The talented actors and producers of Bones made what one would assume is their final appearance at San Diego’s Comic-Con as they previewed the show’s 12th and final season. First off, showrunner/executive producer Michael Peterson said two recurring characters will be killed off on the final season, but the all of the actors featured on the panel (Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, Michaela Conlin, T.J. Thyne, Tamara Taylor, Eugene Byrd, and John Boyd) will have their characters alive and kicking by the series finale.
Although Nashville singer Tristan McIntosh was eliminated last night on American Idol, her journey on the show was a hands down success story. Just 15, McIntosh was able to grow as an artist during her AI experience and also showcase her talents to millions of viewers.
One can expect a healthy share of nostalgia for the 15th and final season of American Idol, which premieres on FOX Wednesday, January 6. Keith Urban, Harry Connick Jr., and Jennifer Lopez return as the judges, and Lopez talked about the pride she feels in taking part in this iconic show.
The fall finale of Empire’s second season airs tomorrow, and though the main storyline deals with the repercussions of a huge and possibly disastrous business decision of Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), there’s also a ton of artistry amidst all the high powered dealings thanks to Alicia Keys’ guest starring role of Skye Summers.
Though Gleeis still fresh in television’s collective memory, Lea Michele couldn’t pass up a chance to work with producer/writer Ryan Murphy once again with the freshman FOX series Scream Queens.
As a dude who hates change and loves Joe Bastianich’s no nonsense, intimidating swagger, I’m still wrapping my head around Christina Tosi’s addition to the MasterChefcrew. Tosi’s success with Milk Bar, coupled with the prospect of bringing a different dynamic to the show, should immediately put me in my happy place.
Camren Bicondova is part of the rogues gallery of villains on Gotham, Fox’s freshman series which offers a tough as nails look at the origins of the city that spawned the Caped Crusader. The show is headlined by Ben McKenzie as tough as nails cop James Gordon, with Donal Logue as Gordon’s sarcasting (and scene stealing) partner Harvey Bullock.
To prepare for the role of Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman), Bicondovahad a ton of material at her beck and call.
“I’ve been reading the comic books,” says Bicondova. “I watched some episodes with Catwoman in it from the ’60s show with Adam West and the movies. Anything I can get my hands on. I even have a D.C. encyclopedia that I go back to every now and then. So it’s really cool – I get to read the script and then go back and see how everything is working.”
In the audio clip below, Bicondova explains her initial awe at being part of the talented cast of Gotham:
After last week’s takedown of Jack Gruber (Christopher Heyerdahl), James Gordon is back to his old stoping grounds with Monday night’s (Jan. 25, 2015) episode “Welcome Back, Jim Gordon” (FOX, 8 pm et/pt).
Gothamreturns Monday night with the episode “Rogues’ Gallery,” as James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) adjusts to his new job as an Arkham Asylum corrections officer (Homelandand Firefly vet Morena Baccaringuest stars as Dr. Leslie Thompkins).
Part of Gotham’s allure centers on the gradual development of the city’s heroes and villains. With everyone’s origin story on display, one of the characters that should receive a ton of attention down the road is justice seeker Harvey Dent (Nicolas D’Agosto). Dent’s story was effectively covered in Christopher Nolan’s masterwork The Dark Knight Rises, and now Gotham is taking a crack at Dent’s morally complex universe.
Ben McKenzie and Nicholas D’Agosto in ‘Gotham.’ Cr: Jessica Miglio/FOX
In the Fox Audio Central video below, Agosto (Masters of Sex), talks about how he landed the role of Harvey Dent:
As for the emergence of Two-Face, D’Agosto doesn’t see that happening on Gotham anytime soon. Click on the Soundcloud audio below to hear the actor talk about Harvey Dent’s emergence in Gotham:
Gotham’s new episode “Rogues’ Gallery” airs Monday, January 5 on Fox (8 pm et/pt)
Premiering Wednesday, January 7 on Fox (9 pm et/pt), Empire centers on Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), a hip hop mogul who sits on a very coveted throne in the music business. Due to his failing health, Lucious must decide which of his three sons (Bryshere Gray, Jussie Smollett, Trai Byers)will take over his “empire.”
Further complicating matters is his ex-wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson), who’s been recently released from prison and plans to stake her claim to the family fortune.
With filmmaker Lee Daniels (Lee Daniels’ The Butler, The Paperboy) serving as an executive producer and Timbaland on board as the music supervisor, Empire has collected an impressive cast and crew (the series was created by actor/scribe Danny Strong, who penned the script for Lee Daniels’ The Butler).
For Taraji P. Henson, who previously had a successful run on the CBS series Person of Interest, one reason she joined the series was her overall belief in Fox’s creative direction:
“They’re not afraid to push the envelope. I think Fox is one of the major networks that’s beginning to take that leap – they’re seeing why primetime television shows aren’t being recognized at award shows. Because on HBO and Showtime, they’re making people think. It’s not so safe – that’s life.”
To hear Taraji P. Henson talk about Cookie’s fashion sense on Empire (as well as Cookie’s character arc), click on the audio below:
We’ve witnessed the Caped Crusader’s origin story with the Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins) and Tim Burton (Batman) features, and with the new Fox series Gotham another hero’s background will come to light. Benjamin McKenzie, TV alum of the acclaimed series Southland, plays Detective James Gordon, a lawman bent on restoring a crumbling Gotham into a shiny and livable metropolis.
Like McKenzie, Gotham cast member Donal Logue (he plays Detective Harvey Bullock) has had his share of success on television and received his share of praise for the gone too soon TV series Terriers. Both Southland and Terriers needed their share of exposure to the audience, but with Gotham the hype machine is definitely on full blast. Logue understands that he and McKenzie are in a very good place with Gotham.
“We’ve done work we’re really proud of, we’ve been in these things that have been like real family. But no (I’ve) never stepped into a situation where you didn’t have to fight and try to explain, ‘this is what or show is about and it’s called this.’ So to have that functional wave to sit on already – it’s crazy. Even when they were talking about the casting and there was a rumor that I was Gordon or whatever – my friends were like ‘dude you have to check out the internet.’ People (were) just waiting for information about who’s going to be on the show and who’s doing what.”
Click on the media bar below to hear Benjamin McKenzie explain why Gotham is not just for Batman fans:
