Is that The Flash? Why yes it is!

Here it is, our first look at Grant Gustin's head inside the Flash costume.  After his take on Barry Allen on Arrow, I am super stoked to see him in all his Flash glory when this series arrives.  

Hopefully, we'll get to see the full suit soon enough but for now this little glimpse will have to do.

I never thought i'd be excited for a CW show but there it is.

Source

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ARROW: PALEYFEST 2013 by Marco Elorreaga

Arrow PaleyFest 2013 panel, March 9, 2013 at 7 pm

He has a list (be careful NBC) and he's checking it twice, making sure who's naughty or nice...no, I don't mean Old Saint Nick, I'm talking about Arrow, Green Arrow. The new CW sensation Arrow made it's mark on PaleyFest on Saturday, March 9, 2013 at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills among teeming fans of comics and Stephen Amell's abs alike. And it was a bullseye.

Definitely one of the smaller panels in the PaleyFest lineup, it was still rich with laughs, secrets, and geeking out.  The stars descended into the press tent, showered in flash photography, and quickly made their rounds, answering questions ranging from Stephen Amell's own stunt work to what other DC character cameos to expect.  

Cast looking stunning for the press

For the most part, most of the stars and producers were hush-hush about the remaining episodes of the season, saying that the next batch, which return on March 20, are like the third act of a movie.  Don't expect the story or action to slow down.  

Stars Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy looked stunning in their outfits as they discussed a lot of what has happened so far in the first season with their characters, Oliver Queen and Laurel Lance, respectively.  While Amell got a lot of questions concerning his chiseled anatomy, Executive Producer Greg Berlanti adamantly defends that he had no idea what his body looked like until after they casted him as the titular character.  As he reiterated in the panel, "we did not see him without his shirt in any audition process, he's just a great actor.  That's why he got the job.  He got the job because he was an incredible actor and we felt really lucky."

Cast and executive producers of Arrow posing for the cameras

A fan favorite and one of many characters on the show who does not come from the DC canon, was John Diggle, played by David Ramsey, and he took the time to even pose with his Samsung phone to show his support for one of his favorite brands.

David Ramsey posing with his Samsung phone

He explain how his character has developed as the the "moral voice" of the show, saying he's "cool, reasonable, and he's just a fantastic character."

"I think Diggle, ultimately, becomes the solid partner for Oliver," when asked on where he wants Diggle to be at the end of the season, "he is a partner for Oliver/Arrow, but there is contention.  There's a contentious nature between them because I think Oliver is developing and I think ultimately we see the value of Diggle in a way that he becomes invaluable to the team.  So, ultimately he becomes irreplaceable.  I think that's what I want, irreplaceability. You can't kill Diggle."

Ramsey continued his crusade during the actual panel to make sure he isn't killed off any time soon, stating, "every time I look at script, I look at the end of the script to see if I die."  When panel moderator, Geoff Johns, from DC entertainment and comic book writer, asked the audience if they want more Diggle, the crowd exploded in support, prompting creators and executive producers, Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg to make a quick joke about rewriting the episodes.

Even though there was no full episode shown, the sizzle reel promised more action on the island and in Starling City.  Things seem to be coming to a head on the island as Arrow seems to confront a team of mercenaries.  At the same time, Guggenheim teased that the Slade and Oliver relationship will continue to develop on the island like a "proto Butch and Sundance."  Lastly, it looks like the Huntress (Jessica DeGouw) gives up Arrow's identity to Det. Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne).  

Secrets were tight-lipped with supposed physical harm to come to the producers if spoken aloud, so very little hints were dropped on what was to come in the remaining episodes of season one.  The producers were able to confirm that Arrow would be visiting other DC universe cities, such as Blood Haven, although they said not to expect Arrow to visit two notable ones (most likely Gotham City and Metropolis).  They also were able to confirm that a very recognizable icon of a popular genre show will make a guest star appearance that will provide full geek-out moments.  Vague, but intriguing.  What other star on top of John Barrowman, also known as Captain Jack Harkness to many Dr. Who and Torchwood fans, can genre show fans geek out on even more? 

That's not the only thing fans can look forward to when the show returns.  With Colin Donnell's Tommy Merlyn now knowing the truth, the veil of secrecy becomes thinner for the Queen and Arrow persona.  The producers said that Tommy might not be as forthcoming and accepting of Queen's newfound hobby and Amell said that "it changes everything about the friendship."  Can we see a potential villain with Tommy's character in the near future?  

In addition, Cassidy teased that the arrival of Laurel's estranged mother (Alex Kingston) will provide some confrontation with her Blackthorne's Detective Quentin Lance as we see more of that family dynamic in addition to the bomb she dropped on Laurel, stating that her sister Sarah could still be alive.

Also, whether Oliver/Arrow will regret saving Malcolm aka The Dark Archer's life, the producers and cast all agreed in very regretful "yeahhhh."  Already picked up for a second season, it's a good time to start watching as the story becomes richer and producers say they will burn through story until the network fires them.

What not to expect is to see superpowers any time soon with the producers saying that "for right now, no. We want to tell something grounded," explaining how Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy influenced them heavily, "it allows for a much wider audience."  Also, don't expect Amell to appear on NBC's Ninja Warrior also when answering the last audience question of the night.  

Amell spouting probably the best line of the night in response, "I don't know, Ninja Warrior is on NBC and NBC is on the list." Make sure to catch Arrow when it returns to the CW on March 20th or you might end up on the list, too.

Special thanks to Samsung Smart TV for sponsoring my coverage of PaleyFest 2013. Make sure to like Samsung TV USA on Facebook for an insider look at red carpet photos, video highlights, recaps from the day's events and more. Also, don’t forget to follow @PopCultureBeast on Twitter for live updates during the screenings and panels.

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Fall TV Premiere Dates

Click the Rawr for a list of Season and Series premiere dates for the upcoming fall season. Get ready to set your DVRs!



Tuesday, September 8
8 pm 90210 (The CW)
9 pm Melrose Place (NEW! The CW)
10 pm Sons of Anarchy (FX)

Wednesday, September 9
8 pm America's Next Top Model (The CW)
8 pm So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
9 pm Glee (Fox)

Thursday, September 10
8 pm The Vampire Diaries (NEW! The CW)
9 pm Supernatural (The CW)

Monday, September 14
8 pm One Tree Hill (The CW)
9 pm Gossip Girl (The CW)
10 pm The Jay Leno Show (NEW! NBC)

Wednesday, September 16
9 pm The Beautiful Life (NEW! The CW)
(FOX) 8 PM - “Glee”

Thursday, September 17
8 pm Bones(FOX)
8 pm Survivor: Samoa (CBS)
8 pm Saturday Night Live Weekend Update (NBC)
8:30 pm Parks and Recreation (NBC)
9 pm The Office (NBC)
9 pm Fringe (FOX)
9:30 pm Community (NEW! NBC)
10 pm It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)

Friday, September 18
(FOX) 8 PM - “Brothers”
(FOX) 8:30 PM - “Til Death”
(FOX) 9 PM - “Dollhouse”

Monday, September 21
8 pm House (FOX)
8 pm How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
8 pm Dancing With The Stars (ABC)
8 pm Heroes (NBC)
8:30 pm Accidentally on Purpose (NEW! CBS)
9 pm Two And A Half Men (CBS)
9:30 pm The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
10 pm Castle (ABC)
10 pm CSI: Miami (CBS)

Tuesday, September 22
8 pm NCIS (CBS)
9 pm NCIS: Los Angeles (NEW! CBS)
10 pm The Forgotten (NEW! ABC)
10 pm The Good Wife (NEW! CBS)

Wednesday, September 23
8 pm The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)
8 pm Mercy (NEW! NBC)
8:30 pm Gary Unmarried (CBS)
9 pm Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
9 pm Modern Family (NEW! ABC)
9 pm Criminal Minds (CBS)
9:30 pm Cougar Town (NEW! ABC)
10 pm CSI: New York (CBS)
10 pm Eastwick (NEW! ABC)

Thursday, September 24
(ABC) 7 PM - “Flash Forward”
(ABC) 8 PM – “Grey’s Anatomy”
(CBS) 8 PM – “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”
(CBS) 9 PM – “The Mentalist”

Friday, September 25
8 pm FlashForward (NEW! ABC)
9 pm Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
9 pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)
9 pm Dollhouse (FOX)
10 pm The Mentalist (CBS)

Sunday, September 27
7 pm Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
8 pm The Simpsons (FOX)
8 pm Amazing Race (CBS)
8:30 pm The Cleveland Show (NEW! FOX)
9 pm Family Guy (FOX)
9:30 pm American Dad (FOX)
9 pm Desperate Housewives (ABC)
9 pm Dexter (Showtime)
10 pm Cold Case (CBS)
10 pm Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
10 pm Californication (Showtime)

Monday, September 28
9 pm Lie to Me (FOX)
9 pm Trauma (NEW! NBC)

Tuesday, September 29
8 pm Hell's Kitchen (Fox)
8 pm Shark Tank (NEW! ABC)
9 pm So You Think You Can Dance (Time Period Premiere)
9 pm Dancing With The Stars (ABC)

Wednesday, September 30
8 pm Hank (NEW! ABC)
8:30 pm The Middle (NEW! ABC)

Thursday, October 1
10 pm Private Practice (ABC)

Friday, October 2
8:30 pm 'Til Death (FOX)
9 pm Stargate Universe (SyFy)

Sunday, October 4
9 pm Three Rivers (NEW! CBS)

Thursday, October 8
(NBC) 7 P.M. - "Community"

Friday, October 9
8 pm Ugly Betty (ABC)

Thursday, October 15
9:30 pm 30 Rock (NBC)

Friday, October 23
10 pm White Collar (NEW! USA)

Tuesday, November 3
8 pm V (NEW! ABC)

Early 2010
(ABC) "LOST"
(FOX) "24" (Sunday, January 17 @ 9 PM)


Happy Fall!

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DVD Review: Gossip Girl Season 2

Gossip Girl: The Complete Second Season
Starring: Blake Lively, Leighton Meeter, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen, Ed Westwick, Jessica Szohr, with Kelly Rutherford and Matthew Steele

Special Features: 5th Avenue Meets Gossip Girl: Tour the Gossip Girl Crowd's Favorite Haunts, Faces Behind The Design: Creative Forces Behind the Show's Art and Fashion, Unaired Scenes, Chasing Darota webisodes, gag reel, Downloadable Audiobook of the Best-Selling Novel Gossip Girl: You Know You Love Me by Cecily von Ziegesar, read by Christina Ricci.

From the Box: It's senior year for our beloved Upper East Siders, and the drama is at an all-time high. Applying for college is only one small part of the story, as new romances (and not-so-new romances) bloom and fade, scandals erupt at every turn, and alliances shift even faster than Gossip Girl can send an update. Families and reputations are destroyed and made; so are fortunes. And even the strongest friendships are tested. In this sizzling 25-EPISODE, 7 -DISC SEASON TWO, you never know what's next for Serena, Blair, Dan, Nate, Jenny, Chuck, and Vanessa. Good thing Gossip Girl is always there to provide us with the latest, juiciest info! XOXO.

The CW's best show (since the demise of Veronica Mars and Aliens in America that is) continues to be Gossip Girl. It's more entertaining than it has any right to be. It's trashy, and depraved, and utterly addictive.

Season Two continues that tradition extremely well.

Click the Rawr! for the full review.

It's Senior Year for the Gossip Girl gang, at least for most of them, and almost time for college. Some find out their dream school is out of reach while others realize it's just where they belong. It's a season of growth and tragedy of love and loss. Not to mention the sex and the scandals.

This Second Season of Gossip Girl has it all and it is a helluva lot of fun to watch.

Part of the charm of this show is its perfect cast. Each actor embodies their characters wholeheartedly and it gives us equal opportunity to love and hate every one of them. Season Two is full of chances for all of that. The season has a lot of twists and shocks and even some comedy thrown in (intentionally or otherwise).

If I had to make any complaints, it'd be that there wasn't enough of Eric Van der Woodsen, played by Connor Paolo. I feel like they don't know what to do with this character. Whether they're just afraid to fully explore his character or they just don't want to, I don't know. He just feels wasted to me. There is plenty of opportunity for smart and inspiring story lines revolving around this character and they're just not doing it.

Besides that, most of the other characters get ample screen time. The stories stay strong this season and never feel tired or cliched. In fact, I find myself consistently surprised at just how smart the writing is. A nighttime teenage soap shouldn't be as good as Gossip Girl is.

The Season Two set features all twenty-five episodes along with a plethora of features including featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and more. It's a nice collection for fans of the show to check out. I don't know how interested a casual watcher would be but it's definitely packed for loyal viewers.

All in all, Gossip Girl: The Complete Second Season continues to be an entertaining and deplorable show to watch packed full of sex, drama, great characters, and underage drinking.

I can't get enough of it.

Gossip Girl: The Complete Second Season is available on DVD now.

Season Three premieres September 14 on The CW.

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TV Trailer: Smallville Season 9

If I didn't think this show was awful on an epic scale, I might be excited by this trailer.

Smallville returns on its new night Friday, September 25.

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Multiple Peaks at Melrose Place

I have to admit I was hooked on this show back when it first aired. This new incarnation has me curious, especially since Sydney is back!

Melrose Place is back Tuesdays this fall on The CW.

Click the Rawr! for a lot more peaks.

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TV Preview: Melrose Place Teaser!

Doesn't show much at all but damn if I'm not excited for this. Bring on Fall!

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The first shows coming back to The CW are...

The CW is set to announce early renewals for six of its shows. Fans of the following should be pleased:

“Smallville,” “Supernatural,” “90210,” “Gossip Girl,” “One Tree Hill” and “America’s Next Top Model.”

In addition to these, they have greenlit a pilot for Melrose Place.

Still waiting for them to correct that mistake of canceling Veronica Mars...

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New TV Premiere Dates!

Thanks to AintItCool.com we have the list of premiere dates for mid season replacements and favorites returning from the holiday hiatus.

The list is in order by title:

Amazing Race (CBS) Feb. 15
America’s Best Dance Crew (MTV) Jan. 15
America’s Next Top Model (CW) March 4
American Idol (Fox) Jan. 13
Bachelor (ABC) Jan. 5
Battlestar Galactica (SciFi) Jan. 16
Beast (A&E) Jan. 15
Big Love (HBO) Jan. 18
Biggest Loser (NBC) Jan. 6
Burn Notice (USA) Jan. 22
Celebrity Apprentice (NBC) March 1
Chuck (NBC) Feb. 2
Closer (TNT) Jan. 26
Confessions of a Teen Idol (VH1) Jan. 4
Cribs (CMT) Jan. 10
Cupid (ABC) March 24
Daddy’s Girls (MTV) Jan. 5
Damages (FX) Jan. 7
Dancing With The Stars (ABC) March 17
Diatribe (Lifetime) Jan. 5
Dog The Bounty Hunter (A&E) Feb. 4
Dollhouse (Fox) Feb. 13
Dragon’s Den (BBCA) Jan. 8
East Bound And Down (HBO) Feb. 15
Exterminators (A&E) Feb. 4
First 48 (A&E) Jan. 1
Flashpoint (CBS) Jan. 9
Flight of the Conchords (HBO) Jan. 18
Friday Night Lights (NBC) Jan. 16
Fringe (Fox) Jan. 20
Game Show In My Head (CBS) Jan. 3
Going For Broke (VH1) Jan. 26
Gone Country (CMT) Jan. 23
Harper’s Island (CBS) April 9
Hell’s Kitchen (Fox) Jan. 29
Heroes (NBC) Feb. 2
High School Reunion (TV Land) Feb. 18
Homeland Security USA (ABC) Jan. 6
House (Fox) Jan. 19
Howie Do It (NBC) Jan. 9
I Love Money (VH1) Jan. 26
Jail (MyNet) March 10
Jockeys (Animal Planet) Feb. 6
Kings (NBC) March 19
Kyle XY (ABC Family) Jan. 12
L Word (Showtime) Jan. 18
Last Templar (NBC) Jan. 25
Lie To Me (Fox) Jan. 21
Life (NBC) Feb. 4
Lost (ABC) Jan. 21
Masters of Illusion (MyNet) Jan. 5
Medium (NBC) Feb. 2
Meet The Browns (TBS) Jan. 7
Mentalist (CBS) Jan. 19
Millionaire Matchmaker (Bravo) Feb. 12
Miss America (TLC) Jan. 2
MoCap LLC (Spike) Jan. 10
Monk (USA) Jan. 9
My Big Redneck Wedding (CMT) Jan. 10
My First Home (TLC) Jan. 3
Nip/Tuck (FX) Jan. 6
Office (NBC) Feb. 1
Paranormal State (A&E) Jan. 19
Psych (USA) Jan. 9
Real World (MTV) Jan. 7
Reaper (CW) March 17
RelicQuest (SciFi) Jan. 21
Reno 911 (CC) March 12
Rock of Love (VH1) Jan. 4
Saturday Night Live (NBC) Jan. 10
Scrubs (ABC) Jan. 6
Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Showtime) Jan. 18
Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABC Family) Jan. 5
Smallville (CW) Jan. 15
Smile … You’re Under Arrest (Fox Reality) Jan. 10
Snapped (Oxygen) Jan. 8
Sober House (VH1) Jan. 15
Solitary (Fox Reality) Jan. 17
South Park (CC) March 11
Street Patrol (MyNet) March 10
Supernatural (CW) Jan. 15
Superstars of Dance (NBC) Jan. 4
Survivor (CBS) Feb. 12
Ten Items Or Less (TBS) Jan. 6
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox) Feb. 13
XIII (NBC) Feb. 8
13: Fear Is Real (CW) Jan. 7
Tool Academy (VH1) Jan. 11
Toughest Cowboy (Spike) Jan. 29
Treasure Quest (Discovery) Jan. 15
True Beauty (ABC) Jan. 5
Trust Me (TNT) Jan. 26
24 (Fox) Jan. 11
United States of Tara (Showtime) Jan. 18
Unusuals (ABC) April 8
Wake Up Call (Soap) Jan. 8
Wreckreation Nation (Discovery) Jan. 6

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Networks begin giving their upfront presentations this week but early word is out on a few shows. Two of which I will tell you about now.

First the good news. Boston Legal is renewed after intense negotiations between David E. Kelley and ABC. I'd enjoy it because odds are this will be the last season. People are saying the show is coming back with a reduced cast.

The bad news is that The CW has apparently canceled the best show in their line up and quite possibly one of the best sitcoms on television for the past several years, Aliens in America.

One network does something right and one does something woefully wrong.

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An Open Letter to the CW

Dear CW,

How have you been? Not well? I see. Bad ratings? Yeah...life's hard.

I feel like we've been here before. Yeah, about a year ago when you were canceling a brilliant show called Veronica Mars. Do you remember? Seems like that's your M.O. now. Y'know, canceling brilliant shows in exchange for more and more vapid and insidious garbage. Crowned, anyone?

Why do you do this to yourself?

Here we are again only now it's not a highly loved drama, instead we're in danger of losing a smart, important comedy like Aliens in America.

But by all means, you need to make sure there is room for the next Pussycat Dolls show.

Don't think about how Aliens in America is one of the funniest sitcoms on the air, or how it's probably one of the smartest or best written. I'm sure it would best to ignore it. Let's not aspire to keeping a positive show on the air. Let's instead do a spin off to America's Next Top Model.

Is my sarcasm coming through CW?

Aren't you tired of having a lineup full of crappy shows? I can count on two fingers the number of good shows you have. That's right. Two. And one of them is only good because it's so trashy, that being Gossip Girl.

The other of course is Aliens in America. This show is the best show you have on the air, and is probably the best sitcom on the air right now period.

Why drop it? Why not stand behind it and show that you are committed to bringing intelligent and socially conscious entertainment to the masses. Let everyone know that not only can a show be funny and touching but that it can also carry an extremely positive message of tolerance.

This isn't a petition nor do I plan to start one. There are no plans for a campaign to mail you thousands of pounds of Pakistani candy or little alien heads either.

All I have are my words and a simple request:

Give Aliens in America a chance. Let it stick around and grow an audience. What do you have to lose?

Only a brilliant show.

For whatever that might be worth to you.

Yours,

Pop Culture Beast

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