Big Screen: Friday's TV Panel

Sherlock and Merlin sessions in fullSherlock. The Sherlock session kicked off with a couple of clips from season one. The first went all the way back to the beginning and possibly the smartist meet-cute in telly detective history. Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock explains to Martin Freeman'sWatson that he knows everything about him, from his army past in Afghanistan to his favourite colour of Skittle, just by looking at him, and would he care to flat-share? If only Gumtree was this much fun. Then, without much more ado, Sherlock creator/writer Mark Gatiss took to the stage to share some nuggets about season two, currently "a week and a bit" away wrapping down in Cardiff. As the former League of Gentlemen-er explained, things got a little Royston Vasey on the set this week: "We were stopped briefly by the riots which was very scary indeed. " It's a bold call to visit the set of a programme called 'Sherlock' to commit crime, you'd think. Here's hoping they were disarmed by a few well-placed Holmes bon mots and a well-timed cane to the looter-hooters. Interruptions aside, season two is coming together nicely says Gatiss. He's promising a visit to some of the greatest moments in the Holmes canon over the three 90-minute shows. They form what the creator shorthands 'The Woman, The Hound, The Fall' trilogy, although we know them better as 'A Scandal In Bohemia', 'The Hound Of The Baskervilles' and 'The Final Problem'. For the spoiler-weary, those are the Wikipedia pages to avoid between now and session two's airing. As Gatiss explained cryptically, "We get to the cliffhanger somehow..."So what's different about this season? "It's the second one," Gatiss deadpanned. "Also we've completely recasted. ""It's a rare chance to do the early days of their friendship, right from the beginning, so everything you know has not yet formed. Sherlock's attidue to women and to crime is still forming, so it's much more plastic. The only heresy [about the show] is that it's modern day. After that it's one of the most faithful versions there's ever been, because Stephen and I just love it. Sherlock Holmes had become all about the hansom cabs and the fog, rather than about the friendship of this unlikely couple. It's very much inspired by the Basil Rathbone's version. "So the big question: will there be a Moriarty presence? "Wait and see!" laughed Gatiss. So is that a yes? "It's a <i>nnn</i>-yes. "Gatiss explained that Sherlock was beavering away frantically solving cases, so the elves could continue to their journey across Middle-earth. "The Hobbit is working around us," he grinned, "and I never thought I'd say that. They shut the while film down so Martin (Freeman) could come back to us but we've got to finish sharpish so he can get back. My only regret is that Martin and Benedict are in it, but not the rest of the Sherlock cast. "Merlin. Next up: Arthurian England's own Derren Brown, Merlin. Fans of all things wizardy and fire-breathing would have been stirring their metaphorical cauldrons in delight at the sight of footage from the forthcoming fourth season (airing on weekend spots before Christmas, fact fans). Then Merlin creators Johnny Capps and Julian Jones, as well as Prince Arthur himself, Bradley James, took to the stage to answer questions devilish enough to have Beowulf howling at the moon. First things first: would the show be taking a leaf out of Harry Potter's book of spells and heading in a darker direction? Yay, and indeed, verily. "Season four looks at the mythology, so in that sense it gets darker,' explained Capps, "but there's still comic moments in there. " So giant wooden rabbits and tap-dancing Knights of the Round Table are out then? "Well, the stand-out comedy episodes we've had before won't be there. " Sure enough, the crunchingly visceral trailer for season four was a world of John-Boorman-Excalibur bleakness as well as all the swordsmanship, swashbuckling and hag-faced witches we've come to know and love in the series. "Everyone's very aware of the familiar King Arthur legend so that part of my research was already done," James joked. "Without being presumptious enough to think that this would run and run, I knew Arthur's journey was to go from this idiot at the beginning to the heroic figure he becomes at the end of the show. "So, wondered Big Screen's moderator, why 'Merlin' and not, say, 'Arthur'? "Merlin the magician was something that no-one had explored for a long time," Jones explained. "At the time [of creating Merlin] we were all obsessed with Smallville so we started to explore the idea of a 'young Merlin'. Then we thought, "Why not bring in Arthur? Why not bring in Guinevere?"The creators came back time and again to the show's "five-year plan", a rare luxury in TV writing that's enabled them to construct longer-reaching arcs and plot threads. "There's a very specific idea of how season five ends and how to move onto season six," says Capps. "We're looking to move deeper into the mythology. The great thing about it is that everybody has a Merlin - there's a very famous Croatian Merlin - and we've read everything!" Auntie Beeb likes to keep its scheduling info under its bonnet, but look out for Merlin season four on a Saturday evening slot sometime before Christmas.

Coriolanus United kingdom Trailer: Rob Fiennes May Have His Revenge (as well as an Oscar, If You Do Not Mind)

The term around Movieline HQ has Rob Fiennes’s directorial debut Coriolanus creating a splash — although not too large a splash — inside a stuffed up honours season in the future. Lots of that is dependent how The Weinstein Company positions the Shakespeare upgrading/adaptation, even among its robust 2011 Oscar crop which (for the time being) includes W.E., The Iron Lady, My Week With Marilyn and also the Bully Project. It couldn’t hurt to emulate this trailer from United kingdom distributor Lionsgate, which adroitly knits the war, revenge and family angles right into a tapestry of highly regarded as stars including Vanessa Redgrave, John Cox and Jessica Chastain. Let’s obtain a look. Gerard Butler and the Scottish brogue also make a look and feel because the title character’s sworn enemy. It’s pretty good overall, though I generally don’t take my Bard with nu metal. Your move, Harvey! [via Vulture]

Disney Posts Strong Quarterly Results Despite Weakness in Film Studio

The Walt Disney Co. topped fiscal third-quarter earnings expectations by hauling in 77 cents per share, a 15 percent improvement over last year and 4 cents better than analysts had predicted, but the announcement Tuesday didn't help the stock.> Revenue also topped expectations, coming in at $10.7 billion, up 7 percent. Net income was $1.5 billion, up 8 percent. Chief executive Robert Iger credited the company's media networks, especially ESPN, along with parks and resorts and consumer products for the strong results, though not studio entertainment, which was responsible for the bulk of a $34 million impairment charge. Of Disney's five segments, only studio entertainment posted lower revenue this quarter compared with the same quarter last year. Revenue fell 1 percent to $1.62 billion, and operating income at the studio plunged 60 percent to $49 million. Cars 2 and Thor had tough comparisons with last year's Toy Story 3 an Iron Man 2, but Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides offset much of the damage. Disney shares were rising 2 percent in after-hours trading shortly after the earnings report, but fell to negative 1 percent during the company's conference call with analysts. Disney shares, which had been up 9 percent on the year as recently as last month, have taken a nosedive along with the rest of the market. In August alone, the stock has plunged 10 percent. On Tuesday during regular trading, though, the shares gained 5 percent to $34.70 on a strong market rebound, though the stock remains down 8 percent on the year. Iger said Tuesday that the violent swings -- mostly to the downside -- on Wall Street nowadays hasn't affected Disney's business, and he doesn't expect that they will. "We remain well-positioned for whatever economic conditions we face in the future," he said. Iger seemed most enthusiastic Tuesday about ESPN, which he said attracts an audience of 107 million each week when you add up TV, radio and the Web site. He said ESPN and Disney will remain "diligent" when bidding for sports rights. ESPN is part of media networks, which was again Disney's largest sgment, reporting $4.9 billion in revenue and $2.1 billion in operating income, up 5 percent and 11 percent, respectively. Iger also boasted of a 24 percent ratings surge at Disney XD, and praised the recently aired Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension, a TV movie based on the hit animated show Phineas and Ferb, as a "phenomenal success." The movie is the No. 1 scripted telecast so far this year among kids 6-11. All of the growth in media networks was attributed to cable networks, where revenue gained 7 percent to $3.5 billion. In broadcasting, revenue fell 1 percent to $1.43 billion. Parks and resorts, Disney's second largest segment, posted revenue growth of 12 percent to $3.2 billion, with kudos going to the domestic parks, the ocean-cruise business and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. On the other hand, Disneyland Paris disappointed, as did Tokyo Disney Resort, the latter due to the March earthquake. Revenue at consumer products grew 13 percent to $685 million thanks to toys associated with Cars 2 and Marvel superheroes. Interactive media, the only segment to show an operating loss, grew its revenue 27 percent to $251 million. Related Topics Iron Man 2 Robert Iger The Walt Disney Company Disney Channel Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Thor Cars 2 ESPN earnings

Stacy Keach joins The Bourne Legacy

The Bourne Legacy has added Stacy Keach to its cast, but Universal Galleries has not confirmed the actor's role as well as his character's title.The guy most widely known for playing charge role within the 1980s television series The Brand New Mike Hammer can look within the latest film within the Bourne franchise.This 4th outing is occur exactly the same world because the first three films, but will train its concentrate on a brand new character while Jason Bourne themself requires a breather.Jeremy Renner plays the brand new film's lead, while Joan Allen and Albert Finney reprise their roles from previous Bourne movies. Edward Norton and Rachel Weisz also star.The film is written and directed by Tony Gilroy, who authored the prior three records within the series.The Bourne Legacy opens in United kingdom movie theaters on 17 August 2012.

Obvious and offer Danger The Evolution of contemporary Terrorism

Obvious And Offer DANGER - The Evolution of contemporary Terrorism, takes an unflinching take a look at terrorism. From the roots in society, through it' historic evolution, to analyzing the business structure of terrorist groups today - Their recruitment, methodology, mission execution and target selection. This program looks into what geopolitical and economic conditions enable such groups to flourish and wage traumatizing campaigns of horror placing entire communities under siege, why is terror so effective and what drives terrorists to create the best sacrifice. Finally, this program looks into the worldwide war against terrorism by revealing intricacies of intelligence and government departments, anti-terrorist police forces, and elite military models. Additionally, it examines various deterrence systems, border & immigration controls, technological safeguards, financial controls, but, most of all, what preventative and humanitarian measures could be carried out to curtail terrorist groups at their base and heal the wounds which have ripped the world apart. Obvious And Offer DANGER - The Evolution of contemporary Terrorism features commentary and insight supplied by Dr. Jonathan Whitened, a specialist in Middle-Eastern terrorism, an acclaimed author as well as an instructor of both criminal justice and Condition and native Anti-Terrorism Training Course having a background in police force.

First look at Joseph Gordon-Levitt on set of The Dark Knight Rises

The avalanche of pictures from the Pittsburgh set of The Dark Knight Rises over the last couple of days have unveiled yet another of its cast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was spotted alongside Marion Cotillard, possibly in costume and by the look of it, deep in thought.Gordon-Levitt is playing John Blake, a Gotham-City cop assigned a special duty by newly appointed Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman).We know from the teaser trailer that Gordon may not be in the best shape, so this leaves us to ponder over what role the beat cop will be performing whilst Gordon is out of action in hospital.Still to be spotted on set is Anne Hathaway's Catwoman, but there have been whispers that they'll be 'action scenes' between her and Cotillard's character Miranda Tate, so it shouldn't be long before more spoiler shots are released.