Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland Trailer Released

It's due out in March 2010, but once again, Tim Burton casts Johnny Depp in another oddball role: he's The Mad Hatter. Here's a link to the trailer for Alice In Wonderland. Mia Wasikowska plays Alice, Depp is The Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter is The Red Queen, Alan Rickman is The Caterpillar, Anne Hathaway is The White Queen, Stephen Fry is The Cheshire Cat and Crispin Glover is The Knave of Hearts. Oh yeah, and Christopher Lee is The Jabberwock.

This looks a little darker than most Disney fare, but with Burton at the helm you wouldn't expect any less. Australian newcomer Wasikowska looks the part of Alice Kingsley who tumbles down the rabbit hole into a bazaar and colorful world. She also has another film to be released in 2010 called The Kids Are Alright.

Biggest Little Big Brother Group On Facebook

I've put together a group on Facebook for Big Brother 11 with lots of video clips. A lot is stuff you might not have seen. It's called The Biggest Big Brother Fan Group and although it currently has just a small membership, I think it will get much bigger. Take a look at what Ronnie's up to and see behind the scenes conversations in the Big Brother house. Join up if you're on Facebook and put a comment on what is happening on the show.

Kirstie Alley Looking To Do 24-Hr Charity Tweetathon On Twitter

Actress Kirstie Alley is currently looking at trying to get a twenty-four hour "Tweetathon" organized sometime in July as a benefit to donate funds to build water wells in Africa. Details are of course currently sketchy, but she was on Twitter last night discussing the possibilities. Alley mentioned she would attempt to entice other celebs on Twitter to join in on this worthwhile event. You can imagine that other celebrities on Twitter, but I'd be surprised if Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher among other prominent tweeters weren't approached after the details get worked out.

The name "Aquathon" has been bandied about and although just in it's embryonic stages, this does sound like a worthwhile project that others will support. This is one of those grassroots projects that the social network could highlight as it gains further legitimacy with the public.

Susan Boyle Has Lost On Britain's Got Talent

Okay, now on to other things... Sorry, but although I applaud Susan Boyle for having an incredible run, I've almost gotten as tired of this story as the Octo-Mom. Did you know that Nadya Suleman has supposedly now getting that reality show she desperately craved? Another reason to turn off the tube. I am very happy about Boyle's success on the TV show, Britain's Got Talent, where she came in second to an unknown dance troop, whose claim to fame is that they are "exceedingly humble", but Ms Boyle does have a great voice and hopefully will have much continued success. Me, I'm just tired from all the various news sources clamoring to be the first to inform us that Boyle lost on BGT. Yes, we know. I was on Twitter and after the initial shock expressed by various "tweeters", just about everyone was inundated every hour on the hour that "Susan Boyle Has Lost!" and provided the same link. Okay, once, twice, three times is enough. I don't need hourly retweets. And I repeat, now on to other things...

Hot Newscaster Was On Little House On The Prairie?

I just found out that CNBC's Melissa Francis was on Little House On The Prairie. You remember that show right? Ma & Pa Ingalls, Mellisa "Half-Pint" Gilbert, and mean old Nelly Olsen. I just found out on Twitter, Sara Gilbert (The Big Bang Theory) and her sister Melissa (the afore-mentioned "half-pint") are on Twitter and I somehow staggered onto this little bit of info. Melissa Francis (yes, that's her in the pictures, now and then) is one of the resident "news-babes" appearing usually around 11am-noon on CNBC. Sometimes I think I must be living under a rock. Francis was the cute little Missy Francis who played Cassandra Cooper-Ingalls during the last part (1981-82) of Little House On The Prairie. I just started on Twitter a few days ago myself and I'm into a whole new world. There are lots of famous and infamous people using Twitter and posting humorous (and sometimes not so humorous) tidbits about the world around them.

Twitter has been growing by leaps and bounds. It is being helped along in it's growing period with such celebs as Ashton Kutcher (he's "aplusk" on Twitter and surprisingly funny, and posts frequently), Demi Moore is there too. But don't just try to link to the famous. There are thousands of others on the site with sometimes brilliant and witty things to say in their 140 character limit. Me, I'm simply, "Hey_Bradshaw" so link to me too if you want. My little band of followers cannot compete with Kutcher's army (1,600,000-plus and growing), but it is fun, informative and costs only some of your time. But it is addictive! And Melissa Francis is there too (she's "MelissaCNBC"), so maybe you can follow her Tweets as well.

The Big Bang Theory: Stuart And Penny Reprise

"I love the smell of comics in the morning" says Sheldon (Jim Parsons) as the boys visit the local nerd store. The store clerk, Stuart, who had previously gone out with lovely neighbor Penny (Kaley Cuoco), asks Leonard (Johnny Galecki) for advice as he prepares for date 2. Leonard, still candleholding for Penny, tries to lead Stuart awry. He tells Stuart to "take it slow. Avoid direct eye contact." Howard (Simon Helberg) suggests Leonard tell Stuart to do everything Leonard has done for the last 2 years as that has certainly kept Penny away from Leonard.

The Classified Materials Turbulence

Meanwhile, Howard is bragging about the "Wolowitz Disposal Unit" installed on the space station. Meanwhile Howard has just found out that his "space toilet" as Leonard calls it, is a trifle wonky. It'll break after 10 flushes sighs Howard. "It'll be like a Jack-In-The-Box," says Howard, except that instead of puppet, "something a whole lot nastier will pop out of that box."

When Leonard approaches Penny about her date with Stuart, he feels guilty when she insists he drop it and leaves. He later asks Stuart about what happened and Stuart says it went great. He did everything Leonard told him to do, he went slow, and then they were "making out later in his car." But then Penny said "Oh, Leonard" and things quickly went south. Back at the apartment Howard is on the phone with NASA being sworn to silence about the "space toilet" fiasco. Penny asks who Howard is on the phone with and Raj (Kunal Nayyer) says "Aw, it's just NASA about Howard's broken space toilet. Then something falls off the ceiling as they are all eating. "What was that?" asks Penny. "Oh, just my mother's meatloaf" says a sullen Howard. "What was it doing on the ceiling?" asks an incredulous Leonard. "That's classified" Howard answers sheepishly.

Cut to an outside look at the space shuttle. "Uh, Houston... we have a 'situation.' We all want to take a spacewalk - RIGHT NOW."

AnnaLynne McCord, Kara DioGuardi Pose For People Sans Makeup

Several young stars are "daring to go bare" for their photo shoots with People magazine. Both AnnaLynne McCord and Kara DioGuardi pose without makeup for People and still look great.

Latest Heroes Episode: An Invisible Thread

The latest episode, An Invisable Thread picks up where the last episode I Am Sylar, left off with Noah Bennet (Jack Coleman), driving a van with Claire (Hayden Panettiere) in the passenger seat and Angela Petrelli (Cristine Rose) asleep and dreaming in the back. The vehicle approached a police roadblock and a van following Bennet stopped behind their van and the back doors opened and a squad of the Hero catchers came out, surrounding the Bennets and Angela. In the new episode, Noah stops before the road block and advises Claire and Angela to run and help Nathan who Angela says was in danger according to her dream. Noah gives Claire a secure phone and tells her he will call her. When Bennet approaches the road block he is now the only occupant of the van.

Sylar Has "A Dream"

When Sylar (Zachary Quinto) rose from the dead in I Am Sylar, and removed the knife from the back of his head that Danko (Zeljko Ivanek) had stabbed him with in a futile attempt to kill Sylar, he pins Danko against the wall and tells him of his plans to "absorb" Nathan's memories (he apparently took Angela's power), and then set up a meeting with the president so Sylar can morph into the chief executive. Sylar tells him that he plans on taking the President's place. Danko swears that he will never allow that to happen. Sylar replies with a grin that, "In 30 seconds no one on the planet will believe a word you have to say" as he again assumes Danko's form, moves to the door and shoots one or two of the approaching soldiers. As more begin to arrive Sylar transforms into Agent Traub (one of Danko's minions) and yells to the other agents that he has Danko, who is led away cursing Sylar.

Danko Aligns With Noah Bennet

Danko is dropped into a cell where Noah Bennet is also being held after his capture at the road block. They discuss the similarities of their situation and agree that they absolutely have to stop Sylar's plan. As they reach out to shake hands in agreement, they freeze... Hiro has stopped time. Hiro and Ando open the door to the cell containing Danko and Noah Bennet and peer in. They shake their heads and move away (leaving the door open). Hiro pulls aside a curtain and finds dozens of Heroes on gurneys with tubes attached which prevents them from regaining consciousness. They find Doctor Sheref who they revive. Ando notices that Hiro's ear is bleeding...

Escape And Sylar Finds Claire

Ando, Sheref and Hiro put all the guards on the gurneys and help all the Heros imprisoned there to escape. Sheref worries that Hiro cannot continue using his power to freeze time as his body is rejecting his power like a virus. When Hiro leaves, Bennet and Danko unfreeze and see the door is ajar. As the realize that there are no guards, Bennet tells Danko that Hiro must have done it. He tells Danko that there is no way to defeat the Heroes given all the various powers available to them. As Noah frantically calls Claire, he finds her all right, but them discovers the "Claire" that answered the phone was Sylar, who has Claire as his prisoner. He forces Claire to drink wine with him as he discusses the similarities between himself and Claire. Both adopted. Both cannot die. He tells her of the future he sees for them together. "You could be my first, First Lady." But Claire tells him she will never give up on trying to kill him.

Nathan And Peter Battle Sylar


Peter and Nathan Petrelli confront Sylar and Claire is thrown out of the room. As the doors swing shut, Claire rushes to the door and sees the Petrellis and Sylar fighting. Then the fight ends and only Peter is left in the room, bleeding from his face. Claire enters and they leave as they have to find Nathan. After they leave the room, Nathan Petrelli's body is flung to the floor and Sylar floats down (he's taken Nathan's power). Sylar laughs and kills Nathan by slashing his throat. Nathan collapses into a chair and dies (yes, Nathan Pettrelli is dead!).

Sylar Moves On the President

As Peter and Claire rush to the lobby, Noah trains his gun on them demanding to know if it is really Claire and not Sylar. Peter tells him that he just fought Sylar and took his power. Claire assures Noah she is the real Claire. As they discuss what to do now to stop Sylar, government agents rush in and tell them to hit the floor. Noah tells them that the president is in danger, but they are unsure. Claire walks up to one and stands with her head directly on the barrel of the gun and tells him "You are going to listen to me. Now, or after you shoot me."

Sylar, again in Nathan's form, approaches one of the president's aides as they rush the president out of the hotel. The aide had known Nathan in college (seen earlier in the episode), but as this is Sylar, he tells the aide that he has no time left. We see the aide get into the president's limo and is seated across from the President. The aide (Sylar) extends his hand in congratulations on the president escaping and he takes Sylar's hand. Sylar becomes confused and as his face assumes several different faces of those who he has taken before, the president stabs Sylar in the throat with a hypodermic needle. The President turns into Peter Petrelli who tells Sylar as he loses conscioussness, "I bet you didn't think I took that one did you?"

Sylar Becomes Nathan Petrelli, permanently?

As Hiro, Ando, Claire, Peter and Angela watch, Noah Bennet convinces Matt to force the unconscious Sylar to permanently become Nathan Petrelli. Matt grabs Sylar and tells him, Sylar is dead... Gabriel Gray is dead... you are Nathan. Sylar becomes Nathan and wakes up looking at Angela... "Mom?" he asks. Later, we see all together again as they burn the body of the unfortunate shapeshifter (still in Sylar's form). The group drifts apart.


Six weeks later, we see a former Building 26 guard walking into his apartment to an overflowing kitchen sink. As he watches, the water takes the form of Tracy Strauss (Ali Larter) who was killed (or was she) by Danko several episodes ago helping Rebel escape Danko's men. She grins at the man saying "You're number four!"

Later we see Nathan Petrelli reading about a "Fourth Mysterious Drowning" and his mother, Angela walks in asking about their plans for lunch. Nathan seems a little distant, fixating on a clock in a cabinet. He is irritated by the clock for losing a minute here and there and adjusts the hand of the clock. He walks out with Angela (who looks a little distraught herself, as it all began with watchmaking with Sylar).

Jay Leno Is Okay! Released From Hospital

The Tonight Show's retiring (well, not entirely retiring) host, Jay Leno has been released from hospital after checking himself in after experiencing some symptoms of illness last Thursday. Before missing the two shows the 58 year old comedian hadn't missed a single day of work since taking the reins way back in 1992, but better safe than sorry. Big Jay had felt a degree of sickness that made him seek medical help. The details about Leno's apparent illness were kept tightly under wraps, but you can expect to see Leno behind the desk come Monday night's Tonight Show telecast.

Conan O'Brien is slated to take over The Tonight Show on June 1st when Leno steps down after 17 years as host. "Jay Leno is anxious to return to work on Monday" according to Leno's spokesman. He was kept overnight more as "a precautionary measure", and the Internet speculation that Leno had suffered a heart attack was also dismissed as untrue. Another report of possible food poisoning was also shot down. Leno is also scheduled to start working on his new show, which will air at 10pm starting this September.

Lost's Henry Ian Cusick Is Being Sued!

Apparently Henry Ian Cusick has been named in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former ABC employee. Back in October of 2007, the alleged victim claims, Cusick "kissed her on the mouth, placed his face on her breasts and caressed the back of her body" while making "moaning sounds." The alleged victim made a complaint, but was fired twelve days after the incident, she feels was in retaliation for the complaint.

The complainant had been employed by ABC since 1997 up til that time. She is seeking unspecified damages from Cusick, ABC Entertainment and Grass Skirt Productions (who produces the show). So far, there's been no response from those named. I, for one, notwithstanding the serious allegations brought forward, ask, is Lost still on the air? I haven't watched it for so long I thought it had been cancelled long ago due to lack of interest.

Latest Heroes Episode: I Am Sylar

Zachary Quinto will be playing a big part in next season's Heroes, and the events are starting take shape in this episode. In case you aren't aware, Sylar (Zachary Quinto) has continued acquiring additional powers as he kills and absorbs the various skills of Heroes in this past season.

The most recent, has been the ability to shapeshift.

In the latest episode entitled "I Am Sylar" he discovers that his latest ability is causing him to lose himself. The episode opens with the Petrelli clan and Noah Bennet (Jack Coleman) at a non-descript diner trying to figure out what they are going to do. Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) says that he is going to "take ownership of what he has done and go bakc to Washington and speak to the President." Claire (Hayden Panettiere) mentions "It looks like you already have" and motions toward to TV in the diner. Nathan is addressing the nation on a live broadcast. He is saying that he has tried to discuss his plan to fix the country and make America the great power it once was, but has been rebuffed at every turn. He claims "the President talks about change but he really is just supporting the status quo" and he, Petrelli, will change things for the better. He turns and grins at the camera and we see Nathan looking downcast. "Who is that?" asks Nathan. And Noah replies, "It's Sylar."

18 Hours Earlier

We see a man wake up and look at a mirror. He has a puzzled look and then changes into Sylar, but with difficulty. He pulls a bloody wisdom tooth from his mouth and asks "Who are you?" to his reflection.


Meanwhile, Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) holding little Matt junior, talks on a pay phone to his ex-wife Janice (Lisa Lackey), and promising to bring little Matt back to her shortly. Hiro (Masi Oka) and Ando (James Kyson Lee) approach him and ask for his help to break into building 26, but Matt declines. "This is not the Matt Parkman we know" says Hiro. Matt tells them he wants to be around for Matt junior's first steps and his first baseball game. "This little guy is a game changer," he says smiling as he holds his son aloft. As he gets into his car to drive away, he tells Hiro and Ando to forget about building 26. What are their plans? To freeze time, then what? The agents will still be alive and they will hurt Hiro and Ando, or worse. They look downcast as Matt drives away.

Danko (Zeljko Ivanek) approaches Sylar as he sits on a park bench. He tries to convinces him to re-assume the form of agent Traub on his team, "so he can come and go. As Sylar, I'll be forced to hunt you down." But Syler tells Danko that he went to bed himself, but woke up as someone else. He is worried that when he is losing himself a bit when he re-configures his DNA. But, Sylar agrees to help Danko and changes shape. After Danko leaves, Sylar cut into his arm "I Am Sylar" but it heals almost at once (but with slight scarring...)

Let's Go, Batman!

Ando gets captured by agents but Hiro escapes but allows them to take Ando. Hiro dresses as one of the smaller agents (black mask etc) and freezes time while in the van so he can wake Ando and tell him to play possum. When he un-freezes time, one of the other agents asks Hiro about his glasses but Ando zaps him. As they leave the van, Hiro says plan B as he grabs a GPS from an unconscious agent. "Let's go Batman!" says an excited Hiro and Ando says "It's Crimson Arc" (Ando's wannabe superhero nickname).

Rebel Meets Sylar

Sylar meanwhile acquires another ability. He arrives ahead of Danko's men and takes the ability of another. This time it is a man (Rance Howard) who with a snap of his fingers can make an object dissolve into nothingness. A potentially lethal new ability for Sylar. As Danko and his team arrive to capture this man, they hear a scream as Sylar slices open his head. When they get in the room, he is dead, lying on the ground. Scrawled on the wall in his latest victim's blood is "I Am Sylar."


Next Danko comes for Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey), but once again Sylar is there first. He decides to spare Micah, (later he tells Danko that "with all the new abilities he has swimming in his head, talking to machines seemed like... overkill." Micah, later at Sylar's home, wakes up to arguing voices. He looks on as Sylar has a conversation with his dead mother, and very creepily turns into his dead mother when she speaks and back to Sylar when he replies. When he spots Micah watching him, he tells Micah to leave now before he kills him. Micah tries to reason with Sylar, that he is "one of us" and that Sylar is special and that he can "save all the Heroes." But Sylar tells him to leave and that if he ever sees him again, he will surely kill him.

Sylar Dies Yet Again

Cut to Nathan Petrelli's office and Nathan rummaging through his desk. Sylar, asks what Nathan is looking for and when he turns around, he sees himself. He insists that Sylar will fool no one and that he needs to get out of Nathan's body. Sylar obliges, but says he isn't going to be Nathan, but he will be better than Nathan. At this point Sylar gets prepared to slice into Nathan's skull, but Danko appears and shoots Nathn in the back with tranqualers darts. Danko tells Sylar to transform back into agent Traub. When Sylar walk out of the washroom still as Sylar, Danko asks him what he thinks he is doing. Sylar replies, "I don't care anymore what you want" and starts to walk away. He stops short. He turns to Danko who has thrown a knife into the back of Sylar's skull and he falls to the floor dead.

Danko calls for a cleanup crew. That should be it right? Sylar was hit in the "sweet spot" as Danko called it. The only sure way of killing him. But Sylar stirs, stands up and pulls the bloody knife out, and looks at Danko and says "That hurt!" as he stares intently at Danko.

How can Sylar be stopped?

Supernatural: A Third Winchester Brother?

As the 4th season of Supernatural comes to an end, there's a bit of a surprise in store for the demon-hunting brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester. In the upcoming episode called "Jump The Shark", they receive word that there may be another brother out there. His name is Adam, and of course the brothers are sure that this is some sort of a demon-inspired trick to finally dispose of the underworld's biggest pain, the brothers' Winchester. How could there possibly be a 3rd brother? Well, their dear old daddy was on the road for long stretches at a time and it can get a little lonely when you're fighting the good fight against the evil undead. Maybe Pa Winchester got hisself some strange.

This could be an interesting twist in the Supernatural saga, but I'm hoping it's not something like when Shannon Doherty left Charmed and they brought in a 4th sister to take her place in the trio. (Hope I didn't lose any street cred by admitting I've watched Charmed: Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs are hot little witches). If this 3rd brother starts tagging along like some pain-in-the-butt lil' brother "C'mon guys, let me kill the demon this time, pleeease", maybe I can see why the episode would be named "Jump The Shark." Have to wait and see what's going on.

Thursday at 9pm. Then 3 more episodes this season, "Rapture" will air April 30, "When the Levee Breaks" on May 7 and the season-ending "Lucifer Rising" on May 21. Lucifer Rising sounds like it will be a cliffhanger, don't it?

YouTube Will Have TV Shows Soon: Could Be Interesting...

Have you heard about this? YouTube is about to unveil a section where you will be able to watch actual TV shows and feature films. They're doing this because of the increasing popularity of Hulu, which is eating into the massive numbers of views that are generated by the biggest kid on the block, YouTube.

Hulu is new and owned by News Corp and NBC Universal and has a huge library of TV shows and movies available. And the ever-hungry Disney Corp is angling for a stake in Hulu so they could be allowing Disney-produced movies and TV shows (more Hanna Montana dreck anyone?). Hulu is growing by leaps and bounds and may eventually overtake YouTube if they get the mix right for viewers and advertisers. And that's the rub for YouTube. This new section for YouTube is an interesting spin, and with a little work could turn YouTube into the money-spinner the Googlemeisters were looking for. Still too many details need to be ironed out.

Advertisers are the pot o' gold Google (who purchased YouTube for a sackful of money in 2006) are after. They love the numbers for YouTube (5.3 million views in February), but enticing the wary adboys to part with their dollars is the hard part. Would you advertise with a company that seems to air mostly kids showin' off their hot skateboard tricks and flips? Of course, that's not all there is to YouTube. I love YouTube because of the old trailers and movie and sports clips available. But if you can provide longer clips of movies or television episodes, there's a boatload of dollars waiting for the guys who put it all together with the advertisers.

Almost makes me want to dust off my old YouTube-ish idea about providing clips with subtle ads interspersed (No, not subliminally, you dork). What's needed is a platform that provides the good visual content and with ads featured alongside that content. The advertising has to be unobtrusive and non-distracting. Hmmm... maybe I should put in a call to Google boys with my brilliant idea.

You heard it here at Tube Squad first. I just have to do a little legwork and maybe I'll get a sliver of the revenue or maybe I'll just start a new website (maybe I'll call it "Tube Squad"!) and then sell it to Google and retire to a tropical island. Dare to dream.

Nicollette Sheridan's Gone From Desperate Housewives

Lovely Nicollette Sheridan is no longer on Desperate Housewives! Oh NOOO! Okay, I don't watch the show, but I can't help but watch Nicollette Sheridan whenever I'm channel surfing. She is eminently watchable, and I've usually stopped to watch the show from time to time whenever she's been on. Then sometimes I watch long enough and Eva Longoria Parker appears, and then I ask myself... what am I watching this tripe for?


I've never really been able to understand the allure of the show, well Eva and Nicollette notwithstanding, because it strikes me as a soap opera, albet with some humerous moments thrown in. It seems they work just too hard trying to be funny, witty etc on Desperate Housewives. It seems to have been on the air forever and I've never really been the least bit interested in the comings and goings of Wysteria Lane (is that the street they all live on?) or cared one whit about the story lines. This was the same as other much beloved "dramas" that I thankfully have avoided like Knots Landing, Melrose Place (although Courtney Thorne-Smith was yummy on Allie McBeal and According to Jim, I couldn't fathom they urgency that all the girls at work would discuss these shows).

So, although I don't mourn her character "Edie Britt", I will miss catching Sheridan when I'm flipping through channels. She does have an impressive body... of work, and has been on and off television since 1984's Paper Dolls and apparently she was in Knots Landing for 179 episodes. She has been on Desperate Housewives for 113 episodes and I'm sure that there'll be another series waiting in the wings for the hot mid-40s-something actress. I'll look forward to spotting her again and having her force me to linger momentarily while I look for something good to watch. Meanwhile, the "Wives" will have to crank it up a notch and maybe bring in some new blood to fill her void.