that I, along with 6500 fans, entered Hall H for the LOST panel at San Diego Comic Con this past Saturday. Devout followers of the enigmatic TV show know that for the past couple of years, the LOST presence at SDCC has been.. well, uninspiring. Showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have a history of filling these Q&A sessions with more Q and less A. While this elusive banter (and the amusing nature in which it had been presented) has fed into the show’s overall mystique, fans have walked away from previous LOST panels at Comic Con sometimes more confused than when they went in. So, as I sat awaiting the beginning of what I was certain to be another hour cloaked in as much mystery and deception as the show itself, I talked myself into believing that year’s LOST panel would ultimately be as unfulfilling as the last two annual installments at San Diego Comic Con.

Man… was I wrong.

I will say this much about the LOST panel at this year’s San Diego Comic Con: it was perhaps the most entertaining hour I spent in Hall H. For a venue that hosted exclusive footage of The Watchmen, Terminator: Salvation and a surprise sneak preview of Tron 2, that’s saying something. Of course, being a fan of the show didn’t hurt either. The tone of the panel was set with a short video clip featuring Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse lampooning each other while ’spoiling’ all the secrets of LOST (which were of course, bleeped out).

Once the lights in the hall came up, the duo walked on stage and announced that they had a special guest for the panel. They introduced the Dharma Initiative as a sponsor of the LOST panel at this year’s SDCC and brought the company’s Head of Recruiting, Hans Van Eeghen, on stage. Van Eeghen appeared before the masses and spoke a few terse words for the attendees who visited Dharma’s booth on the Con floor and took an aptitude test judging their ability to be a part of the Initiative. In his words, the test results were “abysmal”. He proceeded to announce the names of four people who qualified to take the “second phase of the test” and once these people joined him on stage, they were led back to the company’s booth by Dharma staff members.

Once the unexpected Dharma theatrics were over, Lindelof and Cuse jumped right into answering questions from a long line of fans. I’ve done my best to summarize the highlights of this Q&A (yes, there really was A this time) below…

Beware of a few mild spoilers from the upcoming LOST Season 5!

• The island did not travel when Desmond hit the button in the hatch and the sky turned purple.
• Jin and Locke will return in Season 5. Cuse said of this “Dead is a relative term.”
• When asked which episode and season was their personal favorite, Cuse proclaimed that he loved ‘The Constant’ and Season 1 while Lindelof chose the Season 1 finale episode and Season 4.
• Both revealed that Rousseau will most definitely return for Season 5, though not necessarily in the form of a flashback. Cuse did confirm that Rousseau’s definitive story would be told in some fashion.
• Damon Lindelof expressed that it is the hope of everyone involved with the show that all episodes for Season 5 will be shown back-to-back with no interruptions.
• When a fan asked what happened to Vincent the dog, both Cuse and Lindelof jokingly replied that Vincent was alive and would likely be the only one who makes it to the end.

At this point in the Q&A session, Matthew Fox (Jack Shephard) appeared on stage to sit in on the remainder of the panel (to the deafening screams/applause of all 6500 attendees).

• Lindelof and Cuse confirmed that Kate will see Sawyer again before the show ends.
• When asked about the importance of the unnamed background characters on the show, Fox emphatically said that they are the unsung heroes of the show and that the actors who play them “bring it every day”.
• Lindelof confirmed that the location and time period in which the Season 5 premiere takes place will not be immediately obvious. “When Season 5 starts, you will not know where you are and when you are.”
• Lindelof briefly mentioned the importance that Daniel’s notebook has in the upcoming season. He referred to the notebook as having details about things that either haven’t happened or are about to happen. The details of the notebook’s contents will be featured prominently in Season 5.
• Both Lindelof and Cuse chuckled when the inevitable “How old is Richard Alpert’s character?” question was asked. They said that Nestor Carbonell (Alpert) is quite old and has been seen in a number of time periods through out the series. They also noted that there would be more of Nestor’s history in Season 5.

At the end of the Q&A session, one of the fans taken away by the Dharma reps at the beginning of the panel appeared on stage with a video camera, exclaiming that he had footage that would “explain everything”. The footage was shown in the hall and featured the well-known Dharma scientist (Francois Chau) who had previously given a number of aliases for himself, revealing that his true name was Dr. Pierre Chang. Chang claimed that he was speaking to the audience from 30 years in the past (proving this by naming George W. Bush as our current president) and stating that it was vital that the Dharma Initiative be resurrected so that their “important work could be completed”. He went onto say that he, along with everyone associated with the Dharma Initiative on the island would be killed in a “purge” which they were powerless to stop. The video was clearly meant to be aged and included a large amount of static and skips in audio.

With that, the LOST panel came to a close and fans shuffled out of Hall H with both a sense of fulfillment and awe, knowing that the next season of the series may be the best one yet.

SCI FI Brings Video Games into Reality with ‘CHA$E’

Article originally published 11/11/2008 at popculturezoo.com

It seems that what was once was the phenomenon of reality television has been subdued by years of knock-offs and the mundane rehashing of a small collection of basic templates. Reality television no longer seems fresh or exciting, instead quickly becoming a notable yet overstayed element in popular culture. While the genre itself seems to be lacking in consistent viewership, SCI FI has decided that there is still room for a new take on the dash-for-cash game show. Centered on a refreshingly original premise, CHA$E isn’t ‘Who Wants to Survive a Millionaire Idol?’ as much as it is The Running Man meets The Amazing Race… only without the chainsaws and bickering couples.

CHA$E is based on a simple premise where the winning player must ’survive’ an hour of gameplay and be the first one to an established ‘exit point’. Billed more as a live-action video game than a standard gameshow, CHA$E is shot in real-time, with each episode encompassing a single game. There are no rounds, no semi-finalists… only a one-hour sprint to the finish line. What makes this game intriguing is that the players face a common foe in the Hunters, a group of stoic and physically daunting NPC’s whose sole purpose is to ‘eliminate’ (tag out) all players before time expires. These silent predators (think a combination of a Terminator and the Agents from The Matrix) force the players to abandon their strategies and at times even work together.

This show certainly provides an intriguing concept, though its current pacing makes the full hour-long episodes a bit of a challenge to sit through. The ‘game board’ which establishes the play area changes each episode, from a deserted seaside port (including two ferries) to a theme park at night (hopefully including clowns). Players are provided with ‘utilities’ that give them additional defenses against the Hunters. However, in the pilot episode it seems that the area of the ‘game board’ (The Harbor) is too large and the Hunters too few. It is only when an additional ATV-riding Hunter is introduced toward the end of the game as a ’scout’ that we see the action pick up. Through the majority of the first half hour, we only get to watch the players run around, looking confused and spouting foreshadowing remarks of their confidence.

Despite these setbacks, I’m looking forward to additional episodes of CHA$E, which will hopefully decrease the play area and increase the number of Hunters or complexity of the game. Heck, adding a few clowns and chainsaws might not be a bad idea as well.

ARCHIVE: Interview - Stargate: Atlantis Actor David Hewlett

Article originally published 08/08/2007 at figures.com

Thanks to the folks at the SciFi Channel, we were given an opportunity to conduct a brief one-on-one interview with actor David Hewlett, otherwise known as the brilliant yet arrogant Dr. Rodney McKay on Stargate: Atlantis. We spoke with Hewlett about the upcoming season four of Atlantis, learning 'technobabble' and his reactions to the upcoming Diamond Select Rodney McKay action figure.

Figures.com: What would you like fans to know about what’s coming up in Atlantis?

DH: I’m sort of like referring it to the season of change. The fact is that McKay really never changes that much. There’s just a central core of badness that just will always be there. He’s not a nice person. The interaction for his character (in season four) becomes… it picks up quite a bit. There’s this wicked sci-fi stuff going on. All of a sudden, we’ve got Keller (Dr. Jennifer Keller played by Jewel Staite), we’ve got Amanda (Col. Samantha Carter played by Amanda Tapping) and then McKay’s got his own girlfriend, Katie Brown. So it makes it this incredibly awkward romance with McKay, which is kind of fun. I think that the appeal of the character is that (McKay) is in a room and is supposed to be explaining something but the underlying thing is just discomfort.

Figures.com: Right, McKay is never really comfortable with himself. He’s cocky but underneath it you can tell he’s never really sure. We all knew that guy… some of us were that guy.

DH: Yeah, we all knew him in high school. Everyone knew a McKay and everyone has their own McKay. But everyone wants to be the guy with their hand up in math class… the one who figures out the crossword puzzle first. And he’s that guy. I never was. So, they write the smart stuff and I do the silly and fun things.

Figures.com: How well do you do with all the technobabble on the show?

DH: First of all, learning lines is hell! I’m the worst person at learning lines. Everyone always says ‘oh you’re so good at learning your lines’… but I’m not.

Figures.com: It seems like you have some of the hardest lines.

DH: It’s just takes hours. I swear, I talk to my fiance’ more in character as McKay than we do as real people because I’m learning lines all the time.

Figures.com: Do you adapt (the technobabble) by using the Star Trek method, just making stuff up along the way?

DH: I wish I could. You can’t though. You go off on the wrong tangent and then all of a sudden it’s like ‘so… eh?’. You’ve got to get your orbits right and your Lagrangians… all sorts of stuff. Its funny, the more you do it though the more certain areas become familiar. When I start talking about zed-PM’s and power, I have a certain theory and geography figured out in my brain on how this stuff works. Usually its enough to talk about how this will follow you to this will follow you to that. But every episode (introduces) some new technology and I’ve got to explain it.

Figures.com: When you were first appeared as a guest on SG-1 years ago, did you ever think that McKay would be a regular in a full series?

DH: Not for a second. I went in and he was just the most unlikable character. He was an unlikable character and I made him even more unlikable by adding my own personality. I was a guest star and it really felt like that was going to be it. So, when they went to Atlantis and started throwing my name around… I got kind of nervous about it. As a guest star you can come in and be a jerk who thinks he knows all the answers, gets it wrong and then everyone else saves the day. All of a sudden I’m supposed to be coming up with the answers and getting along with people. It’s like, how do you marry those two completely different characters together? I think (the writers) have done a really good job of it. They have allowed me to still be that sarcastic kind of jerk but at the same time, still have a bit of a heart and help to explain why (McKay) is the way he is. Season four is really good for this.

Figures.com: It seems like you’ve been given the chance to really grow the character.

DH: Part of it is that, like you say, you were McKay growing up. I think a lot of the writers were as well. I think there’s an affinity with that character. They know how to write for him. They get his rhythm very well. So, in a strange way, learning lines becomes easier because they understand (my) rhythm and how much stuttering I’m going to do… and when I’m going to go off on tangents. They know that with anything they write, I’m going to try and say it differently than they want it to… just to be difficult.

Figures.com: So, what do you think of your new action figure? Diamond Select has a prototype of your figure down at their booth now.

DH: Really? They have that now? I’m dying to see that one!

Figures.com: Yeah, they have you in two different outfits. One in the standard uniform and a field ops version with a vest.

DH: Get out! Oh my god! When we did the head scan thing, everyone was this (looks serious) standing very still for the head scan. So I thought, what’s the best McKay (pose)? So, I did this (gives mouth open, astonished look)… he could give that (look) with a gun, a computer, it’s perfect McKay. That stuff is just… I can’t believe its me! I’m so thrilled, I’ve got to see these things!

ARCHIVE: Interview - Stargate: Atlantis Actress Jewel Staite

Article originally published 08/08/2007 at figures.com

Jewel Staite is a familiar name to sci-fi fans. Her portrayal of the mechanic Kaylee on the short-lived series Firefly cemented her status as a fan-favorite actress in the sci-fi world. Now, Staite has returned to the screen as, Dr. Jennifer Keller, a reoccurring member of Stargate: Atlantis. At this year's Comic Con, we sat down with Staite for a brief one-on-one Q&A session to find out what life is like on the SciFi Channel.

Figures.com: What would you like fans to know about what’s coming up on Stargate: Atlantis?

JS: Well, I think this season of Atlantis is a lot darker than what (fans) are usually accustomed to. We’ve got some new faces. We’ve got some old, very familiar faces coming back from the past. It’s full of surprises.

Figures.com: How do you feel about moving from the level of fandom that was created by Firefly to something that is as established as the Stargate franchise, being around for a total for 14 seasons?

JS: I feel a little bit like the new kid. I’m a bit green… but everybody’s been very accommodating. It’s interesting to be on something that runs so well. They’ve been at it for so long that it seems like clockwork. It’s amazing. And nobody really fears being cancelled On Firefly that was all that everyone had our heads around.

Figures.com: How would you feel about an action figure being created from your character on Stargate?

JS: I would love it! I’ve always wanted an action figure. They had a couple of Serenity ones out. They had a Mal, they had a Jayne and I think they had a Reaver. But they had no Kaylee, so I always felt gypped about that.

Figures.com: A lot of fans are waiting for your Stargate figure to come out so they can customize it to be a Kayee.

JS: Cool. Hopefully I’ll get one… that would be nice.

Figures.com: Fans don’t know very much about your character yet. What can we look forward to as far as an evolution of the character?

JS: I think she’s very likable. She’s smart but I don’t think she realizes how smart she is. She’s humble and she feels out of her element. I think she misses home a lot. She’s with a bunch of people she doesn’t really know. She constantly has to prove herself and she’s in danger every day. She’s just not accustomed to that. She’s a fraidy-cat… a little bit.

Figures.com: At the beginning?

JS: Well, pretty much all the way through. She’s a great doctor. She’s very very smart and when she’s in her element, in that med lab, she’s totally comfortable. But when she’s outside of it, she doesn’t really know what to do. She’s not accustomed to that world yet.

Figures.com: How do you feel about filling the role of the previous doctor (Dr. Carson Beckett) who was such a well-loved character?

JS: Well, I’m a reoccurring (character) so in a way I feel like I haven’t replaced anyone. And, it being sci-fi, nobody every really dies so anybody can come back at any time. I just hope that the fans will give her a chance and will like her as much as I like playing her. She’s fun, a lot of fun.

Figures.com: Well, I know fans are excited about seeing you back on the screen. Thanks for your time.

JS: Cool. Thank you!