All of a sudden, I've seen a lot of news about casting for the new Starz-produced season of "Torchwood," which has been titled "Torchwood: The New World." In addition to John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness and Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, they're casting a slew of Americans. They aren't done casting parts, but the new announcements I'm aware of are:Bill Pullman (the President from "Independence Day") playing "Oswald Jones, a dangerously clever convicted murderer who escapes his lifelong prison sentence on a technicality and quickly becomes a media sensation. Genuinely repentant yet boiling with lust and rage, Oswald gets caught up in a terrifying worldwide crisis."
Mekhi Phifer (Dr. Greg Pratt from "ER") playing "the third lead, Rex Matheson, a CIA agent, a fast-tracked high-flyer with a lethal sense of humor who starts to feel his mortality when his life is put in danger." I love this description from Wikipedia: "Initially, the character doesn't know what to make of 'Welsh women and World War 2 captains.'"
Arlene Tur (some chick from the TV show based on the movie "Crash") playing "a surgeon by the name of Vera Juarez."
First of all, I can't imagine I'm the only "Torchwood" fan who is a little ticked that Pullman's character's last name is Jones. Come on, Ianto Jones just died. I really hope they address the events in "Children of Earth" to some degree, since it ended on a decidedly depressing note. Jack left Gwen and planet Earth behind. Why is he back? How will Gwen react? Why aren't they in Cardiff anymore? Did a rift in time and space conveniently pop up in America? As long as they don't act like nothing ever happened, I'll be happy. One of the biggest reasons I didn't want an American remake of "Torchwood" is because I want continuity in my television shows. I know they will want to make it palatable for a new, American audience, but they really can't ignore the epic world-shaking events that took place in the last miniseries.
I was also irked by TV guru Michael Ausiello's recent Facebook update, "'Torchwood' scoop: Ianto fans are not going to like this. Producers are casting the role of Brad, a Washington D.C. bartender in his late 20s who hooks up with Jack for a 'mutually satisfying one-night stand.' Interested actors should be comfortable with 'intimate scenes between two men.'" Yeah, as an Ianto fan, I'm not thrilled. But Jack has always been the promiscuous type, so I'm not surprised. At least Starz is going to let Jack be Jack still. I think I'll just take that as a win and be quiet.
I'm actually getting pretty excited for this. Not just because it means more "Torchwood," but because they're casting some interesting people and they're not remaking the whole thing. Also, the name actors matched with the American production will hopefully mean more publicity in the US. I am a tad worried about Mekhi Phifer because I've only ever seen him in bland, slightly boring roles in mostly procedural shows. I rather see "Torchwood" go over-the-top and dynamic than reserved and bland. Even at its worst, and it has definitely had some lows, "Torchwood" has been a unique show that has never been ashamed of its tone and sexual audacity.
From the looks of things, the original people behind the show were closely involved in making sure the new "Torchwood" is still "Torchwood." The new season will last 10 episodes, and luckily it won't return to the monster-of-the-week format it had in its first two years. I much prefer shows that have a season-long storyline that rewards viewers who stay with it. If you dropped the show in the first two seasons, it might be time to get back into it. "Torchwood" has definitely improved itself over time and it looks like that trend is going to continue.
I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of "Buffy." I find it to be one of the most overrated shows out there. One of the reasons I have a hard time watching it is because of the fact that I don't like any of the characters. Any except Giles, that is (and Spike). I've only gotten four seasons into the show so my love of Giles is based solely on them, but from what I've seen he's the only person on that show who can get anything done. Buffy can kick ass but she's not very bright, Xander's a useless dork, Willow's smart but weak, Anya is a bitchy third wheel, and Angel was a moody miserable stalker who didn't become interesting until he got his own show. Giles, on the other hand, is brilliant and can kick ass if he needs to. The introduction of Wesley improved his image, but I liked him from the beginning. If the world was in jeopardy from supernatural forces, Giles would figure out what was behind it and how to stop it.
This spot would go to River Tam, but she got to be awesome in basically only one episode in "Firefly." "Serenity" is where she shined and if this was a movie heroes list she'd definitely place. But Mal is the hero of "Firefly" that I would want around when the shit hits the fan or any scary monsters are around going "grrr, argh." Okay, he wasn't exactly a hero in the strictest sense of the word, but he was a damn good leader of his little outfit and he did the right thing when making tough decisions.
Some of my heroes aren't action stars, but they still fit my definition of hero. Anytime someone has screwed you over, Veronica is able to get to the bottom of it - and look great doing it. But more than just super sexy eye candy, she's clever and she knows how to work her appearance to her advantage. While someone like Giles could solve problems with his book smarts, Veronica would fill out the team with her street smarts. She's the kind of girl who could get a criminal to confess without him even realizing it. She's kind of ninja-like in that way.
He's sort of the male version of Veronica, but with much more experience in the professional world of espionage. He's also got that whole MacGyver thing going on which would totally help in my hypothetical doomsday scenario. He also has an ability unlike anyone else on this list to assume false identities for his jobs and that earns him a spot on this list.
He's a human lie detector. What more is there to say? Lightman keeps a strong commitment to finding the truth and looking at a situation rationally. Sure, Dr. House can declare that "everybody lies," but Lightman can tell you who specifically is doing the lying and what about. He backs up his natural skill with years of scientific experience and study, so you can trust him to save the day when your ass is on the line. His expertise with interrogation would stop us from needing a Jack Bauer character to come along and torture an answer out of someone.
I've raved about Olivia for some time now, so of course she earns a top spot on this list. She's another take-charge lady with nerves of steel who can travel through universes just to help someone she cares about. She can face the strangest of the strange with a level head and still serve justice. I absolutely love her and would have to enlist her in my team of fictional superheroes. (Super referring to their awesomeness, not their comic book based powers.)
This might seem strange to put her so high on the list, as she wasn't my personal female hero like Olivia, but she had a lot more to deal with than Olivia did. In a world full of deadly machines, she was truly the unstoppable force to be reckoned with. She combined top-notch combat skills with fierce maternal instincts and I'm sure even the FOX execs who cancelled her show would agree that she would be ideal to have by your side when the world is in peril.
This is the start of "my list, my rules" because I am counting the next two as package deals. Sam and Dean Winchester with the help of Castiel are quite the team. Sure, they started the apocalypse, but they also managed to stop it, sort of. The self-sacrificing goes beyond what they do for each other and extends to what they sacrifice to help other people. When Dean lives a Twilight Zone version of his life if he wasn't a hunter, he cannot accept a life where others died because he wasn't around to rescue them. Sam agrees that their lifestyle "is unfair, and it hurts like hell, but it's worth it." Castiel rebels against the corrupt establishment in Heaven to try and save the Earth and gives up everything he had to do it. It's a shame the Heaven in the "Supernatural" universe is in such disarray because if anyone deserves it, it's these three heroes.
Talk about more self-sacrifice in the line of duty. Three out of the original five team members died and Captain Jack Harkness had to sacrifice his grandson to stop a horrifying alien threat. Jack is a dashing hero who can't even die which makes him an incomparable hero. He's smarter and much more responsible than he seems and he picks loyal team members. An immortal ex-Time Agent, a cop, a doctor, a computer genius, and the tea boy who was so much more made one powerful group of heroes. Which is why it's that much more painful that the show insists on killing them off! (Oh, and you're pretty much ensured crisis sex with this horny bunch).
This is no shocker. The Doctor saves the universe every season and does it without firing a gun or throwing a punch. He'll take care of those damn Daleks every time they come back, he'll stop the Cybermen whenever they reappear, and he'll even burn his own planet out of existence to stop a threatening race bent on genocide. River Song put it best, when she commented that "now and then, every once in a very long while, every day in a million days when the wind stands fair and the Doctor comes to call, everybody lives." 
Once again, I hate this term, but this show is my guilty pleasure. To tell the truth, I don't feel bad about watching this show; it's everyone else who wants me to feel bad about it. But much like "Desperate Housewives," it's entertaining because it's such a primetime soap opera. "Practice" more so due to the fact that I think everyone has hooked up with each other at least once on this show. But the finale was almost completely serious, following the aftermath of a car crash that landed Dell and Naomi and Sam's pregnant teen daughter Maya in the hospital. Unlike the previous season that left us with a cliffhanger regarding Violet's fate, this finale didn't leave anyone's fate hanging. Maya appeared to be the one in jeopardy, what with being pregnant as a teenager and being at risk for losing her ability to walk, but of course Dell couldn't get away unscathed. For those of us who frequent entertainment sites, we already knew that Chris Lowell was leaving the show. I had hoped that he would leave on a good note by going to UCLA medical school, but no. He has to die suddenly and tragically, after losing his wife in a traumatic meth explosion, only to leave his daughter Betsy an orphan. Meanwhile, Sam has to operate on and save the drunk driver who crashed into Dell and Maya. One the small happy side, Charlotte and Cooper finally get back together and get engaged, Addison gives up Pete so he can be with Violet, Violet and Pete plan out their custody agreement with Lucas, and Maya and her baby survive.
Once again, TV addicts such as myself knew that Rob Lowe was leaving before he died at the end of the episode. But once again, that didn't make it any less heartbreaking. The promos were all focused on the big car crash, but like I suspected, it wasn't until the last five minute that it came into focus. The rest of the episode was normal Walker mayhem. Okay, a little less than usual, but there were still the usual clashes between family members. Saul dealt with Kevin and Scotty, gays of a new generation, and found out he was HIV positive. Like other people have said, it was a little sudden and after-school specialy, but at least Saul is getting something to do. I'd like for him to have something good happen to him after all his misery with Ojai and coming out at his age, but I guess he's just the show's punching bag. Nora and Sarah, who was mourning the loss of her Ojai job, joined Kitty on her campaign bus, which went as well as can be expected. We finally, finally, finally, find out what the deal is with Narrow Lake - it's the location of an apparently huge aquifer. The Walkers are in the water business now. I'm just glad they aren't going to drag out this Ojai thing anymore. Justin acted immature (what's new?). First he wants to be a doctor, then he wants to go back in the military, then he wants to go to Haiti and he wants Rebecca to drop everything and go with him. Rebecca understandably told him she had her own plans in life - get a job, get a house, etc. They decide to split and do their own things and meet back up later. All right then. The show has finally stopped showing Kevin as an immature, petty irritant, mainly because he hasn't had that much to do lately, but I'm hoping Justin will grow up soon and stop having these teenage temper tantrums. I hope Kevin gets a worthy storyline after he became unemployed. Scotty certainly seems to be doing well, opening his own restaurant with Saul. Because if it's one thing these people can do, it's run a family business (not entirely meant to be sarcastic. If two people in this family can be professional and put petty arguments aside, it's Scotty and Saul.)
How do I even begin to comment on that episode? How could I narrow down one heartbreaking moment? The entire episode, every single moment was heartbreaking. I think it's the first time in my life where I cried for two straight hours. My tiny recap/review here won't do the episode justice, but I know I'll ramble if I try to write an outline of the entire episode. One thing I can say I am thrilled about is that they didn't leave things on a cliffhanger. Last year, Izzie and George's lives were in the balance, but over the summer we heard which actor was or wasn't coming back so it wasn't that riveting to have that left open on the show. This year, we got an absolutely enthralling, engrossing story with deaths, but also many people who survived. Oh, let's face it, they mainly needed Gary Clark to kill off the Mercy Westers we didn't like. But man, did they get a send-off. Reed went first, with a simple shot to the head after snipping at Clark. It's sudden brutality was shocking. More shocking? The subsequent arrival of Alex, who was second to get shot that day. (Okay, third if you count the guy who we can assume hit Gary Clark's car earlier.) I was so terrified he would die. He's gotten screwed over so bad with Izzie, who left him for sort of, maybe, kind of, perhaps being a small factor in her losing her job. Yes, I understand Katherine Heigl wanted out, but I'm just going by the narrative on-screen here.