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Doux News: November 11, 2012

This week: The Killing -- Haven -- Beauty and the Beast -- Arrow -- Ron Moore, Outlander, and yet more Battlestar -- Now Tarzan? -- This week in cats

Apparently, Netflix and AMC are in the process of un-canceling The Killing. They're talking about an initial run of a third season on AMC, followed by streaming on Netflix. I'm sure we can talk Mark Greig into taking the show back on... just kidding, Mark. I would never be so cruel.

Syfy has renewed Haven for a fourth season. How about that. Congratulations, Haven.

The CW's Beauty and the Beast just got a full season pick-up. Really? I couldn't make myself even try it. Is anyone watching? How is it doing?  Does it look better on the inside than it does from the outside?

First Torchwood's John Barrowman, and now, Farscape and Stargate SG-1's Ben Browder is going to guest star on Arrow. They know their audience, don't they? I read this article three times and still can't tell if Browder is going to be a one-time guest star or a continuing character. Does anyone know? (Let's hope for continuing, shall we?)

Ron Moore, Outlander, and yet more Battlestar

There's more on Ron Moore's new project, which is adapting the Outlander novels by Diana Gabaldon for television. If you're not familiar with Outlander, it's about a World War II nurse who travels back in time to 18th century Scotland. As I've mentioned before, I loved the first few novels, but it eventually lost me. And unfortunately, it's going to be on Starz. I don't want to subscribe to Starz just to see it. Although I'll undoubtedly rent the show at some point.

Any Outlander and Battlestar fans out there with a reaction? Excited? Apprehensive?

Speaking of which, Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome is on its way, starting with webisodes and ending with a two-hour movie on Syfy in 2013. The story centers on young William Adama during the first Cylon war. I wish I felt more enthusiastic about this. I loved Battlestar and reviewed all four seasons, but the sequel movies and Caprica have left me cold. Maybe I was just done with Battlestar after the series finale.

Now Tarzan?

David Yates, the director of four Harry Potter movies, has decided on his next movie project: Tarzan of the Apes.

So there's this.

When the word came out that they were finally making a movie out of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars books, I was thrilled. I loved the classic sci-fi novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs when I was young; even though they were unquestionably old-fashioned (the first was written in 1912) there was something about them that spoke to me. Especially the Mars series.

But the thing is, Edgar Rice Burroughs's most famous books, and the character he wrote the most about, was Tarzan. And I didn't care much for Tarzan, even though there was a lot more to the guy than the movie character who grunted, "Me Tarzan, you Jane." When I first discovered Burroughs, I read the first two Tarzan books and decided they weren't for me.

Tarzan movies, TV shows and cartoons have been around forever. The only one I even halfway liked was Greystoke, mostly because it was true to Burroughs (and starred Highlander's Christopher Lambert). Granted, the big movie treatment did not do the Mars series justice; John Carter, unfortunately, bombed big time, which was a huge personal disappointment to me. Maybe all this baggage has made me less than interested in a Tarzan reboot.

Wow. I don't have a lot of positive stuff to say this morning, do I? Maybe it's time to talk about cats.

This week in cats

Our favorite online cat has returned! Henri le chat noir has posted his inimitable existential commentary on Halloween. (I should have posted this a couple of weeks ago, but better late than never.)




My favorite line is about Halloween costumes: "No one ever dresses as crippling self-doubt."

Henri le chat noir now has his own web site, a Facebook page and he's on Twitter. His slogan? "I am filled with ennui... and party mix."

That's it for this week. Opinions, raves, rants, questions? Post a comment!


22 comments:

  1. What is wrong with Netflix? We don't want a third season of The Killing, we want a fourth season of Veronica Mars. Can't we have that instead?

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  2. Billie,

    the articles that I read on Blood & Chrome said that the entire movie would be divided into webepisodes, THEN iT'd air on TV. (and yes, meh on Caprica)

    Yay for Henri; I guess I'm a sucker for an existentialist cat with an horrible french accent. If ever you catch Josie teleporting a puss, warn me please, I'm (pigeon) stooling her to the Humane Society ASAP.

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  3. I've just watched Henri's video : LMAO.

    And another LMAO about his website : T-shirt for sale ! The poster looks great !

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  4. Let me add up that the CGI model of Galactica in the first 5 minutes is spectacular !

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  5. (with my Leonard Nimoy voice) Fascinating !!!

    https://www.google.ca/search?num=10&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1797&bih=1140&q=henri+the+cat&oq=henri+the+cat&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l9.1629.4303.0.4685.13.12.0.1.1.0.75.838.12.12.0...0.0...1ac.1.Kb9eKzb5XGg

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  6. Ouch! That cat has a truly hideous French accent! But I guess I should simply admire the fact that he can speak French, after all, I can't speak cat half as well as that! :p

    My interpretation on that article is that we'll only get Ben Browder for a single episode... we can only hope they don't fully close his story, leaving the door open for more.

    I'm excited about Blood and Chrome! Always happy about more BSG! (and currently re-watching the series on dvd)

    I have a confession to make: I have been watching Beauty and the Beast! (please don't shoot me!) I don't really know why... morbid curiosity? I'm wondering where they'll take the story. It's gotten a bit better, but not much. If it were to end tomorrow I wouldn't miss it, but after a full season who knows?

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  7. My understanding of the Blood and Chrome airing plans is the same Celticmarc's. That they'll air the whole pilot as a series of webisodes first, then air it on SyFy as a full two-hour movie, and eventually release it on DVD. I might watch it when it airs on TV. I just don't care enough anymore to digest it in small weekly chunks on the web. And I was kind of digging Caprica by the time it ended! (But pretty much only right as it ended. It was losing me big time until then.)

    I'm a fan of the Outlander series, although my enthusiasm has waned considerably with the last few entries. (It took me a year and change to read the most recent book, and I remember not being overly fond of the one before that.) I don't think I love the show enough to subscribe to Starz, although I'm curious to see what Ron Moore does with the first book and will likely check out the DVDs.

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  8. Jess ! FYI :

    http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Battlestar-Galactica-Blood-and-Chrome/17717

    this is where I found out about B & C

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  9. Like Cris, I must admit to being one who watches Beauty and the Beast. I wasn't a huge fan of the pilot (as though of you who read my article know), but for some reason I watched the second, then the third... I still roll my eyes when Vincent beasts out, but I am enjoying the relationships of the various characters on the show. I'm not completely invested in it, but am now curious to see where they'll take a whole season.

    I loved the first few Outlander books, but grew a bit weary of the story through the final installments. This is one I will wait to watch on Netflix.

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  10. I'm watching Beauty and the Beast still too, but it's almost as if I am waiting for one horrible episode so I have a good excuse to quit. I almost stopped watching after episode 3, but the preview for episode 4 was intriguing enough to sway my mind.

    It still feels far too much like a cheesy Hallmark movie. I was kind of hoping it wouldn't get picked up for a full season so Matt Davis' Cult could get the post-Vampire Diaries slot (and pull over all the Alaric fans). I really don't think it will get a season 2 unless it starts showing some purpose and direction.

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  11. CrazyCris, Henri addresses fan complaints about his French in an earlier video. Henri speaks perfect French, it's the rest of the world that speaks poorly.

    Billie, I didn't know you like the Outlander novels! I started reading the first one about 2 months ago and liked it...until I reached the middle part, which seems to be one sex scene after another. Does the actual plot pick up eventually?

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  12. Josie, the Outlander novels are definitely not wall-to-wall sex. The core story is a romance, but there's a lot of Scottish and American history, and some serious time-jumping. If that helps.

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  13. If there's more time-jumping to look forward to, I'll pick it up again!

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  14. Zut! And here I thought I had a perfect accent! *grumble, grumble*

    I've never heard about the Outlander novels, but love the idea of a fish out of the water tale! Modern-day nurse in old Scotland? By Moore? Count me in to at least give it a chance! ;o)

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  15. I also enjoyed the first Outlander novel...until it turned into straight-up soft-core porn! Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't enjoy a good sex scene, it was just a bit much. I even started reading the second book, since the first chapter was included at the end of the first book, and even that short exerpt had a sex scene. I really loved the concept and enjoyed the scifi/historical aspects, but in the end I just felt I had been duped into reading a trashy romance novel. But, based on your recommendation, Billie, I will give it another shot.

    I do think it will make a great TV series! Interesting premise, beautiful scenery, men in kilts...

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  16. I didn't finish the series, so I'm not that sure I can recommend them. Everyone's mileage varies. But I think there's a lot of story for Ron Moore to get his teeth into. It's been years since I read them, and it's not the sex that I remember -- it's the war and torture, the horrific medical stuff, and the time travel elements.

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  17. Fair enough! Well, just knowing there is more time travel in the Outlander series is enough to interest me, and I have been curious about how some of the mysteries/relationships set up in the first book turn out.

    I agree there is a lot for some talented writer to run with. Hopefully, it will work out much like the "Vampire Diaries", where a book with an interesting premise provides a framework for an excellent TV series. I'm looking forward to it!

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  18. I've read all the books, and they certainly get a bit lurid at times with the sex scenes, but I think the appeal lies in the characters, their relationships, and the struggles of people with future knowledge and the limits of what they can do with it. Plus, having characters with future sensibilities --- particularly regarding gender roles --- trying to cope in the past provides a lot of interesting dynamics. It's definitely not all sex, all the time, and as Billie says, there's so much other stuff going on that the sex scenes aren't what really stays with you.

    The reason I've started to lose my enthusiasm for the books is that they are incredibly long, and it starts to feel like an endless string of misery piled on the characters. Especially after seven or eight books. To gin up drama, something bad always has to happen. The characters get to a happy, comfortable place, and it just never lasts. Granted, the times they are living in are dangerous and the characters are the type to get drawn into the action, but I just get tired of it after awhile. I kind of want the story to end, so that I know roughly where everyone ends up, but I'm not super excited to slog through the next twenty rounds of "and then something horrible happens." At some point, enough is enough. I like these characters, and I'm tired of "watching" them suffer.

    How's that for a ringing endorsement? :)

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  19. Well, actually, that is a bit of an endorsement for me! I like character driven stories, so knowing that you cared enough about them to not want them to suffer says a lot.

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  20. I'll be the third person to admit I'm still watching it. I can't really pinpoint what it is, but it hasn't been horrible enough to quit, but it's also not good enough that it's one of those shows I have to watch first.

    I found it interesting that over on Castletv.net, a poster was comparing Beauty and the Beast to Castle, which I don't see. I mean yes there are similarities in the two lead female characters having similar first names (one spelled with a C, the other with a K), both having their mothers murdered, both being NYPD cops. But beyond that, they're two different shows.

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  21. How is this the first time I've watched Henri le chat noir? He's awesome! (accent notwithstanding)

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  22. Juliette,

    Meeeeeowwww

    J'adore les chats et l'Angleterre !

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