3 Things "Gotham" Needs to Watch Out For

Fox’s Gotham is promising to be one of the most unique, and potentially one of the best, comic book TV show adaptations in recent years. The show has gotten plenty right so far—from the nods to villains, to the atmosphere, and even choosing some great actors who know how to work with the material. But that doesn’t mean the show is perfect, and there are some pitfalls that Gotham needs to watch out for, unless it wants to end up in the same leagues as failed comic book adaptations that have come and gone before it. Let’s look at three things the show needs to avoid in order to stay at the top of its classy.

Too cheesy dialogue
It’s very easy for comic book adaptations to veer on the side of cheesy—the very nature of comic books makes them prone to over dramatic or over the top dialogue, especially in a franchise like Batman which has naturally gimmicky villains. It could be very easy for Gotham to veer into the cheesy side, especially if there are a few too many winks to Batman villains and other Batman media. Jokes and lighthearted nods are perfectly fine—and even welcome, especially in an age when comic book adaptations are often too dark and gritty—but they should be carefully written and not too abundant.

Focusing too much on Bruce
Gotham should be a prequel about—well, Gotham, and not just about Bruce Wayne. Although no franchise has actually covered his early childhood at great length, the show will do much better to tackle the history of Gotham as it descends instead of focusing solely on the young Bruce Wayne. Having James Gordon is the protagonist of the series was a stroke of genius, because it allows the show to explore different avenues of the early Gotham.

Being too literal with the canon
Gotham is, naturally, inspired by the many different adaptations of Batman. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be a carbon copy and, in order for the show to succeed, it shouldn’t be afraid to branch out on its own and make its own twists on the Batman canon. Villains don’t have to be exactly the same as they are in the comics, or the animated series, or any of the live action films—and likewise, the fates of the characters should be fluid, too.

3 Things "Gotham" Needs to Watch Out For

Sailor Moon Crystal Reveals New Animation for Blu-ray Release

Even diehard fans of Sailor Moon had to admit that the animation for the newly revived series, Sailor Moon Crystal, left much to be desired. Entire blogs have been dedicated to the mistakes and strange quirks of the animation, which often features limbs that suddenly look like they’ve turned to noodles, eyes that are on extreme sides of the face, and sometimes even ‘dead’ looking expressions—just to name a few problems.

The primary problem with the animation likely lies in the very low budget given to the team by Toei, who owns the copyright for the animated version of Sailor Moon. An extremely low budget means that the team doesn’t have the resources to spend additional time (and therefore, get paid money) on the series.

Thankfully, however, most of these problems with the animation may be swept aside when the show is released for home media on Blu-ray. The official Toei Animation YouTube page released a trailer for the Blu-ray version of the series, which showcased new animation that would appear on the Blu-ray version of the show’s episodes. The new animation was much more detailed, much more fluid, and it corrected most (but not all, of course) of the mistakes such as eyes that were too far apart, too small, and so on.

This trailer has been very well received by fans of the show from all over the world—the trailer was even a trending topic in Japan, where the animation has been especially harshly criticized in light of how hyped up the show was with various conferences and special events.

The reveal may also speak volumes about just how harsh the schedule to animate the show is for the creative team behind Sailor Moon Crystal. Shows are airing 2 weeks apart, which many fans at first believed was to ‘drag out’ the series as long as possible.

However given the low quality animation that appears throughout the show, it may be possible that Toei is making the animated team (as well as, potentially, the voice actor cast and other crew) animate each episode in 2 weeks rather than having them mostly finished before the series aired. This would explain the low quality as well as the desire for the team to go back and fix the animation, which may not be a reflection of their normal level of quality.

Sailor Moon Crystal Reveals New Animation for Blu-ray Release

3 Episodes of Supernatural That Will Scare Your Pants Off

Supernatural is one of the most unique shows on television. Although the storyline has now expanded much further beyond the original concept of the show—an almost anthology style mini horror movie each week, spearheaded by two monster/horror hunting brothers—the show still offers up plenty of chills, scares and spine tingling moments. Not surprisingly, there are many episodes of the show that will make you think twice about turning the lights off—or on!—when you’re alone in the dark. Let’s look at some of the scariest, creepiest episodes of Supernatural that will make you sleep with the covers over your head. (Not that the covers will actually keep the monsters away!)

No Exit

An episode that preys upon our natural fear of tight spaces and is a definite thriller for anyone with even mild claustrophobia. The episode centers on the ghost of H. H. Holmes, a real American serial killer, who kidnaps a woman and locks her in a tight, coffin-like box. Dean and Sam must crawl through dark, tight underground tunnels in order to reach her. The real terror of the episode comes from its darkness and claustrophobia, and the fact that—unlike most episodes of the show—it is devoid of witty banter and one liners.

Everybody Loves a Clown

Clowns are inherently scary for many people, and this episode preys upon the deep-rooted fear that many people have of these painted-face entertainers. In this episode, a mime clown tricks children into letting him into their home–but instead of making them balloon animals or pulling something out of their sleeves, they kill the children’s parents. The atmospheric lighting, brilliant performance by the creepy mime clown, and nearly natural fear we have of clowns make this episode one of the creepiest.

Bloody Mary

This episode from the show’s first season is one of the most iconic—and scariest—of all Supernatural episodes. In this episode, the infamous Bloody Mary is not only real—she’s deadly. Sam and Dean must figure out how to stop the murderous ghost who can haunt mirrors when she isn’t directly summoned.

3 Episodes of Supernatural That Will Scare Your Pants Off

Best Costumes of Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time is ABC’S most popular show, and one of the most popular fantasy television shows to ever air. The show, which plays upon popular fairy tales, has received popular praise—though critical praise remains mixed—for its storylines, acting and most often, its costumes. The show has won several awards for its costumes, including an Emmy Award; a recent exhibition at a fashion museum in California showcased some of the show’s most iconic costumes, including Snow White’s “forest” outfit and several of the Evil Queen’s fantastic and decidedly evil dresses. Let’s take a closer look at some of the very best costumes from this popular fairy tale show.

Cora’s “Queen of Hearts” Gown

This costume did not appear in the show for very long, but the level of detail in the costume makes it one of the most outstanding costumes in the show. The costume features an ivory gown with a ‘crossed’ pattern that is embroidered with gold-tinged pearls; over the base ivory gown is a blood-red coat gown, which features embroidery details and a rich luxurious fabric. A ruby crown completes the “Queen of Hearts” look.

Aurora’s Purple Gown

Fans of the Disney adaptation of Sleeping Beauty will get a kick out of the fact that Princess Aurora is not wearing pink or blue… but a pastel purple, a combination of the two. The show really excels with its fairytale-esque gowns, and Aurora’s delicate, fairy-like purple gown is no exception. The dress features details including bodice lacing, embroidery, and a subtle pattern that give the dress plenty of richness.

Cinderella’s Blue Ball Gown

The blue ball gown conjured up by Rumpelstiltskin is nothing less than a fairy tale’s dream. The dress features a slightly luminescent fabric, decorated with beaded embroidery and flower details that create an elegant, yet beautiful and definitely “princess-like” costume that nods at the Disney adaptation without directly copying it. And, of course, a pair of delicate glass slippers completes the look!

Best Costumes of Once Upon a Time

Best of Kristin Chenoweth"s TV Roles

Kristin Chenoweth is one of the most beloved films, stage and television stars of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. She is perhaps best well known for her work in music and theater—such as her role as the first Glinda in the now-hit musical Wicked—due to her easily recognized singing voice. But in addition to her work on the stage and in the music industry, she has also done plenty of work on television. How do her TV roles measure up? Let’s look at the best of Kristin Chenoweth’s TV work.

Annabeth Schott in The West Wing

Kristin Chenoweth joined The West Wing for seasons six and seven as Annabeth Schott. Annabeth was the Deputy Press Secretary for Media Relations, who–despite her talent for speaking–was always anxious when she was required to conduct a formal press briefing. The character resigned from her White House position at the end of season 6 in order to help Leo McGarry in the Democratic Convention 2006 running. She and Leo shared a somewhat romantic tension, although it was mostly one-sided.

Kristin’s organic, funny and even heartfelt performance as the nervous but ambitious Annabeth have led her character to be one of the most memorable supporting roles in the series.

Olive Snook in Pushing Daisies

Kristin’s role in the cult-favorite Pushing Daisies is perhaps her most memorable and most well received. Kristin won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy series for her performance as Olive Snook. In the show, Olive is a waitress who falls in love with Ned, the protagonist, but who is often thwarted in her attempts to pursue a romantic and serious relationship with him. At the end of the series, she begins a new relationship with a new character, a taxidermist, to signify that she is finally able to move on from her one-sided love.

Carlene Cockburn in GCB

The short-lived show GCB (Good Christian Bitches–a title which was quickly changed to Good Christian Belles) premiered on ABC in 2011-2012, although it was cancelled after only one 10-episode season. Kristin played Carlene Cockburn, the show’s main antagonist, who attempts to ruin the life of Amanda Vaughn, who has returned to her home town. Kirstin turned in a catty, fun performance in a show that ended too soon.

Best of Kristin Chenoweth"s TV Roles

More of The Tomorrow People

Science fiction shows are a staple of television programming since shortly after the TV set was invented. Shows about the supernatural, shows with the paranormal as the focus and others created in a similar vein have populated the boob tube for a long time. In the 21st Century, supernatural shows are all the rage, combining both the paranormal and sci-fi action to create an exciting hybrid that have thrilled audiences with their tense storytelling.

With The Tomorrow People, a show about the next evolution of humankind, we have a combination of the supernatural and science fiction that goes beyond what has been seen before.

The Tomorrow People involves the race of homo superior, people with the powers of telepathy, teleportation and telekinesis. Stephen Jameson doesn’t know it, but he is a member of them and all of a sudden he is plunged into a world where others of his kind are fleeing a secret organization called Ultra.

He winds up working for Ultra in order to subvert their activities and help the other Tomorrow People but also to find out what happened to his father. The first couple of episodes deal with him attempting to play both sides in the conflict to accomplish these goals. It is not an easy job for Stephen, as his loyalties are sorely pressed and his internal strife is quite daunting. Emotionally, he is torn.

In the third episode, things get even more complicated for Stephen when he meets a new partner, a fellow telepath that could potentially learn who he is really working for. The other Tomorrow People find out a way to get into the Ultra mainframe computer if they have Stephen’s help. They succeed but Cara’s past catches up to her when the mainframe comes up with the name of a new Tomorrow Person. They track this person down but it winds up being a trap and Cara gets captured.

Stephen becomes convinced to by Ultra to stop Cara’s powers and he fools them into believing that he has. Later, he is at a party and telepathically hears one of his fellow classmates think about committing suicide but as he would only expose his people’s powers if he intervenes and helps her, he can do nothing. Instead, he gets Cara to help out without using her powers; so the secret is safe with them but not for long. One of Stephen’s friends Astrid sees him teleporting and confronts him.

The rest of Cara’s past comes out and we learn that she had been a deaf girl accused of killing a boy but she was in fact only defending herself when she used her powers.

She had only discovered her powers at that moment when she was attacked. Cara regained her hearing at that moment and spoke to her dad. Her father in turn gave her enough money to run away and Cara left before saying goodbye to her younger sister. That was five years ago and Cara is still reeling from the incident.

This program is deeply entrenched in this idea of family loyalty and the history there in and how it effects the present. Cara is troubled by what happened to her those years ago and is still facing the ramifications of it after the series begins. Stephen of course is still trying to come to terms with not only his powers but also what his father and mother were; they were also Tomorrow People and Stephen is still trying to track down what happened to his dad, all the while attempting to fool his uncle, who is the leader of Ultra, his enemy.

There are no easy answers and each member of the cast is doing what they think is right for themselves. No villain thinks they are the villain and that has never been truer than on The Tomorrow People, a sci-fi thriller with drama.

More of The Tomorrow People

Why Claire Holt Really Left the Originals

It was recently announced that Claire Holt, who plays the ancient vampire Rebekah, intends to leave The Originals after her contract—which includes a total of 16 episodes—is over. As soon as this announcement hit cyberspace, however, the fandom was abuzz with rumors and speculation.

Why did Claire Holt leave? Was it an amiable leave? Was she forced out? Some fans speculated that she had become tired with how the character of Rebekah was being written in the show—and, it is true that the character of Rebekah in the current episodes of The Originals is a far cry from the original (no pun intended) direction that the character was taking. Other fans speculated that there may have been some sort of behind the scenes drama with Claire Holt and fellow The Originals actors—or even with the show’s writer.

Rumors that she had been fired from the show, or that she had left in a hurry, circled around and around until no one could be quite sure why Holt was really leaving.

Thankfully, Claire Holt has spoken up about leaving the show—and set the record straight with the truth. Holt, who read about the internet rumors shortly after the announcement, decided she wanted to talk about the issue so that people did not get the wrong idea about her leaving the show.

According to Holt, it was her decision to leave the show–she was not forced out, fired, or otherwise coerced from her role. Claire Holt stated in an interview that she made the tough decision to not renew her contract because she wanted to move closer to home so she could be with her friends, family and other loved ones. “It was a tough choice,” she admitted, “… because I was enjoying myself so much.” Hot also admitted that because of the show’s demanding schedule, she had been unable to visit her home for years and had not been able to visit with her family, which was a crucial factor in her ultimate decision.

Holt also admitted that she reviews her leaving from the show as a “temporary absence.”

This could point to the possibility for Claire—and the character of Rebekah—to return to The Originals or the Vampire Diaries in the future; whether it may be for reoccurring episodes or a special guest spot. Here is to hoping!

Why Claire Holt Really Left the Originals