johncho

(S01E05) FlashForward took us to Washington, DC to see the political ramifications of the blackouts, as well as some of the maneuverings that the city is made of, at least in this reality. Also in this reality, Peter Coyote is President. I've always liked him, and I like how he plays the characters as a very regular and relatable guy.

We were introduced to a new character in Senator Joyce Clemente (Barbara Williams), and she's definitely set up to be a major thorn in the side of the ongoing investigation. There was always something a little wacky about the LA office taking Mark's vision and building an entire investigative force around it just because they felt like it. And now, they have to face the music and justify their very existence.

It made for some pretty intense television. That and the bullets flying at the heads of our intrepid heroes.

(S01E04) Any time we can go back and look at the blackout itself, I'm interested. But the use of an idyllic park scene and Björk's "It's Oh So Quiet" created an almost peaceful panorama -- until a bus drove into the lake, nearly missing someone lying nearby. Throughout the entire opening sequence, though, the scenes of serenity and death melded flawlessly with the song.

It was a great opening reminder of the event that put the entire series into motion, as well as an introduction to Ned. Ned is Dr. Benford's patient this week, who helps her come to terms with her own feelings about the flashforwards. He's also the calmest and most collected guy you could ever meet. But there's a reason for that.

What might be the most important thing for some people still on the fence about this show, Dominic Monaghan (Lost) finally showed up this week. As expected, he's going to be playing a pretty damned important role in the series. His introduction created a relationship with one of our main characters that I absolutely didn't see coming.

(S01E03) I hope that the way tonight's episode was constructed isn't going to continue week after week. It's like they've mastered the big "wow" moment at the end of each episode, but there was a serious lag throughout most of this week's installment. We did get some more clues and hints to the futures of more of our cast, including Demetri's fiance's vision.

Unfortunately, I don't think her vision was as conclusive as the previews of that moment would have lead us to believe. We've got the fiance, Zoey, saying that she saw Demetri at their wedding on a beach while there's the strange woman (what city was that she was in) telling him she read a report that he got gunned down three times. But why could she say no more and why did she have to go so abruptly?

All those little moments throughout the episode were good. It kept me thinking and trying to remember everything we already know as I piece together this April 29 puzzle. What was less compelling was everything with the octogenarian Nazi.

I wanted to add a spoiler warning with this post, but sadly, John Cho, who plays FBI agent Demetri Noh on ABC's FlashForward, is pretty tight lipped about all the big reveals that are coming up this season. I had the chance to speak with him recently, and despite my continued harassment, he's good at keeping secrets.

But, that doesn't mean fans will have to wait long for answers to start rolling in about the mysterious massive blackout that allowed everyone in the world to see into the future.

"I have been excited by and impressed by how much they're revealing this early on," he said. "There's been serious bombshells on a weekly basis ... I feel like they [the writers] are very conscious about giving the audience a lot of information."

(S01E02) I'm still trying to figure out what exactly is going to be happening at the Benford household the night of April 29, 2010. We got some more hints, but it's still not coming completely together. Particularly, I want to know what Charlie saw, but then I guess so does everyone at this point.

I guess Lloyd and Dylan Simcoe are set to become important and significant members of the cast. We already know that it's Lloyd in Olivia's vision that she has feelings for. It explains some of what's going on there, but not everything.

Weirdly, I spent more time trying to wrap my brain around the logistics of that than I did the mystery of D. Gibbons. At least until that final conversation in the Benford household. Oh, and I have a new expression for when I'm being bad and eating things I shouldn't. "I'm going to go log these cupcakes into evidence."

(S01E01) Well, that was it. The most eagerly anticipated premiere of the season, if early buzz is any indicator. Is it the next Lost? Is it as good as everyone says it was? It can be. As much as I liked this pilot, though, I can't say that I know for sure how good the show is going to be based on it.

The opening sequence was every bit as epic and awe-inspiring as the opening moments of Lost. Whereas in Lost we had the aftermath of a cataclysmic plane crash on a deserted island, here we had the cataclysmic crash of ... everything! They dropped us right into the moments after the global blackout to immediately show us the impact it would have. It was like the opening of a big budget summer blockbuster.

CTV and ABC are promoting their new apocalyptic drama, 'Flash Forward', as the new 'Lost'. Starring Joseph Fiennes from 'Shakespeare in Love', John Cho ('Harold and Kumar', 'Star Trek') and Brian F. O'Byrne ('Million Dollar Baby'), there is certainly no dearth of star power. And the premise - an unexplained, cataclysmic event causes the Earth's entire population to pass out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds - isn't bad either. But there's something about the show that's lacking.

ABC is adding some star power to its new Lost-style drama Flash Forward. Joseph Fiennes and John Cho are in negotiations to join the cast.

Fiennes played the title character in Shakespeare in Love and still has a bit of a movie career, so seeing him on television does seem a bit like slumming. On the other hand, while Cho has had memorable movie roles such as Harold in the Harold and Kumar franchise as well as Sulu in the upcoming Star Trek movie, he has had a recurring television role on Ugly Betty. A co-starring television role for him doesn't seem that much a stretch.

Despite this potential good casting, I am ambivalent with regards to Flash Forward. With regards to its creators, David Goyer has had more misses than hits in terms of his movies and Brandon Braga was one of the responsible parties for Star Trek: Enterprise (and co-writer of the utter crap series finale. Something I will never forgive him for). I would give the series a shot when it eventually gets to television but don't have high hopes

It seems like all the geekiest blogs buzz with excitement whenever there's news about the new Star Trek movie. Yes, that includes us. The film sounds cool and all, but I think the biggest reaction I have had is when I silently nodded with approval upon hearing that Heroes' Zachary Quinto would be playing Spock. That is, until now.

Variety is reporting that Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz star Simon Pegg is going to play Scotty in the upcoming feature. Simon Pegg! Insert obligatory "beam him up" joke here.

It seems that both Harold and Kumar will be taking a detour on their way to White Castle and heading toward Fox -- which I guess you would have to be a little "altered" to go to as well.

In addition to his CBS pilot, Cho will have another TV role this fall on Fox's 'Til Death, the Eddie Kay Thomas/Brad Garrett marriage-is-crazy sitcom. Cho is slated for three episodes as the prestigious private school principal that has confrontations with Thomas' public school vice principal character.

Actors Jay Mohr and John Cho have both joined separate untitled comedy pilots for CBS.

Mohr's comedy pilot, from Will and Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, centers on two friends and writing partners, Mohr (the straight one) and Brian Austin Green (the gay one). The pilot is based somewhat on the professional relationship of Kohan and Mutchnick. Jessica Capshaw and Vanessa Lengies round out the cast.

It looks like NBC doesn't have much room for the mid-season comedy, The Singles Table. The network originally ordered 13 episodes of the show, but this week it cut that request down to only six episodes. The Singles Table is about a group of people who always end up at the 'singles table' together at their friends' weddings. John Cho (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle) and Jarrad Paul (Monk) star in the series-- Alicia Silverstone was a late addition to the cast. Already, five episodes have been filmed.

What does this say about The Singles Table? Eh. It pretty much says it's not the best show ever. We all know that NBC is trying to cut costs at every corner, so the network is likely waiting to see whether The Singles Table is a hit before committing to 13 episodes.

(S02E24) This is one of those Grey's episodes where, instead of giving everyone separate story lines, we see how the doctors' lives are progressing in their reactions to the cases that come through Seattle Grace. It's the little things; gestures, looks, actions. This is an episode that follows the axiom that newbie writers are given the first time their work is critiqued: "Show, don't tell."

The main story is pretty simple. Five victims come in from an MVC: four family members (three of whom have accents that make you think they're in the same family as Joy from My Name Is Earl) and the driver of the car that T-boned them. The most seriously injured is the daughter, who is pregnant. At first she's awake and concerned for her family; the main focus of the docs is her unborn fetus. But when she goes to CT and her body relaxes, it's discovered that she's suffered massive internal injuries, which send her crashing. She goes into surgery, with everyone from Burke to Webber to both Shepards involved.