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Move over southern vampires, now we have southern zombies.

A science fiction/horror zombie dystopia is set to invade U.S. TV screens starting this Halloween as the AMC cable channel launches its first genre TV series with The Walking Dead, an adaptation of the Image Comics title to the small screen.

The series follows the exploits of Police officer Rick Grimes (played by Afterlife‘s Andrew Lincoln), who wakes up in the hospital after a near-fatal gunshot wound to discover the world has suffered a zombie apocalypse while he was sedated.

The stock unlikely hero, Grimes  leads a rag-tag group of survivors on a quest to find his family and a new home. Kinda sounds like Battlestar Galactica with zombies instead of cylons, huh?

The series starts Halloween weekend on AMC and will run weekly after that.

The official series trailer is below:

Compare that to the teaser motion comic that AMC has on its website:

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The following press release is published as a service to the readership:

New York, New York – August 12, 2010 – Syfy has announced additional casting for its previously announced pilot Alphas, inking actress Azita Ghanizada to co-star in the wry action-adventure project from writers Zak Penn (X-Men: The Last Stand, The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk) and Michael Karnow, it was announced today by Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Syfy and Co-Head of Content for Universal Cable Productions, which is the studio for the project. She joins previously announced cast members David Strathairn, Ryan Cartwright, Malik Yoba, Warren Christie and Laura Mennell. Additionally, Callum Keith Rennie has been signed to guest star in the pilot.

Alphas is executive produced by Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein for BermanBraun Television and will be directed by Jack Bender (director and executive producer of Lost). Production is underway in Toronto.

Alphas follows a team of ordinary citizens whose brain anomalies imbue them with extraordinary mental and physical abilities. Taking the law into their own hands, the unlikely team, led by Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn) investigates cases that suggest other Alpha activity to uncover what the CIA, FBI and Pentagon have not been able or willing to solve. These gifted individuals must balance their quirky personalities and disparate backgrounds with their not always visible powers as they work to solve crimes, stop the ticking time bomb and catch the enemy.

Azita Ghanizada plays Rachel who, from an early age, has been able to “hyper-intensify” her senses, one at a time – vision, hearing, taste, and smell. Her mother and father – who are conservative parents — thought she was cursed and discouraged this unique and amazing ability. Overly sensitive – literally – Rachel has always felt ashamed and rejected. With Dr. Rosen’s help and encouragement, she’s learning to appreciate her skill and grow increasingly confident and adventurous.

Ghanizada’s credits include appearances on the television series Castle, Ghost Whisperer, Entourage, How I Met Your Mother, Psych, The Closer, Numbers and The Wedding Bells. She is represented by Joel King of Pakula/King & Associates and managed by Katie Mason of Luber/Roklin Entertainment.

Callum Keith Rennie plays Don Wilson, a Washington bureaucrat, and Lee Rosen’s superior and contact inside the Pentagon.

Rennie is no stranger to Syfy having portrayed Leoben, a Cylon on the critically acclaimed series Battlestar Galatica throughout its four season-run on the channel. Other roles include memorable arcs on 24 and Flash Forward, Lew Ashby on Californication, and he was featured on Syfy’s Emmy-winning miniseries smash Tin Man. He is managed by Elizabeth Hodgson at Hodgson Management Group and represented by Agency for the Performing Arts (APA).

About BermanBraun

BermanBraun is an independent media company whose three divisions – television, feature film and digital media – create and exploit entertainment content and advertising solutions throughout the world. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based Company, founded by principals Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun in January 2007, has separate strategic global alliances with NBC and Microsoft to create and distribute creative content across all platforms. In February 2009, BermanBraun launched WONDERWALL – the primary celebrity destination on the MSN Network, ranking ahead of TMZ.com and People.com in traffic, with number one user engagement in the celebrity news space. In April 2010, partners BermanBraun, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) and MSN launched GLO, a lifestyle destination site. BermanBraun is currently producing THE CAPE for NBC’s 2010/2011 television season. They are also producing DECODED for the History Channel for Fall 2010. BermanBraun also produces SWORDS for The Discovery Channel and IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? on MTV.

About Universal Cable Productions

Universal Cable Productions creates quality content across multiple media platforms for USA, Syfy and other networks. A leader in innovative and critically acclaimed programming, UCP is the studio behind USA’s Royal Pains, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Psych, In Plain Sight, Covert Affairs and Facing Kate, along with Syfy’s Eureka, Warehouse 13 and Caprica. The studio also produced both long-running series Monk and Battlestar Galactica. UCP is a division of NBC Universal.

About Syfy

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in 95 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.).

TV Guide published a list of the best-paid stars for the upcoming 2010-2011 television season, with Charlie Sheen

topping the list at $1.25 million an episode – outpacing the next-highest paid performer, Two and a Half Men, co-star Jon Cryer’s $550,000 per episode salary by almost a million dollars an episode.

Of the stars of genre TV, only four stars made TV Guide’s list, with Anna Paquin, of HBO’s Ture Blood, topping the list of returning stars at $75,000 per episode. Tied with her is Blair Underwood, star of the new NBC entry in genre TV, The Event. Next up is The Vampire Diary‘s Ian Somerhalder at $40,000 an episode. The last genre TV star is Selena Gomez, start of Disney Channel’s  veteran fantasy kid’s comedy, Wizards of Waverly Place.

Star	Salary (Per Episode)	Network	Show	Genre
Blair Underwood	$75,000	NBC	The Event	Science Fiction - Dystopia
Anna Paquin	$75,000	HBO	True Blood	Fantasy - Dark
Ian Somerhalder	$40,000	CW	The Vampire Diaries	Fantasy - Dark
Selena Gomez	$30,000	DIS	Wizards of Waverly Place	Fantasy - Comedy

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TV choices continue to trudge through the dog days of summer; filled with endless reruns and so- Called “reality” programming.

Despite a few bright spots on cable and network TV – most notably Sunday night’s vampire melodramas True Blood on HBO and the much-better than expected The Gates on ABC, as well as Friday’s quirky fantasy series, Warehoue 13 and Haven on Syfy – genre TV fans are in the doldrums on the other 5 nights of the week.

One bright spot is that the new 2010 Fall TV season starts in a few short weeks. This is your guide to the debut dates of the returning genre TV programs (and a couple new shows, too).

2010 Genre TV New Season Premiere Dates

Show	Debut Date	Network	Season	Genre
Vampire Diaries, The	09-09	CW	02	Fantasy - Dark
Nikita	09-09	CW	01 Debut	Spy-Fi - Drama
Chuck	09-20	NBC	04	Spy-Fi - Comedy
Event, The	09-20	NBC	01 Debut	Science Fiction - Dystopia
Fringe	09-23	FOX	03	Science Fiction - Multiverse
Human Target	09-24	FOX	2	Spy-Fi - Comedy
Supernatural	09-24	CW	06	Fantasy - Dark
Medium	09-24	CBS	07	Fantasy - Dark
Smallville	09-24	CW	10	Fantasy - Superhero
Stargate Universe	09-28	SYFY	02	Science Fiction - Space
No Ordinary Family	09-28	ABC	01 Debut	Fantasy - Superhero
Sanctuary	09-28	SYFY	03	Fantasy - Magic
V	11-??	ABC	02	Science Fiction - Invasion
Caprica	2011-01-??	SYFY	01.5	Science Fiction - Dystopia

When your favorite show will start having new episodes. (Source: SFTV.org)

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[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkCrfylq-E]

Wow.

Here’s what the press is saying: 

 

MSNBC:

 

Memo to the McCain campaign: Don’t blow off David Letterman.

The “Late Show” host lit into Republican presidential nominee John McCain Wednesday after Sen. McCain canceled his appearance on the show, telling Letterman he was suspending his campaign to go to Washington to deal with the nation’s financial crisis.

“I’m more than a little disappointed by this behavior,” Letterman said. “We’re suspending the campaign. Suspending it because there’s an economic crisis, or because the poll numbers are sliding?

Los Angeles Times: 

Letterman told the audience during the taping of Wednesday’s show that McCain had called him personally to apologize for bailing. According to Letterman, McCain said he couldn’t appear because he was rushing to the airport to get back to Washington.

But midway through the broadcast, Letterman appeared to learn that the Arizona senator was actually still in New York. In fact, McCain was just a few blocks away, at the CBS News headquarters. He was preparing for a last-minute exclusive interview with Katie Couric.

Incredulous, Letterman interrupted his interview with Keith Olbermann (who had filled in as a substitute guest for McCain) to show the audience a live shot on the internal CBS News feed of a makeup artist putting the finishing touches on McCain while he waited to talk to Couric.

“He doesn’t seem to be racing to the airport, does he?” Letterman said, shouting at the television monitor: “Hey, John, I got a question! You need a ride to the airport?”
 

Washington Post: 

 

“Hey Senator, can I give you a ride home?” Letterman joked.

He used the on-again, off-again appearance to crack jokes at McCain’s expense.

“You don’t suspend your campaign. This doesn’t smell right,” he said. “This isn’t the way a tested hero behaves.” And he joked: “I think someone’s putting something in his metamucil.”

And another: “What are you going to do if you’re elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We’ve got a guy like that now!”

New York Times: 

 His critique reached a high point when he learned that at the very moment Mr. McCain was supposed to be on the couch next to him being interviewed, the senator was at the CBS News center three blocks away in Manhattan, getting ready to be interviewed by the CBS News anchor, Katie Couric.

“He ditched you,” Mr. Olbermann said.

Mr. Letterman ordered his director to put on a live feed from that location, which showed Mr. McCain getting made up to go on with Ms. Couric. “He doesn’t seem to be racing to the airport,” Mr. Letterman observed.

After listening to some questions from Ms. Couric, Mr. Letterman said, “Hey, John, I’ve got a question: You need a lift to the airport?”

He then asked Mr. Olbermann if he thought this was all Mr. McCain’s fault, or whether other factors had come into play.

Conde Nast Portfolio: 

Psst. Have you heard? John McCain was caught on tape with his proverbial pants down just two days before the first presidential debate and as one of the most watched elections enters its final fervent weeks.

…

The final blow came during the middle of the taping, when Letterman learned that McCain was not rushing back to Washington, as he had said, but was being prepped for an appearance on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, which like The Late Show, is produced by CBS.

The Television Critics Association announced July 20 their picks for best shows of the 2006-2007 season. For once, a science fiction program beat out Sopranos in at least one head-to-head competition. Among the shows honored:

• PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: “Heroes” (NBC)
• OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING: “Kyle XY” (ABC Family)

Non-genre awards went to:

• OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: “Friday Night Lights” (NBC)
• OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: “The Sopranos” (HBO)
• OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: “The Office” (NBC)
• OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION: “Planet Earth” (Discovery)
• OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINI-SERIES & SPECIALS: “Planet Earth” (Discovery)
• INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” (NBC)
• INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Michael C. Hall, “Dexter” (Showtime)
• HERITAGE AWARD: “The Sopranos” (HBO)
• CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: Mary Tyler Moore

To Include Long-Term Co-Production Arrangement and Home Video Deal

Exclusive Video Rights to Library of Over 600 Programs
Distribution Includes DVD and Digital Rights

NEW YORK & SANTA MONICA, Calif.–Genius Products, LLC one of the fastest growing distributor in the home entertainment market, and The Weinstein Company (TWC), one of the largest independent feature film company founded by film legends Bob and Harvey Weinstein, have entered into a strategic alliance with RHI Entertainment (RHI) under which they will co-produce and co-finance an extensive slate of television productions, including series, miniseries and movies-of-the–week. RHI (formerly Hallmark Entertainment), headed by the renowned team of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., is the industry leader of miniseries and movies for television. Additionally, under a separate multi-year distribution agreement Genius Products is the North American home video distributor of RHI’s extensive library of series and film programming.
Read more…

For the week ending December 24, 2006 (Monday through Sunday),”Be Kind, Rewind,” a repeat episode of NBC’s Medium drew the largest audience of all science fiction and fantasy series on broadcast network television, according to Nielsen figures gleaned from various media outlets.

Second and third, respectively, were repeat episodes of the CW’s Smallville and Supernatural. Facing no new episodes of CSI or Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural’s share of the 18-to-49 year old audience grew compared to last week, while Smallville‘s ratings remained stable.

THE LIST
1. Medium 5.12 million households (2.87 million 18-49 yo)
   Repeat: “Be Kind, Rewind”

2. Smallville 1.89 million households (1.44 million 18-49 yo)
   Repeat: “Reunion”

3. Supernatural 1.45 million households (1.18 million 18-49 yo)
   Repeat: “Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things”

SCI FI Channel has re-teamed with RHI Entertainment (‘Legend of Earthsea’), the industry leader of miniseries and movies made for television, for a wild sci-fi re-imagining of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ Written by Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle (creators of ‘The Pretender’), ‘Tin Man’ (working title) is a six-hour miniseries featuring a decidedly sci-fi twist on the fantasy classic. Lensing is slated to begin in Vancouver in early 2007 with an eye to a December 2007 premiere. Casting is currently underway.
Read more…

Partnership Results in Exclusive Collection of Digital Items Inspired by the Popular Daytime Drama and Character Fancy Crane

BURBANK, CA and SAN FRANCISCO, CA – December 20, 2006) – Today, Cyworld USA, a leading social networking platform, and NBC announced the companies are entering into a unique online marketing and advertising partnership to reach their shared audience of young, tech-savvy females. The main component of the campaign will be the integration of a Cyworld.com personal “profile” page, also known as a Minihome, which will launch December 22 on the “Passions” website on NBC-dot-com (www.nbc.com/passions) and on Cyworld (www.cyworld.com). The partnership will also involve exclusive digital items developed by Cyworld and NBC representing the “Passions” theme and characters, available for members to purchase with Cyworld’s “Acorn” currency in addition to a Fancy Club for Cyworld members to join. The revenue from this will be shared between NBC Universal and Cyworld.
Read more…