j.j. abrams

Casting for pilot season is halfway through and a welcome new trend seems to be emerging; the top-billed leads of four drama pilots are non-Caucasian, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

It doesn't hurt that these pilots are also among the highest profile projects on offer this season; 'Undercovers,' the 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith'-esque spy show from J.J. Abrams will feature Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Boris Kodjoe as its central couple (and a very attractive couple, at that), while Oscar winner Forest Whitaker will take the lead for CBS' 'Criminal Minds' spin-off.

Hunky Laz Alonso, last seen (kind of) as belligerent Na'vi warrior Tsu'tey in 'Avatar,' is set to front the Fox action-drama 'Breakout Kings,' which is directed and exec-produced by 'X-Men: Origins' helmer Gavin Hood. Freddy Rodriguez, last spotted on prime time as 'Ugly Betty' love-interest Gio, has been tapped to star in CBS' CIA drama 'Chaos,' from director and executive producer Brett Ratner.

This is an extremely clever song for the last season of Lost, courtesy The Fine Brothers. It wonders if the writers of the show are actually going to answer all of the questions posed by the first five seasons. And it's all done to the tune of "Downtown" (original after the jump!)

Just like scores of real world colleges and universities across the country, Lost University is now back in session.

The fictional university meant to teach Lost fans on the "fringe" science and other elements of J.J. Abrams' show can begin classes anew as the series approaches its final season.

It's no joke and no mere marketing gimmick as the "university" brings in legitimate scientists, psychologists, language experts and other experts to discuss the themes and science of Lost.

The current course catalog includes: PHI 201: I'M RIGHT, YOU'RE WRONG: THE US VS. THEM MENTALITY -- "This course examines the complex relationship between Right vs. Wrong, Us vs. Them, and Good vs. Evil, and applies it to both Lost and the real world."

NBC just can't seem to get its peacocks in a row lately.

After announcing the controversial (but unsurprising) decision to pull Jay Leno from its primetime line-up at the TCAs this weekend, the network will look to scripted dramas to fill at least some of the void.

According to Variety, NBC has already greenlit half-a-dozen drama pilots in hopes of quickly filling the 10 PM slot.

But will it be enough to save the network in the ratings race? Business Week reports that NBC has seen a 4.6 percent drop in primetime viewers since Leno began airing at 10, causing a domino effect that resulted in a dip in audience numbers for NBC's affiliate news stations and late night programming.

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have said that when Lost ends, there won't be a spinoff, a sequel, or even a feature film based on the show. When it's done, it's done.

ABC never got that memo.

The network says that they want to keep the show going in some way, and besides special DVDs and movies, there might also be a spinoff TV show that features new characters and a new plot. [Insert heavy sigh here.] Haven't they ever seen AfterMASH or The Golden Palace?

While it's true that a spinoff can be good and successful (we talked about that yesterday), most are ill-conceived and just a way for a network to keep a franchise going for ratings and $$$$$$. These seems like one of those situations.

It was announced that the sequel to the recent Star Trek movie is going to be released on May 29th, 2012. This means we'll be able to catch the next Star Trek movie before the world ends, according to the Mayans.

Of course, a sequel was inevitable due to the fact that Star Trek was pretty much the biggest (and in my opinion the best) movie of this past summer. Paramount likely signed all the actors involved to multiple-movie contracts, so getting them back isn't an issue.

Remember Greg Grunberg? He plays telepathic cop Matt Parkman on Heroes and has appeared in a variety of J.J. Abrams programming. He was even the pilot of Oceanic 815 which crashed on the series pilot of Lost (I wonder why he didn't make it to the Star Trek movie?). Well, on top of the rest of his resumè you can add application developer. He created an iPhone and iPod Touch application to obtain mobile coupons called Yowza!!!

As someone who also holds more than one job, I can certainly respect anybody who can successfully do so, particularly if that person is a working actor who probably doesn't need the extra money (or does he?). Looking over the app, it's pretty well done. I can say this with some authority since I'm an application developer as well. There are at least two coupons that could easily come in handy in my day-to-day dealings. Since it's a freebie, if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, the download is recommended.

We're just a day away from bidding farewell to 2009, but that doesn't mean we stop reporting the news. So, take a break from fighting the return lines at the mall and spend some time with Inside Movies, catching up on the latest Hollywood news.

This year we said goodbye to one of the greatest names in musical history, Michael Jackson, but we'll never forget the impact he made on the world. The National Film Registry is making sure of this as they selected 'Thriller' as the first music video ever to be preserved.

J.J. Abrams' highly anticipated spy show, 'Undercovers,' has claimed its first cast member.

The Hollywood Reporter brings news that Gerald McRaney has accepted the mission offered to him by NBC. 'Undercovers' will chronicle the adventures of a husband-and-wife spy team, and McRaney will play their boss, a CIA operative who recruited the couple.

J.J. Abrams, a man chemically designed to create television shows, has another pilot in the works and this one will star veteran TV actor Gerald McRaney.

He's been picked for a pilot called Undercovers, a spy action show described as a cross between Mr. and Mrs. Smith and The Bourne Identity.

McRaney will play a CIA boss overseeing a husband and wife spy couple. Abrams wrote the pilot with TV scribe Josh Reims who's also written scripts for ABC's Brothers & Sisters and Dirty Sexy Money. Abrams may also step in the director's chair for the pilot episode commissioned by NBC.

With 'Lost' set to begin its sixth and final season on February 2, details have emerged on J.J. Abrams' next television project, 'Undercovers.'

First of all, NY Magazine seems to confirm that Abrams is indeed directing the pilot. However, the earlier description of the show, which suggested it was to be 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' meets 'The Bourne Identity,' seems to have been somewhat inaccurate...

It's great to be J.J. Abrams. His newest spec script about a married spy couple is currently undergoing a bidding war that it looks like NBC is winning. On top of that, he's got a new comedy on Fox and he's behind one of the best revitalizations of a franchise in the history of the medium. The script is co-written by Josh Reims, who worked on shows such as ABC's Brothers & Sisters and Dirty Sexy Money.

As others have noted, this new spec script could play as a sequel to his hit show Alias. That show did end with Sydney and Michael married with two kids being asked to return to service. Sadly, I think Jennifer Garner would consider that a backwards step in her career no matter how much she owes Abrams. Perhaps she could make a cameo?

It's interesting that the television spinoff of Mr. & Mrs. Smith didn't last long and had the very same premise. But then, Abrams wasn't behind that one.

I'm talking about the gag reels, of course! I don't think anyone would find such evil doings funny ... well, actually, I bet a lot of people would.

This gag reel is on the Fringe first season DVD (I'm assuming), which came out yesterday. I don't know why, but I've always been a fan of gag reels and blooper shows. Some people can watch these and just sit there stone-faced. I find a lot of it very funny. The new season starts September 17.

[via Spoiler Geeks]

If you ask J.J. Abrams about his master plan for Fringe, he'll tell you the plan went out the window a while ago.

The creators and cast of Fox's top new series from last year's fall season gathered with press in Vancouver Monday to celebrate the release of the show's first season on DVD and to look ahead at the upcoming second season.

When Fringe left the airwaves last spring, J.J. Abrams, Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman introduced fans to a parallel universe -- setting up a war between our world and that new Earth on the edge of the fringe.

According to Abrams, a long-range plan for the show had him, Orci, Kurtzman and their writing staff revealing the other Earth as the source of Fringe's anomalies maybe three or four seasons into the show's run.

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