LOST Season Finale Tonight!

The two hour fifth-season finale, entitled The Incident, airs tonight at 9/8c on ABC. Jack's decision to put a plan in action in order to set things right on the island is met with some strong resistance by those close to him, and Locke assigns Ben a difficult task. Fan favorites Rose and Bernard return and the guest star list also shows there will be appearances of young Kate, young Juliet, young Sawyer, and young Tom. I'm interested to see how Tom's backstory fits into the puzzle. I also hope they finish the time travel stuff before they get themselves into a paradox. It was written by showrunners Damon Lindelof/Carlton Cuse and directed by Jack Bender. There will also be a Lost recap episode at 8/7c.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG Trailer

Disney returns to classic animation with this New Orleans musical tale. It was written and directed by acclaimed animation duo John Musker & Ron Clements (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules) and scored by Oscar-winning composer Randy Newman. It stars the voices of Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos (a Brazilian!), Oprah Winfrey, Keith David, Jim Cummings, John Goodman, Jenifer Lewis, and Terrence Howard. I'm so glad John Lasseter (who produced) convinced Disney to return to their roots and hopefully the film will be a big success. Also, I believe this is the first time Disney is doing an indie film style release strategy. It will open in limited release on November 25th, then wide on December 11th.

New LOST Tonight

A new episode, entitled Follow The Leader, airs tonight at 9/8c on ABC. Jack and Kate find themselves at odds over the direction to take to save their fellow island survivors, Locke further solidifies his stance as leader of The Others, and Sawyer and Juliet come under scrutiny from the Dharma Initiative. It was written by Paul Zbyszewski/Elizabeth Sarnoff and directed by Stephen Williams.

Coppola's TETRO Trailer

Francis Ford Coppola returned to directing after a ten year break with the overlooked 2007 indie Youth Without Youth and now he's back with another indie, also his first original screenplay since The Conversation. I love Coppola's return to his roots and hopefully Lucas will follow his lead. If Coppola wasn't enough, the casting of eccentric actor Vincent Gallo and the amazing black and white cinematography make this a must see. It will be released June 11th.

New LOST Tonight

A new episode (the 100th!), entitled The Variable, airs tonight at 9/8c on ABC. The time of reckoning has begun when Daniel Faraday comes clean regarding what he knows about the island. It was written by Edward Kitsis/Adam Horowitz and directed by Paul Edwards. I'm so glad to see more Faraday! This could be my favorite episode since The Constant.

CHUCK & HEROES Season Finales Tonight

The season finale of Chuck, entitled Chuck vs. The Ring, airs tonight at 8/7c on NBC. I thought the first season of Chuck was alright but I really enjoyed the second season. The show does have its problems, the humor is hit or miss and it doesn't get geek culture as well as other shows (like The Big Bang Theory or The IT Crowd), but the drama is always solid and it's a fun show. Plus you can always count on 'Browncoat' favorite Adam Baldwin and a pack of geek-friendly guest stars (including Tony Hale, Chevy Chase, and Scott Bakula) to entertain. It hasn't been picked up for a third season so this could be the final episode if NBC is dumb enough to cancel it, even though they've kept the vastly inferior Heroes around. In the season two finale, Ellie and Awesome's wedding day arrives but Chuck must save his sister from evil Fulcrum forces and Ted Roark (Chevy Chase). Plus the return of Jeffster!


The season finale of Heroes, entitled An Invisible Thread, airs tonight at 9/8c on NBC. Except for a few bright spots like Bryan Fuller's episode and guest star Zeljko Ivanek, the show has gotten pretty bad and I keep watching in the hope that it will return to its former glory. This episode has been getting terrible reviews and NBC should really let Bryan Fuller run the show next season if they want to salvage it. In the season three finale, Nathan faces off against Sylar to keep him from meeting the President (guest star Michael Dorn). Sylar has his own plans for his new partner. Meanwhile, Hiro learns that there are repercussions to regaining his ability. Elsewhere, Matt is forced to go to extraordinary lengths to protect his future with his family.

Soderbergh Casts Demetri Martin in MONEYBALL

Lately there has been a growing trend of casting comedians in dramatic films whether it's Todd Barry and Judah Friedlander in Aronofsky's The Wrestler, Patton Oswalt and a whole crew of comedians in Soderbergh's The Informant, or Demetri Martin in Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock. Now Martin has lined up another big role alongside Brad Pitt in Steven Soderbergh's "Moneyball," the adaptation of the Michael Lewis book about ballplayer-turned-Oakland Athletics manager Billy Beane (Pitt) and his attempt to field a competitive team on a slim payroll. Martin will play Paul De Podesta, a Harvard grad who turned down Wall Street jobs to use his statistical skills to change baseball scouting tactics. His system, known as "Earned Run Value," allowed Beane to evaluate valuable players he could hire at low cost. Also joining the cast is a group of actual baseball players: former Oakland A's team members David Justice and Scott Hatteberg have signed on to play themselves in the picture, while Daryl Strawberry and Lenny Dykstra are among those who will be seen on camera being interviewed about their experiences with Beane when he was drafted by the New York Mets before becoming a baseball scout. Oscar-winning screenwriter Steve Zaillian is doing a rewrite on a script originated by Stan Chervin. I think Martin is one of funniest comedians working today (watch his show on Comedy Central for proof) and I'm excited to see him transition to movies. Taking Woodstock will be released on Aug. 14th and Moneyball begins shooting in June.