We’ve been called every name in the book over this episode. Liars is the one that keeps coming back. I can assure you we are in no way lying when it comes to our final episode of Starkville’s House of El. It is a very personal thing for me and I have been its #1 supporter since the cameras stopped rolling in May.

We always knew it was going to be ambitious but we really wanted to try and do everything for this episode. Get the band back together. Do a huge round-table retrospective of the past 10 years of the show, season by season, as well as the last 5 years of SHoE. There was even a time we were talking about getting all the hosts together in one room, and I mean ALL the hosts (Tucker, Will, Graham, Houston, Steve, Joe, Damian, Robin) and just having this huge SHoE nostalgic fest on camera. SHoECon, if you will. But that all kind of fell through and we salvaged what we could by Steve and myself making a promise that we would be there together for the end and that the cameras would be rolling through the weekend. With that in mind, we commissioned Damian, Joe, and Robin to be in on this as well and make this a big blowout. It was ambitious, and not to oversell it (because I don’t want it to come out and people say “that’s what we waited for?!”) but I think we did the end of SHoE justice with the 10+ hours of footage that was shot that weekend, not to mention other footage from the past 5 years.

We essentially wanted a two-hour movie of a journey from Smallville and SHoE. This was all mapped out on a cocktail napkin before it was announced that the Smallville DVD series set would have a 90 minute documentary about the show from season to season with almost every cast member. As great as that documentary is (and trust me, I’m on my fourth viewing; it is amazing) we really wanted the everyman’s point of view and since that’s what we’ve done from week to week for the last five years, we were going to compile everything into one and, to borrow a phrase from Steve, pull the curtain back completely.

With all that in mind, you might be able to somehow empathize the undertaking that Graham was facing when I gave him everything back in June. It’s basically a film. And with that in mind, it became a tax on us to get it done in an appropriate amount of time for Smallville and SHoE’s ending. We wanted to take our time, because we wanted it to be perfect so we could use every bit of host interviews, as well as listener submitted videos. There just wasn’t time in the day. Graham has done about 40% of the footwork on it but is just buried under real life, as we all are. I can’t blame him for that when he was doing this for free in what should a several thousand dollar paid project. I don’t have the equipment or time to devote to this myself. It’s been little by little. Enter Jason Spencer. Jason has been a long time listener of SHoE and one of the first people I can remember talking to early in the show’s birth. He’s always been a good friend and is devoting his free time to getting the project done once and for all within the next 3-4 weeks. Jason is an amazing freelance videographer and editor and the project is in good hands with him.

So, that’s basically it in a nutshell. We aren’t holding out. We aren’t trying to coincide with the season 10 or series set DVD/Blu-Ray releases. It’s just been an uphill battle trying to get this just right with a project that was shot one everything from expensive high-end cameras, to iPhones, to Flip Recorders. It’s a journey, much like the film itself. In fact, every day we get closer, I call it more and more of a film. A very personal film because it took 5 years to get here and it’s taken a few more months to get it just right. So, it’s coming. And I hope you all love it.

I’ve seen the completed first seven minutes and it is killer. I truly believe it’s a fitting end for Starkville’s House of El and can’t wait to share it with you!

It was an unforgettable trip. One of laughs and equal amounts of tears. It was emotional to watch the show close out and subsequently, lose our little show in the process. We worked hard on our final episode, which is being edited now and will be released in a few days – but somehow that didn’t seem fitting enough to say our thanks as much as it did our goodbyes.

So how do I sum up five years? How do I say thanks to the hundreds of folks that have made this show happen, and the hundreds of thousands that have listened week in and week out? I can’t. There’s too many to name. Too many experiences to comment on. Too many things to be thankful for. Our credits in 175 will list a large part of the people who have made this show what it was in the last five years, but there are some who I would be remiss to not take this opportunity to thank in our final moments.

Tucker Colburn and Graham Hancock – Two of my oldest and most loyal friends. Thank you for believing in something that sounded stupid five years ago, and still sounds stupid today. Thanks for putting up with me, my wishes for the show, and always having the attitude of seeing it through to make it as fun as possible. Thanks Houston Longino and Will Cooper for shouldering some of the responsibility for a while, and laying the groundwork of what this show would ultimately end up being five years later.

Thank you to people who have been there from the beginning. Who have always given of themselves and volunteered their time to increase awareness and have a good time. Thanks Kim Jordan for always being a great friend and source of support and advice in our years of friendship, and your passion to want this small effort to succeed from the beginning. Thanks Brian Moseley for always being eager to serve and put forth your ideas and humor (and thanks to you and Troy for putting up with mine and Steve’s antics this weekend).

Thanks to people who we never really said enough thanks to like Allie Osterloh Michael Bailey, and Stuart Baldwyn (and many, many, many others) who were always happy to devote their time and talents to Starkville’s House of El. To guests like Brian Austin Green, Cassidy Freeman, Bryan Q. Miller, Al Septien, Turi Meyer, Justin Hartley, John Schneider, Alaina Huffman, Alan Ritchson, and too many others to name.

Thanks Susan Kesser and Suzanne Gomez and Marc Klein for always being in our corner.

Thanks to Robin Burdge for your humor, your good spirits, and for always wanting to do whatever you could for SHoE. Thanks to Brie for letting you be as available as you were for us, Robin. Thank you to Damian Holbrook for joining our project, after already being a full time journalist who probably didn’t want to talk TV anymore at the end of his day, but still always would and had a fun time doing it.

Thank you Joe Hummrich for your loyalty. Thanks to Liz for letting you come out and play. Thanks for your friendship. Your good heart. Your giving of your time. For always having my back, and for being a lifelong friend – even though I’ve only known you a short time.

Thank you Steve Glosson. Thanks for being my best friend. For laughing with me. For being my reality. For telling me what was smart and what was dumb. For keeping me grounded. For lifting my spirits. For burning yourself out on these shows, for finding yourself, and for coming back together for the end. Thanks for always being there for me and thanks for letting me be half a good a friend as you are to me. Thanks for being a part of SHoE. Thanks for letting me be a part of Geek Out Loud. Thanks for never letting me settle and always making me try harder to do what I want to do in life. Thanks for making SHoE what it was and what it ended on. Thanks for saving it, more than once. Thanks for bringing the funny and making the people keep coming back for more. Thank you for your laugh. It saves lives.

Thank you to my family and friends and coworkers who put up with this crap for years and are probably more than happy it’s over with.

Thank you listeners. Thank you for loyalty. Thank you for support. Thank you for five years of downloads. Tweets. Emails. Ideas. Laughs. Complaints. Rants. And Love. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching. Thank you for loving Smallville with us. Thank you for taking the time to care. Thank you for recognizing we did this for free. For fun. For you.

Thanks for the videos and the emails and the tweets leading up to and following the finale – we’ll never be able to use all of the hundreds of them, but I wanted to share a few I saw here now. (including this one http://ihopeitsnotatrain.blogspot.com/2011/05/sixty-seconds-aint-gonna-cut-it.html)

Thanks for everything.

This wasn’t just another fan podcast – you found a way to bring the listening audience into the friendships you were developing with each other. Starkville’s House of El was very special and you will be missed by a great number of people. – Jeanne S.

Smallville and SHoE went hand in hand; I literally could not have one without the other! I could go so far as to say SHoE was one of the reasons why I kept watching Smallville…nearing the end of season 6 and the beginning of season 7, my interest began to drift; But Starkville’s House of El podcast made me realize that being a fan of a television show meant to take it for what it was worth, and to take in every episode without condition…What made Smallville so great over its 10 years of existence were not only those at the helm, but the fans included. You made the show what it was, and for that words really can’t express the thanks I give to you. So instead, I’ll bid you adieu and as Chloe would say…”See you in the funny pages.” – Erin G.

You have added so much to our lives and you are appreciated more than words can say. – Jason L.

What you guys did with this podcast was amazing…After each episode I looked forward to SHoE. Your show was informative and very entertaining. I hope you guys continue to do what you love and allow us, the listeners, to continue having a good laugh, learn some history, and laugh even more. – Kendrick M.

I can’t tell you how much this podcast has meant to me over the years…Your show made my day so much better. You could not even begin to imagine. Steve, you were a delightful addition to the show. Derek, I was so sad to see you leave and so very happy when you came back. Steve, bless his heart, could never get the titles right. Damian, Joe and Robin ya’ll made this last year very enjoyable so thanks to you also. I can’t do Twitter. I can’t make a video. I just wanted to tell you that everything you all have done for the fans has been appreciated by this one. Good luck to all of you in the future. You will be missed. – Laurie R.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has ever made SHoE possible. Thank you all for all of your hard work and dedication, we are all fans of Smallville but you took it so much further. You guys have done such an amazing job over the years. Thank you so much for being apart of all our lives and for giving us a safe to place to geek out as we all went on this journey together. – @ricochetlives

I wanna say thank you to @SHoEpodcast and everyone involved, thank you for the 5 years it’s been a blast. – @koibraces

Thank you @SHoEpodcast for giving me something to listen to. You guys made me even more a Smallville fan. – @robertlabell

Smallville changed my life more significantly than any other tv show and a lot of that is due to @SHoEpodcast - @DaneFromKC

Thank You @SHoEpodcast for hilarious podcasts every week.. gonna miss you guys. – @Syda_Smallville

Thank you @SHoEpodcast for making Smallville even more enjoyable for me. - Heidi J.

Thank you for all you’ve done, doing something I didn’t think was possible…. making Smallville even better. - @brownie1145

Thanks for being an awesome source of laughs and discussion these past five years, everyone at @SHoEpodcast. You work harder than most know. – @grahamtracey

Just wanted to thank you all for the hours of fun you’ve provided. You’ve brightened alot of crappy days at work for me. - @targlewang

BE THERE AS SMALLVILLE WRAPS UP CLARK KENT’S TEN-YEAR JOURNEY IN AN EPIC TWO-HOUR SERIES FINALE — The story of Clark Kent culminates in this epic two-hour series finale as Clark takes the last step to becoming the Man of Steel. With surprise guest appearances, nods to the first few seasons of the series and Michael Rosenbaum’s return as Lex Luthor, this final episode wraps up a decade-long story following one’s man’s journey to becoming the world’s greatest superhero. Erica Durance, Allison Mack, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman, John Glover, Annette O’Toole and John Schneider also star.

This is it. 10 years in the making. Tonight, the series finale of Smallville airs – in what promises to be a myriad of emotions of excitement, sadness, and overall, hope. Superman will take flight and we will all be watching. After ten years of watching, and five years of doing Starkville’s House of El, we are ready to see how it all turns out. After the episode airs – Steve, Derek, Robin, Damian and Joe will go live for Episode 174 at 11:30PM EST. We will have more details on the site about that later today, and on our Twitter – so check back.

It’s going to be a great night!

It’s the penultimate episode before the last ever episode of Smallville. Don’t miss the final moments that lead up to the series finale! Come back here to discuss it afterwards, and keep an eye out for SHoE 173. And don’t forget to send in your video submissions for the SHoE finale! See below for details!

Next Friday night, we will host a live show for the Smallville “Finale” with SHoE 174. But our end will come with 175. At the end of the episode, we’d like to feature videos from SHoE listeners all over the world. Some people have compared this to Smallville’s “I Believe In Heroes” campaign from earlier this year, and while that’s a fun idea – what we really want here is personal accounts. Fun stories. Old memories. How you sometimes listen to SHoE, whether in your cubicle or while jogging…what Smallville has meant to you over the years and if SHoE was a part of that. It will be part of a much larger documentary with Smallville footage, plus the SHoE crew sharing their own thoughts. We’ve been doing this a long time, and not to sound preachy, but we’ve given a lot and would like this back in return to have the pay off we’re trying to attain in this episode.

It’s real simple: all you have to do is film yourself for 30 – 90 seconds with the criteria we mentioned above. Try not to feature any SHoE or Smallville clips in your footage, just you or your friends or family. Be original!

We’d love for them to be in .mov format but we can try and make anything work. So shoot them with your iPhone, your laptop, your digital camera, what ever you have. Just get them in! We’ve already gotten a few submissions but we’d really love to have at least 50 to choose from. If your’s doesn’t make the cut for some reason (time, etc.) don’t worry – we will feature them all on SHoE’s website after Episode 175 is released. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below and I will make sure to answer them. Send your submissions to mail@smallvillepodcast.com – and be sure to include your name and your twitter/tumblr handle as well. Deadline is 12AM EST Monday, May 16th.

I’ve embedded an example below, courtesy of Marc Vibbert, for you to get an idea of what we’re going for. We look forward to watching your submissions!

]]> http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2011/05/05/be-a-part-of-the-shoe-finale/feed/ 7 http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2011/05/05/smallville-a-z-week-three/ http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2011/05/05/smallville-a-z-week-three/#comments Thu, 05 May 2011 14:49:43 +0000 Robin http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/?p=4482 To celebrate the end of Smallville, I have decided to create photoshops that are kind of like trading cards that go from A to Z and who or what the letter corresponds with. This series will be released every Friday until the finale of Smallville, but if you want to check them out on a daily basis, go to my Tumblr blog, the Wall of Weird at http://robinburdge.tumblr.com. Next week is the last week before the Finale with letters T through Z! What do you think I’ll pick? What would you pick? Happy Smallville Friday! And enjoy Prophecy!

Visit SamAndNate.com to purchase our Fortress design and have a piece of Starkville’s House of El memorabilia long after our show ends in 3 weeks. They are $15 for men and $20 for ladies.

So what’re you waiting for? Get to SamAndNate.com and order yours today before they’re gone!

ZOD (Callum Blue) RETURNS IN JUSTIN HARTLEY’S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT EPISODE — Tess learns that General Slade was found unconscious on a street corner, proof that someone has gained access to the Phantom Zone’s escape portal and sent him back. Clark decides to return to the exiled land to make sure other phantoms are not fleeing and is furious when Oliver tricks Clark into taking him along. With Clark’s powers gone, the two are immediately captured by the Zoners who take them to their new leader, Zod, who is thirsting for revenge on Clark for banishing him to this Kryptonian jail. Meanwhile, Lois learns Clark trusted Tess with a secret, but didn’t tell Lois.

After tonight, there is only one new episode of Smallville remaining before the series finale – so you definitely don’t want to miss this one. Count on there being a lot of promos for the end starting tonight! After it’s over with, come back here to discuss the episode and keep checking back for SHoE 172! Only four episodes of SHoE remain!

This series will be released every Friday until the finale of Smallville, but if you want to check them out on a daily basis, go to my Tumblr blog, the Wall of Weird at http://robinburdge.tumblr.com.

Next week is M through S! What do you think I’ll pick? What would you pick?

Happy Smallville Friday! And enjoy Dominion!

To enter this contest, just send your questions to me (triviarobin at gmail dot com). Make sure to send them in soon! We want to try to stump Derek this weekend with the Dominion recap!

Smallville fans are in for a treat when the complete series hits DVD later this Fall. All 218 episodes on 62 discs, plus never before seen footage and content brings the price tag on this one to about $224.99 via Amazon (and if you pre-order from there, not only do you lock in the price, but you also support SHoE in the process!)

Also being released on that same date in the Fall will be season 10 on DVD and BluRay, which are both available for pre-order now via Amazon as well, and you guessed it, it helps SHoE out when you pre-order those as well! Check out the specs for the complete series after the jump.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Ultimate Collector’s Set for the Ultimate Fan

SMALLVILLE: THE COMPLETE SERIES

Featuring All 218 Episodes, Including Never-Before-Seen Special Features, in Highly Collectable New Packaging

BURBANK, CA (April 27, 2011) – After 10 incredible seasons, Smallville: The Complete Series will arrive on DVD this fall. This ultimate collector’s set for the ultimate fan features over 192 hours of content – including all 218 episodes, over five hours of newly added special features such as an unaired, never-before-seen Superboy pilot from 1961, a 90-minute series retrospective with all new interviews, the 2010 final Comic-Con panel and more!

In addition, exclusive printed materials include a Daily Planet newspaper, written by DC Comics, that highlights the important storylines developed during the 10-year run of the show and an episode guide with never-before-seen production art (storyboards/sketches) and behind-the-scenes photos. Smallville: The Complete Series is presented in highly collectable new packaging consisting of two lay-flat picture books that hold 62 discs.

“It’s been an unbelievable 10 season run for Smallville, still one of the most popular series on television and one of our best-selling titles on DVD,” said Rosemary Markson, WHV Vice President, TV and Special Interest Marketing. “The fan base for the franchise is not only huge, but loyal and they’re going to love this ultimate collector’s edition.”

Soaring toward the end of its 10th and final season, this modern retelling of a hero’s legendary origins blends realism, action, heart and humor as Clark Kent completes his epic journey by claiming his birthright as the world’s ultimate hero – Superman.

Starring Tom Welling as “Clark Kent,” Allison Mack as “Chloe Sullivan,” Kristin Kreuk as “Lana Lang,” Michael Rosenbaum as “Lex Luthor,” John Glover as “Lionel Luthor,” Erica Durance as “Lois Lane,” Annette O’Toole as “Martha Kent,” John Schneider as “Jonathan Kent,” Justin Hartley as “Oliver Queen,” Sam Jones III as “Pete Ross,” Cassidy Freeman as “Tess Mercer,” Aaron Ashmore as “Jimmy Olsen,” Eric Johnson as “Whitney Fordman,” Laura Vandervoort as “Kara,” Callum Blue as “Zod,” Jensen Ackles as “Jason Teague” and Sam Witwer as “Davis Bloome,” Smallville has also featured many notable guest stars including Terence Stamp, James Marsters, Michael McKean, Ian Somerhalder, Jane Seymour, Brian Austin Green, Pam Grier, Helen Slater, Michael Ironside, Julian Sands, Tori Spelling, Rutger Hauer and Christopher Reeve.

Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Based on DC Comics characters, Smallville was developed for television by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar. Its executive producers have included Gough & Millar, Brian Peterson, Kelly Souders, James Marshall, Michael Tollin, Brian Robbins, Joe Davola, Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer, Greg Beeman, Ken Horton and Tom Welling. The series is from Tollin/Robbins Productions, Millar/Gough Ink and Warner Bros. Television.

The two-hour Smallville series finale will air on Friday, May 13, 2011, at 8pm on The CW Television Network.

MARKETING SUPPORT

Smallville: The Complete Series will be released day & date with Season 10 and will be supported with a multi-million dollar media, promotions and publicity campaign.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Never-before-seen Superboy pilot from 1961
90-minute series retrospective with all new interviews
2010 final Comic-Con panel
A Daily Planet newspaper written by DC Comics that highlights the important storylines developed during the 10-year run of the show
Episode guide with never-before-released on DVD production art and behind the scenes photos
And more!

SMALLVILLE: THE COMPLETE SERIES

Running time: 192 Hours

SRP: $339.88

About DC Entertainment

DC Comics, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world and home to such iconic characters as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Sandman. These DC Super Heroes and others have starred in comic books, movies, television series (both animated and live-action) and cyberspace, thrilling audiences of all ages for generations. DC Comics’ Web site is located at www.dccomics.com.

SUPERMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.

About Warner Home Video

With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, a division of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video’s film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment’s home video, digital distribution, interactive entertainment/videogames, direct-to-DVD production, technical operations and anti-piracy businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. WBHEG is responsible for the global distribution of content through DVD, electronic sell-through and VOD, and delivery of theatrical content to wireless and online channels, and is also a significant worldwide publisher for both internal and third party videogame titles.

To celebrate the end of Smallville, I have decided to create photoshops that are kind of like trading cards that go from A to Z and who or what the letter corresponds with.

This series will be released every Friday until the finale of Smallville, but if you want to check them out on a daily basis, go to my Tumblr blog, the Wall of Weird athttp://robinburdge.tumblr.com.

Next week is F through L! What do you think I’ll pick? What would you pick?

Happy Smallville Friday! And enjoy Booster!

DC COMICS CHARACTER BOOSTER GOLD ARRIVES FROM the FUTURE; The BLUE BEETLE IS BORN! — After everything that happened with the VRA, Lois tells Clark it’s best to make “Clark Kent” forgettable and awkward so people don’t suspect he’s The Blur. However, the two are stunned when a fame-hungry superhero from the future, Booster Gold (guest star Eric Martsolf, “Days of Our Lives”), sweeps into town and begins making saves and posing for press ops, completely winning over the city of Metropolis. Booster begins his campaign to take The Blur’s place as the “World’s Greatest Superhero” and tries to charm Lois into writing a story about him, but she’s not having his antics and begins her own campaign for The Blur. During one of Booster’s saves, an alien weapon in the form of a scarab falls from a truck and fuses itself to a boy named Jaime Reyes (guest star Jaren Brandt Bartlett), turning him into the Blue Beetle. Unfortunately, Jaime is unable to control the suit and Blue Beetle starts attacking Metropolis.

If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and scroll down to Derek’s advance review of tonight’s episode. You won’t want to miss this one! Our episode for ‘Booster’ is already in the can and will be posted while tonight’s episode airs, so check back for it immediately and come back to discuss with other viewers!

CLARK RETURNS TO THE ALTERNATE UNIVERSE AND RUNS INTO JONATHAN — Clark is shocked to find a mirror box in the barn. Clark Luthor surprises him and sends Clark Kent back to the alternate reality where Clark runs into a very angry Jonathan Kent (guest star John Schneider). Meanwhile, back in our reality, Clark Luthor visits Tess and tells if she doesn’t side with him he’ll kill her. Lois asks Emil (guest star Allesandro Juliani) to help her bring Clark back.

This is it! The beginning of the end…of the beginning… only five episodes of Smallville remain and after a lengthy hiatus, the show returns tonight with the seventeenth episode of the season, ‘Kent’. And trust us, it’s going to be amazing! After the episode, come back here to discuss it, and keep your eye out for Episode 170 of SHoE!

Burbank, Calif. March 31, 2011 –Superman, the cultural icon and quintessential superhero, is back in a big way. In a powerhouse year marked by the theatrical releases of several major superhero films including Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern, his arrival couldn’t be more perfectly timed. Warner Home Video (WHV) is celebrating the year of the superhero with the June 7 release of Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology (1978-2006) on Blu-ray. For the first time, fans will be able to own one super-entertaining Blu-ray collection with all four original theatrical Superman films starring Christopher Reeve (available for the first time in high def), Superman Returns, and the two alternate versions of Superman I and Superman II.

Available now in superb hi-def, with new digital/hi-def film masters, the must-own comprehensive Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology (1978-2006) on Blu-ray includes all six versions of the films in the original Superman theatrical franchise — Superman: The Movie – Original Theatrical, Superman: The Movie – Expanded Edition, Superman II – Original Theatrical, Superman II – The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III – Original Theatrical, Superman IV – Original Theatrical, plus Superman Returns. The Collection also boasts 20 hours of bonus features including the never-before-seen original opening to Superman Returns. Also included are two documentaries in hi-def, Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman and The Science of Superman, as well as You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman, deleted scenes, and much more. Fan-boys and technophiles will especially appreciate that all of the Superman films are being released with English DTS-HD-MA soundtrack for superior sound quality. Also included is Movie Cash good up to $8 off one admission ticket to see the newest Warner Bros. superhero film, Green Lantern, at participating theaters between June 17, 2011 and July 3, 2011. The eight-disc collection will be available for $129.95 SRP.

Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology is also available On Demand and for download through online retailers including iTunes and Amazon on Demand.

About The Films

Superman: The Original Theatrical Movie (1978) and Expanded Edition (2001)
A box-office smash, an Academy AwardÒ winner and a fan favorite since it first flew into theatres in December 1978, Superman: The Movie assembles a cast and creative contingent as only a big movie can. At its heart (just as in three sequels) is Christopher Reeve’s intelligent, affectionate portrayal of a most human Man of Steel.

Variety called Superman “a wonderful, chuckling, preposterously exciting fantasy.”
The movie’s legacy soared even higher when director Richard Donner revisited this beloved adventure 22 years later and integrated eight additional minutes into the film. Enjoy more footage of the Krypton Council, a glimpse of stars of prior Superman incarnations, more of Jor-El underscoring his son’s purpose on Earth and an extended sequence inside Lex Luthor’s gauntlet of doom. Reeve, Marlon Brando (Jor-El), Gene Hackman (Luthor) and Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) give indelible performances that fuel the film’s aura of legend.

Disc #1
· Superman: The Movie, Original Theatrical
· Commentary by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler (Original Theatrical Version)
· The Making of Superman: The Movie [1978 TV special]
· Superman and the Mole-Men [1951 feature]
· Warner Bros. Cartoons
o Super-Rabbit [1943 WB cartoon]
o Snafuperman [1944 WB cartoon]
o Stupor Duck [1956 WB cartoon]
· Trailers

Disc #2
Superman: The Movie, Expanded Edition
Commentary by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz (Extended Version)
Taking Flight: The Development of Superman
Making Superman: Filming the Legend
The Magic Behind the Cape
Screen Tests
Superman
Lois Lane with Optional Commentary
Ursa
A Selection of Restored Scenes
Additional Music Cues
Main Titles
Alternate Main Titles
The Council’s Decision
The Krypton Quake
More Mugger/Introducing Otis
Air Force One
Can You Read My Mind (Pop Version)
Music Only Track (Donner Cut)

Superman II (1980 and The Richard Donner Cut)
“I thought the original Superman was terrific entertainment,” the Chicago Sun-Times’ Roger Ebert wrote, “and so I was a little startled to discover that I liked Superman II even more.” Unwittingly released from Phantom Zone imprisonment, three super-powered Kryptonian criminals (Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran) plan to enslave Earth – just when Superman (Christopher Reeve) decides to show a more romantic side to Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Gene Hackman (as Lex Luthor) also returns from the first film and with a top supporting cast, witty Richard Lester direction and visuals that astound and delight.

Superman II -The Richard Donner Cut delighted fans who, for years, had been imploring Warner Home Video to release the Donner cut. In fact, the director had already shot most of the Superman II footage during Superman: The Movie. But as production on the sequel continued, creative differences between the director and the film’s producers became irreconcilable and Donner left the project. Although Richard Lester was hired to finish production, he chose to make major changes to the film, leaving only vestiges of Donner’s original vision and concepts in the version of Superman II that was ultimately released to theaters.

Nearly thirty years later, Warner Home Video was delighted to grant the wishes of countless Superman fans. With this DVD release, Richard Donner had become the first director in history to be able to complete a film he left during production with nearly all his footage “in the can.” Adding back a substantial amount of that unused footage, the director has seen his original vision restored and brought to fruition.

Most notably, the “Donner cut” restores the Marlon Brando role, filmed for, but not included in the final theatrical release version of Superman II. The legendary Brando’s performance as Jor-El has finally been restored in key scenes that amplify the Superman lore and deepen the profound relationship between father and son.

With so many other changes, large and small, including a variety of Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) schemes to unmask Clark Kent as Superman, this Superman II proved to be an eye-opening experience and an important addition to film history.

Disc #3
· Superman II, Original Theatrical
· Commentary by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler (Original Theatrical Version)
· The Making of Superman II [1980 TV special]
· Deleted Scene
· First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series
· Fleischer Studios’ Superman
o Superman
o The Mechanical Monsters
o Billion Dollar Limited
o The Arctic Giant
o The Bulleteers
o The Magnetic Telescope
o Electric Earthquake
o Volcano
o Terror on the Midway
· Theatrical Trailer

Disc #4
Superman II – The Richard Donner Cut
Commentary by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz (Donner Cut)
Introduction by Richard Donner
Superman II: Restoring the Vision
Deleted Scenes
Famous Studios’ Superman
Japoteurs
Showdown
Eleventh Hour
Destruction, Inc
The Mummy Strikes
Jungle Drums
The Underground World
Secret Agent

Superman III Theatrical Version (1983)
After Superman: The Movie’s epic storytelling and Superman II’s awesome battles, how could the first two hits be topped? In Superman III, meet Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor), a half-witted computer programming natural. For him a keyboard is a weapon – and Superman faces the microelectronic menace of his life. Christopher Reeve reprises his most beloved role, deepening his character’s human side as Clark Kent reunites with old flame Lana Lang (Annette O’Toole) at a Smallville High class reunion. And when Superman becomes his own worst enemy after Kryptonite exposure, Reeve pulls off both roles with dazzling skill. Incredible visual effects abound – but above all it has heart, heroism and high-flying humor. All in superabundance.

Disc #5
· Superman III Theatrical Version
· Commentary by Iilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler
· The Making of Superman III (1983 TV Special)
· Deleted Scenes
· Theatrical Trailer

Superman IV The Quest For Peace Theatrical Version (1987)
Christopher Reeve not only dons the cape for the fourth time but also helped develop the movie’s provocative theme: nuclear disarmament. “For me, it’s the most personal of the entire series,” Reeve said. “It directly reflects what Superman should be, and should be doing.” Superman does a lot this time around. To make the world safe for nuclear arms merchants, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) creates a new being to challenge the Man of Steel: the radiation-charged Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow). The two foes clash in an explosive extravaganza that sees Superman save the Statue of Liberty, plug a volcanic eruption of Mount Etna and rebuild the demolished Great Wall of China.

Disc #6
· Superman IV The Quest For Peace Theatrical Version
· Commentary by Mark Rosenthal
· Superman 50th Anniversary Special (1988 TV Special)
· Deleted Scenes
· Theatrical Trailer

Superman Returns (2006)
He’s back. A hero for our millennium. And not a moment too soon, because during the five years (much longer in movie-fan years!) Superman sought his home planet, things changed on his adopted planet. Nations moved on without him. Lois Lane now has a son, a fiancé and a Pulitzer for “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.” And Lex Luthor has a plan that will destroy millions – no, billions – of lives.

Filmmaker Bryan Singer (X-Men) gives the world the Superman it needs, honoring the legend everyone loves while taking it in a powerful new direction. Brandon Routh proves a perfect choice to wear the hero’s cape, leading a top cast that includes Kate Bosworth as Lois and Kevin Spacey as Lex. And the thrills – from a sky-grapple with a tumbling jumbo jet to a continent-convulsing showdown – redefine Wow.

Disc #7
· Superman Returns
· Requiem for Krypton: Making Superman Returns
o Pt. 1 Secret Origins and First Issues: Crystallizing Superman
o Pt. 2 The Crystal Method: Designing Superman
o Pt. 3 An Affinity for Beachfront Property: Shooting Superman- Superman on the Farm
o Pt. 4 An Affinity for Beachfront Property: Shooting Superman- Superman in the City
o Pt. 5 An Affinity for Beachfront Property: Shooting Superman- Superman in Peril
o Pt. 6 The Joy of Lex: Menacing Superman
o Pt. 7 He’s Always Around: Wrapping Superman
· Resurrecting Jor-El
· Deleted Scenes including the never-before-seen original opening to Superman Returns
· Bryan Singer’s Journals – Video production journals

· Trailers

Disc #8 Additional Bonus Material
· Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman [Hi-Def]

· You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman
o Pt. 1- Origin
o Pt. 2- Vision
o Pt. 3- Ascent
o Pt. 4- Crisis
o Pt. 5- Redemption
· The Science of Superman [Hi-Def]

· The Mythology of Superman
· The Heart of a Hero: A Tribute to Christopher Reeve
· The Adventures of Superpup [1958 TV pilot]

SUPERMAN: THE MOTION PICTURE ANTHOLOGY

ON BLU-RAY

Street Date: June 7, 2011

Catalog/UPC #: 1000202043 / 883929189014

Pricing: $129.95 SRP

Running Time: 906 Mins. (Features only; combined)
Rating: PG-13
For more information: http://warnerblu.warnerbros.com/

Note: All enhanced content listed above is subject to change.

Warner Home Video Blu-ray™ Discs offer resolution six times higher than standard definition DVDs, as well as extraordinarily vibrant contrast and color and beautifully crisp sound. The format also provides a higher level of interactivity, with instant access to extra features via a seamless menu bar where viewers can enjoy features without leaving or interrupting the film.

Warner Home Video
With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video’s film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

We won’t be doing an episode of SHoE devoted to the pilot, but rest assured we will discuss it when Smallville returns with ‘Kent’ next week. In the meantime, be looking for a special episode of SHoE2 with writer Bryan Q. Miller! Also in the news, TV Guide has released their Smallville cover for the finale feature, with Tom and Erica on the cover. That issue hits stands next week.

]]> http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2011/04/05/cw-re-airs-pilot-tv-guide-hits-stands/feed/ 34 http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2011/03/10/shoe-exclusive-john-schneider-talks-kent/ http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2011/03/10/shoe-exclusive-john-schneider-talks-kent/#comments Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:19:37 +0000 Derek http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/?p=4293 One of the things I will take with me forever when Smallville and SHoE are done is getting to know & become friends with John Schneider over the past few years. Last month, I helped John out with one of his appearances in Birmingham, AL. We talked about “Kent” a bit & whether or not we’ll be seeing Pa Kent again before it is all said and done. You can check it out after the jump! Be advised some spoilers lie within!

Interview by Derek Russell (Please don’t re-post without citing www.smallvillepodcast.com)

SHoE: So, it has been a crazy weekend and really loud around here. If the audio doesn’t work from this we might just have to do text on the website.

Schneider: We’ve done worse over the years.

SHoE: When we last saw Jonathan, he was working on the fence as if he’d never really left. How different are things now, this late into the final season, than they were back in September?

Schneider: Tough to say. Jonathan exists in 2nd Earth and has had a very different path than the Jonathan we all know. I can’t tell you how different though, but far different than how we saw him at the beginning of the season.

SHoE: So, this is not the same Jonathan we saw encouraging his son at the farm in ‘Lazarus’. We’re back in an alternate universe, right?

Schneider: Correct. Earth 2. This Jonathan is so different you can’t believe it!

SHoE: It probably won’t provide much clarity to help the viewers understand just exactly what ‘Jonathan’ was in the premiere then, I’d assume?

Schneider: It doesn’t really touch on the interaction in the season opener at all. But I’m hoping my next one will.

SHoE: Then it is safe to assume we’ll be seeing you again for the finale?

Schneider: I am returning to Vancouver, yes. No idea what they have in store for me yet, but I’m returning. So excited.

SHoE: You’ve told me before a couple of ways you’d love to see the series end. One involved Clark opening an old closet door on the farm and taking the suit off a hanger and closing the door and the screen going black (if you had directed it). Another involved a pep talk with Jonathan as he put the cape around Clark. Seeing as how this one of the last 5 episodes of the series, Rosenbuam is returning as Lex, and they have now devoted 2 hours to the final episode, do you have another idea of how you would love to see it end in its final moments?

Schneider: I still feel it needs to end with Jonathan sending him off once and for all. Or Jonathan and Jor-El together (like) Yoda and Obi-Wan. Like I said, not sure how it’s going to play out but I feel strongly that Jonathan should be there in the end to see Superman.

SHoE: What was like it to come back again after five years and after the response you received at Comic Con this past summer?

Schneider: It felt like I was the homecoming King! I’ve enjoyed every minute of Jonathan’s return this year and am so happy to have been a part of the show again.

SHoE: Now, in ‘Kent’, Who all is Jonathan interacting with this time around? Did you have any scenes with John Glover or Cassidy Freeman?

Schneider: Again this time, my main interaction is with Clark. And some mourners at a certain someone’s funeral. I have to leave it at that though, I’m afraid.

SHoE: Well, I do know you’re a big fan of the Clark/Jonathan dynamic in scripts. Was there anything specific about this episode that you loved?

Schneider: There is a bit of a switch in this one. A changing of or turning of the guard this time around. An opportunity for Clark to give Jonathan the strength to move forward for once instead of the other way around. It’s quite a wonderful script. Some beauitful moments. Jeannot [Szwarc] was the perfect director for this one!

SHoE: During your time on Smallville, was there anything that Jonathan never got to do that you wish he’d done?

Schneider: Oh, I still wish Jonathan had been trapped with Lionel for a few days somewhere. An entire episode devoted to it. Just so they could have found out more about each other. What made them tick.

SHoE: What are you working on now? Well, I know, but the people watching need to know! And is there anything you’d love to tell your Smallville fans?

Schneider: I sold a half-hour pilot to Nick at Night and a feature to be shot in Louisiana in the fall. Other than that…. My follow through!
But, I want to thanks the fans of Smallville for the privilege of being Jonathan Kent. I have had a blast coming back. I will miss the farm.

“Kent” airs when Smallville returns April 15th on The CW

Scion was a nice wrap-up to the Alexander storyline, with great callbacks to earlier seasons. However, the send-off seemed too neat of a bow that I suspect had a lot to do with Michael Rosenbaum finally deciding to return to Smallville.

Before we get to all that, first off, I have probably said it before but I feel the need to reiterate how much of Superman that Clark has become.  His faceoff with Lionel was a war of words, but the only act of violence he did was pushing Lionel against the wall. Tess even tells Lois that she should convince Clark to get rid of Lionel. He is capable of causing so much trouble, and knows Clark’s vulnerability.  But Lois knows how good of a person Clark is. He not only would never kill someone, but he also has a belief that people can change. He is virtually incorruptible now, as Desaad discovered in Masquerade. I really love what Tom Welling has done for this character. I can’t imagine what it’s like to have the same role for ten years, but Welling is still keeping it fresh and so interesting to watch.

It was also nice to see Clark in that fatherly/brotherly role again. We get to revisit the area previously explored with Ryan James, Kara Kent, Alec Abrams and of course, Zan and Jayna. Clark would make an incredible father/big brother. The only child of two loving foster parents, he has had a great upbringing. When he gets to share those values, I cannot help but see Jonathan saying the same things to him.  “There’s a shadow inside all of us. But that doesn’t mean you need to embrace it. You decide who you really are. And I know you’ll make the right choice and become the hero you’re destined to be.”

The homage to Heat was just as awkward as the original. I especially liked the bit with the candle where Clark ended up wearing a severely scorched blue t-shirt. No worries, Conner, he has a closet full of them. Then again, if you want awkward, it’s Clark’s reaction to Lois calling Conner his and Lex’s love child. The climax of the Clark and Conner father/son dynamic was when Clark shows up at Luthor Mansion to get Conner back in line. I was thinking as that scene started how much this was reminding me of Phoenix, and then Clark said, “You’re coming home with me.” I nearly jumped out of my chair. Thank you, Al and Turi, for that.

This would have been a great one-off episode, much like Legion or Warrior was. If Conner was discovered frozen in a lab, I would have no problems with this. But Conner has a history on this show already – in the form of Alexander Luthor. And because of that, the plot of Alexander losing it yet again and battling with Clark seemed to be a bit of a retread on its own. We’ve seen an episode of Lionel winning Alexander over to the dark side. We’ve seen Alexander put one of Clark’s loved ones in danger. We’ve seen Alexander try to kill Clark. We’ve seen Alexander switch to the side of good and swear allegiance to Clark’s rulebook. It really seemed so abrupt  with the name change, hair color change and the memory loss.

See, here’s what I think. Alexander was the back-up plan. I really thought that if they could not get Michael Rosenbaum, Darkseid was going to take over this invulnerable, corruptible shell. I can’t see anyone taking Lucas Grabeel as Darkseid at all seriously. So maybe he was going to grow into some older version, perhaps like we saw in Savior. The last we heard from him was that he was losing his memories and gained invulnerability. I thought it was just so Darkseid would have an empty meat suit to wear. But now that Michael Rosenbaum is appearing, there would be no need for a clone. And perhaps they know we would rather see him as Lex than some possessed version of Lex. Speaking of Darkseid, I hope the next time we see him is less clouds and more talking. Stop teasing us, Smallville!

All in all, I think it’s a great episode on its own, if you try to forget what happened in Beacon, which hurts because I really loved that one. And I didn’t even touch on Tess and Lionel’s scenes, which were great as well. Tess sure did raise her coffee cup to TMB. Since she works for Clark’s team now, she didn’t kill any henchmen to prove her point either.

Well that’s it for my reviews of new episodes for the rest of the season. Life has gotten very busy and Becca is doing me a huge favor and will be giving you her thoughts on the rest of the series. You guys will probably be hearing more of me on the podcast anyway as we bring this epic show to a close as only Starkville’s House of El can.

TESS SURPRISES CLARK — Lionel and Tess go head to head in a battle for the Luthor name. Clark and Lois are stunned by Tess’ latest present to them.

Could that description be any shorter and more vague?! Smallville is back tonight with its last all-new episode before another dreadful hiatus of nearly six weeks! This one is going to be a biggie though, with lots of comic lore and mythology and of course the fine acting skills of John Glover and Cassidy Freeman playing off of one another. Plus, the return of Lucas Grabeel as Alexander! This one was written by Al Steptien and Turi Meyer and marks the directorial debut of Al; you can find both these gentlemen on the upcoming SHoE episode for ‘Scion’ in the next couple of weeks. Smallville returns with “Kent” on April 15th for the final 5 episodes of the series.

ZATANNA GIVES THE GANG A SERIOUS HANGOVER — After Zatanna sends a magically spiked bottle of champagne to Clark and Lois for their bachelor/bachlorette parties, the gang blacks out after the toast, only to wake up the next morning and realize they can’t remember anything about the night before. While trying to retrace their steps, Lois realizes she lost her engagement ring and drags Oliver back to the Fortune Casino where she thinks she lost it. The two run into Fortune (guest star James Kidnie), the eccentric casino owner, who accuses them of stealing money from him. Meanwhile, Clark tells Chloe he has a memory of stealing an armored truck the night before.

Smallville is back tonight with what may be the final appearance of Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan if she doesn’t show up for the series finale. This is also the next to last episode before there is another hiatus for the show again, so you won’t want to miss the next two episodes. After it’s over, come back here and discuss and keep an eye out for SHoE Episode 168 with Joe and Robin!

Masquerade didn’t quite reach the emotional heights we had in Beacon. But if you are a Chloe fan, this Date Night meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith adventure turns into Chloe Deconstructed. However, we also get some good bits with Clark and Lois that, to me, didn’t work out as well as I would have liked.

So Juliana and Clive Bixby got in a little hot sauce tonight. The start of this episode kind of grated on me. It’s probably because since Chloe disappeared for half the season, when Smallville throws such a huge spotlight on her and Oliver’s relationship, I feel like I already checked out in Lazurus. Their flirting and arguing was kind of cute but I felt like I was stuck in the trunk, too, and wanted to get back to the Planet. But then we got to Desaad and it added so much more. When Chloe was strung up much like the dead bodies we saw earlier, I really liked how Desaad ran her through the seven deadly sins – trying to find her weak point.

Man, Desaad was such a great villain. I loved that almost his entire conversation with Clark was a double ettendre for what was really going on. Did you catch some of the things “Blaine” was saying? “Sorry about the mess.” “Did I miss something?” “I’m the guilty one.” He was so deliciously sinister there and how his mojo worked on Chloe. It seemed like a purge of Chloe’s darkest emotions – I especially liked the Prideful Chloe, really getting to the depths of what her problems with committing to Oliver are. The best part though, was how it turned into using Oliver’s Wrath to win him over to the dark side. So I wonder where this will go from here. How will Oliver betray the rest of the gang to Darkseid?

Let’s hit the rewind button and get into the Clark and Lois plot. What a thrilling opening to this episode! We see Clark perched on the face of Big Ben, and we find out he has been stopping crime in Turkey and Buenos Aires. And despite the amount of time it took Clark to get from Smallville to Metropolis in Beacon, he zips from England to Metropolis within seconds here. Not only has his superspeed seemed to have changed, but now Clark is stopping crime across the globe. Honestly, I just don’t buy Clark turning this quickly from the defender of Smallville and Metropolis to Earth’s savior. It’s strange to say this in Season 10, but it feels really rushed to me and pretty implausible without flight. I just think of what we saw in Superman Returns – Clark flying into orbit and using his super hearing to find any crime in progress. If Clark can run fast enough to speed across oceans, we should have seen something like that in a previous episode. Besides his runs to the Fortress, the farthest we’ve seen him run is Honduras, and that’s connected to us by land. Much like the microvision thing, it’s just weird to get these cool upgrades to Clark without much explanation.

Because Clark is turning into a viral video sensation, Lois believes that Clark needs to disguise himself better. Firstly, I have to say kudos to Bryan Miller for realizing that we are doing Superman in today’s world, where everyone seems to have a cell phone with a camera. Lois tries to give Clark the hooded sunglasses look that Oliver and Bart have. Seeing that look was a nightmare come true for some Smallville fans, like myself, who have worried that in this origin of Superman, where Clark Kent runs around in Metropolis without the glasses – this look might end up being the possible outcome. Boy does he look terrible like that.

But Clark comes around to what he really needs to do – inspired by what he saw in the future in Homecoming and his conversation with Martha in Beacon – he needs to use Clark Kent as the disguise. He also says that he needs to adjust his persona from hero to Average Joe, so when he collides into Daily Planet worker Jeff for the second time this episode, he acts more meek. This is really the other problem I had. I really hoped for the past two and half seasons since Clark has made a name for himself in Metropolis that the writers would have a better way to distance Clark’s face from the hero he will become. But this just feels like we are going through the motions that Clark really needed to set up for himself before he decided to become the Red-Blue Blur back in Season 8. You even see it at the crime scene – everyone knows who Clark is! Out of respect for the show, I will try not to let this affect my love for it. But my brain is saying too little, too late. Maybe it’s marked with the Omega symbol. WHOOSH!

CHLOE AND OLIVER ARE KIDNAPPED – Chloe and Oliver are mistaken for FBI agents investigating Desaad’s (guest star Steve Byers) recent string of murders and the pair are kidnapped by Desaad’s minions. Desaad tries to infect Chloe with the darkness. Meanwhile, Lois tells Clark he needs to be more careful with his identity and suggests a disguise.

Another new episode of Smallville airs tonight, this one written by Bryan Q. Miller! Only 7 new episodes remain after tonight. Check back for the latest episode of SHoE with Damian & Derek!

What a wonderful time to be a Smallville fan. After EW’s little “nail in the coffin” article earlier this week claiming that since no news had come out about Rosenbaum returning, it was pretty much time to give up hope, hope came to us – TVLine’s Ausiello announced that Rosenbaum (who simultaneously tweeted this news) will be returning as Lex Luthor for the series finale of Smallville, airing May 13th, 2011. This puts to rest the age old discussion of will he/won’t he that fans have been clamoring over since it was announced that season 10 will be the last for the show. Not only that, but Greg Beeman announced on his blog last night that he will be directing the second half of the two hour finale; something that myself and I know other Smallville fans are glad to hear, as Beeman is one director who has a passion for the series and was a part of it for many years. (Beeman last directed the ninth season finale, ‘Salvation’)

All this news comes off the heels that The CW announced earlier in the week that the series finale will, indeed, be a two hour event on Friday, May 13th; bringing the episode total for the final season to 21 episodes, but 22 hours. No word yet if Allison Mack will definitely be returning for the series finale yet or not. Currently, the last episode she will be appearing in is 10×15 – ‘Fortune’. Also, last season’s Zod (Callum Blue) and Kara (Laura Vandervoort) will be returning for an episode before the end. Expect to see Zod in 10×19 – ‘Dominion’ or 10×20 – ‘Prophecy’. Only 8 episodes remain in the final season of Smallville.

MARTHA KENT COMES HOME — Clark is surprised to see Martha on the news speaking at a pro-vigilante rally. However, surprise quickly turns to horror when he and Lois watch as Martha gets shot on national television. Meanwhile, Lionel reveals himself to the world and reclaims LuthorCorp from Tess and Oliver. Lois and Chloe decide to cheer Clark up by showing him videos from thousands of vigilante supporters professing their support for The Blur. Videos were created and submitted by actual Smallville fans.

It looks like everyone is going to be close to their TVs tonight! After it’s over with, come back here to discuss while you wait for the release of the next new episode of SHoE!

CHLOE SULLIVAN RETURNS TO SMALLVILLE — Clark, Oliver, Lois and Dinah (guest star Alaina Huffman) are released by the VRA after being captured at Hawkman’s funeral but each of them have flashbacks of Chloe holding them against their will.  When Chloe returns, Dinah warns the others that Chloe may now be a traitor.  Oliver dismisses her concerns but Clark is unsure if he can trust Chloe after she disappeared without an explanation.

After a long hiatus, Smallville returns tonight, featuring the return of Chloe Sullivan! After it’s over with, come back here to discuss while you wait for the release of the next new episode of SHoE!

Cavill, 27, was actually a choice for the role of Superman prior to Brandon Routh being chosen when it came time for Superman Returns in 2006.

This got us thinking. We shared some thoughts on our “Icarus” episode about who our top picks for casting were, but Cavill’s age is sort of a game-changer that sets the tone for the rest of the cast. One of our big picks for Jimmy Olsen was Joseph Gordon-Levitt but seeing as how he’s 2 years older than Cavill, it doesn’t make for a great cast.

So where does that leave our picks? Find out after the jump.

Henry Cavill – 27 years old

(The Tudors, Tristan and Isolde)

Clark Kent/Superman

Unless the project goes to development hell, Cavill is the newest Superman to don the cape. This is the first bit of casting for the new franchise reboot, after an announcement a few months back that Zack Snyder would be directing a script presumably from David S. Goyer.

Allison Brie - 27 years old

(Mad Men, Community, Scream 4)

Lois Lane

Still a big pick to play the intrepid reporter and the object of Clark’s affection, Brie is a great choice to play opposite Cavill in the leading role.

Michael C. Hall – 40 years old

(Dexter, Six Feet Under)

Lex Luthor

The versatile actor is our number one choice for Superman’s arch enemy who will, hopefully, be a Lex Luthor for a new age: a force to be reckoned with that is as sinister as he is unwavering.

Alan Rickman – 64 years old

(Die Hard, Galaxy Quest, Harry Potter films)

Jor-El

Few people establish themselves as a favorite among the masses but Rickman has been doing it for a long time. We think he’d be a great choice to play Kal-El’s biological father. Wishful thinking? Probably. There’s not really any basis to believe this film will do a genesis story but if Superman doesn’t have a Fortress of Solitude a lot of people are going to be upset.

Hugh Laurie – 51 years old

(House, A Bit of Fry and Laurie)

Perry White

Laurie is an amazing actor, and one that has no trouble barking out orders as he’s been known to do as Dr. Gregory House on the hit FOX tv show. We think he’d make a great “Chief” for Clark, Lois, and Jimmy. Just don’t call him that. (CAN’T YOU JUST HEAR HIM SAYING THAT?!)

Aaron Johnson – 20 years old

(Kick-Ass, Nowhere Boy)

Jimmy Olsen

Johnson can pull off the bow-tie look well and has established himself in comic book fandom with last year’s Kick-Ass. Being 7 years younger than the actor playing Clark Kent is a good fit for a potential Jimmy Olsen.

Mark Pellegrino - 46 years old

(Lost, Supernatural, Being Human)

Brainiac

Complete pipedream on this one but Pellegrino is fantastic actor and while the rumor of Brainiac appearing in the film is just that, we can’t think of an actor more suited for the role that would definitely play well off of Michael C. Hall’s Lex Luthor.

These are just our picks, no truth to any of them except the announcement as Cavill as Superman. What do you think? Who would you like to see cast?

]]> http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2011/01/31/henry-cavill-for-superman/feed/ 72 http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2011/01/29/smallville-returns-february-4th/ http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2011/01/29/smallville-returns-february-4th/#comments Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:32:22 +0000 Derek http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/?p=4177 By now we just assumed everyone kind of knew, but judging by the onslaught of emails we got last night, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Smallville was preempted last night due to a scheduling decision by The CW to re-air The Vampire Diaries and Nikita during Smallville and Supernatural’s time.

Smallville will return with “Collateral” NEXT Friday night, February 4th at 8pm/7pm Central on The CW.

HAWKMAN AND STAR GIRL RETURN! — The VRA is in full effect and things take an unfortunate turn of events after the Green Arrow tries to stop a mugging but is attacked by citizens for being a super hero. Clark discovers that the civilians who attacked Oliver were all marked with a darkness tattoo. Carter Hall (guest star Michael Shanks) and Star Girl (guest star Britt Irvin) return to help Clark deal with Slade’s (guest star Michael Hogan) re-emergence after he kidnaps Lois.

It’s the last mid-season finale ever, and it’s going to be a big one! Lots of twists and turns are in store for this one so don’t miss it. After it’s over, come back here to discuss, or email or tweet your thoughts to us so we can read them on SHoE 164 with Robin, Joe, Damian, and Derek!

It must be Freaky Friday because Clark is acting weird again! “Luthor” explored some of the same lines that the Fox show Fringe has been exploring – alternate universes and switcheroos. When our Clark is switched with “Faux-Clark”, our hero discovers that an entire universe hinges on who his adopted parents will be. We see a “What If?” scenario twisted into something that could affect the rest of the season.

Before I delve into the plot, let me just say that Kelly Souders did a great job directing this, especially for the camerawork. Some of the transitions were fun, like Tess walking across the study of the mansion into Cadmus Labs or the nausea-inducing switch from one Metropolis to another.  I loved the difference in color between our Earth and Alt-Earth. While our side had the regular ambers and reds that we’re used to, on the other side the world looked like a distant memory. I mean, this world was Dark Thursday every day. The deep blue hues and the shadows across each character’s face evoked a sense of utter hopelessness, of dark times. I especially liked the close-up shots like Clark – who seemed to be constantly trying to escape from the shadow drowning out his face. Meanwhile, our magnificent bastard is back and he seemed cast in stone – like a freakin’ gargoyle. Kudos to the DP.

Let’s talk Lionel Luthor for a moment. I was so sad for him when he fell to his death in “Descent”. Here was a character that was just the worst dad you could think of. A man who raised his son to be powerful but made no allowance for weakness. A man who could quote romantic poets but had no heart. The amount of damage that he caused Lex and Tess was irredeemable. Yet, when Clark switched bodies with him in Transference, he healed his liver cancer and started him down the road to become Jor-El’s emissary. Lionel was affected positively by Clark’s soul and, even though his means to an end bordered on cruel at times, he did his best to support the Traveler.

What was neat about this episode was seeing what would happen if the old Lionel, the one you loved to hate, found young Kal-El in the cornfield. In this universe, rather than Clark making Lionel’s heart grow three sizes, Lionel corrupts Clark. Finally he has a son who he could be as powerful as he hoped for Lex – a boy he could raise in his image. But, especially because Clark killed Lex, Lionel resents Clark for not going all the way to the head of the snake and killing him. It was as if he knew instinctively that in this world, he had lived too long. This is why I’m excited to see future episodes of Alt-Lionel in our world, and what happens when he discovers LX-15. Will he echo the same mistakes that twisted our Lex against our Lionel? And with all his memories back, will clone-Lex resent alt-Lionel for all that our Lionel did?

It’s strange to think that Tess, with the sheer amount of abuse she suffered in the orphanage with Granny and in her foster home with the Mercers, probably suffered less than Lex did. As Clark mentioned, it’s not Lionel’s blood that corrupts, but the man himself. Realizing she is the daughter of Satan, quickly sanitized like some corporate malfeasance, and having to keep that a secret while worrying about the threat of the AntiChrist growing unchecked at Cadmus Labs, Tess was definitely under some strain by this episode. As much as John Glover devoured scenery in this episode, Cassidy Freeman did a wonderful job at portraying that tense paranoia of trying to balance a house of cards on one finger, but also the vulnerability she shared with Alt-Tess.

Another thing that was great to watch was her ability to adapt. Yeah, so she isn’t a great liar (Lois is worse at it), but the way she rolled with it as she discovered Clark wasn’t really Clark was cool. Especially the way she went along with that kiss, am I right? We all know how much she is drawn to power, so it was no great stretch to not only see her melt under Alt-Clark’s touch, but to see how Alt-Tess was in a Mickey and Mallory relationship with Alt-Clark on Earth 2 was a different side as well. I also loved her scenes with Lois. I’m certain a little jealousy is there, even if she doesn’t realize it herself.

And lastly, the third star of this episode would have to be Tom Welling. First, for showing Clark can learn from his mistakes. The scene where he apologizes to Tess was so good. I really enjoy his relationship with Tess, ever since Tess came on the show in Season 8. Second, he keeps us believing in Lois and Clark. Even though I think it was a waste of time, he made me believe why he’d want to convince Alt-Lois that he was good. And come on, I loved the line “Nothing says ‘Sorry my doppelganger from a parallel Earth tried to kill you’ like flowers.”

And holy crap, Alt-Clark was probably the most evil we have ever seen him! This performance is comparable to the one he did in “Transference” (there’s that episode again). The paisley shirt and the pinky ring both exemplified the smarmy Luthorcorp executive he was raised to be. Yet his cold gaze and quick temper showed us the killer he had become. “It doesn’t feel right….not having blood on my hands before lunch.” Did anyone else think Superman III when he yelled, “Get up, Tess! GET UP!” Seeing our hero explode was pretty shocking. Welling’s performance made me want this episode to extend to two hours.

I was pressed on the latest SHoE podcast to rate this one and, since it was after 2am, it was hard for me to think of one. But now I’m thinking it’s a 7. There is a lot of awesome moments and stuff to chew on as well, but there were also things that made no sense.  First is just the continuity issue between Earths. Why is Clark named Clark? Why didn’t Lionel die from liver disease years ago? Then there’s how the mirrorbox works. If the alternate versions of Clark were supposed to switch bodies, why didn’t alt-Clark arrive in Cadmus Labs? And more importantly, did the corpse of our Lionel end up at the Alt-Watchtower? Did Alt-Lionel have to claw his way out of our Lionel’s grave? Then there was that weird coffee stand scene. It was really kind of distracting from the rest of the episode. And staying on cellphone guy at the end of the scene…”Nice to meet you, Lois.”…were we supposed to know that guy?

JOHN GLOVER RETURNS AS LIONEL LUTHOR; EXECUTIVE PRODUCER KELLY SOUDERS MAKES HER DIRECTORIAL DEBUT — Tess acquires a Kryptonian box that once belonged to Lionel Luthor. When Clark accidentally activates the box, he’s transported to a parallel universe where Lionel found Clark in the cornfields instead of the Kents. In this universe, Clark Luthor is a murderer and Lois is engaged to Oliver and both of them hate Clark. Clark must be careful not to tip off Lionel that he’s not his son while trying to figure out how to get back to Earth where the monster Clark Luthor was transported in his place.

After the episode is over, head back here to discuss it or tweet your thoughts to us so we can read them on the air in Episode 163 of SHoE feat. “Luthor” writer Bryan Q. Miller!

DC COMICS CHARACTER AQUAMAN RETURNS WITH HIS WIFE MERA; TOM WELLING DIRECTS AND MICHAL HOGAN (”BATTLESTAR GALACTICA“) GUEST STARS AS COL SLADE. – In an effort to protect the rest of the team, Oliver decides to register for the Vigilante Registration Act to see what the government plans to do with the new law.  As he suspected, it was a trap to lure superheroes to an undisclosed location where he is confined to a jail and subjected to a battery of brutal tests under the supervision of Col. Slade (guest star Michael Hogan, “Battlestar Galactica”).  Aquaman (guest star Alan Ritchson) and his new wife Mera (guest star Elena Satine) team up with Clark to free Oliver.  Lois is frustrated when Clark continues to push aside her offers to help the team and sets out to prove she can play with the big boys. Tom Welling directed the episode written by John Chisolm.

After it’s over, head back here to discuss the episode with other SHoEligans while waiting for Episode 162 with Robin and Joe!

Let’s begin with Tess, or should I say Lutessa Lena Luthor? I heard some complaints about the name. But however you feel about it, the unlocking of Tess’s origins was scary and eye-opening. Can I nominate her for Smallville’s Worst Childhood Ever Pity Award? Born of what must have been an affair between Lionel and Pamela, Tess spent her first nine years with either Lionel and Lillian or Pamela. But Lionel must have had some sort of role in her life because she called him “Daddy”. Her abandonment on the steps of St. Louise’s Orphanage is, to me, the most painful. It’s one thing to lose one or both of your parents. It’s quite the other to realize no matter how much you love them, they want nothing to do with you.

Of course, Lionel must have entrusted Granny with custody of Tess because of her great success in making children forget where they came from. But that might not have been enough, because he returns to send her to the Mercers in Louisiana. (From St. Louise’s to Louisiana?) And we all know how evil Phil Mercer was. But Granny always watched over her. Tess was supposed to be her most valuable soldier and she still has plans to use her power. I’m thinking the power she is talking about would be either Luthorcorp or perhaps her inner strength? Either way, Tess knows that she has a job opportunity on Team Darkseid. I have a feeling her arc with the Incredible Growing Lex will land her on that team somehow. Maybe she’ll ask Granny to erase Lex’s memories in exchange for her services. Unfortunately, that would mean she would have to betray Clark, the one person who didn’t abandon her.

I really liked how Lois and Clark’s abandonment issues echoed and affected each other. Lois, who was finally able to pull her family together for Thanksgiving in “Ambush”, still is dealing with a hole in her heart. Clark, who hasn’t been home since his mechanical father threw him out in “Lazarus”, is bitter and disenchanted.  Yet they both encourage each other to deal with the past – to get it resolved. For Lois, since childhood she has been wrestling with the fact that she never saw her mother in her final days. At first, she blames herself, but it turns out that Ella Lane didn’t want her or Lucy to visit.

Ella spent her final days being supported by the General (who was then the Colonel) and filming videos for Lois to go to when she needed her mother. Teri Hatcher did a splendid job playing Ella. But Ella was wrong. She tried to save her daughters the burden of seeing their mother die, yet she denied them the closure they needed. The hole in Lois’s heart may be the chief reason why she never got seriously close to anyone else. Now that she is in love with Clark, she must learn to heal that wound before she can fully commit to him.

It’s interesting to note that Jor-El essentially left a box of videos for Clark in the Fortress. I’m not talking about the holographic message, but the voice of Terrence Stamp. By the time we see Jor-El and Lara’s final day on “film”, I really started to wonder why Fortress Jor-El was so different than Last Days of KrypTIN Jor-El. But he tells Clark in the message – that he didn’t send any of his ego and regrets, but all of his knowledge. Which means the emotional side of Jor-El, the compassionate side was left on Krypton. The Jor-El machine has been programmed to put Clark through his training, and smack him down if he showed signs of weakness. There’s a reason why Jor-El said in his message that “whatever trials I put you through, I will never lose faith in you.” But just like Ella, Jor-El took the burden of dealing with those emotions away to an negative effect. And notice how this statement runs counter to the machine’s declaration in “Lazarus”: “I regret as a father. My faith in you blinded me to the truth. You will never be Earth’s savior.” Luckily, Clark still got this heartfelt and tearful goodbye recording. Julian Sands and Helen Slater did some amazing work with this scene.

To wrap this up, I must say that I am kind of digging the Unholy Trinity – Godfrey brings them in, Desaad wraps them up and Granny wipes them clean before training them to be as dark as they can be. With discussion of lost and abandoned souls being taken and repurposed for evil, you really get the idea that Clark is really going to have to face down Smallville’s version of the Devil.

Oh and one more thing, if that wasn’t another Raiders homage when Clark faced down Whip Girl, I wouldn’t know what to call it! Also, was it just me or did that stairway looked mighty familiar….

Lois (Erica Durance) finds a video made for her by her mother, Ella Lane (Hatcher), before she died. After watching the tape, Lois makes a drastic decision about her relationship with Clark (Tom Welling) that takes her to the Fortress, where she comes face to face with Jor-El and Lara. Meanwhile, Tess has a nightmare involving herself as a child and a music box. Upon awakening, she finds the music box in Luthor mansion and sets out to find out who planted it there. Clark accompanies her to an orphanage run by Granny Goodness (guest star Christine Willes) who may not have the young girls’ best intentions in mind. One of the young women living there, Harriet (guest star Hartley), finds Clark snooping around and decides to take matters into her own very sharp hands. Kevin Fair directed the episode written by Drew Landis & Julia Swift.

After it’s over with, head back here to discuss the episode and stay tuned for Episode 161 of SHoE featuring Derek and Damian!

GENERAL LANE AND LUCY LANE RETURN TO SMALLVILLE FOR THANKSGIVING — The General (guest star Michael Ironside) and Lucy Lane (Peyton List) decide to drop in on Lois and Clark for a surprise Thanksgiving dinner. Clark and the General get off to a rocky start after Lois’ father bashes the superheroes and tells Clark he is trying to pass a vigilante registration law. Meanwhile, in an effort to stop the vigilante registration act from being passed, Rick Flagg (guest star Ted Whittall) lies to Lucy in order to lure Clark away from the farm long enough for him to assassinate the General. Lois is torn between making her father proud and her love for Clark. Christopher Petry directed the episode written by Don Whitehead & Holly Henderson.

After it’s over with, head back here to discuss the episode and stay tuned for Episode 160 of SHoE featuring with Robin and Joe!

CLARK TRIES TO KEEP LOIS SAFE — Clark is concerned about Lois’ safety so he diverts her away from covering the Vigilante Registrations Act by suggesting she cover another story. After he comes clean with her, an angry Lois tells him that she can take care of herself, but when a flat tire strands their car in the middle of nowhere, their plans take a turn for the worse and Lois ends up in serious danger. Meanwhile, Tess searches for a cure for Alexander (guest star Connor Stanhope), who is rapidly aging.

After it’s over with, head back here to discuss the episode and stay tuned for Episode 159 of SHoE featuring “Harvest” writers and director Al Septien and Turi Meyer!

LOIS DECIDES TO TELL CLARK SHE KNOWS HIS SECRET — Lois decides to tell Clark she knows he’s The Blur, but she accidentally activates an ancient artifact that transforms her into the Goddess Isis, complete with superpowers of her own.  Oliver and Clark reluctantly decide to ask Tess for help with Lois.  Meanwhile, after Cat Grant (guest star Keri Lynn Pratt) witnesses Lois as Isis using her superpowers, she decides Lois is the Blur and sets out to prove it.

A RECORD-BREAKING EVENT! SMALLVILLE HITS 200 EPISODES AND BRINGS BACK FAMILIAR FACES LIKE JAMES MARSTERS AS BRAINIAC — In an attempt to cheer up Clark, Lois convinces him to attend their five-year high school reunion. A visit back to the home of the Crows has Clark remembering old times with Lana and Chloe, while Lois is furious that no one remembers her five days as a student. Brainiac 5.0 uses his Legion ring to visit from the future and takes Clark through his past, present and future. He shows Clark what really happened the night Jonathan died, Oliver’s current pain and Clark’s future at the Daily Planet with Lois and his role as Earth’s favorite red and blue superhero.

An event nearly 10 years in the making, Smallville’s 200th episode airs tonight at 8pm/7pm CST on The CW. Don’t miss it!
After it’s over with, come back here and discuss, or tweet or email us your thoughts so we can read them on the air. Just like this episode of Smallville, the “Homecoming” episode of SHoE itself should have some surprises.

LAURA VANDERVOORT RETURNS AS DC COMICS’ CHARACTER SUPERGIRL — Clark is stunned when Kara (guest star Laura Vandervoort) returns to Earth and tells him Jor El sent her to stop the dark force that is coming because he doesn’t believe Clark can handle it. Meanwhile, Lois confronts Gordon Godfrey (guest star Michael Daingerfield), a shock jock radio DJ who has been crusading against heroes, after he threatens the Green Arrow. However, after Godfrey is possessed by the dark force, he takes Lois hostage and Clark and Kara have to come to her rescue.

Head back here tonight to talk about the episode after it airs, or email us your thoughts at mail@smallvillepodcast.com so we can talk about them on Episode 155 of SHoE with Joe and Robin.

Smallville fans in Chicago are out of luck as it won’t be shown there tonight. Look for “Supergirl” to air Saturday the 9th.

After Lois departs for Egypt, the Daily Planet hires a new reporter by the name of Cat Grant to take her place. An assassin named Deadshot (guest star Bradley Stryker) takes aim at Cat but Clark learns the man has a dangerous hidden agenda that involves The Blur. Meanwhile, Carter Hall (guest star Michael Shanks) turns up in Egypt to keep an eye on Lois and he tells Lois about his wife Shayera (guest star Sahar Biniaz).

In the meantime, when the episode is over come back here and let us know what you thought, or email us so we can read your thoughts on the air!

JOHN SCHNEIDER REPRISES HIS ROLE AS JONATHAN KENT IN THE FINAL SEASON OF SMALLVILLE - The season premiere picks up where the finale left off. Lois finds Clark’s lifeless body and removes the blue kryptonite enabling him to heal himself. Lois sneaks away before Clark fully awakens in order to protect his secret. Chloe is desperate to find Oliver, so she turns to an unlikely source for answers. Jonathan returns to the Kent Farm with a message for Clark, and Tess awakens in a LuthorCorp lab.

In the meantime, when the episode is over come back here and let us know what you thought, or email us so we can read your thoughts on the air!

With those words, the voice of Tom Welling kicks off the tenth and final season of our beloved show. And the subsequent 43 some odd minutes are an emotional roller coaster of tender moments, amazing action, and genius acting.

I won’t be getting into spoilers as I cross examine ‘Lazarus’ (though there are some key points of continuity I’d like to cover at the END of my article) so I wanted to assure you up front that it is safe to read ahead, for now, as I’ll cover the actor’s portrayals, set up, music, etc.
As I said, Welling kicks off the opening of the final season premiere with those words that game me equal goosebumps and near tears in my eyes. Though that was the first sign of emotion I gave, it would not be the last as my eyes widened to see the final seconds of ‘Salvation’ play out, and open us into an all new scene, story, and season. Allison Mack gives her (perhaps final) “previously on…” which is just as emotional. The clips they used for our intro to The End give a hopeful and heroic tip of the hat towards the events shown from the prior season. As we see Clark plunge the dagger of blue kryptonite into his own side and fall back, Louis Febre’s score swells with pride and is drowned out into the rain as Zod is lifted off Earth, and The Blur plummets to the streets below…

Clark Kent.

Empowered.

“…I died to save the world…”

Clark’s journey in this episode is one of hope, and urgency. Clark comes face to face with own “mortality”, his own ghosts. And his own worst enemy. He goes beyond Smalville, Metropolis, and the Fortress of Solitude to a place he’s never been before. If you’re a fan of comics, I liken some scenes from the premiere to the arc after The Death of Superman and Funeral For A Friend, where Jonathan Kent and Superman face heaven and hell, ghosts and demons, and life and death in order to make sacrifices to bring them home. Clark interacts with Lois, Chloe, Jor-El, and Tess, and no momentum is lost from the end of season nine into this premiere. The path that lays ahead of Clark is one of a conflicting nature in season ten. Does he trust his heart to be the hero the world needs, or does he trust his head and his past to guide him in the way he should continue to protect those around him? While there are many lighthearted moments in the episode, darkness looms just around the corner for all our characters…

Lois Lane.

Conflicted.

“…so much better in technicolor…”

Last we saw of Lois Lane, she was scooped up into the arms of The Blur, for what he thought was a final kiss, but what turned out to be the headline of her career, her boyfriend is the protector of Metropolis. As “Lazarus” unfolds, Lois has to the deal with her new found revelation to the best of her abilities. Tom and Erica only share one scripted (meaning the two actors have dialogue) scene together, but the duo are amazing on screen as Lois toys with Clark to try and get a rise out of him to her own advantage. Clark is on an urgent mission, so the two are cut short but not before they make a plan to meet at Kent Farm later that day.

Chloe Sullivan.

Determined.

“…you were the world’s hero, and you weren’t in black…“

Chloe is desperate to uncover any information she can about her missing beau. Oliver’s disappearance takes Chloe outside the walls of Watchtower and into harm’s way, as she makes a sacrifice to try bring the Green Arrow back. I’ll admit, when I first heard that Mack would only return for a handul of episodes, I was concerned about how we would say goodbye until she came back again later in the season. I think the executive producers, and Allison, handle this very well as Chloe’s final look into the camera leaves us with many questions about the mysterious individuals responsible for Oliver’s apprehension.

Tess Mercer.

“…he told me to give you a message…”

Bewildered.

It’s odd to see Tess Mercer out of her element, and rarely not getting the upper hand. Tess cheats death to awaken in a LuthorCorp lab, surrounded by an unthinkable evil. She tries to struggle with the new path in front of her, as to not fall victim to the mistakes she’s made in the past. Cassidy’s only scene with a regular cast member is shared with Tom Welling, and Clark is just as bewildered to find Tess alive, as she is to be living. Though we don’t see the good Granny anywhere, the mystery that surounds Tess’ survival is not one we will discover by the end of this episode. As much as Tess’ journey changed from season eight to nine, Tess has a whole new role in season ten as she tries to find her place between the world she’s known, the lies she’s been a part of, and the woman she wants to be.

Oliver Queen.

Defiant.

“…I’m not guilty of anything but trying to save the world…”

Oliver spends most of this episode shirtless, blindfolded, and bound. A treat for the ladies, no doubt. Oliver has no clue who has him, or where he is. In many ways, the audience and Oliver share similar ties throughout “Lazarus”. Oliver knows not of Chloe’s actions in this timeline, but it doesn’t change the fact that Oliver doesn’t give up any information to his kidnappers about his team, the Justice Society, or anything else involving Queen Industries. Oliver’s path for the final season is one of redemption and courage as he tries to find Chloe and right wrongs.

Around this time last year, I fell prey to some individuals who chose to twist my words around when I did an advance review for “Savior”. I said that this was no longer a show about Smallville, but a show about a superman. I’m sure I’m digging a hole for myself here when I say, this is no longer a show about a superman. But a show about the Superman. The moment before we go into the opening credits gave me goosebumps, and that’s still without a finished Febre score. There are so many callbacks, so many references, so much emotion, and so much triumph in one episode that it feels like it’s already the end, when it’s only the beginning of it. The acting is phenomenal, the writing superb, and the setting is significant. The curtain has been raised on the final act, and it may in fact be their finest hour. It’s “Rosetta”, “Crusade”, “Reckoning”, “Savior”, and “Absolute Justice” all rolled into one. It is the perfect season premiere for the perfect final season and my only complaints lie in silly continuity issues that come out of watching, and loving, this show nearly everyday for ten long years. But as we see Clark standing in the cornfield, it feels like it was only yesterday when his journey, and ours with him, began.

As far as effects go, this of course is a screener, and they are unfinished. But even the temp fx still brought me to the edge of my seat and even more excited for the finished product on Friday night. Febre’s score, also unfinished, will be icing on the cake. They do use some of his score, temporarily, here but also a lot of cues from other film scores like The Dark Knight and Requiem for a Dream. Expect an ending music montage as Tess returns home to the Luthor Mansion, and Clark checks his mailbox at the Kent Farm near the end of the episode. For the screener, they used the same Vast song that they used at the end of “Veritas” during those scenes. While it worked well here, I can almost assure you it won’t be in the final product Friday night. The opening credits were also unfinished, so that will be fun to see for the first time with everyone else in a few days.

I understand a certain lack of promotion, as I have now watched this episode over and over again these past 24 hours. If you spoil one thing, you spoil everything. The 6-second previews make sense to me now, as we got closer and closer to the premiere. Plausible deniability. This episode builds, one moment upon the other, and as trials take place and sacrifices are made, each scene is on the fringe of the next and way too important to this premiere, and this season to spoil. Trust me. You have to see it for yourself to understand why this episode has been kept under wraps for all these months. Comic-Con footage was nothing compared to the Ben Hur that is this episode.

A+. Over and over. As I said before, an emotional roller coaster. We’re staring at the end here, and knowing that makes this episode even more powerful, from Welling’s first words to the final shot we see before it fades to black. If you follow SHoE on twitter, I mentioned that there is one scene that has yet to be seen in any trailer or promo, that I was dying to see how they brought it to fruition. Chills. The scene itself wasn’t even finished, and yet, chills. You’ll know it when you see it; trust me. It’s the next to last shot of the episode. And it sets up the final season in such a haunting way, that proves that emotions aren’t the only roller coaster we are in store for.

This article is my thank you. This television series has given me a safe haven for the past ten years and a place to meet new friends. It’s been a joy and an honor to follow the series, and produce this show in correlation with it. And the past 10, and especially five years, will have a special place in my heart for the rest of my life as we watch Clark Kent make the final steps to wear the cape, make a leap, and save the day.

“…You’ve got to protect the things you work hard to build…”

The final season of Smallville premieres Friday, September 24th @ 8pm/7pm Central on the CW.

Don’t miss it.

————————————–

Nitpicking.

Still here? That means you want to be slightly (SLIGHTLY!) spoiled.

Here’s your chance to leave if not.

The episode, as I said, picks up right where “Salvation” left off, with Clark falling to his death below. Lois finds him and, as it has already stated in the official description, removes the blue k dagger to save his life, but not before Clark comes face to face with a grim fate before him. My complaint here? The Book of Rao. Presumably, still in place above at Clark’s crows nest. No mention is made of it, and no one removes it. So once the dagger is removed from Clark’s skin and he basks in the sunlight, his wounds are healed and he returns to life anew.

While facing his own mortality, Clark speaks with Jor-El about life and death. In the end, Jor-El must confront Clark over some of his actions, and uses the Kryptonian key to transport him to the Fortress of Solitude.

…

THE KEY DOES THAT!? That would have saved a lot of trips to the Kawatche caves; thanks dad! Again, I’ll let this one slide because it is the “will of Jor-El” that summons Clark to the FoS via the key…but still. Even I let out a “hey!!!” upon first viewing of this scene. Of course that may be because Jor-El does scoop Clark up at a VERY PIVOTAL SCENE in the episode… but I digress.

My third nitpicking has to, again, do with the Fortress of Solitude. It is unscathed after the events of “Salvation” in which Zod destroyed the console that controls the Fortress. Jor-El is there “alive and well” and the lighting has changed to somewhat normal settings…at least, initially.

Again, to tell you more is to spoil this tour de force, so don’t miss it this Friday night.

(Note: Since SHoE co-host Damian Holbrook is in Vancouver today, I was waiting to see him wander by in the background with a chili dog. – Robin)

Ok SHoEligans, I thought it would be fun to have a little contest of sorts. I posed this question on twitter this morning and most people were torn on what they would choose. Choose what you ask? Here’s the setup, you have to pick one episode of Smallville s1-s9 that you may watch as many times as you wish. However you will not be able to watch any other episode ever. What will you choose, how will you base your choice?

Next Wednesday i will tally up all of the episodes left in the comments section and update this post with a ranking. You are only allowed to vote once. If you wish to explain why you chose an episode that is fine, but lets try to keep these posts short.

I think this will be a lot of fun and I am interested to see not only what episodes are chosen, but why they were chosen.

Have fun, and remember to be excellent to one another.

The CW has released the description for the final season premiere of Smallville airing Sept 24th.

Check it out after the jump.

JOHN SCHNEIDER REPRISES HIS ROLE AS JONATHAN KENT IN THE FINAL SEASON OF SMALLVILLE – The season premiere picks up where the finale left off. Lois (Erica Durance) finds Clark’s (Tom Welling) lifeless body and removes the blue kryptonite enabling him to heal himself. Lois sneaks away before Clark fully awakens in order to protect his secret. Chloe (Allison Mack) is desperate to find Oliver (Justin Hartley), so she turns to an unlikely source for answers. Jonathan (guest star John Schneider) returns to the Kent Farm with a message for Clark, and Tess (Cassidy Freeman) awakens in a LuthorCorp lab.

Special thanks to Matt Mitovitch for the description.

This description was released by The CW today and really gives us an idea of what to expect from the final season of Smallville. I will warn you now, there are some spoilers in this description.

It all comes down to this! Tomorrow – Sunday, July 25th at 10am PST, the Smallville cast and crew will take the stage at San Diego Comic Con to bring us our first look at season ten, answer fan questions, and share some big surprises for the final season.

We’ve got three ways you can join in on this momentous occasion, as SHoE crew members Joe, Kim, and Brian will be in attendance and in the press junket this year.

Check out after the jump how to have up to the minute information from the Smallville panel!

One: keep your browser locked in here, at www.smallvillepodcast.com for live updates as they happen.

Two: keep your eye on our Twitter as we’ll be live tweeting from the line, from the panel, and from the press room! There’s a twitter gadget to the right of this post that will show you our most recent update, as well as link you to our full feed.

Three: HOPEFULLY, we’ll be having a bit more coverage than that, but in order to be a part of that, you have to keep your browser at www.smallvillepodcast.com

We are doing everything we can to keep every Smallville fan unable to make it to San Diego, a part of this final Comic Con event for the series. Please, please, please be patient with us, be understanding, and be patient. Did I mention be patient? We can’t plan for every contingency, but we’re trying.

Stay tuned!

James Marsters, aka Milton Fine, aka Braniac, will be reprising his role for the 200th episode of the final season entitled, ‘Homecoming’. The title of this episode could mean a lot for several characters from the series that have left us, and I doubt Braniac is the only big suprise awaiting when 10×04 hits. Brainiac (as far as James Marsters goes) was last seen in the seventh season finale, but the character lived on through the Fortress of Solitude and Chloe Sullivan in season eight, until he was removed by Clark and the Legion.

Marster’s fan Facebook page broke the news this morning. My gut tells me this was one of the big casting announcements we would have been hearing in Sunday morning’s panel. Is this good news or were you expecting something else for the 200th episode of the series? Sound off!

With the final season of the series looming, it’s natural to want to revist people and places of the past. There are reunions and scenes we’ve wanted to see for nearly five years that will hopefully culminate within the final twenty-two episodes that span from September 2010 to May 2011.
Some of these familiar faces, we already know about, and some we are just speculating on, but check out our thoughts after the jump to find out who is coming back, and who we want to see return for season ten!

John Schneider – Jonathan Kent -  Last appearance: 5×21 - ’Oracle’

The last we saw of Pa Kent…well, the true Pa Kent, he died in his wife and son’s arms in the farm that he spent his life working on. Jonathan had a heart attack after a final encounter with Lionel Luthor, and died doing what he did best. Protecting his son and his family. Jonathan returned to Clark in 5×17 ‘Void’ to offer some fatherly advice from beyond the grave, when Clark flatlined and saw him in the barn one last time. Schneider reprised his role as Jonathan Kent one last time near the end of season five, but in a very different way. He appeared as a ghost to Clark, Martha, and Lionel and instruced his son to kill the senior Luthor…but it was really just Braniac trying to use Clark to kill Lionel so he would stay out of his and Lex’s way.

IGN has confirmed that Schneider will be returning as Jonathan Kent for the final season, in at least one (maybe two) episode(s). We do know that he will be in the premiere, 10×01 – ‘Lazarus’. Speculation is heavy on what this will entail, given the circumstances around Clark at the end of the ninth season finale, but news saying that the Smallville crew is returning to film scenes at Kent Farm have led several to believe that this may be some sort of flashback betwen Clark and Jonathan. Other believe that Clark will have a vision throughout the episode of he and Jonathan together, and that the Kent Farm will serve as some sort of heavenly back drop for the father/son duo. Hopefully, we will know more on this after this Sunday when footage of 10×01 will be shown at San Diego Comic Con.

Lara Vandervoort – Kara Kent – Last appearnce: 8×08 - ’Bloodline’

Kara’s dissapearnce at the end of the shortlived seventh season of Smallville (due to the writer’s strike) left several questions about the chracter’s future on the show, as she was left in limbo and not rescued at the start of season eight. Braniac banished Kara to the Phantom Zone, and Vandervoort did not return as a series regular for the following season.

However, in season eight, Vandervoort did a one-episode stint to tie up  her storyline, as Clark and Lois are trapped in the Phantom Zone and escape with Kara in tow. Kara feels out of place on, even though she has family in Clark, and leaves Earth in search of Kandor, a city on Krypton that she heard about inside the Phantom Zone. She believes there are survivors, and goes off to find them.

Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that Vandervoort will return for what looks to be episode 10×03 of the season entitled, ‘Supergirl’. We don’t know many more details than that currently, but hopefully will have more answers about Kara’s return to Earth after this weekend.

Annette O’Toole – Martha Kent – Last appearance: 9×21 – ‘Hostage’

After Jonathan’s death, Martha assumed the role of senator left empty by her late husband, and moved to Washington DC at the end of season six. Though mentioned through phone calls and other offscreen shenanigans, Martha was not seen again until late last season, when she returned home to the Kent Farm.

We do know that O’Toole has expressed interest in returning for the final season, but this is the first of our speculatory returning hopes for season ten. After all, Martha’s return brought with her a special package for Clark (as seen in the opening of the ninth season finale) and a special guest she brought with her to the farm that intertwines heavily into the mythos of Superman…

Michael McKean – Perry White – Last appearnce: 9×21 – ‘Hostage’

Martha brought with her, her new beaux Perry White, reporter for the Daily Planet, who’s been on assignment since we last saw him in season three. The two ended on shaky ground at the end of the episode, but not before he promised Lois that he would find Martha and try to be with her again.

Perry’s return came at a momentous time for both Lois and Clark, as Perry was the one to get them both rehired at the Daily Planet after they lost their jobs. Perry and Lois worked together on a story involving Checkmate, the Red Queen, the Kandorians, and the mysterious Book of Rao that factored heavily into the season finale. The final season of Smallville would not be complete without at least one return appearance by this fan favorite, taking position as the editor of the Daily Planet, the boss of Kent and Lane. We hope to see him back.

Kristin Kreuk – Lana Lang – Last appearnce: 8×14 – ‘Requiem’

Lana has departed from the show more times than any other character on Smallville, yet always ends back up right where she started on the show. When last seen, Lana and Clark had rekindled their relationship in season eight, but the return of ‘Lex’ thrwarted the couple, when Lana used the promethius suit Lex designed on herself, which essentially became a Kryptonite weapon used against Clark. It was a bittersweet goodbye for the high school sweethearts, but one that most knew was coming due to the fast growing connection between Clark and Lois. Lana left, as the two (literally) couldn’t even be in the same room together.

It’s been heavily speculated that Kreuk would return for the final season. Tom Welling himself has said he’d love to have all the original members back for at least one episode in it’s final run. Specificially he was noted as saying how interesting it would be to see Clark, Lois, and Lana in a room together now. We’ll see if Comic Con holds any truth to her return.

Sam Jones III – Pete Ross – Last appearance: 7×13 – ‘Hero’

Just as Lana has had more departures than any other character, Pete Ross has had the most failed ressurections ever. Pete left Smallville at the end of season three, as the burden of Clark’s secret became too much to handle. At least two known attempts were made to bring Pete back to the show, both in season four. Once, Pete’s Wichita high school football team was supposed to be the opposing team against the Smallville Crows in the episode ‘Jinx’. And again in season four, Pete was reportedly supposed to accompany Chloe to the dance in ‘Spirit’.

Of course we know, whether these attempts were very close to happening or not, Sam Jones III didn’t return until the middle of season seven, when Pete resurfaced as a roadie for the popular singing group One Republic. Pete got a hold of some Kryptonite gum and…please tell me you know the rest of this story so I don’t have to go on?

Sam Jones III has express interest in returning to the final season of the show on Twitter, but that’s about as far as we know as it’s gone. Hopefully we’ll get to see Clark and Pete play basketball one last time together.

Michael Rosenbaum – Lex Luthor – Last apperance: 7×20 ‘Arctic’

Probably the biggest loss to the series since Jonathan Kent, Lex Luthor went missing after a final confrontation with Clark Kent in the Fortress of Solitude at the end of season seven. Rosenbaum left the show, but the presence of Lex has been felt since that time. ‘Lex’ resurfaced in season eight to tear apart Clark and Lana, after spying on them and Oliver Queen for weeks. Oliver destroyed the truck Lex was in to get revenge on him, and ‘Lex’ was presumed dead. Mentions of Lex Luthor, however, have rung throughout season nine; most noticably from Dr. Fate in the ‘Absolute Justice’ special, where he tells Clark that Lex is his greatest enemy. Lex was again seen in the season finale, in a dream Clark was having, as mentioned by Lois who says that Luthor is running for president.

Rosenbaum has remained steadfast in saying that he won’t return to the series. Could this be true, or could it all be a ploy for the fans, that will excite them even more if/when announced that Lex will be returning for one final confrontation with Clark Kent on the series?

Time will tell.

Who would you like to see return for the final season?

Lionel Luthor? Whitney? Alicia? Mxyzptlk?

Sound off!

It was reported earlier today by EW.com ’s Michael Ausiello that we now have a few confirmations for the Smallville Panel that is taking place at San Diego Comic-con on Sunday July 25th at 10am in Ballroom 20.

• Tom Welling WILL be there, this is only his second appearance and presumably his last in connection with Smallville. (that makes me sad to type)
• He will be Joined by Erica Durance, Cassidy Freeman, and Justin Hartley
• Showrunners Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson will be there on the panel as well
• Writer of episodes Legion, Society, and Legends and current big cheese at DC Entertainment, Geoff Johns will be moderating the panel
• There WILL be a preview trailer for season 10 shown

This is my first year going to SDCC and I couldn’t be more excited and I am really looking forward to meeting my fellow SHoEligans at the convention. Remember the code word is MOLE

Leave a comment below about this news and make sure to mention if you are going to be attending the Con.

BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD

Loosely based on the Batman story arc “Under the Hood”, the story follows Batman and Dick Grayson – the original Boy Wonder now hero Nightwing – finding themselves being stalked by a mysterious yet familiar figure known as the vigilante Red Hood, who tries to rid Gotham City’s crimes without following the same ethics as its heroes and apparently knows all of their secrets. As the Dark Knight tries to unravel the true identity of his stalker, he must also battle three of his enemies: the Joker, the criminally insane Clown Prince of Crime who first wore the Red Hood cowl and was responsible for the murder of Batman’s second protégé Jason Todd; Ra’s al Ghul, the immortal international terrorist who is somehow connected to the Red Hood; and Black Mask, the notorious kingpin who is launching a campaign to take over all of Gotham City’s criminal underworld. When the Joker becomes involved in the conflict between Batman and the Red Hood, hard truths are revealed and old wounds reopened.

The main cast will be voiced by Bruce Greenwood as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Neil Patrick Harris as Dick Grayson/Nightwing, Jensen Ackles as Red Hood

The cover alone gives me the chills, Batman: Under the Red Hood is set to be released on July 27th, 2010

SUPERMAN/BATMAN:APOCALYPSE

There is no official synopsis for this yet, so I will give you the stroyline for  what this DVD is to be based from. Remember this is a sequel to Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and the events in that story play a very BIG part in what happens in this next movie.

In “The Supergirl From Krypton” (issues #8-13, illustrated by Michael Turner), the Kryptonite asteroid is revealed to hold a pod that contains Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El. Batman says her arrival is too coincidental. Wonder Woman abducts Kara to Themyscira to train her for combat. Darkseid kidnaps Kara, intending her to be the new leader of the Female Furies. She is rescued from Darkseid and taken back to Earth. The villain follows; seemingly killing Kara at the home of Jonathan and Martha Kent. An enraged Superman throws Darkseid into the reality-spanning Source Wall, entrapping him. However, Kara is back in Themyscira and is introduced to the world as Supergirl.

Personally I expect a lot from this feature. Michaels Turner’s unique style of art is one of the reasons i love this story so much. I expect that they will take some liberties with the script, but I don’t think, that they will veer too far of course from the source material.

It has been announced that Tim Daly will be reprising his role as the voice of Superman, Kevin Conroy as Batman, and Summer Glau will be voicing Supergirl. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is set to release on September 28th,2010.

Leave a comment below and let us know what you have enjoyed about DC’s DVD line so far and if you are looking forward to these upcoming titles. What would you like to see in the future from DC? Do you have a favorite storyline that you think would make a good animated feature?

As always, you can pre-order these two titles from Starkville’s House of El, and support the podcast and this website in the process. S/B Apocalypse is not yet available for pre-order, but we will alert you when it is. Click below to order your copy of Batman: Under the Red Hood now from Amazon!

Amazon.com has listed the complete ninth season of Smallville on DVD and BluRay for pre-order pricing. Expect this to street date around September 14th or 21st. Extras will include deleted scenes, commentaries, and new featurettes: most notebly (we believe) on Zod and about the JSA two-parter: Absolute Justice. We’ll keep you updated. Remember pre-ordering from Amazon through SHoE helps support this website and podcast to continue, so please – order now!

Season Nine DVD

Season Nine BluRay

]]> http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2010/05/26/pre-order-the-complete-ninth-season-on-dvd/feed/ 137 http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2010/05/14/salvation-the-season-finale-airs-tonight/ http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2010/05/14/salvation-the-season-finale-airs-tonight/#comments Fri, 14 May 2010 07:16:49 +0000 Joe http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/?p=3509

IT’S CLARK VS ZOD IN THE SEASON FINALE – Zod unleashes his army upon the world, forcing Chloe to call in reinforcements from old friends.  Zod tells Lois he is The Blur and asks her to steal the Book of Rao from Clark.  Torn between Clark and The Blur, Lois asks Clark to come clean with her about everything but he refuses.  Chloe and Oliver attempt to reconnect Watchtower’s satellite system in order to fight the Kandorians but to Chloe’s horror, Oliver gets caught on site and disappears.  Tess attempts to stop Zod but he leaves her clinging to life.  Clark and Zod battle for control of Earth.

It all comes down to this! The ninth season finale of Smallville and a long break ahead of us before we get into the tenth and potentially final season of the series.

Before we get to ‘Salvation’, check out the last couple of episodes of SHoE to catch you up on what’s going on with our favorite heroes. And, in the meantime, when the episode is over come back here and let us know what you thought, or email us so we can read your thoughts on the air! We’ll be back with the 150th episode of Starkville’s House of El soon!

New Krypton was established after Superman freed the bottle city of Kandor from Brainiac, who had captured the city and was holding it hostage on his ship. Afterwords, Alura, Supergirl’s mother and Superman’s aunt, Alura, used Kryptonian technology to free the city from its place on Earth to it’s own planet filled with Kryptonians, including Zod, who seems to have turned to the side of good. Superman leaves Earth for a year in order to be an ambassador of sorts between New Krypton and Earth, and ends up joining the military guild in order to help the thousands of Kryptonian soliders get a better handle on their newly acquired powers. Things progress and eventually other plot lines come to a head with an unlikely duo of Brainiac and Lex Luthor deciding to attack New Krypton. After  Lex Luthor unbottles a random city Brainiac had in his ship, the ship crashes and kills many Kryptonians.  Zod then attacks and almost kills Brainiac, but Superman interferes, saving Brainiac’s life, and telling Zod that if they he was to kill Brainiac, that they would be no better than the monster himself. Brainiac 5, one of the members of the Legion of Superheroes and a descendant of Brainiac himself, then appears and teleports the two away to the future. The attack wipes out all of the Council expect for Alura, and Zod uses this opportunity to rise to power and convince the public, which he tells 100,000 New Kryptonians that attacking Earth would be the best course of action.

Superman then barges into the command center where Zod, Ursa, and Non are monitoring things, and demands to know why Zod wanted to attack Earth. After avoiding an attack from Ursa, Superman is captured and held to listen to Zod’s plan of attack. Superman learns that Zod was never a good guy, and had no reason to ever turn good. Zod had everything planned out from the start. He had Superman join the military guild in order to have Superman train the Kryptonians on how to full control and use their powers. He reveals that he had a sleeper agent within the ranks of General Lane, (Lois’ father) but she was found out and killed, but not before transmitting valuable information to him. Zod also reveals that Lane had sleeper agents of his own embedded on New Krypton. However, Zod reminds Superman that his biggest fight is with Superman himself and he’s going to use this chance to destroy the planet he loves so much and to also find the woman Superman loves and kill her in front of Kal-El. At this point, Superman breaks free and warns Zod that if he follows through with this plan, it could mean the end for both worlds. Zod then trumps Superman by saying that he’s already given the order to attack Earth.

This brief conversation show just how truly powerful, calculating, and evil Zod is. He’s always one step ahead of Superman and is more than a worthy foe for our Man of Steel. War of the Supermen is on sale at your local comic book store and will see a huge change for the Superman Universe moving forward and so far has been an interesting read. Issues #1 and #2 are already on sale as I said, with issue #3 coming out May 19, and issue #4 coming out May 26. I highly recommend you check it out! However, if you have read the first two issues, what did you think? Sound off in the comments below!

IT’S THE RETURN OF MARTHA KENT AND PERRY WHITE – Much to Clark’s surprise, Martha Kent (guest star Annette O’Toole) returns to Smallville with her new boyfriend, Perry White (guest star Michael McKean) in tow.  Lois and Perry realize they are both working on the same story about the Red Queen, and decide to team up, which ultimately puts them in serious danger.  Chloe helps Clark search for the Book of Rao, which they believe contains information on how to stop Zod and his army.

In the meantime, when the episode is over come back here and let us know what you thought, or email us so we can read your thoughts on the air!

It’s always a little bittersweet when we approach the last few episodes of the season.  While the end may be near, we have a lot to look forward to!  Check out the promo for 9×21 “Hostage”

CHLOE AND TESS ARE TRAPPED INSIDE WATCHTOWER — Tess breaks into Watchtower, triggering an elaborate security system that Chloe installed, ultimately trapping the two women inside. Chloe realizes that the Kandorians are downloading information from the Watchtower server, which prompts her to make a drastic move. Oliver confronts Zod and winds up clinging to life with a Z scorched into his chest. Clark realizes Zod has given his soldiers super powers.

In the meantime, when the episode is over come back here and let us know what you thought, or email us so we can read your thoughts on the air!

The season is drawing to an end and here is a short clip from this week’s episode “Sacrifice”. Green Arrow and Zod meet to exchange some words and I can only imagine that this conversation will get heated before it’s over. Enjoy the clip!

DC COMICS’ CHARACTER MAXWELL LORD VISITS METROPOLIS – Lois investigates the early prison release of ex-District Attorney Raymond Sacks (guest star Dylan Neal) but he threatens her with a gun when confronted.  The Blur saves her, but is captured on film by a delivery guy who plans to sell the photo to Sacks.  Lois and Clark each attempt to thwart the delivery of the photo and run into Maxwell Lord (guest star Gil Bellows), a wealthy tycoon and Checkmate operative, who is trying to learn The Blur’s identity to eliminate him.  Meanwhile, Chloe discovers Zod’s secret.

In the meantime, when the episode is over come back here and let us know what you thought, or email us so we can read your thoughts on the air!

BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN RETURNS AS METALLO AND CLARK IS INFECTED WITH RED KRYPTONITE – Zod continues to pose as “The Blur” and asks Lois to investigate one of Tess’ secret labs.  An explosion rocks the lab, and Lois is rescued by John Corben who was a subject of multiple experiments.  While investigating the explosion, Clark is exposed to red kryptonite.  An infected Clark takes Zod to the Fortress.  Tess turns to Chloe for help and they send in Corben to stop Clark from revealing all his secrets.

In the meantime, when the episode is over come back here and let us know what you thought, or email us so we can read your thoughts on the air!

Amazon.com has listed the complete ninth season of Smallville on DVD and BluRay for pre-order pricing. No word yet on release date but expect it sometime in August/September as usual. Extras will include deleted scenes, commentaries, and new featurettes: most notebly (we believe) on Zod and about the JSA two-parter: Absolute Justice. No artwork is available yet either. We’ll keep you updated. Remember pre-ordering from Amazon through SHoE helps support this website and podcast to continue, so please – order now!

Season Nine DVD

Season Nine BluRay

]]> http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2010/04/14/season-nine-available-for-pre-order/feed/ 13 http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2010/04/12/shoe-files-silver-banshee/ http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2010/04/12/shoe-files-silver-banshee/#comments Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:36:47 +0000 Brian http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/?p=3382

Long overdue but not forgotten, I have another SF for you. The Silver Banshee was shown on Episode 9×16 “Escape”. Judging from the fan reactions that I have have seen this episode will not go down as one of the most memorable episodes in Smallville’s history, but I will say that the Silver Banshee was done well for live television. A mystical being from the underworld who bears a curse devoted to the killing of men isn’t always easy to pull off. But lets steer clear of the merits and/or gripes with the episode itself and lets look at the history of the Silver Banshee.

Silver Banshee is what I would consider a newer villain to the DC Universe, she was created by John Byrne who was charged with rebooting Superman after Crisis on Infinite Earths which reset the continuity of the DCU. She first appeared in Action Comics #595, and with the help of Martian Manhunter, Superman defeats her.

Siobhan McDougal was the first born child of Garrett McDougal, the patriarch of a clan of old Gaelics that resided on an island halfway between Ireland and Scotland. The clan had remained stationed there for a thousand generations. The island held the Castle Broen, the battleground for the first born McDougals to battle for the honor of leading the clan. It was a ritual as old as the clan. It was extremely important to all who reside on the island and one Siobhan only paid heed to as part of her family lore.

She left her clan at an early age to travel the world. She had grown tired of life with the clan and needed an escape. She had remained away for an extended period of time and only returned when she received news that her father had died. Upon her return, the proceedings for the next ritual were already underway. She was told by her uncle Seamus that she was not to take part. He didn’t want a woman to be clan leader and had already decided her younger brother Bevan would take her role in the ritual.

Siobhan took this as an affront and decided to do the ritual herself, alone. The ritual involved calling forth supernatural forces for power. She almost succeeded but her brother Bevan inadvertently interrupted her mid-ritual to disastrous effect. The forces consumed her and drug her into the Netherworld. An entity known as “the Crone”  was responsible for giving her powers and the ability to escape the netherworld, the price for this was that SB had to find an occult book that belonged to her father and return it to the Crone. She follows the trail of the book which ultimately leads her to Metropolis and since she kills anyone who gets in her way she quickly gets the attention of  Superman. Unable to beat the Man of Steel, she retreats to fight another day.

This is a nice plot device that allows this character to return and disappear countless times since her creation for the comics. SB has since become more of a villian for Supergirl as of late and the dynamic between the two  is really something a Superman (family) fan can really get into. The SB has appeared in over 40 issues of DC comics since her creation. The DC animated universe has used her countless times as well, I believe that is because she has a very distinct look and can be brought into a animated series without going into her origin.  Her powers have stayed consistent over the years and Smallville stuck to cannon as well with regard to her powers and abilities. Although we didn’t get to see much other than her Banshee wail and her power to possess people’s bodies.

Her powers allow her Super speed, strength, and a high degree of invulnerability. The Death Wail is her most powerful attribut however, and according to the comics she can use it to kill only when she knows her victims first name. The wail actually removes the life-force from the individual leaving a burned out husk of a corpse.  Her wail also allows her the ability to teleport, although I’m not exactly sure how that works. It’s a comic, lets just believe it and move on.  the animated version of the character has always given her the power of flight as well. In the Justice League Unlimited series SB appeared a number of times most prominently in the episode ” Chaos at Earth’s Core”. This was a fantastic episode that also starred Green Lantern John Stewart, Supergirl, Stargirl, and Metallo.  She was also in the JLU series finale “Alive”.  Most recently she appeared in the DC direct to DVD movie “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies” where she tries to kill Superman to receive the one billion dollar bounty that Lex Luthor has placed on his head. She is stopped by Superman and Batman places a device on her that turns her power against her if she tries the Death Wail. GO Batman! ( sorry, i couldn’t resist)

While we really on got to see her in her full form at the end of the episode, what did you think of this character? would you like to see her again on Smallville or is it best she stays in the Netherworld?

Leave a comment below and let me know what you thought of this character and if you were aware of her before Smallville. If you have read some good stories in the comics involving her please leave a recommendation  for others to possibly check out.

Thanks!

Every April here at SHoE, we recognize Autism Awareness Month in a special way, by raising donations in the name of one of our own. Kim Jordan and her family are one of the many trying to raise awareness of autism. Kim and her son Ethan participate and support the Walk Now for Autism Speaks each year.

You can have a special part in this! SHoE’s goal for Team Jordan is $2,000.00 & we’re already more than 1/4 of the way there! Just visit Charity.SmallvillePodcast.com & donate to Kim’s cause. If you can’t help monetarily, please help us spread the word about her walk & her page so that we can reach as many people as possible with her message. We know times are tough, but if you can give it’s greatly appreciated. If every listener of SHoE just donated $20 we’d be well over $1million! All we’re asking for is $2,000 though, which is extremely attainable.

For SHoE listeners we’re offering something special: if you donate $50.00 or more to Team Jordan, make sure you mention SHoE somewhere in the checkout process, then email us a copy of your receipt to mail@smallvillepodcast.com and you will receive 4 free Starkville’s House of El stickers! So what’re you waiting for, it’s win-win! $150.00 or more will get you a 2011 Smallville calendar and stickers, and $250.00 or more will get you a Clark Kent and Green Arrow Smallville action figure set and stickers.

Help out SHoE and Team Jordan now by visiting Charity.SmallvillePodcast.com and donating to help the cause and increasing awareness of Autism.

PAM GRIER GUEST STARS AND PHIL MORRIS RETURNS AS MARTIAN MANHUNTER – Tess creates an elaborate hoax in order to kidnap Green Arrow, and delivers him to Amanda Waller, who tells him that that the government is recruiting him to serve his country.  However, Green Arrow escapes before they can reveal his identity.  After Oliver brings Clark and Chloe up to speed, the three investigate and Clark is surprised to find John Jones investigating Oliver’s kidnapping too.  Clark senses that John is keeping information from him.  Oliver and Clark are shocked when Tess reveals that Amanda is after something called “Watchtower.”  Waller threatens to kill Chloe unless Clark gives her the names and locations of the rest of the Justice League.

Check back soon for episodes 145 and 146 of SHoE with your hosts Steve Glosson and Derek Russell!

In the meantime, when the episode is over come back here and let us know what you thought, or email us so we can read your thoughts on the air!

DC COMICS’ CHARACTER SILVER BANSHEE INTERRUPTS A ROMANTIC GETAWAY FOR LOIS AND CLARK – Clark and Lois head out of town for a quiet romantic getaway, but their plans are thwarted when they run into Chloe and Oliver at their Bed & Breakfast Inn.  The couples awkward moment is interrupted by the arrival of the Silver Banshee (guest star Odessa Rae), who sets her sights on Clark and Oliver.  Meanwhile, Tess faces off with Zod with a surprising result.

After five long weeks, Smallville and SHoE return! Don’t forget to trend the #Smallville hashtag on Twitter this afternoon! What better way to welcome back the show than to make it a trending topic for all to see? Join us in tweeting, and tell others to as well!

Check back soon for episode 145 of SHoE with your hosts Steve Glosson and Derek Russell!

In the meantime, when the episode is over come back here and let us know what you thought, or email us so we can read your thoughts on the air!

What say you, loyal SHoE-ligans?

This is a news post I made back at the end of October regarding who will die in Season 9 based from an interview that Kelly Souders gave to TV Guide. I think it is interesting to look back at this and see if there is anything we know now that we didn’t know then. Look at her quotes and the thing that stands out to me is the comment about people dying in the first 12 episodes. Is she referring to Pandora?  I will put the link up to the original post so you can read the comments and see what people were saying at the time this was posted.

Original post:

Kelly Souders recently gave an interview with TVguide.com, and this one will send the Smallville fans and message boards into a tizzy.

“You will see more people than you can imagine die in the first 12 episodes. Luckily, it’s Smallville, so not all of them stick.“

In a way that keeps us guessing, she goes on to say that these deaths will happen both in the present and in the future. Lois’ visions do play a role in the upcoming deaths and in what i believe is a very well crafted answer Kelly says:

” I promise you all the people you love to watch, you will still be loving to watch in episode 18, 19, 20, 21.“

What does this mean? Notice she doesn’t say ‘22′. Only time will tell, but let the speculations begin. We have been down this road in seasons past and while some deaths were predictable, others came as a true surprise. Who will it be?  Lets get the ball rolling and email your theories to mail@smallvillepodcast.com and discuss those theories with the rest of the SHoEligans at our forums.

source: tvguide.com

Link to the original post Who’s going to die?

]]> http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2010/03/31/revisiting-old-news/feed/ 29 http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2010/03/30/poll-the-kandorian-conundrum/ http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2010/03/30/poll-the-kandorian-conundrum/#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:20:41 +0000 Brian http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/?p=3317 This poll is one that I think I am in the minority for.  When Chloe showed Oliver the stockpile of weapons that she bought using his money it was obvious that Ollie was a bit taken back. However he didn’t totally disagree. She feels that she is justified in being prepared for a world of super powered kandorians. Now that we know that Zod has his powers and that he knows how to give the rest of the Kandorians their power as well, we have to look back at that moment at the cargo container. I remember having the impressions from various things I read and listened to, that many believed Chloe was going a bit overboard. What do you think? I will go on record that I always thought that CHloe was right to be ready for an army of kryptonians. The characters on the show have a hard time controlling Clark when he goes rogue, how will they fair against a military unit from Krypton who now has all of Clarks powers?

Since that time, news of Michael’s new project has surfaced and we think it’s something that every Smallville fan can be happy about. Michael is developing a single-camera comedy for the SyFy Network called “Saved by Zeroes” in which he and Jonathan Silverman play actors still doing the convention circuit long after their show has been canned. Rosenbaum described the pilot as “Galaxy Quest” meets HBO’s “Eastbound and Down”. While we of course miss Michael on the show, it’s great to hear about this slightly tonuge-in-cheek project, and we’re very happy with the prospect of seeing him weekly on television again real soon.

The crew here at Starkville’s House of El is really looking forward to the return of Smallville this Friday with the all-new episode “Escape”. In an effort to get everyone excited (not that you need much encouragement) there will be many new posts this week leading up to the return of our favorite show.

I thought I would start off the week by addressing something that I have been thinking of for quite a while. Now that we have an announcement of a 10th season, which will by all indications be the last season of Smallville, I wonder if there is an audience and if there is room for a spin-off series from Smallville. Let me be clear here that there is not any news that you have missed or rumors floating around the Internet. this is simply my take on what might work if and what I would hope for if a spin-off was ever to be created.

I believe that a Green Arrow series could be a success if presented properly. Smallville has shown that a comic based show can thrive on prime time television. Granted it’s Clark Kent and the Superman universe, but what void will be left once the show completes it’s unbelievable run.  Looking at what we already know about the Green Arrow mythos as it has been presented could make way for an interesting show.  Since his first appearance in season 6, Justin Hartley has played Oliver Queen, the Emerald Archer known as Green arrow. I think that he has played the character well and has displayed the charisma and acting chops to be able to deliver as a lead character of a series. He handles comedy very well and can demonstrate the darkness that has always plagued the character of Green arrow. His origin has been told in bits and pieces, some not fitting together as closely as I would have liked to see, but I feel the foundations are there. We know he is from Star City and has been living in Metropolis for a while now, but why couldn’t he go back to Star City to deliver his brand of justice for the citizens there. The character of Speedy (aka Mia Dreardon) has been brought into Oliver’s story and could relocate with him. this cold be the Batman & Robin type show that I know the CW execs would love to explore.  In my mind this would be a much more “real-life” scenario grounded in street level crime and mobsters rather than the super-powered villians that we have become accustomed to on Smallville. There is a backstory that could be explored with a lot more depth. What happened to Oliver  when he was with the Dark Archer? What were his first experiences like when he began as Green Arrow? Not to mention all of the possibilities with Mia and her previous life, lets not forget that in the comics she was HIV positive. Mentions could be made of their time in Metropolis without really needing to bring in any actors from Smallville. Not only that but, there could be many special guest appearances from some of DC Comics characters who would fit in that world. I am mostly thinking of the lesser or non-powered characters in the DCU. I believe that there are ways to make this show work, and I for one would watch a show like this. Not to mention that there has been rumors for a few years that there is a Green Arrow script called “Supermax” that has at times been close to going into production.

Take a few minutes and search the web for some of the upcoming television shows revolving around the superhero genre. You might be surprised at what you find.

I understand that with over a season to go of  Smallville many things could change, characters could die, or stories could takes turns we never saw coming. Those factors would play into whether or not a spin off could work story-wise.

I would love to know what you think of this idea and if it’s a show you would watch.

Late thursday afternoon The CW issued a press release concerning The 10th season of Smallville. Let’s get right to it, shall we?

The CW Network has announced that its hit series SMALLVILLE will return in the fall of 2010 for a momentous tenth season.

SMALLVILLE was developed for television by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar (“Shanghai Noon,” “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”), based on the DC Comics characters.  Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson serve as executive producers, along with James Marshall, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins and Joe Davola.  The series is produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions, Millar/Gough Ink and Warner Bros. Television.  SUPERMAN was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

SMALLVILLE, a modern retelling of the Superman legend, stars Tom Welling as Clark Kent.  The series moved to Friday nights this season, where it currently ranks as network television’s #1 show in its time period among men 18-34 and men 18-49.   Additionally, SMALLVILLE has dramatically improved The CW’s ratings performance in its Friday 8:00-9:00p.m.time period by 67% among adults 18-34 (1.5/6), 200% in men 18-34 (1.8/7), 75% in adults 18-49 (1.4/5), 183% in men 18-49 (1.7/6) and 74% in total viewers (3.12million).

SMALLVILLE joins the five previously announced series – THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, GOSSIP GIRL, 90210, SUPERNATURAL, and AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL – which will all return for another season on The CW.

This is some really fantastic news that I think we all were expecting. The suprising thing for me was how well Smallville has done in the rating after being moved to friday nights. I follow the rating results after a episode airs, but I have not seen the numbers compiled to show how well it is doing on fridays.

We would love to see how excited you are about this news by leaving a comment below. Remember, if you are on “The Twitter” pay attention on fridays because there is usually a campaign to get Smallville on the top trends. It’s been very successful this year in making that happen and The CW interacts with the fans quite a bit when the trending campaign starts. Join in on the fun!

What did you think of tonight’s episode? Unfortunately we all have a long wait in store after that one… Smallville officially goes on hiatus and doesn’t return until April 2nd.  Until then, here’s the trailer the CW aired for 9×16, “Escape”

Thanks to SycloneFX for the clip.

ZOD IS SHOT — Bernard Chisholm (guest star J.R. Bourne), a doctor who died and was brought back to life by the Kandorians so they can experiment on him, escapes and kidnaps some Kandorians in order to prove aliens have invaded Earth.  Bernard tries to get Lois to write a story validating his claim, but when Lois refuses, he kidnaps her too.  In an effort to save his people, Zod poses as a reporter from the Daily Planet and uncovers Bernard’s secret lab.  Clark arrives at the lab just in time to see Zod get shot.

It’s the last episode of Smallville for five weeks!

Check back later for episode 144 of SHoE with your host Steve Glosson!

In the meantime, when the episode is over come back here and let us know what you thought, or email us so we can read your thoughts on the air!

LOIS MOVES IN WITH CLARK — It’s Valentine’s Day and while Clark is out on a date with Lois, he unknowingly becomes infected by gemstone kryptonite, which has magical wish-fulfilling properties. Clark mentions to Lois that he wishes they had a more traditional relationship, so Lois quits the Daily Planet, moves in with Clark and starts planning their wedding. Still unaware of his new power, Clark also casually tells Chloe he wishes she would spend more time watching out for him, so an infected Chloe takes his wish to heart and sets her sights on a new target, Lois.

Check back later for episode 143 of SHoE with your host Steve Glosson!

In the meantime, when the episode is over come back here and let us know what you thought, or email us so we can read your thoughts on the air!

Today’s SF takes us back in time to June 17th, 2008. In issue #17 of Smallville Magazine there was an origin story for Warrior Angel. Our very own Derek Russell was the writer for the article and and he was kind enough to provide me with the origin story. I see no need to rewrite or summarize the material, take a look after the jump and enjoy!

Early History
Speedier than the wind, brighter than the stars, and stronger than an airline jet, Warrior Angel is the most beloved comic book hero that you’ve never heard of. Created by Stephen Glosson in early 1947, the character was later sold to Fantasy Comics and appeared in their issue #1 in June of 1948. In subsequent years, the character of Warrior Angel has appeared in multitudes of media transitions, including radio, television, action figures, feature films, and breakfast cereals.

Humble Beginnings
Warrior Angel was born Lon-Gino from a planet called Altrizar in a distant other dimension.  With their galaxy facing inevitable apocalypse, Lon-Gino’s father, the brilliant technician Harth-Yon, developed a transport for altering his race’s genetic code for entering other dimensions and sent his son to the planet Earth in the final moments of their own dimension. Lon-Gino was 12 years old when Jeffery and Molly Dash found him wandering the streets of small town Coseyton, Ohio.  The older couple took the boy in and raised him as their own, naming him Thomas Dash. Thomas grew up more privileged than most in life and was want for nothing, not only due to the shear generosity of his adopted parents but also the amazing gifts he possessed as a result of the environment of his home world. Thomas gifts were only matched by his knowledge of his new surroundings. Dash’s abilities on Earth gave him the power to fly faster and farther than the strongest bird, and have the strength of the gods.
However, everyone knows everyone else’s business in Coseyton, and keeping these gifts a secret to stay off the radar proved challenging over the years.
Thomas’ best friend, Rick Riley, lived next door to Dash since they were kids. In college, the two were roommates at Grand Central University. Rick had always known of Thomas’ abilities, but vowed to keep them a secret until the fateful day when Thomas inadvertently had Riley arrested and expelled from the university. After years of studying criminal justice, Thomas joined the Grand Central Police Department as a detective, vowing to always put a stop to evil wherever he could.  However, Dash knew that a man can only do so much, but a force would show the criminals of his fair city that crime led nowhere but behind bars.  With the help of his parents, Dash created the alter ego of Warrior Angel, a hero for the masses and an inspiration for the citizens of Grand Central.
In jail, it didn’t take long for Rick Riley to take notice of Warrior Angel’s acrobatics and connect the dots. Upon release from prison, Riley vowed to hurt Dash and those closest to him and adapted the persona of Devilicus to destroy his former best friend once and for all, not by exposing him, but by defeating him and all that he stood for.
Over the years of detective work, Dash had taken notice of the number one television journalist for Grand Central, Dana Dane.  Dash and Dane had always had an on again/off again relationship for many years before Thomas finally came clean with her on his heritage, his home, and his real mission. Dana vowed to always keep Thomas’ hero ideal a secret, no matter how big a story and break it would be for her. After years of dating, it was announced that a graphic novel would be devoted to the Warrior Angel Wedding. Thomas Dash and Dana Dane were set to marry on New Year’s Eve 1999. The evil Devilicus shot and killed Dana Dane on her way to the ceremony, and Thomas arrived too late to save her life. Dash vowed to defeat Devilicus at whatever cost, not knowing his enemies real identity.  Warrior Angel retreated to his Isolation Bubble deep in space to find solace and solitude for several months while he grieved over the loss of his bride before returning to Earth to fight the evil forces that gathered against him.

Media Frenzy
Over the years, the character of Warrior Angel could be seen everywhere: from pillowcases to figurines, the face and crest of heavenly crusader was a common sight in any teenage boy’s possession.  After the initial Fantasy Comics run of the character, which had already caught up with a grown Thomas Dash and his alter ego, the hero was re-tooled a bit for a younger reading audience in the early 1950’s, and told the story of Halo Kid, a high school age Dash who fought for the same beliefs on a much smaller scale in his hometown of Coseyton.  This publication paved the way for multiple stories of the hero over the years, leading to a successful weekly radio program in 1954 that later was adapted into a television series entitled “The Warrior Angel Escapades” and starred Benjamin Murphy in the title role of Grand Central’s number one protector. However, the show had to be adapted for the primetime viewing audience, and certain changes were made for the American family’s viewing pleasure.  The main villain Devilicus was renamed The Mole, and the series featured the characters of Dash and Riley as detective partners for the police department, both seeking the attention of the lovely journalist, Dana Dane. The show ended after only two seasons, but the character of Warrior Angel lived on in the weekly comic strips and homemade costumes of every young fan.
In the late 1970’s several animated incarnations of Warrior Angel were developed, including a few team-up shows with him and other superheroes that called themselves, the GrandGuys. Each week they would battle an array of villains known only as The Elite, who were led by Devilicus. The Elite wanted only to rule the Guardian Realm, which was an orb of power from the transport that brought Warrior Angel to Earth’s dimension as a child. Whoever controls the Guardian Realm has the ability to travel to any dimension, and rule them all. Devilicus tried several times to convince Warrior Angel to rule the Guardian Realm with him, but the hero always prevailed.

Larger Than Life
In 1989, the first ever feature film was released, showing the genesis story of the hero, from his birth on Altrizar to his arrival of Warrior Angel. The film, starring Tracey Graham as the iconic hero, was a box office success, and spawned 3 sequels over the next 6 years that further expanded the story and fanbase for a whole new generation of Warrior Angel fans. Currently, the first feature film in over 15 years is being shot in rural Smallville, Kansas with famous actress Rachel Davenport starring as Dana Dane and unknown actor Lake Colburn suiting up in the cape as Thomas Dash/Warrior Angel. This new incarnation of the character will take a turn from the regular story, and will instead have Warrior Angel save Dana’s life at the hands of Devilicus instead of watching her die. This turn of events gained media attention and fan criticism in the past few months, when devoted Warrior Angel followers were soured by the story’s alteration and an employee on the set of the film almost had Rachel Davenport killed to prove his point. A local Smallville hero saved Ms. Davenport from the murder attempt, and the film is set to be released next year.

Thanks to Syclone FX for the trailer.

METROPOLIS HOSTS A COMIC BOOK CONVENTION — DC COMICS’ CHARACTER ZATANNA RETURNS — Clark meets Zatanna (guest star Serinda Swan) at a comic book convention, where she tells him her father charmed a copy of the comic book “Warrior Angel” and it holds magical powers.  A young man named Stephen (guest star Carlo Marks) steals the comic book and develops super powers, transforming himself into Warrior Angel and saving Chloe from a horrible accident. Meanwhile, Lois becomes jealous of Clark’s relationship with Zatanna.

Check back at the first of the week for episode 142 of SHoE, with TV Guide senior editor Damian Holbrook!

In the meantime, when the episode is over come back here and let us know what you thought, or email us so we can read your thoughts on the air!

]]> http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2010/02/12/warrior-airs-tonight/feed/ 32 http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2010/02/06/live-show-replay-absolute-justice/ http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2010/02/06/live-show-replay-absolute-justice/#comments Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:45:06 +0000 Joe http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/?p=3141

DC COMICS’ CHARACTERS HAWKMAN, STAR GIRL AND DR. FATE FROM THE JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA MEET UP WITH CLARK AND HIS TEAM IN A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR EVENT; PAM GRIER GUEST STARS — A man named Sylvester Pemberton tracks down Chloe and tells her he knows about her team of superheroes and needs their help. However, before he can explain who he is, he is attacked and killed by Icicle (guest star Wesley Macinnes). Clark and Chloe’s investigation leads Clark to the former headquarters of the Justice Society of America where he meets up with Nelson AKA Dr. Fate (guest star Brent Stait), Carter Hall AKA Hawkman (guest star Michael Shanks) and Courtney AKA Star Girl (guest star Britt Irvin). Courtney pleads with Hawkman and Dr. Fate to help her catch the killer that is targeting their group but they are reluctant to resume their duties as superheroes. Clark, John Jones (guest star Phil Morris), Green Arrow and Chloe team up to help the JSA stop Icicle before he murders another member of the group. Meanwhile, Lois receives a package from a mysterious agency called Checkmate, run by Amanda Waller (guest star Pam Grier). Geoff Johns wrote the two-hour episode. Glen Winters directed the first hour & Tom Welling directed the second hour.

This is it: The 2hr Smallville Absolute Justice event, written by DC Comics’ on Geoff Johns. There is a TON of stuff to watch for tonight, so don’t miss one of the biggest Smallville experiences in nine years, tonight on the CW.

And after it’s over with, head on over to http://live.smallvillepodcast.com to join in on Starkville: Absolute Justice – a live episode event airing at 11pm/10pm CST and going through the west coast airing, where we will discuss in detail the episodes in question. Don’t miss it!

Well here we are with a new episode and a new character to discover their origin and backstory that was the basis for Vortigan on Smallville. The show only gave us snippets of what this character was all about, and I wish we could have seen a flashback scene or two explaining more about him. But at any rate lets see where the Smallville writers got their basis for Vortigan.

If you google “The Dark Archer” you will not find very much information about this character other than what we know from Smallville. Vortigan is bases on the DC Comics character Merlyn who was a mentor of Oliver Queen in his formative days of becoming Green Arrow.  Merlyn was created by Mike Friedrich, Dick Dillin, and comics legend Neal Adams and first appeared in Justice League of America #94 in 1971.

Merlyn “the Magician” was an accomplished archer who would often put on public displays for his skills. Olliver Queen was enamored by the archer and was his inspiration for his own archery skills.  When Oliver’s skills began to develop into a top-notch archer, Merlyn challenged him to a public archery contest and beat him.  Feeling good about his victory , Merlyn disappeared for many years, only to show up later acting under contract to kill Batman. Green Arrow was able to shoot his own arrow and deflect the one intended to kill Batman.  It is explained that Merlyn had become a part of the League of Assassins , which id the basis for the “League of Shadows” from the Batman Begins film.  Unable to compete his task in killing Batman and fearful that the league would hunt him down for failing, Merlyn goes on the run and does freelance assassin work.It is believed that Merlyn was with the League when David Cain’s daughter Cassandra was born and raised by the league to be a assassin. Cassandra eventually grows up to turn her back on the league and becomes Batgirl. (sidenote: The stories about Cassandra becoming and dealing with being Batgirl are some really fantastic stories)

Meryn’s appearances over the years have been spotty, usually popping up when a mystery assassin’s role is needed for the story.Ifd you haven’t noticed yet, there are many characters who are just “dark” versions of the hero. Merlyn is no exception and personally I find him very interesting.  One such story is that he appeared in Action Comics as a member of the “Injustice Gang” who were the arch enemies of the JLA.  He reappears as a member of the crime syndicate “The 100” who operates out of Metropolis. In one particular story, Merlyn squares off against Black Lighting and ultimately looses the battles to the hero.

Merlyn has another notable story in a crossover event called Underworld Unleashed that occured during the mid 1990’s. He joined a group called The Killer Elite with a group of villians, notably this included Deadshot who has connections to Checkmate. Checkmate is the title of an Smallville episode later this season and while I doubt Deadshot will get any kind of mention i think it was worth making the connection for you. This was a story where the group makes a deal with a demon to defeat the JLA. Thier plans fall through and the JLA end up successful in thwarting the groups plans.

The story that I most know Merlyn from is immensely popular “Identity Crisis”.  A hero’s wife is murdered and the villians go on the run as the JLA is thirsty for justice. If you like a good murder mystery and a ton of pivotal action involving the Justice League then I suggest you pick this story up or try and borrow it from your local library. Merlyn plays a rather strong role in this story and his look is really awesome.

In a recent story with Green Arrow, Merlyn was severly injured in a fight with another villian and is no longer able to speak.

All in all Merlyn is an interesting character, like I said before I like villians that are dopplegangers for their arch enemy. However I think the book is closed for The Dark Archer in Smallville. But wouldn’t this provide some good background for a Green Arrow spin-off series? I think so.

Leave a comment below and tell us what you thought of Vortigan or if you were already a fan of the Merlyn character.

NO LOVERS, NO ALLIES, NO DISCIPLES – INTRODUCING DC COMICS CHARACTER THE DARK ARCHER – Oliver’s past comes back to haunt him in the form of The Dark Archer (guest star Steve Bacic), Oliver’s former teacher, who seeks revenge on his student by taking aim at Lois and Chloe (Allison Mack). Oliver faces down The Dark Archer after his former mentor kidnaps Mia AKA “Speedy” (guest star Elise Gatien) but is pushed to his limit and Clark races to stop him from making another deadly mistake.

It’s 2010 and Smallville is back! We’ve had a fun day Tweeting all kinds of things Smallville related with fans in anticipation for tonight’s return, and we’re getting close to it! After the episode is over, come back here and let us know what you thought or email us for our next episode of SHoE featuring ‘Disciple’ director Mairzee Almas!

You might have been lucky enough to see DC Comics promoting Smallville’s 2hr event ‘Absolute Justice’ in one of your issues this week. If not, check out the full image after the jump.

With all the news bubbling to the surface in the past week or so concerning Smallville, there is yet another bit of news from Natalie Abrams of TV Guide. It is being reported that “The Silver Banshee” has been cast as the villan in episode 16 “Escape” .

The Banshee is a villain from the DC universe who is described as the spirit of a Gaelic Heroine. She gets accidentally released from the underworld and happens upon a romantic Bed and Breakfast. It just so happens that this very same B&B is where Clark and Lois will be spending a getaway together. The Silver Banshee is being played by Odessa Rae (Leverage).

I am very curious about this casting, the Silver Banshee has a very specific look and I am looking forward to see how she will look after the “Smallville treatment”.  Recently Smallville has done a fantastic job with getting the look of an established character right, so I am not concerned.

Do you know of this character? What feelings do you have about her coming to Smallville? Or is she new to you, what are your intitial impressions?

Sound off by leaving a comment below or visit our forums to discuss this and many of the other recent news stories with your fellow SHoE-ligans.

SMALLVILLE IS BACK THIS WEEK WITH A NEW EPISODE!!!

Smallville producers haven’t said when Martha would be returning. The timing of her return will most likely occur during the May sweeps. They also mention that she will have an “unexpected suprise” or two when she reunites with Clark. Martha has not been seen on screen since she left for Washington DC to fulfill her responsibilities as a US Senator in season 6.

Personally I think many fans (if not all) welcome her return with open arms. I am interested to see what she thinks of how Clark has been handling himself while she has been away. It should make for a fascinating reunion. Any ideas as to what her suprise might be? I know i have a few theories. Will Martha’s government connection shed any light to whether or not Clark and his “league” are being watched by big brother?

The second bit of news as I mentioned earlier is that Michael McKean will be returning as Perry White.  Michael Ausiello reported that Perry’s return will bring him closer than ever before to his destiny than ever before and we DO get to see the introduction of Mr. White to Lois Lane.  He also goes on to report that both Michael and Annette will be in the same episode 9×21. Thats right folks, the episode before the season finale. Perry White was last seen in season 3 of Smallville.

Does this excite you? Are you ready for Perry White on Smallvile? or do you think it’s too soon?

Michael Ausiello starts off his article by saying “could Michael Rosenbaum be next?”  I have to agree that with everything we have seen this year that ANYTHING is possible. Let’s just hope we get a 10th season, because bringing Lex back in any capacity would have to take place next season.

Let’s hear your thoughts! Leave a comment below.

DC Universe blog The Source has posted the official half-minute trailer for “Absolute Justice,” courtesy of The CW. Featured within the 30 second clip are numerous iconic artifacts, an aging piece of heroic artwork, and… well, we’ll just let you see for yourself.

To watch it at DC Universe blog The Source, click here.
To download the trailer, right click and “Save As” from here.

What did you think of this brief sneak peek at the special 2-hour event? Let us know in the comments!

It seems like it’s been an eternity since we have had a new episode of Smallvile. Well in a few short weeks we will have a new episode to get us excited about the second half of season 9. The CW has released an official description for the mid-season premier “Disciple” , and Speedy fans can rejoice because Mia will be returning to the cast for this episode.

NO LOVERS, NO ALLIES, NO DISCIPLES – INTRODUCING DC COMICS CHARACTER THE DARK ARCHER
Oliver’s (Justin Hartley) past comes back to haunt him in the form of The Dark Archer (guest star Steve Bacic), Oliver’s former teacher, who seeks revenge on his student by taking aim at Lois (Erica Durance) and Chloe (Allison Mack). Oliver faces down The Dark Archer after his former mentor kidnaps Mia AKA “Speedy” (guest star Elise Gatien) but is pushed to his limit and Clark (Tom Welling) races to stop him from making another deadly mistake. Mairzee Almas directed the episode written by Jordan Hawley.

So what’re you waiting for? Get to emailing in your questions! Get to donating in for great causes! And get ready to hear one of the most fun episodes of Starkville’s House of El ever!

Hey guys! I’m back in a very long and over due edition of Goodman Covers. This time we will take a long at the third issue in the retelling of Superman’s brand new origin in ‘Superman: Secret Origin”. Check out the full review after the jump!

Superman: Secret Origin #3

Written by Geoff Johns

Art by Gary Frank

After two great issues focusing on Clarks’ upbringing in Smallville, Johns and company flash forward to Clark and Superman’s first visit to Metropolis, and it’s an interesting visit to say the very least. Much like he’s known to do, Johns takes concepts and ideas that we are already familiar with and twists them ever so slightly to offer a new and interesting take on an established part of a character’s history. This time, it comes in two different variations; the Daily Planet and Metallo. I won’t spoil them for you, but it appears that Superman won’t only be saving people during his stay in Metropolis, and Metallo isn’t John Corben at all. At least not yet.

Outside of these two new twists, we finally get the introduction of Daily Planet crew, and everyone is here. From Cat Grant to Lois Lane, Johns makes us instantly like these characters, and I for one especially love his take on Lois in this issue. We also get some classic Lois and Clark interaction as the two sneak into Lex Luthor’s press conference. What’s interesting to note here is that Johns and Frank don’t actually show Lex’s face. We get a body shot, but all of Lex’s face is hidden from our view. This is an interesting decision, and I hope the big reveal is as interesting as it’s being made out to be. Of course, the issues ends with the reveal of Superman to the public of Metropolis, and it is every bit as grand and epic as it should be. Also, as I thought would be the case, Gary Frank’s art has much improved with the transition from Clark’s childhood to his manhood. Frank nails Clark/Superman’s resemblance to Christopher Reeve, which is something we’ve all come to expect from him.

It was another strong issue as we reach the half way point in this mini-series. What did you all think? Sound off in the comments below!

Brian Peterson recently had an interview with TV Guide writer and SHoE guest host Damian Holbrook to discuss the direction of the remainder of season 9 and the possibilities of a season 10. While the interview was filled with tasty morsels of Smallville news, there is nothing here that I feel would spoil you for the rest of the season. If you are interested to know about Zod, Absolute Justice, or  if we will see Clark will fly just click the link for the summarized interview.

In this interview Damian starts out by asking Brian “who and what” we will see in 2010.  Brian does give us some bits that should hold us over and keep us excited during the winter hiatus. He goes on to say that “Disciple” will be Mia taking it to the next level in becoming Speedy and that we will see her in a few episodes.

In talking about the Smallville 2-hour event “Absolute Justice”, Brian refers to it as a mini-movie and that it was not planned as such. He says that the story just became too big for one episode, and that from the intial footage it’s better than any Hero movie made in the last 2 years. Brian says that “this is one of the most exciting thing we have done in 9 years”. Michael Shanks has impressed everyone and they feel he is perfect for the role of Hawkman.  It is explained that the Society will show up at a time when our hero’s need them the most. They are not a cohesive group, they dont have a name for their group, and are going through quite a bit of growing pains. He would not go on to say what “leaguers” we would see in this movie as it depends a lot on the actors availability.  Brian goes on to say that the Society is from the past and previously worked underground and that is why no one has heard of them. When the JSA first meet the JLA there are quite a bit of sparks in the begining of the story.

Zod is addressed in the interview as well, and Brian explains that we will soon see what Zod is capable of when it comes to manipulation and coersion to reach his endgame of obtaining the Kryptonain powers he so much desires.

Damian asks Brian the question we all have been asking, when will Clark fly. Brian says that it will happen when the time is right, and I agree with him.  Superman’s power of flight is the most majestic of them all and shouldn’t be done without the proper situation. He say’s they’ve talked about it and they have a plan of how it should go.. The question is when.

Brian gets the other burning question and that is “if there is a season 10″. Brian says WHEN there is a season 10. He talks about how they envision the 10th season to be a reflection of the previous 9 and that it will be a time for Clark to stepo away from the black attire and the darker tones of season 9.  The loss of Jimmy, embracing his Kryptonian side, and finding his secret identity are all things that must happen before we see Clark step out of the darkness.

Like I said, not a lot of spoilery stuff here, but it does give us a peek behind the curtain to see what is planned. It also gives us some insight that alot of things are being thoughtfully planned out for the remainder of this season and the possibility of a season 10. To read Damian Holbrook’s interview in it’s entirety visit tvguidemagazine.com .

Leave a comment below. Is Smallville in good hands? Does this news make you happy? Can you wait for the proper moment to see Clark fly?

Simply launch iTunes by clicking here, and be ready to access all these great things with a simple touch of a button!

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]]> http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2009/11/20/the-shoe-app-is-now-available/feed/ 2 http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2009/11/20/pandora-airs-tonight/ http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/2009/11/20/pandora-airs-tonight/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:11:12 +0000 Derek http://www.smallvillepodcast.com/?p=2919

BACK TO THE FUTURE — Tess kidnaps Lois to find out where Lois went after she disappeared for weeks. Lois’ memory of the future depicts a Metropolis under Zod’s rule and Clark powerless under the red sun, while Chloe forms a resistance group with Oliver. After learning of these future events, Clark makes an important decision about Zod.

It’s the last one of 2009, the Smallville mid-season finale! Seems like just yesterday we were counting down the hours til the premiere of “Savior”! But have no fear, SHoE will help you through the withdrawls, we’re even tentaviely planning a SHoE live show after “Pandora” airs tomorrow night to discuss between the hosts and fans what they thought of the ninth episode of the season. More details on that as they become available. We’ll also be back with your regular episode for ‘Pandora’ and hopefully one or two more before 2010 gets here. Hopefully we’ll get a glimpse of Smallville: Absolute Justice at the end of the episode tomororw night. Check back soon for episode 137, details on the SHoE live event, and Louis Febre’s ‘Scoring Smallville’ which we hope to catch up with over the hiatus.

Also, if you’re a Twitter user, don’t forget to include the #Smallville hashtag in all of your tweets today. It’s the last episode of 2009, and we’re trying our best to honor that by getting #Smallville into the trending topics! Join us in tweeting all Friday afternoon.

Kneel before Zod.

What do you think of the name change? Sound off in the comments below!

(Via Entertainment Weekly’s Ausiello Files)

Don’t miss the next to last episode of 2009, “Idol” tonight at 8pm/7pm central on The CW, discuss it here on the site or check out our forums where you can meet other Smallville and SHoE fans to discuss. Check back later for our latest episode, a new interview, and be looking for other goodies as well – including tonight’s trailer for the highly anticipated”Pandora” and Louis Febre’s “Scoring Smallville” for the past few episodes, which we’ll get posted soon – he’s a busy man!

Both episodes are written by DC Comics favorite Geoff Johns (directed by Glenn Winter and Tom Welling) but it’s unclear at this time if the episodes will just air as two separate installments (9×11 & 9×12) back to back, or if they will be edited together with “Part 1″ and “Part 2″ credits rolling in the opening minutes. More news as it becomes available!

What do you all think? Sound off in the comments below!

It’s time for another installment of “Goodman Covers”. This time we’ll look at the second issue of Superman: Secret Origin to see how the second issue compares to the first issue. The full review after the break.

Superman Secret Origin #2

Written by Geoff Johns with art by Gary Frank

What continues to amaze me about this mini-series is just how well Geoff Johns gets Superman and his supporting cast.  There are few writers in the comic book industry who can write Superman as effortlessly as Johns.  This same trend continues forward into the second issue, as we see the Legion appear to Clark and take him on a whirlwind adventure into the future. For those of you that enjoyed “Legion” last year, there are some more great moments with these characters, and it’s a great feeling to see Johns write Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl again.  Much like last issue, Johns is taking cues from all sorts of Superman mythos and incorporating it into this new origin, and there are plenty of Smallville references in this issue for fans of the show, and each one is done in such a way that even to hint at them would ruin the surprise and fun each moment brings.

On the art side, Gary Frank’s work looks better than last issue, but some of his faces still come off as weird and awkward. I hope by the next issue that some of these problems go away.

If you didn’t get a chance to pick up issue #1, don’t fret. Issue #2 is a great jumping on point for those that want to get in on the series.  It’s hard to find mini-series now a days were you can jump in and still feel like you haven’t missed anything, and Secret Origins does a great job of accomplishing this fact. Another fantastic issue by a fantastic writer and a fantastic artist. If you call yourself a Smallville fan, heck, if you call yourself a Superman fan, you owe it to yourself to pick up this issue and go a head and get on board with what potentially might be the year’s best mini-series. You won’t be disappointed.

Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello reported today about some brand new casting news out of the Smallville universe. Pam Grier will join Smallville for “multiple episodes” according to Ausiello. But who exactly is the Golden Globe Nominated actress playing? The casting and a bit of analysis after the break…

Pam Grier will join the cast starting in the episode “Legends” as the one and only Amanda Waller. For those unfamiliar with the character, Waller is a known villain in the DC universe, who often time works with Checkmate (a covert operation group) and the Suicide Squad (a group of supervillians that do top secret missions in exchange for pardons from their crimes). Waller is a tough woman, who is a formidable opponent, and a woman that should be feared.  I haven’t personally seen any of Grier’s acting, but the fact that she was nominated for a Golden Globe speaks volumes.  Pam Grier also looks the part, and that’s half the battle right there.  Needless to say, I’m excited for Waller to appear in the Smallville universe, and the fact that she’ll be staying around could be quite interesting as the second half of the season moves forward.

What do you all think? Sound off in the comments below!

(Via Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly)

Smallville will see the return of a character that was very well received in season 8. That’s right, Zatanna will be on the show sometime in  early 2010. In an interview with TV guide , Serinda Swan who played Zatanna in “Hex”, talk about the characters return to Smallville.

Swan talks about when she will be returning, but is very tight-lipped about why Zatanna will be back:

This time, Swan will appear in an early 2010 episode tentatively titled “Warrior.” As for the why of Zatanna’s return, the show is keeping super-silent. “But knowing the character and what she’s capable of, it’s going to be something pretty interesting,” the actress teases.

She goes on to mention how she was able to get the role for Zatanna by learning spells backwards (which is how Zatanna’s magic works) by using her ipod and practicing saying them backwards. She says that she will need to “brush up” on her incantations.

Season 9 has so far brought us a number of characters from the DC universe and the return of Zatanna just shows the direction of the show and possible building blocks for a team based confrontation at some point before the series comes to an end.(that’s my hope anyways)

Did you like Zatanna in “Hex” and does this news raise any excitement for the second half of season 9? Will she still bump heads with Oliver? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.

JOR-EL APPEARS IN SMALLVILLE — Jor-El (guest star Julian Sands) mysteriously arrives at the Kent farm searching for his son, Kal-El, but meets Chloe instead.  Convinced the Blur is Jor-El, Zod enlists Tess’ help in finding him to force him to reveal the secret to his powers.  Clark realizes Jor-El is alive and on Earth and races to find him before Zod does.

Don’t miss “Kandor” tonight at 8pm/7pm central on The CW, discuss it here on the site or check out our forums where you can meet other Smallville and SHoE fans to discuss. This has been SHoE’s most sought after episode this season on Smallville and we can’t wait to talk about it! Check back later for our latest episode and be looking for other goodies – including tonight’s trailer for “Idol” and Louis Febre’s “Scoring Smallville” for the past few episodes, which we’ll get posted soon – he’s a busy man!

It’s time for another edition of Goodman Covers!  This time we’ll focus on the recently ended mini-series; Blackest Night: Superman. Check the full review after the break!

Blackest Night: Superman #1-3

Written by James Robinson with Art by Eddy Barrows

When DC first announced the Blackest Night event, which involves dead DC characters returning to life via Black Lantern Rings, one of the first characters I thought that would and should be affected by this event is Superman.  Turns out that DC and I where on the same page as Blackest Night: Superman came to a close last month.

As I said above, Blackest Night is DC’s big event for this year and started in the Green Lantern series, but has since moved on to its own title and spawned several tie-ins.  The basic idea is that all of DC’s dead characters, hero or villain, are given a power ring that downloads all the memories of that particular character.  After this, the Black Lantern is off to terrorize and kill anyone and everyone that stands in its way.  But first, the lantern must scan a person, and get them to emit an emotional response, and then the lantern rips out that person’s heart. It’s an intense process to say the least.

The story of mainly focuses on Superman and Superboy as they battle the Black Lanterns in Smallville, but we also get a moment or two on New Krypton.  I enjoyed both stories, but the events that transpire on New Krypton have a potential to really change things up in the on-going Superman family of books.  James Robinson does a great job of showing the reaction of Smallville’s citizens as the Black Lanterns terrorize the city, yet I found that some of the best moments of the book come from Krypto and Ma Kent as they face a Black Lantern.  The book reads very similar to a slasher movie not unlike the Friday the 13^th movies.  In fact, Jason has a small cameo in the first issue and helps reinforce the horror element that the Black Lanterns carry.  I should also mention the art by Eddy Barrows is serviceable, but won’t blow you away by any means.

Overall, fans interested to know what’s going on with Superman during Blackest Night should pick this up.  If you are just reading the main Superman titles (Action Comics, Superman, Supergirl, World of New Krypton) and enjoying those titles, stick with those as there really isn’t enough new information to warrant a purchase.

What did you think? Sound off in the comments below!

Here it is, next week’s promo for 9×07 “Kandor”.  Wow…..  If this doesn’t look epic, I don’t know what does.

OLIVER TAKES DC COMICS’ CHARACTER SPEEDY UNDER HIS WING — Oliver tries to help a young street girl, Mia (guest star Elise Gatien), get out of her dangerous life by offering to train her, but Mia double crosses him. Lois asks Clark to help her land a job as an on-air television host, but the two are shocked when the station wants to hire them as a team.

That descirption barely scratches the surface of everything you’ll find in tonights episode of Smallville.

Don’t miss “Crossfire” tonight at 8pm/7pm central on The CW, discuss it here on the site or check out our forums where you can meet other Smallville and SHoE fans to discuss. Check back later for our latest episode and be looking for other goodies – including tonight’s trailer for “Kandor” and Louis Febre’s “Scoring Smallville” for the past few episodes.

The images feature Tom Welling, Justin Hartley, Callum Blue, Allison Mack, and Julian Sands as Jor-El.

Here it is, next week’s promo for 9×06 “Crossfire”. As always, it’s looking awesome!

Kelly Souders recently gave an interview with TVguide.com, and this one will send the Smallville fans and message boards into a tizzy.

“You will see more people than you can imagine die in the first 12 episodes. Luckily, it’s Smallville, so not all of them stick.“

In a way that keeps us guessing, she goes on to say that these deaths will happen both in the present and in the future. Lois’ visions do play a role in the upcoming deaths and in what i believe is a very well crafted answer Kelly says:

” I promise you all the people you love to watch, you will still be loving to watch in episode 18, 19, 20, 21.“

What does this mean? Notice she doesn’t say ‘22′. Only time will tell, but let the speculations begin. We have been down this road in seasons past and while some deaths were predictable, others came as a true surprise. Who will it be?  Lets get the ball rolling and email your theories to mail@smallvillepodcast.com and discuss those theories with the rest of the SHoEligans at our forums.

source: tvguide.com

DC COMICS’ CHARACTER ROULETTE SHOWS OLIVER HER CARDS — Oliver is drugged and kidnapped by a woman named Victoria AKA Roulette (guest star Steph Song), who tells Oliver that he’s involved in a dangerous game and must fight for his life. After Victoria shows up dead and Oliver is arrested by the police, he turns to Chloe for help. Meanwhile, Lois berates Clark for not telling her about Oliver’s suicide attempt.

Don’t miss “Roulette” tonight at 8pm/7pm central on The CW, discuss it here on the site or check out our forums where you can meet other Smallville and SHoE fans to discuss. Check back later for our latest episode and be looking for other goodies – including tonight’s trailer for “Crossfire” and Louis Febre’s “Scoring Smallville” for 9×03 “Rabid” and 9×04 “Echo” coming soon!

We’ve been talking about it for months now, and minutes ago IGN TV confirmed the two remaining members of the Justice Society of America that will come to Smallville in the Season 9 episode, “Society”.  For spoilers sake, the announcement is after the break, but needless to say, we called this one folks.

That’s right folks. As we predicted last week, Hawkman and Doctor Fate will join the previously announced Stargirl in episode 12 of  season nine. IGN was also lucky enough to find out just who exactly would be playing these two characters, and I think the casting is spot on.  Hawkman will be played by Michael Shanks of Stargate SG-1 fame, while Doctor Fate will be played by Brent Stait whose past work includes an on-going role in the TV series, Andromeda.

This announcement has made me a firm believer that this episode has the potential to be one of the biggest things the show has ever done.  Hawkman and Doctor Fate are huge forces in the DC Universe, and the chance to see these characters come to life has me quite excited for this episode.  I think the casting of Shanks and Stait is perfect due to the fact that these men have already established themselves as legends in the Sci-Fi community, and now they get to show off to the Superhero community.

UPDATED: Fancast.com is now reporting that Aliens in America star Britt Irvin will be playing Stargirl. I personally haven’t seen any of Britt’s work, but since Stargirl is Johns’ creation, I trust that he made good judgment in the casting of Irvin.

UPDATED (10-23-09): Johns announced last night via Twitter that “Society” is actually the first part of a two part story.  The second part “Legends” will be directed by Tom Welling and written by Johns. Geoff stated that Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson wanted to make the JSA a massive deal and to do Stargirl, Hawkman, and Doctor Fate right, so they made the episode a two part episode. It seems that “Society” and “Legends” might arguably be the biggest and most ambitious episodes in Smallville history.

How do you think Irvin, Shank, and Stait will do playing some of the JSA’s best and brightest? Sound off in the comments below!

(Via IGN TV, Geoff John’s Twitter, and Fancast)

Here’s the promo that aired directly after Smallville tonight. This is for Episode 5- “Roulette”

THE TOYMAN RETURNS AND TAKES OLIVER HOSTAGE — Tess forces Oliver to come to a Queen Industries gala to put the Board at ease, but things go awry when the Toyman (guest star Chris Gauthier) shows up with a bomb and a plan to take revenge on Oliver.  The Toyman tells Oliver he must confess to murdering Lex or he will blow the place up.  Meanwhile, as part of his training, Jor-El gives Clark the ability to hear other people’s thoughts.

Don’t miss “Echo” tonight at 8pm/7pm central on The CW, discuss it here on the site or check out our forums where you can meet other Smallville and SHoE fans to discuss. Check back this weekend for our latest episode and be looking for other goodies – including tonight’s trailer for “Roulette” and Louis Febre’s “Scoring Smallville” for 9×03 “Rabid” and 9×04 “Echo” coming soon!

This batch includes Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, and guest star Elise Gatien.

More after the jump!

Check out the other images after the jump.

It’s amazing just how much information gets passed via Twitter these day from actors and writers.  Last night, writer Geoff Johns Twittered several bits of knowledge about the twelfth episode of Season 9,  “Society” which Johns will write and will introduce the Justice Society of America into the Smallville Universe.   We’ve got the roundup and a bit of analysis after the jump.

As we stated, last night Johns posted several tweets all related to the current status of “Society”.

Went over costume designs for the JSA Smallville. They kicked ass on these!! Sticking close to the source is always the way to go. :)

Johns wrote JSA for 26 issues and has a fantastic handle on the characters, so it would make sense that Johns is involved with everything including the creation of the costumes.   Johns has stated before that these superheroes that we’ll see in this episode come from an older generation of heroes, so my guess is that the costumes might be more traditional superhero costumes instead of the newer more slick looking ones we’ve seen Green Arrow, Impulse, Cyborg, and Aquaman wear.

Oh, Smallville: Society airs January 29th. :) We shoot in two weeks so I’m packing up my winter clothes for Vancouver.

A couple of weeks ago, a casting call was sent out for a male, age 37-48 that was in that was in fantastic physical condition who would be playing “He is the most handsome and sexy of ALL the D.C Superheros”. In that release, it stated that the actor need to be available for shooting starting 10/26 through 11/3.  This lines up right with the info Johns provided.  Shooting will start on the 26th of this month. As for the hero the call talks about, I feel very confidently that this will probably be Hawkman.  Hawkman has a great history with the JSA and is one of the key members.  He’s also in fantastic shape, although I don’t know if he’s considered the most handsome and sexiest of all the DC heroes.

I can’t divulge the three members in the episode yet, but one of them is someone that should be obvious. A girl. Who likes stars. :)

Johns pretty much confirms that Courtney Whitmore aka Stargirl will be in “Society”.  Johns created the character in his “Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0″ and since he is writing the episode, it makes perfect sense for Stargirl to be included. We will see an older version of Courtney since Johns has made a point of saying that these JSA members will come from an older generation of heroes that will be in their 40s.

This also confirms the fact that we will see 3 characters from the JSA in this episode.  Johns stated that we wouldn’t see Alan Scott (the first Green Lantern) or Jay Garrick (the first Flash). So if our predictions are right, we should see Hawkman, Stargirl, and then one other character.  We’ve also heard that one of the characters is known to often wear a helmet. There are several different characters in the JSA that wear helmets including Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and Atom Smasher, so there is a potential for any of these characters to show up in the episode.

To answer the Smallville inquiries: Glen Winter, who directed my “Legion” episode, is directing “Society.” So you know he’s AWESOME.

This is great news. Glen Winter did a fantastic job with” Legion”, and the fact that he’s paired with Johns again for “Society” can only mean good things.

So just to recap, “Society” will air on January 29th.  It will be written by Geoff Johns and directed by Glen Winter.  We will see 3 members of the JSA, roughly in their 40s, one of whom will be Stargirl, probably Hawkman, and another member we know no details about.  Shooting will start on October 26 (two weeks from today) and will last until November 3rd. If shooting starts in two weeks, we should start to get casting announcements for these roles very soon.

Needless to say, this is shaping up to be a fantastic episode of Smallville, but what do you think? Sound off in the comments below!

(Information via Geoff Johns’ Twitter, TV Guide, and KryptonSite)

Check it out after the jump!

OLIVER TAKES DC COMICS’ CHARACTER SPEEDY UNDER HIS WING — Oliver tries to help a young street girl, Mia AKA Speedy (guest star Elise Gatien), get out of her dangerous life by offering to train her, but Mia double crosses him. Lois asks Clark to help her land a job as an on-air television host, but the two are shocked when the station wants to hire them as a team. Posted on SHoE. Allison Mack, Cassidy Freeman and Callum Blue also star. Mike Rohl directed the episode written by Holly Henderson and Mike Whitehead.

Here’s the promo that aired after “Rabid” for episode 9×04, “Echo” – This season is looking great!

Don’t miss “Rabid” tonight at 8pm/7pm central on The CW, discuss it here on the site or check out our forums where you can meet other Smallville and SHoE fans to discuss. Check back tonight for our latest episode and be looking for a few other surprises – including Louis Febre’s “Scoring Smallville” for 9×03 “Rabid”.

If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to SHoETube.

Hey everyone, it’s William here again to get you caught up what’s going on in Superman Comic Universe.  This month we’ll look at the Brainiac arc that takes place in issues #866-870 of Action Comics.  Remember these summaries are NOT spoiler free.

Action Comics #866-870

“Brainiac”

Written by Geoff Johns

Art by Gary Frank

When I go back and take a look at the Brainiac arc almost a year later, it’s amazing how much of a critical role this story plays into the current Superman status quo.  Johns really set out to redefine the character of Braniac, and by the end of this arc, you will fear Brainiac like you never have before.  And that starts in the opening pages as we see the true fate of the bottled city of Kandor.  Brainiac’s ship goes around to various cities on various planets all throughout the galaxy, bottles them up, and then destroys the planet’s sun, causing the sun to explode and destroy the planet.

Jump forward to present day as we see the return of Cat Grant and Steve Lombard to the Daily Planet staff.  During the new inductions, Clark hears a strange noise and rushes off to figure out what the noise is.

Superman arrives on the scene and finds a Brainiac scouting drone, which he quickly dispatches and takes to the Fortress of Solitude in order to inspect it.  Supergirl, aka Kara Zor-El, shows up and reveals to Clark that he has never really fought Brainiac before.  Kara also tells Clark that when Kandor was taken, she was on Krypton and was spared.  However, Kara now has a massive fear of Brainiac.

After a quick word with Ma and Pa Kent, Superman begins a galaxy wide expedition in order to track and hunt down Braniac.  After much searching, Superman finds several probes, and discovers first hand the bottling and destruction of a planet.  The explosion from the destruction of the sun knocks Superman unconscious and he is taken prisoner on Brainiac’s ship.

Superman, of course, escapes and begins to explore Brainiac’s ship.  Soon after, he finds the room where all the bottled cities are being held, including Kandor.  At this point, Brainiac shows his true form to Superman, and tells Superman that he’s been collecting data from each planet he’s destroyed, and his next target is Earth in order to capture the last kryptonians, Superman and Supergirl!

At this point, Brainiac’s ship arrives in Metropolis and sends out his drones to attack the city.  Of course, Supergirl comes to help and battles the drones while Superman fights Brainiac.  Superman eventually knocks Brainiac out and hears a voice coming from one of the bottle cities that turns out to be Zor-El who is very much alive and well inside Kandor.  As the two begin to talk, Brainiac ambushes Superman from behind, and Kara is captured and brought aboard.  Metropolis is bottled, and a solar-aggressor missile gets fired from Brainiac’s ship towards the sun.

An unconscious Superman is hooked up by the ship to all the bottled cities and is awaken by the cries of help from each bottle city.  Superman escapes again and attacks Brainiac while at the same time releasing Kara and grabbing the newly bottled Metropolis and the city of Kandor.  Superman tells Kara to stop the solar-aggressor missile before it destroys the sun.  Superman then finally knocks Brainiac out of his ship causing him to fall to Earth, where he is overwhelmed by various forms of bacteria and microorganisms.  Superman flies down and goes to finish Brainiac off, but the villain tells Superman that cities can’t survive outside the mother ship.  Superman races off to return to Metropolis back to it’s normal state, then heads to the area surrounding the Fortress of Solitude and releases Kandor.  At the same time, Kara is able to stop the solar-aggressor that was headed for the sun.  All seems to fine, and the world saved, but Brainiac then reveals one final trick that he’s saved.  While Superman was captured, Brianiac had read Superman’s mind, and know he knows everything about Superman, including where Ma and Pa Kent live.  At this point, Brainiac fires off a missile that is headed straight for the Kent farm.  The missile explodes on the farm, and no one is hurt, however, Jonathan Kent has a heart attack to the stress of the situation and dies mere seconds after Clark arrives.

The final pages show Jonathan Kent’s funeral.  Some of the guest include the normal cast of characters, Jimmy, Lois, etc, but Clark happens to catch Bruce Wayne and Alfred standing under a tree near by.

The Brainiac arc was not only one of the best story lines of last year, but I think one of the better Superman stories I’ve read.  Also, as we will see next time, this story line directly sets up the next event; New Krypton.

So what did everyone think? Sound off in the comments below!

We’ve got your first look at a zombified Lois from 9×03 – ‘Rabid’! It’s a fuzzy camera image taken from the Canadian trailer for this Friday’s episode, but if you need your Smallville zombie fix right now, it will have to do. Be warned, though. The image is pretty frightening.

Check it out after the jump!

Thanks to Alma for the image.

And also, don’t forget that “Metallo” airs tonight on the CW at 8/7 Central.

Don’t miss “Metallo” tonight at 8pm/7pm central on The CW, discuss it here on the site or check out our forums where you can meet other Smallville and SHoE fans to discuss. Check back tonight for our latest episode and be looking for a few other surprises – be sure to email in your questions for SHoE 130 featuring Brian Austin Green!

Check it out after the jump!

DC COMICS’ CHARACTER ROULETTE SHOWS OLIVER HER CARDS — Oliver (Justin Hartley) is drugged and kidnapped by a woman named Victoria AKA Roulette (guest star Steph Song), who tells Oliver that he’s involved in a dangerous game and must fight for his life. After Victoria shows up dead and Oliver is arrested by the police, he turns to Chloe (Allison Mack) for help. Meanwhile, Lois (Erica Durance) berates Clark (Tom Welling) for not telling her about Oliver’s suicide attempt. Cassidy Freeman and Callum Blue also star. Kevin Fair directed the episode written by Genevieve Sparling.

There has been a casting call for Smallville episode 9×11 or 9×12 “Society”. The description itself does not make it easy to figure out who it is, take a look after the jump 

[NEW SEXY SUPERHERO] Male – 37 – 48 yr. old. All ethnicities. He is the most handsome and sexy of ALL the D.C Superheros. Actor must have a fantastic physique. GUEST STAR. Dates are approximately 10-26 thru 11-3-09  (source: Spoiler TV)

I have my own ideas on the possibilities of who this could be and I am hoping to see at least a few more casting calls for this episode. The Justice Society of America has quite a few members who laid the groundwork for some of the most popular hero’s known today.

John Wesley-Shipp is no stranger to the DC Universe, once playing the title character on CBS’s short-lived live action series “The Flash”. I think it would be great to see him play the role of Jay Garrick. (The first Flash) However I do not think this call is for Jay. I believe it to be for Carter Hall, better known as Hawkman. Seeing a live action Hawkman would be awesome!

Mark Valley is another actor who I would love to see fill a role like this. He has been on a few ABC shows in the past, I remember him for his role on “Boston Legal”.

I would love to see what all the SHoE-ligans think about who this role is for and who would be some actors you would like to see fill the part. What other members of the Justice Society of America would you like to see?

Leave a comment on this post or visit our forums and start a discussion about it.

Please do not repost this as your own, simply link back to www.smallvillepodcast.com – thanks!

There’s been a lot of great villain centric episodes in the past eight seasons. Some people would agree there’s been better ones than others. I liked the introduction of Toyman in “Requiem”, Lex as “Zod”, Mxyzptlk and several others.

I don’t think one has ever had as much screen time, presence or capability as that of John Corben’s Metallo in the second episode of the season. While Brian Austin Green handles the role perfectly, he’s got some years worth of research from being a comic book fan on how to handle himself and the man pays off. Such a sympathetic character we were introduced to in the premiere, takes a dark turn in the opening seconds of the second episode. It’s a bit sad that a Metallo story can’t involve Lex Luthor in season nine, but It’d be hard for it to make sense now.

As much as I loved “Savior”, this episode is leaps and bounds better to me than the premiere. It felt like everything one would love about an episode of Smallville, plus a little extra for longtime fans. Not only do we get the appearance of Shelby and a mention of Martha Kent, we see what’s become of the Kent household in the void of Clark over the last four weeks.

The wedge between Chloe and Clark takes a greater strain, but Tom and Allison never miss a beat. Handling these characters in a new way is far too interesting to ignore since the friends have gotten along so well these past few years. The duo start off at odds but try to find some common ground before all is said and done. Unfortunately, like all things in Smallville, it’s not that easy. Luckily for us, the two realize some mistakes they’ve made and try their hardest to look forward, even though a grudge can’t disappear in forty-two minutes this time around. Where we end with the two makes me very anxious to see what lies after “Rabid”.

Erica shares most of her scenes with Brian’s “Metallo”, who with his newly found gifts sets out to take vengeance on the Blur, who he blames for his sister’s death. Lois is very Lois in this episode: curious about Clark, searching for the Blur, and trying to get the story. One of my main complaints in these two episodes is that Lois’ realization of the events from Doomsday never came to light. I’ll suggest that somewhere between Lois finding Oliver, and her phonecall with the Blur at the end of “Savior”, she has learned about the demise of Jimmy and Davis. I’ll go as far to say that it’s a scene that was filmed but didn’t make the cut. I’ll anxiously await the season nine DVD for that clip. Even in her scene with Tess (one of my favorite between the two characters) Lois keeps the upper hand in a calm, and cool behavior, especially after being challenged to a rematch.

Tess is on a search of answers herself, trying to locate the missing Kandorians who escaped the mansion. She has some help in that of Stuart, played by Ryan McDonell – some kind of whiz kid who we almost get a kid brother kind of vibe from. Or Lenny Luthor, depending on how you look at it. He knows his stuff though, and while Callum Blue doesn’t appear this round, the presence of Zod is very much felt, almost as if he were watching over our shoulders. Usually when an actor “goes to visit Aunt Nell” or “is in Metropolis” it’s really noticed but with Zod, it’s like he’s in the shadows the whole time and whether you see his face or not, you know he’s there.

We get to see more of Dr. Hamilton who has the unfortunate privilege of encountering Metallo at Metropolis General. His meeting with The Blur is handled great and really feels like something out of a Superman movie.

We get to see more aspects of the Watchtower which I’m growing more and more in love with. I think it’s the most fantastic set they’ve had in the series and I catch something new everytime I watch a scene that takes place in there. You can tell Chloe has been doing some training of her own there, catching the hang of the new Queen technology goodies quite well. I think Allison shined in this episode more than she has in a long, long time. Probably since “Abyss” or “Bride”. Her encounter with Clark at the Kent Farm is particularly noteworthy, as her disdain and judgement of Clark carry out quite well. While Brian has the most screen time and definitely steals the show, this episodes acting award goes to Allison Mack for showing us some sides of Chloe we haven’t seen before. There’s even a shot that will have Chloe fans cheering for more as she tries to protect her cousin.

Erica takes Lois to something that’s so familiar to us, but we haven’t really seen on Smallville, and that’s someone eager to help the hero, in this case being the Blur. Clark’s decisions to implicate Lois in the search for Metallo definitely don’t end well, but the final confrontation between the hero and villain is one of the longest, most heartfelt encounters we’ve seen in this series, and the two characters really make for a tense battle.

One instance between Tom Welling and Erica Durance is my favorite scene of the episode, if not my favorite scene between the two characters of the series. Clark’s playful banter to Lois’ inquisitive nature really brings everything home for the episode and I would have been perfectly fine with it ending right there….

…but we’re treated to more, and the cliffhanger for this episode is one of those things that makes Smallville great.

All in all, my favorite episode of Smallville since “Beast”, and now in my top ten of the series. It’s all so perfectly done. Lois and The Blur/Clark share a lot of scenes in this one, several phonecalls and their final encounter in the Daily Planet bullpen that will have audiences smiling. If there’s one thing Brian and Kelly do well, it’s continuity and from the looks of these two episodes, this season will be no exception. From Kara, to Jonathan and Lionel, to Martha and Shelby, it feels like a show we’ve known for years, while still looking forward to what every man and woman has to do, grow up. Living in the past is not an option for these characters, and while Lois’ dreams continue to haunt her in this episode, the realizations will be something that reach far into the weeks to come for herself and Clark, as they eventually cross paths with Major Zod, and, as funny as it sounds, battle Kryptonian Virus zombies next week.

Lots of people are saying Smallville is having its best season yet. Who am I to disagree? It’s probably the strongest start to a season ever and without a doubt the second strongest episode of a season since “Phoenix”, written by Kelly and Brian themselves. Personally, my favorite seasons go in order of 3, 5, 8, 2, 1, 7, 4, 6 – but I can easily see this one climbing the charts with iconic episodes like this one pulling out all the stops early on. They’re not running out of steam at all, they have a plan of attack that we’ve seen in the first two weeks that will be carried out in months to come. The show is in good hands, the characters are safe, and the story is as super as ever.

BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN (“TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES”) GUEST STARS AS JOHN CORBEN — Clark (Tom Welling) tells Jor-El he’s ready to start his training, but Jor-El sends him back to Metropolis to cut ties with Lois before he can begin.  Chloe (Allison Mack) is shocked when Lois (Erica Durance) suddenly reappears after having been missing for weeks, but Lois has no recollection of vanishing into thin air with the Legion ring.  While investigating a monorail crash, Lois meets John Corben (guest star Brian Austin Green), a new reporter at The Daily Planet, with a negative attitude toward the Red-Blue Blur.  Chloe begs Clark to use the Legion ring to go back in time to save Jimmy, but he refuses, driving a wedge into their friendship.  Meanwhile, Oliver (Justin Hartley) continues down a dark road, and Zod (Callum Blue) arrives at the Luthor mansion.

It’s finally here! Friday, September 25th marks the start of the ninth season of Smallville and it’s going to be an amazing ride for sure. There’s torns of trailers and pictures here on SHoE’s site to get you pumped for tonight, and even an advance review by Derek Russell of the premiere episode and what to expect.

In addition to watching, we want to make Smallville’s move to Friday nights known. If you have a Twitter account, we ask you to use the hastag #kneelbeforezod in your messages today. You can read more about that below!

Don’t miss “Savior” tonight at 8pm/7pm central on The CW, discuss it here on the site or check out our forums where you can meet other Smallville and SHoE fans to discuss. Check back tonight for our latest episode and be looking for a few other surprises, it’s a great day Smallville fans!

Check it out after the jump!

THE TOYMAN RETURNS AND TAKES OLIVER HOSTAGE — Tess (Cassidy Freeman) forces Oliver (Justin Hartley) to come to a Queen Industries gala to put the Board at ease, but things go awry when the Toyman (guest star Chris Gautheir) shows up with a bomb and a plan to take revenge on Oliver.  The Toyman tells Oliver he must confess to murdering Lex or he will blow the place up.  Meanwhile, as part of his training, Jor-El gives Clark (Tom Welling) the ability to hear other people’s thoughts.  Allison Mack and Erica Durance also star. Wayne Rose directed the episode written by Bryan Q. Miller

Please do not repost this as your own, reference www.smallvillepodcast.com Thanks!

Let’s make this very clear from the word go:

These are the two weirdest episodes of Smallville I’ve ever seen.
You know why? This isn’t Smallville anymore. It’s Superman

And it’s not because of the new suit, or Zod, or the defeat of Doomsday last season, or anything like that.

It’s the writing, it’s the heart, and it’s the adventure. Clark Kent is no longer the boy running from his training and his Kryptonian destiny, he’s the hero that the world needs.

I’m going to keep this very un-spoilery, just putting that out there now. I’ll also be saving my advanced review of “Metallo” for early next week.

This is an all new show this season, it’s the characters we know and love but the dynamic has shifted into something that doesn’t get wrapped up in a nice little bow from week to week.

That’s one complaint I always have with season premieres of Smallville…it feels like that huge cliffhanger we were left with several months earlier can be explained, justified, and fixed in 42 minutes.

Not this time.

If anything, every scene of the season premiere is a new and exciting cliffhanger in itself.

Clark has begun his training with Jor-El, a workshop he’s been skipping out on since season two. And even when the Fortress was formed in 5×01 and he got downloaded for all of 15 seconds, he still had to exit early to save Chloe’s life, who had been transported to the Arctic with him. Clark finally realized he needed to join Jor-El in the Fortress to continue his training midway through season 6, but not until he had righted the wrong of releasing the prisoners from the Phantom Zone. Once that task was complete, Martha had moved away, and he believed Lana was dead, Clark once again returned to fulfill his destiny and continue his training with Jor-El. The training didn’t begin quite like Clark (or we) thought it would, as his father explained that the appearance of Kara was a mystery, and that he must find the reasons she was on Earth before he could continue.

While that storyline progressed, others occurred. With the Veritas plot, Clark had to battle for his own answers, and have a final confrontation with Lex Luthor in the Fortress, which was destroyed in the process. As season 8 began, Clark and Lex were missing with the Justice League in pursuit. Once again, Clark is found in the premiere and most of the loose ends were tied up…but a new danger arose in that of Braniac and Davis Bloome (aka Doomsday). Once Clark was ready to begin training again, Braniac took control of the Fortress and damaged it, using it as a cocoon for Doomsday to emerge. Clark was able to rebuild the Fortress in an effort to split Davis from his Kryptonian monster side and send him to the Phantom Zone. When he was unsuccessful, he did all he could to destroy Doomsday and save Davis. Ultimately though, Davis was as terrible as the creature within him, and he killed Jimmy Olsen before dying himself.

Clark, riddled with guilt about trying to protect Davis and not defeat him and Doomsday in the process, decided that humanity was his weakness after all, and to be the hero he needed to be, he had to give up all that he’d known as Clark Kent and follow Jor-El’s instructions to become something more. Clark’s decision, however haste, came after the events of the eighth season finale, the falling out between him and Chloe, and the absence of Lois Lane.

Season nine begins three weeks later (on September 25th no less) and a lot has changed in the state of Kansas. Chloe now resides in the Watchtower, actively seeking her cousin after her mysterious disappearance. With the help of the ever loyal Dr. Emil Hamilton, she begins her own journey this season.

While I love Chloe she has remained pretty much the same since the end of season four, even taking into consideration “Chloiac”.  But this is a new Chloe. She’s not the innocent sidekick anymore, but not the loyal friend either. She’s been hurt, betrayed, and left behind. She wants answers and doesn’t want to wait around on her heroes anymore to find them. I really like the scenes between her and Hamilton (who I hope is seen a lot more this season) but at times I can’t tell if he’s flirting or just meant to be a little awkward.

Lois returns from her most excellent adventure, only to be pursued by something that followed her back. As she searches for answers, dreams begin to haunt her. We’ve all seen the flashes of Clark-Lois sex since the scenes were released at Comic Con…but those dreams are only the tip of the iceberg to the fallout of an overall season arc, and one that will not be concluded in the final seconds of “Savior”.

Clark and Chloe reconnect, but it’s not a Clark and Chloe we’ve ever seen before. He’s a hero, she’s been scorned. They are on very different sides of the table this season, and the resentment that’s been left behind makes for some very uncomfortable glares and silences that we’re not used to from the pair of best friends we’ve known all these years.

We get to see the introduction of John Corben, played by Brian Austin Green, who really shines in the second episode of the season, but we’ll get to that. John shares his two scenes with Erica’s Lois Lane and the two work really well off of each other. It makes you very sad to know what’s to come for the iconic Superman villain.
Oliver is in there as well, though his short scenes (which have now been released on the Internet) don’t offer much more than a look into his downward spiral over the guilt of Jimmy’s death. I’m very interested to see where his storyline goes this year.

Callum Blue. What can I say?

Callum Blue is Zod.

I’ll wait while you kneel.

Done kneeling yet?

Good. This guy is INSANE! I’ve never seen anything with him in it before, so I did not know what to expect. His arrogance is impeccable, and the way Blue delivers his lines is like he was made for the role. And he was. The mystery behind Zod’s appearance is another storyline that’s not easily answered in the course of the premiere. And like everything else that happens in this one, I love it.

An overall season arc like this has not been seen before in nine years. Sure we’ve seen a phantom appear at the end of an episode, or a body appearing from underneath a ship…but this is different. It’s fresh, and the twists and turns make for what I guarantee you will be one of the best thrillrides Smallville has ever offered as the season progresses.

Outstanding performance of the premiere? Cassidy Freeman. It’s rare you feel sorry for Tess Mercer, but her loyalty to a glowing orb at the end of last year was based on her trying to be the good guy. The wrong thing for the right reasons rarely ever work out well, and Tess learns that early on in this episode. Her scenes with Major Zod are the stuff of legend, and will only get better as time goes on.

So what’s the stuff people have been dying to know about? The suit.
Clark dons his family crest well, and wears it proudly as he protects the streets of Metropolis. I’ve seen a lot of people refer to this persona as a more Batman type of chivalry, but I disagree. The way Clark watches over the streets reminds me of something out of an Alex Ross painting, or the way Brandon Routh hovered in space, listening, waiting, helping. The red and blue may be missing, but the Blur is still out there, leaving his Zorro-like mark on surroundings of those he saved.

I cannot tell you how much it excites me to see the \S/ around town and on Clark’s chest. It’s the first major push in a long time to a destiny he’s been running from for far too long. Though Clark only shares his scenes with Chloe and Jor-El, he knows what he’s doing is right, and will stop at nothing to do the thing he knows is right.

Jor-El wants him to turn his back on everything, but Lois returning makes that very hard to do. And Lois’ dreams when only further complicate Clark’s destiny with Jor-El and with the Blur as the weeks continue.

I can’t wait to watch it again on Friday night with finished music and affects. One thing that was great to see at the end of this was the names of the remaining two showrunners Brian Peterson and Kelly Sounders. They’ve definitely taken fans to a new place this year, and the season premiere does not disappoint. The show is in good hands yet again and will only continue to thrive as Clark and Zod’s cross paths, with our other characters mingled in the mix.

Get ready, Smallville season nine premieres this Friday, September 25th on The CW.

“Hot on the heels of their acclaimed run on ACTION COMICS, superstars Geoff Johns and Gary Frank reunite to present a 6-issue event that spells out the definitive origin of Superman for the 21st century – and it all starts with a gigantic 48-page issue! Chronicling Clark Kent’s journey from the cornfields of Smallville to the skyscrapers of Metropolis, you’ll witness a whole new look at the beginnings of Lex Luthor, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Lois Lane, Metallo, Jimmy Olsen, the Parasite and more! It’s a look at the mythic past of the Man of Steel with an eye toward the future!”

Of course, anything written by Geoff Johns is sure to be a huge hit, and Gary Frank’s art is some of the best in the comic industry right now. Still not sold? DC has a preview of the first issue for you to read right here. As I said, issue #1 is on store shelves right now, so head out to your local comic book store and grab it before it’s gone!

Last Son

Written by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner

Art by Adam Kubert

Last Son, is an interesting arc to say the least. While the story itself is a pretty solid read, it took two years to finish.  Andy Kubert got sick during the run due to undisclosed health issues, and instead of wrapping up in 4 single issues like it was supposed to, the story look place over 3 issues (Action Comics #844-#846 during 2006), and then had to be finished in issue #851 (released in July of 2007) and Action Comics Annual #11 (July 2008).  The story was co-written by the Richard Donner  (the director of first Superman movie) and Geoff Johns (a name you all should have some familiarity with by this point).  The story focuses on the arrival pod from space to Earth containing a small child, (who Superman later figures out is kryptonian) and the ramifications that transpire afterwards.  Clark and Lois adopt the child and name him Chris Kent, but have little time to get to know their new adopted son as various forces (mainly Lex Luthor) all make their play to get their hands on and influence this new Kryptonian child.  To make matter worse, Ursa, Zod, and Non escape from the Phantom Zone in order to take back their son:  who we find out is none other than Chris or “Lor-Zod” as Ursa calls him.  At the same time, several more pods emerge from the sky including scientist Jax-Ur who sends Clark to the Phantom Zone.

While in the zone, Clark meets up with Mon-El, a Daxamite (who, under a Red Sun, has the same powers as Superman does) whom Clark sent to the Phantom Zone to save him from lead poisoning (Lead is Kryptonite to a Daxamite).  Mon-El helps Clark escape, but not before almost dying in the process in a battle against a Phantom Zone prisoner.  Clark uses a pod (the same that Zod, Ursa and Non used) to escape and return to Earth.

Clark returns to a Zod controlled Metropolis where he meets up with Lex Luthor and his Superman Revenge Squad (a team consisting of Bizzaro, Parasite, and Metallo).  Clark, Lex and this revenge squad team up to take out Zod and his troops.  As the “team” heads to the fortress where Zod is held up, Lex pulls a fast one, and activates the Phantom Zone portal in an attempt to trap not only Zod and Ursa, but Clark as well.  The portal opens; pulling Zod and Ursa back in, while Chris keeps it from sucking in Clark.  Chris then scarifies himself to save Clark, and heads into the Phantom Zone.

After the battle, Clark heads to the Fortress of Solitude and opens a communication portal with Mon-El who is searching for Chris in the Phantom Zone.  Mon-El hasn’t found Chris yet, but vows never to stop looking for him.  Mon-El then heads back into the zone, and Clark gives a simple “thank you” as he watches his friend fly into the chaos that is the Phantom Zone.

That’s the “Last Son” story arc.  While it was great to see Donner and Johns write something, the delays definitely hurt the book.  However, some of the characters used in this story have important roles to place in the current over-lapping story taking place in the Superman family of books.  Your best bet is to pick up the handy hardcover of the entire story, which is in stores now.

Next time: Brainiac like you’ve never seen him before!

Check it out out after the jump!

ZOD UNLEASHES A VIRUS INTO METROPOLIS — Zod (Callum Blue) and his soldiers release a virus into the air that turns humans into zombies.  The only way to stop it is to make an antidote from the blood of another Kryptonian.  After Lois (Erica Durance) is infected, Chloe (Allison Mack) pleads with Clark (Tom Welling) to donate his blood to stop the epidemic, even though it risks outing him to Zod. Michael Rohl directed the episode written by Jordan Hawley.

We actually don’t have any current plans for Superman,” said Nelson when asked if the new environment (and the recent legal decision regarding the character) made a “Superman” movie more or less likely in the near future.

Well there you have it folks. No plans for Superman. Now, granted DC does have a lot of other movie plans, whether it’s the Flash, Green Lantern or even Shazam!, but it seems with this new corporate restructure, Superman should be at the top of their list. While this is a huge disappointment, I’d rather wait and have a great Superman movie come out in the future. Which if Warner Brother is looking for ideas, I know of a pretty good one.

(Via MTV Splash Page)

We’ve known since the packaging for Superman/Batman: Public Enemies was released that the next title in DC’s Animated Universe line would be this, but we didn’t know what to expect until now.

Ain’t It Cool News is reporting that Warner Home Video will release Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Spring 2010 with an all star cast that includes Mark Harmon as Superman, James Woods as Owlman, William Baldwin as Batman, Gina Torres as Super Woman and Bruce Davison as the President.

In this story, a Lex Luthor from an alternate universe arrives to enlist the Justice League to help save his world. Sounds promising and will be interesting to see how they work a “crisis” storyline into a 90 minute timeslot. What great DC story would you like to see them use next?

With less than two weeks before the premiere, The CW has released their official description for Season 9.

Soaring into its ninth season, this modern retelling of the Superman legend and its classic characters continues to blend realism, action and emotional depth to reveal a new interpretation of the enduring mythology. This season, as Metropolis’ clock tower tolls our characters’ darkest hour, we find Clark Kent (Tom Welling) finally making his first attempts to embrace his calling as a superhero.

After the events of last season, Clark takes on the mantle of protector of Metropolis, trading in his familiar red-and-blue for black-and-gray, sticking to the city’s shadows and rooftops to become a solitary sentry simply known as “the Blur.” While Clark wrestles with his identity, feeling forced to choose between his Kryptonian heritage and human past, he’ll encounter even more powerful enemies and allies from across the DC Universe. This season will feature new and past nemeses, including Metallo (Brian Austin Green, “Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles”), the man with the Kryptonite heart; Roulette, a sexy mastermind; the return of Toyman; and the always-treacherous Zod (Callum Blue) as a young Major and leader of an invading alien army, who befriends fellow Kryptonian Clark just as his venomous side is beginning to emerge. This season will also feature an appearance by DC Comics’ first all-star team of superheroes, the Justice Society of America, in an episode penned by renowned comic book writer Geoff Johns, who returns to the show after writing last year’s fan favorite episode, “Legion.”

After a year of protecting Metropolis as the “Red-Blue Blur,” Clark Kent finished season eight with the weight and fate of the world on his shoulders, facing down Doomsday. Clark emerged victorious, but his decision to ignore the Justice League’s warnings and save the human side of medic Davis Bloome (Sam Witwer) from the monster Doomsday came with a tragic cost – Davis turned out to be just as evil as the beast he’d been bonded to, and murdered Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore) in front of Chloe (Alison Mack), the woman they both loved. In the wake of Jimmy’s death, Chloe retreated into her Watchtower, the Justice League disbanded, and Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) went into a downward spiral, retiring his Green Arrow persona. And Clark turned his back on his own humanity, leaving behind life as “Clark Kent” to exist solely as “the Blur.” Meanwhile, Tess Mercer’s (Cassidy Freeman) obsession with Clark’s Kryptonian origins came to a head when she confronted intrepid reporter Lois Lane (Erica Durance) about a mysterious alien orb that Tess thought Lois had stolen from her, resulting in the two women battling it out in the Daily Planet. During the fight, Lois touched Clark’s time-traveling Legion Ring and vanished in a flash of light, lost somewhere in time. And Tess returned home to discover the orb had released a young version of the villainous Kryptonian, Zod, as well as the entire population of the lost alien city of Kandor. But Clark finished the season unaware of this new threat. Instead, he remains haunted by Lois’ sudden disappearance, fearing the woman he cares about most could have been killed during his fight with Doomsday.

The season nine premiere takes place three weeks after Clark and Doomsday’s epic battle. Obsessed with becoming the hero the world needs, Clark is now literally leaving his mark on Metropolis – having fully embraced his Kryptonian side in order to finish training with his father Jor-El, Clark has started wearing the iconic “S”-shield on his chest, and spreads the symbol around the city in an effort to give its people hope.

Whereas Clark is working alone, Chloe feels driven to reunite the disbanded Justice League. Her biggest challenge is Oliver Queen, who’d rather lose himself in underground fight clubs and drunken one-night stands. Oliver’s friends will hatch a plan to bring him back from the edge. Reconnecting with the hero inside of him, Oliver will return with a renewed purpose, even searching out an app