DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
Members' Mausoleum => Calendar Events / Announcements Archive => Calendar Events / Announcements '24 I => Calendar Events / Announcements '13 II => Topic started by: Mysterious Benefactor on July 04, 2013, 03:44:50 PM
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Fall TV: 5 shows that should find success (http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2013/07/fall-tv-2013-the-tomorrow-people-and-4-other-new-shows-that-should-succeed.html)
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I know it's been mentioned, about "Dracula" having same time-slot as '90 DS series; but, the Zap2It didn't really seem to thrilled....
Funny that I haven't seen any type of 'coming this fall' type commercials; I may not watch NBC perse, but NBC is partnered with USA and other channels.
Patti
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Speaking of promos, I'm loving all the teaser promos NBC is currently running for the show - I've caught like five different ones in the past two days. In more ways than one the situation definitely reminds me of the buildup to the '91 DS. I can't wait for the October 25th premiere!
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Access Hollywood did a segment on Dracula ("with all the blood, love, and lust you'd expect") tonight. Now I really can't wait until the 25th!!
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Sounds potentially intriguing.
G.
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'Dracula': A sexier, naughtier retelling of Bram Stoker's original version (http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2013/10/dracula-a-sexier-naughtier-retelling-of-bram-stokers-original-version.html)
The "True Love Never Dies" promo is probably the one that most reminds me of the '91 DS promos. And that tag line is reminiscent of the '91 DS' tag "A Love Story Beyond Time." If the marketing campaign for Dracula is any indication, I suspect we're going to see a lot of similarities between the two shows. Though Dracula will have an even shorter run than the '91 DS did because I'm pretty sure they're only making 10 one hour eps.
Also, the "Dracula: First Look" featurette makes the show look even more interesting than some of the promos do. The show just might turn out to be quite an enjoyable and wild ride - well, for those of us who love vampires.
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I haven't really had a chance to see most of the previews, with the exception of a couple of quick ads, but I'm in! I look forward to it starting!
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Halloween on TV 2013: 'Dracula' (http://www.zap2it.com/news/pictures/zap-halloween-on-tv-2013-new-girl-and-more-20131016,0,7672059.photogallery?index=19)
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Why You Should Take a Stab at NBC's New Dracula
For starters, it's grotesquely erotic! (http://www.tvguide.com/News/Dracula-Premiere-NBC-1072465.aspx)
And this isn't the only article to recommend the show - I've seen nothing but fantastic reviews.
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Episode 1 is available for free streaming here:
http://www.nbc.com/dracula/video/the-blood-is-the-life/n42270/
G.
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There is a blonde vampire hunter in this one who would make a fab 1890s Angelique...
G.
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And this isn't the only article to recommend the show - I've seen nothing but fantastic reviews.
I liked it. I hadn't read anything about it before seeing it, and so was surprised by a lot of it. I then read a number of reviews and all of the ones I've seen DIDN'T like it.
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I liked it as well. Was it perfect? No. But then, as I've often said, no show (or film) is. What I have seen I've enjoyed.
As far as reviews go, I've now seen slightly more favorable than unfavorable. Variety and Entertainment Weekly really liked it. TV Guide and Zap2it did not. And on the PBS review show Just Seen It, which uses three critics in its reviews, one reviewer literally hated it, while the other two really liked it. Apparently the show is one of those that you either love or hate with little middle ground.
Of course, purist reviewers have had problems with the changes. One thing I've most often seen cited in the unfavorable reviews is making Van Helsing Dracula's ally rather than his main protagonist. But making changes like that can actually freshen things because they're not what's expected. I suppose it does remain to be seen how things in that relationship play out, but at this point I think having Van Helsing revive/release Dracula is a great new twist.
Also, reviewers have complained that the show isn't violent or sexy enough. Though the mere fact that some are complaining on those fronts is interesting in and of itself because this take on Dracula isn't on cable, it's on network TV, where there are much stricter standards against violence and sex. That being said, though, apparently the quotient of both will be ratcheted up in future eps because Variety says the "series pushes boundaries in terms of gore, torture and sex."
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A friend said that she read somewhere online as regards the forthcoming plot twists that[spoiler]a gay subplot is due to surface, and I'm really hoping it will be Dracula/Harker. Even PG rated, those two together will be INCENDIARY.[/spoiler]
I think if you're a fan of Victoriana, steampunk, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, you'll love it. Especially if you're a fan of all three.
The actress I think would make a good Angelique is apparently named Victoria Smurfit and she is the mother of three children. Great screen presence from her... and like JRM, born in Dublin.
G.
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TV Wigs: Tricks or Treats? - Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Dracula (http://www.tvguide.com/special/fall-preview/PhotoGallery/Best-Worst-TV-Wigs-1072523/1072541)
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The promo for tonight's episode has Dracula speaking of wanting to "be free to walk in the sunlight" and to be a mortal again... sound familiar?
As far as I'm concerned, the show earns its keep everytime one of those haughty minxes flounces her heavy crinoline through one of those sets... or, on the other hand, the camera lingers lovingly on JRM's nude body (only the upper portion of course, since it is NBC, but we'll take what we can get).
G.
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Just to let anyone who's looking for it know... episode 2 of Dracula, "A Whiff of Sulfur," is available for streaming on nbc dot com's page for the series.
There was a scene in this new installment that seemed to potentially carry reference both to a familiar storyline in the original series, and a twist from the Depp Shadows incarnation.
There's also a highly entertaining (to this viewer, at least) sequence set in a gay bordello.
G.
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I'm really enjoying the show.
And after the fencing match I wondered what was going on between those two characters. What it really was never entered my mind. But uncovering it will no doubt work out very well for our "Alexander". [hall2_wink]
And whoa, that was quite the vampire bite in the final sequence. Certainly more graphic than anything I've seen on network TV before. Maybe even more than most bites even on a show like True Blood. But then, the show has promised to push the standards of blood/gore on network TV, and apparently it's following through. What's better, though, is that character is front and center on the show. If only the same could have been said of hoDS. [hall2_sad]
And I also must say that some of the dialogue out of 'Alexander's' mouth when he was speaking about Mina with Renfield could have easily come out of Barnabas' mouth. But then, the situations are very much the same...
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I just commented to a friend that "Alexander Grayson" seems more like an updated or expanded version of Barnabas Collins than any other recent vampire I've seen. Of course I haven't been watching True Blood or the Vampire Diaries or any of the others...
"Grayson" has the Barnabas thing going on (particularly reminiscent of the 1897 Barnabas, and the date of the Dracula series is supposed to be 1897, even though an automobile that appeared in the new installment dates I think to around 1904) of having big plans but also issues of impulse, moodiness, and difficulties with rage management... and on top of it all... bloodlust.
I loved how the new show was filmed, particularly the scene where Dracula was seducing/luring Sinead.
G.
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Oh my - I just finished watching tonight's ep, and lo and behold who should I spot in the previews for next week's ep but Alec Newman. It looks like he's going to play one of Dracula's minion - possibly even a vampire minion. But regardless of what type of minion he will be, it will be great to see him!
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Thanks to a bit of Google searching, I see that two photos of Alec Newman from Dracula were posted a few days ago:
Photo Alec Newman, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Thomas Kretschmann (http://www.screenrush.co.uk/television/television-10840/photo-detail/?cmediafile=21054681)
Photo Alec Newman, Jonathan Rhys Meyers (http://www.screenrush.co.uk/television/television-10840/photo-detail/?cmediafile=21054682)
And this synopsis (from a British Web site) confirms my suspicion about Newman's character"
Episode 4:
Although neck-deep in dangerous enemies, Dracula also has powerful allies to call upon. Josef Cervenka (Alec Newman, Waterloo Road) – who was vamped by the man himself – travels to Carfax Manor to help his plan to destroy The Order.
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I remember the description in the novel Dracula of Renfield looking out the window and seeing Dracula crawling down the walls of the castle. In tonight's episode, when he was crawling on the bed towards his partner, it was a very animalistic way of moving and reminded me of that description from the book.
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Wow. Really can't wait to catch up with this show.
Hopefully fans who are curious can find the Youtube clip I had posted earlier with an excerpt from Alec Newman's performance as Barnabas. As I've stated repeatedly, he is the only actor other than Jonathan Frid who I thought actually achieved the impossible and gave us a new approach to the character to enjoy.
G.
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This is sad - but it's good that he's back getting treatment:
Jonathan Rhys Meyers' 'Dracula' salary delayed over addiction concerns (http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2013/11/jonathan-rhys-meyers-dracula-salary-delayed-over-addiction-concerns.html)
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There are some cool images on this site including a four panel shirtless gif of one of JRM's boudoir scenes from the last episode:
http://nbcdracula.tumblr.com/
A friend has told me that this series is not performing very well in the ratings game, so it seems unlikely that it will be renewed. (The series only lasts 10 episodes.)
G.
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Actually, Dracula is another one of those shows whose numbers go up once the DVR Live+7 numbers are factored in. Those Fast Overnight ratings, which are the ones that get widely reported and publicized, are just a part of the ratings story, and they often give an inaccurate picture because some shows actually have more viewers who watch on a DVR delayed basis then viewers who watch live.
Another thing that's interesting is that apparently the show is a passion project for NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt (shades of the '91 DS and Brandon Tartikoff). Greenblatt personally courted JRM to play Dracula. But then, he was quite familiar with JRM because previous to joining NBC, Greenblatt was president of entertainment at Showtime, and he oversaw The Tudors. So, it will definitely be interesting to see how Dracula's fate plays out. [hall2_wink]
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Wow. That's exciting to know, Mysterioso Dahling! I would hope that Dracula can be a prestige project for the network and we can get ten more episodes even if we have to wait till the Autumn of 2014. I'm getting quite a kick out of this Dracula, particularly the scenes between JRM and Vicki Smurfit (I think the actors may be friends in real life).
G.
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I just noticed that tonight's ep is one of today's three Editors' Picks on tvguide.com (http://www.tvguide.com/new-tonight/61948)
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I thought Alec Newman was awesome as a vampire warrior on DRACULA. It makes me regret all over again that we didn't get to see more of him as Barnabas.
The character seems to have been written out, but as on DS, he could always come back...
G.
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I may be the only fan posting here who has been watching this series. I get an indecent amount of fun out of it.
The plot arc keeps throwing in stuff that is reminiscent of DS, especially hoDS, but with its own twists and turns. It's all very character driven but has enough spectacular violence to keep horror fans tuning in.
The actress who plays Mina Murray has a quality to her that I find very reminiscent of Joanna Going.
G.
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I may be the only fan posting here who has been watching this series.
Oh, you're not the only one - I've watched every ep and I'm really enjoying the show.
It's all very character driven but has enough spectacular violence to keep horror fans tuning in.
One of the things I like most about it. If only hoDS had used a similar balance. But no, when it came to too many character moments, DC's mantra was cut cut cut. ::)
The actress who plays Mina Murray has a quality to her that I find very reminiscent of Joanna Going.
I've had similar thoughts.
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I'm also enjoying it - there are all sorts of unexpected twists to it. There are a couple of plot points which are straight from the original DS, which was interesting.
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In the previous post I forgot to mention the bit where they used his sense of smell and how he was able to sniff out where they had gone. One hears of traits like that with vampires, but I don't recall ever seeing one depicted like that. I thought that was a really good touch.
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I agree, Josette. In general, the physicality and animal verve of JRM in his performance is one of the main things that really gives this show a different twist.
I really can't get over how stunning the clothes are, as well. Those trailing trains in the ball sequence kept making me think of Aubrey Beardsley.
G.
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More Dark Shadows plot elements surfaced in episode 6. The series seems to make reference not just to the original series, but to hoDS, 1991 DS, AND the Burton/Depp production, at times.
I have heard through the grapevine that the show is now on hiatus until sometime in Jan.
G.
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Alex Newman's DS connections are strengthened by his involvement with Big Finish. He plays 3 roles in the audio plays. Two new characters and [spoiler]he also plays an adult David Collins[/spoiler].
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The Dracula series ratings have been going up and it is now tied for #1 across significant demographics:
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/12/07/nbc-ties-for-1-with-week-to-week-gains-for-dateline-grimm-dracula/220758/
The next new episode airs Jan. 3.
Meanwhile, one of the producers is in the throes of pitching a Wolfman pilot (with Universal's copyrighted Lawrence Talbot character) to the network.
G.
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Impressive numbers! Thanks so much for posting the link, Gothick. [santa_smiley]