Madchen Amick

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The Artistry of Dan Curry–A chronicle of a Star Trek artist’s work from The Next Generation to Enterprise

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November 20, 2020

Review by C.J. Bunce

We previewed Dan Curry’s new look back at his work on Star Trek in September. The nicely designed full color hardcover, Star Trek: The Artistry of Dan Curry is designed and reads like a true sequel to Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens landmark 1995 book The Art of Star Trek, once the only definitive look at the artwork behind the franchise (we’ve covered nearly all the Star Trek art books since then here at borg). Like any professional in the art and design fields for a television or feature film crew, Dan Curry had a variety of projects he handled. This book digs into Curry’s work from 1987 to 2005, basically Star Trek: The Next Generation through Enterprise, where he served as visual effects supervisor/producer, second-unit director, title designer, and concept designer, winning seven Emmys for his effort.

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Longmire–Your best bet for shelter-at-home streaming

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August 14, 2020

Review by C.J. Bunce

If I updated my favorite characters list, I’m not sure yet whether two of the stars of the television series Longmire would make my top five, but I am sure they’d give my top 10 a run for their money. Those two stars would be Robert Taylor′s cool, dry, and wise Sheriff Walt Longmire and his best friend, Lou Diamond Phillips′ loyal, clever, and heroic Cheyenne bar owner Henry Standing Bear. I don’t know how I overlooked Longmire in its run between 2012 and 2017, but I’m grateful, because watching it an episode per day during sheltering at home helped get me through those 150 days. This is great drama, exciting, often humorous, and as good a modern Western as you could hope for. It’s airing right now on Netflix.

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Riverdale–Your next must-watch comic book adaptation for TV

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January 27, 2017

Review by C.J. Bunce

Viewers know in the first ten minutes of Riverdale that the show is going to be a winner. Archie Comics has had 75 years to perfect its ageless story of a guy, two gals, and a bunch of friends living in Everytown, USA. Not many comic book series are so good to successfully draw in fans year after year for so long. With The CW’s drama Riverdale, you’ll wonder why it took so long to bring these characters to television. The series may also give the Twin Peaks reboot some competition this year.

World building is still a requirement for a TV pilot–the writers can’t assume we all knew each character and where they fit in. So it’s impressive most of what viewers need to know is delivered before the first commercial break. By the end of the pilot episode, one of the age-old questions is answered, too, at least temporarily: Is Archie Andrews (played by a perfectly cast K.J. Apa) going to go after sweet and innocent Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) or seductive and fiery Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes)?

Jughead (Cole Sprouse) serves as narrator for the first episode, a loner documenting the summer’s big event: death in a small town, via laptop at his table at the all-night burger joint. But it’s new girl Veronica that we follow through town via a path similar to Buffy Summers looking to find a friend or two in the pilot to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Veronica befriends Betty and the chemistry is instantaneous. Appropriately distracted Archie is almost a third wheel. We’re immediately in Veronica’s corner after she punches the head cheerleader in the face with a perfectly delivered, dressing-down, and we’re equally cheering for Betty to get all the good that she deserves.

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Tags: Archie Comics, Camila Mendes, Casey Cott, Cole Sprouse, CW Network, K.J. Apa, Lili Reinhart, Luke Perry, Madchen Amick, Madelaine Petsch, Riverdale, Riverdale review, Ross Butler

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CW releases better look at Riverdale series, Archie & the Gang, and murder

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December 23, 2016

In the latest ads for CW’s new teen series Riverdale, the live-action series looks even more like an updated Twin Peaks than in the initial teaser trailer. CW’s television adaptation of the 75-year-old Archie Comics characters and hometown is only weeks away. More and more we’re thinking the series has the look and feel of the Archie Comics’ recent successful expanded universe in its Afterlife with Archie and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina series. Let’s face it–if the new television series really were to look like the monthly comic book, which has run relatively unchanged for its 75-year span, it would basically be a remake of Happy Days.

However CW’s Riverdale turns out, our fingers remain crossed that we’ll see the infamous Sabrina drop in as a guest star or that the writers will find a way to incorporate at least a good Halloween episode. Zombies, anyone? Another classic franchise family, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, are getting their own update next year when Dynamite Comics releases a new monthly series adaptation with a noir, true crime twist: Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie. The common theme seems to be bringing back the classics, but trying to spin them in a way to make them appeal to current audiences, which is nothing really new as adaptations go.

The first full-length trailer and a second teaser for Riverdale were both released this week. Every classic property should get the CW teen soap opera treatment like Riverdale and Smallville and all the great DC Comics series currently running. The shows may not be entirely loyal to the source materials, but you can bank on some interesting characters and well-told stories ahead.

Check out this first extended trailer for Riverdale:

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First look–Riverdale, CW’s teen Twin Peaks series gets a teaser, plus new comic tie-ins coming

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November 29, 2016

In the first trailer for CW’s Riverdale, the live-action series looks more like an updated Twin Peaks than the classic comic book. But what a way to make an update! How will we know if Riverdale is a success? CW’s television adaptation of the nearly 80-year-old Archie Comics universe is only weeks away. Yet if you look back on your favorite teen television shows you may find writers and casting agents have been pulling from the Archie playbook before. Just take a look back at Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Who was a better Jughead than Xander? And did you ever see the original best frenemies Betty and Veronica in the love-hate relationship of Buffy and Faith? What about the dynamic of the leads in CW’s previous successful teen-driven, comic book series Smallville? Will Archie Comics’ own tried and tested formula prove to make Riverdale a keeper?

However CW’s Riverdale turns out, our fingers are crossed that we’ll see the infamous Sabrina drop in as a guest star or that the writers will find a way to incorporate at least a good Halloween episode banking on the success of the publisher’s recent Afterlife With Archie series. What sure-fire way to please a current audience than delivering a zombie episode?

The first teaser for Riverdale dropped this week. Although it doesn’t give us much, we get a look at the characters and a glimpse of the creepy tone of the show–a very CW teen-focused looking series. These kinds of shows have proven to be CW’s niche realm, along with its recent success with superheroes in its five DC Comics series: Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, iZombie, and Supergirl.

Check out this first teaser for Riverdale:

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Kyle MacLachlan and cast discuss 2017 Twin Peaks series, Badalamenti returns in teaser

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October 22, 2016

Showtime released two teasers this month for next year’s Twin Peaks sequel, hoped for by fans of the show for 25 years. The first shows several actors, including series star Kyle MacLachlan looking like he hasn’t changed a bit, including a behind the scenes image sporting his FBI suit with director David Lynch. The second teaser shows composer Angelo Badalamenti back again working on the new score for the series.

Coming back for the series is Kyle MacLachlan (FBI Agent Dale Cooper), Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer/Maddie Ferguson), Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), Mädchen Amick (Shelley Johnson), David Duchovny (Dennis/Denise Bryson), Michael Horse (Deputy Hawk Hill), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), Miguel Ferrer (Albert Rosenfield), Ray Wise (Leland Palmer), Grace Zabriskie (Sarah Palmer), Alicia Witt (Gersten Hayward), Kimmy Robertson (Lucy Moran), Peggy Lipton (Norma Jennings), Catherine Coulson (The Log Lady), Everett McGill (Ed Hurley), Phoebe Augustine (Ronette Pulaski), Harry Goaz (Deputy Andy Brennan), Julee Cruise (Roadhouse Singer and soundtrack singer), Warren Frost (Doctor Hayward), Jan D’Arcy (Sylvia Horne), and Gary Hershberger (Mike Nelson).

Also returning is Andrea Hayes (Heidi), David Patrick Kelley (Jerry Horne), Bellina Logan (Louie), Walter Olkewicz (Jacques Renault), Richard Beymer (Ben Horne), Carel Struyken (the giant), Wendy Robie (Nadine Hurley), Al Strobel (one-armed man), Charlotte Stewart (Betty Briggs), Marv Rosand (diner cook), Jerry Marshall (James Hurley), Russ Tamblyn (Dr. Jacoby), Carlton Russell (jumping man), Harry Dean Stanton (Carl), and David Lynch (Gordon Cole).

Check out the new Showtime teasers plus everything you want to know from past borg.com updates on the series, after the break:

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Tags: Al Strobel, Alicia Witt, Amanda Seyfried, Andrea Hayes, Angelo Badalamenti, Ashley Judd, Balthazar Getty, Bellina Logan, Billy Zane, Brenda Strong, Candy Clark, Carel Struyken, Carlton Russell, Catherine Coulson, Charlotte Stewart, Dana Ashbrook, David Duchovny, David Koechner, David Lynch, David Patrick Kelley, David Warner, Don S. Davis, Eddie Vedder, Ernie Hudson, Everett McGill, Gary Hershberger, Grace Zabriskie, Harry Dean Stanton, Harry Goaz, Heather Graham, Jack Nance, Jan D'Arcy, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jerry Marshall, Jim Belushi, Joan Chen, John Billingsley, Julee Cruise, Kimmy Robertson, Kyle MacLachlan, Lara Flynn Boyle, Larry Clarke, Laura Dern, Madchen Amick, Mark Frost, Marv Rosand, Meg Foster, Michael Cera, Michael Horse, Michael J. Anderson, Michael Ontkean, Miguel Ferrer, Monica Bellucci, Naomi Watts, Peggy Lipton, Phoebe Augustine, Piper Laurie, Ray Wise, Richard Beymer, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Forster, Robert Knepper, Russ Tamblyn, Scott Coffey, Sherilyn Fenn, Sheryl Lee, Showtime, Showtime Twin Peaks series, The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, The Secret History of Twin Peaks, Tim Roth, Tom Sizemore, Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks cast list, Walter Olkewicz, Warren Frost, Wendy Robie

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Josie and the Pussycats get new monthly series with plenty of variant covers

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September 21, 2016

Next week Riverdale’s most famous band is getting back together.

Archie Comics is releasing a new Josie and the Pussycats monthly series. Much like its release of its hit Betty & Veronica series this summer, Josie & Co. is getting a premiere with plenty of cover variants with works by J. Scott Campbell, Derek Charm, Colleen Coover, Veronica Fish, Francesco Francavilla, Jessica Garvey, Robert Hack with Steve Downer, Gisele Lagace with Shouri, Alitha Martinez with Kelly Fitzpatrick, Wally McNair, Sam Payne, and Marguerite Sauvage. The standard cover was drawn by Audrey Mok. Andre Szymanowicz is providing the colors. Archie Comics will also release a blank sketch cover version.

Marguerite Bennett and Cameron Deordio are scripting the series.

Josie, Valerie, and Melody make their current debut after Afterlife With Archie’s dark look at the band in the haunted parallel universe of that title’s October issue. Plus, the CW Network has its own new Archie series premiering in only a few weeks–Riverdale stars K.J. Apa as Archie, Cole Sprouse as Jughead, Camila Mendes as Veronica, Lili Reinhart as Betty, Ross Butler as Reggie, Casey Cott as Kevin, and Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom. And of course, the band is in the series as well, with Josie played by Ashleigh Murray, Valerie is played by Hayleau Law, and Melody is played by Asha Brom. Luke Perry, Lochlyn Munro, and Madchen Amick will also star in the series.

While you’re waiting for the TV series, check out these covers to Josie and the Pussycats:

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Twin Peaks–Pacific Northwest logging town increases population by 217

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July 3, 2016

Step back five years and ask what television series genre fans would like to see turn into a modern sequel and at the top of the list you would likely have found The X-Files, Firefly, and Twin Peaks. Two out of three ain’t bad.

Add 217 more citizens to Twin Peaks’ population of 51,201. David Lynch & Co. released the list of cast members for Twin Peaks, the Showtime sequel series, and the question really isn’t who is in the new series, but who is not. Coming back is Kyle MacLachlan (FBI Agent Dale Cooper), Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer/Maddie Ferguson), Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), Mädchen Amick (Shelley Johnson), David Duchovny (Dennis/Denise Bryson), Michael Horse (Deputy Hawk Hill), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), Miguel Ferrer (Albert Rosenfield), Ray Wise (Leland Palmer), Grace Zabriskie (Sarah Palmer), Alicia Witt (Gersten Hayward), Kimmy Robertson (Lucy Moran), Peggy Lipton (Norma Jennings), Catherine Coulson (The Log Lady), Everett McGill (Ed Hurley), Phoebe Augustine (Ronette Pulaski), Harry Goaz (Deputy Andy Brennan), Julee Cruise (Roadhouse Singer and soundtrack singer), Warren Frost (Doctor Hayward), Jan D’Arcy (Sylvia Horne), and Gary Hershberger (Mike Nelson).

And that’s not all. Also returning is Andrea Hayes (Heidi), David Patrick Kelley (Jerry Horne), Bellina Logan (Louie), Walter Olkewicz (Jacques Renault), Richard Beymer (Ben Horne), Carel Struyken (the giant), Wendy Robie (Nadine Hurley), Al Strobel (one-armed man), Charlotte Stewart (Betty Briggs), Marv Rosand (diner cook), Jerry Marshall (James Hurley), Russ Tamblyn (Dr. Jacoby), Carlton Russell (jumping man), Harry Dean Stanton (Carl), and David Lynch (Gordon Cole). Scott Coffey is also listed as a returning actor, but we don’t remember him in this Lynch show, although he was in other Lynch productions.

So no Michael Ontkean, Lara Flynn Boyle, Joan Chen, Piper Laurie, Heather Graham, Billy Zane, Brenda Strong, Michael J. Anderson, or David Warner. Key players Jack Nance and Don S. Davis have passed away since the original series aired as has most recently Catherine Coulson, who was able to film some scenes for the series. The biggest miss, of course, is Michael Ontkean, retired from acting now, who played MacLachlan’s co-lead for much of the series as Sheriff Harry S. Truman. Fans want to see all of the return players, but it may not be a good sign that so many newcomers will be in the show. Even if the originally discussed nine episodes doubled, that doesn’t give a lot of screen time to very many characters.

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Tags: Al Strobel, Alicia Witt, Amanda Seyfried, Andrea Hayes, Ashley Judd, Balthazar Getty, Bellina Logan, Billy Zane, Brenda Strong, Candy Clark, Carel Struyken, Carlton Russell, Catherine Coulson, Charlotte Stewart, Dana Ashbrook, David Duchovny, David Koechner, David Lynch, David Patrick Kelley, David Warner, Don S. Davis, Eddie Vedder, Ernie Hudson, Everett McGill, Gary Hershberger, Grace Zabriskie, Harry Dean Stanton, Harry Goaz, Heather Graham, Jack Nance, Jan D'Arcy, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jerry Marshall, Jim Belushi, Joan Chen, John Billingsley, Julee Cruise, Kimmy Robertson, Kyle MacLachlan, Lara Flynn Boyle, Larry Clarke, Laura Dern, Madchen Amick, Mark Frost, Marv Rosand, Meg Foster, Michael Cera, Michael Horse, Michael J. Anderson, Michael Ontkean, Miguel Ferrer, Monica Bellucci, Naomi Watts, Peggy Lipton, Phoebe Augustine, Piper Laurie, Ray Wise, Richard Beymer, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Forster, Robert Knepper, Russ Tamblyn, Scott Coffey, Sherilyn Fenn, Sheryl Lee, Showtime, Showtime Twin Peaks series, The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, The Secret History of Twin Peaks, Tim Roth, Tom Sizemore, Twin Peaks, Walter Olkewicz, Warren Frost, Wendy Robie

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Twin Peaks cast pushes to return David Lynch to new Twin Peaks project

Filed under: Backstage Pass, Fantasy Realms, Retro Fix, TV — Leave a comment

April 9, 2015

This weekend the quirky and unique director and visionary David Lynch announced after months of working on a new Twin Peaks series for Showtime that he was walking away from the project. The reason cited was, of course, money. Showtime had been voicing support for the series but clearly negotiations broke down and now the likelihood of a new series is uncertain. Key cast members including Kyle MacLachlan and Sheryl Lee had already signed on for the project. Most of the original cast were also in support of the series and eager to jump back into the world of that slightly askew town near Snoqualmie Falls, Washington.

Lynch expressed his status on Facebook: “Showtime did not pull the plug on Twin Peaks. After one year and four months of negotiations, I left because not enough money was offered to do the script the way I felt it needed to be done. This weekend I started to call actors to let them know I would not be directing. Twin Peaks may still be very much alive at Showtime. I love the world of Twin Peaks and wish things could have worked out differently.”

Showtime issued this response: “We were saddened to read David Lynch’s statement today since we believed we were working towards solutions with David and his reps on the few remaining deal points. Showtime also loves the world of Twin Peaks and we continue to hold out hope that we can bring it back in all its glory with both of its extraordinary creators, David Lynch and Mark Frost, at its helm.”

It sounds like the typical posturing of any business negotiations. But it prompted nearly a dozen cast members yesterday to share their own short video message encouraging Showtime to work out a deal with Lynch. Many of these messages refer back to their characters. The former cast members who supplied the video messages are Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), Madchen Amick (Shelly Johnson), Peggy Lipton (Norma Jennings), James Marshall (James Hurley), Kimmy Robertson (Lucy Moran), Gary Hershberger (Mike Nelson), Catherine E. Coulson (The Log Lady), Wendy Robie (Nadine Hurley), and Al Strobel (Phillip Gerard).

After the break, take a look at what all these cast members look like today, and what they came up with to try to coax the powers that be onward and upward:

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