Something next to normal, that's the thing I'd like to try

* Julie Plec's season 4 post-mortem of The Vampire Diaries.

* The folks behind Game of Thrones are talking about setting an end date for the TV series, even though the final books haven't been published yet.

* The woman behind one of The Office's fansites got to appear in the series finale.

* An interview with Joshua Malina, where he talks about Scandal, Aaron Sorkin, and being a douche on the internet.

* Joss Whedon confirms that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are set to appear in Avengers 2. Meanwhile, the Black Panther rumors have reignited due to Marvel's interest in filming in South Africa. Plus, a look at what's coming up in Phase 3.

* I apparently missed the rumor that either Hawkeye wouldn't be in Avengers 2 or Jeremy Renner was being recast, but apparently the rumor is now that all of that was false and he IS in it? Battle of the anonymous sources!

* Vincent Kartheiser as Mr. Darcy is actually really inspired casting.

* Here's a trailer for Dexter season 8.

* A new Broadway musical starring my TV boyfriend Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez? I am so there.

* In case you weren't following the many fall schedule updates, here's the whole thing in a handy grid.

* SMG and Robin Williams talking about their new show again.

* Matt Smith and David Tennant talking about Doctor Who and the 50th anniversary.

* More Into the Woods casting: Emily Blunt as the Baker's Wife, which I can actually get behind? And Jewel as Cinderella, which... I quit. WHY, UNIVERSE? THIS MOVIE IS ALL I HAVE EVER WANTED IN LIFE. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?

* Captain America is in Dupont Circle today.

* J. August Richards is apparently not playing Luke Cage in SHIELD. In case you were wondering.

* And another SHIELD interview.

* The CW's fall schedule was announced today.

* SMG talks about her new show.

* ABC's fall schedule was announced today.

* SHIELD has a full trailer! Observations: (1) Yeah, fuck it, I quit with the long title and the periods. Y'all know what I'm talking about. (2) J. August Richards! Who appears to be a superhero! (3) "It means someone really wanted our initials to spell SHIELD." Heh.

* Chris Evans came to visit today. I am a terrible stalker and did not head to the Mall on my lunch break to check out filming. :(

* Downton Abbey season 4 has a US premiere date. Once again, it's months after the UK season.

* Houston, we have a Mother! I think going with an unknown actress was probably the best option. I never saw Once on Broadway, so I have no opinion on Cristin Milioti, but I'm always in favor of theater actors getting more work.

* The Mindy Project has had a bit of an uneven first season, and it's earned much of my affection solely based on the fact that Mindy is pretty much exactly my friend Christi, but this is a good discussion of what it's doing well and what sets it apart from most of TV.

* The new Catching Fire poster is very pretty.

* A look at some of the pilots that didn't make it this year.

THIS is the longest linkspam ever. At least a week's worth, and of course my busiest week ever is the week a slew of TV renewals, pick-ups, and cancellations were announced. I still have some straggler tabs that I haven't looked at yet, but this is getting out of control, so let's just hit post...

Marvel links:

* How they did the sound effects for Iron Man 3.

* Still haven't seen it, so you tell me: did IM3 ruin the Mandarin?

* Tony Stark is the new Captain America? (Metaphorically, obviously.) I guess it's not that surprising that Cap would rub off on him quite a bit. (...heh heh)

* Joss talks more about Avengers 1 and 2, as does Kevin Feige.

* Even though Joss has already debunked the Marvel contract negotiations article (or at least the parts that were about him), the question of whether Avengers 2 needs Iron Man creatively is an interesting one. Assuming, of course, I can set aside my immediate "BUT TONY/STEVE!!" reaction... lol. I'd rather have a Tony Stark-less Avengers 2 than recasting RDJ, though.

* Another collection of hilarious RDJ quotes. "I’d rather wake up in jail for a TB test than have to wake up another morning knowing I’m going to the set of US Marshals." See, this is what makes him not seem like a total asshole when he talks about how awesome he is - because he's just as brutally honest when talking about the craptastic shit he's done.

* And another really long RDJ interview. He talks a lot about his childhood and dancing in this one.

* Saoirse Ronan is apparently the "prototype" for Scarlet Witch in Avengers 2. The article also includes this piece of WTFery: the characters will be British "rather than trying to have actors playing Eastern Europeans." Because there are no actual Eastern European actors in the world who could possibly play the roles? If they just want to make the characters British, whatever, but making them British so that actors don't have to play Eastern European is kind of ridonkulous.

* Who on earth thought dudes in tactical gear carrying assault weapons was a good way to promote a movie? Even one with some connection to S.H.I.E.L.D.

* Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was officially picked up for a full season, thereby becoming the early favorite for the Emmy for Longest Title of a TV Series. It also has a very shiny new logo.

* With superhero movies doing so well, why are superhero TV series struggling so much? And what does that mean for S.H.I.E.L.D.?


TV links:

* One more post-mortem for season 1 of The Americans.

* The Americans is promoting two of its cast members to series regulars, though I don't think we should be any less worried about them possibly getting killed off.

* Homeland is also promoting some folks to series regulars.

* Sarah Michelle Gellar's new show (also starring Robin Williams) was picked up. Alas, so was Margo Martindale's show, which means I guess we won't be seeing her much (or at all) on The Americans.

* Parks and Recreation has been renewed for a sixth season. Scandal, Suburgatory, Nashville, and Revenge were all also renewed.

* On the other hand, Smash was canceled, as was Go On. And this summer will be the last season for Burn Notice.

* Since Kiefer Sutherland's show Touch isn't coming back, apparently someone decided we need more 24? So we may be getting another 13 episodes.

* As if TVD and The Originals weren't enough, Julie Plec has a THIRD series coming to the CW next season. (Also: WOW Aimee Teegarden looks different with dark hair.)

* 10 things you didn't know about The Office. Sadly, some of those casting ideas (Alan Tudyk as Michael Scott? An African American Pam? sound more awesome than the show we got.

* I haven't been watching Psych this season, but Cary Elwes is coming back.

* Who should play the Mother on HIMYM? Do we even care anymore?

* Bryan Cranston was in town and talking politics. Heisenberg for president?

[1-67] Iron Man 3

Preview:



( Read more... )

Non-Marvel news:

* The Into the Woods movie will be filming in London, and they're still looking for a Little Red Riding Hood. I am available and I already know all the lines. Just saying.

* Max Greenfield will be popping up in the Veronica Mars movie.

* Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman starring in a movie adaptation of Macbeth? Er, they are not the first two people that come to mind for those roles, lol.

* What would you consider a "victorious" ending to Breaking Bad?

* Lots of post-season interviews around last night's finale of The Americans, including Matthew Rhys (I love the speculation about his cover identities' prospective porn careers), Noah Emmerich, and Margo Martindale. 

* What Homeland could learn from The Americans - a really interesting look at the similarities, and more importantly, the differences between the two shows.

* Also, Martha earns the dubious honor of being TV's Saddest Character.

* The Good Wife also wrapped up its season this week. You guys, what a totally underrated show this is. Okay, they fell down hard this season with Kalinda, but I don't think comparisons to Mad Men are unwarranted.

* Mike Schur talks about tonight's season finale of Parks and Recreation, which he's pretty confident will be back for another season next year.

* Game of Thrones and Parks and Recreation, as imagined by each others' showrunners: "Daenerys holds a public forum to discuss the park. The Starks think the park should have a wolf run, the Targaryens want more fire pits, the Lannisters don’t want to pay for it."

* Orphan Black has been renewed for a second season. Is anyone else watching this show? I haven't had a chance to talk about it, but I've really been enjoying it - more than Doctor Who, actually. (For Being Erica fans, Dr. Tom's daughter plays the main character(s), and she's excellent.)

* LOL Theresa Rebeck, just because season 2 of Smash isn't doing well, that doesn't mean you're not still to blame for season 1 sucking. The problem is that season 2 sucks in entirely different ways. But I still find it more entertaining than season 1 - mainly because it spends a lot more time actually being about the process of getting a show to Broadway and not soapy melodrama involving characters I hate.


And all the Marvel stuff:

* RDJ on the Tonight Show. OMG now I want to take him to Lancaster and introduce him to spaghetti pizza.

* Kevin Feige talks about how Iron Man has come full circle and gives a thumbs-down to Spiderman joining the Avengers. Sorry, Superfamily nerds.

* Don Cheadle hates the Iron Man suit. Actually, the phrase he uses is "torture chamber."

* More bookmarking this for myself than anything else, a spoileriffc review of Iron Man 3 that should really be read after the movie.

* That rumor about Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in Avengers 2 is true (until the next rewrite, lol... as I recall, the Wasp was a huge part of the original draft of the first Avengers, and we see how that turned out).

* Here's a rundown of what's to come in Marvel's Phase Two.

* Semi-related: IM3 director Shane Black is apparently the king of hilarious screenplays. No, not the dialogue. The in-between bits.

[1-18] iconthat challenges
[19-34] RDJ (with Susan Downey)
[35-78] The Vampire Diaries 4.17-4.19

Preview:



( Read more... )

* Kiernan Shipka is totally grown up OMG, but still not allowed to watch Mad Men.

* On the other hand, OMG Maisie Williams is SIXTEEN? She looks so much younger on Game of Thrones.

* Neil Patrick Harris and family are moving to New York after HIMYM ends.

* Klaus will apparently still be pining over Caroline in The Originals. AS LONG AS HE'S NOT DOING IT ON MY SHOW ANYMORE.

* Julianna Margulies talks about this season of The Good Wife.

* While I don't necessarily agree with all the specific points, I am definitely feeling a sense of diminishing returns when it comes to Doctor Who and this new ~mystery of Clara.

* I totally want a TARDIS refrigerator, though.

* A Guys and Dolls movie starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum? I have a lot of conflicting reactions, lol.

* LOL! During press for Iron Man 3, RDJ calls Gwyneth Paltrow a snob, and then she smacks him.

* Scarlett Johansson on the set of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. What have they done to Black Widow's hair? :(

* First trailer for Thor: The Dark World. Heh, compared to Iron Man 3, this seems so terribly meh. Also, needs moar Loki.

(Sidebar, what is it with Marvel and annoyingly long titles? And why is Iron Man the only franchise that escapes?)

Good grief, this has been a week, hasn't it? Here's a bunch of entertaining, non-serious stuff to cheer us up:

* Okay, one Boston link, because it's Amy Poehler and she is wonderful and honest and I love her.

* You can watch the full version of Patton Oswalt's Parks and Recreation filibuster online. It is astoundingly nerdy.

* Conan O'Brien moderated a panel with Vince Gilligan and the cast of Breaking Bad.

* The first photo from the final episodes of Breaking Bad, which now has an official return date of August 11. I'M NOT READY FOR IT TO BE OVER.

* A trailer for the final season of Dexter. I am SO ready for this to be over.

* LOL, they've changed the title of that S.H.I.E.L.D. show again. Now it's just Agents of Too Many Periods.

* Mark Ruffalo discovers fandom's obsession with "Science Bros" and is (fortunately) amused. I also love that his first reaction is to call Robert Downey Jr. and tell him about it. LMAO.

* As a follow-up to the RDJ interview I posted the other day, here's a collection of his ten best quotes.

* Amanda Seyfried wants to play Regina in the Mean Girls musical.

If you wanna play, tell me how old you are (or how old you're willing to admit to) and I'll choose an age for you.

elynittria gave me 19...

I lived in:

19: A college dorm with a roommate who ended up dropping out. TWO OF THEM, actually. I am apparently roommate kryptonite, because both my freshman and sophomore year roommates dropped out. To be fair, one was a total pothead, and the other had some mental health issues. Nevertheless, I am somewhat shocked I found anyone willing to risk living with me during my junior and senior years.

Now: I live in a condo in northern VA, which I bought 2 years ago and spent many many posts talking about. I no longer have roommates.


I drove:

19: My 1985 Subaru station wagon. I drove that car until it fell apart around me. Literally. I once lost a muffler on I-95 and had to drive home dragging my exhaust system behind me. The only reason I gave it up was because the bottom of the car rusted out and it finally failed inspection.

Now: I recently acquired my grandmother's 2003 Hyundai Sonata. It has all its parts and working air conditioning, and nothing under the hood is leaking (as far as I know), which puts it a step above my previous car.


I was in a relationship with:

19: Nobody. This was during my period of self-imposed singleness, which I deemed necessary after my bad decision-making in high school. That eventually gave way to my boy-crazy phase, where I was crushing on a different guy every month. I still wasn't in a relationship, but not for lack of trying...

Now: Nobody. I'm hopeful that starting a new job will enable me to meet more people and broaden my circle of potential dates, because I've given up on meeting guys any other way. Especially online dating. *shudders*


I feared:

19: Being a grown-up. Getting a B. That no one would ever love me.

Now: Up until three weeks ago, I feared not having enough money to pay my mortgage. (Yay new job!) Otherwise... being a grown-up. Failing. That no one will ever love me.


I worked at:

19: The chem lab. I did research with my chemistry professor my entire freshman year and the first half of my sophomore year of college, at which point I decided I didn't want to work in a lab for the rest of my life, and also I watched too much of The West Wing and it inspired some sort of foolish idealism.

Now: A health care trade association.


I wanted to be:

19: A brilliant research scientist. President of the United States. Briefly, I toyed with becoming a lawyer. Or a CSI. I possibly may have picked my potential careers based on what I was watching on television.
Now: Independently wealthy. Or a Broadway star. Preferably both.