The TV Addict 

Rule #1 of successful television blogging: Never turn down an opportunity to interview Nathan Fillion, even when said interview inexplicably lands in your lap giving you quite literally less than two minutes to prepare. Rule #2: Be Canadian. Or at the very least, throw in the occasional “aboot” or “Eh!” into the conversation so that the Canadian born actor — who was doing one final promotional push on Friday to promote tonight’s season finale of CASTLE — will cut you a little slack upon learning that you aren’t nearly as prepared for the interview as you should be. Joked Fillion (we hope!), “I’m far more forgiving when it comes to Canadians.”

There have been a lot of rumors swirling about CASTLE’s chances for renewal, what have you heard?
Nathan Fillion: I find out for a fact on Friday whether the show is coming back or not.

I find it hard to believe that Nathan Fillion doesn’t have any insider information!
Everyone finds out a week from today. There is no insider information and it has been difficult because there was a big delay with the ratings. We’re all waiting.

With the show’s fate hanging in the balance, are you paying extra close attention to ratings?
I’ve got a dedicated team of people that scour the internet for information such as this. They’re known as my family; My brother, mother and father. They are my team, my google alert if you will.

Read the rest of this entry »

Knowing full well that the story of how a ridiculously talented family band together during last year’s WGA strike to create what would become the most buzzed about internet sensation of last year has been told ad nauseam, this TV Addict thought we’d take a different approach in recapping last night’s DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG panel from Paley Festival 2009. So here it goes, one or two (or fifteen) things that you may not have known about DR. HORRIBLE. Including but not limited to Nathan Fillion’s true feelings about Neil Patrick Harris, the power of Sondheim and the true power of Wonderflonium… but more on that later.

FAMILY MATTERS
Aside from changing the whole landscape of television and becoming the accidental poster-boy for do-it-yourself content on the web, one of the major driving forces behind DR. HORRIBLE was to give Joss an excuse to work with his brothers. Or as Joss explained, as only he can, “DR. HORRIBLE will bond us or break the family apart forever. It’s worth the risk.”

LITTLE KNOWN PALEY TIE-IN
If you were one of the hundreds of fans lucky enough to attend last year’s Paley Fest BUFFY reunion and was curious as to why exactly Joss was out of breath and looked like he had just run a marathon prior to the event, well… mystery solved. “The very last night of the very last shot [shooting DR. HORRIBLE] was when I snuck in the bathroom of the laundromat, changed into a suit and came here to talk to you about BUFFY,” revealed Joss.

FILLION=FUNNY
Okay, so not exactly shocking news, but when asked by the event’s fantastic moderator Matt Roush (Part-Time Whedon Fanboy, full-time critic for TVGuide Magazine) as to what his favorite part of the experience was, Fillion dead-panned, “You [looking at the Whedon Bros. and Felicia Day] did all the heavy lifting…. I’m just so happy now…. I can’t even tell you guys how much joy it brings to my heart that… Neil [Patrick Harris] couldn’t make it.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Just when we thought we couldn’t love Nathan Fillion anymore, our phone rings. As it turns out, watching TV twenty-four-seven does have its privileges. As evidence by the voice on the other line being none other than CASTLE star Fillion himself, who was kind enough to take the time to answer five questions on failure, flaws, fatherhood, future and of course, Felicia Day.

FILLION ON FIREFLY
For reasons that remain a mystery to us, Nathan Fillion has yet to star in a breakout hit. Which is why we started off our interview by asking if he was a little apprehensive about jumping back into series television after the disappointments that were FIREFLY and DRIVE. “Not at all, I mean geez, I’m an actor who wants to be acting. I want to be doing fun material, good material with talented people and I don’t care if it’s TV, or if you’ve had a sour experience,” explains the always upbeat Fillion in his traditional classy style. “If you’ve had a girlfriend that broke your heart are you going to stop dating girls forever? No you’re going to move on and keep doing your thing.”

Read the rest of this entry »

By Kristal Cooper, theREELaddict.com

You know him, right?  Depending on who you talk to, he’s the guy best known for poking out one of Xander’s eyes on BUFFY or as the Dashing Captain Tightpants from FIREFLY.  Or maybe you know him as the sheriff charged with defeating an oozy alien species in SLITHER, or if you’re my Grandma, you know him from doing….something on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.  Inevitably whenever I bring up his name, the response is always the same: “Oh yeah, that guy! I LOVE that guy!”

So why is Nathan Fillion not a huge star? This is a question I asked myself recently as I was rewatching (but not obsessively or anything) WAITRESS, which was one of my favourite films of 2007.  In this sweet little confection of a romantic comedy, Fillion plays Dr. Pomatter, a Lloyd Dobler-esque small town doctor who pursues Keri Russell’s titular waitress.  I defy both women and men alike to watch Fillion in this role and not fall just a little bit in love with him.  The same goes for his role in FIREFLY and its big screen counterpart SERENITY.  Captain Mal Reynolds, with his bad boy streak and his heart of gold, is just the guy you want ride through the black with for the rest of your life, swooning all the way.

So again I ask, why is this guy not a gigantic movie star?  Below are some reasons I have come up with.

Read the rest of this entry »

With Entertainment Weekly calling CASTLE “an implausible muddle,” the Washington Post proclaiming it to be a “misbegotten MOONLIGHTING imitation” and theTVaddict.com’s very own Aleks Chan admitting that it’s “actually very boring,” one can only imagine the excitement this TV Addict was feeling for Nathan Fillion’s new series CASTLE.

Which is why I waited until late last night — following a rather lengthy two-hour AMERICAN IDOL extravaganza — to give the show a shot, hoping that at the very least, Fillion and co-star Stana Katic’s playful back-and-forth would keep me awake until my traditional nightcap arrived in the form of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

Well, mission accomplished.

Not only did CASTLE manage to keep me awake, it kept me laughing, smiling and most of all wondering how on earth anyone could fail to enjoy this show.

Read the rest of this entry »

Good News: Jason Priestley will return to 90210. Bad News: To direct an upcoming episode. [Source]

Good News: Martin Sheen reminisces about the fictional Bartlett administration. Bad News: With Paris Hilton. [Video]

Good News: The women of THE VIEW are crazy as the daily gabfest continues to devolve into a rip-roaring can’t miss political free-for-all. Bad News: I’m almost starting to feel bad for Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Emphasis on the “almost.” [Source]

Good News: Nathan Fillion’s return with CASTLE looks fantastic. Bad News: Which means it will likely last a solid four episodes before its abruptly canceled. [Trailer]

At the risk of incurring the wrath of pretty much 99.999% of the internet fandom community, this TV Addict is just going to say it. Are Joss Whedon fans drinking the Kool-aid?

Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy as much as the next Browncoat. But does the first part of DR. HORRIBLE, Joss Whedon’s just launched internet musical featuring the likes of Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day honestly warrant such an exuberant outpouring of affection? I mean take a look at this flurry of twitter messages:

mytakeontv: I’m on my 5th viewing of Dr. Horrible. AMAZING!

DuckyDoesTV: Dr. Horrible is sheer genius!

raelee: Dr. Horrible is wrecking havoc on my schedule for the day. Can’t stop watching.

thc_jen: Dr. Horrible was AMAZING!!! Who wants to talk about with me?

thedirtycanuck: I can’t believe i’m going to miss the Whedon fan-event of the year (Dr. Horrible) because of work. boo to life.

GMMR: ‘Dr. Horrible’ is FRAKTASTIC! Act I is live and it doesn’t disappoint! Go watch..now!

justjody: NPH is made of awesome. “The world is a mess, and I just… need to rule it.” LOL!

matsie: If you haven’t watched the first episode of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog, I just don’t know what to think of you!

That’s not to say I’m not in full support of what Whedon’s trying to accomplish. In fact, I’m so in favor of Whedon’s plan to as he so eloquently put it, “Turn out a really thrilling, professionalish piece of entertainment specifically for the internet. To show how much could be done with very little. To show the world there is another way. To give the public (and in particular you guys) something for all your support and patience,” that I went ahead and paid for the entire DR. HORRIBLE series on iTunes so that everybody involved in the project will actually get paid. I’m just not quite sure that it’s the second coming of Buffy. Okay, third if you count that time she came back from the dead.

Read the rest of this entry »

By: The REEL Addict

Joss Whedon is awesome. He is better than you. He is better than me. He’s better than roller skates, bubble tea, and kittens combined. That means anything he comes up with is worth anticipating. In this case, we have DR. HORRIBLE’S SING ALONG BLOG, a three part online musical he put together with his brothers during the writers strike. The musical is about a Z-level villain (Neil Patrick Harris, baby) trying to woo a lovely lady (Felicia Day) while contending with pesky superheroes (the amazing Nathan Fillion). I’m pretty sure it’s mathematically impossible or scientifically improbable for this to in any way suck. That’s why you should check out this trailer.

Dear Nathan Fillion,

If we’re to believe this morning’s Hollywood Reporter, rumour has it that you’re contemplating joining the cast of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES as a series regular this upcoming season.

If this is true, we have three words for you, “Don’t do it!”

Look, we get it. After the quick cancellation of DRIVE and FIREFLY you’re probably well, desperate for a gig that is guaranteed to last more than thirteen episodes. But if you move to Wisteria Lane, the only thing that waits for you [aside from one really big paycheck] is an entire season of playing second banana. Men on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES never get anything good to do and frankly are only around to make the women’s lives seem more interesting. Do you really want to spend a year playing Teri Hatcher’s love interest?

We all know Captain Mal deserves better, here’s hoping you feel the same.

Sincerely,

Your loyal Fan,

the TV Addict

FOX’s much anticipated new action-fueled drama DRIVE premieres tonight on FOX at 8PM. While critics around the country are mixed as to the series chances of success, theTVaddict loved the first two hours and is confident that if given the chance, say a mere ten minutes, you’ll love it to. Aintitcool News agrees:

Darkly funny, exciting and loaded with plot twists and intriguing characters, “Drive” reunites the great writer-director-producer Tim Minear (“The X-Files,” “Angel,” “Wonderfalls,” “The Inside”) and Nathan Fillion (“Serenity,” “Slither”), who previously collaborated to gratifying effect on “Firefly.”

As the “Alias,” “24” and “Lost” pilots did, the “Drive” opener generates fascinating questions aplenty – and will leave audiences hungering for answers long after its two-hour introduction concludes. (Happily, a third hour airs Monday.)

Following tonight’s premiere, check back with theTVaddict.com and let us know if you agree.