Alias News

2004-06-22T20:02:00.000-04:00

Zap2It.com's Amy Awards

Alias has been nominated in 7 of 13 categories:

The Amnesiac Cougar Award, aka Most Ridiculous Storyline or Plot Twist
Chase's baby on "24"
Joey and Rachel date on "Friends"
Madison is pregnant and doesn't tell Ephram on "Everwood"
Oliver comes to "The O.C."
Sydney has a half-sister on "Alias"

The Bennifer Award, aka TV's Worst Couple
Carter and Kem on "ER"
Ephram and Madision on "Everwood"
Ross and Rachel on "Friends"
Ryan and Marissa on "The O.C."
Vaughn and Lauren on "Alias"

Get Off My Show, aka Worst New Character or Guest Star
Eve on "Angel"
Jason ("Digger") on "Gilmore Girls"
Kem on "ER"
Lauren on "Alias"
Oliver on "The O.C."

Rewind: Let's Hear that Again Award, aka Best Quote
"Chloe, I'm getting really tired of your personality." Tony to Chloe on "24."
"I hate you, but I love Sydney more. That's the only reason you're not dying tonight." Vaughn to Lauren on "Alias."
"Well, personally, I kind of want to slay the dragon. Let's go to work." Angel's final line in the series finale of "Angel."
"Will you just stand still?" Lorelai to Luke and vice-versa before they kissed on "Gilmore Girls."
"Welcome to the O.C., bitch." Luke to Ryan on "The O.C."

'Til Death Do Us Part, aka Best Death or Character Exit
Ben (Brendan Fraser) on "Scrubs"
Lauren on "Alias"
Ryan Chappelle on "24"
Dr. Robert Romano on "ER"
Wesley on "Angel"

Character You Love to Hate and Hate to Love, aka Best Villain
Julian Sark on "Alias"
Julie Cooper on "The O.C."
Sherry Palmer on "24"
Lindsey McDonald on "Angel"
Boston Rob on "Survivor: All-Stars"

I Want that Hour (or Half-hour) of My Life Back, aka Worst Episode of the Season
"Blowback" (episode told from two different perspectives) on "Alias"
"Makemba" (Carter meets Kem) on "ER"
"An Affair to Remember" (Rory finds a study tree) on "Gilmore Girls"
"Cheers" (series finale) on "The Practice"
"I Do and Oh No You Di-in't" (season finale) of "Will & Grace"

About the awards / See all nominees
Vote here

2004-06-22T19:48:00.000-04:00

Test Pattern: TV on DVD
Catching up on the shows you never had time for

I've been glued to the TV set recently, watching the adventures of super double-agent Sydney Bristow on"Alias." Right now, in a two-parter, Sydney, her fellow double-agent father, and her onetime Russian spy mother, are on a mission trying to seize six nuclear warheads. What, you say that's old news, it happened back in season two and we're now done with season three? Maybe for you, but I have yet to watch an episode of "Alias" when it's actually being broadcast. Instead I'm catching up on this intriguing show via the full-season DVDs.

I've watched shows on DVD before, of course — it was a great way to catch up on "The Sopranos" after years without HBO. But "Alias" is the first one I've watched only via DVD, and it can be both a fabulous and a frustrating way to watch shows.

It's fabulous because you can watch an entire season or more pretty much in a row. A two-part episode ends with a cliffhanger? Just click to the DVD menu and move right on to the next episode — no waiting until next week! Can't remember how Will got labeled a drug addict in the first place? Bop back to an earlier episode for a refresher. And even though I normally watch TV via a TiVo, and so fast-forward through commercials as a matter of course, on a DVD, I don't even have to be that engaged. The screen fades briefly to black, letting me know "hey, here there once was a commercial break," I feel smug for a second, and the show snaps right back.

It's frustrating because ... well, it's not really all that frustrating. I know that some viewers don't like watching a show on DVD if a major plot point has been all over the news (we received some complaints in this regard after publishing my Sopranos article). That doesn't really bother me for some reason. I know, of course, about a very major plot twist coming my way — but I'm kind of excited to see how it's pulled off, and not so much upset that I know about it. It's a little more frustrating that I don't have a huge group of people seeing the same episodes at the same time that I am, but the forums at Television Without Pity are great for that kind of discussion. (Full disclosure: TWoP is run by two of MSNBC's freelance writers, but I'd be plugging it even if it wasn't.)

Overall, I treat watching TV shows on DVD a little more like watching a movie on DVD. I can watch part of it one day, then pause the disc and pick it up a day, or a week later, when I have time. And as with movies, I choose mostly to rent (via Netflix) TV shows on DVD, rather than buy them — to me, they're best watched once, not over and over. As with movies, I keep a mental list of shows I'd like to get caught up on via DVD — "Six Feet Under"comes to mind, as does "Nip/Tuck." I haven't given up on real-time TV yet (thank you, TiVo, for making it more bearable) but I've also found TV on DVD is a perfect pastime for summer, when the small screen is full of reruns or new series that probably wouldn't play in the fall. ("Simple Life 2"? Please!)

Article from MSNBC, written by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper.

2004-06-22T18:53:00.000-04:00

David's Appearance on TV Talk

ostentatious over at DavidAnders.net typed up a partial transcript of David's Interview on TV Guide's TV Talk. The first four parts are up, and there are four parts to go.

Interview @ davidanders.net

2004-06-22T11:38:00.000-04:00

Alias Gets Back To Basics

When Alias kicks off its fourth season in January, fans are going to spy some big-time changes. Coming off a subpar season, which saw viewership decline 9 percent, series creator J.J. Abrams will once again embrace the show's original conceit. Namely, Sydney will go back to juggling her dual roles as an international spy and normal twentysomething.

"We got so deep in the Rimbaldi and Covenant [mysteries] that we lost sight of some of the stuff we fell in love with [in the beginning]," ABC entertainment president Stephen McPherson tells TV Guide Online. "J.J. is talking about getting back to some of the joy that she used to have in her personal life early on... while still living in this crazy world."

Abrams says he had an epiphany about Alias' disappointing third season while he was working on the pilot for his upcoming ABC thriller, Lost. "Going away to do Lost allowed me to look at Alias in a way that I could not have done otherwise — from the outside," he explains. "And it was like an incredibly enlightening thing. I suddenly knew in my heart what I wanted and what I didn't want — and I saw what was happening. Not that I wasn't proud of what was there, but I saw some mistakes that I made and I thought, 'Oh my God.'

"It was like going home and watching the game on TV — it gives you that perspective that you don't have when you're playing it," he adds. "I have a knowledge of the show I never had before."

Meanwhile, Abrams, unlike fans, is not peeved at ABC for delaying the show's return until January. "I was begging them to do it," he admits, noting that the midseason launch will allow his baby to unspool its 20 episodes uninterrupted by reruns. "Every time we would return after three or four weeks of repeats, our ratings would dip. Every time."

The move, therefore, should not be interpreted as ABC not believing in the show, he says. "I guess you could argue that shuffling it to the back makes it look less important to them, but I think it's actually the opposite. If they didn't believe in the show they wouldn't have A) picked it up, B) ordered 20 [episodes] and C) strategized how to maximize its [potential]."

"I couldn't believe more in the show," McPherson attests. "We're going to be launching a lot of new dramas in the fall and we wouldn't have been able to put any money [into promoting Alias]. So we felt the best thing to do was bring it on in January when we've got all [20 episodes] and a huge promotion platform with the Academy Awards."

And if that strategy doesn't entangle more viewers in the spy yarn, Jennifer Garner can kiss her extensive wig collection good-bye, right? Wrong. McPherson insists there's "not a chance" Season 4 could be Alias' last. "It will be an asset for years." How many, exactly? Cracks Abrams: "Exactly 100." Nobody likes a smart-ass. Well, except us.

Article from TV Guide Online, written by Michael Ausiello.
A similar article also appeared at Sci-Fi Wire.

2003-03-11T10:57:00.000-05:00

Disney Prepares Marketing Blitzin Effort to Boost 'Alias' Ratings

HOLLYWOOD -- ABC believes it has a secret weapon in Sydney Bristow, the sexy double agent of "Alias."

But the Sunday night drama hasn't been able to penetrate TV's top 25 tier of shows, despite kudos from critics and a cult-like following.

Rather than place the show on the network's endangered series list, ABC's parent, Walt Disney Co., is going to throw more money at it in an unusual marketing blitz. Coming soon: "Alias" DVDs, comic books, action figures, trading cards, video games, even a new cell-phone ring tone, all designed to attract more young men to complement a core audience of young women.

"Shows like these are hard to find," said ABC Entertainment President Susan Lyne. "We'd rather put more time and energy into building this show than take a risk on four others that we might put in that time slot and cross our fingers."

She has reason for worry. Four new dramas that ABC rolled out in September were dead by November.

Expanding the audience for "Alias" has never been more important for ABC, which this week finished the February sweeps fourth in total viewers, and fourth among those aged 18 to 49 -- the key category watched by Wall Street and Madison Avenue.

The effort to draw more male viewers kicked off in January, when the network placed "Alias" in the coveted post-Super Bowl berth. But the network's strategy might not work. Stacey Lynn Koerner, broadcast research director for advertising buying firm Initiative Media, questioned whether video games and trading cards would lure new viewers.

"Typically, ancillary products are appealing to people who are already fans of the show," Koerner said. "There's a whole history of critically acclaimed programs that are loved by pockets of viewers and never take off in a grand scale," she said.

The network also realizes that the "Alias" merchandise won't attract hordes of new young viewers. But they are hoping to indoctrinate teens "who will soon be in that 18 to 49 demographic," Lyne said.

Four books, published by Random House, have been popular among young women. The company also has been working with Nokia to produce a cell-phone ring that mimics the show's theme song. Disney, which produces "Alias" through its Touchstone Television studio, has much riding on its marketing gamble.

The second-year "Alias" was designed to have youth appeal with wild outfits and lots of action. Young women were quick to embrace the braided plot lines and tangled relationships of the characters -- Jennifer Garner stars as a college student who works part time for the CIA and reports to her estranged father. But young men didn't stick with the show.

By mid-January, viewership had slipped nearly 9 percent from the show's first season.

To "relaunch" the second-year series, they quickly trained their sights on ABC's January telecast of the Super Bowl -- a magnet for men and the year's biggest TV event with more than 80 million viewers. It paid off. Since the Super Bowl, the show's overall audience has increased by about 15 percent, with the biggest gains among men aged 18 to 49.

Article from The Salt Lake Tribune, written by Meg James.

2003-03-02T22:13:00.000-05:00

Garner's 'Daredevil' role is down but not out

Sunday, March 02, 2003 - Jennifer Garner is resurrecting her "Daredevil" role.

20th Century Fox and production partner Regency Enterprises said Garner will star in a spinoff featuring her Elektra Natchios character, introduced in Ben Affleck's superhero hit "Daredevil."

The Elektra film will be set after events in "Daredevil," in which Garner's character seemingly died. But "Daredevil" ended with a cryptic scene indicating Elektra might have survived.

Garner, 30, played the martial-arts master girlfriend of Affleck's title character, a blind attorney who develops superhuman senses that allow him to become a masked crusader for justice.

"Daredevil" has been the No.1 movie the past two weekends. A "Daredevil" sequel also is in the works.

Garner's ABC action series "Alias" is one of several series the network has renewed for the 2003 fall season. Six comedies - "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," "According to Jim," "The George Lopez Show," "Less Than Perfect," "Life with Bonnie" and "My Wife and Kids" - will return.

Article form the Denver Post, compiled by Greg Henry.

2003-03-02T22:11:00.000-05:00

Sunday revival

It's not exactly going out on a limb to call `Six Feet Under' a soap opera for intellectuals. Creator Alan Ball has called the show "`Dynasty' in a funeral home," and Miguel Arteta, who has directed some episodes, refers to it as a "soap opera on acid."

But something has always made it more than that. `Six Feet Under,' which begins its third season tonight on HBO, has always carried a sucker punch. It's a show that, over and over, flirts with the ordinary, setting you up with an opening half-hour that seems like nothing special only to come up with something in the second half that leaves you slack-jawed with surprise. Examples: "Restoration artist" Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) thinks that his wife and his cousin are having an affair and comes home to catch his cousin in the act -- with a man; severely messed-up massage therapist Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) sabotages her relationship with Nate (Peter Krause) by inviting a passerby into her house for anonymous sex.

This season, though, the sucker punch is missing. The show's acting is still exceptional, but its dramatic momentum is skewed. At first, I thought the show had lost its way, trying too hard to top itself, the way critically acclaimed series so often do. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that the opening of tonight's show is one of the most pretentious, annoying things it's ever done, a sign that Ball and his writers painted themselves into a corner and now have to jump their way out.

Some viewers might embrace it, but it will try a lot of people's patience, the way HBO's other marquee shows, `The Sopranos' and `Sex and the City,' tested patience earlier this season. And although `Six Feet Under' gathers momentum -- the fourth episode is a gut-wrenching knockout -- it's yet another sign that HBO is looking vulnerable, especially on the Sunday nights that have been its gold mine during the past few years.

`Six Feet Under,' along with `The Sopranos' and `Sex and the City,' gave HBO an image of being `the' place to be on Sunday nights. But each show takes up only an hour (or in `Sex's' case, a half-hour) of program time, and broadcast networks are not only taking on HBO in the 8 p.m. time slot these days, they're taking advantage by putting much of their best programming on Sundays.

This was a night that, for most of the '90s, was dominated by TV movies and old theatrical movies in the 8 to 10 p.m. slot; a night to which sitcoms such as `Mad About You' and `3rd Rock From the Sun' were exiled in a failed attempt to find viewers; a night that had the occasional cult show (`seaQuest DSV') that had a small loyal audience but otherwise didn't attract much attention.

Now ABC has `Alias' and `Dragnet;' CBS the venerable `60 Minutes' and a string of popular TV movies; NBC a solid lineup with `American Dreams, Law & Order: Criminal Intent' and `Boomtown;' Fox has strong comedies with `The Simpsons,' `King of the Hill' and `Malcolm in the Middle.'

It may be Fox, in fact, instead of HBO, that started the trend toward a better Sunday night, when it moved `The X-Files' from Fridays to Sundays in October 1996. Some observers thought it wouldn't work, but the Sunday move turned the show into Monday-morning conversation fodder, giving fans a way to begin their workweek.

"[Sunday] had been a graveyard for a few years," says Jonathan Prince, co-producer of `American Dreams.' "Everybody stayed away because CBS owned the night and they owned the night largely based on `60 Minutes.' . . . I think Fox, really wisely, said, `OK, we'll go with people who `don't' watch `60 Minutes' and put the smartest sitcom, `The Simpsons,' on the air. And if you watched those first three or four years of `The X-Files,' without a doubt it was the best one-hour television on the air. So Fox suddenly plowed ahead with what was then really innovative television."

The next step in the evolution of Sunday-night programming came in January 1999, when `The Sopranos' debuted on HBO. The crime saga lifted the pay-cable network to a new level of respect among viewers and critics and gave HBO's Sunday night a focal point in the 8 p.m. time slot, which has since become home to such strong offerings as `Sex and the City' (which aired on Saturdays during its 1998 debut season), `Six Feet Under' and the miniseries `Band of Brothers.'

"The HBO programming changed everybody's concept of what Sunday night used to be," Prince says. "Sunday night used to be, watch it with the family, the kids watch the first half of it, they go to sleep, and you watch something else. HBO said, the hell with that, we've got an upscale 18-to-49 audience that's sitting at home waiting to watch something other than the cartoons and comedies on Fox or family programming.

"They went right to the heart of it," Prince continues. "Look at the programming, not just `Sex and the City,' but `The Sopranos,' `Six Feet Under' and `Oz.' That's pretty hard-core programming for Sunday night."

But after four years of dominance, HBO is starting to look vulnerable here. The overrated, overviolent, overeverything `Oz' recently aired its series finale, and `The Sopranos' and `Sex and the City' are reportedly headed toward their final seasons. `Six Feet Under,' which is beginning its third season, is lapsing into the familiar: Big brother Nate (Peter Krause) underwent brain surgery last season in a plotline that recalled Anthony Edwards' swan song on `ER;' gay lovers David and Keith (Michael C. Hall and Mathew St. Patrick) are in couples counseling, a device used frequently on `Ally McBeal' and sent up this season on `Everybody Loves Raymond' and `My Wife and Kids.'

Often, `Six Feet Under' creator Alan Ball -- who was unavailable for an interview -- uses stuff like this to satirize network TV, but in these cases, both the plotlines simply seem to trail off. The dialogue and acting are still a notch or two above most commercial television, but the situations don't explode the way they used to.

On the other hand, Ball and his writers have come up with strong story lines involving surly teen-ager Claire (Lauren Ambrose) and an art teacher, and repressed-but-loosening-up mom Ruth (Frances Conroy), who has new problems with her free-spirited sister (Patricia Clarkson). And the deaths that open each episode come with new twists and continue to give the show emotional weight, especially in the fourth episode, which centers on a pair of longtime gay lovers and Puccini's opera `Turandot.'

Despite `Six Feet Under's' flaws, I still think of it as the best show on television, but it's getting a lot of competition, especially on Sunday night. Three other Sunday shows -- `Alias, American Dreams' and `Boomtown' -- are likely to find a place on my season-end 10-best list. Each has attempted to advance TV's storytelling style -- `Alias' with its long-running, convoluted spy plots (which creator J.J. Abrams retooled beautifully in a post-Super Bowl episode); `American Dreams' by using `American Bandstand' as a focal point for a family drama about '60s social issues; `Boomtown' with its multiple-points-of-view, jigsaw-puzzle plots about Los Angeles cops, paramedics, lawyers and reporters.

If this illustrates how TV programming has become an elaborate chess game, most producers say that they're only pawns in it. In their search for ratings, programmers try to decide what fits where, and right now many of the best shows seem to fit on Sunday night.

"It does seem sort of the night for appointment television," says producer Walon Green, whose updated `Dragnet' is a recent addition to ABC's Sunday schedule. "Viewers who like intelligent programming will look at `60 Minutes' . . . and then once you watch that, you'll probably hang in and see what else is on."

Green cites Sunday's longtime identification as a family night, because NBC aired `Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color' and other series with "Disney" in the title throughout most of the '60s and '70s (Disney-owned ABC now uses a similar strategy, having aired `Wonderful World of Disney' at 6 p.m. Sunday since 1997). In the '80s and the '90s, NBC flailed away with inconsistent programming during that night, finally finding an anchor with `Dateline NBC' in the late '90s.

That began to change last season, when NBC added `Law & Order: Criminal Intent' and the shorter-lived `UC: Undercover' in the 8 and 9 o'clock slots. The `Law & Order' brand -- and star Vincent D'Onofrio, giving the most fascinatingly mannered and eccentric performance on TV -- helped NBC compete against the likes of `The Sopranos' and `Alias.'

"I think part of it, at least in NBC's point of view, is that they wanted more of a presence on that night," says Graham Yost, one the producers of `Boomtown,' which follows `Criminal Intent.' "They got a little bit of a toehold last year with `Law & Order: C.I.,' and they felt that they could build something to lead into it and build something to come out of it."

Although tonight's offerings will also include ABC's much-maligned reality series `I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!,' Sunday has been home this season mainly to scripted shows, with reality programming filling weeknight slots.

"There might be a psychology to that," Yost says. "People getting ready for the week, or quieting down after the weekend, are ready to follow some stories."

And on Monday morning, they're ready to talk about them. Fans of `The Simpsons, Alias' and `The Sopranos' often start their week dissecting the shows, quoting their favorite lines and chatting about scenes and developments they did or didn't like. The premiere of `Six Feet Under' -- especially its first 15 minutes -- will provide plenty of fuel for morning-after conversation. It might even tempt some fans to give up on the show. That would be a mistake; the coming episodes offer multiple pleasures. But even if fans do give up, there are plenty of other places to turn on Sunday night.

Article from the Fort Worth Star Telegram, written by Robert Philpot.

2003-03-02T01:02:00.000-05:00

Daredevil Spinoff Planned

With the Daredevil movie well on its way to hitting the $100 million mark at the box office, Twentieth Century Fox is wasting no time preparing to milk the franchise for all it’s worth. Yesterday, they confirmed long-standing rumors of an Elektra spin-off, with Jennifer Garner reprising her role as the sultry assassin.

Fox has also given the green light to a Daredevil sequel, and have not ruled out the possibility of Garner’s character appearing in a sequel. This early in the production process, no names or dates have yet been discussed. But keep on the lookout for more Marvel titles making it to the silver screen—this adds another two titles to the still-growing list of comic book movies that have a chance at making it big.

Article from GamePro.

2003-03-02T00:57:00.000-05:00

'Alias' on a Mission: Recruit More Men
Marketing blitz aims to attract young male viewers to the spy TV show on struggling ABC.

ABC believes it has a secret weapon in Sydney Bristow, the sexy double agent of "Alias."

But the Sunday night drama hasn't been able to penetrate TV's top 25 tier of shows, despite kudos from critics and a cult-like following.

As a result, ABC is planning to throw more money at the program in an unusual marketing blitz. Coming soon: "Alias" DVDs, comic books, action figures, trading cards, video games and even a new cell phone ring tone, all designed to attract more young men to complement a core audience of young women.

"Shows like these are hard to find," said Susan Lyne, entertainment president of ABC, a unit of Walt Disney Co. "We'd rather put more time and energy into building this show than take a risk on four others that we might put in that time slot and cross our fingers."

Expanding the audience for "Alias" has never been more important for ABC, which this week finished the February sweeps period in fourth place among total viewers and fourth among those ages 18 to 49 -- the key category watched by Wall Street and Madison Avenue.

Meanwhile, ABC's two stalwart dramas are nearing retirement. "NYPD Blue" is expected to run one more year, and "The Practice" might not last the summer. Four new dramas that ABC rolled out in September were yanked off the air by November.

The effort to draw more male viewers to "Alias" kicked off in January, when the network placed it in the post-Super Bowl berth. During the game, tens of millions of people saw commercials with the show's star, Jennifer Garner, strutting around in attire arguably better suited for a Victoria's Secret catalog than to a TV drama.

There are no guarantees, of course, that the marketing will work. Stacey Lynn Koerner, broadcast research director for advertising-buying firm Initiative Media, questioned whether video games and trading cards would lure new viewers.

"Typically, ancillary products are appealing to people who are already fans of the show," Koerner said.

"There's a whole history of critically acclaimed programs that are loved by pockets of viewers and never take off in a grand scale," she added.

Network executives say they realize that "Alias" merchandise isn't likely to attract hordes of viewers who are in the 18-to-49 age category. But they are hoping to indoctrinate teens "who will soon be in that ... demographic," Lyne said.

A series of "prequel" books have been designed to create a back story to the TV show, while video games and comic books aim to add elements of fantasy and intrigue.

"We're going to introduce a new character in the comic book before we introduce him on the show," said J.J. Abrams, the creator and executive producer of "Alias."

ABC also has been working with Nokia Corp. to produce a cell phone ring that mimics the show's theme song. Central to the sales pitch, especially to young men, is Garner. Positioned as a young, female James Bond, she also currently is staring in the hit movie "Daredevil."

From the beginning, "Alias" has been an enigma. The second-year show, produced by Disney's Touchstone Television unit, aimed to have youth appeal with wild outfits and lots of action. Young women embraced the plot lines and tangled relationships of the characters; Garner poses as a bank employee who secretly works for the CIA alongside her father. But young men didn't stick with the show.

By mid-January, viewership had slipped nearly 9% from the show's first season and was averaging about 9 million viewers an episode. That put it at 75th place in the TV ratings race, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Several months earlier, network executives began meeting with Abrams to figure out how to build a bigger -- and more masculine -- audience.

Abrams offered to unwind some of the dense plots driven by the double-crossing characters. To "relaunch" the series, they quickly trained their sights on ABC's Super Bowl telecast.

It paid off. Some 17 million viewers tuned in to "Alias" after the game, even though the show began at 11 p.m. on the East Coast. Since the Super Bowl, the show's overall audience has shot up by about 15%, with the biggest gains among men 18 to 49.

Lyne said "Alias" has suffered because it doesn't have a strong "lead-in." The network may try next fall to package "Alias" with another younger-skewing show, perhaps on a different night.

"The show has got huge potential," Lyne said. "But it's been frustrating that it hasn't taken off."

Article from the Los Angeles Times, written by Meg James.

2003-03-02T00:52:00.000-05:00

Garner's Going All The Way

Alias star Michael Vartan is thrilled to be working with beauty Jennifer Garner on the espionage show and predicts great things for his pretty co-star.

Vartan, who plays Michael Vaughn, believes Daredevil star Garner, who plays canny agent Sydney Bristow, has a long and illustrious career ahead of her.

He gushes, "All the casting directors who didn't pick her up before Alias are probably kicking themselves now.

"She's amazing, you just cannot stop watching her. I can see her being the next Julia Roberts. I can see her winning an Oscar.

"But I can also see her three years from now saying, 'I quit' and moving to a farm somewhere and having a family, because ultimately that's the kind of person she is."

Article from Teen Hollywood.

2003-02-27T16:03:00.000-05:00

Alias Renewed

ABC will renew Alias for a third season, ABC Entertainment president Susan Lyne announced on Feb. 26, according to the Zap2it Web site. The network was reportedly pleased that Alias has received a ratings bounce since its post-Super Bowl episode, drawing about a million viewers a week over its season average, the site reported.

Alias stars Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, a graduate student by day and reluctant spy for the CIA by night.

Article from Sci Fi Wire

2003-02-27T16:00:00.000-05:00

Garner's Elektra Film Confirmed

As expected, Alias star Jennifer Garner will reprise her Daredevil role of Elektra in an upcoming spinoff movie centered on the character, the Associated Press reported. Twentieth Century Fox and production partner Regency Enterprises told the AP that Garner will star as Elektra Natchios in the film, which will be set after events in Daredevil.

Though Garner's character appeared to die in Daredevil, the movie ended with a cryptic scene suggesting that she may have lived, the AP reported.

Article from Sci Fi Wire

2003-02-23T12:23:00.000-05:00

'Alias' Creator Explains Why SD-6 Had to Go

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - J.J. Abrams can list any number of reasons why "Alias," the cool and complicated spy show he created, has begun moving in an entirely new direction in the past few weeks.

Yet they can be encapsulated, more or less, in a couple of sentences. This is Abrams speaking as a TV viewer who hasn't seen the show before:

"Wait a minute -- she's a good guy working for the bad guys, but they don't know they're bad guys? And then this bad guy has to pretend he's a good guy?"

The ways in which Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) -- the good guy (or girl, in this case) -- had to conceal her identity as a CIA mole from her co-workers and superiors at SD-6 -- the bad guys, although some of them didn't know it -- had become increasingly convoluted, and they were impeding the direction Abrams and the "Alias" writers wanted to take the series.

So they devised a fairly radical solution: SD-6 and its partners in the evil Alliance were taken down in the ABC show's post-Super Bowl episode on Jan. 26. It was a compelling hour of TV, but it left the show's loyal fans wondering, What now?

"We looked at what made the show interesting and what made it work," Abrams says. "There are, I believe, a lot of elements that make 'Alias' special. One of them, but only one of them, was the idea that [Sydney] had to be a double agent. But the tradeoff was this litany of things" that the show couldn't do because of that structure.

In addition to the potential confusion the double-agent scenario presented for casual viewers, Abrams says it also kept the show's writers from delving into the characters of Dixon (Carl Lumbly) and Marshall (Kevin Weisman), SD-6 agents who thought they were working for the government; often relegated Ron Rifkin, who plays former SD-6 leader, now freelance evil genius Arvin Sloane, to expository dialogue and shots of him brooding behind a desk; and erected an artificial and highly annoying barrier to the romance between Sydney and her CIA handler, Vaughn (Michael Vartan).

"I've said before if there was one more scene in which Sydney and Vaughn look at each other longingly and then walk away, I was going to kill myself," Abrams jokes.

Another problem was that SD-6 was apparently clueless about the fact that it had double agents -- Sydney's father, Jack (Victor Garber), also works for the CIA -- in its midst.

"After a while, it felt like either SD-6 is really stupid for not realizing she's a double agent, or she's really stupid for not taking them down," Abrams says. "That was getting hard."

Abrams acknowledges that ABC had some concerns about first-time viewers grasping the show, but he says the network didn't force the change in direction. (The two episodes following the Super Bowl show have drawn 11.4 million and 10.3 million viewers, an improvement over the show's season average of 9.3 million.)

"If you're a fan of the show, [the convoluted premise] has no bearing on you," Abrams says. "But if you're someone who just happens to tune in -- you couldn't deny the constant anecdotal evidence that people did have trouble understanding what the show was about. Even fans of the show would have difficulty sometimes."

The "Alias" staff felt the same way, and it was from that that the change in premise was born. Abrams doesn't necessarily agree, however, with the shorthand description that the show has been "simplified."

"I think [viewers] are going to find that the premise of the show is definitely easier to understand," he says. "But anyone who's watched the show post-takedown of the Alliance sees we're in no way making it simplistic or broad-stroked. ... We love the show too much to ever dumb it down or adjust it to become a lowest-common-denominator program."

Because the change opens up possibilities for other characters, Abrams believes "Alias" can keep its signature elements -- Sydney's high-stakes missions and myriad disguises and the complex relationships between the characters -- and tell better stories involving Dixon, Marshall and especially Sloane -- who, it turns out, helped cause the takedown of the Alliance for his own gain.

"We'll have in fact more realistic tension of will [Sydney] be found out within different storylines," he says. "And we still have Sloane as our resident bad guy, who's doing now far more interesting and complex acts of evil than he ever had to do as a cog of this big machine."

Although ABC hasn't said yet whether "Alias" will return for a third season, the show's writers are proceeding as if that were the case. The end of this season is already planned, and Abrams is clearly excited about it.

"The way last year ended" -- with Sydney's presumed-dead, ex-KGB-agent mother (Lena Olin) revealing herself as a rogue agent opposing both SD-6 and the CIA -- "I loved where we were going ... and I feel like this year we have an even better ending," he says. "If you're a longtime or a new fan of the show, I think it will blow your mind. It's that feeling of I have a giant secret that I just can't wait for everyone to see."

And don't be surprised if, another year or two down the line, there's another major shift in store for "Alias."

"I hope there will be another shift like this ... where we take what's going on and what you expect and twist it in a way," Abrams says. "To me it feels like the show is like that. Whether it's in sort of a micro way, where you say it's a story twist, or a macro way where you say the premise adjusts, 'Alias' must be a show that surprises you and does things you don't expect."
----
"Alias" airs at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on ABC.

Article from Zap2It.com

2003-02-16T11:17:00.000-05:00

Disney's new 'Music Man' aims for demo-rich younger audience

There was no earthly reason to remake the classic "The Music Man" (1962) other than to grab for a younger, demographics-rich audience who have no idea who Robert Preston and Shirley Jones are.

That's just what Disney and ABC are doing with a three-hour extravaganza Sunday night (6-9 p.m. on KAKE, Channel 10).

This time, Matthew Broderick is the smooth turn-of-the-century con man, Professor Harold Hill, who sells boys brass bands and dreams of patriotic musical glory to small-town hicks.

And Kristin Chenoweth, a native Oklahoman from Tulsa, is the skeptical librarian, Marian Paroo, who trips up his getaway when he falls in love with her.

The show is from the same guys -- producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron -- who are currently wowing us with "Chicago" on the big screen.

It's also their latest attempt to revive the movie musical as a viable art form through new TV versions. They previously brought us "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella" with Brandy and "Annie" with Kathy Bates.

Here, the new "The Music Man" purposely isn't as powerful as the original 1962 movie, although the beloved Meredith Willson music and lyrics are as grand and glorious as ever. Filmmakers are going for a more naturalistic feel.

The bombastic Preston danced and pranced circles around everyone else. He powered over any challenges.

Here, Broderick -- 40 but still boyish and wide-eyed like his Ferris Bueller days -- keeps the character more human-scale. He goes for sly, preferring to slide in under the skeptical radar of the notoriously contrary bumpkins.

While this new cast is younger (and more obviously diverse, at least in chorus and dancers), the roles are also less broadly played. They are eccentrics rather than buffoons. The result is a film that is less cartoon and more nostalgia.

David Aaron Baker is less goofy than the original Buddy Hackett as Harold's co-conspirator. He's more buddy than sidekick.

Victor Garber (yes, of "Alias") is pompous, arrogant Mayor Shinn (originally Paul Ford), and Molly Shannon of "Saturday Night Live" is his snobby, spotlight-hogging wife, Eulalie.

While I like Shannon, I confess I miss Hermione Gingold's thunderous intonations. Nobody can say "Balzac" with more elegant disdain.

While the movie takes up a three-hour TV block, minus commercials it's actually about 10 minutes shorter than the 2 ½-hour original. But despite less time, filmmakers cram in more and vigorous choreography, extending production numbers like "Marian the Librarian" and "76 Trombones."

While it's tempting to consider this "Music Man Lite" because of TV, the production is such high quality that is should not be missed.

Article from the Wichita Eagle, written by Bob Curtwright.

2003-02-13T11:11:00.000-05:00

Good Role Hunting
Ben Affleck finds a risk worth taking in 'Daredevil'

Ben Affleck isn't a tool; he just plays one in the movies. Delivering his big "You're sittin' on a winning lottery ticket--and you're too much of a pussy to cash it in!" speech to Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, Affleck lacked the necessary emotional weight, but nevertheless conveyed something real about a schlub's relationship to a more talented friend. Humility is what gives the actor's blasé cockiness its warmth, and it's what makes masses of people care about his bad choices in movies and in love. (Incidentally: Couldn't he settle down with Mango, the Chris Kattan cross-dresser on Saturday Night Live?)

From Poor Harbor to The Smell of All Fears, Affleck has bluffed his way through the blockbuster genre, negating his taste (and his left-wing politics) in the bargain. Nothing about his persona makes you think he could pull off playing a blind, tortured superhero in Daredevil: The guy is too affable, even gamely fielding questions about a certain famous fiancée during a recent press junket for the movie. "I take a lot of comfort in the fact that there's only so much you can say about that stuff," he says in a conference room at the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena. "And then you say, 'Colin Farrell is dating Britney Spears,' and you're off the hook."

Still, it's worth remembering something about the original Marvel Comics Daredevil: He's a square. Transforming the cane he uses as a blind man into the billy club he wields as a costumed crime fighter, Matt Murdock lives a conspicuously clean double life. Justice is his 9 to 5--he's a New York lawyer--and the Hell's Kitchen upbringing of his childhood is washed out of his speech. As a boy, Murdock closely obeys his prizefighting dad (portrayed with blunt feeling by David Keith in the movie). Grown up, he defends the legal system with every breath. Only his handicap and his maniacal workaholism keep him from being a redheaded stepchild of Clark Kent. (The accident that robbed him of sight also enhanced his other senses to Caped Crusader levels.)

Daredevil stays true to most of this myth, with one glaring exception. As imagined by writer Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett in 1964, the character was unwaveringly moral. Now the movie introduces him to us as a vengeful and disillusioned sociopath who has yet to find his moral footing. This Daredevil owes an obvious debt to writer-artist Frank Miller, who turned the comic into a kung fu soap opera in 1982, and whose noir reinvention has long been regarded as the best superhero comic series in history. Miller's Will Eisner-like panels introduced a generation of American kids to Japanese-style visual storytelling (and combat), much as Tarantino later brought Hong Kong to Hollywood. I distinctly remember hoping that Martin Scorsese would direct the movie, complete with throwing stars to the throat and an R rating.

Daredevil comes close in its kinetic and entirely plausible violence (which was edited to earn a PG-13). But the movie has been handed off to a different sort of brat. Like all of the recent Marvel movies (Blade, Blade II, X-Men, and Spider-Man), this latest CG bonanza is proudly and profoundly shaped by the passions of comic-book geeks. Director Mark Steven Johnson (Simon Birch) admits to having no more qualification than pure, abiding fandom: He spent years lobbying Marvel honcho Avi Arad, who produced all of the above movies. And together, the filmmakers were exceedingly deferential to the vision of Frank Miller.

"I had Frank come visit when I was in New York," says Johnson in Pasadena, "and I showed him some scenes from the movie. And he looks at me and he goes, 'You're getting away with it! It's so dark!' I'm like, Wow--Frank Miller says it's dark!"

Daredevil quotes wholesale from Miller's comics and assembles his primary cast of villains: Elektra, Murdock's one true love and most formidable opponent (played by Alias star Jennifer Garner, who brings emotion to every muscle); the hulking crime boss Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan, who pulled a Raging Bull-style weight gain for the picture); and Kingpin's assassin Bullseye (Colin Farrell--who, when asked about his character's movie poster during the junket, says, "I wouldn't masturbate to anything else.").

All these characters are vivid and funny, with dialogue that seems acquainted with real life. The same goes for Murdock's hapless, hilarious legal sidekick, "fun-loving" Foggy Nelson (Jon Favreau in top form)--who, if he hadn't been dreamed up by Stan Lee, might stand as a sort of fictionalized Ben Affleck to Daredevil's Matt Damon.

Speaking of whom: What does Damon think of his buddy being a superhero? "He feels threatened," Affleck deadpans. "A little jealous. He likes the tights." Affleck says he has always loved his character, and, like Johnson, might seem to have no other qualifications for the job. But, as with the director, love turned out to be enough: The schlub seizes the role, mustering the first performance of his career that transcends the merely likable. Perhaps he has found his calling: Playing a crazed acrobat forces him to rely more on movement than charm. (He and Garner trained for months with wire-fu expert Yuen Cheung-Yan.) When Murdock meets Elektra for the first time, it's as if she's unimpressed with Affleck himself, who has to woo the girl in battle at a tiny public park as nearby children shout, "Fight! Fight!"

Affleck was introduced to Johnson by director Kevin Smith (Dogma)--a connection that also lends Daredevil its only nagging flaw. Smith has been writing his own Daredevil stories for Marvel since the late 1990s, delving more deeply into the character's Catholicism, a subject that hadn't come up until the mid-'70s. The idea of Daredevil going to confession was ingenious: It also broke a long-standing taboo against religion in comics. (Since then, the Thing has recited the Shema.) But Johnson goes so far as to set the climactic fight in a cathedral--though, thankfully, Smith's more recent (and racist) portrayals of odiferous Al Qaeda operatives didn't make it to the screen.

To be sure, I have my biases and Daredevil has his. (I'm the atheist son of a former priest, and, as only hyperextended geeks know, Murdock was the son of a nun.) But surely a movie this packed with sound, fury, and backstory could have jettisoned the God subtext altogether. Maybe the geeks need a devil's advocate.

Article from Minneapolis City Pages, written by Peter S. Scholtes.

2003-02-11T22:18:00.000-05:00

Must-See, Just-See Thursday

Over on ABC, Foley's missus earned her keep. The Jennifer Garner-fronted Alias was spied by 12.3 million (60th place), up from the 9.3 million it has been averaging for the season to date. The show's been on the rise since ABC awarded it the post-Super Bowl time slot last month. Look for its profile to get even higher as Garner kicks butt on the big-screen this weekend in Daredevil opposite Ben Affleck.

Article from E! Online, written by Joal Ryan.

2003-02-11T22:15:00.000-05:00

Garner Fears Picking Up Unfair Tag

Sexy actress Jennifer Garner fears the day she ever has to put her foot down and say no to somebody during filming - because she knows it'll quickly earn her a bitchy reputation.

The Alias stunner, who stars alongside Ben Affleck and Colin Farrell in the upcoming movie Daredevil, admits she finds it much easier to be obliging and agreeable while working.

Garner, wife of actor Scott Foley, says, "It's hard to strike a balance between the fact that you're so grateful to have your job and want to do everything that's asked of you, and at the same time put yourself or your family or things like that first.

"I'm definitely still learning about that. But I guarantee you, the first time I do say no or I do put my foot down, I will immediately be characterised as a bitch, as difficult, as... y'know? And that's so unfair to women.

"So maybe the fear of that does keep me from standing up for myself more when I should."

Article from Teen Hollywood.

2003-02-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

NEW: Affleck says he's no Daredevil in his real life

HOLLYWOOD – Ben Affleck puts on a red suit and mask and becomes a man without fear in “Daredevil,” opening Friday. That's hardly the case in his closely scrutinized private life, though.
“I have so many fears that it would be hard to itemize them all. My real superhero would be Anxiety Guy,” he said while promoting the movie in a Pasadena hotel meeting room.

In the big-screen adaptation of the Marvel comic book, Affleck is Matt Murdock, a blind attorney by day and Daredevil, the relentless masked avenger of evil, by night. In real life, the 30-year-old star is living inside a paparazzi tornado swirling around his engagement to actress-diva Jennifer Lopez.

Affleck, recently named the sexiest man alive by People magazine, seems resigned to the fact that the media frenzy is showing no signs of letting up.

“It's a little weird,” he said. “I've been in public relationships before, you know, with Gwyneth (Paltrow). It wasn't quite the same type of thing. I didn't anticipate that it would be different. I thought, ‘OK, there's a degree of publicity that comes along with this.' I was a little bit shocked.”

He's also more than a little bit prepared to fend off prying personal questions. In fact, Affleck employs the same smooth demeanor Daredevil uses to dodge items flung at him by deadly nemesis Bullseye, the bald-headed killer portrayed with scenery-chewing style by Colin Farrell.

According to Affleck, Farrell has taken some of the heat off him and J.Lo.

“I take a lot of comfort in the fact that there's only so much you can say about that kind of stuff,” he said. “Then there's somebody else like Colin Farrell dating Britney Spears and you're off the hook. If I could do my bachelorhood all over again, I would do it the way Colin does.”

Rumors have been swirling of a possible rift between the high-profile couple, including reports that Lopez and Matt Damon, Affleck's longtime pal, don't get along.

“I'm not even abreast of all the rumors,” Affleck said. “I can tell you that nothing's changed as far as I know.”

Finally, the questions turned to “Daredevil,” and Affleck couldn't resist firing back at the media. “I'm glad to get to some of the questions that won't make any of the copy.”

According to Daredevil lore, toxic chemicals blinded Matt Murdock, the son of a tough-luck boxer, when he was 12. A super sense of hearing compensates for his lost sight and allows him to become a night-stalking New York crime fighter.

When it comes to playing someone blind on screen, Affleck said, the bar was raised pretty high by Emily Watson's recent work in “Red Dragon” and Al Pacino's Oscar-winning performance in “Scent of a Woman.” But his challenge was different.

“The interesting thing about this is while he's blind with his eyes, because of this sort of super power that he has in terms of his enhanced hearing, it allows him to create this sort of three-dimensional map using this kind of sonar of his surroundings,” he said. “He's not technically blind in the way that we think of people being blind. Matt Murdock is kind of an act. He plays at being more helpless than he really is.”

Affleck was fitted for opaque contact lenses to help bring a sense of reality to his performance. That didn't make shooting fight scenes with co-star Jennifer Garner — who plays sometime girlfriend, sometime foe Elektra — any easier.

Garner, the star of the TV series “Alias,” trained with Affleck for weeks to get the vigorous precision fighting sequences just right. Even so, things didn't always work out that way.

“We beat the dickens out of each other,” she said. “My knuckles all got busted open with Ben's stick. He just bruised me up one side and down the other. But I did the same to him. We were dance partners. We were just very violent dance partners.”

Affleck likes the fact that writer-director Mark Steven Johnson retains a sense of real-life grittiness in “Daredevil.” Unlike many comic book-to-movie transformations, he said, this one isn't tongue-in-cheek.

“It dares to ask the audience to take the characters seriously and to really get invested in their emotional journey,” he said. “It was hard for me. It's a little far afield from my everyday life, putting on a costume, fighting crime and getting stabbed on this operatic, melodramatic scale of good versus evil.”

Article from the San Antonio Express, written by Larry Ratliff.

2003-02-11T15:56:00.000-05:00

The little daredevil in Jennifer Garner
TV's sexiest spy couldn't say no to a demanding role in Hollywood's latest action flick drawn from the comics

(Daredevil promotional poster)

Jennifer Garner arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of her new action film Daredevil.

LOS ANGELES - On the sunny patio of a Pasadena hotel, in jeans and a well-tailored Gucci sport jacket, Jennifer Garner appears much more like the woman Maxim magazine dubbed the world's sexiest than the physically formidable secret agent Sydney Bristow she plays on the Alias television show every week.

But the rowdy Irish actor Colin Farrell, who portrays the villainous Bullseye opposite Garner's vengeful heroine Elektra in the upcoming comic-book movie Daredevil (opening Friday), leaves no doubt as to which aspect of the 30-year-old actress leaves the stronger impression.

"She's really tough, man," Farrell mutters in his tobacco-cured brogue. "Yeah, she's a tough bird, she's a fit girl. We would do a take or two and I'd be in the corner wheezing, and Jennifer'd be like, 'Can we go again straightaway?' I'd be going, 'She's gonna kill me!' "

"I've never seen anyone more determined to kill me in his whole life," counters a laughing Garner, who credits her great shape to an hourlong workout every morning. "Colin was so into our fight scene; it's a good thing he smokes as much as he does, otherwise I don't know if I'd be sitting here with you right now."

Daredevil stars Ben Affleck as the title vigilante, a blind New York avenger whose fantastically enhanced other senses make him a scourge of nighttime crime. But Garner's Elektra Natchios is no slouch at martial arts herself. She was trained in many disciplines from childhood because her crooked millionaire father, who is secretly in cahoots with Daredevil's arch-nemesis The Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan), figured she'd need to know how to protect herself someday.

And does she ever, when Kingpin henchman Bullseye kills the elder Natchios but makes it look like Daredevil's fault. Elektra suits up in skintight, belly-baring leather, sheaths some wicked-looking, three-pronged Asian fighting knives and goes out for some payback -- not knowing that Daredevil is secretly Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer she loves.

A devoted childhood ballerina turned serious stage actress from Charleston, W.Va., Garner finds it amusing that, after many years in show business, she made her first big splash as TV's top action heroine, and that what looks to be her movie breakthrough cast her along the same lines.

"It really makes me laugh that this is the way I've come to notoriety," she says. "I really love words. I love Shakespeare and Ibsen and Strindberg and Shaw. I wanted to work in regional theater because I love approaching a text. And I do feel like on Alias I'm given that task every episode. It is not all about the action to me, it's all about the acting and I happen to do action mixed in, which is the perfect combination.

"If this movie lends itself to me being known even more as the action chick, great. I would love to always have this world to fall back on. But I don't feel pigeonholed."

Still, one of the reasons why Garner wanted to make Daredevil was to learn some new tricks. Primary among these was the extensive wire work she and Affleck were taught by Hong Kong action effects specialist Cheung Yan Yuen, a veteran of many Jackie Chan movies, the Charlie's Angels movie and the upcoming Matrix sequels.

It wasn't the easiest training she'd ever done, though. And Garner had once practised ballet for six hours every day.

"We'd rehearse with them every single day for six weeks, and at the end of each day they would shake their heads no and say, 'Today, maybe, you are five per cent,' " she says of the encouragement-impaired, Hong Kong training team. "And it's not like the next day we'd be 10 per cent. 'Perhaps, today, you are six per cent.' And then the next day we'd be back down to five!"

Once up to speed, though, Garner enthusiastically confirms that she enjoyed the heck out of jumping, kicking and flipping beyond human capabilities.

Except for that one day.

"I did have a moment," she eagerly confides. "It's crystallized in my mind because it is the one moment when the movie went from 'Ooh, that hurts and it's kind of funny that that hurt' to 'I never need to do this particular thing again.' I had to hurl myself off of a two-storey height head first, directly toward the camera. Every time that I did it, they would pull me up by the harness just as I was about to hit the camera. It felt like my ribs could break every time. About the 12th or 13th take, it hurt so much and it just seemed so strange and unnecessary to do this to yourself.

"That's very rare. Normally, when you do a stunt, you get less scared every time you do it. In this case, every time I did it I was shaking more and more and more. But that was really it, the one point in the movie when I thought, this is not fun. But that out of a whole summer being strung up on that wire? That's pretty great."

Did we mention that, along with tough chick and hottie, a term often used to describe Garner is cheerleader? Even when complaining about something worth complaining about, the actress comes off sweet and sunny and ever-so-grateful just to be involved, regardless of what's going wrong.

"With Jennifer Garner, it's really one of those things where she's so up-with-people, you keep thinking there has to be some dark side, some twisted underbelly here," co-star Affleck notes. "But as far as I could tell from the months we spent together, there really isn't. ... I think that, if she has a flaw, she's too patient, indulgent and puts up with too much when she should really be saying, 'Wait a minute, this isn't my job.' "

"It's the fault of every Southern woman," Garner says. "We grow up trained to be kind of ingratiating and to put ourselves second in every situation ...

"It's hard to strike a balance between the fact that you're so grateful to have your job and want to do everything that's asked of you, and at the same time put yourself or your family or things like that first. I'm definitely still learning about that. But I guarantee you, the first time I do say no or I do put my foot down, I will immediately be characterized as a bitch, as difficult, as ... y'know? And that's so unfair to women. So, maybe the fear of that does keep me from standing up for myself more when I should."

BUSY NEWLYWEDS

For the moment, though, work is mighty rewarding. Home life ain't bad, neither. After 21/2 years of marriage, Garner's husband, Scott Foley, whom she met when they both worked on the teen series Felicity, just started a TV sitcom of his own, A.U.S.A.

"He's my biggest support, I'm his biggest fan. We are really good friends, and we're trying to keep perspective that this is not what our life will be forever. He is definitely my first priority outside of what I need to do for my job."

Which is always quite a bit, but recently went, at least to some observers, quite a bit further. The Alias episode that aired after last month's Super Bowl was heavily promoted on ABC commercials with shots of Sydney Bristow in Victoria's Secret-quality skivvies. It was a bald attempt to increase male interest in the critically acclaimed show that, over the length of one-and-a-half seasons, has often played to disappointing Nielsen ratings. But Garner insists that, except for the overhyping, it was no real departure for Alias, which "has always been sexy."

Garner says that Alias's previous lack of mass popularity has been more annoying than worrisome to its close-knit cast and crew.

"We're all 110-per-cent committed to doing the best that we can. And we do have a fan base that is loyal to our show. I would love for more people to catch onto it, but if they don't, we're happy with what we have."

These days, Garner is getting calls from Steven Spielberg (she arguably shares the coolest scene with Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me if You Can), and this summer she'll headline her first romantic comedy, 13 Going on 30.

Tough, sexy, eager to please -- whatever works for Garner, she genuinely could not be happier with the results.

"The last year has been beyond my wildest dreams and even then some."

Article from the Edmonton Journal, written by Bob Strauss.

2003-02-11T15:49:00.000-05:00

Daredevil Interview: Jennifer Garner: Daredevil Actress

Continuing Comics2Film's coverage of Twentieth Century Fox's Daredevil press junket we present the latest transcript of the round-table interviews. In this segment, Jennifer Garner talks about her work as Elektra in the film.

Q: Did your work on Alias prepared you for the action role in Daredevil?

I didn't think about doing Daredevil with any hubris at all. I did Daredevil because I wanted to learn what I thought it could teach me. I was so obsessed with fighting after my year of Alias, and so into learning as much as I could, I really wanted to take it to another level. That's what Daredevil did.

I had to learn to fight weapons. I had to learn to fight on wires and just fighting every day, all summer, it just kind of built my confidence.

Q: I understand when they were teaching you the fighting, the instructors weren't exactly encouraging. Can you talk about that?

Well master Cheung Yuen and his men are the best in the world at what they do and Ben and I felt so lucky to be working with them. We had so much respect for them and for what they demanded of us. They absolutely demanded precision. They absolutely demanded discipline.

On Charlie's Angels you always read about how they had six months beforehand to rehearse or Matrix they rehearsed for six months. We didn't have that. I was working on Alias right up until the day I started Daredevil and Ben was being Ben off in the world, saving the planet or whatever Ben does...I say that with love...and so we didn't have time to get together for months beforehand, so we were under the gun from the minute the movie started.

We were learning fights and doing them at night and then sleeping until about noon and then meeting at this big warehouse and working with Master Cheung Yuen and his men for three hours on our playground fight, which is our kind of big, courtship, mating-dance, flirtation fight.

It was so fun to do. We would work on that every single day for six weeks, Saturdays and Sundays, no exceptions. Nobody missed. We were there. I had so much respect for how much Ben just dug in and that made me want to elevate how hard I was working. I just adore that man for what we went through together on those days.

Q: But were the instructors hard on you?

Our instructors were not the kind of men who would coddle you and say what a great job you did today and, 'Gosh, that's so much better than last time.' We would do something we felt was flawless and they would go [Instructor Voice], 'Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! No. No. Slow. Slow. Start again.'

And Ben and I were the only two that really spoke English in the room. There was an interpreter there but he and I would just look at each other and we'd be like [WHISPERS], 'I thought that was pretty good, did you? Yeah, I thought -- OK let's do it again,' and we would kind of, maybe think we would do it better -- [Instructor voice], 'Ah! Ah! Slow. No. Ah. One at a time. One at a time!'

And so they just hated everything we did, which kind of added to out determination to do this fight flawlessly.

Q: You said you were obsessed with learning all this stuff. What is it giving you to learn all this?

Well I've always been obsessed with acting, since I figured out that it was something that existed in the world. I've always wanted to be on stage in some way. I didn't think I would do it for a profession. I just loved it so much, so when I was younger I would seek out any opportunity to, not just be on stage, but to learn what I could do to be better on stage or to learn what I could do behind the scenes that might help me understand what I'm doing on stage even more.

So, whether that was working for free in the summers or working backstage at college or being on stage in college, I kind of felt like I am never going to be good at this, and that's what always attracts me to it. But I did start out as a ballet dancer and that does start you off with a certain amount of discipline and a certain understanding of your body and pushing your limitations.

So when I first started fighting for Alias, and first started using my body in this way, while I was acting, it was like this whole world opened up for me. That I would have an aptitude for this and such a passion for it was such a surprise for me. I was kind of blown away by how much I loved the days when I would fight on Alias. I wasn't getting enough. Even though I fought every few days I felt like I was learning the fight and doing it and kind of getting better in that moment, but not training. I like to train with something. I like to pick it apart and really do the nitty-gritty work.

That's why I wanted to Daredevil and that's what this was. Ben and I really trained.

Q: Did you know a lot about this comic book character beforehand?

Well, I grew up in a family of three girls so we read "Seventeen". We read "Little House on the Prairie." We didn't read comic books.

I wish that I had because I think Elektra's incredibly empowering and now when I meet women who say, 'Oh, Elektra! It's because of Elektra that I...,' whatever, 'Thought I could live on my own,' or ,'became physically fit,' or whatever. I think that that's a pretty amazing thing for a comic book character to give a young woman.

Now, of course, I've read her entire saga and her story is pretty epic. It's pretty fascinating. She's a very dark woman and I'm waiting to have a little time because I might actually branch off and read X-Men or The Hulk. I got into it.

Q: Does Daredevil set the stage for an Elektra spin-off movie?

I don't know how to talk about it without giving it away, but like I said, Elektra's story is epic. There is no ending to Elektra's story.

There is talk of a spin-off but I don't know any more than you do. Mostly I hear from you guys that there's talk of a spin-off, more than anywhere else. I'm open for it. I would miss the big red devil if I had to do one on my own but as long as my stunt double is up for it, I'm up for it.

Q: There's as much talk about the spin-off as there is about the sequel.

Great! Let's do it!

Q: But, are you honestly not aware of it or is it just hype?

That's what I don't know. I don't know if you guys are making it seem like a bigger deal than it is or if it really exists and I'm kind of ignorant or being naive to how serious they are about it. I guess I don't want to set myself up for something that isn't going to happen. I mean, I'm an actor. I've been promised a lot of things.

So, I'm up for it. I'm up for doing a Daredevil sequel. I'm up for watching a Daredevil sequel. It's all fine with me. I'm going back to Alias so I'm happy.

Q: Will you ever get to the point where you would say goodbye to Alias?

I can't imagine that point, because what makes me feel so lucky is that, yes, I get to come out and take a risk and do Daredevil or do a comedy this summer like 13 Going on 30 but ultimately, no matter what happens with these movies, as long as Alias gets picked up, I'm going home to a family that loves me, who I learn from.

It's exactly what I thought I would be doing as an actor. I'm working in a company. It's kind of like really great-paying regional theater. It's what I wanted to do was have mentors and learn from them and I still, absolutely every day that I work with Ron Rifkin and Victor Garber and Carl Lumbly or Michael Vartan or Bobby Cooper. I learn something from these people. I have so much respect for them as actors. And they write beautiful stuff for me there.

So as long as the writing stays at the level that it is I always, always be happy to go back to Alias.

Q: Tell us about snogging Ben Affleck.

What would you like to know about snogging Ben Affleck?

Q: Did you ever think you would find yourself in a big movie with a big star like him and be in that situation?

I never gave it a thought one way or another, but it's a pleasure to snog Ben Affleck and if he showed up right now I guess we could show you how very good we are at that very thing.

[Quiet voice] That's not going to sound good.

It's fine. It was just part of the scene and it's no bigger deal than kissing anyone else. It's always awkward when you kiss someone you've become friends with on set because you don't realize what a boundary it is and what an unspoken thing it is, how intimate a kiss is.

At the same time, of course, there are fifty people around, maybe a hundred people around and that does wipe away any notions you might have of any...

Q: I suppose what I'm saying is that Ben's in all the tabloids and his love life is in the newspapers. I suppose it's a little different for somebody whose set up that high over a regular, every day actor.

The great thing about working as an actor is that when you're on set it's very insular. It's just you and him, and he and I had been through a lot at that point. He was not on the cover of tabloids at that point. So it was just an actor and an actor in a scene together and we had to kiss and it was fine.

Q: You've been on the cover of tabloids also, haven't you?

I don't think so. No. I have not been.

Q: At the end of the day, how do you talk about rolling around with Ben Affleck with your husband [actor Scott Foley]?

Well you don't. I mean, out of respect to both people, you don't really get into that. And Scott does understand what I do for a living. He is an actor and he certainly has spent his days rolling around and will again. I get what that is for him and he gets what that is for me and it's really not nearly the deal that it would seem from the outside.

Q: Talking about 13 Going on 30, what makes Gary Winick the right director for that and have you seen Niels Mueller's latest draft?

Niels' latest draft is genius and Gary was absolutely my first choice from the very minute that I saw Tadpole.

I felt like the performances were deft and subtle and hysterically funny, not maybe in a huge, laugh-out-loud kind of way, but in a true-to-life kind of way. Clearly his approach was character based and I knew that he and I together could take this character and find laugh-out-loud moments, but starting the way that I have to start with something, which is reality and character and playing whatever you need to play in the scene. Not kind of looking from the outside-in of what's funny.

I thought everybody was so beautiful in that movie and it has such heart in it that I knew that Gary could help me give the performance that I'm hoping to give in 13 Going on 30. I'm nervous about it and knowing that he's going to be there alleviates so much of my anxiety.

Q: Are the supporting roles cast yet?

Absolutely. Mark Ruffalo is going to play my love interest and I can't wait for that!

Q: You stole your scene in Catch Me If You Can. Have you gotten good feedback on that?

Catch Me If You Can has been nothing but magic from the minute it came into my life until right now when it comes up. It just makes me smile every time it comes up in any way.

I mean, imagine, after auditioning steadily for seven years, suddenly Steven Spielberg is calling you to offer you, OFFER YOU a role in his movie. It really felt other-worldly to me, and then not only did he offer it, it happened.

I actually couldn't believe that I was finding myself on this set with him and with Leo and then this scene was so much fun to shoot. It was such a great day, not just because we were kissing, but because Steven was having so much fun directing it, the whole place just lights up. I think that's the way he directs. He seems to love it so much. That was my experience with him.

Then to have the movie come out and think that it's as fun as I thought it was, and I'm actually in it. Not only do I love the movie but I'm in it! I love my scene! I'm so happy.

It's just been nothing but great and to go back to Alias after the Christmas break and have my crew say, 'Jen! We saw the movie! We're so excited!'

That just makes me happy.

Q: Do you have a toy?

A toy for Catch Me If You Can?

Q: No.

For Elektra? There is a toy for Elektra. I haven't seen this young lady yet. There's also an Alias action figure. I'm about to be like fifteen action figures at once but I haven't seen any of them.

Q: Is it a thrill to be an action figure?

I haven't seen them. I don't know. I'll let you know.

Q: Did you get to know Ben from your work in Pearl Harbor?

We were around each other, together a lot. My was role was small enough and peripheral enough that I was given the gift of observation.

So, I was able to watch and admire the way Ben treated everyone around him from the crew to people with smaller roles, like myself, to background performers. He's really a gentleman and he's not afraid to laugh at himself, or you, and I knew, I just had an instinct that he would take care of me in my first step out there, and he did. I was right and I'm so glad that he was my first, my big red devil.

Q: Do you know your limitations when it comes to stunt work?

I did absolutely almost everything in the movie.

Q: Is there ever a point when they have to say you can't do that?

They don't have to say that to me. If there's something that I feel like...it's almost always something small, like jumping backwards off of something high, in heels, where I'll say, 'I don't trust myself to land and not tweak something.' That's when I'll put my double in because her balance is so impeccable. She's a gymnast.

Or there were a couple of aerials in the movie. I can't do an aerial. Even if you put a wire on me I don't know the first thing about doing an aerial so Shauna [Duggins], my stunt double would do that.

Or on Alias, if there's a thing falling down the stairs, I have no desire to fall down a flight of stairs. I don't think that that's fun. I don't get it. I only do what's fun. That's almost everything to me, but getting hit by a car: 'Shauna. Have a good day. I'll be right here. Don't get hurt. Love you. See you later.'

So I definitely know my own limitations. I push them a little bit, but not much. I definitely want to be at work the next day.

Q: Would Ben have made your list of 'Sexiest Guys Alive'?

You know, Ben is sexy because he's so kind, and because he has a great sense of humor and because he's 6' 4" and tall, dark and handsome and all that stuff. Sure, he'd make my list, but I'd laugh at it at the same time. He's such a big goofball.

Q: What kind of kidding did you guys do, both dressed in leather like that?

We felt just this side of ridiculous most of the time, especially when you're dangling from thin air on a wire. Yeah, I think we kind of laughed our way through the movie.

It was my summer job so I was definitely going to have a good time and I think Ben always has a good time. So, all of us laughed a lot, especially if Colin was around. Then you're guaranteed a good time.

Q: What do you think of that shot of you on the billboard?

Umm...that's something else. As the crew of Alias would call it, that's a biscuit shot. You see my biscuit.

They're always saying to me, 'OK, Jen. This is a biscuit shot. Adjust yourself.'

I think, good for them. Whatever they want to do.

Q: What's it like the first time you were held up on wires?

I was held up on Alias, during the pilot, the first time and I climbed up a building, you know, fifty feet in the air, and the first time, it was terrifying and exciting and you're looking at the word from this high, but you have to really trust your stunt coordinator.

You have to really trust the people that are hooking you up and Shauna Duggins, my stunt double, is so adamant about triple-checking every connection, my harness.

I know how to put a harness on by now. No. She comes in with me. She double checks. She triple checks. She tapes it down. She makes sure that I have not missed a beat because, you are dangling up there and because I trust her so much and because she's so careful with me I know that I'm going to be OK. So, then you just enjoy the ride.

Q: You trust her after a season on the show, but in that pilot you had to go more on faith. Where does that come from?

That's just guts. That's just, 'I'm gonna do this and the character's gonna do it and nobody else seems to be nervous about it so string me up.'

Q: How was it watching the film?

I haven't seen it. I haven't seen Daredevil.

Q: How do you think it'll compare with Spider-Man? How do you think those fans will like it?

I have no idea. I'm interested to see.

Q: What's your work-out schedule like?

I work out about an hour, not really more ever, a day, most days. It ends up being about five days a week. So every day that I can, whether that's at four in the morning or five in the morning. I do cardio and weights and circuits so that my heart rate is always up. A lot of stretching and a lot of injury preventative things with rotator cuffs and knees and backs and all that stuff. I have a great trainer, Valerie Waters. I've been with her for two years. I'm just so grateful for her.

Q: Four in the morning is pretty early. Do you like that?

Yes. It kind of shakes off the day before and gets you started for the day ahead. Once you get over it...lots of people get up at four in the morning. It's not that big of a deal. It just sounds impressive.

Article from Comics2Film.

2003-02-11T15:34:00.000-05:00

Being Ben Affleck: Wanna try it out?

Ben Affleck is running late. He was supposed to turn up at 11 a.m. to begin a long day of interviews on behalf of "Daredevil," his new movie about a blind attorney who, every night, morphs into a mask-wearing vigilante. As 11 a.m. comes and goes, publicists with walkie-talkies and tense looks on their faces begin issuing updates on Affleck's whereabouts. He's in the building. He's coming down the hall. He's approaching. He's coming through a side door. He's here.

When Affleck finally arrives, he immediately disarms you with his sense of humor.

"I'm late so I'm starting at a serious deficit already, I can tell," he says. "I apologize. So go ahead and fire away with the really intrusive, insulting questions, and we'll be even."

Affleck is only half-joking. He's certainly not afraid to discuss what some in the media have disparagingly referred to as "The Bennifer Show." In case you haven't picked up a paper, watched TV, or logged onto the Internet in the last six months, Affleck is engaged to Jennifer Lopez.

Not since Richard Burton wooed Elizabeth Taylor has a celebrity couple generated so much buzz. The amount of interest in Affleck's love life has surprised even the actor, who was on the merry-go-around once before, with Gwyneth Paltrow.

"I do take a lot of comfort in the fact that there's only so much they can say about me and Jennifer and then somebody else comes along," he says.

"Colin Farrell is dating Britney Spears, and suddenly we're off the hook."

Not so fast, Ben. Inquiring minds want to know if the couple are having problems, as the tabloids keep trumpeting, or if they're headed for the altar anytime soon.

"I can tell you that nothing's changed as far as I know," he says. "But I'm not up to date with the papers. And, no, I'm not getting married in the near future."

Recently named the "Sexiest Man Alive" by People Magazine, Affleck, 30, hardly looks the part when he saunters into a conference room at Pasadena's Ritz Carlton Hotel.

Wearing jeans, sneakers, and a long-sleeve undershirt topped by a faded blue T-shirt, he resembles a skateboarder more than a Hollywood mover-and-shaker.

As for the "Sexiest Man Alive" business, Affleck says he was informed of the distinction by his mother. "I guess People called her first, and when she told me, I said, 'Mom, that could be a prank.' She said, 'No, it's not, and I just want to tell you I think it's ridiculous.' She goes, 'Just don't get a big head.' So that's my feeling about that."

Affleck certainly knows how to make the most of his contradictions. He says he longs for anonymity. Yet he pops up canoodling with Lopez in one of her videos.

He says he'd like to go back to his roots and make smaller movies along the lines of "Shakespeare in Love" and "The Boiler Room." Yet his next four flicks - "Gigli" with Lopez, "Jersey Girl," also with Lopez, "Surviving Christmas" with James Gandolfini, and John Woo's "Paycheck" - are big-budget pictures.

He says he's riddled with fears. "I have so many fears that it would be hard to itemize them all," he insists. "My real-life superhero would be called Anxiety Guy."

And yet he commands the screen in "Daredevil," which opens Friday and co-stars Jennifer Garner (of TV's "Alias"), Colin Farrell, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Jon Favreau. Shot between his movies with Lopez, "Daredevil" is likely to be another hit for Affleck, who rebounded nicely from the disaster that was "Pearl Harbor" by filling Harrison Ford's shoes as CIA analyst Jack Ryan in the $100-million-grossing "Sum of All Fears."

"Daredevil" is being hyped as this year's answer to "Spider-Man." Like the other Marvel Comic Book-inspired flick, the $80 million action extravaganza boasts a hunky hero in red tights who swoops around Manhattan fighting crime and wooing lovely ladies.

But there are some differences. Daredevil, who is a much darker character, pays a high price for his adventures. He might be the first superhero who pops Vicodin for his aching, crime-fighting limbs.

Starring as the sight-impaired superhero has long been a dream of Affleck's, a self-described comic book geek.

"It's hard to say why," the Boston native says. "I suppose this is a conversation better suited to my shrink. But why not talk about it? Every other issue of my life is worth baring to the world.

"When I was a kid, I noticed a contrast between Daredevil and others in the comic book universe, many of whom were chaste Boy Scouts. They were predictable. It was nothing I could ever identify with.

"And as I got into adolescence, Daredevil represented something more realistic. It sounds funny to say this about a guy who puts on a red suit and fights crime, but he was a flawed hero. He was openly religious. He had these tragic love affairs. He struggled with himself as much as he struggled with the bad guys. He didn't always win. He didn't always do the right thing. I guess that resonated with me a little bit more."

Despite traveling in some chi-chi circles, Affleck seems remarkably grounded.

Co-star Garner says she's been impressed with Affleck ever since they met on the set of "Pearl Harbor."

"I loved the way Ben treated people with smaller roles, like myself," she says. "He was so nice to the background performers and the crew. I had enough of a peripheral view to be able to observe him, and I was so impressed with him as a person."

She was even more impressed with Affleck on the set of "Daredevil" when he saved her from serious injury, or worse, during a tricky stunt.

"I was about to smash my head into this wall, and there was nothing I could do about it," Garner says. "I couldn't manipulate my way out of it at all, and out of nowhere comes this 6-foot-2 red devil and he just puts his arms out and goes, 'I've got her!'

"I'm telling you, I felt like I had my very own superhero. I was just swooped up by him."

Article from NorthJersey.com, written by Amy Longsdorf.

2003-02-11T15:30:00.000-05:00

TV Gal Spells Out the Best Kisses

Pucker up. Because their kiss, their kiss is on my list.

Deep down, we know that a television couple is entirely fictional (really, we do). They're two actors paid to read their lines and emote (I'm serious, we know that). But sometimes we forget. Sometimes a television kiss is the butterflies-in-your-stomach, toes-curled, heart-go-pitter-patter kind of lip lock that we actually stand up and cheer.

Here are my 10 favorite television kisses of all time (I instituted a one kiss per show rule).

Sydney and Vaughn on "Alias" in "Phase One" : The kiss that inspired this particular column. After SD-6 had been destroyed and their reason for remaining apart obliterated, Sydney and Vaughn, in full S.W.A.T. team regalia, rushed toward each other, kissed, and the world around them disappeared. Jennifer Garner and Michael Vartan share a rare and palpable on-screen chemistry. They just look at each other and generate heat. So, when their lips finally met, it was the pay off fans have been patiently waiting for. Their little seduction in Sydney's kitchen in "Double Agent," was also fantastic, but there's nothing like the first kiss.

Find the other nine at Zap2I1. Article by Amy Amatangelo.

2003-02-11T15:19:00.000-05:00

On TV, sex is everywhere, but where's the romance?

Scripted romances fare no better on TV. Creating a good one is such a problem that few writers even try anymore.

First, there's the elusive question of chemistry. As soap opera fans know, a "super couple" doesn't come around every day. Some pairs have jump-off-the-screen chemistry; others simply don't combust.

Then, there's the problem of pace. Get a couple together too quickly and the romance seems forced. Keep them apart too long, put too many obstacles in their path, and that gets tedious. Put them together forever and the show is really in trouble. If there's a true blow to TV romance, it's marriage.

Consider "Good Morning Miami," a show billed as a romantic comedy and built entirely on the will-they-or-won't-they relationship of its two lead characters, TV producer Jake (Mark Feuerstein) and hairdresser Dylan (Ashley Williams).

Adorable as she is, and nice guy that he seems to be, the pairing flopped. For one thing, instead of feeling spontaneous, it seemed forced. For another, the two actors have less chemistry than bagels and lox.

It's possible to get TV romance right, however.

The hottest current coupling is found on ABC's "Alias" (8 p.m. Sundays on Channel 30), where Sydney (Jennifer Garner) and forbidden-love Vaughn (Michael Vartan) recently shared an epic kiss as music soared and the camera swirled around them in a scene straight out of a 1940s movie.

Unfortunately, because of the whole CIA-double agent thing, and the fact that Vaughn is Sydney's boss, and the fact that everybody in the world is out to get them, they can never be together, at least not in public. How hot is that? It's a perfect solution to the TV-romance dilemma, and also calculated to keep Internet fan-fiction sites very, very busy.

Read more from St. Louis Post Dispatch. Article by Gail Pennington.

2003-02-11T15:13:00.000-05:00

Farrell Hits The Bullseye

Colin Farrell, who plays the villainous Bullseye in the upcoming Daredevil movie, told SCI FI Wire that the character was a refreshing change from his other roles in serious movies such as Tigerland and Minority Report. "It was fun to do, man," the Irish actor said in an interview while promoting Daredevil.

Farrell added, "I've always ... just tried to concern myself with the character and what's going on in the character's head and heart. But this time there was no major internal struggle going on. It wasn't someone that lost a father or found himself in a prisoner-of-war camp or was going through anything really except just the fun and enjoyment and pleasure that he derived from killing people. He was fairly black and white, Bullseye."

In the film adaptation of the Marvel Comics series, Farrell plays the bald assassin who helps the evil Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan). "It was just a case of checking in your subtlety at the door and having a f--king good time, you know?" Farrell said. "And [director] Mark [Steven Johnson] was great to be around, because he was always inspiring me to just push the envelope and go further and further. And I enjoyed it."

Farrell said that it helped to wear a flowing black leather coat and the imprint of a bullseye on his forehead. "The costume was a huge help," he said. "You put that sh-t on, they put a bullseye on your head, you're bald, you've got piercings, and you just start moving a little bit differently and swaggering like your sh-t doesn't stink. ... You growl a lot, and you feel like you're just ridiculous and just a caricature and over the top, so you just deal with that." Daredevil opens Feb. 14.

Article from Sci Fi Wire.

2003-02-11T15:03:00.000-05:00

New Poll at Sci Fi Wire

Alias star Jennifer Garner switches gears to play Elektra in the upcoming Daredevil movie. Who would win in a fair fight, spy girl Sydney Bristow or sword-wielding Elektra?

*Sydney would kick butt!
*Elektra's the devil's own!
*They'd tie, then have coffee.

Vote here

2003-02-10T13:09:00.000-05:00

Post-9/11 shows fuel national pride
Realistic or not-so-much, pop culture's new face is pro-red, white and blue

On the Feb. 2 episode of the television series Alias, CIA agent Sydney Bristow came face-to-face with two identical men, one of whom stole the other's body and face through next-generation gene therapy.

This is the CIA?

Alias is in the middle of a boom in entertainment that portrays, accurately or not, the nation's federal intelligence agencies. Coupled with intelligence operations' heightened profile in the campaign against terrorism, shows like 24 and The Agency and films like The Recruit and The Sum of All Fears are opening students' eyes to a different way to serve their country. The spotlight on the nation's intelligence operations has brightened at the same time as an outbreak of law enforcement and government-based pop culture, fueling a general movement of national pride that has prompted changes in some students' career interests.

"I'd say in general there's probably a slight shift in terms of a slightly more patriotic viewpoint through those shows and movies," said Brad Morse, an adviser in the government and politics department. An increase in the number of students signing up for international politics courses was likely prompted by the national awareness, he said. Morse said the idea of pop culture additionally influencing students' decisions is not completely unfounded.

"I haven't seen specifically an influence, which may be surprising me a bit," Morse said. "I always figured all those lawyer TV shows probably influenced people to become lawyers and doctor shows [did the same for] doctors, but I haven't really seen a noticeable trend along those lines ... I think those things have subtle cultural effects, and they probably take years to happen."

The criminology and criminal justice department has also seen growth in the number of students in the major, an increase easily correlated with the fight against terrorism, officials said.

"Because of the emphasis on homeland security, [the number of students] has definitely increased a great deal in the past few years," said Barbara Scotto, an academic adviser for the department. "Our major now has over 1,400 students, so we're one of the largest on campus."

Scotto said most CIA employees work for other federal agencies before joining the agency, so their fields of study often vary. Paul Nowack, a CIA spokesperson, acknowledged the diverse nature of positions at the agency and said the applicant pool deepened considerably in the year following the terrorist attacks.

"We have had an increase of interest ... for working here since the 9/11 attacks," Nowack said. "We've more than doubled the amount of applications we usually get, something over 140,000 in that year, instead of the usual 60,000 or under."

Other sources at the CIA said application numbers occasionally spike with exposure gained from TV shows and movies. Despite the Hollywood endorsements, however, advisers emphasize that flashy scenes like those frequently shown on Alias are not always the best representations of reality.

"We have an office here, and have a person who coordinates with Hollywood," Nowack said. "In some cases, we've been approached for our cooperation to be advisers on some things for some of the recent productions and movies. Other things, we've not been consulted at all ... TV shows have their own agenda to provide entertainment. We have our own things that we have to do regardless of what anyone out there says about us ... [the TV shows] are for one purpose, and they'll portray us any way that they like, and that's certainly their right."

Scotto said few students come into her office motivated by a TV show or movie and advised against putting trust in the Tinseltown portrayal of any occupation.

"I think Alias is so in the realm of almost fantasy that I think people look at that and don't see that as a real possibility," Scotto said. "[Students] have to take it all with a grain of common sense."

The CIA is not alone in getting extra interest from exposure in the news and pop culture; Scotto mentioned the TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as one that influences students to go into forensic sciences, and said the FBI is "the main agency that students are interested in."

Nick Stewart, a freshman criminology and criminal justice and government and politics major, said he hopes to work for either the FBI or CIA, and acknowledged the extra personal challenges brought on by heightened interest in the careers.

"I think applications [for the agencies] have increased ... that's kind of affecting me," Stewart said. "You really have to be on top of your game and really get a lot done to actually be looked at by them."

Although Stewart said he sometimes views government-based entertainment, he said consumers should understand the creative liberties taken by people behind the camera.

"Some of it is misrepresented, and a lot of it is Hollywood," Stewart said. "I did see The Recruit, and a good portion of that is true, but you know a lot of it is Hollywood, and I think it's glamorizing what these people do ... Obviously, everything's going to have dull moments and stuff you have to work towards."

Stewart acknowledged, however, the benefits the agency reaps from the extra attention. "[The agencies are] recruiting the best out of the best now," he said. "That couldn't be better for them."

Article from The Diamondback, written by Laura Kennedy.

2003-02-10T13:06:00.000-05:00

A 'Daredevil' leap for minor superhero
Originally a modest action piece, the film took on blockbuster proportions after the success of 'Spider-Man.'

The making of "Daredevil" is the story of two movies. The first was conceived when "Spider-Man" was just another comic book. The second was made after the Tobey Maguire movie spun staggering box-office records.

Originally imagined six years ago as a $50-million action story with modest aspirations, "Daredevil" grew into a nearly $80-million would-be blockbuster. Much of the transformation can be linked to "Spider-Man," which debuted just weeks before "Daredevil" started production and eventually grossed more than $796 million worldwide.

" 'Spider-Man' did us a big favor," says Gary Foster, the producer of "Daredevil," which opens Friday. Thanks to Peter Parker's popularity, "Daredevil's" special effects budget was bolstered, renowned fight choreographer Cheung-Yan Yuen ("Matrix Reloaded," "Charlie's Angels") was brought in, and several shots were added to critical stunt sequences.

The flashy additions should help. Unlike some of its Marvel comic book brethren, "Daredevil" doesn't have huge name-brand appeal. If "Spider-Man" is the equivalent of John Grisham, "Daredevil" is more akin to John Irving. They both write books, but only the first author guarantees big opening-weekend business.

Still, it's no surprise that "Daredevil" has been turned into a movie. In the franchise fever currently seizing Hollywood, comic books are now seen as preeminent source material. They have devoted fans who turn out opening weekend, offer myriad possibilities for spinoffs and sequels (there are more than 100 characters in "X-Men" alone) and they often bring fresh storylines into the clichéd action genre.

This summer, moviegoers will see "The Hulk" and an "X-Men" sequel. In the works are a "Spider-Man" follow-up, "The Punisher," "Fantastic Four," "Ghost Rider," "Iron Man," "Namor," "Werewolf by Night" and new "Superman" and "Batman" movies. Suddenly, it's a very crowded arena.

Starring Ben Affleck, Colin Farrell and TV's "Alias" star Jennifer Garner in her first (and presumably not last) leading film role, "Daredevil" tells the story of Matt Murdock. Blinded in a childhood accident, Murdock (Affleck) is nevertheless dubbed the "Man Without Fear." Crusading lawyer by day, he turns into the violent vigilante Daredevil at night, guided by extrasensory perception that helps him "see."

Over the course of the film, Daredevil battles Bullseye (Farrell), a sharpshooter who turns peanuts, pencils and paperclips into lethal weapons; Elektra (Garner), a knife-twirling knockout; the crime boss Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan); and the most hideous villain imaginable, a pesky newspaper reporter (Joe Pantoliano).

Among comic book aficionados, "Daredevil" is a legitimate blockbuster; actor-comic book collector Nicolas Cage just auctioned his copy of a first issue of "Daredevil" for $11,500. But outside the universe of geeks who can debate for hours the talents of comic legends Stan Lee and Frank Miller (both of whom have cameos in the film), "Daredevil" enjoys fleeting awareness.

While many moviegoers had never heard of "X-Men" before that film's 2000 debut, the comic books of the same name are Marvel's biggest sellers. "Daredevil" is well down in the pack. In the last two months, it was Marvel's 13th bestselling title, trailing "Spider-Man," "X-Men" and "Avengers," the company says.

"When I first told people that I was making a movie called 'Daredevil,' " Foster says, "they would respond by saying, 'Oh, you're making a movie about (motorcycle stunt rider) Evel Knievel?' " Adds "Daredevil" director Mark Steven Johnson: "I was going after this before the whole Marvel phenomenon started. Nobody knew who Daredevil was."

'A hero who is human'

They are still learning. Before "Daredevil" was eventually made by 20th Century Fox and producing partner New Regency, several studios passed. Sony's Columbia Pictures, which made "Spider-Man," walked away from the project when it was unable to secure "Daredevil's" Internet movie rights -- and today we all know how valuable that isn't.

Despite its success with "X-Men," Fox was nervous about several aspects of "Daredevil's" making. "It's not as well known as 'X-Men' or 'Spider-Man,' but it is a great character," says Tom Rothman, Fox's chairman. "We weren't making it because it has a built-in fan base. We went into it because it's a great story -- this guy is deeply interesting. He's a hero who is human. He is morally complex, he bleeds, he hurts, and he is a flawed person."

"Spider-Man" proved audiences didn't mind a conflicted hero; it also showed that an actor like Maguire, best known for art films, could become an action star. The casting couldn't be more timely, at least in terms of free publicity. Affleck's relationship with Jennifer Lopez has filled miles of tabloid newsprint. Farrell recently showed up at the premiere of his other new movie, "The Recruit," with Britney Spears on his arm, nearly triggering a paparazzi riot.

The best timing, however, might revolve around the casting of Garner. The filmmakers closed their deal with Garner just hours before she won a Golden Globe last year for "Alias." While the first "Daredevil" poster featured only Affleck, the new edition showcases the entire lead cast, with Garner nearly as prominent as the film's title character in disguise.

It's an outfit that Affleck almost didn't get to wear. Fearful that audiences wouldn't accept Affleck (or any other actor, for that matter) in a tight red leather suit with little horns, Fox originally asked the costume designers to steer away from the comic book aesthetic.

"Studios are like banks: they are risk-averse," says Avi Arad, chief executive of Marvel Studios and a "Daredevil" producer. "They wanted the characters to look like somebody who could walk into a diner and no one would look up from their soup."

But the resulting costume design looked like a hip-hop interpretation of the Unabomber's FBI sketch: a man in a hooded sweatshirt and dark sunglasses. For the core audience, it rang false. "We were afraid of his looking ridiculous," Johnson says. "I mean, it's a guy in a devil suit. But at the same time, you have to honor the fans. You have to treat it seriously, with respect. If not, you're dead in the water. You've made 'Batman' or 'The Phantom.' "

'Wow' moments

For the core comic book crowd, authenticity helps open movies. What also boosts ticket sales are eye-popping special effects. Thanks to its $140-million budget, "Spider-Man" had plenty. How was "Daredevil" going to compete, with half that amount?

Already, "Daredevil" was shooting in Los Angeles to save money, even though almost the entire story is set in New York's Hell's Kitchen. Farrell was added to the cast at a deep discount, because he owed Regency and Fox a movie as part of his acting contract for an earlier movie, "Tigerland." And the special effects budget was less than what most big studios spend just on screenplay rewrites.

As soon as "Spider-Man" opened, Foster says, Fox "was suddenly saying, 'We need more "wow" moments. We need bigger effects.' "

The most significant improvements were made to a cinematic trick called Shadow World, which tries to represent Murdock and Daredevil's point of view. The number of Shadow World shots was increased by about 50%, but the film's effects budget still came in at only $6 million.

The filmmakers did not have enough money for an effects-heavy scene in which Daredevil runs across lanes of moving traffic. But they were able to add several impressive shots to a fight between Daredevil and Bullseye. Yuen choreographed two balletic fight sequences, one between Murdock and Elektra in a playground, the other between Daredevil and Bullseye in a church.

In adding all these bells and whistles, the challenge was not to lose Johnson's original idea for "Daredevil": a troubled protagonist who is far less invincible than his comic book peers.

"This was our chance to show something different, something you may not have seen before," says Johnson, whose only other directing credit came on the $21-million sentimental drama "Simon Birch," adapted from Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany." When you first meet the hero, Johnson says, he's not kicking anyone around. "In fact, he's bleeding to death."

While other comic book movies offer huge, expensive set pieces to wrap up their movies, "Daredevil" presents something much smaller. "I really don't know if this will work," Johnson says, discounting early talk of a "Bullseye" prequel, a "Daredevil" sequel and an "Elektra" spin-off. "We don't have the big third act of 'Spider-Man' or 'X-Men.' We have guys fighting in an office. Ours is very personal. It's not about saving the world."

Ben Affleck turns superhero in “Daredevil.”
(Zade Rosenthal)

In her first leading film role, Jennifer Garner plays the knife-twirling knockout Elektra.
(Zade Rosenthal)

Article from Calendar Live, written by John Horn.

2003-02-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

Daring to trust a director's passion

Sometimes the logical choice isn't the right choice. Mark Steven Johnson, the 38-year-old director and screenwriter of "Daredevil," admits he's hardly an A-list director or writer. His most notable writing credits up until "Daredevil" were "Grumpy Old Men" and "Simon Birch." His last film was the 1998 Michael Keaton vehicle "Jack Frost." Made for around $50 million, it grossed a mere $34.5 million at the U.S. box office.

It isn't exactly the sort of track record you'd expect from the screenwriter-director at the helm of a $75 million action flick like "Daredevil."

Still, as a lifelong fan of the comic book on which the film is based, Johnson says that of all the projects he has been involved in, this is the one he always wanted to make.

"I knew nobody was going to hand me the keys to this movie. So, I kept calling Avi's [Arad, the head of Marvel Entertainment] office until he let me do this movie."

Arad says he was reluctant to entrust Johnson with the project at first.

"Mark was known as a fantastic comedy writer. Still, my No. 1 rule is the people involved in Marvel projects have to be passionate about them. With Mark, I could tell it would be a labor of love."

Once he got the job, Johnson wanted to be certain he got everything right.

"I'm under a lot of pressure. I got a tremendous opportunity. I feel responsible, not only to Fox because they stuck their neck out, but also to the fans, because I'm one of them," Johnson says.

He immediately came under fire from comic book fans who picked apart everything for costumes to casting choices.

Two particular characters caused the most ire. Elektra--Daredevil's love interest--is Greek, but Jennifer Garner--who plays the character in the film--is not. The scuttlebutt surrounding her casting was nothing compared to what followed when African-American actor Michael Clarke Duncan was cast as the villain Kingpin, though. Kingpin is a large, muscular character who happens to be white in the comic books.

"Fanboys will pick apart everything. I wanted to stay true to the comic and find the best possible Kingpin."

Johnson auditioned several wrestlers and while they fit the build of the character, none of them had the acting chops to pull off the role. Johnson is quick to defend his choices.

"I kept coming back to Michael. He has the physical presence and the acting skills. So he isn't white. Michael has the most important attributes of the character and that's why I cast him."

Cast in place, Johnson says he set out to make the best possible film he could.

"We'd shoot all night. I'd go back to my trailer, grab an hour or two of sleep, then get up and rewrite a scene and go shoot it. Everything had to be perfect. Once something is shot, you aren't able to change it. That's a pretty intimidating thing."

Johnson says he's most proud of one of the film's first scenes. After a night of crime fighting, the battered and bruised Daredevil comes home to his tiny, cramped New York apartment, finds out his girlfriend has dumped him via his answering machine, takes a fistful of painkillers and tries to get some sleep.

"You get the sense this guy can't go on much longer doing what he's doing. Daredevil is a man without fear, but that might not be such a great thing. As one of the characters in the film says, 'A man without fear is a man without hope.' "

Johnson himself remains optimistic. He's already attached to a "Daredevil" sequel should "The Man Without Fear" strike box office gold. He also says he'd be content making comic book movies for the rest of his life.

"Avi should be very nervous and leave no forwarding address," Johnson says with a laugh. "There's a lot in the Marvel universe I'd still like to get my hands on."

Article from the Chicago Sun-Times, written by Misha Davenport.

2003-02-10T12:57:00.000-05:00

Marvel on a roll with screen success of superhero stable

Everyone--it seems--wants a piece of Marvel Comics. Just ask Avi Arad, the head of Marvel's film division, Marvel Entertainment.

"It's been a crazy day," Arad recently said from his cell phone.

A few days before the Super Bowl and while he was location scouting for the "Spider-Man" sequel in Manhattan, Arad found himself sidetracked after someone hacked into Universal Studios and stole the new "Hulk" trailer that was set to debut during halftime.

"It's all over the Internet. I've been on the phone all morning trying to get people to remove it from their Web sites."

Though he is a very busy man, Arad, 54, won't hear of talk of rescheduling an interview. Interest in films based on Marvel superheroes remains high and Arad would like to keep it that way.

"We're at the point where--finally--our work is being recognized as literature. Sure, they're comics, but they're also books."

Of course, it helps that one of Marvel's films last year, "Spider-Man," grossed $403 million and is No. 5 on the list of top-grossing films of all time. Its other, "Blade II," also was a hit.

This year promises to be no different. In addition to Daredevil, Marvel superheroes such as the Incredible Hulk and the X-Men are poised to leap from the panels of comic books to the big screen. Another Marvel property--"Mutant X"-- is the second-highest-rated series in syndication and has just been renewed.

Arad said 2004 will be even busier, with four films being considered for release. In addition to the "Spider-Man" sequel, the studio plans to release "The Punisher," "Namor: The Sub-Mariner" and quite possibly either "The Fantastic Four" or "Ghost Rider."

Many of the projects have been in development hell for years. Marvel, however, is enjoying some new-found clout and the studio has been able to get some of its long-languishing projects off the ground.

"It's about having the best and brightest in entertainment wanting to take part in your projects. That's what it takes. Without the best, you can't make these movies," Arad said.

Arad has said he'd love to cast George Clooney as The Fantastic Four's leader, Mr. Fantastic. There's another A-list star he's set his sights on for a future Marvel project.

"Tom Cruise. I would love to have him for 'Iron Man.' If he wanted it, he could definitely be my Tony Stark."

The Sci-Fi Channel is also developing "Brother Voodoo"--about a doctor who is also a voodoo priest--as a two-hour movie that will serve as a possible pilot for a future series if the ratings are good. "1000 Days," based on another obscure Marvel property called "Strikeforce: Morituri," is also being groomed as a possible series for the cable channel.

If that wasn't enough, Arad says there's even a "Daredevil" sequel waiting to be green-lighted should the first film prove to be a powerhouse. Arad also is in talks with Jennifer Garner to spin off her "Daredevil" character Elektra into her own film franchise.

"It's in the script phase, but Jennifer says she's already attached. She had a great experience making 'Daredevil' and is looking forward to returning to the role," Arad said.

Article from the Chicago Sun-Times, written by Misha Davenport.

2003-02-10T12:55:00.000-05:00

Giving the 'devil his due

Sixty stories above street level in New York City, there's a damsel in distress. Actress Jennifer Garner is about to hit the wall--literally.

Her troubles began when Mark Steven Johnson, the director of "Daredevil," made a not-so-simple request. "Jen, see that brick wall we created on the rooftop. Well, run straight at it going full speed, throw your legs up and flip over." Wired for safety and stunt savvy from her TV series "Alias," a game Garner gave it her best shot.

Months later, she recalls, "I ran at the wall, went to throw my legs in the air and got entangled in the safety wires. My arm was caught and I swung at top speed and face first towards the brick wall. I was going so fast that I honestly didn't think I'd have a face left."

It wasn't a bird, it wasn't a plane that saved her. It was a 6'4" fiancee of another Jennifer who, in a red leather suit, raced forward, shoved a few lesser mortals out of his way and put his arms out. Ben Affleck, who is "Daredevil," wasn't acting when he screamed, "Don't worry! I got her!"

Even half a year later, Garner marvels, "It wasn't like he was 'Daredevil.' It was like he was Superman or something."

"These days most people are sick of seeing me," Affleck jokes on a sunny morning in Pasadena at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, where he and Jennifer Lopez are staying. "But Jennifer Garner was really, really glad I showed up that day."

In a white T-shirt and jeans, Affleck doesn't look like he's up for any superhuman duties today. In fact, he looks a little bit whupped. For the last year, his very public romance with fiancee Jennifer Lopez has been played out in the mass media--ad nauseam.

"I'd like to work without being in the middle of a tornado," Affleck says, and then he shrugs. "I guess this is how you get the big-money movies. I'd like to think that I'm a towering talent. The truth is, I've had to sell my life along with the movies. It's all about visibility."

Affleck, who stars in "Daredevil," opening Friday, would like you to believe that he is having a devil of a time adjusting to being in the limelight. Sure, there are funny moments, like when he was named by People magazine as their 2002 Sexiest Man Alive. "People called my Mom first. So Mom calls me and says, 'You're the sexiest man alive?' I said, 'Mom, it's probably a prank.' Mom says, 'You as the sexiest man alive? It's ridiculous, Ben! But if it's true, don't get a big head.'"

That's tough when you have a superhero movie out next weekend that has you in enough red leather to upholster a fleet of Rolls Royces.

In "Daredevil," Affleck plays the dual role of lawyer Matt Murdock, a.k.a. "Daredevil" or "The Man Without Fear." The character is based on the Marvel comic about a native of Hell's Kitchen who has an accident as a young boy and is blinded. The good news is that all his other senses become hyper acute. He "sees" with almost a sonar sense.

As an adult, Murdock becomes a lawyer by day and judge and jury by night. Dressed like the devil in red, he rids the streets of scourges like a one-man vigilante squad.

"He goes to confession at church. His priest is sort of his Alfred," says Affleck. "At nights, he takes Vicodin to make the pain of all that street fighting go away. This is a guy who hurts."

"He also makes out. He's a dog in that area," says "DD" director Johnson. "Daredevil hits on girls and plays the blind boy routine." But he's not just a lover of Elektra (Jennifer Garner). Daredevil also must fight to save his city from the evil Kingpin (Chicago's own Michael Clarke Duncan) and a vicious killer named Bullseye (Colin Farrell), who got that name because he never misses.

From the start, Affleck wanted in on the action. "I loved the comic books as a boy because this Daredevil wasn't some chaste Boy Scout. The guy represented something more realistic. I know, it sounds funny because the guy still puts on a red suit, tights and fights crime. Still, I liked that he didn't always do the right thing. He was just a guy with a handicap and some vulnerabilities and peculiarities. Yet, when he gets hit, he bleeds."

Playing blind wasn't for wimps. Affleck says, "Pacino did a fantastic job playing blind in 'Scent of a Woman.' He set the bar high." So, Affleck decided to hit that mark by studying with blind actor Tom Sullivan. He also wore opaque contact lenses, which actually did blur his vision. "I really couldn't see well. The challenge was not to walk into the furniture," he says.

The other challenge involved the fight scenes with Duncan, Farrell and a tough girl named Jennifer Garner. "One day, I kicked Ben so hard in the head," frets Garner. "He said to me, 'Owww, that hurt. Plus, it's not fair. I saved your head from that brick wall and you just kicked mine in.'"

She adds, "We worked with master fight trainer Cheung Yan Yuen, who choreographed 'Charlie's Angels.' And we also worked with his brother Wo-Ping Yuen, who did all the action for 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.' But we didn't have three months to train. I was filming 'Alias' and Ben was being Ben all over the world.

"We had weeks to train, which is why one day I also took a chunk out of Ben's nose, a big piece," Garner says, wincing. "I hit him hard, he was bleeding and Ben's makeup artist freaked. I was like, 'Is he insured?'"

But unlike his character, Affleck is not the Man Without Fear. "I have so many fears," he jokes, "that if I were a superhero, I'd be Anxiety Guy."

Article from the Chicago Sun-Times, written by Cindy Pearlman.

2003-02-09T11:04:00.000-05:00

Heroine chic
Jennifer Garner electric as Daredevil's equal in adaptation of Marvel comic
Houston native defends her troubled hero

As Ninja assassin Elektra Natchios, Jennifer Garner proves she knows her way around a sword. Ben Affleck plays the title character in Daredevil which opens on Friday.

PASADENA, Calif.—Jennifer Garner likes to begin most days by hitting the gym as early as 4:30 a.m. An hour of cardio, weight circuits and stretching and she's off to a gruelling 15-hour day on the set of her hit TV series Alias. That doesn't leave much time for the Houston native to spend with her husband of two years, actor Scott Foley. Still, she insists, "He's the one I want to be with when I do have the time, so we make it happen whenever we can."

Recently, Garner, 5-foot-8 with flowing, shoulder-length brunette locks, ducked out of a cast dinner honouring her new movie Daredevil, offering only: "I'm sorry guys, I've got a date."

Garner and Foley have been hopeless romantics since their first meeting on the set of his now-cancelled teen drama Felicity in 1998.

"I remember the very first day going home and telling my roommate 'That's the girl I'm gonna marry,'" he gushed in January. But it wasn't exactly that easy.

"I let him woo me for a little," Garner says with a smile. "And he did. He was very determined."

First came the phone calls. Then the flowers.

"He took me for drives and made me dinner," she remembers. "And he didn't try to kiss me too soon. He definitely took his time."

Garner admits a romantic trip to Paris finally sealed the deal. "We rode the Ferris wheel, held hands, sipped hot chocolate in bistros and fell completely and ridiculously in love," she says.

Two years later, Foley still lights the walkway to their house with candles and wakes up early on weekends to cook his wife breakfast in bed.

The couple was married on Oct. 19, 2000 in the backyard of their San Fernando Valley home. So far, despite their busy schedules, the relationship is holding firm. The house, however was another story. "The plumbing didn't work, the septic tank was old, and the electricity was kind of off," Garner laughs. "So we just moved to a smaller place where everything works."

They brought along their Maltese terrier Charlie Rose (not named after the American TV newscaster) and a beagle-boxer mix named Maggie May that Foley rescued one afternoon after she had been hit by a car. "We became an instant family," Garner says. It may be a while, however, before there are any further additions to the household.

"We're both still young and although we want to have children and we've spoken about it, we are both pretty happy with our lives right now, living one day at a time," Foley says.

On rare nights off, Garner and Foley enjoy quiet nights at home playing Scrabble or Gin. This weekend they are going to New York City where Garner was scheduled to host Saturday Night Live. It's a final chance to promote her role in Daredevil, a big-screen adaptation of the popular Marvel comic, starring Ben Affleck as the blind superhero. It opens Friday.

Garner stars as Elektra Natchios, a Ninja assassin and Daredevil's old flame. "What I love about Elektra is that she is Daredevil's equal," Garner says. "She can take him physically. She is as smart as he is. She is absolutely capable of taking care of herself ... yet she has a very feminine side."

So does Garner, who grew up playing the saxophone and dancing ballet. She was never much of a comic fan growing up in Charleston, W. Va. "I followed Little House On The Prairie and Emily Of New Moon," she says.

Garner is the middle of three girls born to Pat, a retired English teacher and Bill, a former chemical engineer. While enrolled at George Washington High School, Garner and her best friend Carrie babysat, took care of neighbours' pets and sold ice cream to earn enough money for clothes from her favourite store, The Limited. She dated a popular football player, but wasn't exactly a social butterfly. "I wasn't popular, but I wasn't tragic, either," Garner says with a laugh. "I didn't like parties and I still don't."

Instead, she prefers gardening, hiking and cooking. In fact, while filming the pilot for Alias, each Sunday night Garner would prepare all of her meals for the following week. "I would just have a big cook-a-thon and make all of these healthy things: soup, chicken breast, vegetable lasagna," she says.

Garner, who admits to having a soft spot for Martha Stewart ("I know she's supposed to be mean, but I just love her"), enrolled at Denison University in 1990 to study chemistry but changed her major to drama. After college, she moved to New York and then to Los Angeles, paying the bills with a hostess job at Isabella's restaurant.

She scored guest spots on Fantasy Island (the later series), Law & Order and Spin City, before landing the breakthrough role of Agent Sydney Bristow in 2001. Garner is currently filming the romantic drama 13 Going On 30 opposite Mark Ruffalo.

Plans are also in the works for a Daredevil spin-off movie featuring Elektra in the starring role — an idea she likes.

"Wouldn't that be fun?"

Article from TheStar.com, written by Sean Daly.

2003-02-09T10:57:00.000-05:00

Ben-hero

PASADENA -- Jennifer Garner had to do some major moonlighting to play the love interest of Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck) in Daredevil.

There were weeks she was doing double duty travelling from the set of her hit TV show Alias to play Daredevil's Elektra Natchios, who becomes the prey of the villainous Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) and his henchman Bullseye (Colin Farrell).

Garner says Affleck became her hero off-camera as well as on-camera.

It happened while they were rehearsing a courtship sequence in which Elektra and Matt engage in a battle of skill and wit in a playground.

"At one point Elektra runs up a wall, flips over and lands on her feet. I was on a wire which helped with the momentum. During one take, during the flip, I got tangled in one of the safety wires.

"I was being propelled back toward the wall. If Ben hadn't swooped in and caught me in his arms, I would have smashed my head or face against the wall."

Garner and Affleck have a second fight sequence, but this time as Elektra and Daredevil, when she wrongly believes he is the evil force in her life.

These two scenes were inserted as a result of the success of Spider-Man.

"Because they weren't planned, Ben and I had to rehearse these two scenes for three hours every day for six weeks.

"We worked with (fight choreographer) Cheung Yan Yuen who'd worked on The Matrix. For most of that rehearsal period he hated everything Ben and I did. He'd scold us after every attempt, so we were unbelievably proud when we finally got his approval."

The success came at a cost.

"I actually took a divot of skin out of Ben's nose. His makeup man had to fill it in every day for weeks.

"Ben joked that he had saved my nose and I tried to break his."

Garner says her training for Daredevil has greatly enhanced her stunt work on Alias.

"No one ever demanded I get really good on Alias. I just had to make it look good. On Daredevil, they pushed me daily to excel.

"I took two of Ben's Daredevil stuntmen back to do an episode of Alias that showcases some wicked action because we were used to working with each other."

Article from Canoe, written by Louis B. Hobson.

2003-02-09T10:52:00.000-05:00

Femme fatale
Smalltown girl makes big in Daredevil

PASADENA -- Jennifer Garner is every bit as proud of her off-screen alias as she is of her on-screen ones.

In her reel life, Garner plays such super women as double agent Sydney Bristow on TV's Alias and Elektra Natchios, billionaire love interest of Matt Murdock, the blind vigilante in Daredevil.

In real life, Garner is Mrs. Scott Foley, the wife of the actor she met in 1998 on the set of the TV drama Felicity.

Foley, 30, was series regular Noel Crane for four seasons.

Garner, 30, played Hannah Bibb in three episodes.

"From the moment I met Scott, he definitely intrigued me. I knew I wanted to see him again," says Garner, adding they dated cautiously.

"He was very big into flowers and still is. He'd always send me flowers after a date.

"I liked that he didn't try to kiss me too soon, but what I really loved was that he would cook for me on weekends. That seemed so romantic."

They were married in October of 2000 and Garner insists "Scott is still as romantic as he was when we were first courting, and he can still prepare an incredible meal."

These days, Garner oversees what her husband cooks because she has him on the strict low-carbs diet she follows in order to stay fit for the rigorous filming schedule of her TV show Alias.

"Scott gained quite a bit of weight when he stopped smoking. I waited until it was his decision to lose the weight and then we dieted together."

She's so proud of his progress that Garner insists her husband should be the next screen Superman.

"Scott's butt would look so great in those Superman tights."

Garner says she's been in tune with her body since she was a child.

"I was trained as a ballet dancer and so I understand my body, which is why the stunts and fights on Alias and in Daredevil are something I loved doing.

"These screen fights and actions scenes are really just another form of choreography."

SURPRISE STAR

Garner was a relative unknown when she was cast in the TV spy drama Alias.

She'd had guest spots on such TV shows such as Law & Order, Spin City and The Pretender, and had minor roles in such films as Dude, Where's My Car? and Pearl Harbor.

In its first season, Alias earned Garner a Golden Globe for best dramatic actress, and the show's fan base continues to grow.

"It doesn't seem odd to me to be recognized in public and have people say hello. I'm from a small town where everyone says hello to everyone else.

"I haven't had to cope with paparazzi yet and doubt I will because I'm happily married with no skeletons in my closets.

"The only drawback is that I'm getting my share of really sexy leading men. Scott understands it's all part of my job, but doesn't exactly love it."

Article from Canoe, written by Louis B. Hobson.

2003-02-09T10:47:00.000-05:00

Sensing a hit
'Daredevil' brings his courage and brains from the printed page to film

"Spider-Man" is No. 4 on the all-time blockbus ter list - not bad for a charac ter based on a "funny book."

Friday, another Marvel Comics character hits the big screen, and Marvel is betting that "Daredevil" also will be a hit.

But don't expect another Spider-Man movie.

"Daredevil," starring Ben Affleck in the title role, is different, said Avi Arad, Marvel's representative to the film industry. It will be a much darker film.

Daredevil is a vigilante whose super-enhanced senses more than make up for his blindness. He's more Batman than Captain America, more at home fighting street crime than world-class villains.

"Spider-Man is an icon, known all over the world," said Arad. "Children wear Spider-Man pajamas who have never seen a Spider-Man comic. Daredevil is not as well-known but is a hero in and out of his costume.

"He's human. He hurts. He's not perfect. He does not have all the powers that the other guys do. Also, he's religious, and that plays a part in his life."

A regular hero

Like Spider-Man, Daredevil was born of tragedy. But, in many ways, Daredevil is more of a hero than Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four or The Avengers.

Those other guys have all kinds of superpowers. You can't hurt The Thing with a Sherman tank. Daredevil is close to being just a regular guy.

He has some interesting abilities: senses so enhanced that he could tell you how many grains of salt were on the pretzel he just ate. He could track down a woman by the scent of her perfume, or a man by his body odor.

It seems as if these abilities might be fun at dinner parties but hardly useful when involved in a life-or-death battle with villains such as Electro, The Owl or The Gladiator.

Daredevil relies on courage and brains. At times, he tricks his adversaries into defeating themselves. Over the years, he has developed a reputation in the criminal community as a hero to be feared.

Arad believes all that comes across in the film. He said it doesn't hurt to have a comic fan and movie star such as Affleck behind the mask either. Affleck's co-star is Jennifer Garner (from television's "Alias") as Elektra, a trained ninja and Daredevil's love interest. She already has signed to star in a Daredevil-less "Elektra" sequel.

Arad said the one to watch in the film is the hulking Michael Clarke Duncan as crime lord Wilson Fisk, "The Kingpin."

"People are going to love him," Arad said. "He has a presence on the stage. They will also be attracted to the other villain in the movie, Bullseye, [played by Colin Farrell]. He's a killer with an attitude, a natural star. He could have joined a rock band or played football, but instead he is a charming killer that people will like in spite of what he does."

Like his comic-book counterpart, Bullseye can use anything as a deadly weapon. He can throw the simplest object with such force and unerring accuracy that even a simple paper clip or pen becomes a weapon in his hands.

"He would never use anything so mundane as a knife or gun to kill," Arad said. "For Bullseye, it's got to be done with style."

Arad said the comic-based movies walk a very fine line. They try to remain true to the comics to please the fans but also appeal to people who have never read a comic.

"It all comes down to the script," he said. "It has to be a good story. When you go back to these comics, you find a great story for the taking."

As a child

With Daredevil comics, the story was written by Stan Lee and drawn by Bill Everett in 1964. A host of artists took up the pencils after Everett's first issue. Dozens of writers and artists handled the book over the years with wildly varying degrees of skill.

Daredevil is a lawyer, the only child of a washed-up boxer and a woman who became a nun. As a young boy, Matt Murdock was not allowed to play with the other kids in the tough New York neighborhood called Hell's Kitchen.

His father wanted him to do well in school, go to college and be a success. Matt must have been the greatest kid in the world, because he understood and appreciated what his father was doing. He studied, ignoring the taunts of the neighborhood bullies who called him "Daredevil" as an insult.

Unknown to his father and to the other kids, Matt spent as much time training his body in a neighborhood gym as he did his mind. He was sort of a closet athlete.

His life changed on a busy New York street corner when a blind man walked in front of a truck. Matt pushed the man out of the way as the truck swerved and flipped over to avoid them. A vial containing a radioactive isotope fell out and struck Matt on the face, blinding him.

In real life, he would have gotten cancer and probably died. But, as it often happens in comics, the substance imbued him with incredible senses and enhanced physical skills.

He went to college, got a law degree and opened a practice with his college roommate, "Foggy" Nelson. His first act as a superhero was to avenge his father's murder.

"Battlin' Jack Murdock" was making a comeback, never realizing that his opponents were taking dives.

When the time came for Murdock to feign defeat, he couldn't because his son was in the audience. He won the fight but lost his life.

Bumps in the road

Romance and Daredevil's career would have their ups and downs. He fell in love with his secretary, Karen Page, and told her his secret. She went off to Hollywood to become an actress but instead became a heroin-addicted porn star who eventually betrayed Daredevil to Kingpin.

Writer/artist Frank Miller delivered the quintessential Daredevil stories when he introduced Elektra. The woman was a college love of Murdock's who was turned into a murder machine.

Still, they fell in love, and things seemed to be going great until she was murdered by Bullseye and died in Daredevil's arms.

She got better (this is the comics, after all), but things were never the same.

Miller also wrote the dramatic, yearlong "Born Again" saga where The Kingpin destroys Daredevil and Murdock professionally, psychologically, physically and emotionally. It took months for Daredevil to recover.

Years later, Daredevil turned the tables on Kingpin and destroyed him in much the same way.

Ironically, Kingpin started out as a Spider-Man foe. Marvel hopes that the folks who liked the "Spider-Man" movie will feel the same about "Daredevil."

Article from Cleveland.com.

2003-02-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

Woman without fear
Jennifer Garner, TV's sexiest spy, couldn't say no to a demanding yet breakout role in 'Daredevil'

On the sunny patio of a Pasadena hotel, in jeans and a well-tailored Gucci sport jacket, Jennifer Garner appears much more like the woman Maxim magazine dubbed the world's sexiest than the physically formidable secret agent Sydney Bristow she plays on the "Alias" television show very week.

But the rowdy Irish actor Colin Farrell, who portrays the villainous Bullseye opposite Garner's vengeful heroine Elektra in the upcoming comic book movie "Daredevil" (opening Friday), leaves no doubt as to which aspect of the 30-year-old actress leaves the stronger impression.

"She's really tough, man," Farrell mutters in his tobacco-cured brogue. "Yeah, she's a tough bird, she's a fit girl. We would do a take or two and I'd be in the corner wheezing, and Jennifer'd be like, 'Can we go again straightaway?' I'd be going, 'She's gonna kill me!'"

"I've never seen anyone more determined to kill me in his whole life," counters a laughing Garner, who credits her great shape to an hourlong workout every morning. "Colin was so into our fight scene; it's a good thing he smokes as much as he does, otherwise I don't know if I'd be sitting here with you right now."

"Daredevil" stars Ben Affleck as the title vigilante, a blind New York avenger whose fantastically enhanced other senses make him a scourge of nighttime crime. But Garner's Elektra Natchios is no slouch at martial arts herself. She was trained in many disciplines from childhood because her crooked millionaire father, who is secretly in cahoots with Daredevil's arch-nemesis The Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan), figured she'd need to know how to protect herself someday.

And does she ever, when Kingpin henchman Bullseye kills the elder Natchios but makes it look like Daredevil's fault. Elektra suits-up in skintight, belly-baring leather, sheaths some wicked-looking, three-pronged Asian fighting knives and goes out for some payback -- not knowing that Daredevil is secretly Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer she loves.

A devoted childhood ballerina turned serious stage actress from Charleston, W.Va., Garner finds it amusing that, after many years in show business, she made her first big splash as TV's top action heroine, and that what looks to be her movie breakthrough cast her along the same lines.

"It really makes me laugh that this is the way I've come to notoriety," she says. "I really love words. I love Shakespeare and Ibsen and Strindberg and Shaw. I wanted to work in regional theater because I love approaching a text. And I do feel like on 'Alias' I'm given that task every episode. It is not all about the action to me, it's all about the acting and I happen to do action mixed in, which is the perfect combination.

"If this movie lends itself to me being known even more as the action chick, great. I would love to always have this world to fall back on. But I don't feel pigeonholed."

More becomes Elektra
Still, one of the reasons why Garner wanted to make "Daredevil" was to learn some new tricks. Primary among these was the extensive wire work she and Affleck were taught by Hong Kong action effects specialist Cheung Yan Yuen, a veteran of many Jackie Chan movies, the "Charlie's Angels" movie and the upcoming "Matrix" sequels.

It wasn't the easiest training she'd ever undergone, though. And Garner had once practiced ballet for six hours every day.

"We'd rehearse with them every single day for six weeks, and at the end of each day they would shake their heads no and say, 'Today, maybe, you are five percent,'" she says of the encouragement-impaired, Hong Kong training team. "And it's not like the next day we'd be 10 percent. 'Perhaps, today, you are six percent.' And then the next day we'd be back down to five!"

Once up to speed, though, Garner enthusiastically confirms that she enjoyed the heck out of jumping, kicking and flipping beyond human capabilities.

Except for that one day.

"I did have a moment," she eagerly confides. "It's crystallized in my mind because it is the one moment when the movie went from 'Ooh, that hurts and it's kind of funny that that hurt' to 'I never need to do this particular thing again.' I had to hurl myself off of a two-story height head first, directly toward the camera. Every time that I did it, they would pull me up by the harness just as I was about to hit the camera. It felt like my ribs could break every time. About the 12th or 13th take, it hurt so much and it just seemed so strange and unnecessary to do this to yourself.

"That's very rare. Normally, when you do a stunt, you get less scared every time you do it. In this case, every time I did it I was shaking more and more and more. But that was really it, the one point in the movie when I thought, this is not fun. But that out of a whole summer being strung up on that wire? That's pretty great."

Did we mention that, along with tough chick and hottie, a term often used to describe Garner is cheerleader? Even when complaining about something worth complaining about, the actress comes off sweet and sunny and ever-so-grateful just to be involved, regardless of what's going wrong.

"With Jennifer Garner, it's really one of those things where she's so up-with-people, you keep thinking there has to be some dark side, some twisted underbelly here," co-star Affleck notes. "But as far as I could tell from the months we spent together, there really isn't. She was professional, patient. I think that, if she has a flaw, she's too patient, indulgent and puts up with too much when she should really be saying, 'Wait a minute, this isn't my job.'"

"It's the fault of every Southern woman. We grow up trained to be kind of ingratiating and to put ourselves second in every situation, or further down on the list,' Garner says, while almost as if to prove the point, a little girl walking by from the hotel pool tentatively raises a camera. The actress smiles and warmly tells the child it's OK to take her picture.

"It's hard to strike a balance between the fact that you're so grateful to have your job and want to do everything that's asked of you, and at the same time put yourself or your family or things like that first," Garner continues. "I'm definitely still learning about that. But I guarantee you, the first time I do say no or I do put my foot down, I will immediately be characterized as a bitch, as difficult, as ... y'know? And that's so unfair to women. So, maybe the fear of that does keep me from standing up for myself more when I should."

A funny marriage
For the moment, though, work is mighty rewarding. Home life ain't bad, neither. After two-and-a-half years of marriage, Garner's husband, Scott Foley, whom she met when they both worked on the teen series "Felicity," just started a TV sitcom of his own, "A.U.S.A."

"He's never done something this funny on TV before," the wife gushes. "He certainly is funny all the time at home. I'm thrilled for him, and I'm thrilled for the world that they are going to get to enjoy my husband as much as I do ... as far as being funny; I get him in ways that they can't!"

Sometimes. Garner admits that the demands of a weekly action drama, which she began making six months into their marriage, can be extensive.

"It's an interesting way to be newlywed," she admits. "But so far, so good. He's my biggest support, I'm his biggest fan. We are really good friends, and we're trying to keep perspective that this is not what our life will be forever. He is definitely my first priority outside of what I need to do for my job."

Which is always quite a bit, but recently went, at least to some observers, quite a bit further. The "Alias" episode that aired after last month's Super Bowl was heavily promoted on ABC commercials with shots of Sydney Bristow in Victoria's Secret-quality skivvies. It was a bald attempt to increase male interest in the critically acclaimed show that, over the length of one-and-a-half seasons, has often played to disappointing Nielsen ratings. But Garner insists that, except for the overhyping, which she admittedly found embarrassing, it was no real departure from "Alias"' standard high level of quality.

"I think the show has always been sexy," she notes. "I mean, last year I did an episode in a bikini, and I was constantly in a catsuit or something. Yes, I did a show in some lingerie after the Super Bowl. But we did it with a wink and a nod to ourselves. We knew what we were doing, it was very tongue-in-cheek. And it had the normal edge and intelligence that you would expect from Sydney Bristow. It was very much in character, as far as I was concerned."

While the ratings for the Super Bowl Sunday episode are inconclusive -- "Alias" did not start on the East Coast until after prime time that night -- last Sunday's show with Ethan Hawk ranked a healthy 36 on the Nielsen chart, with the program's best rating since its season premiere. Tonight's episode features Christian Slater.

Garner says that "Alias"' previous lack of mass popularity has been more annoying than worrisome to its close-knit cast and crew.

"How can you worry about that when you're shooting the show?" she rhetorically asks. "We're all 110 percent committed to doing the best that we can. And we do have a fan base that is loyal to our show. I would love for more people to catch onto it, but if they don't, we're happy with what we have. We're not going to be canceled by ABC this year, certainly, we're not struggling in that way. But it feels like we're always shocked when our numbers aren't better than they are."

She's right about not worrying. These days, Garner is getting calls from Steven Spielberg (she arguably shares the coolest scene with Leonardo DiCaprio in "Catch Me if You Can"), and this summer she'll headline her first romantic comedy, the "Big'-ish "13 Going on 30."

Tough, sexy, eager to please -- whatever works for Jennifer Garner, she genuinely could not be happier with the results.

"The last year has been beyond my wildest dreams," she confirms, "and even then some on top of that."

Article from U-San Bernandino County Sun, written by Bob Strauss.

2003-02-09T10:15:00.000-05:00

Pow! Bam! Can Marvel keep soaring?
The company hopes to surpass last year's success with three new films, including "Daredevil".

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - This is shaping up to be the year of the comic book movie. And that's great news for Marvel Enterprises.

"Daredevil", starring J. Lo's latest squeeze, Ben Affleck, and "Alias" hottie Jennifer Garner hits theaters Valentine's Day. The sequel to the wildly successful "X-Men" is due out in May and the eagerly anticipated Hulk movie is coming out in June. (And yes, Lou Ferrigno does have a cameo.)

Marvel stands to benefit since it owns the licenses to all of these comic book characters. But, can its stock duplicate the superhuman 136 percent surge of last year? Marvel (MVL: Research, Estimates) had a fantastic 2002, thanks almost entirely to the success of "Spider-Man", the top-grossing film last year.

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck square off in Daredevil
Marvel has yet to report full-year figures for 2002, but it pre-announced in January, saying it was expecting sales of $280 million to $285 million, about a 55 percent increase from 2001, and earnings excluding preferred dividend payments of between $28 and $31 million, or at least 40 cents a share. This would mark the company's first annual profit after five consecutive years of losses.

Sharing with Hollywood
The company has transformed itself from one that relied heavily on a money-losing toy business to one that reaps rewards when Hollywood uses its characters in movies or television shows. For example, Marvel has a 50-50 joint venture with Sony (Spider-Man's distributor) to share the merchandising revenues from movie products and is also getting a cut of the box-office from the film as well as video and DVD sales.

This wasn't the case when the first X-Men movie came out in 2000; Marvel's previous management team simply negotiated a flat fee to use the characters. (For more about Marvel's turnaround, read: Are there $$$ in Spider-Man's web?)

Of course Marvel, like any entertainment company, is dependent on hits. So, if any of this year's comic book movies flop that does not bode well for the company.

But, so far, investors seem to be betting the public hasn't lost its appetite for costumed heroes. Shares of Marvel are off to a good start, up 23 percent so far in 2003. Based on the company's guidance, the year could be better than last year since the company has licensing agreements for "Daredevil", "X-Men 2" and "The Hulk" that are similar to what it had with Sony for "Spider-Man". (Fox Entertainment Group is the distributor of "Daredevil" and "X-Men 2". Universal is releasing "The Hulk").

It also has a licensing deal with video game publisher Activision, recently extended until 2009, that gives Activision the right to create games based on characters from the Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four and Iron Man comics, as well as an option to buy the rights to games based on movies or TV shows featuring these characters.

As a result, Marvel expects net income to be between $42 and $45 million, equal to 57 to 62 cents a share, or about a 50 percent increase in earnings per share from expected 2002 results.

Pow! Take that, vile debt!
The company's balance sheet, which was seen as a problem last year, is looking a lot nicer as well. Long-term debt stood at about $150 million at the end of December, according to Natexis Bleichroeder analyst Robert Routh. That's down from $182 million at the beginning of 2002. Cash has increased from $22 million to more than $50 million.

But, perhaps the biggest change from last year is that New York-based Marvel has slashed the dividends it had to pay owners of the company's preferred stock.

After Marvel emerged from bankruptcy in 1998, Vice Chairman Isaac Perlmutter (who merged his company, Toy Biz, with Marvel), director Shelly Greenhaus and investment bank Morgan Stanley received preferred stock that paid them quarterly dividends, payments that cut Marvel's earnings by an average of $16.3 million a year.

But in November, Perlmutter, Greenhaus and Morgan Stanley converted their preferred shares, which account for 85 percent of the total preferred share count, to common stock. As a result, the company's preferred dividend payments will be reduced to about $2.7 million a year. That $13.6 million in savings flows right to the bottom line.

The company's newfound success has attracted the interest of Wall Street. A year ago, no analysts followed the stock. Now Routh and an analyst at Thomas Weisel cover it. Their consensus earnings estimate for 2003 is for 59 cents a share. So, at current levels, the stock trades at about 18.6 times 2003 forecasts, or less than half its expected growth rate of about 47 percent in EPS for the year.

Routh thinks the stock has more upside because there are more movies featuring Marvel characters in the works. The Spider-Man sequel, the "Amazing Spider-Man", will be released in 2004 (with a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon, no less). Movies based on The Punisher and The Fantastic Four are also in development. Routh does not own shares of the stock and Natexis Bleichroeder has no investment banking relationship with Marvel.

Given the changes to the balance sheet and the fact that the company now is in a position to make money off the numerous films, cartoons and video games based on its characters, it looks like not even the likes of the Green Goblin, Magneto or Dr. Doom could sabotage Marvel's progress.

Article from CNN, written by Paul R. La Monica.

2003-02-09T10:11:00.000-05:00

Spy Another Way
Jennifer Garner's scary makeover.

I know what you did in SD-6 last Sunday.

Don't read this unless you want to know about a novel and gruesome way for a CIA agent to die.

Not in real life, thankfully. Just on Alias, the spy-girl show that airs on Sunday nights on ABC and that is desperately trying to parlay its fine cast, writing, and cult following into genuine primo hit status. In the past few weeks, starting with what Entertainment Weekly called a "shocking Super Bowl Sunday revamp," the show has shed an entire layer of narrative skin. Until then, heroine Sydney Bristow had been spying for the CIA inside SD-6, an evil rogue intelligence operation. But viewers were having trouble doing the constant double agent math. So in the space of that one post-game hour, Sydney dismantled SD-6 in a single graceful bound, fell ardently into the arms of her cute CIA handler, and unearthed grave new problems to be solved.

Which is fine. The show has always relied on captured-today-free-tomorrow, James Bond-ian disregard for logic. This gives the writing lightness and freedom and permits Sydney (played by always-game Jennifer Garner) to trot athletically around the world, swinging between sexy disguises and even sexier lisping accents. The show's recent getaway from its unwanted story lines seems like just another MacGyver-quick escape.

The real problem, or potential problem, is the tonal shift. If spy fiction could be laid out along a serious-to-campy continuum, from John le Carré to Austin Powers, Alias would fall on the sillier end, somewhere around Mission Impossible. Until now, its villains wanted the usual, boring trophies: world domination—or was it genetic superiority? Eternal life? Who knew? The plot only made sense on a line-by-line basis, and mostly because those lines were spoken with deadpan zest by superb actors like Victor Garber, Lena Olin, Ron Rifkin, and a still vampily evil Faye Dunaway. The violence was cartoonish and stylized, consisting mainly of heh-vee-lee accented foreigners torturing victims strapped into comfy-looking dentist chairs. Sydney and her cohorts were coated with a thick layer of TV polyurethane, their blood and bruises wiped clean at the end of each episode.

But no longer. Alias, which debuted during the fall 2001 season, has belatedly gone 9/11 and enlisted itself in the war on terrorism. In last week's episode, a CIA agent not so casually dropped Osama Bin Laden's name, for what felt like the first of many times. And instead of conjuring up amusing adventures, the writers used their considerable talents to create a truly horrific scenario. In a way that almost no other film or TV show has dared, Sunday's episode of Alias translated the vague anxieties of the past 16 months into a specific, meticulously staged nightmare.

The show began by showing a beautiful young CIA agent—not Sydney, but a blonder colleague—being "compromised," i.e. caught by the person on whom she was spying. Cut to the cold blue light of a busy Berlin intersection. A van pulls up to the curb, and the blond agent, nearly naked, is dumped on the concrete. She's flailing around on the concrete, so she must be alive. Good. Wait, not good at all: She's tied up, with a band of explosives circling her torso and binding her arms to her sides.

Passersby scream and flee. The agent manages to stand up, but she has nowhere to go. It slowly dawns on her that she's been made into a human bomb. She can't run; it's pointless and maybe even harmful to others. As the area around her clears, she begins to tremble and sob. This is the way even the bravest of agents act in the face of execution, the show seems to be saying: They're not resolute in the face of danger; they're scared animals like the rest of us. From a speaker in her ear, a voice tells her, "Do what I told you, and you'll be fine." Obedient but terrified, the agent starts warbling, through her tears, the song "Pop Goes the Weasel." Which, it turns out, has four verses; who knew? Before the agent gets to each "pop," she flinches, and we flinch with her, waiting for the explosion. She finishes the song and looks visibly relieved. So do we.

Until: Kaboom.

There are traces here of the old Alias: The writing, acting, pacing, and production values are lethally good, and the song gives the murder a slightly surreal, Tarantino touch. But the scene still felt entirely new and foreign to the show: because of its primal terror, because of its echoes of 9/11 (innocent used as unwitting suicide bomber), because it suggests a day when skinny American girls will stand on foreign street corners, weeping and waiting to be blown up.

Maybe Alias newbies weren't as disoriented; maybe they found the episode hair-raising in exactly the way it was intended to be. It's admirable to see a TV drama achieve the harrowing tone to which the genre is constantly aspiring. And perhaps the show will soon return to its old, glamour-goofball self: After all, there's the rich matter of Sydney's evil-genius mother to resolve, and the new plotlines include an especially cheesy cloning angle. But for a faithful Alias fan, this last episode was a cruel, disorienting watch—like seeing The Sound of Music suddenly morph into Schindler's List. As the "Weasel" lyrics say, the monkey thought it was all in fun. And it was, for a while.

Article from MSN Slate, written by Jodi Kantor.

2003-02-09T10:04:00.000-05:00

Unexpectedly, another 'Aunts CD

For the past couple of years, band members, three of whom now live in LA (except for Eltringham, who lives in New York), have set their sights on other goals, other musical outlets, other distractions. Gibbs wrote songs for and coproduced the ''Josie and the Pussycats'' movie soundtrack and has contributed music to the hit TV series ''Alias.'' Skibic has played with Afghan Whigs singer Greg Dulli and pop-folk songwriter Miranda Lee Richards. Hurley and Eltringham have also kept busy. In fact, it was through a batch of songs Gibbs and Hurley had written to submit to television shows that the possibility of ''Pacific Ocean Blues'' (the title is a takeoff on an old solo album by late Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson) first took hold. ''We sat around and drank beer. I played him some songs; he played me some songs, '' Gibbs says. The volley of ideas and mutual brainstorming continued, and before the night was through they had resolved to record a low-key acoustic disc to give to friends. Soon after, Skibic heard the songs and concluded they needed an electric guitar. ''We said, `Well, come on over and do it,' '' Gibbs says. ''And then Fred heard it and said it needed `full-on' drums.''

Read more at the Boston Globe. Article by Johnathan Perry.

2003-02-07T22:08:00.000-05:00

'ALIAS' FOR DUMMIES

"Alias" star Jennifer Garner.

The highly complex plots of ABC's cult spy-hit "Alias" are getting simplified.

The hope, according to ABC sources, is that more people will tune in to watch the show if it's easier to understand.

Last year, with about 9.8 million viewers, the critcally acclaimed show did not achieve the massive ratings ABC desperatly needs to keep the show going at the end of this season.

Part of the problem, according to industry execs, is that the show's twisty plots have been too hard to follow.

ABC officials declined to comment yesterday.

But last month, more than an hour after the Super Bowl ended, the network aired an episode of the show that took it in a new and much simpler direction.

And in the handful of episodes that have aired since then [Or maybe just one...-Sarah], the ratings have gone up slightly. Last week the show was seen by about 11.4 million viewers

Since it began last year, Golden Globe-winning actress Jennifer Garner has played Sydney Bristow, a double agent for the CIA and an evil spy-organization called SD-6.

Here's where it began to get confusing: most of her co-workers at SD-6 believed that they worked for the CIA. But Sydney and her father Jack Bristow both would attempt to foil SD-6 by reporting to the real CIA.

In the episode that aired after the Super Bowl, Sydney obtained enough evidence to set up a raid that shattered SD-6 for good and now allows her and her friends to work directly for the CIA.

"It's really exciting," Garner told a SCI FI wire. "We've made a kind of big change. . . Sydney's no longer a double agent. She's a CIA agent."

The move also opened up the door for Sydney and her CIA handler, Michael C. Vaughn (played by Michael Vartan) to have a romantic relationship without SD-6 discovering her connection to the CIA.

"So they have to figure out what they're going to do trust wise. And they've both been trained to lie all their lives, so what's that going to do to them?" says Garner.

It appears that some of Sydney's co-workers at SD-6 will also join the CIA as well. "All these characters who worked at SD-6 and thought they were working for the CIA and couldn't know that it wasn't the CIA, that kind of stunted all those characters," Garner says.

Article from the New York Post, written by Don Kaplan.

2003-02-06T22:28:00.000-05:00

'Kingpin' curbs 'Dragnet'

The first Sunday of the February sweep was also a good one for Fox's "The Simpsons" and "Malcolm in the Middle" as well as ABC's "Alias," which rode post-Super Bowl exposure to its best regular-slot rating in more than 15 months.

(non-Alias parts cut)

As for the remake of "Dragnet," it bowed with a solid but unspectacular 4.7/12 in 18-49 -- down slightly from the 4.9/12 that "The Practice" averaged in the 9 p.m. hour last fall. It lost 10% of its "Alias" lead-in among adults 18-49 while building on the younger-skewing spy drama in overall audience (to 13.2 million).

(non-Alias parts cut)

NBC saw "American Dreams" grab its best 18-49 rating since early November (4.2/10) and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (5.3/12) edge out "Alias" and Fox's comedies for the 18-49 lead.

ABC did well at 9 with "Alias" (5.2/12 in 18-49), which hit a regular-slot season high one week after airing after the Super Bowl. Reliable prelims weren't available for the net's coverage of the Pro Bowl.

Read more at Variety, article by Rick Kissell.

2003-02-06T22:24:00.000-05:00

Commercials Taking Over Television

Meanwhile on scripted programs, more and more product plugs are peddled, then plugged right into a scene.

For instance, there's no mistaking (nor is it any accident) that a certain brand of cell phone is all the rage with the characters on ABC's "Alias" _ yet that cell phone, however conspicuous in the action, never announces itself as a product being pitched. Thus does storytelling commingle with selling on the sly.

Read more at The Washington Post. Article by Frazier Moore.

2003-02-06T22:20:00.000-05:00

Quotes of the Week From TV Gal

"I was afraid I'd wake up and find out this was a dream," Sydney to Vaughn after the take down of SD-6 on "Alias." Me too, Syd. Me too.

Read more at Zap2It. Article by Amy Amatangelo.

2003-02-06T22:15:00.000-05:00

More sex on TV but it's treated more responsibly, study finds

In TV land, sometimes men and women express their feelings for one another in that, you know, special way.

The post-Super Bowl episode of ABC's "Alias" is a good example. When Sydney was assigned to snuggle up to a bad guy, she got the job done by slinking into the room in a couple of bra and panty sets. Next to a recent episode of Fox's "Fastlane," that's nothing. There, a cop's undercover work required her to lock lips with a girl in a hot tub.

Read more at Seattle P-I. Article by Melanie McFarland.

2003-02-06T06:32:00.000-05:00

Ben takes the dare

Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck) and Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner) are lovers by day, enemies by night in Daredevil.

PASADENA, Calif. — Ben and Jennifer are taking a break from the media horde and their hectic schedules for a quick lunch together when she notices something about her tablemate's head.

"Look at that," she says, gently touching the star of the upcoming comic book adaptation Daredevil, which is due Valentine's Day. "Look at all those gray hairs. You didn't have those when we first met."

Ben is quick with his retort: "Yeah, but look at your forehead. It takes up half your face."

No, this isn't the first public spat between Hollywood's hottest fiancée Ben Affleck is with his other Jennifer, Jennifer Garner, who co-stars with him in the first major movie of the year. Having spent months swapping fisticuffs in the film, now they're gently sparring over a meal.

Affleck and Garner have good reason for their good humor. After months of grueling workout regimens and a hectic shooting pace, they can relax and reflect on Hollywood's first comic book foray since a certain web-slinger turned the movie industry on its ear.

For Garner, 30, who also stars in the ABC hit Alias, Daredevil marks her first starring turn on the big screen and could be a barometer of her strength as a leading lady.

For Affleck, the buzz around the superhero finally may mean a respite from the tabloid attention to his not-so-secret identity. Since his engagement to singer-actress-perfume diva Jennifer Lopez, Affleck has garnered the kind of attention that could make the Hulk blush.

Affleck, 30, concedes that the attention to virtually every detail of his life — from his romance to his alcohol rehab — has taken its toll.

"I understand they wanted me for the movie because they thought I'd do a good job in the role," Affleck says, chewing hard on his always-present Nicorette gum. "But they also knew I'd bring a certain amount of publicity to the movie that goes beyond what's on screen. That's not always easy."

Indeed, Daredevil is more a test of Affleck's drawing power than that of the Marvel comic book icon. More people know about the actor's rumored Valentine's Day wedding date and struggles with alcohol than they know about Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer who is a crimefighter by night.

Affleck fidgets in his seat when asked about his personal side. He takes a Game Boy Daredevil game — bearing his likeness and due on shelves in time for the film — and picks at the cellophane when he talks about courting Lopez.

"I've been in public relationships before with Gwyneth" Paltrow, Affleck says of a previous love interest that also made him tabloid bait. "But this isn't the same thing. I didn't expect this much attention. I was kind of shocked."

A few weeks ago, Affleck says, he and Lopez decided to stop at a Los Angeles shopping mall so he could have a link taken out of his watch.

"By the time they got the link out, there were 700 people outside the door," he says. "They had to lock the doors of the store. Then they had to shut down the mall. I just don't get it. And it can make you rethink even the simplest things you want to do."

Including set a wedding date? Affleck says he will not waver in his plan to marry Lopez but quickly adds that the Feb. 14 wedding date is a myth. Beyond that, he says, planning anything in the romance department can be perilous.

"I'll think, 'This would be nice to do, or a good place to go or a good day to do it,' " he says. "Then I'll realize that it will probably be a media event. The danger is in letting that change your priorities about what's important in your life. I struggle not to let that happen."

It was that internal strife that made Affleck right for the role, says Daredevil director Mark Steven Johnson. Though distributor Twentieth Century Fox had considered Edward Norton and Guy Pearce for the title role, Johnson says Affleck's personal demons matched those of his character.

"Matt Murdock is a vulnerable man who is human, gets knocked around and makes mistakes," says Johnson, 38, who also directed Simon Birch. "And so is Ben. He's always been public about his life, even when it pains him. He was the only guy I wanted to play Daredevil."

It didn't hurt that both Affleck and Johnson are certified comic book geeks who spent much of their childhoods thumbing through the illustrated adventures of Daredevil, which was created in 1964 by writer Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett.

The two pressured Fox into boosting the budget from $60 million to $80 million, even though Daredevil's comic book popularity ranks well below Batman, Superman and Spider-Man.

"Everyone thought we were nuts trying to make this into a major movie," Daredevil producer Gary Foster says. "Daredevil is pretty obscure. But when Spider-Man did so well (it grossed $403.8 million in the USA), I got tons of calls from people who said they wished they had done the same."

Spider-Man has raised both hopes and expectations for this year's comic-heavy Hollywood fare. After Daredevil, X Men 2 arrives on screens May 2, followed by The Hulk June 20.

But audiences expecting a Spidey-like experience at Daredevil are in for a start. Though the hero also wears a red, skin-tight costume, this is no Peter Parker. After his first fight scene, which Johnson calls his favorite of the film, Murdock adjusts loose teeth in his mouth, pops pain pills and bathes to soothe the scars and welts on his back. The film twice received an R rating before Johnson made enough cuts to earn a PG-13.

Daredevil's darkness stems from its source material. No comic book film has ever been so faithful to its origins. The names of the comic's writers and illustrators are sprinkled throughout the movie. Kevin Smith, director of Affleck and Lopez's upcoming movie Jersey Girl, who has written more than a dozen installments, has a cameo role. For some scenes, Johnson ripped out pages from the comic book for dialogue and set design.

"He blew up some panels and put them on the set so we'd know exactly how we were supposed to look," says Garner, who had not read a comic book before signing on for the movie. "They wanted everything in the movie to look like the comic book — including us."

Which meant some intense body sculpting for its stars. Johnson brought in martial arts master Cheung Yan Yuen, who choreographed much of the stunt work for this year's two Matrix installments, to whip the actors into shape.

"Jen and I did a lot of bonding on the set," says Affleck, who was paid a reported $12.5 million for the role. "That's what happens when you are the only two English-speaking people around. Everyone else was Chinese."

And not always flattering. Affleck says that after each day of workouts and rehearsals, a translator would give the actors an appraisal of their progress.

"The translator would come up to us and say 'Master Cheung Yan says you are at 5%. He is very unhappy,' " Affleck says, laughing. "It was refreshing to get an honest appraisal of your work, to be told you're a disgrace to the family."

Honesty, he concedes, is something he has missed since his face began gracing tabloid and magazine covers. He has been on the cover of People magazine twice recently: once for his alcohol abuse rehabilitation in August 2001 and again in December 2002 when the magazine named him the Sexiest Man Alive. Tabloids have claimed that Lopez called off a Valentine's Day wedding because buddy Matt Damon tried to talk him out of it and that Affleck has spent $11 million on former CIA and FBI agents to guard Lopez.

Affleck says most of what is written about him are "blatant lies," but he concedes he has entered into a "Faustian bargain" with the media. He decries much of the attention to his private life, but then he appears in Jenny From the Block, the music video from Lopez's latest album that features a shot of Affleck's hand placed squarely on his fiancées rear end.

"I've done this long enough to know the deal," he says.

"All I can do is make the movies I want to make and try to make my personal life as much my own as I can. Besides, in a couple of years, there will be someone the media is hot to follow."

And as lunch concludes, he suggests to a reporter a new target.

"Hey, I saw a picture of (Daredevil co-star) Colin Farrell and Britney Spears together," he says. "Now that is a story."

Article from USA Today, written by Scott Bowles.

2003-02-05T16:36:00.000-05:00

Ask Matt

Syd viscious: Alias star Jennifer Garner.

Unquestionably, the most popular topic in my mailbox this last week has been the effusive reaction to the post-Super Bowl episode of Alias. (For my critical reaction and my disappointment at ABC's delaying the start until after 11 pm/ET, check out my Jan. 27 Dispatch.)

Mere minutes after the episode went off the air, Anne posted this cheer: "I think it has to be the best episode of the season. It was really good how they worked the background information into the episode for the new viewers and Syd and Vaughn finally kissed. The suspense, the intrigue, the surprise at the end. Wow! I just loved it so much! I can't wait for the next episode." Katie wrote in: "Wow, can Alias be any more incredible? Seriously? It is by far the best hour of television, and it never ceases to do anything less than amaze me. Although I have so many questions and thoughts and opinions about the show, the one thing that stands out in my mind is, where was Lena Olin? Did they purposely leave her out of the episode to avoid confusing those who don't follow the show or what? Oh, and how about Syd and Vaughn? Can we say perfect timing? Can't wait to see what happens next!"

These reactions reinforce my opinion that even in the midst of this reality craze, there is still such great value to be attached to shows, like Alias and 24, that keep you breathlessly waiting for the next episode. (Unpredictability is also one of the great selling points of reality TV, it should be noted here, so I'm not branded a complete reality curmudgeon.)

As for Lena Olin's absence, I can only speculate that J.J. Abrams was crunching so much story here, that to insert her enigmatic presence into this epic episode would have been too much even for avid fans of the show to digest readily. How she will fit into this new Alias — and what we will learn of her true loyalties in a post-Alliance landscape — remains to be seen.

There were some doubters. Dan S. wrote: "I can't help feeling a bit cheated. Alias fans have waited patiently for two years, enduring the mounting tension and hanging on every plot twist, only to have the whole thing unfurl in a ball of flames. It's not that the episode wasn't entertaining — it just wasn't the same show that I'm used to watching. The new plot lines look interesting. I just wish they weren't rushed upon us so soon in an effort to grab ratings." And Marta found it "a bit of a disappointment. I felt like I was watching a pilot episode of a new show and not Alias. Everything was different, and I think they got rid of all the SD cells a bit too easily. The kiss between the two characters looked fake and I'm very upset about Francie. (I would have been happier if she was just bad and not some Mission: Impossible look-alike.)."

All interesting and mostly valid concerns — although the kiss looking "fake" I can't relate to — but I was thrilled by this bold and explosive episode. I can't remember watching an hour of such volcanic change. The Francie twist completely stunned me — in a good way. I do worry that Alias may lose a layer of tension now that Syd and Jack no longer have SD-6 looking over their shoulder. But it may also be liberating (that's how Abrams sees it, anyway). If Alias had to adapt to survive, this was the way to do it.

Cindy wrote that the episode "has me worried that it's becoming a little far-fetched, and has me confused about what's to come. The whole look-alike story for (the murdered) Francie seems so over-the-top. I don't know. I pray it gets picked up for season three."

A little far-fetched? The show is complete and total escapist fantasy. Reality has nothing to do with it. As for the future, I'm convinced (don't ask me why) that ABC will renew the show, no matter what. It's so brilliantly produced and it enjoys the kind of media buzz that will last long after Bachelorette's Trista takes her final bow.

ABC may have blown it by starting the episode too late, but the show still enjoyed about double the audience it usually gets, and if a percentage of these viewers come back (why wouldn't they?) then it won't have been a totally lost opportunity. Everyone wishes the ratings were higher, but the demographics are solid. And unless ABC chooses to go with wall-to-wall reality (shades of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire overexposure), the network is better off with Alias than without it.

And finally, I know many questions were raised by the revelations in the episode's final act. But I'll wait to see more before I address any specific concerns. I'll leave Alias with this exuberant reaction from Arianna: "How amazingly wonderful was Alias's latest episode? I was like, "J.J. Abrams is a genius.'' Seriously, Syd and Dixon's scene? Emmy anyone? Carl Lumbly made you almost feel Dixon's pain. Francie's evil clone? Sloane and Sark? The long-awaited kiss? What else can we expect? Can J.J. Abrams top himself and write something even better than this?"

We can only hope so.

Article from TV Guide Online, written by Matt Roush.

2003-02-05T16:35:00.000-05:00

Garner Fought For Daredevil

Jennifer Garner, who plays Elektra in the upcoming Daredevil movie, told SCI FI Wire that a year's worth of Alias prepared her for the hard-fighting role—but only up to a point. "I don't think I could have just launched into this role with any confidence if it hadn't been for a year of fighting constantly every two days," she said in an interview. "But I did definitely have to bump it up a notch."

In particular, Garner had to train with twin sais, or Asian short swords—Elektra's trademark weapons. Trainer Don Lee came to the Alias set during lunch and also worked with Garner during her breaks. "He would come to my house every Sunday for hours, and we would be in the backyard kind of tearing things up," she said. "He taught me fights, so I would learn how to fight with the sais. And my husband, Scott [Foley], would kind of look out the back windows on Sunday and say, 'Oh god, that's not good. This is not good.'"

In addition, Garner and star Ben Affleck had to learn wire work with martial-arts choreographer Cheung Yan Yuen and his team. "Ben and I trained for this one fight in the playground [three hours] every day for six weeks nonstop," she said. "We would work [on the film] all night, sleep ... from six to noon, meet each other around noon, [wire train] for three hours, and then go straight downtown and work all night again on a different fight."

The training and fighting eventually took their toll. "I took a divot of skin out of [Affleck's] nose," Garner said. "He fought with a stick, and he bashed all of my knuckles open, like just wide open. ... And then Colin Farrell [Bullseye] had to bite my lip in a fight and got so into it he just started gnawing on me. So the next day and for the next week I had a lip kind of out to here that was black." But because of ratings concerns, the lip shot didn't make it into the final cut of the movie, which opens Feb. 14, she added.

Article from Sci Fi Wire.

2003-02-05T16:33:00.000-05:00

TV gears up for February sweeps

ABC's excellent "Alias" is capping a recent post-Super Bowl series reconstruction with two high-profile guest stars. Ethan Hawke guest-starred this past Sunday, and Christian Slater, coming off a recent "West Wing" stint, will be featured this Sunday as a scientist who could help the evil Sloane (Ron Rifkin) achieve his new plans.

"Alias," a great series that deserves more viewers, is one of few shows worth watching that doesn't annoyingly exploit its sweeps-stunt guest stars and makes rather efficient use of their talents to serve the ongoing conspiracy plots. It's a refreshing choice amid the bloated month of new episodes and greedy expectations of network executives.

We could always look on the bright side: no more reruns for an entire month, the one part of sweeps you can always count on.

Read more at The State Hornet. Article by Lauren Robeson.

2003-02-04T22:14:00.000-05:00

TV Ratings from the Los Angeles Times

ABC was in fourth place but got good news from its spy series "Alias," which received a bit of a bounce from its post-Super Bowl telecast, drawing its biggest audience since the season premiere.

Read more and see a ratings chart. Article by John Scheibe.

2003-02-04T22:12:00.000-05:00

Jennifer Garner

The toughest girl on TV is taking charge on the big screen, going blow-for-blow with Ben Affleck and Colin Farrell in the new action thriller, "Daredevil." Jennifer says, "There's nothing like being bad"

It’s a role on the opposite end of her day job, where Jennifer stars as the sexy good girl. "Alias" got a huge boost by running enticing promos during the Super Bowl, exposing a high dose of Jen-appeal. She says, "I'm so glad I did not see those ads. I would've just crawled under my bed and stayed there."

Jen and co-star Michael Vartan finally got to kiss, giving "Alias" fans a killer buzz. Jennifer says, "You can only string it along before it stops being believable. Even Michael and I, during scenes, would be like, 'Oh come on, let us kiss.'"

But off screen, Jen's lips are reserved for one guy only, husband Scott Foley. He is going from "Felicity" to starring in NBC's new sitcom, "A.U.S.A." Jennifer says, "The reason I fell in love with him, or one of the reasons, is cause he's so funny. I can't wait for the world to see how funny my man is."

Article from Extra TV.

2003-02-04T13:55:00.000-05:00

It's All New On Alias

Alias star Jennifer Garner, who plays secret agent Sydney Bristow, told SCI FI Wire that the show's new direction means a whole different set of issues for all of the show's characters. "It's really exciting," Garner said in an interview while promoting her upcoming film Daredevil. "We've made kind of a big change. ... [Sydney's] no longer a double agent. She's a CIA agent."

In addition, Sydney's former employer, the nefarious criminal agency SD-6, has been destroyed. "All of these characters who worked at SD-6 and thought they were working for the CIA and couldn't know that it wasn't the CIA, that kind of stunted all those characters," Garner added. "Now, ... the doors are blown open. The guy who plays my partner, Carl Lumbly, who plays Marcus Dixon, he now has all this genius stuff to play. 'You've betrayed me all this time.' What does this mean to his marriage? What does this mean in his life?"

Garner added that Marshall, the techno nerd played by Kevin Weisman, now works for the CIA. "He can be much more involved in the missions," she said.

As for her and co-star Michael Vartan, who plays CIA agent Michael Vaughn, Garner said, "It means that Sydney and Vaughn can fall in love. And we can explore what it means for two people at the beginning of a relationship to realize, 'We're not just in the beginning of a relationship. We're also CIA agents.' So they have to figure out what they're going to do trust-wise. And they've both been trained to lie all their lives. So what's that going to do to them? So it's going to be cool." Alias airs on ABC Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Daredevil, in which Garner plays Elektra, opens Feb. 14.

Article from Sci Fi Wire.

2003-02-04T13:52:00.000-05:00

Affleck Turns Redhead for 'Daredevil'

RADNOR, Pa. –– Ben Affleck and Big Macs, perfect together.

Affleck, who stars as a blind comic-book hero in the upcoming film "Daredevil," had to dye his hair red to play lead character Matt Murdock.

"I was glad I did, except when I was wandering around in my real life with this big red Afro. I looked like Ronald McDonald," Affleck tells the Feb. 8 issue of TV Guide.

Affleck says he admires the athletic ability of his co-star, Jennifer Garner (television's "Alias"), who performed many of her own stunts and learned how to work with martial-arts knives.

"She was really tough," said Affleck.

"Daredevil," directed by Mark Steven Johnson and also starring Michael Clark Duncan and Colin Farrell, will be released Feb. 14.

Article from The Washington Post.

2003-02-04T13:47:00.000-05:00

DreamWorks sounds good to Cinema Audio Society

DreamWorks leads the Cinema Audio Society race for outstanding sound in motion pictures. The studio's "Catch Me If You Can" and "Road to Perdition" were nominated along with Miramax's "Chicago," New Line's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man." Television nominees include ABC's "Alias: Cipher."

Read more. Article from The Hollywood Reporter, written by Sheigh Crabtree.

2003-02-04T13:39:00.000-05:00

Hell hath no fury like David E. Kelley when one of his series has been moved out of its time slot.

Twentieth Century Fox TV -- production home of Kelley's series -- yesterday sent an e-mail to The Reporters Who Cover Television savaging the debut of Dick Wolf's new ABC series, "Dragnet," in the Sunday 10 p.m. slot that, until recently, had been home to Kelley's "The Practice."

"Despite the benefit of the highest rated 'Alias' lead-in since October 21, 2001 (as well as a 3-month, $10 million promotional campaign), the premiere of 'Dragnet' fell below 'The Practice's' first-run season average among adults 18-49," sniffed the e-mail.

ABC suits presumed the e-mail was sent to placate Kelley, who last week had a very public tantrum when the first numbers came in for "The Practice" in its new Monday time slot opposite Fox's "Joe Millionaire." Kelley's show had plunged to less than 9 million viewers.

To trade paper Variety, Kelley suggested, among other things, that "it's folly to try to guess what's in [ABC execs'] heads because that would start with the presumption that there's something" in them.

In its snippy-mail, 20th Century Fox TV noted that "Dragnet" did outrate the performance by "The Practice" in the time slot by 18 percent among -- gasp -- viewers 50 or over. The line was not intended as a compliment; in TV-speak, 50-plus is toxic.

Needless to say, 20th Century Fox TV did not congratulate "Dragnet" for beating the debut of NBC's highly hyped "Kingpin" among viewers overall, with an average of 13.3 million viewers to 12.5 million for "Kingpin."

Article from The Washington Post, written by Lisa de Moraes.

2003-02-03T19:37:00.000-05:00

TV Gal Gives the Working Stiffs Their Props

You know their faces. You see them everywhere. They are working double-time in Hollywood, yet they still don't have a series to call their very own.

Here are the familiar faces I think deserve their own show:

Edward Atterton: He was Danny, Sydney's fiancé on "Alias." He romanced Karen on "Once and Again" and was nasty to Inara on "Firefly." We only saw him briefly on "Alias," but in mere minutes he helped create a lasting and memorable relationship (remember the singing?) that has propelled much of the series action. If we didn't believe Danny's relationship with Sydney, we wouldn't have completely understood Sydney's wrath.

Olivia D'Abo was the dead CIA agent Emma Wallace on "Alias." She was Marie on "The Single Guy" and Karen Arnold on "The Wonder Years."

Read more at Zap2It. Article by Amy Amatangelo.

2003-02-03T19:35:00.000-05:00

Scott Foley Lays Down the Law

While his wife is beating up bad guys, he's spending time in a courtroom -- or at least a sound stage that looks like one.

Scott Foley is half of a two-series couple as the husband of "Alias" star Jennifer Garner. After his four-year run as Noel on "Felicity," he resumes weekly TV work by heading the ensemble cast of the NBC law comedy "A.U.S.A." premiering Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Foley plays Assistant United States Attorney (A.U.S.A.) Adam Sullivan, an intelligent young man whose gullible nature proves to be an impediment in court as well as in romance. His usual foil in both arenas is beautiful Susan Rakoff (Amanda Detmer, "The Majestic" ), a savvy public defender who has no use for prosecutors such as Adam. Naturally, this is an attitude he'd like to change. The other co-stars are Peter Jacobson ("61*" ), Ana Ortiz ("Mr. St. Nick" ), Eddie McClintock ("Stark Raving Mad") and John Ross Bowie ("Road Trip" ).

Foley did a guest stint on NBC's "Scrubs" last season, but he hesitates to label "A.U.S.A." the law version of that medical comedy. "That's how it was originally pitched to me," he says, "as a single-camera show shot in the same style, but we've revamped the show since. It's now more of a traditional sitcom shot with multiple cameras."

"I think 'Scrubs' is hilarious, and I hope the folks there will feel the same way about our show, but it's not quite as off the wall. They do great things with sound effects that we don't have."

The research "A.U.S.A." required of Foley was minimal. "The character is based -- and not at all loosely -- on Richard Appel, the show's creator and executive producer, who spent the better part of four years at the Manhattan United States Attorney's Office," Foley says. "This is based on his trials and tribulations as a young lawyer, so the character was pretty much on the page for me from the start."

Even with law as its fuel, Foley says "A.U.S.A." doesn't focus too intently on the case of the week: "Sometimes, we all look at politics and the law from the stance of, 'Are they kidding? Don't they see how absurd that is?' There are some humorous situations with respect to what these people do, but any great comedy is character-driven. With 'WKRP in Cincinnati,' even though they were in a radio station, what was really funny about that? It's the characters. Some people who have seen our show already have told me it feels like they've been watching it for years."

Playing a show's central character is a new experience for Foley. "I love the fact that all this great stuff is being written specifically for me," he says, "and that NBC is using my name and face to sell the show. I also feel a little guilty about it, but any actor who tells you he doesn't want all this attention is a liar."

"It's also a bummer in a way, though. I'm always on the set or rehearsing while others on the show get time off. I don't get the opportunity, like I had on 'Felicity,' to bond with some of my fellow actors. Hopefully, that'll come."

Foley, a Kansas City native, is happy that "Felicity" still has a television berth. WE (Women's Entertainment) runs repeats several times each weekday; also, the first season's episodes are available in a DVD box set. "We were so fortunate," Foley reflects. "At our worst, we were better than most. I could tell just from the pilot script that the series was going to be great, but I went through waves with Noel (who sometimes replaced rival Ben as the love of college student Felicity's life). I'd love playing him, then I'd be frustrated with his indecisiveness. Ultimately, I really liked him. He's a good guy."

Working on "Felicity" familiarized Foley with producer J.J. Abrams -- now Garner's "Alias" boss -- and also with Garner, whom he met when she appeared as Noel's ex-girlfriend, Hannah. The actress stays very physical in the upcoming movie "Daredevil," and while Foley is thrilled about her success, he adds, "She comes home and shows me bruises, and I'm like, 'Honey, I don't want to see that; you're my wife.' Being in a two-series family is a hard thing to manage, but we're doing as well as we can."

"We had a great two weeks off for Christmas, and at dinner the last night before we went back to work, she said, 'Well, I'm going back in the box. See you in April.' It's sort of like that. We talk on the phone and pass in the night a lot. I won't lie, it's hard, but because we recognized that it would be, I think we're going to be OK. I hope we will."

Article from Zap2It, written by Jay Bobbin.

2003-02-03T17:33:00.000-05:00

The Programming Insider: 02/02/03

CBS (9.2/13), NBC (8.7/13), ABC (8.0/12), Fox (7.4/11), WB (3.6/5)

-Yesterday's Winners:
60 Minutes (CBS), The Simpsons (Fox), Charmed (WB), Everybody Loves Raymond R (CBS), Law & Criminal Intent (NBC), Kingpin (NBC), Dragnet (ABC)

-Yesterday's Losers:
Dateline (NBC), The Pro Bowl (ABC)

-Ratings Breakdown:
Although CBS won the evening with a 6 percent advantage over second-place NBC, it was the debuts of NBC's Kingpin and ABC's Dragnet that were the most newsworthy. Kingpin won the 10 p.m. hour with a 10.4/15 -- 7 percent above ABC's competing (and second-place) Dragnet (9.7/14), with 90 percent retention out of lead-in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (#1: 11.5/16). Comparatively, Kingpin outdelivered the regularly scheduled Boomtown by approximately 30 percent. Dragnet, meanwhile, was up 21 percent from above-average lead-in Alias (#3: 8.0/11), with its initial overnight delivery relatively on par with former time period occupant The Practice. Consider this a positive start for both new series.

Opposite Kingpin and Dragnet, the second hour of CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for, Brush With Fate, ranked third with an 8.3/12. Overall, the two-hour movie averaged an 8.6/13.

Earlier in the evening, CBS mainstay 60 Minutes opened the night with a time period-winning 10.3/13 followed by Becker (#2: 8.9/13) and a repeat of Everybody Loves Raymond (#1: 9.8/140. For more on Becker, see TV Tidbits below.

On NBC, Dateline remains a Sunday weak link with a 6.3/9 at 7 p.m. followed by the critically acclaimed, but ratings challenged, American Dreams at a 6.7/9. Opposite Dateline and American Dreams was The Pro Bowl on ABC at a modest 6.8/10.

On Fox, there was nothing unusual to report with a 7 p.m. edition of King of the Hill at a fourth-place 5.0/8 followed by another edition of the recently renewed animated sitcom (#3: 6.2/9), two episodes of Sunday standout The Simpsons (8 p.m. #1: 9.7/14; 8:30 p.m. R #2: 9.5/13) and two episodes of Malcolm in the Middle (9 p.m. #4: 7.7/11; 9:30 p.m. #4: 6.4/9). Yes, it's confirmed -- Lois is pregnant.

Finally, on the WB, Charmed keeps on ticking with a healthy 4.5/7 at 9 p.m. -- 50 percent above its Gilmore Girls: Beginnings lead-in (3.0/4) and 36 percent ahead of lead-out High School Reunion (3.3/4).

Source: Nielsen Media Research

Article from Media Week, written by Marc Berman.

2003-02-03T16:55:00.000-05:00

For Fox, It's Daredevil vs. February
The studio is betting that its new superhero flick will beat that month's usual box-office blahs for action movies.

Daredevil isn't your typical action hero. Created in 1964 by Stan Lee -- father of such Marvel Comic's heros as Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk -- he's the world's first blind comic-book crusader. He also has a streak of vigilantism in him, like Batman. So it figures that Daredevil's big-screen debut would be just as atypical. The muscle-bound guy in the skin-tight red suit will leap into multiplexes on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14. A romantic date, perhaps, but not exactly prime time for an action flick aimed at teens.

You see, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter sequels may captivate kids at Christmas, and Arnold Schwarzenegger shoot-em-ups may mow 'em down in summer, but no action film has ever done much business in February -- the dead of winter.

Actually, February isn't much of a month for blockbusters of any kind. According to Exhibitor Relations Co., which follows all things box office, only five films released in February have ever passed the magic $100 million milestone. The last one was the flesh-eating Hannibal, which chomped its way to $165.1 million in ticket sales in 2001. The closest thing that Exhibitor Relations President Paul Dergarabedian could find to a February-opening action blockbuster was the $70.7 million generated by the John Travolta film Broken Arrow, which was released in 1996. Why now for Daredevil?

REVENGE OF THE CLONES. Chalk it up to Hollywood's preoccupation with creating franchises -- movies that take on a life of their own, spewing out sequels, TV shows, and tchotchkes ad infinitum. There's proven silver-screen gold in comic-book heroes. Sony created magic last summer with Spider-Man -- like Daredevil, a Marvel Comic property -- grossing $403 million at the box office. Now Spidey is bringing in big bucks with DVD sales, and Sony already has a sequel in the works. Fox had its own hit with musclebound mutants the X-Men in 2000. Small wonder the studio wants another superhero to market.

The problem is, everyone's jostling to get into the franchise game these days, so it isn't easy to get a good opening weekend. Moviegoers are still crowding the theaters to see the second Lord of the Rings flick, which opened on Dec. 22, as well as the second Harry Potter. And starting in May, the studios will be rolling out franchise flicks every two weeks -- Fox has a second X-Men movie coming out, Warner its second Matrix, Universal has The Hulk, Warner the third Terminator, and Paramount its followup to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. What to do with a potential new entry in the franchise pool?

Fox executives insist it has been their plan all along to zig when everybody else zags and release Daredevil on Valentine's Day. "Some people may see it as a risk. We see it as opportunity," says Pam Levine, Fox's president of domestic theatrical marketing. "You can make this a good date if you have the goods."

SELLING THE DEVIL. Besides, Fox thinks the film will sizzle, not fizzle. It's filled with whiz-bang special effects. And the cast is clearly designed to appeal to teens and young adults. To lure the gals, Ben Affleck has the title role -- lawyer by day, red-suited crusader by night. And Jennifer Garner, star of ABC's Alias, is certain to appeal to just about any hetero guy with a heartbeat. Garner plays Elektra Natchios, a karate-kicking action star who appears mostly in black leather pants and a skimpy skin-tight leather halter. We all know what they're selling here.

Indeed, it was the love story that helped convince Fox to make the film in the first place. The script lay moribund at Sony, recalls Sanford Panitch, president of production at New Regency Pictures, which is producing the film. Panitch, a fan of the comic books, says he bid for the rights as Spider-Man was being produced. He signed on Affleck, another Daredevil fan, shortly afterward. "We thought it was a cool idea about what it's really like to be a superhero," says Panitch. He got Garner just after she made a splash as the sultry spy on ABC. "She's ultrasexy, and that certainly helps," Panitch says in classic understatement.

Fox has $75 million riding on its mid-winter gamble. That may pale in comparison to the $140 million that Sony spent on Spider-Man, but it's still a significant amount of movie money. Fox has also bought prime real estate for TV commercials, including one in the second quarter of the Super Bowl as well as during such TV hits as Friends and Law and Order. There's a tie-in with Kraft, an in-store promotion at Wal-Mart, and a weeklong Daredevil segment coming on Entertainment Tonight.

FEW OTHER CONTENDERS. Fox has been around this track before with X-Men, another Marvel property. If Daredevil hits big, look for not just a sequel but a spin-off for Elektra. Moreover, Fox has a history of beating the odds by scheduling films in places you'd least expect. Last year, it had a big success with the animated film Ice Age, which was released in March, three months before kiddie flicks usually hit the theater.

The best thing Daredevil has going for it may be the a lack of competition. The weekend that Matt and Jennifer open, they go up against Disney's The Jungle Book 2. The next weekend it's the Will Ferrell comedy Old School, and the weekend after, the Civil War drama Gods and Generals. And Fox may also be banking on folks being ready by February for a little escapism after all the heavy stuff that was released in a pre-Oscar rush in December.

"Nothing else like [Daredevil] is out there, that's for certain," says Exhibitor Relations' Dergaradebian. "And they're doing all the right things to guarantee a large box office." Maybe Fox is correct in hoping that people fall in love on Feb. 14 -- even if it is with a guy in a skin-tight red suit.

Article from Business Week, written by Ron Grover.

2003-02-03T16:49:00.000-05:00

Garner Going On 30

Alias star Jennifer Garner told SCI FI Wire that she's going to have to get in touch with her inner adolescent to star in the upcoming fantasy film 13 Going on 30 next summer. "I play this young woman who at 13 suddenly fast-forwards to 30 physically, and ... the rest of her family has fast-forwarded that far ahead, [too,] but emotionally she's still where she is at her 13th birthday," Garner said in an interview while promoting her next film, Daredevil.

Garner, 32, said that she's still in touch with her 13-year-old side. "I think so," she said. "Everyone in the Alias cast is like, 'Oh, yeah, this is a no-brainer. She's 13 all right. She may be 12.'"

Garner added, "I'm so excited. I'm really nervous. But it feels closer to me character-wise than anything I have really played so far. It's ... the female version of Big. But it's a movie with a lot of heart, and it should be funny. And Mark Ruffalo is going to star in it with me. And it's at Revolution Studios, and Gary Winick is going to direct it, and it's going to be great." 13 Going on 30 is slated for a 2004 release; Daredevil, in which Garner plays Elektra opposite Ben Affleck's Matt Murdock, opens Feb. 14.

Article from Sci Fi Wire.

2003-02-03T16:45:00.000-05:00

ACB to Promote Racial Tolerance

The Advertising Council has teamed with ABC for a series of public service announcements promoting racial tolerance and timed to coincide with Black History Month.

The seven spots have stars from such ABC shows as "My Wife and Kids," "Alias," "NYPD Blue," "The Practice," "Less Than Perfect" and "The View." This is the first year the Manhattan-based Ad Council has worked with ABC on these types of announcements, which were produced by the Leo Burnett agency of Chicago and began running on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 20. The campaign is part of ABC's ongoing public service initiative, "A Better Community."

Among the stars appearing in the announcements are Tisha Campbell- Martin, Jennifer Nicole Freeman and Parker McKenna Posey of "My Wife and Kids"; Jennifer Garner and Merrin Dungey of "Alias"; Henry Simmons and Gordon Clapp of "NYPD Blue," and Dylan McDermott, Lisa Gay Hamilton and Steve Harris of "The Practice." The spots will run on the network throughout the day during February, said Kelly Apostolidis, the council's director of national media outreach.

The partnership emerged when ABC was planning how best to support Black History Month, she said. In August, the Ad Council launched the Racial Cooperation campaign with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the public service announcements feature the theme, "Imagine the power of one voice."

"We thought this would be the perfect way for us to work with ABC for Black History Month," Apostolidis said.

Article from Newsday, written by Monty Phan.

2003-02-03T16:39:00.000-05:00

Ratings for 'Double Agent'

At 9 p.m., NBC took the top spot with the highest-rated and most-watched show of the night, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," 10.0/15, causing CBS to drop to second with its movie "Brush with Fate" (8.2/13 average from 9 to 11 p.m.). ABC and FOX tied for third with "Alias" and back-to-back episodes of "Malcolm in the Middle" all averaging a 6.7/10 for the hour.

From Zap2It.

2003-02-03T16:26:00.000-05:00

Great, it's working again! After three days down...argh. There's a bunch of articles in the archives that I posted on Friday and Saturday, so check those out.

2003-02-01T14:10:00.000-05:00

WEEKEND JOURNAL: Hollywood Journal: Tune In: The Day Of Rest Gets Busy

IT'S HARD TO MAKE a case that there's nothing good on TV these days. Quality shows range from "The Sopranos" on HBO to "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" on NBC, "Alias" on ABC and good movies on CBS such as "Martin and Lewis." Even public television's "Masterpiece Theatre" recently offered the riveting saga of the Forsyte clan.

Is this the golden age of television? Try the golden hour. All those shows are on one night a week, Sunday, and all at the same time, 9 p.m.

In a reversal from just a few years ago, Sunday has become the TV industry's hottest new battleground. This season, Sunday is the second-most highly viewed night of television (it would be first if not for "Monday Night Football"). While networks still pocket more money from ads they sell Wednesday and Thursday, as movie studios and car companies jockey to be included in your weekend plans, on Sundays, 63% of all the homes in America with televisions are watching. That's an enormous shift from 2001, when the night ranked nearly dead-last in total viewers.

TV's traditional day of rest -- for decades, Sunday was "Movie Night," and a snore -- got so hot so fast because it's turned into a programming free-for-all, network executives say. Fox first changed the game when it began airing "The Simpsons," soon to be followed by "The X-Files," on Sunday nights. Upping the ante, HBO made Sunday its sole night for premiering original series such as "Sex and the City." Now, with counter-spies vying against mobsters and British detectives competing with wisecracking kids on any given Sunday, there's virtually no demographic that isn't being targeted -- or tuning in.

Sunday is "probably the most fundamentally changed night of the week," says Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Entertainment. And, he adds, it's "perhaps the best." Of course, he has a reason to feel that way: NBC's "Criminal Intent" generally wins its time slot.

Now, with the all-important "sweeps" period getting under way, the fights over the remote are going to get ugly. ABC and NBC are unveiling two new shows this weekend, "Dragnet," from the producers of "Law & Order," and "Kingpin," a crime-family drama, which will go head-to-head at 10 p.m. Fox is celebrating the 300th episode of "The Simpsons" next month; it's up against the popular "American Dreams." "Alias" has guest stars Ethan Hawke and Christian Slater, and a lead-in from "Wonderful World of Disney." (This month: Matthew Broderick in "The Music Man.") Your kids like "Malcolm in the Middle"? Set your VCR if you're a fan of "Masterpiece Theatre."

CBS, where Sunday night remains a movie night, largely stays out of the fray, and this Sunday, they've got Glenn Close in yet another Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. But ratings are down from a year ago and, while the network says it doesn't comment on "future programming strategies," industry execs say don't be surprised if CBS begins running series that night.

The networks all claim to be thrilled that people are once again turning on their TVs on Sundays. But for those of us who think they've scheduled the only shows worth watching on Sundays, it's frustrating. (OK, so "The Bachelorette" is on Wednesday.) Why not spread out the good stuff?

The networks say they don't have much choice. "There really are no time periods that are not competitive Sunday through Thursday," says Susan Lyne, president of ABC Entertainment. How about Friday, when some networks have anemic 6.0 to 9.0 shares in the key young-adult demo? Viewership is so low on that night, and on Saturdays, that moving a series there is seen as burying it.

The hard truth is that if all these shows remain on Sundays, they won't survive. NBC, for example, has sidelined "Boomtown" for sweeps month, perhaps the season's most critically acclaimed show, but one that's been a ratings disappointment. ABC has suffered a small decline in the ratings of "Alias," one of that network's best shows. But rather than move the spy drama, ABC is tweaking it. Responding to research that shows potential viewers avoid it because it looks complicated, Ms. Lyne says series creator J.J. Abrams "has laid out stories for the rest of the season that are highly accessible."

They'd better be. In March, Sydney Bristow of "Alias" faces something tougher than crime cartel SD6: the second-season premiere of HBO's "Six Feet Under."

Article from Yahoo News, written by Tom King.

2003-01-31T23:22:00.000-05:00

Open House and Online Chat to Precede Annual ASC Awards

HOLLYWOOD, January 30—The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) will host an open house and live Internet chat with many of the world’s most talented filmmakers prior to the 17th Annual Outstanding Achievement Awards. The ASC Clubhouse will be open for visitors from 11 am-4 pm (PST) on Saturday, Feb. 15. The Internet chat, which will be held here on our web site from 12-3 p.m. (PST), will originate from that same location.

Participants in the open house and chat are expected to include Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Bill Butler, ASC (Jaws, Grease, Rocky II-IV, Stripes, Frailty); ASC Presidents Award recipient Ralph Woolsey, ASC (Maverick, Cheyenne, Sunset Strip, Batman, Mr. Roberts, It Takes a Thief); ASC Board of Governors Award recipient Norman Jewison (In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof, Moonstruck, A Soldier’s Story); International Achievement Award recipient Witold Sobocinski, PSC; and film critic/columnist Roger Ebert, who is receiving an award of special recognition for his integrity and passion for the art form.

This year’s nominees for ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards are also expected to participate. Feature film nominees include Michael Ballhaus, ASC (Gangs of New York), Pawel Edelman (The Pianist), Ed Lachman, ASC (Far From Heaven) and Rodrigo Prieto, ASC (Frida).

Television nominees include Michael Barrett (“Snuff”/C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation and “Cross Jurisdictions”/C.S.I.: Miami), Michael Bonvillain (“Page 47”/Alias), Frank Byers (“Fight Night”/C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation), Thomas Del Ruth, ASC (“Holy Night”/The West Wing), Billy Dickson, ASC (“Reality Bites”/Ally McBeal), Robert Primes, ASC (“Wing and a Prayer”/MDs), Bill Roe, ASC (“Release”/The X-Files), Jonathan Freeman (“John”/Taken), Jeffrey Jur, ASC (Last Call), Serge Ladouceur, CSC (The Case of the White Chapel Vampire), Anthony Nakonechnyj (Point of Origin), William Wages, ASC (Miss Lettie and Me), Victor Goss, ASC (Carrie), Clark Mathis (Birds of Prey pilot), Brian J. Reynolds (American Dreams pilot), Peter Wunstorf (Haunted pilot).

“This is an unique opportunity for current and future filmmakers, fans and journalists to meet and speak with an extraordinarily talented group of filmmakers,” says ASC President Richard Crudo. “If you don’t live in Los Angeles, you can still participate by tuning into the chat.”

The ASC Clubhouse is located at 1782 North Orange Drive in Hollywood. For more information about the open house or chat, contact (323) 969-4333. For more information about the ASC Awards, click here.

Article from The American Society of Cinematographers.

2003-01-31T18:49:00.000-05:00

Meet Alias's New Bad Girl

Alias fans weren't the only folks shocked by last Sunday's post-Super Bowl episode, which climaxed with the murder of Sydney's (Jennifer Garner) sweet roommate Francie (Merrin Dungey) at the hands of her never-before-seen evil double. Not even Dungey's closest friends knew the actress would soon transform into a femme fatale. Since October, she's been suffering under a vow of silence about the plot twist, and now she's dying to tell us all about it!

"J.J. [Abrams, the show's creator] said he'd send my character to Disney World, never to return, if I said anything," she tells TV Guide Online. "I've been holding this secret and living [like] Sydney Bristow... No one knew what was happening for so long. I'm breathing a sigh of relief and can't stop talking about it now!"

Dungey knew something had to change for her character, who'd been pushed to the sidelines to make way for the arrival of Syd's mother (Lena Olin). "I was getting frustrated because I'd come in once a week and say, 'Hey guys, do you want to try my soup, or bouillabaisse or brownies?'" she laughs. "I walked in my trailer, and I was like, 'If I see one more apron... Am I Florida on Good Times?'"

For months, Abrams and Dungey discussed different scenarios for the character, hoping to find a way to make the switch ring true. (Yeah, and we all know doppelgangers are quite a natural part of the real world.) Next thing the 31-year-old knew, she was training with world champion kickboxer Benny "the Jet" Urquidez, who's taught the likes of John Cusack, Jean-Claude Van Damme and David Lee Roth. "Jennifer is a badass... She is it," sasses the seasoned sitcom guest-star. "And if I'm going to have to get in there and tangle with her or any one of her fellow foes on the show, I've got to be ready."

Of course, before Dungey gets to threaten the free world with her deadly moves, she's got to keep up the best-friend act a little longer. "Even though some of the situations seem to be similar — me and Sydney in the house talking — you know Bad Francie is up to no good," she says with glee. "It's sooo good now. It is just delicious every time I get to jump into 'the Francinator.'"

Article from TV Guide Online, written by Sabrina Rojas Weiss.

2003-01-31T18:04:00.000-05:00

The Spy Life - Jennifer photo gallery
See the sexy star of "Alias" and "Daredevil" -- We trace Jennifer Garner's career, from budding starlet to today's most complex action heroine on the big and small screens.

BECOMING ELEKTRA Garner had a blink-and-you'll miss it role as a nurse opposite Ben Affleck in ''Pearl Harbor.'' Now, as ''Daredevil'''s assassin Elektra, she's become his love interest.

WHAT A 'CATCH' In ''Catch Me if You Can,'' Garner plays Cheryl Ann, a model-turned-hooker whose brief encounter with Leonardo DiCaprio's teenage conman leaves her with less than she bargained for.

AGENT PROVOCATEUR Shown in a 2002 EW photo shoot, Jennifer Garner has mastered the art of looking sexy, thoughtful, and dangerous at the same time.

SPY KID Garner started her secret-agent training as a child in Charleston, W. Va., when her favorite book was ''Harriet the Spy''

BURNING RUBBER In just the second ''Alias'' episode, Garner proved she could get in and out of tight situations by donning this minidress.

UNDERGRADUATE WORK Garner met future husband Scott Foley and future ''Alias'' creator J.J. Abrams on the set of ''Felicity'' when she guest-starred as Noel's (Foley) girlfriend from high school.

INSIGNIFICANT OTHERS Besides the short-lived dramas ''Time of Your Life'' and ''Significant Others,'' Garner had little TV experience before ''Alias"

RED HOT The ''Alias'' pilot in 2001 paid tribute to the movie ''Run Lola Run,'' right down to Garner's flame-colored wig.

TINY DANCER Garner gave up her childhood dream of ballet (''I danced six hours every day -- and I wasn't even very good,'' she has said), but in ''Alias,'' she does her own high-kicking stunts.

'COUNTRY' GIRL Sydney Bristow may be able to balance grad school and spying, but Garner dropped out of the Yale Drama School in 1995 when she landed an understudy role in the Broadway play ''A Month in the Country''

DECONSTRUCTING JENNY Garner's character in Woody Allen's 1997 ''Deconstructing Harry'' was left on the cutting room floor; maybe now that she's famous, he'll make it up to her in a future project.

GOLDEN GIRL When she won a Golden Globe for ''Alias'' in 2002, Garner joked that voters must also have appreciated her work in ''Dude, Where's My Car?''

TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL Garner told EW that after she saw ''Charlie's Angels'' she thought, '''I can do that, I want to do that, I want to be Cameron Diaz right now!' And I just got in the mindset of 'I have to play a role like that.' And then boom!''

Photos from Entertainment Weekly.

2003-01-31T17:22:00.000-05:00

Very minor spoilers...no details or anything, just vague hints.

Spy Jinx?
Behind "Alias'" shocking Super Bowl Sunday revamp -- Needing a ratings kick, ABC's underdog starts virtually from scratch, fueled on sexy new twists.

And on the seventh day, he laid to rest everything we knew. ''Alias'' creator and executive producer J.J. Abrams may have unleashed a greater surprise during ABC's Super Bowl Sunday festivities than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers routing the Oakland Raiders, or even a lucid Snoop Dogg cohosting ''Jimmy Kimmel Live'': In a single high-profile episode, he seemingly put a bullet in the heart of the cult spy serial and then resuscitated it on the spot, generating enough watercooler convo to boost Poland Spring's first-quarter revenue. The hour-long adrenalized rush -- which featured a gun battle in a disintegrating airplane, a murder of a sweet supporting character by her evil doppelgänger, two first kisses, and Jennifer Garner slinking around in lingerie sets black and red -- abruptly resolved the show's central story line, kick-started a few new plots, and earned its best ratings ever with 17.4 million viewers.

So what's the rub? This highly promoted episode -- aptly titled ''Phase One'' -- generated the lowest post-Super Bowl numbers since at least 1987 (an 11:01 p.m. start on the East Coast didn't help). More significantly, not since ''Roseanne'''s blue-collar clan won the lottery has an executive producer so brazenly revamped a show on the fly. With Abrams touting a new and improved ''Alias,'' it's time to ask: Will the Super Bowl episode help usher in a new beginning for this critically beloved but Nielsen-challenged series? Or did ''Alias'' just jump the shark with the die-hard fans who put the ''cult'' in ''cult hit''? Our intel-gathering mission begins here.

Why isn't ''Alias'' a hit already? While Fox's ''24'' (ranked No. 46), a similarly respected, equally complicated sophomore spy drama, is up 22 percent in viewers this year from last season's average, ''Alias'' (No. 65) has sagged 6 percent. The Sunday-at-9 p.m. time slot is tough. But ABC's promotional efforts haven't always captured the show's spirit (selling it as a soapy love triangle?) or its hipness (describing Sydney as ''Double-oh-yeah...with a kick''?). Speaking of promotion, ''24'' got a whole lot of it when last season's episodes were released on DVD in the fall -- a move that Fox believes was partly responsible for ''24'''s ratings burst. ''Alias''' first season won't be out on DVD until September, two years after its premiere.

Why the sudden dramatic shift? Abrams says ABC didn't pressure him to make a ratings-boosting gambit. Rather, he was beginning to feel boxed in by the ''good guys posing as bad guys pretending to be good guys'' paradigm. ''If we did another story in which Sydney was almost found out, I was going to kill myself,'' says Abrams. So in December, he penned an episode that was ''like a new pilot,'' in which our heroine, CIA double agent Sydney (Garner), takes down the Alliance, an international crime syndicate, and finally kindles a romance with her CIA handler Vaughn (Michael Vartan). ''She seems to finally have solved her problems,'' sums up Abrams. ''But she's fallen into a trap and this whole [Alliance] thing was a manipulation.... I got very excited about that idea.''

What the heck happens now? Above all else, Abrams urges you not to panic. ''I think you can tell by the way the show ended that we're not going to suddenly be in simple-story-land,'' he says. Translation: The Rambaldi mythology still lingers. Also, Sydney hasn't seen the last of slippery ex-SD-6 chief Sloane (Ron Rifkin), who'll morph into a greater enemy. ''He is far more active and more insidious,'' says Abrams. Slightly less insidious (we hope) will be an outbreak of romance in CIA HQ: ''We've earned Sydney and Vaughn becoming a couple.''

Will the post-Super Bowl exposure boost the show's ratings? The 11:01 p.m. start time seems to be yet another blunder in the handling of the show, but ABC Entertainment chairman Lloyd Braun insists his hands were tied because of the network's NFL commitments and overindulgent sports division. ''I was spitting blood,'' admits Braun. ''If I controlled it, I would have thrown 'Alias' on during the third quarter.'' Braun believes the series can grow into a ''monster hit.'' Alas for ABC, series rarely see long-lasting ratings jumps following Super Bowl showcases, observes Stacey Lynn Koerner, analyst at Initiative Media. (''Malcolm in the Middle,'' which aired after the 2002 Super Bowl, is down 21 percent from last year's average.) ''I think if we haven't seen it yet,'' she says, ''we won't see it in the future.''

Forget that ratings stuff. What's up with Francie? Last May, Abrams told actress Merrin Dungey to begin training. The reason: She now plays an evil Francie double. Offering only a hint of what's to come, Dungey says, ''I kill soon.'' Okay, at least tell us if she can run Good Francie's restaurant? ''I don't think she's had time with all the killing to get her Betty Crocker on.''

Article from Entertainment Weekly. Article by Dan Snierson, additional reporting by Lynette Rice.

2003-01-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

I figured I'd post all of this since it's all about Daredevil, but I've bolded the Jennifer parts.

Daredevil: The Mark Steven Johnson Interview

Part One:

Daredevil writer/director Mark Steven Johnson made a public appearance recently at the Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention. Comics2Film correspondent Jason Lethert was fortunate enough to sit down and have an exclusive interview with the young filmmaker.

Lethert asked Johnson about the process of creating a look for the big-screen version of the man without fear.

"It was months and months and months of work. It started out, let's make it exactly like the comic book, that was my goal. Then when you see people really dressed like that you quickly change your mind and try other things," Johnson said.

Marvel Editor and Chief Joe Quesada was among those encouraging Johnson to rework the suits for the big screen. "I think Joe draws maybe the best Daredevil ever. I just think it's amazing," Johnson said.

"We tried every different variation we could, always with keeping the red, keeping the 'DD', keeping the horns, keeping it Daredevil, but at the same time making it real world."

The suit had both look cool and be utilitarian, "That's what I kept stressing is that this has to be something he would wear that would really support him and keep him from getting injured jumping around from roof to roof. That's kind of the theme of the whole movie is, what would it really do to you physically and mentally to go out night after night and fight crime. What would that really be like?

"So the leather just came out of the idea of motorcycle leathers and protecting your body. Even that only works to a certain extent. You see him undressing he's covered in scars and he's popping pain pills. It's pretty cool stuff. It's interesting anyway. That's how the costume came to be, to just do a realistic version of it."

Johnson was quick to point out that spandex, which many still assume is the fabric of choice for the modern superhero, was never an option.

"It's funny too, because when you see Spandex on a human being it looks terrible. But that's always the first questions, 'So, is he gonna wear red spandex,'" Johnson joked. "What? Why spandex? It's so gay! You know what I mean? If some people think the leather's gay, I think the spandex is just so strange.

The director went on to comment on the suits seen in other movies.

"Whatever Spider-Man wore, I thought looked great and that was appropriate. I guess that was some form of spandex," Johnson said. "I thought the original Batman costume was pretty great, because he had the musculature but at the same time you have this thing that's kind of like armor in a way. What I didn't like was how stiff he moved in that movie. One of the cool things about Batman is that he's gotten to know all these martial arts. He's a master of martial arts from around the world. He was just like this, you know."

His take on the Dark Knight's restrictive suit influenced the direction of Daredevil's costume design. "I wanted to make sure with Daredevil we could build in the musculature to give him the comic book feel, but at the same time he could move, really move," Johnson told C2F. "He's blind and he's got to move faster than the people shooting guns at him, things like that. He's got to move like an acrobat and a gymnast and a martial artist. All these things. I wanted to make sure he had an incredible amount of flexibility.

"So we made sure that we always had stretch in the leg areas and the shoulder areas so that he could really move and do the things he needed to do, whether it was Ben doing it or it was the stuntmen doing it, that was really important to me, that he could move better than we'd seen a superhero movie. That was important."

When fans first saw Elektra's costume, many wondered why the outfit departed so much from the comics.

"Again, the plan was to go just like the comic books, but once you see bright red sashes and head-bands and stuff and skirts and everything else, it didn't feel right. It felt like we were doing a disservice to the character by actually trying to be too true to the costume," Johnson said.

The director offered further explanation of the logic behind her movie gear.

"She's not Elektra: Assassin in this movie. It's an origin story for her. So, for me, going back to realism which is always the benchmark for this movie, I thought, well, if she's just learning to go out at night and do this, what she does in the movie, she's not skilled at it yet. She has no experience at it yet. And to go out in a bright red costume and it's like, 'look at me. I'm over here,' versus someone who slips in and out of shadows, which is what a ninja would do," Johnson said.

Of course, there's always room for a costume change.

"I just found that that was the most realistic and the best version of her now. Not to say that when she becomes an assassin, hopefully in her own film, which I'm hoping will happen one day then I think you do go the traditional because she's so skilled she can afford to be more colorful. Up front I just wanted to keep her realistic."

Bullseye also underwent a drastic revamp from the comic books.

"The Bullseye costume: as a fan I love all the comic costumes, but in real life he looks like a tool," Johnson remarked. "It just looks ridiculous, the Bullseye would never work.

"To me it was let's make him a little bit more punk. Lets make Bullseye like Alex in Clockwork Orange. Let's make him really that scary, Sid Vicious, punk vibe. So we did.

"The Bullseye in our movie, the bullseye on his forehead is scarification, he actually carved into his own forehead out of sheer boredom, as kind of a cocky come on to his enemy. Kind of like, 'you want me? Let me help you out. Right her, pal.'"

Johnson told us that, as with Daredevil, he initially planned on a faithful reproduction of the villain's comic book costume. Quesada quickly talked him out of that.

"He started doing some ideas and one of his ideas was that maybe Bullseye dipped his finger in blood and did a bullseye on the forehead, which I though was really interesting. I took it a step further and actually did the gouging in and the scarification and the bullseye on his head. We talked about the long coat, how he'd need a long coat to hide all of his weapons, to give him a cape feel without actually having a cape.

"What [costume designer] Jim Acheson came up with, which I actually though was genius, was the idea that the style of the coat is one of like an animal," the director continued. "Bullseye is very reptilian, like a snake or a lizard and moves very graceful. It's cool because you can't quite tell if it's an alligator skin or crocodile skin or snake skin or shark skin. You just know it's a dead animal that this guy's wearing. And it's cool, It's just bad-ass.

"He uses it like a cape when he's fighting. He'll do these flourishes when [Elektra's] trying to stab him and can just use that to confuse her. So even his coat is a weapon."

Part Two:

In part one of our interview, Johnson talked about translating superhero costumes to the big screen. In this installment he discusses bringing the action to life.

The director told Lethert that, although the movie features fantastic characters, his thematic touchstone was realism.

"That's kind of the theme of the whole movie is, what would it really do to you physically and mentally to go out night after night and fight crime. What would that really be like," Johnson asked.

"Not that there's a right or wrong to this. There're comic movies that can go way over the top and it works and they're a lot of fun," Johnson explained. "I wanted this to be primarily a martial arts based, practical street-fighting-type based film. There is wire work and there is digital character work, all that is in the movie. At its core it's still about a really tough guy kicking ass. That was what what it always came down to."

Of course, where there's action, there's violence.

"Daredevil...gets his ass kicked a lot in the movie. I think that's cool," Johnson told Lethert. "You know what I mean? Because anybody that gets hit fifty times in a Hong Kong movie and they're fine, there's always this like BOP-BOP-BOP-BOP-BOP and then there's that one BOP and a guy goes flying and it's like, what was so special about that one and why didn't you do that sooner, dude? What have you been doing this for?

"So in Daredevil I really wanted to show repercussions to the violence. When Daredevil gets beaten up you see what it's doing to his body," the director said. "He's pulling a tooth out of his mouth like in Ninja Scroll kind of inspired that scene, or the pain pills and the knee surgery and the back scars. It's like, wow, this guy's only thirty years old and literally his body's falling apart.

"I think that's really interesting. So I really wanted to show that he's not impervious to pain. That when there's a fight he also gets hurt."

Does the man without fear have an even lower tolerance for pain than you or I would? Johnson responds:

"The truth is when somebody punches you in the face it hurts. You don't just shake it off that quickly. Especially if you're a guy with sensitive touch, it would hurt more than it would for anybody, which I think is a really interesting thought too," the director said. "That's how brave he is. If he could feel newsprint on a newspaper, his touch is that fine, imagine what happens when he cracks a bone or gets punched and loses a tooth. I bet it's excruciating. That to me is really heroic."

Lethert asked Johnson how one comes up with a compelling take on super-hero action in the post-Matrix, post-Spider-Man world of film.

"Like everyone else I'm a huge fan of The Matrix. In the movies coming out this next year there's The Matrix and then there's everything else. I can't wait to see it. I think it's truly genius," Johnson enthused.

"I think because the movie's so recent, I think people are reticent to say that it's one of the best films ever made. They think that's just geeks talking. It's not. As a geek as well as a regular movie fan I think it is one of the best films truly ever made and it'll go down as probably the best science fiction film ever made, or whatever you want to call it, action film, fantasy film.

"So for us, there's always that weight of what do you do after Matrix? What do you do after Spider-Man? When the bar has been raised so high, how are you going to make yourself unique. We had to say what can we give people that's different?

"For me that was to really try to make a movie that has a lot of heart to it and a lot of emotion to it, which you usually don't get with a superhero movie," Johnson said. "I thought Sam did a great job of that with Spider-Man. You really liked Peter Parker. You really cared about him and I wanted to show that."

While Spider-Man may make the production of a superhero movie now seem daunting, Johnson also admits that it raised the profile of his movie.

"This movie was always supposed to be an under-the-radar kind of movie. We had six million dollars for visual effects. Spider-man had over fifty million. They're a whole different league from us," Johnson said. "Everybody was just anticipating, 'if we do well, maybe we can make as much money as Blade.' That was always the feeling. If this movie makes seventy million, eighty million, that would be great.

"Then the expectations began to grow and now we're not under the radar anymore. We're starting to build this as like this event type of film, which is exciting, but it's also a little scary because this movie is not Spider-Man. It is a darker movie. It is a grittier movie."

Johnson talked about that important difference.

"I wanted to show like, instead of 'golly gee, how great to be a superhero,' I wanted to show the dark side of being a superhero. That was really appealing to me to show something different," the filmmaker continued. " It's easy being Daredevil, it's hard being Matt Murdock. It's tough to live the life he leads. It's a very lonely life.

"It's a cool movie, but if people go in expecting Spider-Man they'll be disappointed because that was never the intention of this film.

Of course, strong, human characterizations are the hallmark of Marvel superhero. What other tricks will Daredevil employ to wow audiences?

" Visually we also wanted to show the way he sees his radar vision. That was something you'd never seen before. The idea of seeing sound waves as they go over objects and illuminate them. That, to me is fresh and cool," Johnson told C2F. " That's been kind of the bane of my existence in the past year, developing that and going, 'that's not it. That's not right,' and going back to the drawing board over and over and over. That was our chance to show something you've never seen."

With all the gritty realism and depiction of the cost of fighting crime, Johnson was challenged to bring in a movie at the pre-designated rating.

"I just went through the MPAA rounds and Daredevil got an R. So I had to deliver a PG-13 contractually. So I made some cuts and some trims and I went back again and I got an R again. Then I had to go back and make some cuts again, so I'm not at a PG-13," Johnson explained.

"I don't know if they quite know how to take it. It's a guy who dresses up and he's a hero. It's a no-brainer. That's a kid's movie. But it's not, necessarily," Johnson said. "Kid's can go, definitely, but it's also a movie for adults. It's also a more realistic, hard-core action movie, and a very emotional movie.

"There's always that balance."

Look for more from our conversation with Mark Steven Johnson right here soon, as the director talks about casting, cartoons and the wonderful world of comic book movies!

Part Three:

In part two of our interview, Johnson talked about bring staging realistic action and an emotional story for the the man without fear's big screen debut. In this installment he discusses

Lethert asked Johnson about the controversy surrounding the casting of Michael Clark Duncan as a character that had always previously been depicted as white. Johnson said he empathizes with fans who questioned the decision.

"It's a pretty big deal. As a fan, for me to, I would have been shocked if somebody had cast a black Kingpin. I just want him to look like my comic book characters. I understand that," the director told C2F. "Michael was not, to be fair, my first choice. I looked at a lot of other people first. I couldn't find anybody who had the spirit of the Kingpin. You needed a guy with incredible size, but not just a fat guy. You needed a guy who's solid muscle.

"A lot of fans forget that and say, 'what about Marlon Brando?' Brando can't get out of a chair, let alone fight."

Having Ben Affleck as a leading man raised the bar even higher.

"Affleck in his boots, he's six-foot three. He's a huge guy. You know that is a big actor," Johnson said. "You don't find a lot of the so-called big men, they're really five-eleven, six feet tall. Affleck's bigger than Schwarzenegger. So when you're looking for a guy who's going to tower over Affleck, boy, you're limited."

In the final analysis, Duncan was clearly the best choice for the part.

"I just thought: if you just look at him. He's got the shaved head. He's got the incredible physique. He's got the imposing presence. He's got the great voice Kingpin should have. He's got the muscle. He's literally got everything Kingpin should have except he's the wrong color," Johnson said. "Then you just say, 'the hell with it. What are you thinking?' You're so much more true to the spirit of the comic if you cast this guy, then you would some other guy just because he's white but doesn't have any of those other attributes.

"So to me it was a no-brainer. I really do think after seeing the movie people will go, 'yeah. He's the Kingpin.' They won't be able to imagine anybody else in that role."

Similarly, some fans questioned the casting of Garner as Elektra, another character with a firmly established ethnicity in the comics. Johnson, however, couldn't be happier with the actress.

"I think she's genius. I think absolutely think she's perfect. Again, you start off saying, 'I should get somebody Greek. Somebody very dark and olive-skinned,' and whatnot, what-have-you," the director told us. "I just kept looking for the person that physically could inhabit the role but also had the emotion. Jennifer just was it for me."

The Alias star mastered more than the emotional component.

"Physically unbelievable. Does all her own stuff in the movie. I mean really does. A lot of people will say that, that they do their own stunts. They really don't. Trust me. Jennifer really does and she'll do anything," Johnson said. "She'll be up on a wire and I'll say, 'Jen, let's jump off this building onto the next building,' and it's twelve stories down and she's like, 'Great!' There's no net or anything. We just get so excited it just goes. She's fantastic."

Garner had the blessing of another important figure.

"I remember when I saw Frank Miller in New York. I finally got to meet him and had him come to the set. I was nervous because it's literally like his daughter. He created her. Not knowing how he'd feel, knowing she doesn't look exactly like the comics or she's not the right color. He didn't care about any of that," Johnson said. "He just saw her and he was really moved by her. He was really and truly touched. He said, 'Wow! That's her. She's unbelievable,' and I said 'Really? You think so?'"

Elektra's creator demonstrated why Garner fit the role so well.

"He took his Elektra Lives Again book, which he had brought as a gift and he put his hand over everything except the eyes and he said, 'Elektra's always got those wounded eyes, even when she's trying to be tough. That's what breaks your heart. Jennifer's got it. She's perfect.'

"He loved her. He really was taken by her and that made me feel so good. To have Frank's blessing that way. It meant a lot to me."

Johnson also discussed the Collin Farrell as the expert assassin, Bullseye.

"For me that was all about attitude. For me it was to come up with a character that was, I think the best bad guys are always the ones that you like. You feel bad enjoying them so much because they're so evil, but there's something about them that's so charismatic," Johnson said. "That's why I cast Collin, because Collin Farrell is incredibly charismatic. You can't take your eyes off of him. You never know what he's going to do next. That's what Bullseye should be like.

"He's just like the comic: everything he touches is a deadly weapon. He'll use anything to kill somebody with. He's so untouchable," the director continued. "Until he meets Daredevil he's never had anyone who could challenge him. He is super bad-ass. In fact, when you see him fight Elektra, just like in Frank Miller's panels, you get the feeling he's just playing with her, like a cat with a mouse. It's heartbreaking because you realize she doesn't have a chance against this guy. He's just too damn good."

With a superhero, a villain, two major supporting characters and a handful of secondary supporting characters fans might be concerned that Daredevil will turn into another Batman and Robin.

"I see it, and it was one of my big challenges here too. It is a lot of characters when you have Bullseye, Elektra and Kingpin, and then you've also got Foggy and a little bit of Karen Page and all the people you want to see, his father and that whole thing," Johnson admits. "I think with the Batman movies, for me, what went wrong was that they were all so over the top.

"It wasn't that there were too many characters. It was that each character is playing it to the roof. So after a while you just kind of get numb. It just feels like you're being screamed at. If you've got Jim Carrey, he's genius. But if you've got the Riddler and at the same time you've got Two Face and they're both so big, after a while they wear their welcome out, for me as a fan.

"In our movie, it's definitely more realistic than those. Kingpin he's a big presence in the movie, but he's not all over the movie. And he's a business man. He happens to be a ruthless business man," Johnson explains. "At the end we see how maniacal he can be but he's not maniacal the entire movie and he's not in the entire movie.

"Same thing with Bullseye. He doesn't come in until forty minutes into the movie. Elektra: same thing. She's a girl who becomes a love interest. At the end of it, that's when she dons the outfit and becomes more the assassin. But they're not coming in and playing it to the ceiling and there the entire time," the director said.

Johnson also feels there will be more to distinguish his movie. "I always found that what I didn't like about the Batman movies was that he was always the least interesting one in the whole movie. He got the least amount of screen time too. God, I want to know about Batman. He's the guy I care about. I don't know who this guy is. He's getting lost amongst all the colorful villains."

Pictures:
Jennifer Garner stars as Elektra, a martial arts femme fatale.
Elektra (Jennifer Garner) grapples with Daredevil (Ben Affleck), unaware that he is Matt Murdock, the man she has fallen in love with.
Wielding her signature weapons – sais – Elektra springs into action.
Cast Promotional Photo
Elektra (Jennifer Garner) practices her deadly martial arts moves.
High above the streets of New York, Elektra (Jennifer Garner) and Bullseye (Colin Farrell) square off for their final battle.
Elektra Promotional Photo

Article and pictures from Comics2Film.

2003-01-30T22:18:00.000-05:00

Petition: Keep Alias on for a 3rd season.

2003-01-30T17:36:00.000-05:00

New section: TV Appearances

I'm adding a section to the right column that will tell you when Alias cast members are guests on talk shows or when one of their movies is airing. Keep an eye out, it should be up by Saturday.

2003-01-30T17:07:00.000-05:00

Garner in 60 Seconds

You're Garner go nuts for Daredevil Jen

Alias stunner Jennifer Garner expects her star to soar thanks to her villainous appearance in the long-awaited blockbuster, Daredevil.

She struts around doing bad stuff in the minx-like role of Elektra - giving the all-in-one suited superhero (Ben Affleck) a right old runaround.

On top of being a bit of a one, Garner's Elektra's something of a ninja assassin too in her spare time.

Calm it, love, and go put the tea on.

Men, however, going to watch Daredevil down the local multiplex, will just be delighted that she looks ace.

If only she'd stop going off every 30 seconds.

But what can you do, lads? Some of these women are just nuts.

Garner joins in the fantasy scrapfest fresh from appearing in Steven Spielberg's excellent Catch Me If You Can. And she said she loved going the distance with Daredevil co-star Affleck.

That's distance, as in fight-wise. No letters, please, J-Lo.

"(The character) is both good and evil," Garner told Teen Hollywood magazine. "She's very fierce and much more aggressive than anyone I've ever played before.

"Elektra goes looking for a fight. She's a strong, confident and sexy woman who is not afraid to use her sex to throw people off guard."

Not really in the mood for a punch-up. Like the sex bit, though, Jen.

Win fantastic Daredevil goodies with MegaStar. Have a gander at our brilliant Daredevil section with pics, news and competitions in it - that sort of stuff.

Article from MegaStar, written by Steve Sealink.

2003-01-30T17:05:00.000-05:00

Episode Description from E! Online: Double Agent

Alias (Sunday, ABC): (Spoilers) Onetime Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke drops into primetime as a compromised CIA agent. Suspicious spy-girl Sydney (Jennifer Garner) is, well, suspicious.

Read more at E! Online. Article by Joal Ryan.

2003-01-30T16:59:00.000-05:00

TV Gal Rolls Her Eyes At Awful Storylines

Really, it's Faux Francie who has us all concerned.

Whether she's a wicked clone, an evil twin, or Anna Espinosa with some serious plastic surgery, the shocking final scene of last Sunday's "Alias" has us in a tizzy. Something about it smacks a little too much of "Days of Our Lives" -- like we'll find out Sloane has been working with Victor Kiriakis all this time.

However, I'm not ready to declare it a bad idea, because I have faith in the show. Still, I have no problem pointing out the worst story lines we weary viewers have had to deal with this season.

Read more at Zap2It. Article by Amy Amatangelo.

2003-01-29T22:18:00.000-05:00

ABC's Really Super Super Bowl

Finally, even with the semi-naked promo spots that ran during the game, only 17.4 million viewers stuck around for ABC's heavily hyped spy series Alias, which didn't start airing until 11 p.m. ET--about two hours later than usual. Jennifer Garner's sexy spin in red garters wasn't in vain, though. The double agent's adventures have only attracted an average of 9 million viewers this season, so last night's numbers were an all-time best for the series, plus the show doubled its share of horny 18-49 year olds.

Read more at E! Online. Article by Lia Haberman.

2003-01-29T22:05:00.000-05:00

Good 'Going' for Ruffalo, Revolution

Mark Ruffalo will star opposite "Alias" star Jennifer Garner in "13 Going on 30," a romantic fable that Gary Winick ("Tadpole") will direct for Revolution Studios.
While Garner makes her bigscreen starring debut as Elektra in "Daredevil," "13 Going on 30" will be her first seven-figure payday. She plays a gawky preteen whose desperation to be popular makes her an easy mark for cruel classmates. Five days before her 13th birthday, the girl is tricked and locked in a closet, where she makes a crazy wish to be popular. She emerges in the full-grown form of Garner, a popular and successful ad agency exec five days shy of her 30th birthday, having skipped 17 awkward years. She also realizes she's in love with the nerdy kid next-door. Full-grown, he's played by Ruffalo.

The script was written by "What Women Want" scribes Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, and rewrites were done by Rita Hsiao and Niels Mueller. Susan Arnold, Donna Arkoff Roth and Gina Matthews are the producers. Revolution will begin filming in April in Los Angeles when Garner starts hiatus from "Alias."

Ruffalo, who's repped by WMA and Robert Stein Management, currently is starring alongside Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst and Elijah Wood in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and next will be seen opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in "A View From the Top." He just completed the Jane Campion-directed "In the Cut" opposite Meg Ryan, which Screen Gems will distribute in the fall.

Article from Variety, written by Michael Fleming.

2003-01-28T22:18:00.000-05:00

'Alias' Gets New Identity

Double agent Sydney Bristow is about to embark on her toughest mission yet: Turning "Alias" into the smash hit ABC execs believe the show should be.
Actually, that burden has largely fallen onto the shoulders of "Alias" exec producer J.J. Abrams, the man who created Sydney (portrayed by Jennifer Garner) and all the other characters who populate the shadowy spyworld of the Alphabet's Sunday skein.

While the show has been a cult sensation since its September 2001 bow, its ratings have yet to match the enormous critical acclaim and pop culture buzz that surrounds it.

Indeed, this season, "Alias" has actually lost some Nielsen ground opposite some of the toughest competish around -- everything from HBO's phenom "The Sopranos" to NBC's mighty "Law & Order" franchise.

No wonder, then, that ABC -- which desperately wants the series to become the drama smash it so sorely needs -- has been touting the Jan. 26 post-Super Bowl edition of "Alias" as "A New Beginning."

"In many ways, this episode is really a second pilot for the show," Abrams says. "What I think we've done is found a way to maintain the integrity of the storytelling but change the paradigm of the show so we can take it to the next level."

Specifically, Abrams is serving up a radical fix to what some critics, ABC execs and even some "Alias" scribes believe to be the show's one flaw: its Byzantine central premise.

Try to keep track: Up until now, Garner's Bristow has been a hot CIA spy chick who's working undercover at SD-6, a supposedly secret branch of the government that's really a front for an evil alliance of assorted international meanies.

Most of the employees of SD-6 think they're working for the CIA, but they're not. And the most evil member of SD-6 -- Arnold Rifkin's Sloane -- has to pretend he's working for the feds, thus limiting his ability to be as nasty as he wants to be.

"The show was about good guys working with the bad guys, many of whom thought they were good guys," Abrams (sorta) explains. "But the baddest of the bad guys had to pretend he was good. That premise made it not only impenetrable to many viewers but also frustrating to write.

"We had to figure out a way to change it."

With the Jan. 26 episode, Abrams does just that.

By the time the hour is over, Sydney will have exposed and defeated SD-6 and the evil Alliance, allowing the character to be a straight-ahead undercover spy gal. She'll also finally be free to pursue a long-smoldering, but not-yet consummated relationship with her CIA handler.

But here's the beauty part: Mega-meanie Sloane, no longer forced to keep up the appearance of good, will be badder than ever.

While "Alias" is getting less complex, Abrams vows it's not getting stupider.

"I love the show too much and respect it too much to dumb it down or simplify it to the point of being lowest common denominator television," he says. "If the network had said to me, you need to make the show simpler, I would have said to them, 'Get someone else and do 'VIP.' "

But Abrams says he needed to blow up "Alias" -- not to save it, but to make it better.

"We could remain as a cult hit and stay in that place," Abrams says. "Or we could make a creative decision to maintain the quality of the show yet alleviate the difficulty in storytelling…. (The change) is going to allow us to tell so many stories we couldn't before."

Not surprisingly, ABC execs are behind Abrams' reshaping of "Alias."

"What's clear is that 'Alias' already has this extraordinarily loyal core audience," says ABC Entertainment prexy Susan Lyne. "But there's a huge proportion of the TV audience that's never seen it or has been convinced by their friends or stories (in the media) that the show's too complicated. I think this episode will hook people in a way that they'll feel they must come back."

And if they don't? Abrams says he's fine with his current audience -- and, perhaps more importantly for fans of the show, so is Lyne.

"It's frustrating that it doesn't have twice the audience it has, and I still believe it will have (a bigger) audience after the Super Bowl," she says.

"But we need shows on our network that people are passionate about," Lyne adds. "I don't have any doubt at all that 'Alias,' even at its current levels, will be back."

Article from Variety, written by Josef Adalian.

2003-01-28T19:56:00.000-05:00

Real Sports, Real People Rule Ratings

Unfortunately for ABC, the game and its ancillary events were so marathon-y, they pushed Alias right out of primetime. Looking to improve the fortunes of its acclaimed spy series, ABC awarded the show the coveted post-Super Bowl time slot, which, this year, meant an 11:01 p.m. start time on the East Coast. While Jennifer Garner's wily ways were sampled by 17.4 million viewers (up from the usual 9.3 million), the performance was the worst ever by a show following a Super Bowl.

Read more at E! Online. Article by Joal Ryan.

2003-01-28T17:54:00.000-05:00

Catch Me If You Can Review

By the age of 21, Frank W Abagnale had worked as a doctor, a lawyer and as a co-pilot for a major airline, spending' millions and travelling around the world. He was also one of the most sought after masters of deception in America, as well as a brilliant forger.

By the time of his capture, in 1969, he had written $2.5 million worth of bad cheques and was virtually a celebrity - so it is little wonder, then, that the life of this James Bond of the skies' has formed the inspiration for the latest Steven Spielberg movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.

Catch Me If You Can is the director's lightest film in years, a joyous romp through 1960s America that succeeds because of the sheer audacity of its premise, as well as the quality of its performances.

DiCaprio has seldom been better, while the likes of Hanks and Christopher Walken, in less showier roles, lend excellent support.

Yet it is the breezy style of proceedings, as well as the tongue-in-cheek manner of the deceptions, which help to make the film such an unqualified success, making it easy to see why so many people were seduced by this slick conman.

Abagnale operated at a time when finger-printing and Big Brother-style security cameras were virtually non-existent, slipping from East Coast to West Coast America with relative ease. His fingerprints were the trail of dud cheques that he left in his wake, yet his good looks and golden tongue meant that he could talk his way in to (or out of) most situations.

But the relish with which he carried out his cons was borne out of a troubled youth - as, at the age of 16, he was forced to choose between his parents and ran away, determined to reunite his family.

It is here that the line between truth and fiction becomes somewhat blurry, as, on-screen, the loneliness and sense of desperation that follows brings him closer to the FBI agent chasing him, played by Hanks.

Abagnale makes a point of calling his pursuer each Christmas Eve - having previously given him the slip when it would have been easier to get caught - and the two develop a begrudging respect; so much so, that by the time Abagnale had served five years of a 12-year sentence, the agent (named Carl Hanratty on-screen/Joe Shaye in real-life) persuaded the FBI to take him on in their cheque forgery department (under their custody).

The chemistry between DiCaprio and Hanks is an important factor in the film's success, as is the interplay between the former and his struggling father (played in exemplary fashion by Walken).

Yet it is credit to Spielberg that he refrains from employing too much sentimentalism until late in the movie, preferring instead to keep things lively from the start (as in the glorious titles sequence, which harks back to films such as The Pink Panther).

Several sequences stand out, such as a delightfully wayward seduction involving Alias star, Jennifer Garner, or DiCaprio's stint as a doctor, but all are guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

In real-life, Abagnale has since issued a statement stressing that many events in the film are exaggerated and over-dramatised'. Yet there is little doubt that the events depicted, however far from the truth, are remarkable and the film is to be applauded on many levels.

It may ultimately outstay its welcome, but it is like a breath of fresh air amid the current crop of heavier Oscar contenders.

For the record, Abagnale has since become a leading authority on forgery, embezzlement and secure documents and is a multi-millionaire. Who says crime doesn't pay?

Article from This Is Local London, written by Rob Carnevale.

2003-01-28T17:51:00.000-05:00

'Alias' Becomes a Video Game

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Come fall, video gamers will have the chance to make Sydney Bristow do whatever they want.

Video-game maker Acclaim has reached an agreement with Disney Interactive to release a game based on ABC's spy thriller "Alias." The game will be released across all platforms.

Details of the "Alias" game are few at this point. Acclaim says players will be able to control Sydney (played by Jennifer Garner on the series) and attempt to complete a number of missions involving espionage, combat and stealth tactics.

Acclaim says the show, with its multiple locations and high levels of action, "lends itself perfectly to interactive entertainment."

The "Alias" game is scheduled for release in the fall.

Article from Zap2It.

2003-01-28T17:48:00.000-05:00

89 Million Watch Super Sales Pitches

Meanwhile, ABC’s chick drama “Alias,” which got the coveted post-Super Bowl time slot, may have copped its biggest audience ever — 17.4 million viewers — but that’s the smallest audience for a post-Super Bowl show since at least the early ’90s. Last year, Fox’s broadcast of “Malcolm in the Middle” nabbed 21.5 million viewers; in 2001 the debut of “Survivor: Whatever” clocked a whopping 45.4 million.

Maybe that’s because “Alias” had the latest start ever for a post-Super Bowl show: 11 p.m. Two years ago, CBS began its post-bowl “Survivor” broadcast at 10:17 p.m., as God intended. It was over a little after 11-right around the time “Alias” was just revving up this past Sunday.

It’s not like the game ran long; play ended at 10:18 p.m. But ABC delayed “Alias” to run a Bon Jovi “concert” — did you notice there was no one in the stands while Mr. Jovi was singing, and if Bon Jovi sings but only cheerleaders are listening, did Bon Jovi actually sing? — and the traditional Post-Super Bowl Thick-Necked Guys Blatherathon.

Read more. Article from The Washington Post.

2003-01-28T17:46:00.000-05:00

Super Bowl Ads: We're Not Buying

Savviest Exploitation of Demographics: ABC its ownself. Knowing that the Super Bowl audience is largely male, promos for the postgame episode of "Alias" featured star Jennifer Garner in two different hues of lingerie and a bikini.

Read more from Zap2It. Article by Rick Porter.

2003-01-28T17:40:00.000-05:00

Acclaim Signs Licensing Agreement for 'Alias'

Acclaim Entertainment, Inc., today announced that it has signed an agreement with Disney Interactive for the rights to publish video games based on ABC Television's hit drama series, "Alias." Currently in its second season, "Alias" is one of television's most critically acclaimed series. The "Alias" video game is currently being developed by Acclaim's Cheltenham studio and is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2003 across all of the next-generation gaming platforms.
"Alias" will be a third-person action adventure video game that allows players to step into the role of the series' lead character, Sydney Bristow, an agent for the CIA. Bristow must use her cunning, extensive knowledge of martial arts and array of high-tech gadgetry to accomplish dangerous missions. "Alias" will encompass all of the key elements behind the series' success, including high-action combat, stealth missions and time-based objectives, espionage, intriguing plot twists, high-tech weaponry and stunning gameplay locations that span the globe.

"Alias is one of the strongest new TV entertainment properties and is filled with great characters, rich storylines and incredible action that lends itself perfectly to interactive entertainment," said Evan Stein, Vice President of Marketing for Acclaim. "We are thrilled to have "Alias" join our portfolio of world-renowned licenses. "

"With the strength of the storylines in Alias, we couldn't imagine a better venue of expression then through the world of video games," says Bruce Gersh, Vice President of Business Development at ABC. "We are excited about the prospect of a great game that will bring all the elements of the show to a new fan base in the gaming world."

"Alias" was created by J.J. Abrams, who executive-produces the series along with John Eisendrath, Ken Olin, Alex Kurtzman-Counter, and Roberto Orci. The series, which is filmed in Los Angeles and premiered on September 30, 2001, is from Touchstone Television.

Article from gameinfowire.com.

2003-01-28T17:31:00.000-05:00

ABC's field day in the Nielsens - Alias mention

In another positive sign for ABC, a postgame telecast of the drama "Alias" averaged 17.4 million viewers, the most ever for that series.

Read more at the New York Daily News. Article by Richard Huff.

2003-01-28T17:26:00.000-05:00

Few Commercials Stood Out In Annual Super Bowl Blitz

Some other random observations:
-- "Alias" star Jennifer Garner is hot. Very hot. In lingerie. In a bikini. Hot.
And she was everywhere. In fact, between all the sultry "Alias" commercials, as well as the butt-jiggling spots for the insulting reality show "Are You Hot?", ABC could have charged $6.95 for a four-hour block and changed its name to the Adult Booty Channel.

Read more at The Salt Lake Tribune. Article by Mark McGuire.

2003-01-28T17:22:00.000-05:00

Strange things happen (yawn)

ABC has a pretty cool show that not nearly enough people are watching called "Alias,' in which the lithesome Jennifer Garner dons really tight outfits and battles evil wherever it may appear on the globe. Part of the problem with "Alias' is that its story line is unnecessarily dense and its mythology (to borrow a term popularized by "The X-Files') is too convoluted for casual viewers -- which is to say, what all of us have become these days -- to follow.

If folks won't bother to track a complicated story line to watch Garner pour herself into skintight outfits, what hope is there for shows like "Miracles' and "Veritas: The Quest,' which both debut tonight and feature what appear to be tricky ongoing plots without the benefit of Garner's physique to bolster them?

Read more at U-Press Telegram. Article by David Kronke.

2003-01-28T14:54:00.000-05:00

'Batman' Captures Director

The WB superhero project closest to the starting line is "Superman," with Brett Ratner directing from a script by J.J. Abrams ("Alias") for producer Jon Peters. The film will reintroduce a franchise that sputtered after four Christopher Reeve (news) films, and WB is currently testing actors for its Man of Steel, with Josh Hartnett (news), Jude Law (news), Ashton Kutcher (news) and Brendan Fraser (news) among those rumored as aspirants to be fitted in cape and spandex.

Read more at Yahoo News. Article by Michael Fleming.

2003-01-28T14:50:00.000-05:00

Super ratings

FOOTBALL FANS just watched, baby, as Super Bowl XXXVII ran up the highest viewership total in five years.

Even though the Bucs' thrashing of the Raiders wasn't as close as last year's Patriots-Rams nail-biter or the Rams-Titans match-up from 2000, it drew an average of 88.64 million viewers, the best ratings for the game since Green Bay played Denver in 1998. Those totals were no doubt boosted by the presence of the Raiders, one of a handful of NFL teams with a significant following throughout the country.

ABC didn't score quite so well with the episode of "Alias" that followed the game -- or, rather, it followed the tedious hour-long post-game show.

Look, I realize ABC can probably make more money by selling ads during the post-game show than during "Alias," but this was televised throat-clearing at its worst. Bon Jovi showed up to perform "It's My Life" for no other reason than that they sang before the NFL season began, while Jack Ford and a bunch of Marines with better things to do shivered in a snowy Times Square and watched Penn & Teller perform a hokey trick about encasing their Super Bowl prediction inside a pickle jar.

By the time this entertainment non-extravaganza was over, it was already 11 p.m., and many viewers on the East Coast had gone to bed.

"Alias" drew only 17.4 million viewers, which was nearly twice what the show usually attacts, but the smallest audience of any program ever to air following a Super Bowl. (In comparison, last year's post-Super Bowl "Malcolm in the Middle" on Fox grabbed 21.5 million viewers, which was considered a major disappointment.)

It's a shame, too, because "Alias" creator J.J. Abrams delivered exactly the kind of hour that could turn his show from a cult hit into a genuine smash. First he squeezed star Jennifer Garner into two different skimpy lingerie ensembles to grab the attention of the pigskin fans (at least, those who were still awake), then he cranked the show's usual level of action, stunts and dizzy plot twists up to 11. It was as ludicrous and melodramatic as usual -- but it was also more fun than ever.

Abrams may as well have titled the episode "Now Here's the Real Pilot" or "Mistakes Were Made," judging by the way he started from scratch and quickly abolished the show's least inviting elements.

The convoluted double agent set-up, in which Garner's Sydney Bristow simultaneously works for the CIA and an evil mercenary organization posing as the CIA? Gone. Now she's just a straight-up CIA agent chasing baddie Arvin Sloane ( Ron Rifkin ). Those unbearable subplots involving Sydney's civilian pals, which played like leftover subplots from Abrams' "Felicity" days? Gone. Now best friend Francie ( Merrin Dungey ), the show's least interesting character, is dead, replaced by an evil lookalike. That's service with a smile.

Abrams did his job. It's just too bad ABC didn't do theirs by getting his work on at a decent time.

From the Star Ledger, written by Alan Sepinwall.

2003-01-28T14:46:00.000-05:00

These Heroes Are Reporting In Uzsbekistan

Out of timidity or reticence, television shows about combat used to stick to wars that could be explored at a safe remove; even "M*A*S*H" was set in Korea, not Vietnam.

Today's producers no longer feel compelled to draw a modesty curtain around current events. The plot of this season's "24," a Fox series, pits a top C.I.A. agent played by Kiefer Sutherland against an Osama bin Laden-like madman bent on exploding a nuclear bomb in the United States. When she is not trying to uncover her own obscure and appalling family secrets, the sexy secret agent played by Jennifer Garner on the ABC show "Alias" also battles the occasional terrorists.

Article from The New York Times, written by Alessandra Stanley.

2003-01-28T14:38:00.000-05:00

A super Super Bowl Sunday

Pre-game
Starting at 2 pm, ABC provided four full hours of pre-game programming, replete with promotions for Alias and Dragnet and overall irritating special features. One of the few highlights was the hilarious Jimmy Kimmel's "Farewell to Cable," during which the new late-night host interrupted cable programs such as Wolf Blitzer Reports and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Read more at The Tufts Daily. Article by Brian Wolly.

2003-01-28T14:36:00.000-05:00

Super ratings for Super Bowl

NEW YORK (AP) -- Despite a lopsided game, which often turns off television viewers, Sunday night's Super Bowl recorded the second-most viewers in NFL title game history.

ABC's telecast of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 48-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders drew about 138 million viewers, second only to the 1996 Super Bowl between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, seen by 139 million on NBC.

The Super Bowl is often the most-watched TV program each year, accounting for nine of the 15 highest-rated shows ever.

The game Sunday registered a rating of 40.7 -- 1 percent higher than last year. That means an average of 40.7 percent of homes with televisions were tuned to the game at any given moment.

Cable and the Internet have lowered broadcast ratings in general, but because more people own TVs, lower ratings can still translate to higher viewership.

Last year, 132 million people watched the New England Patriots' 20-17 upset of the St. Louis Rams on a final-play field goal. But that game, on Fox, had just a 40.4 rating, tied with 2001 for the fourth-lowest rated Super Bowl since 1972, when the championship game's rating first exceeded 40.

Sunday's game ranks 27th of the 32 Super Bowls since then.

Ratings at the start of the broadcast were 38.8 and rose to 41.5 by the end of the second quarter. Halftime was popular, with a 40.1 rating from 8-8:30 p.m.

The audience -- which advertisers paid ABC an average of just over $2 million per 30-second commercial to reach -- dipped from 9-9:30 p.m. EST, when Tampa Bay enjoyed its biggest lead, 34-3. But a mini-rally by Oakland followed, and ratings peaked in the final 15 minutes, with 42.4 percent of the country tuning in.

"There was a significant interest in the game: the matchups, the coaching story with Jon Gruden," said Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports and now a consultant. "And the game kind of rescued itself late in the third quarter, when Oakland scored a couple of touchdowns. We were headed for a real blowout."

The highest rated Super Bowl, at 49.1, was in 1982, San Francisco's 26-21 victory over Cincinnati.

The ratings are a barometer for next year's broadcaster, CBS, when it comes to selling ad time.

ABC's "Alias" got its best rating ever by following Sunday's postgame show -- but not as much of a bump as post-Super Bowl programs the past two years.

The drama got a 10.6 rating starting at 11 p.m., two hours after its normal time slot and later than any post-Super Bowl show ever. That was twice the average rating for "Alias" this season.

"Malcolm in the Middle," which followed the 2002 Super Bowl, drew an 11.5 rating, and the season premiere of "Survivor" in 2001 drew a 23.6.

Article from Canoe. article by Howard Fendrich.

2003-01-28T14:33:00.000-05:00

Super Bowl Scores For ABC, But Not For `Alias'

NEW YORK -- Nearly 90 million people watched the Tampa Bay Buccaneers demolish the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII on Walt Disney Co.'s ABC network, an impressive figure given that the game's outcome looked clear at halftime.

According to Nielsen Media Research, 88.6 million watched the game Sunday on television, almost two million more than last year's Super Bowl audience even though that game between the New England Patriots and St. Louis Rams went down to the wire. The Patriots won 20-17 on a last-second field goal. Last year's game was on News Corp.'s Fox network.

Although ABC enjoyed a big audience, the slow pace of the game, which didn't end until around 10:15 p.m. Eastern time, and a very long postgame show meant the network didn't wrap up coverage until 11 p.m. That left few viewers to tune in to a heavily hyped episode of the spy drama "Alias." The program drew 17.4 million viewers, the lowest number ever for a post-Super Bowl program. Last year's episode of "Malcolm in the Middle" on Fox averaged 21 million viewers and also was hurt by a long postgame show.

The largest Super Bowl TV audience on terms of viewers was the 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers versus Dallas Cowboys battle that drew 94 million viewers for General Electric Co.'s NBC.

Article from The Wall Street Journal, found at Yahoo News.

2003-01-28T14:29:00.000-05:00

Super Bowl Ratings Up from Last Year

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Viewers stuck with Sunday's (Jan. 26) Super Bowl despite the lopsided outcome, delivering the game's biggest audience in several years to ABC.

According to preliminary national figures released Monday (Jan. 27), Super Bowl XXXVII averaged a 40.7 rating/61 share among households and 88.64 million viewers. The household rating is higher than either of the previous two Super Bowls (both games drew 40.4 ratings), and the audience is the biggest since 90 million watched the 1998 game between Denver and Green Bay.

ABC didn't get as big a bounce for its postgame program, "Alias," as other networks have in recent years, in part because the episode didn't begin until 11 p.m. ET. "Alias" drew 17.4 million viewers, about 8 million over its season average, and more than doubled its season average among adults 18-49 (8.3 vs. 4.0), the group advertisers love the most.

By comparison, an episode of "Malcolm in the Middle" on FOX after last year's game averaged 21.4 million viewers, while the premiere of "Survivor: The Australian Outback" pulled in a whopping 45.4 million people in 2001.

Sunday's game, a 48-21 victory by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Oakland Raiders, will likely rank sixth among all Super Bowls in the average number of viewers. Super Bowl XXX in 1996, featuring the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, is No. 1 with just over 94 million viewers.

FOX drew averaged 86.8 million viewers with last year's Super Bowl.

ABC says that 137.6 people watched at least part of Sunday's game, which would put it second all-time, again trailing Super Bowl XXX.

Final figures will be released Tuesday.

Article from Zap2It.

2003-01-27T20:21:00.000-05:00

Dion and Kimmel: A Study in Super Bowl-Hype Opposites

That Chrysler spot may have been the worst of the bunch on a day when the commercials weren't terribly super - with exceptions, including the Willie Nelson ad for H&R Block, the Budweiser spot with the football horses waiting for a replay call from a zebra, and everything involving Jennifer Garner, whose ABC series, "Alias," is pretty good even when she's not just wearing underwear.

Read more. Article by Rick Kushman.

2003-01-27T20:17:00.000-05:00

Acclaim Snaps Up Alias

Acclaim announced today that they signed a deal with Disney Interactive to for the publishing rights to ABC's critically, um, acclaimed TV show Alias. The stylish adventures of CIA operative Sydney Bristow, Alias has grown into a bona-fide cult hit in its Sunday night timeslot, and probably got a boost from running a special "new beginning" episode after last night's Superbowl (although, all things considered, maybe not -- still, you couldn't help giving ABC points for trying, and the sheer chutzpah of running shots of star Jennifer Garner in lingerie every other commercial break).
Anyway, according to Acclaim Alias, the game, will be "a third-person action adventure... that allows players to step into the role of the series' lead character, Sydney Bristow. Bristow must use her cunning, extensive knowledge of martial arts and array of high-tech gadgetry to accomplish dangerous missions. Alias will encompass all of the key elements behind the series' success, including high-action combat, stealth missions and time-based objectives, espionage, intriguing plot twists, high-tech weaponry and stunning gameplay locations that span the globe."

Evan Stein, Vice President of Marketing for Acclaim, said, "Alias is one of the strongest new TV entertainment properties and is filled with great characters, rich storylines and incredible action that lends itself perfectly to interactive entertainment. We are thrilled to have Alias join our portfolio of world-renowned licenses."

Acclaim plans to release Alias sometime in the Fall of 2003 "across all next-generation platforms." This seems a bit soon to us, but we will keep you posted.

Article from Gamers.com, written by Jeff Lundrigan.

2003-01-27T19:56:00.000-05:00

Petition for Nekkid Michael Vartan.

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

2003-01-27T19:24:00.000-05:00

Acclaim Signs Licensing Agreement for Alias
ABC Television hit coming to video game land this fall.

January 27, 2003 - Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ.SC: AKLM), today announced that it has signed an agreement with Disney Interactive for the rights to publish video games based on ABC Television's hit drama series, "Alias." Currently in its second season, "Alias" is one of television's most critically acclaimed series. The "Alias" video game is currently being developed by Acclaim's Cheltenham studio and is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2003 across all of the next-generation gaming platforms.

"Alias" will be a third-person action adventure video game that allows players to step into the role of the series' lead character, Sydney Bristow, an agent for the CIA. Bristow must use her cunning, extensive knowledge of martial arts and array of high-tech gadgetry to accomplish dangerous missions. "Alias" will encompass all of the key elements behind the series' success, including high-action combat, stealth missions and time-based objectives, espionage, intriguing plot twists, high-tech weaponry and stunning gameplay locations that span the globe.

"Alias is one of the strongest new TV entertainment properties and is filled with great characters, rich storylines and incredible action that lends itself perfectly to interactive entertainment," said Evan Stein, Vice President of Marketing for Acclaim. "We are thrilled to have "Alias" join our portfolio of world-renowned licenses. "

"With the strength of the storylines in Alias, we couldn't imagine a better venue of expression then through the world of video games," says Bruce Gersh, Vice President of Business Development at ABC. "We are excited about the prospect of a great game that will bring all the elements of the show to a new fan base in the gaming world."

"Alias" was created by J.J. Abrams, who executive-produces the series along with John Eisendrath, Ken Olin, Alex Kurtzman-Counter, and Roberto Orci. The series, which is filmed in Los Angeles and premiered on September 30, 2001, is from Touchstone Television.

Article from IGN.

2003-01-27T19:16:00.000-05:00

I added a new team member today, Lydia. :)

2003-01-27T19:15:00.000-05:00

TV Gal Gets Thrown for a Loop by 'Alias'

The Super Spectacular "Alias"

Um, are they even going to call the show "Alias" anymore?

After the Very Special Super Bowl episode I felt like Sydney at the end of the series premiere. Everything I once knew to be true is false. I kept waiting for Bobby Ewing to come out of the shower and declare everything to be a dream.

Let's review the shockers in the order that they freaked me out:

1. Sydney Told Dixon the Truth: After a year and a half of keeping him in the dark, Sydney spilled all in a matter of seconds.

2. Sydney and Vaughn Finally Kiss: After a year and a half of pining for each other, fans and the best star-crossed lovers ever to hit primetime got the kiss we all deserved.

3. SD-6 and the Entire Alliance Has Been Obliterated: Wasn't that what the show was all about?

4. Sloane Knew Sydney and Jack Were Double Agents: My guess is that the nefarious and frequently naked one has known this at least since last season's finale. Maybe even since the series premiere when Sydney came back into the fold.

5. Francie Is Dead. Evil Francie Lives: So you know I've had this sinking feeling that Francie's only role on the show could be to die. Let's be honest, her restaurant turning a profit doesn't make for breath-taking television. Well I was right, but I could have never dreamed this up. Now Evil Francie will work with Sloane and Sark (and I still think The Mom might fit into this somewhere) to do some serious damage. By the way, for my fearless prediction, I think Francie's blood test that she had in the last episode will eventually reveal to Sydney and Will that Francie isn't Francie. But at least Merrin Dungey is finally getting a story line.

Okay, to quote my other favorite female superhero show: "where do we go from here?" Yes, the episode was an exhilarating thrill ride. Perhaps one of the best hours of television ever. But I can't shake this nagging feeling that almost too much happened. We've seen it happen before when brilliant shows burn out fast (the quintessential example being "Twin Peaks"). I don't want to see this happen to "Alias." I don't think it will, but I wouldn't be the TV Gal if I didn't worry.

What will now come between Sydney and Vaughn? Now that SD-6 is destroyed and Sloane is totally aware of the Agents Bristow, what kind of undercover work will they do? Will Marshall and Dixon work for the CIA? Does Sydney even need to work for the CIA anymore? And how hard would I have to work to get a body like Jennifer Garner's?

What did you think of super episode of "Alias"? Talk about it on the TV Gal Message Board.

As for me, I'm off to watch that kiss again.

Spoilers:

Dixon tells his wife the truth on "Alias." Christian Slater plays a scientist Sloane kidnaps to help him figure out that pesky Rambaldi artifact and Sydney finally finishes graduate school.

Full Article on Zap2It, written by Amy Amatangelo.

2003-01-27T19:09:00.000-05:00

Zap2It Ratings Report: 1/26/2003

Airing outside of primetime in most of the country, the postgame episode of "Alias" scored a 13.3/23.

Full article

2003-01-27T16:02:00.000-05:00

Super Bowl Diary
ESPN The Magazine senior writer David Fleming was on location in San Diego for Super Bowl XXXVII -- check out his final diary entries.

Monday, 12:14 p.m. EST:

So there I was, several hours before the Super Bowl, getting thoroughly searched by a guard outside Qualcomm Stadium. To my left were rows upon rows of empty margarita glasses (it was barely past noon, by the way) balanced like lemmings on a concrete police barrier. To my right was Gunter and my new bestest buddies from the German press. "I don't speak German but I know what you guys are saying," I whispered to Gunter, who was also getting searched. "Last night in the Gaslamp it would have cost you 50 bucks to get searched like this … am I right?" After the translation, this joke produced thunderous laughter. I'm huge in Germany. That's when we noticed that two feet behind us was the entire cast of Alias, led by Jennifer Garner.

Look who Dave found himself near on Super Sunday.

From ESPNMAG.com, written by David Fleming.

2003-01-27T15:49:00.000-05:00

Super Bowl Ads: Lots of Fumbles
The big game was big letdown, as were most of the commercials. Our expert marketing panel reviews what scored and what fell incomplete

Most consistent:
Men had plenty of skin to ogle on Super Bowl Sunday, mostly in promos for TV shows or movie trailers. Frequent split-screen views of scantily clad Jennifer Garner in ABC house ads for its drama Alias blended in with gratuitous shots of bikini babes for the All-Star Sunday football and ice hockey specials. They offered "a lot of the usual stereotyping of women as sexy bimbos," says Columbia's Greenwald. "Just when you thought the Swedish Bikini Team had retired," laments Nordhielm.

Article from Business Week Online.