Kevin Smith discusses his new AMC reality series 'Comic Book Men'

This post has been corrected. See the note at bottom for details.

“Never in a million years did I imagine I’d have my friends on TV.” So said an animated Kevin Smith, draped in his signature blue and orange hockey jersey. The indie filmmaker has long featured characters inspired by his pals in movies such “Clerks” and “Mallrats.” Now he is getting the real versions on camera for his new AMC reality series, “Comic Book Men.”

“They didn’t even want to be on TV,” Smith said. “They’re all worried about being the next Snooki or that they’ll be asked to appear on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ down the line.”

“Comic Book Men” is set to launch Feb. 12 in a slot after “The Walking Dead,” AMC’s ratings blockbuster. While promoting the show at the recent Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena, Smith offered lengthy proclamations about how “super stoked” he was for the show’s upcoming premiere — so stoked that his use of colorful, not-fit-for-print language made for a tricky situation.

The six-episode series is set in Smith’s real-life comic book store — Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash in Red Bank, N.J. — which he’s owned since 1997. It features his pals, real-life comic book nerds Walter (the shop manager and the inspiration for Brodie in “Mallrats”), Bryan (the resident slacker and inspiration for Randall in “Clerks”), Mike (the “super nerd”) and Ming (the “whipping boy”). Podcasting helps shape the storytelling as the guys sit around a table, filling in Smith on what’s been happening in the store.

“In most reality shows there’s a lot of confessionals, like, “I was mad at this [...] for eating my peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich,” Smith said. But the podcast enables them to discuss potential transactions — “Like trying to sell the ‘Six Million Dollar Man.’ And it’s oddly compelling. You find yourself yelling at the screen and saying, ‘$75 is too much!’ It’s like ‘Antiques Roadshow’…”

The 'Battlestar Galactica' movie picks up a screenwriter

While the "Arrested Development" refugees dream of a movie and "Buffy" stars hope a big screen version gets staked, the "Battlestar Galactica" movie project forges ahead.

Not only has Bryan Singer signed on to direct, but the movie now has a screenwriter attached: John Orloff, who wrote the new movie about Shakespeare, "Anonymous," as well as HBO's "Band of Brothers."

“I have a pretty radical take,” Orloff told our sister blog Hero Complex, but he wouldn't divulge any specifics about whether his vision for the movie would reboot the original 1970s series or stick closer to the much-loved Ronald D. Moore version, which ended its run on Syfy in 2009.

So does that mean "Galactica" is done as a TV entity, or might we have competing Cylon armies? Although Syfy did not renew the "BSG" prequel "Caprica," a year ago the network announced plans for another spin-off, "Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome," focused on a young William Adama and set between "BSG" and "Caprica" time frames. The pilot has been shot and is in post-production, but Syfy says there is no news on whether it will be picked up as a full series yet.

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— Joy Press

Photo: Katee Sackhoff, Michael Trucco and Jamie Bamber in Syfy's "Battlestar Galactica." Credit: Carole Segal.

Syfy renews 'Haven'

Syfy has renewed its supernatural drama "Haven" for a third season.

Based on Stephen King's "The Colorado Kid," the series' third outing will consist of 13 episodes and will premiere in 2012.

The second season of "Haven," which wrapped last month, brought in decent numbers for the cable network, with around 1.8 million total viewers.

For viewers who can't wait until next year, the network will air a special holiday episode of the series on Dec. 6.

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'Dancing With the Stars' results recap: Mission Incomplete

Late Night: Julie Bowen's frighteningly good pelican impersonation

-- Yvonne Villarreal

twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: Emily Rose, left, as Audrey Parker, Eric Balfour as Duke Crocker, Lucas Bryant as Nathan Wuornos in a scene from "Haven." Credit:  Michael Tompkins / Syfy

TV This Week for March 20th – 26th

Click here to download TV listings for the week of March 20 - 26 in PDF format

TV listings for the week of March 20 - 26 in PDF format (from latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv)

Weekly TV Listings and more can be found at: www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv

This week's TV Movies

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SUNDAY

While you’re sitting there in your pajamas, sipping your morning coffee and reading this, hundreds of your fellow citizens are running from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica in the “L.A. Marathon.” The least you can do is tune in and cheer them on. (KTLA, 7 a.m.)

'COMMUNITY'

“40 Funniest Fails” succeeds in the alliterative-title department, but the “win” stops there. Clips of unwise and tomfool-ish behavior, culled from TV and the Internet, are featured in this special hosted by comedian Julian McCullough and his puppet pal Ralphy. (VH1, 9 p.m.)

MONDAY

“Cheers’“ Kirstie Alley, “Kendra’s’“ Kendra Wilkinson and the “Karate Kid” himself — no, not Jaden Smith but Ralph Macchio — are among the celebrities putting their best feet forward on a new season of the mega-hit “Dancing With the Stars.” (ABC, 8 p.m.)

TUESDAY

“Top Chef’s” Marcel Vigneron puts a futuristic spin on the cooking-and-catering show with “Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen.” We can’t wait to see his take on the classic soylent-green casserole; you might say the secret ingredient is … people! (Syfy, 10 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY

The crust? That’s kind of a “staycation.” And the mantle is lovely this time of year, but try booking space this late in the season. So if you really want to get away from it all, take a “Journey to the Earth’s Core” in this new special. (History, 9 p.m.)

THURSDAY

Expect nary an F-bomb or N-word — this is TV, after all — when “Community” pays homage to director Quentin Tarantino’s foul-mouthed 1994 crime tale “Pulp Fiction.” With Yvette Nicole Brown and Gillian Jacobs (above, from left). (NBC, 8 p.m.)

FRIDAY

Alexandre Dumas’ “The Corsican Brothers” it ain’t … except that it kind of is: Wonder-twin teen stars Cole and Dylan Sprouse of “The Suite Life” and “The Suite Life on Deck” feel each other’s joys and pains in “The Suite Life Movie.” (Disney, 8 p.m.)

SATURDAY

Amanda Seyfried is “Chloe,” a call girl who upends the lives of a married couple (Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore) in director Atom Egoyan’s sexy yet silly 2009 thriller, followed by Ms. Seyfried opposite Channing Tatum in Lasse Hallström’s rather more conventional 2010 romantic drama “Dear John.” (Starz, 9 and 10:40 p.m.)

Photo credit: Lewis Jacobs / NBC

TV Skeptic: 'Ghost Hunters' and things that go bump in the night

In Wednesday night's season premiere of "Ghost Hunters" on Syfy, the Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) travel to Alexandria, La., to investigate three allegedly haunted buildings in the heart of the city. 

The stars of the show, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, plumbers who put down their plungers and picked up video cameras, were invited by city officials to investigate unexplained occurrences at three Alexandria locations: the Diamond Grill, an upscale restaurant; Finnegan's Wake, a tavern; and the Hotel Bently, a vacant 103-year-old landmark.

In a typical episode, the cast and crew arrive at a location and are greeted by a host -- usually the owner or proprietor -- who describes events he or she has experienced or, more often than not, events he or she has heard about second- or third-hand, to which the host ascribes some kind of supernatural presence. The crew then deploys a variety of audio- and video-recording equipment throughout the site. At night they turn out the lights and explore the location in two-person teams armed with an arsenal of high-tech devices that they hope will illuminate any unnatural phenomena. They then reveal their findings to the host. 

In Alexandria, Hawes and Wilson met with Bill Hess from the mayor's office, and he described the buildings and provided a bit of the history. Hess is the city's liaison with film and television and is charged with encouraging productions to shoot in Alexandria. Clearly, he was successful in this case.

The process of investigation involves wandering around the empty buildings and interpreting nearly every bump in the night as some otherworldly presence. What else could those noises -- thumps and knocks and such -- be? Possibly the buildings settling, as they are all old and have undergone extensive renovation. Sounds could be caused by drafts. Most likely water in the plumbing, heating pipes or sump systems. But the viewer doesn't know because we see no effort to investigate any other possible source. You'd think plumbers would know better. 

'Caprica' finale recap: Zoe and Lacy ascend, and a neat wrap-up as the series ends

So, in one fell swoop, "Caprica" is done, ending on some awesome, surprising, mysterious notes that maybe we should've seen coming and some that seemed as if they were pulled out of a hat. Regardless of the genesis of the ideas, and whether or not they were planned or fell into place late, there were some very cool parting gifts.

Syfy aired all of the episodes in one block, which was fine for those of us that could sit and watch that many hours back-to-back. The final five (ironic and full circle, BSGers!) episodes — which included "Blowback," "The Dirteaters," "The Heavens Will Rise," "Here Be Dragons" and "Apotheosis" — helped our favorite characters develop in ways we knew they would and some that might not have been expected. If you missed it, there's spoilers here and you should go watch them!

Clarice Willow (Polly Walker): She'd become a definite focal point as the spiritual timebomb and also the one moving the action forward most. In the final episodes, we see her plan to blow up a pyramid stadium full of people begin to take shape under the guidance of her husbands Olaf (Panou) and Nestor (Scott Porter). But things turn dark after she realizes that Amanda Graystone (Paula Malcomson) has been spying on her, having already killed her new-mom wife Mar-Beth (Anita Torrance) due to some misinformation thrown at her by Agent Duram. In the end, despite losing husbands and friends, her faith seems as strong as ever, though it takes a different path: fighting for the rights of robots to be recognized as sentient beings.  We're not sure of her ultimate fate after she meets up with ...

'Walking Dead' finale recap: Zombie science and a message about ecology

 
So, this is the way Season One of "The Walking Dead" ends: not with a whimper, but with a giant, all consuming bang, a massive explosion that sees the CDC go up in huge, shooting walls of flame. Sincerest apologies to T.S. Eliot, but it appears that Rick, Lori, Shane and the other survivors have been delivered back into a zombie-infested waste land now that their temporary refuge has blown up. At least they got to enjoy the facility's many amenities -- hot showers, air conditioning, copious bottles of wine -- for a short while.

Tonight's finale, "TS-19" (the initials standing for Test Subject rather than Thomas Stearns) did yield much insight, though, into the nature of the plague itself, in relative terms anyway. We learned that the disease, which could be viral, fungal or microbial, invades the brain of an infected person much like meningitis; the brain and eventually the other organs go into failure, resulting in death. Although resurrection times vary, from as little as three minutes to up to eight hours, the brain stem begins to work again, causing the new Walker to get up and start moving, but all traces of the person the Walker once was are gone and do not return.

This information comes courtesy of Dr. Jenner, the scientist who has opened the door to the CDC to the survivors, though he insists that they submit to blood tests to ensure that they're not infected.

Afterward, they're all seen having dinner, drinking, celebrating the fact that they're alive and well, until Shane asks the obvious question: namely, where are the other people who are supposed to be manning the facility and just why is Jenner all alone? The answer, it turns out, is that many of them deserted the CDC to be with their families after things "got bad." When the situation "got worse," Jenner explains that the rest either bolted or committed suicide, but he continued to work, hoping to do some good.  

'Caprica's' final episodes to get a five-hour sendoff

The spectre of "Caprica" continues to hover after its cancellation, as word came Friday that the final episodes of the series will air in a five-hour block Jan. 4, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Syfy.

So we'll get to see "Blowback, "The Dirteaters," "The Heavens Will Rise," "Here Be Dragons" and "Apotheosis" -- episode titles according to IMDB -- and we'll hope that it brings some measure of closure to the show.

Fans didn't receive much closure from the network, though. Through a Save Caprica campaign, $2,350 was raised and 2,880 apples were sent to NBC Universal head honcho Steve Burke in an effort to keep the show on the air. Sometimes fan protest works; this time it didn't. The network went ahead and allowed the produce to be donated to City Harvest in the name of Syfy and NBC Universal.

Feeding stomachs, but no longer our imagination. Oh well, onward to "Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome."

-- Jevon Phillips

Photo: Zoe Graystone (Alessandra Torresani) and her apple. Credit: Syfy

Syfy cancels the slow-starting 'Caprica'

As a prequel spinoff, "Caprica" has tried in vain to capture the imagination of both new viewers and "Battlestar Galactica" stalwarts -- but its journey toward the first Cylon war has been cut short.

Syfy has decided not to renew the series for a second season, cutting short the possibility of seeing how cylons get to fully develop (at least in this series). The recently announced "Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome" will have to carry on the storyline.  Here's the release that the network's publicity group sent out:

The remaining first run episodes of "Caprica" -- airing Tuesdays at 10/9c -- will be removed from the schedule as of next Tuesday, November 2. These final five episodes of the season will be re-scheduled to air at a to-be-announced time in the first quarter of 2011, and will conclude the run of the series.

"We appreciate all the support that fans have shown for ‘Caprica’ and are very proud of the producers, cast, writers and the rest of the amazing team that has been committed to this fine series," said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Syfy and Co-Head of Content for Universal Cable Productions. "Unfortunately, despite its obvious quality, ‘Caprica’ has not been able to build the audience necessary to justify a second season."

A detailed schedule change with complete and updated listings information will be issued tomorrow morning (Thursday, October 28).

At least we do get to see the remainder of the current season. The collection of actors -- Eric Stolz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson, Polly Walker, Alessandra Torresani, Magda Apowicz, Sasha Roiz and more -- were solid, but apparently could never capture the Starbuck/Apollo/Adama magic of the original.

-- Jevon Phillips

Photo: Esai Morales, left, and Eric Stoltz in "Caprica." Credit: Syfy

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'Caprica' recap: Sam, cylons and 'False Labor,' by your command

The women often drive "Caprica," but this "False Labor" episode brought the men to the forefront while giving us another small glimpse into the home life of polygamous Clarice Willow through the eyes of Amanda Graystone. And a cylon fulfills its purpose.

No sooner is the new "Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome" series announced than we get another quick look at lil William Adama and the man who is seemingly the most influential in his life. Not daddy Joseph, but good (or bad) ol' uncle Sam. We knew of Sam's love for Tauron, but did we ever figure him for a rebel sympathizer and a gun runner? The latter of those got him in a bit of trouble with a rival and got his comrade killed. Of course, you know that Sam won't take this lying down and was ordered by the Guatrau to do something about it.

The Guatrau also makes his presence and power known this episode, exerting control over Graystone Industries with the Ha'la'tha out in the open in the boardroom. He even overrules Daniel Graystone, CEO of the company, on the simple matter of using his likeness to sell the company's new holoband grief relievers.

Daniel, working with a holoband/V-World version of Amanda, has begun to make a breakthrough in terms of making them as lifelike as possible, while Cyrus begins to see discrepancies in the company's books. We have to wonder how long the Daniel/Ha'la'tha union will go on before there's a blowup.

New 'Battlestar Galactica' project is 'loaded with new characters'

On Friday, we told you about Syfy’s plans to air “Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome," a two-hour spinoff pilot that follows a young William Adama. Executive producer David Eick spoke with The Times’ resident BSG connoisseur Geoff Boucher  over on our sister blog Hero Complex about the project. Fans can expect a connection to “Caprica” and “BSG” and loads of new new characters.” Check out the full Q&A session here.

--Yvonne Villarreal

Twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: David Eick. Credit: Getty Images

Syfy greenlights 'Battlestar Galactica' spinoff‎

Syfy announced Friday that it’s gearing up to bring fans an all-new chapter in the BSG saga with “Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome.”

The two-hour spinoff pilot, from executive producer David Eick, will follow a twentysomething William Adama during the 10th year of the first Cylon War. He soon finds himself leading a top secret mission that could change the course of the war.

“While maintaining the themes of politics, social propaganda, and the timeless question: What does it mean to be human?, ‘Blood & Chrome’ will also return us to the authentic, relentless depiction of combat and the agony and ecstasy of human-Cylon war, which was the hallmark of ‘Battlestar Galactica's’ early seasons,” Eick said in a statement.

“Blood & Chrome” was originally ordered last summer by the network as a Web series, with former "Battlestar Galactica" co-executive producer Michael Taylor tapped to write the nine mini episodes.

In a statement, Mark Stern, executive vice president of original programming for SyFy and co-head of content for Universal Cable Productions, had this to say:  “The ‘Galactica’ universe as re-imagined by Ron Moore and David Eick is rich with possibilities and backstory. We jumped at the chance to revisit the William Adama character and explore this exciting chapter in the BSG narrative which falls between the events of the original series and the prequel, ‘Caprica,’ currently airing on Syfy.”

"Caprica" has floundered in the ratings since its premiere this year.

There is no air date set for "Blood & Chrome,"  but it is expected to go into production early next year.

— Yvonne Villarreal

twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo:  David Eick arrives at the "The Battlestar Galactica/Caprica" at PaleyFest09 in Hollywood. Credit:  Valerie Macon / Getty Images.