While we reported yesterday that Fringe star Kirk Acevedo left a Facebook message decrying his being fired from the show, execs behind the show deny it.

Executive producer Jeff Pinkner told Entertainment Weekly today that not only was Acevedo not fired, but “Like all things on Fringe, there is more to this story than meets the eye… We have already seen two of him on the show…We have already met the second Charlie. He had a scar on his face.”

This is why having a show like this is so maddening — is this true? Is it a weird PR/alternate-reality game stunt? Or is this just a smokescreen for what really happened?

Kryptonite, Lex Luthor and Doomsday have yet to fell the “Boy of Steel” (funny, for a lead actor in his 30s now), but finally something may be too deadly for Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman to overcome: A new Friday night timeslot.

Making the rounds in entertainment trades is news that The CW network has laid out their Fall 2009 schedule, and while Smallville managed to survive (news known for weeks, actually), the show looks like odd man out in terms of its choice time of the week. Making way for a new program (The Vampire Diaries) to be paired Thursday nights with the thriving Supernatural, Smallville has been moved to Fridays and given a mere repeat of America’s Top Model (I just threw up a little in my mouth) to carry the night for the network. Gotta love, also, how CW has put together a night devoted to Aaron Spelling material from days of old, 90210 and Melrose Place. I can assure you what network I will NOT be watching on Tuesday nights come September.

Terminator fans know all too well how toxic Friday night prime time can be with the recent cancellation of Fox’s Sarah Connor Chronicles. And despite being touched by an angel with Dollhouse, Joss Whedon fans were infamously burned with the short shrift given to cult classic Firefly. But despite the fact that I am sure Smallville’s move to Fridays is the first step in The CW clearing it off the books a year from now, I really can’t complain about the show’s treatment dating back to its origins on The WB in 2001. Nine seasons for any show in this day and age is remarkable, and in spite of creative ups and downs over the years, there is no denying that Smallville cemented its status in Superman lore years ago.

Ultimately my biggest hope is that the show producers develop a season from beginning to end that’ll make some sort of historical sense in Man of Steel mythology and not make it up as they go along, unsure of the promise of a tenth season. And I know everyone who follows the show has an idea in their head on how the eventual series finale should play out, but I for one would like them to simply end Season 9, regardless of the show’s fate, on a note that gives fans a sense of hope, if not closure. Stay tuned.

Kirk Acevedo, who played Agent Charlie Francis in Fringe, may have just been edged out of the next season.

Entertainment Weekly reports that  Acevedo, who has been in films such as Saving Private Ryan and Invincible, wrote on his Facebook page, “WELL BOYS AND GIRLS THEY DONE DID YER BOY WRONG! THEY FIRED ME OFF OF FRINGE, AND IVE NEVER BEEN FIRED IN MY LIFE!!!!”

The Livejournal ohnotheydidn’t has an image of the Facebook posting in question. There has currently been no word from Fringe backer Fox.

[Image via TVGuide]

Geeks are shooting three for four on the bubble shows. Chuck, which has been in the ether for the last few weeks after its “change everything” season finale, has now been confirmed as picked up for a third, 13 episode season, according to Hollywood Reporter and EW.com. No word on whether it has the option of more episodes, but it is currently reported as being on the fall schedule. The show will be making budget cuts, including less frequent apearances by much of the supporting cast. Doesn’t seem like too big a deal, though, as the finale lent itself to some new story telling, with Chuck moving on from the Buy More and his best friend moving to Hawaii.

In not-so-great geek TV news, however, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles won’t get the chance to ride on the coattails of the next Terminator feature film, Terminator: Salvation, as it has been officially cancelled, EW also reports. The show saw steadily plummeting ratings in its sophomore season, having shared Friday nights with Dollhouse, which defied the odds and did pick up another season. A possible new pairing for Dollhouse, now, is DC Comics adaptation Human Target, coincidentally also a show about constantly changing identities.

So, in the wake of this week’s season finale of Smallville, “Doomsday,” there was a little matter of a letter that Clark Kent composed in the event of his passing, as the Red-Blue Blur, that Lois Lane was instructed to run in the Daily Planet. 
It was only for a few moments at best that the viewers got a glimpse of the letter as Clark (Tom Welling) was typing it out.  As a service to the loyal viewers, I made it a point to transcribe the letter in its entirety…

To the citizens of Metropolis:

You have welcomed me into your city and allowed me to make it my home. I will always be grateful for that. Which is why I cannot leave without saying goodbye. This newspaper has made me into what you think I am — an example, a symbol, a “hero.” But the truth is, I’m simply one of you. The only difference is that my days in the shadows and my nights on the streets have allowed me to see what you’ve lost sight of — the good in each of you.

I’ve seen regular people do extraordinary things. I’ve seen you help each other up after you’ve been knocked down. I’ve seen you stand together when times are tough. And I’ve seen the smallest act make the biggest change. If I’ve done anything right, I hope it’s help you realize one person can make a difference in the lives of others — that Metropolis doesn’t need a hero. Have faith in yourself, and you will find hope in each other.

Remember, it’s not the mask that makes the hero. It’s the choices we make and the desire to do what’s right. I’ve seen that desire in all of you. It inspired me to promise I would do everything in my power to protect this city — but I can’t promise that I’ll be around forever. One day, there may be a fight I cannot win.

But if that day comes, please, keep fighting without me to make the world a better place. Be the heroes I know you are.

~ The Red-Blue Blur

It’s just a rumor, but it’s flying over Twitter. According to TVGuide:

#falltv Sources tell TVGuide.com’s Matt Mitovich that Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse is “looking really good” for a Season 2 renewal.

We’ll try to bring you news as soon as we have it, but if it’s true, this makes me happy.

UPDATE: The rumors appear to be true.

The show will return for 13 episodes, with an option for more episodes if required.  Return is seen likely for Fall.

If this show is canceled, there is no justice on television (oh, wait…). Dollhouse is sci-fi done right, with action aplenty, eye candy all over the place, and yes, plot twist on top of plot twist.

But what makes Dollhouse really worth watching is that it asks tough questions and indicts the viewer–each time you like the way Echo or Sierra or November (or Victor) looks all dressed up, each time you think “wouldn’t that be nice,” you are just as bad as the customers of the Dollhouse. You cannot simply write off its characters as bad guys or good guys, because it constantly makes you decide with whom to identify, and then proving you wrong.

I’ve tried to keep this review relatively spoiler-free, at least for this episode, but it’s hard to write about this show without referencing some of the twists, so it’s below the jump, just in case.

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The new “Trending Topics” Twitter sidebar is usually filled with things that bore me: today it was Manny Ramirez, KFC, and….Dollhouse?

I had to check and see why Dollhouse was suddenly a hot topic of conversation, and I found a “Tweet to save Dollhouse!” campaign in action. BuddyTV is starting a campaign to try to keep FOX from cancelling Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku’s show.

Step One. Leave a comment below.  Tell us exactly what it is that you love about Dollhouse. It can be anything. Is it the plot, the characters, the writing style, the suspense, whatever it is we want to know! The more specific the better.  We will take all of the feedback from the comments and send it to the network explaining for our fans why Dollhouse needs to see a second season (and many more after that).

Step Two. Spread the word.  We want you to talk about it on twitter! Log on to your twitter account and tweet out this message (exactly as it appears):

Support Joss: Save Dollhouse. Fans get their voices heard @BuddyTV http://tinyurl.com/SaveDollhouse Please ReTweet and join the cause.

Of course, BuddyTV seems to be as interested in getting you to follow them on Twitter as they are in saving Dollhouse, but their Twitter campaign appears to be spreading, if you can believe the Trending Topics sidebar. And since I love the show–even if I rarely watch it at its Friday 9PM time, usually catching it on Hulu–you should help out. All it takes is a tweet.

Despite NBC having announced most of their shows next season, genre sleeper hit Chuck is still on the bubble, as they say, until May 19th.

Michael Ausiello over at Entertainment Weekly says that the slacker spy, along with Law & Order, Medium, Life, and My Name is Earl are still being decided by NBC execs. Law & Order and Medium seem to be about negotiating how many episodes, but people really want to know what the Chuck is up with Chuck.

If the show does meet an untimely demise, it could possibly follow in the footsteps of Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller, who is moving his cancelled series to DC Comics. Chuck previously has roots with the Warner Bros.-owned publisher, having had a six-issue miniseries published last year by Wildstorm.

Interview with Julia Wertz, creator of I Saw You…Comics Inspired by Real Life Missed Connections. Who doesn’t love missed connections? Even better in comics form.

Girl-Wonder.org has a new blogger at 1000 Miles Outside Metropolis, and her first post is on the perils of reading indie comics in a lousy economy. Check it out.

Comicsgirl is actually looking forward to Marvel Divas. And she makes me rethink my snark. (h/t When Fangirls Attack)

Daryl Cagle’s Arlen Specter cartoon made me laugh, and I love when he posts his progress on a cartoon.

Suzie at Echidne of the Snakes takes on Dollhouse-as-boyfriend-test. Take note, gentlemen.

I totally love when political bloggers blog about comics. Attackerman on Wolverine.

Finally, don’t forget G. Willow Wilson’s May Day AIRlift project. Buy comics, help a good cause. You can indeed still participate buying from your local retailer…

When you’re a show on the bubble and your season’s about to wrap, it’s good to give the fans something tasty that they can savor for awhile. The season (don’t make me say series, NBC) finale of Chuck was pretty darn successful at doing just that. This final, wedding-based episode did a terrific job of tying up loose ends and giving certain characters some new direction without really closing the door on anything in a finite way. This is in no way meant to be an Post Game-style episode recap (so spoiler shields up) to get you up to speed, this is for the faithful viewers who watched Chuck this week and hope that the line “I know Kung Fu” is only the start of something special.
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And Juliet Landau is co-writing.

I posted the other day about James Marsters‘ experience writing comics, but I have to say I find this interesting. After all, other than the writers of the TV series, who knows the characters better than the people who played them? Amber Benson notably has gone on from playing Tara on Buffy to working on Buffy comics to writing other comics, as well as novels and screenplays. Why not more?

It could just be a gimmick to get more fans of the series reading the comics, but I don’t know how many people would honestly read a comic written by an actor if they weren’t already inclined to do so. I suppose we’ll have to wait and see if it’s any good.

I’m still not finished working my way through the Buffy and Angel TV series on DVD, so I have yet to read the Buffy and Angel comics, though I bought them for my sister for her birthday. So I was surprised to hear that James Marsters (Spike from the show, for the uninitiated) had guest-written an issue of the Dark Horse Buffy comics.

Splash Page had a story earlier today with Marsters’s comments on writing the comic, which included:

“I thought that if I wrote a comic, I’d have ultimate power over everything,” said Marsters. “It was a rude awakening to find out how little power writers have.”

Dark Horse gave Splash Page a statement in response to Marsters’s comments, which included criticisms of artist Ryan Sook.

“The artist James was referring to was Ryan Sook, and he was someone Joss really liked,” explained Dark Horse Senior Managing Editor Scott Allie… “When James expressed his concerns about Ryan, Joss talked to James for me, and told him this was how he wanted the book handled. I talked to Juliet about this recently, and she had no problem with any of it — she’d seen the book and thought it was fine.”

This all may have been blown out of proportion just a bit, though. After all, the original article ended with Marsters joking that all of the portrayals of his character in the subsequent comics have been “overly handsome.”

I got over my embarrassment at being a Twilight fan months ago, but even I’m a little ashamed that I was as excited about these preview clips for an Entertainment Tonight behind the scenes special.

Clips don’t seem to want to embed, so here’s the links. One and Two.

(From the Examiner)

Twilight: I admit to liking it so you don’t have to.

Cartoon Network continues to forget that its name is “Cartoon” Network (how long until they rebrand to Kart-une to get away from the stereotypes of animation associated with the word Cartoon?), this time teaming with Lionsgate for an “Ultimate King Arthur” style movie. The film will take the characters and basis of the legend and bring them into the 21st Century, with a heavier focus on the sorcerer Merlin. Lionsgate’s President of Production, Alli Shearmur, is well…producing, and the writer of Eagle Eye Travis Wright is updating the classic tale.

The more disturbing side of this is that live action “initiative” that Cartoon Network is now seeking. I make the SyFy related joke here, but at the network’s upfront for next year’s programming, less than half of the newly announced shows and movies are actually animated. I guess they haven’t seen the other 600 channels on TV that air primarily live action lately.

Big Bang Theory, CBS’s sometimes heavy handed portrayal of a few geeks and a hot chick, made a very topical argument one of its main story threads tonight. Sheldon, perhaps the geekiest of them all, had a conversation throughout the entire episode about whom should be the next Batman. Images from recent issues of Bat books, plus conversations about Post-Crisis, Infinite Crisis, Zero Hour, Joe Chill, and more were shown repeatedly as they sussed out the story threads.

I know it’s a show about geeks/nerds, but it was still pretty cool to see something currently going on that a lot of fans have vested interest in being talked about in front of the entire nation. If we see a sudden sales bump, we’ll know where it came from!

I can’t seem to find Big Bang Theory streaming anywhere on the ‘net, so if anyone knows of a place, share a heads up here. If not, look for reruns over the summer and the eventual DVD release.

This has been around for awhile, but in an effort to feed my need for Eureka (not due back on air until July…blurgh), I thought I’d pass this one along, my favorite of their web-only PSAs:

You can watch more clips and full episodes of one of the smartest, funniest shows on TV at Hulu.com and scifi.com.

Mmmm, gotta love slut-shaming comic-book characters. Except I don’t. At all. And neither does the author of this post. (via When Fangirls Attack)

OK, but these are awesome.

While we wait for Phonogram 2.2, the boys have an image from 2.3 up on their blog. And it’s gorgeous.

If you didn’t read the latest arc of Northlanders, you missed out. On art like this.

Warren Ellis swears he will die if you don’t read Ignition City. I did. Did you? What did you think?

The latest dirt on the possible-cancellation of Dollhouse? I’ll be sad it if does truly get cancelled–it’s just gotten better and better each week. But Friday night is a damned inconvenient time to watch TV if you’ve got any sort of a social life.

Speaking of Dollhouse, Racialicious looks at the cast and finds non-white characters the most interesting in the lot.

Finally, if we’re going to talk about “Strong female characters” can we talk about finding some “strong women” to write some of them? I don’t have a problem with men writing female characters in general, but I know there have to be some women out there who’d love to write superheroines, right? Gail Simone can’t be the only woman in all of creation who wants to do so…

Obama Depressed, Distant Since ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Series Finale

Courtesy of The Onion HERE…

As you may remember from our 2008 coverage of the San Diego Comic Con, we broke the news that Charles and Daniel Knaupf were hard at work translating the Phantom to TV…

Well, now SyFy (or the artist formerly known as the Sci Fi Channel, take your pick) has officially greenlit a “backdoor pilot” for the oft-rebooted comic property. The really interesting part? This Phantom “pilot” will actually be a four-hour film. If it goes well, it could continue on as a full-time series a la Battlestar Galactica.

“The four-hour format allows us to command large dollars around the world for our shows that puts about ($4 million-$6 million) of production on the screen per hour,” Robert Halmi Jr., president and CEO of RHI entertainment, told the Hollywood Reporter. “It gives the network a chance to try a concept with the same production values, if not better, than you’d get for a series.”

According to the channel, this is supposed to be a more realistic work, like the Dark Knight or Iron Man. “It isn’t a guy in purple tights,” said exec VP of original programming Mark Stern.