EVIL PUPPET MASTERS

FINALLY, I can make the announcement that I have been dying to make since…February Thanks to the insane awesomeness that is JJ, Burky and Bad Robot - FRINGE fans now have a place to interact with each other AND with members of the Creative Team AND (hopefully) actors from the show. That place is FRINGE DIVISION — the Offical Site for the Creative Team Behind FRINGE and it is sponsored by J.J. Abrams.

For anyone who is familiar with The Fuselage site that was made for LOST - FRINGE DIVISION should look and feel very familiar to you. It is designed and run by the same duo who made the Fuse: Karri and Artie. In fact - if you are registered on the threaded board of The Fuselage, your registration carries over to FRINGE DIVISION - just login with the same User Name and Password.

The site has been up for a couple of weeks while we have been working the bugs out, but it is a fully operational battlestation so feel free to go give it a spin. My buddy Rick (aka J.R. Orci, one of those writer/producer guys for FRINGE) has already been breaking in his Q&A forum on the threaded board, and a few more VIPs should start appearing over the next couple of weeks. You may notice that I have one of those pretty colored fonts over there - that is because I am a Co-Admin for the site. Feel free to stop by and say howdy

There is a pretty thorough article about the various forms of advertising that FOX and BR are using to draw in potential viewers for FRINGE by Joe Adalian at TVWeek.com. It looks at the viral marketing, normal/pseudo-normal advertising avenues, plus the funky radio ads that have cropped up - and includes a link to hear the radio ads. There is mention of something called “The Pattern” which seems to keep cropping up. What’s with that anyway?

Thanks to Joe for sending me his own link - I’m all for blatant pimping, as long as what you’re pimping is worth my time.

The Warner Bros. 2008 San Diego Comic Con panel schedule has been released and it lists FRINGE on the schedule for Saturday, July 26th from 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.. The room wasn’t listed on the announcement that came from Ducky Does TV, but I’ll post that as soon as it is available.

That Ducky Does TV link also gives the days/times for the following other Warner Bros. shows: Sarah Connor Chronicles, Pushing Daisies, Chuck, Supernatural and Smallville.

Thanks to Edward at FringeTV.blogspot.com for the heads’ up.

I’m behind on my Google Alerts (crazy couple of weeks), but I’m trying to catch up. Rabid Doll has this nice interview with FRINGE showrunner Jeff Pinkner that should shed more light on what FRINGE is “like” and “not like.” And he can say with more authority than most

Don’t everyone freak out - this does not mean that there are “problems” with the show. FOX pushed back its entire line up of show premieres by at least a week - which kind of sucks because I always liked that FOX would premiere stuff in August while other networks were pushing premieres to late September/early October *sad face*

Anywhoo - FOX will now air the 2-hour Pilot episode of FRINGE on Tuesday, September 9th at 8 p.m. (Eastern/7 Central). Be there or be pissed off that you missed the boat on what will be the #1 new drama on television this Fall!

Here’s an EXCLUSIVE first look at the FRINGE hat with the Bad Robot guy on the back. YAY for SWAG!! This is the FRINGE logo that I prefer, by the way. It looks like the letters are being electrocuted.

Hmmm…last year I got a SLUSHO shirt for my birthday. This year my birthday will roll around while I am in San Diego for Comic Con. For my BR peeps: I REALLY like this HAT *wink wink* *nudge nudge*

Photo used by permission of Rick Orci, who is perpetually obsessed with taking photos with his iPhone. Not that I’m complaining.

Again, I’m not going to post EVERY review of the FRINGE pilot episode, which was debuted for a group of TV writers yesterday. Patrick Lee from SciFiWire was one of the lucky few who saw it, and I respect his opinion (and ability to digest SciFi without questioning the plausibility of everything) - though he gets points off for misspelling LOST character Kate Austen’s last name.

Read his review HERE. He keeps it short and to the point - without revealing TOO much, but he does give away a couple of SPOILERS for the pilot episode.

E! Online posted the following video interview with FRINGE stars Joshua Jackson and Anna Torv. From the outfits, I’m guessing this took place at the FOX Upfronts a couple of weeks ago:

Not a whole lot of new stuff out there right now for FRINGE, but I will have a fairly huge announcement very soon (like in the next week or so, I think) for FRINGE fans.

Can’t say much more except that it is AWESOME and should make the fans very happy

*zip*

If you just can’t wait until August 26th to make up your OWN mind about the Pilot episode of FRINGE, then feel free to traipse over to The Futon Critic to read their review of it. Keep in mind, this is a review of the ACTUAL EPISODE, not just Review #4,815 of the SCRIPT. There are mild spoilers, but not much past what you see in the trailer.

I have mixed feelings about getting reviews of the actual Pilot episode of FRINGE months before the rest of the public will see it. I’m all for publicity and trying to get buzz started for a show, but all of these reviews of the script for FRINGE - the bulk of which have been based on an early version of the script that seems to have been mass produced and passed around liberally (heck, even I got it - and nobody gives me ANYTHING) - have been bordering on ludicrousness already. I would hate to see that happen with the actual Pilot episode as well.

The fact is that unless you are a highly respected and objectively advanced blogger or television reviewer (who isn’t getting a little sumptin’ sumptin’ under the table for giving a guaranteed positive or explosive review) - I could care less what you think of the Pilot episode or the script of the Pilot episode. I have read the infamous early version of the script, but will not review it because (a) I don’t believe in reviewing something that everyone reading this blog can’t read as well and thus can’t compare what they’ve read to what I am saying; and (b) I’m unabashedly biased in certain respects when it comes to Bad Robot Productions, and though I believe I can be objective in a review - the fact is that those boys know my buttons and they push them about 80% of the time. I love their stuff - thus…why this blog exists. My bias is inbred.

I am posting the link to The Futon Critic’s review of the Pilot because I am well acquainted with their site, and appreciate the fact that they post about EVERYTHING in the realm of television - not just what ABC or CBS or FOX, etc., is trying to shove down the throats of the American audience.

I have posted some reviews of the FRINGE trailer, because it has been made available to the widespread audience, so the average reader can be comparative.

This one gets its own post, because it made me laugh. Over at the I Watch Stuff blog, they gave this rather humorous and definitely snarky review of the extended FRINGE trailer. All we are lacking now is a frame-by-frame analysis of the trailer by one of those LOST theorists who come up with the most bizarre stuff…only to be proven right down the line.

The premiere of FRINGE on Fox may still be months away, but the moviesque trailer for the show has many a blogger intrigued by what we see…and what we don’t see. Below find some links to some of the more prolific bloggers on the interwebs and read their takes on all the hulabaloo:

Nikki Stafford’s Blog - “Fall TV Preview: Fringe”
FringeTV Blog - “Will Fringe Come With A Viral Element?”
TV Envy - “Trailer for new FOX series Fringe”
Rope of Silicon - “JJ Abrams ‘Fringe’ Trailer - Viral Sites Forthcoming”

So far, the trailer seems to have done it’s job - hooked those who are already obsessed with everything JJ/Bad Robot (*coughMEcough*) and enticed those who aren’t so sure to at least give it a shot. I have ONE beef with the show - which has nothing to do with the show itself, really. I HATE the lettering they have used for FRINGE on the posters and promos. It just looks wrong - if they were intending it to look sort of 3D…then they did it wrong. If it is meant to look off kilter and slapped together…well then I guess they did it right. What do you think?

Considering what a massive fontaholic JJ is, I’m just surprised that they couldn’t come up with a better font style. Oh well, what the hell do I know?

Bob Orci, JJ Abrams and Alex Kurtzman at the Fox Upfronts

Not much new in the realm of FRINGE today, but did find a rather good picspam for FRINGE over on OhNoTheyDidnt. Some pics I’ve seen, some I haven’t, so felt it worthy of sharing. A bunch of pics of Joshua Jackson at the Upfronts, FYI.

Is it August 26th yet?

J.J. Abrams talks about the difficult task of finding the right actress to play FBI Agent Olivia Dunham in this interview held during the Fox upfront last week. I have to say that I agree wholeheartedly with the casting of Anna Torv - she completely owns this part.

One correction to that piece from SciFiWire — the Casting Agent’s name is April Webster, not Ann

For the record, FRINGE is NOT about an “airplane flight whose passengers meet untimely ends” nor is it accurately described by comparing it to LOST and saying that it “has a similar airliner mystery”. I’ve already read half a dozen reviews making one or the other assumptions of what the show is about, but they are both WRONG.

The PILOT episode does indeed involve an airplane “whose passengers meet untimely ends” but that is NOT what the entire series revolves around. Leading people to believe that FRINGE is going to be like LOST because there is an airplane involved is ludicrous and is just going to confuse the masses - or turn them off thinking that JJ and Bad Robot have an airplane fetish. I do realize that part of the blame belongs to FOX, since their official description of the show isn’t really a description of the show but of the Pilot episode. But you’d think that with all the hype and the marketing blitz that a reporter could take an extra couple of minutes to make a phone call or surf the internet to verify the accuracy of their information.

A better explanation of the show - what it is and what it will be - comes from FOX’s press release:

The new event drama premiering this fall is FRINGE, a fantastical thriller from acclaimed writer/producer J.J. Abrams (”Lost”), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (”Star Trek,” “Mission: Impossible III,” “Alias”). Joshua Jackson (”Dawson’s Creek”), John Noble (”Lord of the Rings”) and newcomer Anna Torv star as an unlikely trio who uncover a deadly mystery involving a series of unbelievable events and realize they may be a part of a larger, more disturbing pattern that blurs the line between science fiction and technology.

.

Google is your friend.